The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today.   Out in the digital ether lies a graveyard of forgotten podcasts. Thousands of episodes launched enthusiastically but quickly faded without ceremony or even a lucrative mattress company sponsorship. Industry insiders call it “podfade.” Podcasting, when it first began, was a proud DIY medium. All you had to do was grab your iPhone, hit record, and share your thoughts, theories, and queries with the rest of the world. Yet, soon enough, the thing that made podcasting so popular and so accessible, amateurism, became podcasting’s Achilles heel. As podcasts proliferated, listeners grew weary of muffled sound, distracting background noise, and half-hearted productions from noisy coffee shops. They craved something more polished, more professional, and ultimately, more listenable. That meant no more walking and talking, no milk being steamed in the background, and no more cellphone mics. Podcasts have started to be treated like the heyday of radio, and as such, the rise of the dedicated podcast studio has begun. Architects and designers are being called in to create the perfect podcast studios. Spaces that are not only designed for phenomenal acoustics and precise production but places that provide credibility and inspire creativity in a market fit to burst. The Wing DUMBO by Alda Ly Architecture (ALA), Brooklyn, New York The thing is, most podcasts fail to survive. According to industry estimates, over two million podcasts currently exist, with thousands more launching every month. Yet fewer than 20 percent remain active a year after their first episode. Despite this high attrition, podcasting remains big business. Roughly 120 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly, with that number projected to surpass 160 million in 2025. Unsurprisingly, with that scale comes serious commercial potential. Popular shows regularly earn upwards of $50,000 per episode through advertising, sponsorship and syndication deals. As the medium matures, the line between media brand and podcast becomes increasingly entwined to the point that audio quality, production values and the recording environment all feed directly into listener perception. There’s real science here. Psychology researchers found that high audio quality significantly enhances message credibility and listener engagement. Even something as subtle as the absence of echo reduces listener fatigue and improves message retention. Something that is critical in such a saturated market. We love podcasts for their intimacy and narrative depth, but audiences today expect a polish that only thoughtful design can deliver. For architects, it starts with sound isolation. You might specify a “room-within-a-room” system, mass-loaded vinyl inside the walls, rubber isolators under a floating floor, and airtight door sweeps to block hallway noise. Equally resilient channels can be used to decouple surfaces so street noise doesn’t sneak into the recording. From there, it’s about reverberation control. Strategically placing absorption panels and baffles or opting for slatted wood that both absorbs and diffuses sound. Strategically placing bass traps in the corners or splaying the walls to eliminate echo patterns also has a huge impact. Even the floor can matter tremendously. A floating subfloor or thick underlayment prevents vibration from traveling up through a mic stand. And it isn’t all about dampening sound. Well-placed reflective surfaces can actually help preserve vocal clarity if balanced correctly. While perforated timber or fabric-wrapped acoustic panels can soak up midrange frequencies without making the space look like a bunker and helping preserve the natural warmth of human speech. Traffik by LPA, Irvine, California On the tech side, directional mics pick up voices and ignore coughing on the couch, digital mixers let you balance multiple talkers in real-time, and silent ventilation systems keep the air flowing without drowning out the conversation. When these elements all come together — acoustics, materials, technology and even airflow — you get a space that’s both sonically pristine and visually inviting, ready for a polished final product. However, while acoustic quality may be one challenge for architects and designers who are taking on a podcast studio project, today’s podcasts live as much on screens as they do in earbuds. They’re filmed, edited into short-form clips, and reposted across social platforms, meaning the once-private act of audio recording is now an inherently visual production. As a result, podcast studios need to be choreographed sets that are designed to build credibility, offer intimacy, and project authenticity. When architecture firm LPA designed a new workplace for Traffik, a global marketing agency in Irvine, California, a podcast studio was high on the list of essentials. Within a busy shopping mall next to brands like Apple and H&M, the glass-enclosed podcast room was deliberately placed to be visible street side. This strategic positioning encourages curiosity from passersby, boosting engagement while communicating the agency’s collaborative ethos. Instead of a conventional recording booth, LPA transformed the space into a highly visible entity in the mall that supports both audio precision and strong brand identity. Spotify At Mateo Campus by RIOS, Los Angeles, California The same can be seen at Spotify’s Mateo Campus in Los Angeles, the sprawling 100,000-square-foot facility that unites podcast studios, editing suites, writer’s rooms, and casual gathering spaces within a cohesive, visually rich environment. Instead of traditional recording booths, studios here are more like lounges — spaces layered with soft furnishings, carefully tuned lighting, and a pallet of textures that are distinctly non-corporate. Each detail is intentional, responding directly to the potential for camera presence and ensuring, through choice of space, that every captured image aligns visually with the style of content being made. Glass partitions, open sightlines, and strategically positioned seating encourage interaction where needed and privacy in other moments. Equally, by allowing glimpses into the recording process, the architecture itself builds on the authenticity required to be successful in this industry. In a crowded market, this openness becomes a strategic advantage by visually suggesting honesty, legitimacy, and trustworthiness to an audience who are wary of media polish and performative perfection. Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library by BRAVE/architecture, Houston, Texas Yet, professionalizing podcast spaces shouldn’t mean losing the medium’s original democratic spirit. In Houston, the Dr. Shannon Walker Neighborhood Library, designed by BRAVE/architecture, incorporated a podcast studio as part of its broader community-focused agenda. The library studio is welcoming yet highly professional, fitted with equipment and acoustical materials usually reserved for private media companies. A community of users utilizes the space — often first-time creators — who feel respected, empowered, and encouraged to share their stories. This design approach highlights a powerful point: thoughtful architecture doesn’t exclude, it elevates. By providing high-quality recording facilities, community spaces can increase public engagement, attract new demographics to libraries, and amplify the voices of marginalized communities. Truthfully, architecture doesn’t need to be monumental to be meaningful, in instances like this, ensuring professional-quality podcasting is accessible to everyone, spaces become socially transformative. It’s architecture on a human scale — intimate, accessible, and, yes, conversational. The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today.   The post Speak Easy: Designing the Next Generation of Podcast Studios appeared first on Journal.

