The dominos are lined up for GTA 6 as Take-Two's other big crime adventure gets an August release date – leading fans to think Rockstar's game is a shoo-in for OctoberTech14:58, 11 Apr 2025Updated 14:58, 11 Apr 2025Could Mafia's date indicate the stars are aligning for GTA 6?(Image: Take-Two)Grand Theft Auto 6 is still coming this year, and despite developer Rockstar Games going silent about the biggest game of 2025, it seems that's all part of the plan according to publisher Take-Two's CEO.With the company expected to launch several high-profile games this year, it's made no secret of the fact it's wanted to stagger releases to avoid cannibalizing its own success.‌Article continues belowAfter an earnings call confirmed GTA 6 should arrive in 2025, Take-Two put a release date of September 23 on Borderlands 4 back in February.Now that we're in April, the company has revealed another big release date, this time for Mafia: The Old Country, which seemingly opens the way for an October release date for GTA 6.Expect a more grounded crime story(Image: Take-Two)‌Mafia: The Old Country is another hotly-anticipated Take-Two game and marks the first entry since 2016's Mafia III.Early today, a blog post which was seemingly published a little too soon (and has since been deleted), said that the title will launch on August 8."Mafia: The Old Country is available August 8, 2025. Pre-order now for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, and stay tuned to the official Mafia website for more information," it read.‌Previously, Take-Two had said Mafia: The Old Country would debut in 2025, so this is the first confirmation of the release date – a month and a half ahead of Borderlands 4.In fact, the game's Steam Page still points to 2025, without mentioning a date.Mafia: The Old Country looks fantastic(Image: Take-Two)‌If Take-Two really wants to give each of its titles breathing room, then there's a good chance GTA 6 will be targeting an October or November release date.While some are fearful of a delay, Rockstar Games has a history of ramping up marketing when it's good and ready. With that in mind, we'd expect news very soon.Article continues belowFor more on GTA 6, check out why Rockstar Games might follow a Nintendo-set precedent for its pricing, and how other publishers are scrambling to clear the game's inevitable 'blast zone'.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Nintendo reveals surprising reason why the Switch 2 doesn’t have analogue triggers GameCentral Published April 11, 2025 12:19pm Updated April 11, 2025 1:22pm The Pro Controller could’ve had analogue triggers (Nintendo) The Switch 2 Pro Controller and Joy-Cons don’t have analogue shoulder buttons, but Nintendo was going to add them until someone stopped them. Although the Nintendo Switch 2 and its Pro Controller are broadly similar to the original Switch, in terms of design and function, there are some important differences. The Switch 2 is bigger, it has its new ‘C’ button for online chat, and the Joy-Cons can turn into mice. The Pro Controller has an audio jack and two new, programmable buttons at the back but what it doesn’t have, which has upset some fans, is analogue shoulder buttons. Although Nintendo pioneered the idea of analogue controls, with the N64, it’s never used them for any of its shoulder buttons – the closest it’s got being the GameCube’s weird clutch-like set-up. All PlayStation 5 and Xbox controllers have analogue triggers, as they’re very useful for driving games, and Nintendo has revealed that it was considering them for the Switch 2. The Switch 2’s designers were asked why they didn’t add analogue shoulder buttons to the Pro Controller or the new Joy-Cons, and the reason is straightforward but relatively surprising. Technical director Tetsuya Sasaki answered that, ‘From the hardware side, we worked on what we were asked to do. There were a lot of, let’s say, very fussy developers around us who wanted to go this route. That’s why we went the route we did.’ ‘In terms of analogue buttons on the shoulders, there are positives, but also negatives,’ producer Kouichi Kawamoto told VentureBeat. ‘You lose a little bit of instancy when they’re analogue. We considered it and decided that instant input would be the better option. That’s why we decided to move forward with this decision.’ They don’t specify which developers asked them to stick with digital shoulder buttons, but the implication seems to be that it was internal, first party developers. Third party developers would probably prefer that the Switch 2 had analogue triggers, as that makes it easier to port games across, without having to make any changes to the controls. Although Mario Kart World is the Switch 2’s main launch title, Nintendo doesn’t go in much for serious racing games, although it does have things like the Excite Bike series, which are relatively realistic. More Trending It’s hard to say which third party racer might be the most likely to appear on Switch 2 but Forza Horizon 5 does seem one possibility, as it’s shortly to be released on PlayStation 5. Strangely though, Microsoft is still yet to announce any games for the Switch 2, despite support for Nintendo platforms being a key argument for why it should be allowed to buy Activision Blizzard. Whether that was solely hot air to convince monopoly investigators, or they have some sort of big unveil event planned is unclear. Switch 2 games may feature at the recently announced summer showcase but despite it being the cornerstone of their new business plan, Microsoft has proven very reticent about announcing multiformat plans in public and has tended to do so only via blog plots and trailer drops. Mario Kart World with analogue acceleration would’ve been interesting (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign 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

Do ever find your different devices fighting for that one available outlet? It’s annoying having to make the tough call to which you’ll plug in, your phone or your laptop. You can connect one and then go plug in the other into a different outlet I suppose, but then it’s all the way on the other side of the room sometimes. Utterly useless. Get yourself a solid wall charger block that can handle all your devices at once. The UGREEN 65W USB-C charger has multiple ports to plug into and can recharge your phone, tablet, or laptop fast. It’s normally $43, but right now you can secure one for 40% off at just $26. That’s a savings of $17. The UGREEN charger is able to pack a punch even in its small form. It’s got my all time favorite feature when it comes to charging blocks… It only takes up one slot on a power strip. Screw all those blocks that are so wide they block off two extra outlets from being used. I guess that’s why they call them blocks. That’s not a problem here, no sir. You can charge three devices over USB-C plus a fourth over USB-A no problem with just a single outlet. See at Amazon This charger block is designed for durability. The plug folds back up to make it easy to travel with whether it’s just tossed into your bag or snug in your pocket. It’s built with high quality materials so no need to worry about it getting damaged. Despite it’s small form, the UGREEN charger can pack a punch. It can power your devices with a 65W output. That’s fast enough to charge a dead MacBook Air from zero back up above 50% in just a half hour. Universal Compatibility Safety of your devices is at the forefront of all of Anker’s designs. The UGREEN 65W charger block utilizes Anker’s exclusive MultiProtect technology and is built with all the latest safety certifications in mind. These protect against short-circuiting and high-voltage output, regulate output current, apply automatic current matching, control output temperature, and allows the charger to be static resistant. This charging block is universally compatible. Whether your phone is a Samsung, your earbuds are JBL, or your watch is Apple, you can rest easy knowing this charging block is equipped to connect to and charge your stuff. Even charge your Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch. Right now, you can get yourself a UGREEN 65W charging block for nearly half price. It’s currently marked down by 40% which brings the price from $73 to just $26 for a limited time. See at Amazon

VERTICAL Building / NL Architects + Space Encounters + Studio Donna van Milligen Bielke + Chris Collaris Architects + VDNDP + i29 architectsSave this picture!© Marcel van der Burg•Amsterdam, The Netherlands Architects: Area Area of this architecture project Area:  17500 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023 Photographs Photographs:Marcel van der Burg, Stijn BollaertMore SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! VERTICAL - "Sloterdijk Kavel N1 and N3" - VERTICAL is the highly ambitious endeavor to catalyze the transformation of the Sloterdijk business district from a monofunctional office park into a lively mixed-use neighborhood. VERTICAL is the collaborative and optimistic effort of Team Heijmans to introduce 'life' in as many ways as possible to an at first glance rather a hostile environment. How can we stimulate inspiring forms of cohabitation? Save this picture!Setting - Sloterdijk is a business district in the west of Amsterdam at the