LEGO has announced an Ultimate Collector Series entry perfect for fans of the Star Wars prequels: Jango Fett’s starship, available May 1st. “It is remarkable that Jango Fett’s Slave I, featured in Attack of the Clones, has appeared just four times before in LEGO form and three of those models are microscale. 75409 Jango Fett’s Starship is therefore an exciting prospect, finally giving this vessel some deserved attention… It has been eight years since Jango Fett last appeared, so his return is very welcome, featuring decorated arms and accompanied by a young Boba Fett.” Read more at Brickset The AI on Screen program from Google and Range Media Partners will commission films that examine the relationship between humanity and AI. “AI on Screen builds upon last year’s initiative to reimagine visual representations of AI through speculative photography… We’re now calling for ideas and submissions for emotionally-driven short films across genres, from science fiction and drama to thrillers and beyond. We’re particularly interested in original storytelling angles that align with this vision of exploring the future of AI. Interested filmmakers can connect directly with Range to submit relevant project ideas.” Read more at AI on Screen Singer Katy Perry and news anchor Gayle King were among the passengers on an all-female Blue Origin space tourism voyage. “The eight-minute flight traveled more than 62 miles into the atmosphere, past the Kármán line, which per Blue Origin is the ‘internationally recognized boundary of space.’ Blue Origin promises passengers in its burgeoning space tourism business that the trip offers the chance to experience ‘several minutes of weightlessness and witnessing life-changing views of Earth.’ The module containing the astronauts, suspended from three parachutes, landed several minutes after the rocket.” Read more at Variety The Dennis Quaid-Nick Offerman-Jacob Tremblay true-crime thriller Sovereign has set a June 20 theatrical release date. “Based on real events, the pic follows a father and son (Offerman and Tremblay) who identify as Sovereign Citizens, a group of anti-government extremists, as they venture across the country and find themselves in a standoff with a chief of police (Quaid) that sets off an intense manhunt with tragic consequences.” Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Read more at Deadline Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick reunite as frenemies in the trailer for the Paul Feig sequel, Another Simple Favor. “Emily Nelson (Lively) is out of jail and set to wed a rich Italian businessman, leaving mommy vlogger Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) wondering what’s up as she’s asked to be her maid of honor. ‘You think I want to make you pay for stealing my life,’ Emily asks Stephanie at one point in the trailer as they jet off to Italy. That’s after Emily went to jail at the end of A Simple Favor, and Stephanie, moonlighting as a private detective, helped put her there.” Read more at The Hollywood Reporter

Like a tadpole into an eye, Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 is now slithering its way into Xbox Series X|S! This is the last major patch, which comes packed with highly requested features such as cross-play and Photo Mode, as well as a final parting gift from us: 12 new subclasses, one for each class.  Let’s take a look at them and help you decide what to roll next!  Barbarian: Path of the Giants  Drawing their strength from the fury of the giants, Barbarians that follow this Path are able to increase their size and physical strength. Kick your enemies off a ledge, or throw a bewildered companion at them (ready those daggers, Astarion).  Bard: College of Glamour  Tutored in their art by the fey, these Bards are your superstars, captivating and entrancing audiences. Protect your allies with Mantle of Inspiration and Charm everyone who dares attack them, and dish out Mantle of Majesty to Command orders to enemies and turn the tide of battle.  