Warhorse Studios’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 received a major update last month with over 1,000 bug fixes and Barber Mode to adjust Henry’s hair and beard style. But what about Hardcore Mode? The game’s official Twitter announced it’s coming next week, though a specific date is pending. It also showcases negative perks players can activate for a Hardcore run, each with unique effects. What does it all mean? As outlined in a Dev Livestream from last month, Bad Back means less carrying capacity and a chance to strain your back when bending over to pick up herbs or mushrooms. Heavy-Footed causes Henry to make more noise and shoes to deteriorate faster. Numbskull is a 20 percent decrease for experience gain, and so on. There are ten negative perks, of which you must pick three before starting a Hardcore run. The mode also limits helpful UI elements, turns off fast travel, removes cardinal directions from the compass, and doesn’t show your position on the map. Stay tuned for more details on the patch, including its release date, in the coming days. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review, where we gave it a nine out of ten. Hardcore Mode is coming to #KCD2 next week.Pick your perks. Embrace the pain. pic.twitter.com/RYzuEQWhQw— Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (@KingdomComeRPG) April 7, 2025

Rescale secures $115 million in Series D funding to accelerate AI physics technology that speeds up engineering simulations by 1000x, backed by tech luminaries including Bezos and Altman.Read More

Nintendo says $449.99 price tag for Switch 2 was not affected by US tariffs Firm is "actively assessing what the impact may be" after delaying pre-orders for the console in the US Image credit: Nintendo News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on April 8, 2025 Nintendo has confirmed that the US tariffs, which were introduced on the same day as the Switch 2 event last week, were "not factored" into the $449.99 price tag. Speaking to The Verge, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said Nintendo is "actively assessing what the impact may be." As a result of the tariffs, Nintendo delayed US pre-orders of the console from its original date of April 9, 2025. The launch date of the Switch 2 (June 5) remains the same. As for why the Switch 2 is priced at $449.99, Bowser highlighted the "longevity" of the new console as a driving factor. "We want to make sure that this is a device that is approachable, that consumers will see as part of their overall entertainment experiences and will understand that it has longevity to it," he explained. "And all of those factors really go into the consideration of the price." Bowser noted the console's new hardware, including a larger LCD display, that the Joy-Cons have been "enlarged and redesigned for durability," and its custom Nvidia processor that enables ray tracing. "You want to consider pricing relative to the Switch since we still have that in distribution. But, really, the consideration was driven much more by what is part of this particular experience versus what is relative to the Switch 1." Bowser also touched upon the price point of Switch 2 games, noting that Nintendo's approach is that each title is a "unique experience" which will be priced based on its content. This is why Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a game designed to introduce players to the console, is a paid title rather than a free experience. "As this game was being developed, what's been packed into it is a depth of minigame experiences," he said. "They're very deep, they're very repeatable. And so, we looked at that depth of play experience and opportunity, we felt that $9.99 was a fair price to ask for that." The Switch 2's flagship title, Mario Kart World, retails at $80 – much more than consumers are used to paying for Nintendo games. GamesIndustry.biz spoke to analysts about why Switch 2 prices are so high and how inflation and other factors may have resulted in this decision. During an interview with IGN, Nintendo of America's vice president of product and player experience Bill Trinen echoed Bowser's sentiment on games being priced based on the content they provide. "I would say it's less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it's more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, what's the content, and what's the value," Trinen said.

