Math isn't mathing? Critics suspect Trumps weird tariff math came from chatbots Trump accused of consulting chatbots after critics mock tariffs on islands of penguins. Ashley Belanger Apr 3, 2025 1:22 pm | 102 Some of Trump's tariffs target uninhabited, remote islands home to penguins. Credit: BA19285 | Stone Some of Trump's tariffs target uninhabited, remote islands home to penguins. Credit: BA19285 | Stone Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreCritics are questioning if Donald Trump's administration possibly used chatbots to calculate reciprocal tariffs announced yesterday that Trump claimed were "individualized" tariffs placed on countries that have " the largest trade deficits" with the US.Those tariffs are due to take effect on April 9 for 60 countries, with peak rates around 50 percent. That's in addition to a baseline 10 percent tariff that all countries will be subject to starting on April 5. But while Trump expressed intent to push back on anyone supposedly taking advantage of the US, some of the countries on the reciprocal tariffs list puzzled experts and officials, who pointed out to The Guardian that Trump was, for some reason, targeting uninhabited islands, some of them exporting nothing and populated with penguins.Some overseas officials challenged Trump's math, such as George Plant, the administrator of Norfolk Island, who told the Guardian that "there are no known exports from Norfolk Island to the United States and no tariffs or known non-tariff trade barriers on goods coming to Norfolk Island."Economists fear these tariffs could suddenly hit American businesses with enormous costs that could rapidly cause price hikes for consumers. Among those sounding alarms was economist James Surowiecki, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to allege where the supposedly "fake tariff rates come from."The US Trade Representative published a breakdown of how the Trump administration arrived at its calculations, which Politico said "describes the same calculation detailed by Surowiecki." But according to Surowiecki, the president's team allegedly used "made-up numbers" that "only used the trade deficit in goods," not services, "so even though we run a trade surplus in services with the world, those exports don't count as far as Trump is concerned.""They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did," Surowiecki wrote. "Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us." Further down in the thread, he alleged that Trump's math was "dumb and deceptive."Rumors claim Trump consulted chatbotsOn social media, rumors swirled that the Trump administration got these supposedly fake numbers from chatbots. On Bluesky, tech entrepreneur Amy Hoy joined others posting screenshots from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok, each showing that the chatbots arrived at similar calculations as the Trump administration.Some of the chatbots also warned against the oversimplified math in outputs. ChatGPT acknowledged that the easy method "ignores the intricate dynamics of international trade." Gemini cautioned that it could only offer a "highly simplified conceptual approach" that ignored the "vast real-world complexities and consequences" of implementing such a trade strategy. And Claude specifically warned that "trade deficits alone dont necessarily indicate unfair trade practices, and tariffs can have complex economic consequences, including increased prices and potential retaliation." And even Grok warns that "imposing tariffs isn't exactly 'easy'" when prompted, calling it "a blunt tool: quick to swing, but the ripple effects (higher prices, pissed-off allies) can complicate things fast," an Ars test showed, using a similar prompt as social media users generally asking, "how do you impose tariffs easily?"The Verge plugged in phrasing explicitly used by the Trump administrationprompting chatbots to provide "an easy way for the US to calculate tariffs that should be imposed on other countries to balance bilateral trade deficits between the US and each of its trading partners, with the goal of driving bilateral trade deficits to zero"and got the "same fundamental suggestion" as social media users reported.Whether the Trump administration actually consulted chatbots while devising its global trade policy will likely remain a rumor. It's possible that the chatbots' training data simply aligned with the administration's approach.But with even chatbots warning that the strategy may not benefit the US, the pressure appears to be on Trump to prove that the reciprocal tariffs will lead to "better-paying American jobs making beautiful American-made cars, appliances, and other goods" and "address the injustices of global trade, re-shore manufacturing, and drive economic growth for the American people." As his approval rating hits new lows, Trump continues to insist that "reciprocal tariffs are a big part of why Americans voted for President Trump.""Everyone knew hed push for them once he got back in office; its exactly what he promised, and its a key reason he won the election," the White House fact sheet said.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 102 Comments