Cleric: Death Domain Death Domain Clerics delve and draw their faith from the forces of death, both those that cause it and those that raise and puppet the undead. Want a more direct approach? Use Bursting Sinew to explode a nearby corpse and impale everyone around it (gnarly!). Druid: Circle of the Stars  Drawing their power from the secrets of the constellations, these Druids embody the stars rather than more early forms. At level 2, these Druids can assume a starry form, granting new abilities and bonuses to combat and healing. Plus, who doesn’t want to sparkle? Fighter: Arcane Archer  A style of combat created by the elves, Arcane Archers focus their skills on shooting arrows of arcane energy. We are adding new special attacks to your arsenal, such as a Banishing Arrow that will send your enemies temporarily to the Feywild, or a Shadow Arrow that will Blind them. Combine all this with abilities like Curved Shot, which will redirect missed shots. Bad aim? We don’t know her. Monk: Way of the Drunken Master With the unpredictable movements of a drunkard, these Monks hide skilful hits beneath a stumbling exterior. They regain Ki through alcohol and are immune to getting drunk. Punch your enemies drunk and then hit them with Sobering Realisation, dealing psychic damage and sobering them back up. We’ve all been there.  Paladin: Oath of the Crown  The Oath of the Crown binds a Paladin to uphold civilization and order, deal with the consequences of their actions, and keep their word. Be careful about the promises you make. Oath of the Crown Paladins focus on supporting and protecting their allies, sometimes at the cost of their own safety.  Ranger: Swarmkeeper Some Rangers are called to ally themselves with the small creatures in nature, and gain their power in return. Summon a flurry of moths to cause psychic damage, a cloud of jellyfish that will cause electric damage… or simply unleash the fury of your legion of bees on your enemies.  Rogue: Swashbuckler  Hiding in the shadows is not for swashbuckler rogues, who add a touch of pirate flair to their combat. Hop in and out of combat before your enemies can even react. Disarm your foe or blind them with pocket sand – they won’t know what hit them. All in style, of course, you charmer (no, really, you’ll be leaving them Charmed). Sorcerer: Shadow Magic Shadow Sorcerers draw their magic from the Shadowfell. Besides giving you immaculate goth vibes, you will be able to teleport between shadows, and summon a Hound of Ill Omen to surprise and trap your enemies. One not enough? Once attacked, they will splinter into multiple versions of themselves. Being dark and gloomy does not mean you have to be a loner.  Warlock: Hexblade Hexblade Warlocks have struck a contract with a sentient weapon also originating from the Shadowfell. You will start the game with a bound weapon, which will curse your targets. Once these enemies are killed, they will rise as Accursed Spectres, slicing your enemies in a flurry of scythes and allowing you to syphon their health. Putting the “war” in warlock with this one.  Wizard: Bladesinger Following a technique that claims its name from the ringing of a blade as it’s unsheathed, Bladesingers gracefully leap and slash between enemies, blade and spells in hand. As you attack with your bladesong, you will build up to a Bladesong Climax, unleashing damage upon your enemies and healing your allies. Want to see these subclasses in action? Check out our video series on Larian Studios: Channel From Hell! Thank you for joining us in this adventure, we could not have done it without you. If you are just now embarking on your journey through the Sword Coast, we hope it’s a great one!  Baldur's Gate 3 Larian Studios ☆☆☆☆☆ 933 ★★★★★ $69.99 Get it now Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms. THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully. SEAMLESSLY SWITCH BETWEEN SINGLE AND MULTIPLAYER Each character weaves their own story, alone or in a party. Combine your forces in combat and split your party to follow your own quests and agendas. Concoct the perfect plan together… or introduce an element of chaos when your friends least expect it. With split-screen co-op for up to two players on one Xbox, or as up to four players online, Baldur's Gate 3 is an adventure made to be played alone, or shared with friends. NO ADVENTURE WILL BE THE SAME The Forgotten Realms are a vast, detailed, and diverse world, and there are secrets to be discovered all around you – verticality is a vital part of exploration. Sneak, dip, shove, climb, and jump as you journey from the depths of the Underdark to the glittering rooftops of the Upper City. How you survive, and the mark you leave on the world, is up to you. A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian's next-generation RPG engine. NOTE – Local co-op is currently not supported on Xbox Series S. Certain features of the game, including mods, may not be accessible by Xbox child accounts. At Xbox, a child means players under the age of 13, unless local laws specify differently.