intersection of three railway lines and the ring road around Amsterdam. The so-called 'Teleport' came into being in the 1980s as a Dutch variant of La Defense. The area is dominated by office buildings -some of which have recently been converted into hotels- and by rather fascinating large-scale infrastructure. The 'non-stick' architecture feels defensive and inaccessible, its appearance largely defined by granite and mirror glass. Generic City. How can we make this counter-intuitive environment suitable for living? The urban plan by the DOOR architect serves as the foundation for intensifying the area: the plan introduces a dynamic blend of new building masses on the remaining vacant plots and proposes a diversified, lively plinth to evoke a maximum of interaction. The base follows the fluidity of the infra-landscape and is topped by an objective grid of north-south oriented towers with stunning views over the harbor and the city. 'Mies' on top of 'Jane'.Save this picture!Biotope - VERTICAL is situated in the so-called Brettenzone, one of the famous green lobes (or 'fingers') that allow the landscape to penetrate into the urban tissue of Amsterdam, contributing greatly to the city's livability. On the heatmap of Amsterdam however, Sloterdijk shows up as a red square interrupting this green band into the city center. The ambition is to remove this 'blood clot' by introducing an intricate system of vegetation and water storage. As such the project could be understood as a vertical version of the sequence of landscapes that forms the Brettenzone and that as such hopes to restore a degree of ecological continuity. Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Habitat - Since Kavel N is the first residential development in this part of the city, the strategy was to introduce a wide range of dwelling sizes. VERTICAL aimed to create a complex biotope that would invite a truly diverse population. Unlike the claustrophobic monotony of the usual 'beehive of micro units' this extraordinary spectrum of housing types safeguards diversity from the start. The buildings emphasize their residential function to form a counterpoint to the bland, homogeneous surroundings. They should radiate 'living'. The varying floor heights combined with the varying heights of the floor bands in both towers introduce a vibrating silhouette that counters the standardized and predictable backdrop. At the foot of these towers, a lively and partly programmed plinth emerges: diverse, permeable, interactive, transparent, and friendly. In order to substantiate the architectonic and environmental diversity in a profound manner Team Heijmans was formed into a carefully composed pool of architects: Space Encounters, Studio Donna van Milligen Bielke, Chris Collaris (i29 Architects), DS Landschapsarchitecten, VDNDP and NL Architects.Save this picture!Ying Yang - VERTICAL consist of two parts, Kavel N1 in the west and Kavel N2 in the east. Together these components form a Ying Yang ecosystem of 168 dwellings; a total of 20.000 m2 of homes, amenities and lush outdoor spaces. Kavel N1 features four distinct segments by four distinct architects. While Space Encounter's design for the abstract, stacked boxes clad in aluminum shingles embraces air and light, NL Architect's dark concrete brick volumes serve as a counterpoint to the lighter and brighter wooden plinth volume created by Chris Collaris (i29 Architects). This wing of the complex is topped with the 'rocky', monolithic residential tower by Studio Donna van Milligen Bielke. This tower houses several large and flexible lofts that each offer bi-directional orientations and views. The multilayered and -colored facades set out to create a vibrant habitat for birds, bats, and insects, as each band hosts nest boxes for specific species. The heavily planted deck on top of the double height units at grade -referred to as 'Bretten Carpet'- forms a new 'ground level' that provides access to several free standing houses.Save this picture!Kavel N3 features a six-story plinth with differentiated massing topped by a 17-story high-rise. The transparent ground level designed by NL Architects hosts the entrance lobby for the tower, as well as commercial and flexible spaces to accommodate initiatives that foster community engagement. On top of this glazed level, three solid and staggered sand-tone colored volumes are positioned. The integrated planters in the facade of Space Encounters makes the appearance of one corner volume allude to the architecture of Maya temples, while the volume on the opposite corner, designed by Chris Collaris (i29 Architects), introduces the abstract expression of ecological