8 seconds SpaceX just took a big step toward reusing Starships Super Heavy booster SpaceX hasn't said whether the next Starship flight will use a new or flight-proven booster. Stephen Clark Apr 3, 2025 1:11 pm | 28 The first flight of Booster 14, seen here, occurred on January 16. SpaceX hasn't said how many, if any, of the 33 Raptor engines it replaced in preparation for Thursday's static fire test. Credit: SpaceX The first flight of Booster 14, seen here, occurred on January 16. SpaceX hasn't said how many, if any, of the 33 Raptor engines it replaced in preparation for Thursday's static fire test. Credit: SpaceX Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreSpaceX is having trouble with Starship's upper stage after back-to-back failures, but engineers are making remarkable progress with the rocket's enormous booster.The most visible sign of SpaceX making headway with Starship's first stagecalled Super Heavycame at 9:40 am local time (10:40 am EDT; 14:40 UTC) Thursday at the company's Starbase launch site in South Texas. With an unmistakable blast of orange exhaust, SpaceX fired up a Super Heavy booster that has already flown to the edge of space. The burn lasted approximately eight seconds.This was the first time SpaceX has test-fired a "flight-proven" Super Heavy booster, and it could pave the way for this particular rocketdesignated Booster 14to fly again soon. A reflight of Booster 14, which previously launched and returned to Earth in January, could happen as soon as the next Starship launch. With Thursday's static fire test, Booster 14 appears to be closer to flight readiness than any of the boosters in SpaceX's factory, which is a short distance from the launch site.But SpaceX hasn't confirmed whether the upcoming launch will use a new or reused booster. If SpaceX goes with Booster 14, another successful flight would be an important step forward for the Starship program, while engineers struggle with problems on the rocket's upper stage, known simply as the ship.What a differenceSuper Heavy has 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines capable of producing nearly 17 million pounds of thrust, twice the power of NASA's Saturn V rocket that sent astronauts toward the Moon. Super Heavy is perhaps the most complex rocket booster ever built. It's certainly the largest. To get a sense of how big this booster is, imagine the fuselage of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet standing on end.SpaceX has now launched eight full-scale test flights of Starship, with a Super Heavy booster and Starship's upper stage stacked together to form a rocket that towers 404 feet (123.1 meters) tall. The booster portion of the rocket has performed well so far, with seven consecutive successful launches since a failure on Starship's debut flight. Booster 14 comes in for the catch after flying to the edge of space on January 16. Credit: SpaceX Most recently, SpaceX has recovered three Super Heavy boosters in four attempts. SpaceX has a wealth of experience with recovering and reusing Falcon 9 boosters. The total number of Falcon rocket landings is now 426.SpaceX reused a Falcon 9 booster for the first time in March 2017. This was an operational flight with a communications satellite on a mission valued at several hundred million dollars.Ahead of the milestone Falcon 9 reflight eight years ago, SpaceX spent nearly a year refurbishing and retesting the rocket after it returned from its first mission. The rocket racked up more mileage on the ground than it did in flight, first returning to its Florida launch base on a SpaceX drone ship and then moving by truck to SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, for thorough inspections and refurbishment.Once engineers finished that work, they transported the booster to SpaceXs test site in McGregor, Texas, for test-firings, then finally returned the rocket to Florida for final launch preparations.There will be no such journey for the Super Heavy booster. First of all, it's a lot more difficult to transport than the shorter, skinnier Falcon 9. Super Heavy's design also features improvements informed by lessons learned in the Falcon 9 program. This helped SpaceX get the Super Heavy on the cusp of a potential reflight in less than three months.You can watch a replay of Thursday's static fire test in this video from NASASpaceflight.com.With Starship and the Super Heavy booster, SpaceX should get more points for difficulty. Super Heavy is larger and has more engines than the Falcon 9, so theoretically, there are more things that could go wrong. And instead of touching down with landing legs at a separate location, SpaceX uses mechanical arms to catch Starship's booster as it returns to the launch pad.This approach should allow engineers to rapidly reuse Super Heavy boosters. Eventually, SpaceX will do the same with Starships returning from orbit.Still investigatingAt the same time that engineers are taking steps forward with the Super Heavy booster, the other big piece of Starship is holding up SpaceX's launch cadence in Texas. The