KeyGenes new potato variety (centre) has the skin of Pimpernel (left) and the flesh of Bintje (right)Courtesy of KeyGeneA new technique for creating fruit and vegetables with the skin of one variety and the flesh of another could make crops more resistant to pests and droughts.A lot of the fruit and vegetables we eat comes from grafted plants created by cutting off part of one plant and replacing it with part of another. What makes grafting useful is that even plants that are too distantly related to hybridise can be grafted together. For instance, a desirable variety of fruit plant can be grafted onto a rootstock of another type that is resistant to pests and diseases. AdvertisementVery occasionally, a shoot arises from the junction between grafted plants that is a strange mix of the two called a graft chimera with the outer layer of one plant and the insides of another. This can happen because shoots develop from three distinct layers of stem cells at their tip, one of which forms the skin of the plant. By chance, shoots from a graft junction can end up with a mix of stem cell types from the two plants.Normally, creating a certain type of grafted plant requires performing a graft for each one you want to cultivate, so making large quantities is taxing. But graft chimeras can be propagated by taking cuttings from them or simply from their tubers, which would make them more desirable.However, while researchers have occasionally deliberately created graft chimeras, it isnt easy. Many of the known graft chimeras, such as the Bizzarria citrus, are a very rare accidental byproduct of conventional grafting.Unmissable news about our planet delivered straight to your inbox every month.Sign up to newsletterNow, Jeroen Stuurman at KeyGene, a crop technology company in the Netherlands, says he has developed a reliable way to produce graft chimeras for the first time. He wont reveal details of the method, but he says he has used it to create many different graft chimeras from varieties of potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines, and between sweet and chilli peppers.For one graft-chimera potato, with the skin of a variety called Pimpernel and the flesh of another called Bintje, KeyGene has been awarded plant breeders rights the horticultural equivalent of copyright. This is a first for a graft chimera. Getting these rights shows that producing them is a potentially viable business, says Stuurman. For us, this was the signal that we can now go into the next step.The company is now planning to create graft chimeras with properties such as resistance to pests and diseases. Pest resistance is often due to hair-like structures called trichomes on the surface of plants, which may secrete repellents or sticky substances to trap insects, says Stuurman. Trichomes are very hard to transfer between plant varieties with conventional breeding or genetic engineering as they involve many genes, but his method allows existing varieties to be effectively given a skin transplant.Because potatoes are already grown from tubers rather than seeds, farmers could start growing such graft chimeras tomorrow if they chose, says Stuurman. There is no need for any change in the way things are grown.Its really interesting that they can make stable graft chimeras that have commercially relevant properties, says Charles Melnyk at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Im not aware of this being done before, so their finding is really significant.Graft chimeras have a tendency to be unstable, meaning they can revert back to one of the original forms, but KeyGene must have overcome this to get plant breeders right, says Colin Turnbull at Imperial College London. The novelty seems to be the stability of the skin graft such that they have a marketable variety.Topics:

Rumors of the ongoing death of software development that its being slain by AI are greatly exaggerated. In reality, software development is at a fork in the road: embracing the (currently) far-off notion of fully automated software development or acknowledging the work of a software developer is much more than just writing lines of code. The decision the industry makes could have significant long-term consequences. Increasing complacency around AI-generated code and a shift to what has been termed vibe coding where code is generated through natural language prompts until the results seem to work will lead to code thats more error-strewn, more expensive to run and harder to change in the future. And, if the devaluation of software development skills continues, we may even lack a workforce with the skills and knowledge to fix things down the line. This means software developers are going to become more important to how the world builds and maintains software. Yes, there are many ways their practices will evolve thanks to AI coding assistance, but in a world of proliferating machine-generated code, developer judgment and experience will be vital. The dangers of AI-generated code are already here The risks of AI-generated code arent science fiction: theyre with us today. Research done by GitClear earlier this year indicates that with AI coding assistants (like GitHub Copilot) going mainstream, code churn which GitClear defines as changes that were either incomplete or erroneous when the author initially wrote, committed, and pushed them to the companys git repo" has significantly increased. GitClear also found there was a marked decrease in the number of lines of code that have been moved, a signal for refactored code (essentially the care and feeding to make it more effective). In other words, from the time coding assistants were introduced theres been a pronounced increase in lines of code without a commensurate increase in lines deleted, updated, or replaced. Simultaneously, there's been a decrease in lines moved indicating a lot of code has been written but not refactored. More code isnt necessarily a good thing (sometimes quite the opposite); GitClears findings ultimately point to complacency and a lack of rigor about code quality. Can AI be removed from software development? However, AI doesnt have to be removed from software development and delivery. On the contrary, theres