cob construction. A restrained stepped concrete brick volume crafted by NL Architects nestles in between these cornerstones. The wood-clad tower that rises above -also created by NL Architects- is conceived as a layer cake of cultivated landscapes. The floor heights differ, from the standard 3-meter to the rather spectacular 4 and 6-meter floor-to-floor that offers a pretty unusual spatial experience. The protruding floors extend into continuous planters featuring different heights with different soil packages offering different growth conditions for the vegetation. Together these permutations seek to establish a slightly vibrating silhouette.Save this picture!Shared Living - At the transition of base and tower a special amenity is introduced: the Shared Living Space, a collective living room that is open to all inhabitants of both Kavel N1 and N3. It will feature a 'family room' with a large kitchen and dinner table, space for reading and lounging, and room to play, a room that can be used for gatherings of many kinds. Additionally, two guest rooms and a workout space are available, as well as the all-around roof garden for potentially infinite strolls.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Power - VERTICAL is by default sustainable. The building uses the sun, the wind and geothermal heat. Rainwater and hot water are optimally used and recycled. With the right orientation of the two towers, a well-insulated skin, a solar crown and the facility to generate passive energy from the soil, the energy demand of the building is reduced. Moreover, VERTICAL has its own thermal energy storage system.Save this picture!Urban Ecology - VERTICAL is located in the compact urban cluster concentrated around Sloterdijk Station that is rather ruthlessly obstructing the continuity of one of the Cities important ecological arteries. The local government intends to dissolve this 'blockade' by implementing abundant greenery both on plazas and buildings. VERTICAL responds to this ambition by blending landscape and building into one, by creating a shared habitat for people, vegetation and wildlife. On the ground-level hard, stony surfaces are kept to a minimum. 'Facade gardens' emerge and climbers and creepers can flourish providing a link between ground level and the heavy planting on the roofs of the lower buildings. This so-called Bretten Carpet is a reference to the specific landscape in which Sloterdijk is located and seeks to help bridge the gap between Westerpark and the 'Bretten'.  Save this picture!The western apartment tower rises up from this Carpet as a permeable monolith with an assortment of carefully crafted openings offering spaces for birds, insects and bats (and humans too) to hide and to breed. The eastern tower provides a pulsating stack of planters all around that interpret the various landscapes in the Brettenzone, from cultivated to wild: from park, allotment garden, cemetery, polder, farm, vegetable garden, sports fields, swamp, to coppice forest and dunes. Each layer is composed of a different mix of indigenous plants: a mixture of herbs, grasses, shrubs and climbers native to the Brettenzone. The vegetation serves as a confectionery for birds. The greenery offers forage in the form of fruits, berries and seeds as well as invertebrates and insects attracted by the foliage.Save this picture!And the lush planting of course creates pleasant living conditions for humans as well; CO2 is captured, fine particles bound, noise impact from harbor and cars is softened and heat stress is reduced. Long-term, attentive maintenance is crucial for the success of the endeavor. The groundskeepers have to work in rather unusual conditions to optimize the growth process. And although the planting has been very carefully compiled and engineered, it should not be considered final; a responsive attitude is welcome to ensure flourishing greenery over time. A feedback loop is instrumental in the understanding of the vegetation so that it eventually will fully match the specific conditions of the building. A profound involvement of the homeowners seems vital as well. A very encouraging side-effect of this essential commitment can already be witnessed in VERTICAL: the social interaction between interested inhabitants is enhanced in a natural way.  