Meta is broadening Instagram restrictions that prevent minors from being exposed to inappropriate contact and content, bringing those protections to Facebook and Messenger and adding new limits for teenage Instagram users. After introducing “Teen Accounts” to Instagram in September — which automatically make younger users’ accounts private and restrict them from accessing certain features — Meta has announced that “similar” protections are now available on Facebook and Messenger. This comes as Facebook has spent several years struggling to attract younger users to the app, losing ground to rival social media platforms like TikTok.Facebook and Messenger Teen Accounts are rolling out in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada starting today, with other regions coming “soon,” according to Meta. The company hasn’t specified which protections will be applied, but if it matches Instagram’s Teen Account rollout then changes will automatically apply to new and existing accounts for users under the age of 18. Older teens can disable these protections, but those under 16 will need to request parental permission via supervisory tools to make any changes.Providing teens have been honest about their age during sign up, these changes will be automatically applied to all minors using Facebook and Messenger. Image: MetaCurrent Teen Account protections include restrictions around messaging and interactions with strangers, and tighter controls for seeing sensitive content. Teens are also encouraged to spend more time offline with 60-minute time limit reminders and a sleep mode that mutes notifications between 10PM and 7AM. These features are part of Meta’s efforts to address criticisms around child safety on its platforms. Facebook and Instagram are currently under EU investigation over concerns around safeguarding minors, with a separate US lawsuit filed in 2023 having accused Meta of creating a “marketplace for predators in search of children.”Under 16s won’t be able to adjust these new toggles without a parent signing off on it. Image: MetaMeta is also adding additional protections to Teen Accounts on Instagram “in the next couple of months,” that prevent minors from starting a live broadcast or disabling a feature that blurs images in DM when nudity is detected. Under 16s will require parental permission to change or remove these new Instagram restrictions, which are designed to limit contact between children and strangers on the platform.See More:

Argos is back with a fresh round of Switch 2 preorders back in stock today, April 8, in the UK, including not just the console, but games and accessories too. If you missed out last time, now’s your chance to lock one in without the faff.Amazon UK has also confirmed it’s dropping the invitation system entirely—listings are expected to go live for purchase soon, or even later today, so it’s worth keeping an eye out. Nintendo’s own store is also expected to follow suit and will be sending out invites to buy today as well.Pre-Order NowNintendo Switch 2 Console£395.99 at ArgosPre-Order NowNintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World Bundle£429.99 at ArgosMario Kart World Nintendo Switch 2 Game Pre-Order£74.99 at ArgosThe Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Switch 2 Pre-Order£64.99 at ArgosThe Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Switch 2 Pre-Order£64.99 at ArgosDonkey Kong Bananza Nintendo Switch 2 Game Pre-Order£64.99 at ArgosSuper Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 + Jamboree TV Pre-Order£64.99 at ArgosKirby & Forgotten Land Switch 2, Star-Crossed World PreOrder£64.99 at ArgosNintendo Switch 2 Pro Wireless Controller Black Pre-Order£74.99 at ArgosNintendo Switch 2 Camera Black Pre-Order£49.99 at ArgosSanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order£49.99 at ArgosNintendo Switch Joy-Con 2 Controller Pair Red Blue Pre-Order£74.99 at ArgosUnlike in the US, UK preorders are still smooth sailing—no price hikes, no delays. For instant alerts on new drops, bundles, and restocks, follow @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X or Bluesky and stay ahead of the pack.Nintendo’s official UK preorders for the Switch 2 kick off today, but the console’s already proving tough to pin down. Retailers like EE, GAME, and Smyths have gone live early—only to sell out almost instantly. Scalpers are already circling too, with listings popping up on eBay well above RRP.Things are even messier in the US, where delays and tariff concerns are adding to the chaos. Back in the UK, Amazon has dropped its invite-only system and will make stock available to buy soon. The upside? There’s no upfront payment—Amazon only charges when your order ships, so it’s a low-risk way to secure your console. Some users have seen a June 7 delivery estimate, but Amazon support says that’s just a glitch. Launch day delivery on June 5 is still the plan.What We Said in Our Switch 2 PreviewHere's what Logan Plant had to say in IGN's Nintendo Switch 2 preview: "Switch 2 is a more premium product and the price tag reflects that. It’s also a better version of a great thing, and it’s trying to pull off a bunch of cool new tricks at the same time, like mouse controls. Obviously we’re both buying Switch 2 on day one, and I did really love our hands-on time with the console. But I’ll be honest and say I have some concerns about if the general public is willing to adopt a $450 Nintendo console with an $80 Mario Kart." "It’s a big ask for a company that traditionally targets families and younger players, and I feel like the high cost of entry limits the Switch 2’s potential to take off in the way its predecessor did. But for those of you that do decide to take the plunge, you’ll be getting what’s shaping up to be a great hybrid console that makes a ton of worthwhile improvements on the original Switch and adds some fun bells and whistles for good measure."Play35% Off NSO Expansion Pack MembershipsGameCube games coming exclusively to the Switch 2's exclusive online library is one of the best features of the new console. To make those membership costs just that little bit easier, UK retailer ShopTo has NSO at 35% off right now, and there's an extra 5% when you use code SPRING at checkout. As you get your Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in, this