plenty to be excited about. As noted in the latest volume of the Technology Radar Thoughtworks report on technologies and practices from work with hundreds of clients all over the world the coding assistance space is full of opportunities. Specifically, the report noted tools like Cursor, Cline and Windsurf can enable software engineering agents. What this looks like in practice is an agent-like feature inside developer environments that developers can ask specific sets of coding tasks to be performed in the form of a natural language prompt. This enables the human/machine partnership. That being said, to only focus on code generation is to miss the variety of ways AI can help software developers. For example, Thoughtworks has been interested in how generative AI can be used to understand legacy codebases, and we see a lot of promise in tools like Unblocked, which is an AI team assistant thatsupport for new languages in an internal tool, CodeConcise. We use CodeConcise to understand legacy systems; and while our success was mixed, we do think theres real promise here. Tightening practices to better leverage AI Its important to remember much of the work developers do isnt developing something new from scratch. A large proportion of their work is evolving and adapting existing (and sometimes legacy) software. Sprawling and janky code bases that have taken on technical debt are, unfortunately, the norm. Simply applying AI will likely make things worse, not better, especially with approaches like vibe. This is why developer judgment will become more critical than ever. In the latest edition of the Technology Radar report, AI-friendly code design is highlighted, based on our experience that AI coding assistants perform best with well-structured codebases. In practice, this requires many different things, including clear and expressive naming to ensure context is clearly communicated (essential for code maintenance), reducing duplicate code, and ensuring modularity and effective abstractions. Done together, these will all help make code more legible to AI systems. Good coding practices are all too easy to overlook when productivity and effectiveness are measured purely in terms of output, and even though this was true before there was AI tooling, software development needs to focus on good coding first. AI assistance demands greater human responsibility Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger recently claimed that in three years software engineers wont write any code: they will only review AI-created code. This might sound like a huge claim, but its important to remember that reviewing code has always been a major part of software development work. With this in mind, perhaps the evolution of software development wont be as dramatic as some fear. But theres another argument: as AI becomes embedded in how we build software, software developers will take on more responsibility, not less. This is something weve discussed a lot at Thoughtworks: the job of verifying that an AI-built system is correct will fall to humans. Yes, verification itself might be AI-assisted, but it will be the role of the software developer to ensure confidence. In a world where trust is becoming highly valuable as evidenced by the emergence of the chief trust officer the work of software developers is even more critical to the infrastructure of global industry. Its vital software development is valued: the impact of thoughtless automation and pure vibes could prove incredibly problematic (and costly) in the years to come. This content was produced by Thoughtworks. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviews editorial staff.

Most US measles cases are in Texas, which has outbreaks in multiple counties. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images 2025-04-02T18:36:39Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? 19 states, including Texas, New York, California, and Florida, have confirmed measles cases.There are 70% more cases in 2025 so far than in all of 2024.The majority of measles cases are in unvaccinated children. Texas has the most cases, at 422.Measles cases in the US are growing exponentially. There are already 70% more confirmed cases in 2025 than in all of 2024.Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 due to high measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates. In 2019, the US nearly lost its measles elimination status when outbreaks caused over 1,200 measles cases. While the US still technically maintains its elimination status, measles cases continue to rise worldwide as childhood vaccination rates drop and more unvaccinated people travel to the US and elsewhere.2025 has seen 483 confirmed measles cases so far across 19 states.Texas has the biggest outbreaks87% of all US measles cases are in Texas, which has had outbreaks in multiple counties.Measles cases have also been confirmed in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.Most cases are in unvaccinated childrenThe majority of cases are in children under 19, and almost all of them are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Only 3% of cases have occurred in people with one or two doses of the MMR vaccine.So far, there's been one confirmed death caused by measles and one caseunder investigation because the person tested positive for measles after death. 70 people have been hospitalized.You can protect yourself by getting a boosterDoctors recommend getting an MMR booster if you were vaccinated before 1968 since earlier versions of the vaccine weren't as effective. You can get a booster if you don't know your medical history, and children under 1 can also get early doses of the vaccine.Measles is highly contagious and can live in the air for two hours. If you're traveling, the CDC recommends being fully vaccinated two weeks beforehand, and monitoring for symptoms for three weeks after you return.Recommended video