In the five years since the COVID-19 pandemic, the way we live has changed. And so has the way we buy and sell our homes. Virtual viewings, sight-unseen offers, and bidding wars are now commonplace in the ultra-competitive market that has not slowed down in recent years, despite a volatile economy. Buying a home is often thought of as a one (or two) time thing. Property is a major investment that shouldn’t be taken lightly, but as people fled major cities mid-pandemic to settle down in the suburbs, compromises were made. And not all pandemic-era homeowners are happy with their decisions.According to the recent First Time Homeseller’s Report by the real estate experts at Opendoor, 94 percent of Gen-Z home sellers (and 86 percent of Millennials) who purchased during the pandemic have buyer’s remorse. “For Millennials, financial considerations were top of mind—37 percent underestimated maintenance costs, and 31 percent overlooked inflation and interest rates,” Amit Arora, Opendoor’s Chief Investment Officer explains. “Both groups were also affected by the fleeting nature of remote work. Now, they’re ready to course-correct.” These generations not only think they made mistakes, but they are also taking action to correct those missteps. According to Opendoor, 91 percent are selling the homes they bought during the last five years. Below, we’re breaking down the three most common reasons younger homeowners are regretting their pandemic-era home purchases.Related StoriesRemote Work Is No Longer the NormIn an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies in 2020 and 2021 transitioned their staff to a full-time work from home policy. At the time, it seemed like this style of work was here to stay—companies didn't collapse, in some cases productivity increased, and people loved being able to work wherever their heart desired. Now, with the pandemic behind us, more and more companies are pushing to be back in the office—and homeowners who moved away from their company headquarters are starting to feel the pressure to ‘return to office’ orders. Facing job loss, or heinous commutes, nearly 40 percent of Gen-Z homeowners admit to buying too soon and purchasing a home without considering how their long-term lifestyle would fit in with where they moved.Interest Rates and Inflation Continue to RiseIn 2020, the housing market saw a major shift in pricing, inventory, and mortgage rates. “The low-interest rate buying frenzy in 2020 and newfound flexibility with remote work led to a wave of regret,” explains Arora in Opendoor’s survey. As the economy rebounded, the COVID deals that encouraged so many to buy are dwindling. And inflation shows no sign of slowing down—in fact, prices seem to be going up. With an increasing cost of living while the overall economy is in a freefall, many first-time homeowners are considering selling their homes and returning to rental leases.Maintenance Costs Are Too UnpredictableDespite people staying in their homes longer than previous generations (about 2.3 years longer than average, according to Opendoor’s data), younger generations aren’t viewing their homes as a ‘forever thing.’ Instead, Gen-Zs and Millennials see a home purchase as something they’ll sell when it’s no longer financially viable or doesn’t make sense for their current lifestyle. In contrast, Boomers and Gen-X buyers purchase homes with longevity and a traditional ‘forever home’ mentality. Because of their short-term mindset, younger generations no longer see home repairs, renovations, or maintenance costs as a necessary expense. So What Happens Now?As Gen-Z and Millennial first-time home sellers look to offload their pandemic-era purchases, they’re also not reentering the real estate market right away. Instead, Opendoor reports that a home-seller “gap year” is becoming increasingly common; that is to say, buyers are waiting a year or more after selling before purchasing a new home. “With affordability still a challenge, many are hitting pause altogether: 64% of first-time home sellers aren’t planning to buy right away,” Arora explains. “Instead, they’ll live with friends or family, rent, or wait for better conditions.” Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

OpenAI may before long become much more than the ChatGPT company. Per a new report, the company is apparently working on creating its own social network. Kylie Robison and Alex Heath, writing at The Verge: OpenAI is working on its own X-like social network, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. While the project is still in early stages, we’re told there’s an internal prototype focused on ChatGPT’s image generation that has a social feed. CEO Sam Altman has been privately asking outsiders for feedback about the project, our sources say. It’s unclear if OpenAI’s plan is to release the social network as a separate app or integrate it into ChatGPT, which became the most downloaded app globally last month. Details in the report are pretty minimal, other than one idea of the social app being that AI could “help people share better content” in a Grok-like way. The Verge is also clear that OpenAI has many projects in the works, and this is just one of them, so it’s possible the social media product will never come into fruition. But in a fractured market that hasn’t had a huge new contender recently, OpenAI’s interest in social media could shake up the current landscape. What would you want from an OpenAI-built social network? Let us know in the comments. Best iPhone accessories 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