Save this picture!Metabolism - Amsterdam Rain Proof is a program that aspires to make the city more resistant to the increasingly frequent and increasingly heavy downpours. Amsterdam Rain Proof is now a precondition for new developments; it prescribes temporary water storage and a delayed transfer to the sewage to prevent flooding of the system. The ambition for the Sloterdijk area is that 60 millimeters of rainwater can be stored on each plot for 24 hours and that the release to the sewer is slowed down to a maximum flow rate of 0,9 millimeters per hour (2,5 l/s/ha). The roofs of Kavel N1 and N3 in principle provide the required water storage, but additionally, the planters that circumscribe the ensemble substantially increase the capacity. Water is buffered in the substrate. Additionally, a system of porous crates at the bottom of the continuous flowerpots as well as on the roofs structurally contains rainwater. This water serves as the life source for the vegetation, mostly through capillary action. As soon as the weather station foresees alarmingly heavy rainfall the stored water is released into the sewage. As such the necessary buffer space is freed up. All together VERTICAl can provide 330 m3 of water storage, which is more than double the required capacity.Save this picture!Save this picture!Some of the rainwater is captured in a large vessel inside the building. Here nutrients can be added and the enriched water is subsequently fed back into the system. In the rare case of continuous drought, the survival of the vegetation can be guaranteed by adding tap water. Planting helps to mitigate the effects of urban heating: it lowers temperatures through shade and through 'evapotranspiration'. Plants absorb water through their roots and emit it through their leaves. This is referred to as "transpiration". Evaporation -the conversion of water from a liquid to a gas- also occurs from the soil around vegetation and from plants and shrubs as they intercept rainfall on leaves. Together, these processes are referred to as evapotranspiration. The protruding floors of the high-rise create shade. The shadow decreases evaporation during summer making sure enough water stays available in the season with the highest growth rate and the largest water demand. All in all an intricate system of interdependencies comes into being, that will hopefully form an elegant symbiotic relationship between plant life, biodiversity, cooling and water buffering; an optimistic integral attempt at climate adaptation.Save this picture! Project gallery

When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022, programmers like myself were already using it with obsession and testing its limits. In this video, I'll help you understand what sets Claude and ChatGPT apart for coding, focusing on models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet and ChatGPT's GPT-4o depending on your workflow in vscode or cursor. #chatgpt #clade #coding You can try ChatGPT Automations with Zapier: https://bit.ly/3G3sdUh And Claude Automations with Zapier too: https://bit.ly/3FZNn5J Full article about the comparison between Claude and ChatGPT: https://zapier.com/blog/claude-vs-chatgpt/ Big thanks to Zapier for sponsoring this video and making it and others like it happen! Want to learn more? ⭐ Check out my courses! ⭐ 📘 Teach Me Design - Course: https://www.enhanceui.com/ 📚 OpenAI + GPT - Course & Templates: https://enhanceui.gumroad.com/ Software & Discounts: 📦 Admin Templates and UI Kits: https://themeselection.com/?ref=36 💻 Screen Recorder: https://screenstudio.lemonsqueezy.com ?aff=po745 ✖ Editor X: https://www.editorx.com/adrian-twarog 🚾 Webflow: https://webflow.grsm.io/adrian 🌿 Envato: https://1.envato.market/yRZjz2 🌿 Envato Elements: https://1.envato.market/LP0OJZ 🔴 Elementor: https://elementor.com/adrian/?ref=23140 Computer Gear: ⬛ Monitor: https://amzn.to/3f9DOQI ⌨ Keyboard: https://amzn.to/3eA5UFD 🐁 Mouse: https://amzn.to/3xVJO8l 🎤 Mic: https://amzn.to/3hgCfms 📱 Tablet: https://amzn.to/3ewt7sa 💡 Lighting: https://amzn.to/3vOZeZY 💡 Key Lighting: https://amzn.to/3f6qP2f Camera Equipment: 📷 Camera: https://amzn.to/3uCv4J9 📸 Primary Lens: https://amzn.to/3vT6wMm 📸 Secondary Lens: https://amzn.to/3tyqWIX 🎥 Secondary Camera: https://amzn.to/3o2zCGi 🎙 Camera Mic: https://amzn.to/33tCz9l 🎞 USB to HDMI: https://amzn.to/33yW9RE