upper stage, or ship, failed at roughly the same point in flight on SpaceX's two most recent test flights in January and in March.These test flights were the first use of an upgraded, larger ship known as Block 2 or Version 2. On both flights, Starship lost power from its engines and tumbled out of control roughly eight minutes after liftoff, breaking apart and dropping fiery debris near the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.The failures prevented SpaceX from testing Starship's upgraded heat shield, one of the most significant upgrades introduced with Block 2. The plan for both flights was to send Starship on a trajectory through space halfway around the world, then perform a guided reentry over the Indian Ocean, targeting a pinpoint splashdown northwest of Australia. A successful reentry and splashdown at sea could give SpaceX officials confidence to attempt a full orbital flight of Starship, culminating in a catch at the launch site in Texas.Instead, SpaceX repeated the same launch profile from the January mission on the following flight in March. The company will likely do the same on Flight 9, the next Starship launch. Debris from Starship's eighth flight falls back into the atmosphere in this view over Hog Cay, Bahamas. Credit: GeneDoctorB via X SpaceX has closed out the investigation into the accident that cut short the January test flight, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA announced Monday that it accepted the results of SpaceX's investigation, which determined the "probable root cause for the loss of the Starship vehicle was stronger than anticipated vibrations during flight [that] led to increased stress on, and failure of, the hardware in the propulsion system."Ultimately, the vibrations led to a fire in the engine compartment before the engines shut down and the vehicle lost control.The FAA said SpaceX identified and implemented 11 corrective actions to prevent the same failure from happening again. Officials haven't announced a probable root cause for the launch failure in March. The FAA said SpaceX's investigation remains open. But the circumstances and timing of the failure suggest it could share a similar underlying cause.Whatever the case may be, Starship's back-to-back failures to start the year are a setback. Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, wanted the company to launch as many as 25 Starship flights in 2025. At this point, achieving half that number might be a stretch.This means critical tests of the ship's reentry and return to the launch site, in-orbit refueling capability, and the first Starship missions to deploy larger versions of SpaceX's Starlink Internet satellites are on hold. Earlier this year, Musk suggested the Starship refueling demonstration would slip into 2026, which isn't good news for NASA.The US space agency has multibillion-dollar contracts with SpaceX to develop a version of Starship to land astronauts on the Moon's south pole as part of the Artemis lunar program. For those missions, SpaceX must launch around 10 (the exact number remains unclear) Starship refueling flights to low-Earth orbit to top off the propellant tanks for the ship before it heads to the Moon.This will require not just a thorough demonstration of SpaceX's refueling architecture but also recovery and reuse of boosters and ships to maintain a launch rate fast enough to complete all of the refueling flights over a period of a few weeks to a few months.SpaceX hasn't released a schedule for the next Starship flight, but it's probably at least a month away. The ship assigned to the next test flight is still in its factory at Starbase. Its next move will be to roll out to a test stand for its own engine firing, then SpaceX will likely move it back to the factory for inspections and finishing touches. Then, SpaceX will roll the ship to the launch pad, where crews will raise it on top of the Super Heavy booster in the final days before liftoff.Stephen ClarkSpace ReporterStephen ClarkSpace Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the worlds space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 28 Comments

Donald Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" means that tariffs are suddenly everywhere. That means tariff memes are also everywhere.The US president on Wednesday signed an executive order imposing a 10% baseline tariff on all countries, taking effect Saturday, and adding reciprocal tariffs.Global markets plummeted on the news.But if there's one thing you can count on amid any turmoil financial or otherwise it's that some people will always have a sense of humor about it, even if it's a little dark. So, social media users have been expressing their economic fears and anxieties the modern way: with memes.Here are some of the best ones:Enjoy, for example, the picture showing Trump yelling, "Pay the tariffs!" at a group of penguins.Trump's tariffs include the Australian territory of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands a pair of sub-Antarctic remote islands uninhabited by humans but home to penguins, sea birds, and seals.The meme refers to one