Billionaire Elon Musk's popularity has fallen off a cliff — a particularly precipitous decline, because he used to be immensely popular before squandering it.According to the latest polling averages aggregated by statistician Nate Silver, the richest man in the world's favorability is in free-fall, with a mere 39.4 percent of Americans seeing Musk positively, while a majority of 52.7 percent see him negatively.In total, that's a net favorability of -11 points — a significant drop since Donald Trump took office at the beginning of the year, when it stood at -3 points, and a stomach-churning plunge from 2016, when his favorability was a glowing +29.The latest numbers highlight an astonishing degree of disillusionment with Musk's indiscriminate and sloppy slashing of government budgets with the help of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. His embrace of far-right extremist views has also proven extremely polarizing, with the billionaire going as far as to perform two Nazi salutes during Trump's post-inauguration celebration.Anti-Musk sentiment has risen considerably since then, inspiring an entire movement, called Tesla Takedown, which has seen thousands of people peacefully demonstrating in front of the EV maker's dealerships.The carmaker has seen its sales plummet as a result across the globe. Many investors have also grown fed up with Musk's antics and refusal to fully commit his time to the company.How much longer Musk will continue to gut the government remains to be seen. Trump recently suggested he could be out in the coming months.Experts have since speculated that Musk's unpopularity could be a political liability for the president, who's battling issues with his own favorability. Trump's ratings have dipped this month, following a disastrous rollout of global tariffs."Although Musk may eventually leave the government, he’ll remain an exceptionally important and controversial public figure even if he does," Silver wrote. "Until then, he could be a liability for Trump because he’s less popular than the president is even as Trump’s numbers have also declined."The cracks are already starting to show. After Musk threw $25 million behind Republican judge Brad Schimel, who ran against liberal candidate judge Susan Crawford during a pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election earlier this month, Crawford beat Schimel handily.It was a resounding defeat for Musk, who went as far as to hand out $1 million checks to voters in a desperate bid to sway election results.Could his backfiring political efforts be a sign of what's still to come? Given that he's widely expected to leave his post at DOGE — while potentially falling comically far short of his initial goal of excising $2 trillion from the government budget — it remains to be seen whether surging anti-Musk sentiment will die down again.But now that Tesla's brand has been raked through the mud, it'll likely take some time for his favorability to recover.Share This Article

Apr 15, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Software Security A critical security vulnerability has been disclosed in the Apache Roller open-source, Java-based blogging server software that could allow malicious actors to retain unauthorized access even after a password change. The flaw, assigned the CVE identifier CVE-2025-24859, carries a CVSS score of 10.0, indicating maximum severity. It affects all versions of Roller up to and including 6.1.4. "A session management vulnerability exists in Apache Roller before version 6.1.5 where active user sessions are not properly invalidated after password changes," the project maintainers said in an advisory. "When a user's password is changed, either by the user themselves or by an administrator, existing sessions remain active and usable." Successful exploitation of the flaw could enable an attacker to maintain continued access to the application through old sessions even after password changes. It could also enable unfettered access if credentials were compromised. The shortcoming has been addressed in version 6.1.5 by implementing centralized session management such that all active sessions are invalidated when passwords are changed or users are disabled. Security researcher Haining Meng has been credited with discovering and reporting the vulnerability. The disclosure comes weeks after another critical vulnerability was disclosed in Apache Parquet's Java Library (CVE-2025-30065, CVSS score: 10.0) that, if successfully exploited, could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on susceptible instances. Last month, a critical security flaw impacting Apache Tomcat (CVE-2025-24813, CVSS score: 9.8) came under active exploitation shortly after details of the bug became public knowledge. Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    

For an industry that encourages and rewards learning and thinking differently, it’s disappointing that the tech world continues to lag in incorporating neurodivergent perspectives into product design and development. When you consider that one in five people have learning and thinking differences, omitting their perspectives -- particularly in AI development -- is not only problematic, but also limiting. How can AI scale its impact if those creating it overlook the 70 million people in the US who learn and think differently?  This was one of my takeaways from the inaugural conference of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI, which I attended last month. Experts in academia, civil society, industry, media, and government discussed and debated the latest developments in AI safety and ethics. But the value of neurodiversity in design and development was not on the agenda. This worries me for two reasons. First, it means that AI models are being brought to market without issues around bias, fairness, and equity having been considered. And second, global experts have not accounted for the long-term consequences of excluding millions of perspectives from a technology that’s being developed at an unprecedented rate.  