It might be time to grant the monkeypox virus a new name. Although the virus (mpox for short) was first detected in lab monkeys in 1958, the original host or reservoir has remained unknown. Identifying the reservoir is crucial, because it gives epidemiologists targets to help control outbreaks. For the monkeypox virus, experts need to shield people from the fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus), which lives in the forests of West and Central Africa.Mystery Monkeypox SourceA team of scientists first posted a paper describing their findings on the preprint server Research Square. The researchers pinpointed the mpox source as the bushy-tailed rodent by observing a group of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Taï National Park (Côte d’Ivoire). In early 1993, about a third of the observed group there was infected by the virus and four infants died.The scientists scoured the primates’ hunting area and eventually found an mpox-infected fire rope squirrel carcass less than 2 miles from the mangabey territory. They sequenced mpox genomes from both monkey and squirrel and found them identical. Next, they pored through old video records of the primates recorded in the park and found footage of a mangabey eating one of the squirrels. Finally, they examined fecal samples from the monkeys prior to the outbreak. Two contained DNA from the squirrel and one also tested positive for mpox.Human to Human Monkeypox TransmissionThe virus, while concerning, didn’t spread far or fast enough to create much of an uproar — probably because transmission was rare, and thought to be only animal to human. That changed when evidence emerged of human-to-human transmission.It was also largely contained until then, when, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, mpox was documented in over 80 countries outside of Africa, with U.S. cases being reported in all 50 states. In June of 2024, the World Health Organization issued a warning. Soon after, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its own travel warning to countries might be susceptible to the virus.A History of Monkeypox and SmallpoxIronically, the rise of mpox could be at least partially attributed to the success of earlier vaccination efforts. After smallpox was largely eradicated through shots, monkeypox slowly became a factor; the smallpox vaccine was at least partially effective in stopping mpox. However, mpox is far less deadly than smallpox.History shows that smallpox first arose around 1000 B.C. in Egypt and India. It was estimated to kill about 30 percent of the people it infected. Survivors were often left blind, scarred or disfigured. Even though, by the late 1940s, the U.S. had come close to wiping out the disease here, there were still 10-15 million cases globally, meaning millions a year were still dying from the disease. By the time world health officials claimed to have beat the virus it had killed more people over 3,000 years than any other known disease, including The Plague.Even though monkeypox is far less deadly than smallpox, knowing where it originates from will help scientists contain, control, and perhaps ultimately eradicate it.This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes onlyArticle SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

A “zombie ant” that has been infected by the parasitic fungus Complex Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.   CREDIT: sdrov via iNaturalist Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 After two long years, the highly anticipated second season of HBO’s The Last of Us is almost  here. In the new season, five years have passed since Joel and Ellie’s treacherous journey across America to the fortified mountain community of Jackson, Wyoming. Here, they seek refuge from a zombifying fungal pandemic and the violence that ensued.  Those left disappointed by the lack of Cordyceps-induced zombies in season one, the show’s co-creator Craig Mazin offered reassurance in an interview with Empire Magazine, saying “for the people who want to see more of the infected… Buckle up!”   For fans of the show’s lead villain, Cordyceps fungus, there’s also reason to celebrate. The show’s first season featured two distinct infection stages, called clickers and bloaters. Season two will include the infected “stalker” stage and airborne spore dispersal in addition to these previously seen stages. This particularly fast-moving stalker stage of this fictional fungal life cycle has fans—and mycologists like myself—equally enthused. “Now you get to see a different evolution of this infection,” co-creator Neil Druckmann tells Empire Magazine. “It’s kept certain parts of their brain alive, so they are smarter.”   A citrus cicada infected with Ophiocordyceps sobolifera. CREDIT: Matt Kasson Real world zombification Untangling the complex disease cycles of parasitic fungi is at the core of what mycologists do. Zombie storylines like most myco-fiction, even those based on real life behavior-modifying fungi like Cordyceps, still play fast and loose with science in pursuit of drama. “Behavioral manipulation rarely, if ever, results in the host becoming violent” says Oliver Keyhani, an insect pathologist at the University of Chicago Illinois.  