Croatia won me over with its local hospitality, beautiful natural views, and incredible food. Tricia Patras 2025-04-02T18:24:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? I've been to 26 countries but none has impressed me as much as Croatia.The local hospitality and cuisine was unmatched I had incredible meals in Croatia.Plitvice National Park is beautiful and the gorgeous beaches weren't very crowded during my visit. At 30, I quit my job and took a year off to travel the world. In the span of 365 days, I visited 26 countries. I went to popular spots like Florence, London, and Santorini, but my favorite destination was a place I'd almost missed: Croatia. I decided to visit the European country on a whim after seeing posts about it on Instagram and having it recommended to me by a few friends. I knew it was a filming location for "Game of Thrones," but other than that, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived in Croatia. I found myself delighted by the local cuisine and Croatian hospitality Croatia is beautiful. Tricia Patras One of my friends recommended I stay on Hvar, an island on the Adriatic Sea that she described as a "more relaxed version of the Greek Islands."I was worried the island life would feel too slow and not as enjoyable as a solo traveler. However, I soon ate my words and one of the best meals of my life. During my first night in Hvar, I ate handmade spaghettini at a small restaurant on the water. As I was living in Italy at the time, I wasn't expecting to find the best pasta I ever had in Croatia but here I was.I devoured every bite of the delicious pasta, which was served with fresh mussels and seafood from the water before me. The waiters laughed at how much I enjoyed my food and even gave me a free limoncello to celebrate my meal.Although Hvar is small, it felt filled with life. After two days of exploring its wine bars and local bakeries and swimming in the Adriatic Sea, I headed to the mainland.When I arrived in Split, one of Croatia's largest cities, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel crowded or swamped with visitors. After exploring tourist-infested place after place, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I found so much to enjoy in the city, which is surrounded by blue waters and filled with historic architecture. Again, I found more delicious food. I spent my first night in Split alone at a restaurant eating squid-ink gnocchi and olive-oil bread. As a Greek native, I have high standards when it comes to olive oil and the bread I had was incredible.My server was so kind and friendly that I forgot I was even dining alone. He gave me 10% off my bill as a welcome to Split.Again, I found myself touched by the local Croatian hospitality.The nature and beaches felt otherworldly, too Some of the waterfalls I saw in Croatia were incredible. Tricia Patras As I continued to explore Croatia, I felt overwhelmed in the best way possible.I went on a day trip to the gorgeous Plitvice National Park with a group of strangers who ended up becoming friends. I was in awe as we hiked through the otherworldly park, filled with lush greenery and waterfalls galore. The next day, I explored the hills of Park Suma Marjan and relaxed on local beaches. I didn't run into many crowds during my trip. Tricia Patras In popular places like the Greek Islands, beautiful beaches like the ones I visited this would be crowded with tourists and drinks would cost 20 euros a pop. Here, I didn't fight anyone for a lounging spot and I paid no more than 8 euros for a cocktail. I felt relaxed and I felt even more gratitude for Croatia.I'm so glad I visited CroatiaEverything about this country surprised me in the best way possible.The food was a gorgeous hybrid of Italian and Eastern European cuisines. The lush greenery and natural beauty I'd seen couldn't compare to anything else I'd seen on my travels.Plitvice National Park felt wonderfully otherworldly, and so did the hospitality that I received from locals throughout my trip. After just a few days, Croatia had completely won me over and I can't believe I almost didn't visit it. Recommended video

Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic should be one of the easiest cases the Supreme Court will decide this year. A federal law requires every states Medicaid program to ensure that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain that care from a competent provider of their choice. The question in Medina is whether that statute means anything, or whether it is a paper tiger that cannot be meaningfully enforced.In fairness, the Supreme Courts rules laying out when a federal Medicaid statute can be enforced through private lawsuits are somewhat complicated, but the 2023 decision in Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County v. Talevski clarified those rules. There is now no serious argument that that law enabling Medicaid patients to choose their providers cannot be enforced.But, while the law in Medina is clear, the politics are terrible. The specific issue in Medina is whether South Carolina can cut health providers that also provide abortions out of its Medicaid program (Medicaid funds generally cannot be spent on abortions, but they can be spent on non-abortion care provided by Planned Parenthood). And the Supreme Court has a 6-3 Republican majority. So many of the Courts Republicans seemed to spend Wednesdays argument looking for a way to get around cases like Talevski. Its far from clear whether three key justices Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were persuaded by the anti-Medicaid arguments in this case. But, at times, it sure seemed like they wanted to be persuaded.That leaves the outcome in Medina uncertain. If I absolutely had to bet on the outcome, Id predict that Roberts and Barrett, at the very least, will ultimately reaffirm what the Court said less than two years ago in Talevski which means that Planned Parenthood will win. But none of the Courts Republicans appeared to see this case as easy.Whats the legal issue in Medina?As a general rule, if someone wants to file a federal lawsuit enforcing a provision of Medicaid law, they cannot sue under the law itself. Instead, they have to file their suit under a law known as Section 1983, which permits suits against state officials who deprive someone of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws.In Blessing v. Freestone (1997), however, the Court said that this statute does not permit