As the conversation around inclusivity and diversity evolves, it’s vital that tech experts understand the value of authentic intelligence. That means training and developing tech by people with a broad range of experiences, including diversity in how they think and process information, to authentically account for all user experiences. AI should account for neurodivergence. For that to happen, it must be built by neurodivergent minds. And you have to start at the development stage.  Related:AI Accessibility Is a Necessity  While AI has come a long way, greater accessibility through the development of ethical and inclusive AI has not. Big tech has made strides with mobile accessibility offerings like Apple’s Live Speech and Eye Tracking as well as Google’s Guided Frame and Lookout. This is still widely regarded as niche, but it shouldn’t be.  As a nonprofit that supports the millions of people in the US who learn and think differently, Understood.org designs and develops resources that help all minds, while prioritizing inputs from experts and the one-third of our workforce who identify as neurodivergent. We’re constantly evolving with the goal of making our vast content library more accessible for everyone. For instance, our AI-powered assistant now includes a voice-to-text feature for asking questions. It generates clear, concise responses written at an eighth grade reading level.  Related:All organizations must prioritize and respect that brains are wired differently and tap into the unique and diverse perspectives that they bring to the table. Here’s how to do that: Start with cognitively diverse data and teams. You know the popular phrase “garbage in, garbage out”? That’s where authenticity can play a role. Ensuring that datasets are trustworthy, inclusive, and unbiased will have a valuable ripple: You’ll have a wider range of use cases and you’ll be able to better identify risks. That’s a win for all users.Understand that a diverse and inclusive culture leads to enhanced productivity, innovation, and positive financial outcomes. According to Accenture, the economic output of the US could be improved by almost $25 billion if 1% more persons with disabilities entered the workforce. What’s more, Gartner found that 75% of organizations whose decision-making teams reflect a diverse and inclusive culture -- with a particular emphasis on cognitive diversity -- see enhanced productivity, innovation, and positive financial outcomes. Companies can and should hire from the growing diverse talent pool. Use AI to boost confidence and help people thrive. An EY report found that because of generative AI, 65% of respondents felt confident about their work. A slightly smaller percentage (61%) said they were relieved that AI could help remove distressing obstacles at work. The same report found that many neurodivergent employees (85%) think generative AI creates a more inclusive workplace. The time for companies to level the playing field is long overdue. In 2025, it’s not just about providing employees with the tools they need to perform “simple” tasks like being more productive. It’s about designing tools in a way that helps employees thrive in all aspects of their lives. Related:AI is changing the way we live and work. Its evolution is faster than any of us could have predicted. As we get closer to the time of artificial general intelligence (AGI) -- which experts predict we’ll achieve by 2027 -- we need to be strategic and smart about shaping the AI landscape to benefit all. One thing is for certain: AI will never serve all unless it is developed by all. Let’s work together today so it’s possible tomorrow. The millions of Americans who learn and think differently deserve that. 

We here at ScreenCrush love superhero movies. We write about them almost every day, and you can watch dozens of videos about them on our YouTube page. You might even say they’re our personal Kryptonite. Marvel, DC; we’re not too picky. We just like it all.Okay, maybe not all.Comic books have given us their fair share of classics over the last decade. And while few superhero films are on that level, most are still a perfectly enjoyable way to pass a couple hours in a dark room with a big bucket of popcorn and a Coke-flavored Icee. But comics have also produced at least a few outright clunkers to rank among the worst movies ever made. In our latest list, we’ve highlighted the ten worst released in the last ten years.Is superhero fatigue real? If you watch these movies, you might just get a nasty case of it. These 10 movies definitely ain’t more powerful than a locomotive, and they sure as hell don’t move as fast as a speeding bullet. I’m not even convinced they could leap a building in a single bound. Maybe if you shot their DCP drive out of a cannon — which might not be a terrible idea in some of these examples.The 10 Worst Superhero Movies of the Last 10 Years (2015-2024)Are superhero movies in trouble? Based on some of the bad films that have been released in the last ten years, it’s hard not to wonder...“Honorable” Mentions: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Black Adam, The Crow, Dark Phoenix, Joker: Folie a Deux, The Marvels, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Venom: The Last Dance, Wonder Woman 1984.READ MORE: 25 Actors Who Turned Down Huge Movie RolesGet our free mobile appThe Most Underrated Superhero MoviesComic book fans need to make sure they have seen these movies — no matter what they’ve heard about them elsewhere.