is an absolute bonus bargain to consider.While some Nintendo Classics catalogues are unlocked with the base online subscription, you'll also need the Expansion Pack to play GameCube titles on Nintendo Switch 2. What's more, while you can subscribe to a monthly model for just Nintendo Switch Online, the Expansion Pack is only available on the 12-month plan, so make a note when purchasing. So, if you're the only Nintendo Switch players in your household, you can buy the individual Online + Expansion Pack plan for £24.55 or the Family Membership for £43.55 with the promo code SPRING.Nintendo Switch Online 12 Month + Expansion Pack 365 Days Membership Download (UK - EU)Switch 2 US Preorders Delayed Amid Tariff UncertaintyIn a surprise move, Nintendo has delayed the start of Switch 2 preorders in the United States, just days before they were set to go live. The decision comes in response to ongoing tariff concerns and what the company described as "evolving market conditions"—a direct reference to the revived threat of Trump-era import duties on electronics.Preorders were originally scheduled to begin on April 9 in the US, but Nintendo has now put them on hold indefinitely. While no new date has been provided, the company has reassured fans that the Switch 2’s global release date—June 5, 2025—remains unchanged.The official statement Nintendo shared with IGN: "Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”For now, the preorder freeze applies exclusively to the US market. UK preorders remain on track, with no changes to pricing or availability. In fact, retailers like Amazon UK are actively sending out preorder invitations, all the while launch-day stock is already starting to dry up across major outlets.Nintendo had announced that the Switch 2 is priced at $449.99 USD, while the Mario Kart World bundle—which includes the full game—is set at $499.99 USD. Mario Kart World will also be sold separately for $79.99 USD.PlaySwitch 2 UK Preorder NewsIf you're not keen on paying upfront, Amazon still remains your best option in the UK. When available to buy retailers like Argos require immediate payment, but Amazon won’t charge a penny until dispatch—making it a safer bet if you're budgeting ahead of June. How the invites work merely seems to be a ballot system where invitees are selected at random. For preorders at the Nintendo Store, where access is limited to long-time Nintendo Switch Online subscribers with high playtimes and shared usage data, Amazon’s invite system is far more accessible. It appears to operate on a simple ballot, meaning anyone has a fair shot—regardless of play history or membership status. Currys and Smyths are also expected to offer more preorder opportunities later through email alerts and queue systems, similar to their successful PS5 launch approach.With Currys and Smyths, it looks like it will simply be a case of sending out an email when preorders are opened, followed by a queued ordering system. This was the method Currys used when taking PS5 preorders, and it worked without any site crashes at least. This means you could be in for a longer wait from these alternative retailers, but it's a lot less frustrating if you're certain you don't meet the strict requirements to order from Nintendo directly.Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Senior Editor, Commerce, for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.

The first time one hears that scientists have brought back the dire wolf can be a little surreal. While this apex predator of the Ice Age, a North American legend hailing from the Pleistocene epoch, is believed to have breathed its last 10,000 years ago, it now walks the Earth again—or at least a pretty uncanny approximation of it courtesy of American biotech company Colossal Biosciences. The same firm which made the internet fall in love with woolly mice just a month ago has now lived up to its “de-extinction” mission statement; it has replicated the genome of a prehistoric creature in a living animal. At this point, Jurassic Park comparisons start appearing passé. Nonetheless, when we catch up with Colossal CEO Ben Lamm, he allows himself to smile at the similarities between the news and that famous scene where Richard Attenborough tells Sam Neill they have a T-Rex. “I think my John Hammond answer is I have three,” Lamm grins in reference to the trio of dire wolves Colossal has so far created: brothers Romulus and Remus, both about five months old, and little Khaleesi, who is just six weeks old as of press time. If it seems a tad audacious to welcome comparisons to a Hollywood movie, it is only because this is a moment bathed in audacity—and perhaps an opportunity for conservationists. As Lamm admits, two years ago they had no plans to resurrect the dire wolf, yet 18 months after asking themselves if they could, Romulus and Remus roared into the world. And soon enough, Colossal hopes to have seven or eight such dire wolves living on a 2,000-acre preserve in the northern U.S. It’s a remarkable achievement, and one with applications that extend far beyond a genetically-engineered wolf pack. Why the Dire Wolf? Founded in 2021 by Lamm and Harvard geneticist George Church, Colossal has raised immense capital in under half a decade by operating on the ethos that de-extinction and modern wildlife preservation are intrinsically linked. They’ve also made headlines via the applications of their research into bringing back the woolly mammoth (a dream they still aim to realize by 2028), such as when Colossal led breakthroughs in combatting herpes in baby elephants. Yet the dire wolf, which was made famous in popular culture because of fantasies like Game of Thrones, was not originally on Colossal’s radar. Nor for that matter was the current plight of the red wolf. “We were working with some of our Indigenous partners in North Dakota, and we were giving an update on our bison population genomics map that we’ve been building [to bring back] a genetic diversity that’s been lost in the bison,” Lamm explains. After the presentation, the biotechnology leader took a meeting with Mark N. Fox, the chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes (also known as the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, or MHA Nation). While helping guide a