The timelines of these infection cycles are also wildly accelerated for maximum dramatic and cinematic effect. “Real-world zombification isn’t an instantaneous transformation” adds science journalist Mindy Weisberger, author of Rise of the Zombie Bugs. “It takes time for the parasite to establish itself in a host and start pulling the puppet strings.”  Diverse stromata emerging from three Ophiocordyceps sobolifera-infected citrus cicada nymphs. CREDIT: Matt Kasson The real-life inspiration behind the franchise is Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. Previously called Cordyceps unilateralis, it’s known for turning ants into zombie-like creatures.  As a puppet master, the fungi’s behavior-modifying tactics including staggering, hyperactivity, summiting, and death grip are non-fictional and well-described in biology. Fortunately, the infected ants driven to their death never return from this eternal slumber. Even if they could, there’s no need to do so. This stranger-than-fiction fungal parasite continues to use the ant cadaver for food, shelter, and support until it has completed its own life cycle. Once complete, the fungus erupts prominently from the head of its fungus-taxidermized victim to release spores onto unsuspecting ants that pass below and the cycle begins all over again.   Actual threats to humans Though we humans don’t have to worry about surrendering our free will to zombifying fungi anytime soon, the reality is that some fungi do pose real threats to us as humans. However, that threat looks quite different. Our adaptive immune system can take care of most fungal infections in humans. But some fungi, including Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida auris, are widespread in both outdoor spaces or in hospital settings–and can be lethal. Cryptococcus neoformans, a yeast often found in bird excrement, is “probably one of the most lethal human fungal pathogens, reaching mortality rates between 40-60%” according to Keyhani.  [ Related: Nightmare-fuel fungi exist in real life. ] Additionally, some fungal threats like Valley Fever (caused by the fungus Coccidioides)soil-dwelling fungal pathogens are increasing due in part to overuse of fungicides to control agricultural disease leading to opportunistic infections in humans, many of which are impervious to our first line anti-fungal treatments.     Morbidly intimate partnerships  Like actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, zombifying fungi and their wildly disfigured insect hosts too have experienced a meteoric rise in popularity over the last decade thanks in part to the wild success of The Last of Us. Despite this surge, fungi are still largely misunderstood. Mycologists have described less than 10 percent of a largely unknown and unseen fungal domain.  Even centuries before the popular video game, mythological woodland creatures including fairies, dryads, and elves popular among mushroom enthusiasts likely served as early placeholders for knowledge gaps and unexplored corners of the enigmatic fungal realm. Their continued ties to the fungal realm and the mushroom community suggests that some of that uncertainty has not dissipated. Dried ant specimens with Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infections. CREDIT: Matt Kasson Their popularity has helped fungi infiltrate just about every sector of our culture from biomaterials and pharmaceuticals to nutritional supplements and trendy housewares. Fungi are generally useful partners to the human enterprise, but the insect-killing fungi have been particularly strong messengers. However, this rise in popularity has created some angst among scientists. The truth is, the fictional fungi we enjoy on the screen tend to creep further from the naturally incredible fungi we are already studying in the lab.  As Brian Lovett, an insect pathologist at Cornell University developing these fungi as living pesticides, explains “scientists, by training, worry about these types of minor differences, but they matter little to the wider public. In art and inspiration, flourishes are always welcome, and anyone working on these fungi knows they are more interesting than we can imagine anyway.” Either way, it is undeniable that zombie fungi and their morbidly intimate partnerships with their hosts have taken up permanent residence in our subconscious. Public interest has grown like a rapidly expanding fungal mycelium. But you don’t need a PlayStation or streaming service to experience the sheer gruesomeness of a zombifying fungus. Instead, you can use that time to slowly scan the lowest branches and leafy undersides in your backyard wild spaces. If you’re lucky, you might just spot a summited ant or fly bursting with fungal life.