that originated in 2017, in which Trump appeared as if he was yelling at an 11-year-old boy who had asked to mow the White House lawn.Another meme shows Marvel superhero Wolverine lying in bed, looking longingly at a Studio Ghibli-fied picture of former US Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, holding a sheet of new $1 bills. Mnuchin was Treasury Secretary during Trump's first term in office. @jdcmedlock / X Users of OpenAI's ChatGPT have recently started a trend of using the AI chatbot to turn regular photos into pictures in the distinctive style of Studio Ghibli, the animation studio behind films like "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle."In the original photo in 2017, Mnuchin was at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., to see the first run of $1 bills featuring his signature. At the time, the image of the chicly dressed couple posing with money quickly drew comparisons to James Bond-esque villains, but the new image makes it seem like the person who posted it might have preferred that to today's market chaos.A different meme shows Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff in season 3 of "The White Lotus," a zeitgeisty and heavily memeified HBO show. He plays a toxic finance bro on a family vacation."Look, the prices of goods going up and my portfolio going down isn't necessarily a bad thing, because I love working and that just means I need to grind even harder now," the person captioned the photo.And who could forget the famous "Arrested Development" meme of rich matriarch Lucille Bluth estimating a banana costs $10? The joke is supposed to highlight how wealthy and out-of-touch Bluth is, but "unironically this is what's happening in America right now," one person wrote on X."Just got off the phone with my financial advisor, he just told me my 401k is now a 400k," a different person tweeted, alongside a photo of late comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield.And finally, one user tweeted an image of a stock heatmap almost entirely red with a superimposed image of Vice President JD Vance asking, "Have you said thank you once?"Vance was photoshopped to appear to have a larger face, which has been a trending meme in recent weeks. The question is a reference to Trump and Vance's contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. In that meeting, Vance chastised Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit and asked him, "Have you said thank you once?" regarding American aid to the country, which Russia invaded in 2022.

President Donald Trump's administration is taking the next step toward revamping key student-loan forgiveness programs.On Thursday, the Department of Education announced it would be holding two public hearings to solicit feedback on its plans to refine the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and income-driven repayment plans.This is part of the negotiated rulemaking process, a lengthy process federal agencies are required to undergo to change existing regulations. The department said that public hearings will be held in person on April 29 and virtually on May 1."Not only will this rulemaking serve as an opportunity to identify and cut unnecessary red tape, but it will allow key stakeholders to offer suggestions to streamline and improve federal student aid programs," Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron said in a statement.A draft document the Department of Education posted on the Federal Register stated its intent to examine eligibility for PSLF, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years. It also said it would be looking to streamline the Pay As You Earn plan, which caps borrowers' monthly payments at 10% of their discretionary income; and the income-contingent repayment plan, which caps borrowers' monthly payments at 20% of their discretionary income.Trump signed an executive order in early March aimed at limiting PSLF eligibility, and the announcement of public hearings appears to be the next step in carrying out that order. The department's draft document said that the public sessions would work on "refining definitions of a qualifying employer for the purposes of determining eligibility" for PSLF.These moves come as the Trump administration attempts to dismantle the Department of Education altogether. On March 20, Trump signed an executive order tobegin eliminating the department, following the department'sfiring ofover 1,300 workers just over a week prior.While the Trump administration cannot eliminate a federal agency without Congress, it has taken steps to gut the agency and is beginning to examine ways to transfer some of the department's capabilities, like student loan management, to other agencies.Some student-loan borrowers in public service previously told Business Insider that they were concerned about the fate of their relief under Trump's proposed changes."We've sacrificed a big part of our lives, in order to stay within this program, and you can't just change the rules as you go," a borrower enrolled in PSLF said.Have a tip or a story to share? Contact this reporter via Signal at asheffey.97 or via email at asheffey@businessinsider.com. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited West Virginia on March 28 to promote his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda at an event where he cruelly criticized state Gov. Patrick Morriseys weight. Kennedy suggested that he would host a public weigh-in and celebration once Morrisey had shed 30 pounds, and Kennedy had an idea about how the governor could do it: Were going to put him on a carnivore diet, Kennedy said.Weeks before, science journalist and meat enthusiast Nina Teicholz argued in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled Meat Will Make America Healthy Again that when the US government updates its dietary guidelines this year, it needs to keep meat firmly at the center of the plate. This story was first featured in the Processing Meat newsletterSign up here for Future Perfects biweekly newsletter from Marina Bolotnikova and Kenny Torrella, exploring how the meat and dairy industries shape our health, politics, culture, environment, and more.Have questions or comments on this newsletter? Email us at futureperfect@vox.com!The Trump administration can ensure that federal dietary guidelines recognize the role of high-quality protein in improving Americans health, Teicholz wrote. (In her view, high-quality protein comes from animals, while protein from plants is inferior.)Meat industry groups, such as the National Cattlemens Beef Association and the National Pork Board, have made similar pleas. Lucky for them, Kennedy and US Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins who so far has acted in lockstep with the meat industry are in charge of publishing the new federal dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years. But the push to get Americans to eat more meat goes against what the governments own nutrition experts recommend. In December, a government-commissioned expert committee recommended the federal dietary guidelines be updated to encourage Americans to eat less red and processed meat and more protein from plant-based sources, like beans and lentils. And its unclear what era of meat supremacy Teicholz means to invoke when she says meat will make America healthy again. Americans are eating more meat and other animal products than ever, and it doesnt seem to be making us any healthier, though, as rates of diet-related diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes remain high.Teasing apart cause and effect in nutrition research is notoriously messy and complicated, and our high levels of meat consumption alone cant explain Americas high rates of chronic disease other factors, like consumption of highly processed sugary and salty foods, along with rates of exercise, alcohol and tobacco intake, health care access, and exposure to pollution, also determine health outcomes. But study after study has found that high meat consumption can increase our risk of diet-related chronic diseases. While many Americans might like to hear that our abnormally high levels of meat consumption is actually healthy and virtuous and that we need to eat even more of it nutrition research largely shows that we would be better off if we did the very opposite.Make America eat more plants A significant body of research shows that when people eat more healthy plant-based foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, they can lower their risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and premature death. When they eat more meat especially red and processed meats they can increase that risk. Two recently published studies bear this out.Last week, a paper published in the journal Nature Medicine found that eating more plant-based foods along with fewer animal products and ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher likelihood of healthy aging, defined as reaching 70 years of age without suffering from major chronic diseases and maintaining good cognitive, mental, and physical health.Our findings suggest that dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods, with moderate inclusion of healthy animal-based foods, may enhance overall healthy aging, the researchers wrote. (There are many reasons to eat a fully plant-based diet, like animal welfare and environmental sustainability, but there isnt a strong case to be made that optimal health requires forgoing animal products entirely.)Many MAHA supporters fall prey to the same fallacy of many liberal food reformers: the belief that only what is natural is good.Weeks earlier, a paper published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that butter consumption was linked to increased risk of both cancer mortality and mortality overall, while consumption of plant-based seed oils was associated with lower overall mortality, along with lower cancer and cardiovascular disease deaths.The general consensus that more plants and less meat can improve public health has been promoted by the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and leading medical institutions. It has also driven the EAT-Lancet Commission, a large, global committee of