anyone to file any lawsuit to enforce any provision of federal law. Instead, because Section 1983 refers to rights, a plaintiff must assert the violation of a federal right, not merely a violation of federal law.The test the Court uses to determine whether a particular federal law creates an enforceable right was recently reiterated in Talevski, which held that the key question is whether the provision in question is phrased in terms of the persons benefited and contains rights-creating, individual-centric language with an unmistakable focus on the benefited class.Thus, for example, a statute which says that no state shall deny a person who is wearing pants the ability to take a walk would be enforceable through private lawsuits, because this statute focuses on the people who benefit from it (people wearing pants). A similar law that says states shall not interfere with walking may not be enforceable, because it does not have the same individual-centric language demanded by Talevski.With that in mind, here is the statute at issue in Medina:A State plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance (including drugs) may obtain such assistance from any institution, agency, community pharmacy, or person, qualified to perform the service or services required (including an organization which provides such services, or arranges for their availability, on a prepayment basis), who undertakes to provide him such services.This law does everything Talevski demands. It provides a right to a specific individuals (any individual eligible for medical assistance under Medicaid), and it lays out the content of that right the right to obtain assistance from a provider of their choice. As Justice Elena Kagan pointed out early in Wednesdays oral argument, it is nearly impossible to even describe what this statute does without using the word right.A Court that intends to follow the rule laid out two years ago in Talevski, in other words, would hand down a very brief, unanimous opinion in holding that South Carolina Medicaid patients have a right to choose Planned Parenthood as their health provider.Many of the justices appeared determined to make this case more complicated than it isThough some members of the Courts right flank appeared to be probing for a way to rule against abortion providers, none of the justices proposed a coherent legal rule that would allow them to dodge Talevski. Justice Samuel Alito, for example, was unusually quiet on Wednesday, though he did speak up at one point to complain that Medicaid laws, which permit private lawsuits, are supposed to be something thats quite extraordinary.Similarly, Justice Clarence Thomas asked a few questions emphasizing his belief that it should be harder to enforce federal laws that are tied to federal spending programs such as Medicaid, as opposed to laws enacted under Congresss power to regulate private actors.A few of the justices, meanwhile, fixated on a concurring opinion by Judge Julius Richardson, a Trump appointee to a federal appeals court who complained that there is uncertainty about whether lower court judges should follow Talevski or a slightly different legal framework laid out in Blessing and Wilder v. Virginia Hospital Association (1990). According to Richardson, lower courts continue to lack the guidance inferior judges need.In fairness, Roberts and Barrett sometimes seemed incredulous that theres any real confusion about whether Talevski lays out the proper rule. Barrent asked Planned Parenthoods lawyer Nicole Saharsky if the Court could just say in its opinion that lower courts should follow Talevski, and Saharsky did not object. Roberts said that the Court could simply say that we meant it when it handed down Talevski and a related case.Kavanaugh, however, was all over the map. South Carolinas primary argument is that the Medicaid statute must use specific magic words, such as the word right, in order to authorize private lawsuits. As Kagan pointed out, the Court has never imposed such a requirement in its past cases, and she warned against changing the rules midstream because Congress could not have known that it had to use certain magic words when it wrote the Medicaid statute or any other existing law.But Kavanaugh seemed to disagree, stating at one point that he isnt averse to magic words. Kavanaughs questions indicated that he is so concerned with coming up with a clear, easy-to-apply test that he is willing to sacrifice the rights of Medicaid patients to achieve this broader goal.Still, its far from clear whether Kavanaugh can find five votes for a magic words requirement, or even whether Kavanaugh will himself vote to overrule cases like Talevski.In the end, it does appear more likely than not that Planned Parenthood will prevail. South Carolina, like any other litigant opposed to abortion, made its case before a very friendly bench of mostly Republican justices. But the state will probably still lose because its arguments are just so weak under existing law.See More:

Sixty minutes thats how long Nintendo took on Wednesday afternoon to remind us that no other video game manufacturer creates joy like this one. It was the Nintendo livestream weve been waiting for: a deep dive into the new console after so much speculation. Sure, the Switch 2 is the companys first real hardware sequel an updated and spruced-up version of its predecessor rather than a radical new piece of kit. But the updates are the intriguing part.Naturally, were getting a larger (7.9-inch, to be precise) screen that displays in full HD at 1080p; but were also getting re-thought Joy-Con controllers that now click to the console via strong magnets rather than those fiddly sliders we all put on the wrong way. The buttons are larger, too, so adults will be able to play Mario Kart with some semblance of skill. But the main new feature for the controllers is a new rollerball that enables each one to operate as a mouse. This will allow for new point-and-click features and some interesting control options. I like that they showed this off with a wheelchair basketball game, where you slide the controllers a long a surface to mimic pushing the wheels.The Nintendo Switch 2.The new Mario Kart