News Health & Medicine An overlooked organ may help the ovary function New findings in mice reveal that the newly rediscovered rete ovarii may communicate with the ovary The rete ovarii (in red) extends from the ovary, curving around the organ like a horseshoe. D. Anbarci et al/eLife 2025 By Meghan Willcoxon 1 hour ago When an expansive curlicue of tissue sitting below the ovaries was discovered more than a century ago, it was dismissed as useless and erased from biology textbooks. Biologists now are taking a new look at the structure and its potential role. The rete ovarii seems to communicate with the ovary by directing a flow of protein-packed fluids through its long, tubular structure into the organ, researchers report March 19 in eLife. The results come amid recent reports suggesting that the “rediscovered” appendage may be responding to the body’s hormonal signals. While still a hypothesis, the finding indicates that this complex structure may play a role in fertility and ovarian maintenance. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Nature, Published online: 09 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08830-5An acanthocephalan body fossil, Juracanthocephalus daohugouensis, is described from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou biota of China, showing previously unrecognized diversity in ancient Acanthocephala and the origins of this group of living organisms.

This list includes the latest research on tariffs posted to SSRN in 2025. The Tariffs War Between U.S. vs. Canada: Winners and Losers by Mario Arturo Ruiz Estrada (Universiti Kuala Lumpur Business School), Evangelos Koutronas (University of Westminster), & Hassan Quali (Algorithmics Inc.) Re-Engineering for Resilience: Adapting to Tariffs in US Automotive and Aerospace Industries by Gbolahan Olaniyi (University of Maryland at Baltimore County) & Paul Martin (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) How Canada Should Respond to the Trump Tariff by Dan Ciuriak (Ciuriak Consulting Inc.) Tariffs and Consumer Prices: Insights from Newly Matched Consumption-Trade Micro Data by Salome Baslandze (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), Simon Fuchs (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), KC Pringle (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), Michael Dwight Sparks (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta) International Trade Closeness: The Impact of Tariff Policies on U.S.-China Trade Relations by Mario Arturo Ruiz Estrada (Universiti Kuala Lumpur Business School) & Evangelos Koutronas (West Virginia University) From Relic to Relevance, The Resurgence of Tariffs by Reuven S. Avi-Yonah (University of Michigan Law School), Doron Narotzki (University of Akron), & Tamir Shanan (College of Management Academic Studies) The Paradox: Who Will Ultimately Pay for the Tariffs? By Wenwei Huang (George Mason University) Unequal Inflationary Effects of Tariffs across Socio-Demographic Groups by Hakan Yilmazkuday (Florida International University) The use (and misuse) of tariffs in North America: A new trade war? by Maroula Khraiche (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), Armando R. Lopez-Velasco (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), & Jean-Baptiste Tondji (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) Tariffs, Inflation and Monetary Policy: Implications for Welfare by Renzo Alvarez (Florida International University)& Hakan Yilmazkuday (Florida International University) The Employment Consequences of Anti-Dumping Tariffs: Lessons from Brazil by Gustavo de Souza (Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago) & Haishi Li (The University of Hong Kong) The Impact of Tariffs on Inflation by Omar Barbiero (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) & Hillary Stein (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) Three Tools for Trump Tariffs 2.0 by Drew Bowers (S&P Global), Henry Chiang (S&P Global), Liam Hynes (S&P Global), Eric Oak (S&P Global), Chris Rogers (S&P Global), & Daniel Sandberg (S&P Global) Anticipating Trade Turbulence: Assessing the Economic Impacts of President Trump’s Proposed Tariff Scenarios by Jianwei Ai (Renmin University of China), Wu Huang (Imperial College London), Minghao Li (New Mexico State University), Tieyue Zhang (Cornell University), & Wendong Zhang (Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management) Tariffs and Goods-Market Search Frictions by Pawel Michal Krolikowski (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland) & Andrew H. McCallum (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) The Tariffs Are Coming! The Tariffs Are Coming! By Reuven S. Avi-Yonah (University of Michigan Law School) & Doron Narotzki (University of Akron) To read more research on tariffs, subscribe to SSRN’s International Political Economy: Trade Policy eJournal or view other papers here.