tour through their cultural center, Fox raised a salient point: why is Colossal focused solely on extinct species from different parts of the world like the Tasmanian tiger or the woolly mammoth—which while also in North America tended to roam almost everywhere during the ice age. “He said I just don’t understand why you’re not working more on American horses and American wolves,” Lamm remembers. “When you’re an American company, your first animal should be solely [American].” He also began telling Lamm about something Indigenous people call the great wolf. “He said it was a much larger wolf, it was a stronger wolf, it was white.” And based on how long the people of the MHA Nation have been on this land, Fox said he thought it was a Pleistocene wolf. The dire wolf. The dire wolf is indeed believed to have mostly resided in North America between 125,000 and roughly 10,000  years ago. Furthermore, over 90 percent of their fossils have been discovered in what is modern-day U.S. territory—which takes on a bitter sense of irony when considering one of their modern lupine relatives currently on the brink of extinction in this country. “Three months later I was in North Carolina about a completely different topic, it had nothing to do with red wolves, but the Red Wolf Recovery Program came up,” Lamm says. “They talked about how they’ve been working for 40 years and are just not really making progress.” Since the red wolf was reintroduced into the North Carolina wild, it is believed that only 17 of these animals still roam free. “It dawned on me that the most endangered wolf in the world is this American wolf,” Lamm says. “When we think about America, you think about the bison and the wolves, and bears eating out of streams and bald eagles. And you’re telling me that we can’t save our own wolf?” Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Yet by the same time Lamm was having these fateful discussions, his company’s whole-system approach for innovating in the gene-editing and CRISPR space—with Colossal handling computational analysis, embryology, genetic engineering, and even staffing an artificial womb team under one proverbial roof—had yielded positive results. Beyond raising capital and earning major Hollywood investors like Peter Jackson, the company was also seeing breakthroughs in working with edited cells. “This is super sci-fi-ish,” Lamm prefaces, “but we had petri dishes growing mammoth hair organoids. We’ve engineered mammoth hair, so we know [the process] works… but it’s not a full complete system of an animal.” In this way, the woolly mouse was intended to be a proof of concept for the company’s aspirations. But when it came time to huddle around a whiteboard and decide what ancient animal they could actually de-extinct, the dire wolf suddenly began looking extremely attractive. “If we do try the dire wolf, we could probably develop technologies that will have an application for conservation,” Lamm says in reference to the red wolf. “We can work with the Indigenous people groups that are excited about it; it could be a symbol of American pride; it just kind of all came together, and then the project went so much faster than we thought.” All told, from that meeting to Romulus and Remus’ birth, a mere 18 months passed, with the project nearly beating the woolly mice into existence. Says Lamm, “Eighteen months for something that’s been gone for 12,000 years.” Lessons Learned by Romulus and Remus As of press time, the dire wolves called Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi are far from full-grown. Khaleesi is still a puppy, and Romulus and Remus are maybe only a third full-grown with modern gray wolves taking between 14 and 18 months to reach full maturity. Yet already, these white-haired creatures are taller than the gray wolf. Soon the dire wolves will be heavier too. “They are insanely strong,” says Lamm. “They’re already 80 pounds. Most wolves are 75 to 100 pounds, and some could be up to 110 pounds if they just killed an elk. But without these being full, they’re over 80 pounds and they’re five months old… so we think they’re going to be 140 to 150 pounds. Some people even say they look like little ponies at this stage.” Some of the results of their appearance is unsurprising to scientists, especially after Colossal reconstructed a dire wolf genome by extracting DNA from a 13,000-year-old fossilized tooth, found in Sheridan Pitt, Ohio, and several pieces of a dire wolf’s inner ear found in American Falls, Idaho (the ear is believed to date back to around 72,000 years ago). For instance, there was almost never any doubt that unlike the mythical “direwolves” on Game of Thrones, the real things would be exclusively white. “There’s about 50,000 years of genetic divergence between our two samples, and they’re not regionally found, they’re separated,” Lamm explains. “So we do believe dire wolves were all white.” Other features, however, could be learned only by birthing Romulus and Remus and watching them grow. “They have a longer tail [than gray wolves],” Lamm points out, “and while they’re not related to foxes, it’s thicker and almost more fox-like. They’re truly beautiful.” Most striking of all, though, might be the white mane that the fossil records could never reveal. “We didn’t know that they had that,” Lamm notes. “We knew they were white, and we identified what genes drove their coat, but we didn’t know [what they would look like] other than size and skeletal morphology.” Even their appearance as newborn pups was a surprise, with little Romulus and Remus better resembling baby polar bears than our idea of a young gray wolf pup. Even so, there will undoubtedly be debate to come over how much Romulus, Remus, Khaleesi, and the rest of their intended pack match the ancient creature who died out millennia ago. For starters, it is impossible to directly clone an extinct species. You need a living cell. In the case of these dire wolves, this was created by editing 20 genes in gray wolf cells—a technique Lamm previously told us is part and parcel with natural speciation, albeit in this case it’s been controlled to recreate the lost, desired characteristics of a dire wolf.  