game, Mario Kart World, looks rather nice. Perhaps taking inspiration from the likes of Forza Horizon and Test Drive Unlimited, it offers an open world to drive around, and, as well as circuit races, there will be endurance competitions where you drive from one side of the map to the other. According to the trailer shown during the livestream, 24 drivers can take part in each race, the most in the history of the series. Theres even a free-roam mode that lets you explore wherever you like, and take scenic drives with friends.With friends was definitely the theme of the stream. A new C button on the Joy-Con opens up the GameChat facility, which lets you start a group discussion with friends and family who also own Switch 2 consoles; it even has a video chat option if you also buy the Switch 2 camera. Like a sort of candy-coloured version of Zoom, your pals appear along the bottom of the screen as you play a game and you can all chat, even if youre playing different things. Several of the trailers shown during the presentation suggested that video footage of your friends would even be incorporated into the game itself. This is where Nintendo always does best: finding new ways for you to embarrass yourself and/or confuse and delight elderly relatives.Donkey Kong: Bananza on the Switch 2. Photograph: NintendoWas this a knockout victory for Nintendo? Well, there were a lot of game announcements, but we didnt get a big new 3D Mario adventure although those do sometimes come a little while after launch. Also, fans are already tutting about game prices. While the machine is launching at an acceptable 395.99 (or 429.99 bundled with Mario Kart World), it looks like Mario Kart World will retail for 75. Its a lot, but then Mario Kart 8 lasted for the entire lifespan of the Switch and most owners got hundreds of hours of entertainment out of it.The pre-order process, which opens on 8 April, is going to be interesting. Scalpers turned the launches of the Xbox Series X and PS5 into an ugly and expensive drama, with Sonys machine turning up for sale at $2,000 at one point thanks to limited availability.Nintendo is good at joy, and this looks like a truly lovely machine. But in an economic climate far from joyful, fans (and their parents) will be watching pre-order and sales figures very closely over the next few long weeks.What to playTough cerebral challenges Rosewater. Photograph: Grundislav GamesIve been a sucker for western adventure games ever since I played Accolades classic Law of the West for the Commodore 64, so its lovely to see a newcomer in town. Rosewater is a steam punk-infused point-and-click puzzler following would-be journalist Harley Leger, who arrives in the titular frontier town for a job at the local newspaper but instead gets embroiled in a treasure hunt.Created by Grundislav Games, its a spiritual successor to the studios 2018 title Lamplight City, but you can come to this one fresh. Its filled with interesting characters and tough cerebral challenges, and the crisp pixel art is a rootin, tootin treat. Im sorry.Available on: PC, Mac Estimated playtime: What to readThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was originally intended for the Wii U. Photograph: NintendoPerhaps timed to coincide with the Nintendo Switch 2 news, Polygon has a piece about playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Wii U, which was the intended platform for the earlier machine before it ended up on the Switch. A lot of people have forgotten it did actually get a Wii-U release, though, and it was OK? An interesting read, though.The new industry site Games Business has an interview with Alain Tascan, the head of Netflix games. He sees Wii-style family TV games as the future for the platform: For party games, I believe we can give instant fun, using the phone as a very innovative controller. On every phone you have a gyroscope, you have a microphone, you have a speaker, you have a touchscreen if you give that to creative people, what do they do? Whether youre alone, or with two people, or 20 people, why not? Can we do something really engaging? Um, yes you can as Sony showed several years ago with its PlayLink technology for PlayStation 4. Sadly, that initiative was undersupported, despite having some brilliant games. Maybe Netflix will hang in there a little longer.As a fan of weird mid-1990s horror games, I was very pleased to see Christian Donlan writing for Eurogamer about Harlan Ellisons twisted terror adventure, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. The narrative, about the last survivors of a computer-initiated nuclear war being tortured by their AI-overlords, couldnt be more timely.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWhat to clickQuestion BlockThe Tearoom Photograph: Robert YangThis week I went on Bluesky to ask for questions and this concise inquiry game back from Rainer Sigl:Wheres the games counterculture? Does it exist?My equally concise answer is: Its complicated. It depends on how we interpret the term.My copy of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines counterculture as: A way of life opposed to that usually considered normal. That could almost embrace the entire independent game development community, but we can get more specific.Perhaps the hyper-challenging games of Bennett Foddy are countercultural because they are deliberately not intuitive to control. Or perhaps the Flatgame scene, in which developers create deliberately simple games with limited interactivity, is countercultural because it challenges the ideas that video games need cutting-edge visuals and a strong challenge component.Maybe Robert Yangs games such as The Tearoom and Hurt Me Plenty are counter-cultural because they challenge the heteronormative orthodoxy of the mainstream industry. As ever with this subject, I defer to the developer and writer Anna Anthropy, whose brilliant book Rise of the Videogame Zinesters makes a compelling and detailed case for the existence of a global video game counterculture, existing happily for years on the periphery.If youve got a question for Question Block or anything else to say about the newsletter hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.