nutrition and sustainability experts, to advocate for a diet that would reduce the average Americans consumption of meat by about 75 percent.For a time, going in that direction seemed like it might be possible. Americans ate less meat during the Great Recession, even if it was done primarily to save money rather than improve personal health. And through the 2010s, the term flexitarian rose to prominence as a significant share of Americans told pollsters they were cutting back on meat while the benefits of plant-based eating entered the zeitgeist thanks to celebrities like Beyonc and Lizzo. By the early 2020s, the hype around new-and-improved plant-based meat and milk products from startup darlings Beyond Meat, Oatly, and Impossible Foods became inescapable. But this all proved to be more show than substance American consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs has only increased over the last decade. And the proverbial vibe has shifted from the days of buzzy Impossible burgers and skipping meat on Mondays. The health halo around plant-based products has worn thin in part due to flimsy science and a mass PR campaign funded by the meat industry while meat consumption is once again culturally ascendant, as The Atlantics Yasmin Tayag captured last week. The signs are everywhere, Tayag notes: declining plant-based meat sales, Americas protein fixation, the rise of the manosphere, and the belief of some of its loudest voices that masculinity requires eating lots of meat.Messages of moderation in the annals of American nutrition research appear to be no match against the popularity of carnivore diet devotees, protein maxxing, and MAHA-aligned health influencers who rail against cooking with seed oils while praising butter and beef tallow.After decades of government hesitance to confront the roots of Americas biggest diet-related health crises, Kennedy and the MAHA coalitions promises to challenge large food companies and address chronic disease head-on is refreshing. But its prescription is more vibes and anecdotes than evidence. The MAHA coalition doesnt appear to ever question our high levels of animal product consumption, for example, but rather wants to increase it, and in supposedly natural forms: raw milk over nondairy milk, butter and beef tallow over seed oils, and grass-fed beef over feedlot beef.In this way, many MAHA supporters fall prey to the same fallacy of many liberal food reformers: the belief that only what is natural is good. But milk is now pasteurized because raw milk can make people terribly sick, plant-based seed oils are likely healthier than butter, and grass-fed beef is worse for the planet and hardly better for you. While beans and lentils are less protein-dense than meat and are less easily digested, as Teicholz rightly points out in her op-ed, if only slightly theyre also free of cholesterol, extremely low in saturated fat, and loaded with fiber, which, unlike protein, more than 90 percent of Americans are deficient in. (And theyre still a great source of protein.) Calls to make America healthy again by eating more meat than ever may be politically popular who doesnt want to feel empowered to do something that for so long people have been made to feel bad about? But there is a cost to this collective dismissal of nutrition and public health research: Some research has shown that countries would save on health care costs if their citizens ate more plant-rich diets. If the Trump administration is sincere about cost cutting, and RFK Jr. is sincere about making America healthier, they both ought to take that advice to heart. Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Its like it never left (Activision)If youve dropped off playing Call Of Duty, you may be tempted to jump back in, following the return of Verdansk and the most nostalgia driven update yet.Back in 2021, Activision opted to replace Call Of Duty: Warzones map the fictional city of Verdansk with an entirely new one, to coincide with the launch of Call Of Duty: Vanguard.Fans did not care for it and after only four months, Activision admitted it intended to bring the Verdansk map back in some shape or form. However, it was unclear if it would be part of the new Warzone sequel or be exclusive to the original game.In that time, Warzone 2 has completely replaced its predecessor (even being rebranded as just Call Of Duty: Warzone) and, in the wake of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6s third season, Verdansk has officially made its long-awaited comeback.By the time youre reading this, the season three update for Call Of Duty will have already gone live, at 5pm BST, meaning you can jump right in and re-experience the original map after five years of waiting.According to a blog post on the Call Of Duty website, this is a full recreation of Verdansk built from the ground up. However, Activision promises that its the exact same map long-time players remember from Warzones early days.About 5% of the map has been slightly tweaked, with Activision incorporating quality of life improvements to certain parts of the landscape. Plus, while its mostly identical