Still, Lamm acknowledges there are traits we’ll never be absolutely certain on. For instance, the vocalizations of his dire wolves. “We do know that if you look at the neck size of our dire wolves compared to normal wolves, they’re bigger, which we know affects the vocalization we hear today. Is it exactly the same vocalization as it was 10,000 years ago? We have no way of knowing what percentage of that’s learned behavior versus what percentage of that’s normal.” Still, Colossal remains bullish about their research, which used advanced multiplex gene editing to introduce precise genetic edits at 20 loci across 14 genes. More impressive is how these techniques have innovated cloning technology. Whereas cloning previously required extensive tissue samples, including quantities of bone marrow, pieces of skin, and perhaps scraps of an ear, the less intrusive techniques Colossal has pioneered from DNA blood extractions could very well change how we protect endangered species, extinct or otherwise. Saving the Red Wolf and Beyond The choice of naming Colossal’s first two dire wolves Romulus and Remus is a telling one. Some debate went on internally over whether one of the two brothers should be dubbed Ghost, in reference to the most famous direwolf on Game of Thrones, but the decision was made to save that for down the road as the pack grows. In the meantime, no single dire wolf in Colossal’s first crop would stand out over another. Instead the names they did settle on would harken back to an ancient, and more wolf-friendly, set of values. While during the last several thousand years, wolves have regularly been associated with evil and dangerous imagery in the popular (and largely Christian) imagination, there was a time when the creature’s likeness carried different connotations, and it hadn’t been hunted to extinction in Europe and near enough that in North America. In fact, Romulus and Remus were the mythological figures credited with founding Rome, the ancient city that would become an empire—and which was supposedly nurtured by the literal mother’s milk of a she-wolf who fed and raised these two brothers. “Romulus and Remus were the founders of Rome,” Lamm muses, “so we thought of Romulus and Remus as the founders of the de-extinction movement. They are brothers, so we thought that the mythology made a lot of sense. We thought of them as being a form of ancient wisdom and protectors.” Like more recent popular fiction such as Game of Thrones, these names also point to a future where the wolf is no longer treated as a monster hunted to the verge of extinction. Which might echo the most impressive implications of this new Romulus and Remus. “In addition to making the three dire wolves… we actually cloned four red wolves,” Lamm reveals, “which is pretty cool.” Indeed, one of the reasons the Red Wolf Recovery Program has struggled in North Carolina is due to the lack of biodiversity in the handful of recognized red wolves still living in the wild. However, by embracing the same speciation mindset that allows Lamm to assert his dire wolves are a recreation of the animal that went extinct 10,000 years ago, Colossal researchers partnered with Bridgett vonHoldt, a leading wolf geneticist at Princeton University. Together they used the new cloning techniques derived purely from blood samples to isolate ancient red wolf DNA found in the genetic code of modern-day coyote-red wolf admixed populations located in Louisiana and parts of Texas.  “They have a lot more of the lost red wolf genome data than the ones in the North Carolina population,” Lamm explains. “So we went out and sampled all of them, did a big comparative genomics to prove that, and then we actually took some frozen [DNA] from a founder line of red wolves that’s extinct, that’s dead, and we brought it back using our cloning techniques.” The Colossal CEO also acknowledged he had a recent meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum and that “if they want me to make a thousand red wolves that are genetically diverse, we could do that for them.” He later adds, “We’ll make all of our technologies available for free for conservation. It’s part of our mandate.” Since our conversation with Lamm, Burgum issued a statement on X praising de-extinction technology, although perhaps worrisomely for some conservationists, the secretary framed it via his eagerness to minimize the endangered species list. Burgum wrote, “It’s time to fundamentally change how we think about species conservation. Going forward, we must celebrate removals from the endangered species list — not additions. The only thing we’d like to see go extinct is the need for an endangered species list to exist. We need to continue improving recovery efforts to make that a reality, and the marvel of ‘de-extinction’ technology can help forge a future where populations are never at risk.” Still, support for improving biodiversity in mammalian wildlife, especially those on the brink of extinction, would be a great legacy for Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. As for the dire wolves themselves, they currently are living on an undisclosed nature preserve of 2,000 acres with a staff of 10, an animal hospital, and a daily diet of six pounds of meat and three cups of dry feed—a mixture of beef, horse, and deer meat. “They have a good setup right now,” says Lamm. But beyond growing them to a full-sized wolf pack of seven or eight wolves, the Colossal leader is more circumspect about the larger future of this resurrected dire wolf. “I will tell you over time, there is potential interest right now from some of the Indigenous people groups to put them back ancestrally on their land,” Lamm says. “But once again, a lot of people have a say in that. That’s not our say. So if people want that, then we’d probably pursue that. But as you know, any rewilding program has to be met with a very thoughtful managed rollout.” For the time being, these wolves still have a 2,000-acre park. Meanwhile their existence points to a better future for their distant American cousins. It’s a promising start for a technology that also aims to aid other species on the edge of extinction like the white rhinoceros, or bring back those humanity wiped out, such as the dodo. Says Lamm, “I’m pretty proud of what we’re doing, but I do think that de-extinction goes hand in hand with species preservation. It’s just a new tool in our conservation tool belt.”