Parents can now block their children from communicating with specific friends or playing certain games on Roblox, an online gaming platform popular with children.The changes form part of a suite of safety updates intended to give parents more control over their childs experience on the platform.From Wednesday, parents and caregivers who identify themselves with an ID or credit card will have access to three new tools. The friend management tool means they can block anyone on their childs friends list, preventing their child from exchanging direct messages with that account, and report people they believe are violating Roblox policies.They can also review and change the content maturity level for their childs account, determining which games their child can access, and obtain detailed screen-time insights.Under the Online Safety Act, which came into force this year, tech companies must tackle harmful content on their platforms or face fines of up to 18m or 10% of global revenue.There have been reports of bullying and grooming on Roblox and fears that children are being exposed to explicit or harmful content on the site, which is the most popular platform in the UK among gamers aged eight to 12.Robloxs chief safety officer, Matt Kaufman, said safety was at the companys core and its mission was to be the safest and most civil online platform in the world.The US-based company is one of the worlds largest games platforms, with more monthly users than Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation combined. In 2024, the site averaged more than 80 million players a day, and roughly 40% of those were under 13.Roblox introduced 40 safety updates last year, including preventing users under 13 from sending direct messages. Roblox has also updated its voice safety technology, which uses a machine-learning model to moderate chat between players more accurately than human moderators.Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said he welcomed the safety improvements but that Roblox still needs to get to grips with substantial problems with harmful and age-inappropriate content.He added: Extensive research has shown Roblox is awash with age-inappropriate games and communities, including depression rooms that can compound misery and offer no support to vulnerable children.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionThis content raises fundamental questions about Robloxs broader commitment to safety and shows it cannot just rely on parental controls but must take decisive action to make the platform safe for its young users.Last month, Robloxs co-founder and chief executive, David Baszucki, said the platform was vigilant in protecting its users and that tens of millions of people had amazing experiences on the site.He added: My first message would be: if youre not comfortable, dont let your kids be on Roblox. That sounds a little counterintuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions.

Elden Ring creators reveal new Switch 2 exclusive game The DuskbloodsAdam StarkeyPublished April 2, 2025 6:12pmUpdated April 2, 2025 6:19pm FromSoftware has another multiplayer game in the works (Nintendo/FromSoftware)The biggest surprise of the Nintendo Direct is a new game from the creators of Bloodborne and Elden Ring, which is set to be released next year.The Nintendo Direct mostly delivered what we expected between Mario Kart World, the consoles launch date, and a widely rumoured Donkey Kong platformer, but one of the best surprises came from a third party developer.FromSoftware may have Elden Ring spin-off Nightreign coming out on May 30, but the developer is also cooking up an original multiplayer title exclusively for the Switch 2.The Duskbloods has the kind of brooding gothic fantasy atmosphere youd expect from the makers of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but it also includes some whiffs of Armored Core via robot suits with jet-packs and, er the ability to transform into dinosaurs.According to a press release, The Duskbloods is a PvPvE online multiplayer game which sees up to eight players vie for supremacy among themselves and against challenging foes.More TrendingThe games playable characters are part of a group called Bloodsworn, who are described as beings who have transcended human strength thanks to their special blood hence all the super-powered abilities shown in the trailer.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextThe Duskbloods is scheduled to launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026, with the title published by Nintendo and FromSoftware.Elsewhere at the Nintendo Direct, FromSoftware announced Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition will launch on Switch 2 sometime in 2025. This version includes last years DLC Shadow Of The Erdtree.A comprehensive amount of other third party games were also announced during the Direct, which you can find listed below.Nintendo Switch 2 confirmed third party gamesElden RingHades 2Street Fighter 6Daemon X Machina: Titanic ScionSplit FictionEA Sports FCMadden NFLHogwarts LegacyTony Hawks Pro Skater 3+4Hitman: World Of AssassinationProject 007Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD remasterYakuza 0 Directors CutCyberpunk 2077: Ultimate EditionArcade Archives 2 Ridge RacerBestiaroBorderlands 4Deltarune Chapters 1-4Enter The Gungeon 2Fast FusionFinal Fantasy 7 Remake IntergradeFortniteFur Squadron PhoenixGoodnight UniverseHollow Knight: SilksongHuman Fall Flat 2Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The GoddessMarvel Cosmic InvasionMy Time At EvershineNBA 2KNobubagas Ambition: Awakening Complete EditionNo Sleep For Kaname Date From AI: The Somnium FilesProfessor Layton and the New World of SteamPuyo Puyo Tetris 2SRaidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless ArmySonic X Shadow GenerationsStarseeker: Astroneer ExpeditionsStar Wars OutlawsSynth BeastsReanimalTwo Point MuseumWild Hearts SWitchbrookWWE 2KYooka-ReplayleeCivilization 7Survival KidsStory Of Seasons: Grand BazaarTamagotchi PlazaEmailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.ArrowMORE: How to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 in the UK GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