to how Verdansk was in 2020, some elements from later iterations have been included as well.The blog post includes a thorough breakdown on the most minute changes, if youre interested in that sort of thing, right down to how the trees are in different positions.Activision is also encouraging players to scour for hidden secrets and is teasing that the map will see further updates and adjustments as the season progresses. Hopefully, Verdansk wont get nuked a second time and vanish from Call Of Duty for another five years.More TrendingCall Of Duty: Warzone hasnt been the only live service game to fall back on nostalgia lately. This is no doubt thanks to Fortnite, which saw a massive boost in popularity when it introduced the Fortnite OG season and brought content from older seasons back to the game.Aside from encouraging Epic Games to make Fortnite OG a permanent inclusion, other live service games have since followed suit. Apex Legends, for example, added a Launch Royale mode in November, that aimed to recreate how the game was when it first arrived in 2019.Overwatch 2 attempted the exact same thing with Overwatch Classic. Considering the original Overwatch had been shut down in favour of its more maligned sequel, this mode was welcomed with open arms.It will be interesting to see if Call Of Dutys appeal to nostalgia will boost its player numbers in any meaningful way, especially when there are rumblings that it could eventually be shut down. Call Of Duty may be in need of a pick-me-up (Activision)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

Donkey Kong artist tells angry fans to embrace change after Switch 2 redesignAdam StarkeyPublished April 3, 2025 5:47pmUpdated April 3, 2025 5:48pm A new era for Donkey Kong (Nintendo)The man behind Donkey Kongs original 3D design has given his thoughts on the apes new look in Donkey Kong Bananza.While Donkey Kongs redesign was revealed back in 2022, in the lead up to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it was only given a full showcase in the Switch 2 Direct on Wednesday.The apes revamped look was given the spotlight with the announcement of Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D platformer which is set to be released on July 17, 2025 for the Switch 2.While the new design seems to have shocked some fans who werent paying attention to other uses of the design the designer who created the characters original 3D look, in 1994s Donkey Kong Country, has given it his seal of approval.Former Rare developer Kevin Bayliss posted his thoughts in response to an article around the mixed reactions to the redesign.I dont understand why theres any debate to be had, Bayliss wrote on X. Its still DK, only better looking. People need to embrace change more! All good things get better with age (I would say that though since Ive been doing this for almost 40 years now). Everyone give a big warm welcome for the new DK.He added: And lets remember, 20 years from now hell probably receive another nip and tuck here and there to keep him fresh and current. Look at early Mickey Mouse compared to modern Mickey Mouse.Evolution while being sympathetic to the original is an art but it has to be done gradually, and this latest incarnation is perfect in my opinion. But everyone has their own special Kong.Donkey Kong originally debuted in the 1981 arcade game of the same name, when he was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself. This design was used across several sequels until 1994s Donkey Kong Country, where the character was rendered with 3D graphics for the first time.Graphical improvements aside, the 3D design has largely stayed the same over the decades since. That changed, however, with 2023s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, when the redesign was highlighted by Miyamoto but strangely wasnt used in the new Donkey Kong themed area of the Super Nintendo World theme park.While some people are unhappy with the redesign, the majority appear to be in favour of Donkey Kongs goofy new personality. More TrendingOh my god, the design has sold me, one X user wrote. Its so expressive.Im convinced that anyone who thinks the new Donkey Kong design is a downgrade from the Rare design is being blinded by nostalgia, another added.However, some people arent convinced. Hate to sound like one of those people but I miss Rare design Donkey Kong, a user wrote on X.Donkey Kong Bananza is the characters first fully 3D platformer since 1999s Donkey Kong 64. Since then, theres been a number of 2.5D games like Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Donkey Kong Country Returns but nothing as open-ended as Bananza. Planet of the expressions (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