There’s a lot going on in the world right now as President Trump last week announced tariffs on imports from other countries. Fearing a potential price increase, many customers are flocking to Apple Stores to buy new iPhones and other products before they get more expensive. Customers buying iPhones before price hike due to US tariffs Employees from different Apple Stores across the US told Bloomberg on Monday that they had seen an increase in demand for products, especially iPhones. According to these employees, many customers have been asking about price increases due to the new tariffs announced by Trump. “Almost every customer asked me if prices were going to go up soon,” said an Apple employee. “People are just rushing in worried and asking questions,” another employee said. According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple hasn’t provided guidance for retail employees on how to answer these questions or deal with the higher demand. Other employees compare the current demand with the lines when there’s a new iPhone or during the holiday season. There are also reports on Reddit and other social networks about customers buying new Macs this week fearing the new tariffs. The US government will tax products from China and India at 34% and 26% respectively. Apple assembles most of its products in these two countries. Trump claims that the new tariffs are “reciprocal” to what each country already charges on products imported from the US. Although Apple won’t say what will happen next, a report this morning revealed that Apple has flown five planes full of products from India and China in just a few days. This way, the company will have enough inventory to keep the products at their current prices for longer. Another report claims that Apple has been considering expanding its facilities in Brazil in partnership with Foxconn since the country was taxed at 10% by Trump – less than China and India. Apple’s shares have already dropped more than 18% since the new tariffs were announced last week and the same has happened to other US companies. Gadgets I recommend: Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apr 08, 2025The Hacker NewsArtificial Intelligence / Threat Detection Security Operations Centers (SOCs) today face unprecedented alert volumes and increasingly sophisticated threats. Triaging and investigating these alerts are costly, cumbersome, and increases analyst fatigue, burnout, and attrition. While artificial intelligence has emerged as a go-to solution, the term "AI" often blurs crucial distinctions. Not all AI is built equal, especially in the SOC. Many existing solutions are assistant-based, requiring constant human input, while a new wave of autonomous, Agentic AI has the potential to fundamentally transform security operations. This article examines Agentic AI (sometimes also known as Agentic Security), contrasts it with traditional assistant-based AI (commonly known as Copilots), and explains its operational and economic impacts on modern SOCs. We'll also explore practical considerations for security leaders evaluating Agentic AI solutions. Agentic AI vs. Assistant AI (aka Copilots): Clarifying the Difference Agentic AI is defined by autonomy. Unlike traditional AI tools—which function as powerful assistants—Agentic AI systems independently perceive, plan, investigate, and conclude. In the context of SOC operations, Agentic AI acts much like a skilled Tier-1 analyst, autonomously triaging alerts using industry best practices, thoroughly investigating incidents, and providing actionable outcomes with minimal human oversight. Assistant AI solutions, by contrast, are essentially smart tools waiting for human guidance. A security copilot, for example, can suggest insights or answer analyst questions about an alert, but it won't proactively investigate without explicit instruction. Every decision, action, or conclusion must first pass through a human analyst. Consider a scenario involving potential malware: Assistant AI waits for the analyst's prompt, then responds to specific queries, leaving investigation decisions to the human. Agentic AI, conversely, proactively initiates and completes a full investigation—analyzing logs, correlating events, and possibly containing threats, then delivers a detailed report ready for human review. The crucial distinction here is initiative and autonomy. Agentic AI isn't just another SOC automation tool like SOARs, it's an autonomous member of your security team. Unlike traditional SOAR or Hyperautomation tools, it doesn't need playbooks or scripted workflows. It adapts in real time, triaging and investigating alerts without you having to map out every move. How Agentic AI Transforms SecOps and Improves SOC Economics Also known as AI SOC Analysts, Agentic AI transforms the core of security operations by automating triage and investigation which is often the most time-consuming, high-volume tasks in the SOC. It doesn't just accelerate existing workflows, it makes them scalable, consistent, and cost-effective. Instant triage at scale Agentic AI evaluates every alert as it arrives, around the clock. It triages based on real indicators of risk, not just severity labels, reducing dwell time and surfacing the right threats faster than any human team could. Deep, consistent investigations Unlike basic enrichment or playbook automation, Agentic AI conducts structured investigations that follow lines of questioning an experienced analyst would pursue. Every alert gets the same level of scrutiny, regardless of priority, removing the need to choose between speed and depth. Fewer gaps, better prioritization Traditional SOCs often ignore low- and medium-priority alerts due to time constraints. Agentic AI closes those gaps by investigating everything and ranking results based on actual risk. The result is better prioritization and fewer missed threats. Operational consistency, even under pressure With no fatigue or bandwidth limits, Agentic AI maintains quality during alert storms and high-pressure moments. It eliminates triage shortcuts and helps avoid costly oversights, regardless of volume. More focus, less burnout By offloading repetitive triage and initial investigations (specially around removing the flood of benign alerts from human analyst queue), Agentic AI frees analysts to focus on high-value work like complex investigations and threat hunting. This reduces burnout and improves team retention, a critical factor in a competitive market with persistent skills shortage. Lower costs, higher capacity Agentic AI boosts alert coverage and investigative speed without adding pressure to already stretched teams. It helps organizations scale security operations and add capacity in the face of ongoing cybersecurity skills shortages. Improved outcomes, measurable ROI By investigating every alert thoroughly and consistently, Agentic AI improves key metrics like dwell time and Mean Time to Investigate (MTTI). Faster detection and deeper investigations reduce risk exposure and mitigate the financial and reputational impact of breaches. A force multiplier for the SOC Agentic AI doesn't replace analysts, it amplifies them. It helps teams scale efficiently, operate more effectively, and