The Switch 2 is launching with Mario Kart World (Nintendo)Following the full reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, heres all the information you need on how to buy the console.After a three month wait since its initial reveal, Nintendo has finally announced the price, release date, and launch line-up for the Switch 2.The company showcased the console in a Nintendo Direct presentation on Wednesday, with the system packing a larger screen, magnetic Joy-Cons, and mouse-like functionality.The Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5, 2025 priced at 395.99, while a Mario Kart bundle will set you back 429.99. With only a couple months to wait, the big question now is when and where you can pre-order the console for yourself.When to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2?The Nintendo Switch 2 will be available to pre-order from Tuesday, April 8, 2025 from the My Nintendo Store in the UK and Europe. This, however, will only be via a special invitation, with details outlined below. A date for other retailers has yet to be announced, although you can register interest in the console on Currys and ShopTo. Where to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2?If you want to pre-order through the My Nintendo Store, youll have to meet some criteria in order to receive an invite.Firstly, the opportunity to pre-order through Nintendos official store will only initially be available through an invite-only basis to those who are subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online.According to Nintendos website, the initial invitees will be selected if they have been a Switch Online member for at least two years continuously by March 31, 2025, and have an active membership on the day that the pre-order is placed. If you have a family membership, the person who purchased the subscription will only be eligible.Whether you receive an invite will also depend on your overall play time on Switch games (with priority going to those with higher play times), along with whether you opted to share usage information with Nintendo, which you can activate in the Switch settings.The final criteria is whether youve opted in to receive promotional emails and messages from Nintendo. Youll have to be opted in on the day the invitation is sent to be eligible.More TrendingA notice on the website reads: Over time, the selection criteria thresholds may be lowered and more people could be invited to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 console. Throughout, we will remain focussed on prioritising the most dedicated Nintendo Switch players (while stocks last).Invites to pre-order will be sent to the email associated with your Nintendo Account, with the invitation valid for 72 hours. This page will be updated with a link to register interest when it is available.Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 digital games, upgrade packs, and amiibo will be available on My Nintendo Store from April 24, 2025. The Switch 2 is nearly here (Nintendo)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Winnie the Pooh. Popeye. Steamboat Willie. These days, it seems the instant a recognizable character becomes public domain, someone immediately turns them into a horror movie. Why is that, and what is it like behind the scenes? To get those answers, io9 spoke with Steven LaMorte. Hes the co-writer and director of Screamboat, a Steamboat Willie slasher film thats in theaters April 2. As we covered in the first half of our interview, its a film that might be a love letter to Disney, but that doesnt come without some guardrails. In order to avoid being sued, films like Screamboat have to adhere to some simple but important guidelines, which makes for a very interesting exercise in storytelling. As this is LaMortes second public domain horror filmhe did a Grinch-themed film called The Mean One in 2022we spoke to him about all that and more. You can see the line between legal and Disney lawyers being very mad in full effect when you watch Screamboat April 2. Check out the interview below. Steven LaMonte editing Screamboat in an exclusive image Sklae Lorand This interview was edited for length and clarity. Germain Lussier, io9: So having made a movie about the Grinch, you were kind of familiar with public domain films. When did you hear that Steamboat Willie was coming up, and how did it come about that you got involved with it? Steven LaMorte: So after the sort of viral sensation that was The Mean One, we knew we had to do a follow-up. I dont know what it was going to be, but we knew we were going to do something. And I was really struggling to figure out what that project was going to be. My wife said, Well, dont worry about characters or IP or any of that stuff. Whats a story youve always wanted to tell? And I said, Well, Ive always wanted to make either a slasher or a murder mystery or some kind of big adventure story thats a little scary on the Staten Island Ferry. So I said, Lets dust that concept off and see if theres something there.Im from New York City. Ive ridden the Staten Island Ferry thousands of times, going back and forth at all hours of the night, commuting to college where I went to film school. And so I did a little research and I said, Well, which characters are coming into the public domain that might fit with that? And then it became clear that Steamboat Willie was next up. So theres no way theyre going to let him go into the public domain. But lets take this idea, well sit it on the shelf, let it marinate and see what happens. And then as we got closer, it became more and more clear that the killer really could be Steamboat Willie. And doing my ferry history research, the Staten Island Ferry was once powered by steam. Its like a perfect mix. And you set it with the backdrop of the greatest city in the world, New York City. Like what could be better? io9: Yes, exactly. Thats great. So you have this idea, it comes together, but with something like a Disney IP such as Steamboat Willie, clearly youre not the only one who sees that and notices it. And we know theres at least one other movie like this. At that point, does it become a race? Do you follow those other movies and does it matter if you are first? Im curious if thats a consideration when youre looking for financing and all that kind of stuff.Screamboat director Steven LaMorte on set with his mouse Sklae Lorand LaMorte: I dont know if its a race per se. I think its a race if youre trying to grab clicks or headlines or just grab attention, for sure. I mean, our goal when we set out to make this movie was to make something fun and entertaining. Something that really honored the character and did it justice. Because we didnt want to do a Steamboat Willie-inspired film that loosely follows the design. We wanted to do something that was a creature feature where he was mischievous, where he was small, and so we knew that was going to take time to really do and to execute correctly. Not only from the standpoint of we wanted to wait until he was fully in the public domain before we started shooting, but also knowing