Last week,Doctor Who marked a major milestonethe 20th anniversary of the airing of Rose, the landmark episode that brought the show back to TV after almost 20 years in hiatus, kicking off a whole new era. But it did so in a relatively quiet manner compared toWhos usual recent grand anniversary overtures. But it turns out theres a reason for thatand that soon enough, itll be rectified. Speaking to io9 over Zoom ahead of the series latest return in a few weeks, showrunner Russell T Davies exclusively confirmed there are plans for an hour-long episode of Doctor Who Unleashed, the series behind-the-scenes companion show, that will explore and celebrate the making of Doctor Whos revival era. It will air in the coming months on the BBC iPlayer in the UK, and worldwide on Doctor Whos YouTube channel. The reason it didnt arrive timed to the anniversary of Rose? Well, in part, Davies himself. To be honest, [the anniversary wasnt on my mind]. Im very much aware how on Disney+ worldwide, going to some territories that have never had Doctor Who before, Davies told io9 as he reflected on the latest season of the show airing so close to the 20th anniversary of Rose. There are some people watching this to who Ncuti isthe Doctorthe number one, their Doctor, and so youve got to bear that in mind. Thats always been the case, for many years, to look for that new audience. So I actually thought itd be a bit backward, be a bit heavy handed to [acknowledge] and now were here and Im kind of slightly kicking myself, because everyone seems to be full of joy about it! Seeing that joy in the build up to the anniversary ultimately spurred Davies into realizing the series should also celebrate in some way too, and chose to do so with the new documentary. Its coming out late, because I was the one saying lets not do anything!, Davies laughed. And then quite late in the day I changed my mind! Everyones talking about it, lets do something!. So we are. Stay tuned to io9 next week for more from our talk with Russell T Davies. Doctor Who returns for a new season of adventures on the BBC and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and worldwide on Disney+, from April 12. 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.

By Margherita Bassi Published April 3, 2025 | Comments (1) | Prochlorococcus marinus, a cyanobacterium. Luke Thompson from Chisholm Lab and Nikki Watson from Whitehead, MIT, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Today, oxygen makes up about 21% of our atmosphere, but it wasnt always so plentiful. Around 2.7 billion years ago, cyanobacteriaaquatic bacteria that generate energy through photosynthesisevolved and began releasing oxygen into the oceans. This oxygen gradually accumulated in the atmosphere in a process called the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), which took place between 2.4 and 2.1 billion years ago. New research, however, suggests that aerobic (oxygen-dependent) bacteria may have emerged long before the GOE. An international team of researchers has reconstructed the evolutionary tree of one of Earths earliest life forms, revealing that bacteria may have adapted to the presence of oxygen long before it was plentiful in our atmosphere. Their work, detailed in a study published today in the journal Science, challenges the previous assumption that most life prior to the GOE was anaerobic, that is, organisms that dont need oxygen to survive. The researchers used a multidisciplinary approach to reconstruct an evolutionary tree for bacteria and trace when they adapted to oxygen. This included analyzing geological records, fossil evidence, and over 1,000 diverse bacterial genomes; applying phylogenetic reconciliation (comparing the history of two closely intertwined life forms); and computer modeling. According to their evolutionary tree, the last common ancestor of modern bacteria likely existed sometime between 4.4 and 3.9 billion years ago. This combined approach of using genomic data, fossils, and Earths geochemical history brings new clarity to evolutionary timelines, especially for microbial groups that dont have a fossil record, Gergely Szllsi, a co-author on the study and an evolutionary biologist from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, said in a university statement. Their results suggest that some aerobic bacteria emerged before the GOE, around 3.22 to 3.25 billion years ago. Its likely that these bacterial lineages were the ancestors of cyanobacteria, meaning they evolved the ability to metabolize small amounts of oxygen before developing photosynthesis. In fact, the research suggests that oxygen adaptation may have played a crucial role in the evolution of cyanobacterias photosynthetic abilitiesand, as a consequence, the changes in Earths atmosphere during the GOE.The teams approach works well for studying the spread of aerobic metabolisms and might also be a useful approach for exploring how other traits emerged and interacted with the planets shifting environment across geological time, said Tom Williams, a computational evolutionary biologist from the University of Bristol and also a co-author on the study. The study is also a reminder of the fact that the atmosphere we enjoy today was shaped by billions of years of microbial activity.Daily Newsletter

Nature, Published online: 03 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01031-0The new administration is reshaping the research landscape in the United States in profound ways. What do you think of all the changes?