achieve better outcomes with fewer resources. The result: stronger security and a healthier bottom line. Key Considerations for Evaluating Agentic AI for your SOC Not all agentic solutions are equal. Security leaders must assess solutions based on: Transparency and Explainability: Ensure the solution clearly documents how decisions are made, enabling analysts and auditors to validate results confidently. Accuracy and Investigative Depth: High accuracy and thorough, multi-dimensional investigations across all relevant data sources are essential. Seamless Integration: The solution should easily connect to your existing tools and fit within established workflows, minimizing disruption. Customization and Adaptability: Seek AI solutions capable of learning and adapting to your unique security context. Impact and ROI: Measure the impact of the AI using the key SOC metrics that matter to your business. Ultimately, you want an Agentic AI tool for your SOC that improves business performance (i.e., lowers risk, lowers costs) and the metrics you track should be aligned with that. How Prophet Security Redefines Alert Triage: Autonomous but Human-Driven The introduction of Agentic AI represents a fundamental evolution for SOC teams, not a replacement of human analysts, but an augmentation enabling them to perform at their best. As organizations evaluate this transformative technology, choosing a transparent, accurate, and adaptive solution ensures that the SOC remains effective, efficient, and human-centric. By handling routine investigations autonomously, Agentic AI empowers human analysts to focus on higher-value tasks, transforming the SOC from reactive to proactive and precise. Embracing this evolution today positions security teams to remain resilient against tomorrow's advanced threats. Prophet Security exemplifies this evolution by automating alert triage and investigations with exceptional speed and accuracy. Powered by AI Agents, Prophet AI eliminates repetitive manual tasks, reduces analyst burnout, and significantly improves security outcomes. Visit Prophet Security today to request a demo and see firsthand how Prophet AI can elevate your SOC operations. Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorApril 8, 20255 Min ReadPanther Media GmbH via Alamy Stock PhotoIT development teams are known for their iconoclasts, free spirits, and non-conformists. It's embedded in their DNA. That's what makes developers so good at their jobs. Yet when a team suddenly deviates wildly from its assigned mission, it's time to intervene and issue a course-correction that will get them back on track without bruising egos or killing morale. There's rarely a single goal for any IT development team, says Liz James, managing security consultant at cybersecurity firm NCC Group. "Where there are a few goals, there's a tendency for them to become overly broad and not effectively measurable," she explains in an online interview. Warning Signs When a team starts solving problems nobody asked them to solve, you've got an issue, observes Peter Murphy Lewis, founder of Strategic Pete, a marketing advisory company. "Maybe they're over-engineering, chasing the 'perfect' solution, or adding features no one needs," he says via email. The first sign that an IT team is drifting is when task progress appears strained, says Alex Osmichenko, CEO of website development firm IT Monks. The team is working hard, implementing various changes with good intentions, but these small victories don't add up to the big picture, he notes in an online interview. "It feels like your people are moving, but your company isn't," Osmichenko explains. "If you find yourself going off-topic in meetings and spending most of your time discussing features that weren't originally defined, your team may be struggling to understand what the goal is and how to get there." Related:When an IT team veers off course, the damage isn't just confined to a delayed timeline or blown budget -- there's also a ripple effect, Lewis says. "Stakeholders lose confidence, your users get a half-baked product, and the team itself starts feeling like they’re running on a hamster wheel." Worse yet, if the IT leader lets this behavior slide, it can become accepted culture. "Teams start to believe that wandering is acceptable -- and that’s a disaster waiting to happen." If team drift isn't caught early, deadlines might be missed and products left unfinished. "It can also affect team morale, as people see that their hard work isn't reflected in the big changes," Osmichenko says. "This can lead to burnout and decreased efficiency." Preventative Steps IT teams are often under pressure to innovate and move fast, and that can lead to scope creep or distractions, Lewis says. "Studies show that over half of IT projects fail to meet their objectives, and this is one of the reasons why."  Related:"Divergence from goals and objectives will happen just by meeting with real world constraints and challenges," James adds. The first step toward corralling a runaway team is establishing an open dialog. "As a leader, you should show the team that you're not blaming them for anything -- you're encouraging cooperation, not punishment," Osmichenko says. Give everyone a chance to contribute, and don't reject new ideas that may not be immediately pressing. "Encouraging the team to adjust course together keeps morale high and makes them feel like a part of the solution." "Plan your project clearly," Osmichenko advises. "Break it down into smaller checkpoints so that deviations from the goal are easier to spot," he says. Hold regular meetings for coordination, not just in critical situations. "Your team must understand the importance of feedback and be honest when discussing new challenges." Balance is important, especially in IT where it's very easy to burn out and get lost in an avalanche of large and small tasks. "This doesn't mean that challenges are insurmountable," Osmichenko notes. "In fact, they can make your team stronger." Getting Back on Track Goal diversions happen for a reason, James says. "The first step is understanding what that reason is and being able to understand if it was a missed requirement or goal from the outset, or if it truly is a diversion that doesn't contribute to the final objective." Related:Keep it real and don't place blame. "Most teams want to succeed -- they just need to be pointed in the right direction," Lewis says. "Make sure to note the good things they've accomplished, even if it's off course." It's important to set clear goals and guardrails from day one, Lewis advises. "Make sure everyone knows what success looks like and why it matters." He recommends establishing regular check-ins to catch team drift early. "Create space where the team feels safe to speak up if they see misalignment," Lewis suggests. "A little course correction early beats a full-on rescue mission later." A Final Thought On the bright side, a runaway team is usually a passionate team, Lewis says. "Channel that energy," he advises. "If they're bursting with ideas, carve out some time for structured innovation where they can explore without derailing the main project."About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like