that the effects take time, shooting the gore gags the way that we do takes time. I mean, if youve ever seen a Terrifier movie, theyll spend a whole week on a kill just to get it right. And knowing that it was important to us that we didnt just execute, but executed it at a level that did the IP justice, that would really be a fun theatrical experience, meant it was going to take a little bit of time. So it wasnt critical to us that it came out first. What mattered was that we did it right and that we were really proud of the film we made. io9: So what is the line? Is there anything you cant do legally? And how closely, and at what steps, are the lawyers involved with the process? Also is there something you tried to do but maybe couldnt?LaMorte: Well, I mean, I dont want to go into anything that we couldnt do. Because some of it will surprise you. And if we spend more money on legal, maybe we can do it in the future. So I wont go into that. But, there are definitely certain guidelines we were given up front as far as What is the difference between Steamboat Willie and Mickey Mouse? What will be in the public domain by the time the movie comes out versus what went into the public domain in 2024? Thats relevant. And then really just looking at it and making sure that were following the letter of the law. That were not violating the trademark or trying to create confusion in the marketplace. We dont want kids to see the movie. We dont want people to think this is Mickey Mouse. We dont want people to think this is officially sanctioned by any big corporation. So a lot of it is just staying hyper-focused on what is cleared and then staying away from the rest. Anything else that sort of tows the line is more: Is it a loving homage? Did we change it slightly? Is it parody? And thats where a woman named Cindy in a blue dress, no one can own that, right?io9: [Laughs] Right. Allie Seibold, Stephanie Bates, Kailey Hyman, Savannah Whitten, and Poonam Basu in Screamboat Sklae Lorand LaMorte: Its a lot of things like that. And it actually became really easy to follow once we dialed in the idea that Disney as a concept does not exist in the world of the movie. So at that point, it allows you to introduce homages because no one has ever heard of this character or this movie or this reference. And then, if youre on the inside and youre watching something, out of context, the reference might not make sense. But in the context of this world, were like, Ah, yes, Disney does not exist. Therefore, everything is fair game. io9: Oh, cool. So, you have legal looking at this at every step just to make sure, but there were strong guidelines that were the foundation. LaMorte: Thats right. Yes. And it was important, especially after The Mean One, a lot of people said The Mean One couldnt be done. Id been pitching that movie for 10 years. And when the time came to do this one, it was the same thing where industry professionals and plenty of qualified individuals are like, Dont do that. You should not do that. But I didnt get anywhere in life by playing it safe, right? So, we said, What would it take to figure out exactly how this is going to work and how we can do it right and do it justice? And were willing to put that work in. And ultimately, it forced us to stick to the source material, which went with our goal of honoring the character anyway. So the guidelines didnt end up being a limitation as much as a reminder to stick to the script. io9: Gotcha. Now, this might be an obvious one, but Im still curious what your perspective is. When a character like this comes into the public domain, why is the instinct immediately to do a gory slasher horror movie? Is it just because it is so 180 degrees from what we know? Tell me a little bit about like why you think that is what were seeing so much of it today.The poster for Screamboat Sleight of Hand LaMorte: Well, I think there are a lot of reasons why independent producers gravitate towards these reimaginings of these characters. You could say, from a business standpoint, theres always money to be made in horror, right? And if youre an independent film, you could make two guys in the woods get attacked by a snake monster, or you could do two guys in the woods get attacked by something people have heard of. Thats brand recognition, right? Many people say they want original stories but when they know a character, it creates a curiosity factor. It helps the independent film stand out because we dont have the marketing budget to teach you who Mike Jones, the adventurer, is. But if its Indiana Jones, chances are someones heard of that person, and maybe it helps sell your movie. But from my standpoint, where Im coming from, Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse, the Mean One, characters like that, we have this nostalgia for. We have this connection. This early love. But theres not a lot of Steamboat Willie content out there thats geared towards an older audience. And Im not watching cartoons anymore I think there really is this thing that I love now, which is horror movies and scary, thrilling, surprising, maybe sometimes a little shocking, maybe a little risqu, where now I can take this new way of connecting with a character that I love and a genre that I love, and you put them together and now, Oh, Im a Steamboat Willie fan again. The nostalgia has reawakened in me. And I dont think there are any adults that see Mickey Mouse or Steamboat Willie at a theme park who dont want to give him a hug. And I have to tell you, the first time David Howard Thornton came out in the suithes got claws, hes got teeth, hes covered in blood, hes like six foot four with the hat and giant ears. And hes like, All right, what do you want me to do first? Im like, Youre gonna give me a hug, you big furry goofball, like I just want to squeeze you! Hes just so cute. The teeth and the claws, his eyes are black. And I mean, Davids super nice. But when he walked through the door, the sun was shining in behind him, youre like, Oh my god, that is a six-foot-five rat monster. And hes just fluffy and furry and hes executed so beautifully that the crew started lining up. Im like, Guys, Im gonna have to start charging for these pictures. We have to shoot the movie like were burning through time. So I think the inclination towards horror, theres certainly a financial side to it. But I also think, we love horror, we love these characters, and the nostalgia hits differently. Horror is such a fun way to reconnect with something you loved.Reconnect with Steamboat Willie, if you dare, when Screamboat hits theaters April 2. Learn more here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.