All jobs UX / UI Designer - Payments Platform Posted A few minutes agoAurora Payments is a leading financial service provider specializing in payment processing technology. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, we've grown to capture a substantial portion of the U.S. market share across various service industries. Our portfolio includes more than 27,000 merchants, processing $12 billion annually.  At Aurora Payments, we pride ourselves on our culture of innovation and partnership, working closely with clients to create tailored solutions that consolidate customer tools into a single, easy-to-use platform.  Apply now About the Role:Aurora Payments is seeking a UX/UI Designer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the user experience and interface of our digital products. Your primary objective will be to create intuitive and engaging designs that enhance user satisfaction and drive product success. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, developers, and stakeholders, to understand user needs and translate them into visually appealing and functional designs. By conducting user research and usability testing, you will gather valuable insights that inform your design decisions. Ultimately, your work will contribute to delivering a seamless and enjoyable experience for our users, ensuring that our products stand out in a competitive market.Minimum Qualifications:Education in User Experience related fields or equivalent practical experience.Experience with user-centered design experiences for mobile tablet, phone and web sitesProven experience designing both native and responsive applicationsProficiency in design tools such as Figma, Sketch, or similarKnowledge of UI and UX best practices and understand the differenceCan use design tools to create wireframes and low-fidelity designs for user testingPreferred Qualifications:Education or certification in User Experience related fields or equivalent practical experience.Experience in the Payments Industry and designing SaaS productsExperience with front-end development languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScriptFamiliarity with user research methodologies and usability testingKnowledge of accessibility standards and best practices in designCurios and self-driven personalitiesFamiliar with agile ceremonies and processesLooking for candidates in Eastern/Central Europe, preferably English and Ukrainian or Russian speaking.Familiarity with analytics and tools like Pendo and Google AnalyticsResponsibilities:Conduct user research and gather feedback to inform design decisionsCreate wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups for web and mobile applicationsCollaborate with developers to ensure designs are implemented accurately and effectivelyDevelop and maintain design systems and style guides to ensure consistency across productsStay updated on industry trends and best practices to continuously improve design processesSkills:The required skills in design tools will be utilized daily to create visually compelling and user-friendly interfaces Your ability to conduct user research will help you gather insights that directly influence your design choices, ensuring they meet user needs Collaboration skills will be essential as you work with developers and product managers to bring your designs to life, requiring clear communication and teamwork Familiarity with front-end development will enhance your understanding of design feasibility and implementation Additionally, your knowledge of accessibility standards will ensure that our products are inclusive and usable for all usersApply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now Automatically Apply to Remote Design JobsLet your copilot automatically search and apply to remote jobs from We Work Remotely Aurora Payments View company Jobs posted: 4 Related Jobs Remote Design jobs→

In 2021, the Maryland Department of Health and the state police were confronting a crisis: Fatal drug overdoses in the state were at an all-time high, and authorities didn’t know why. There was a general sense that it had something to do with changes in the supply of illicit drugs—and specifically of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which has caused overdose deaths in the US to roughly double over the past decade, to more than 100,000 per year.  But Maryland officials were flying blind when it came to understanding these fluctuations in anything close to real time. The US Drug Enforcement Administration reported on the purity of drugs recovered in enforcement operations, but the DEA’s data offered limited detail and typically came back six to nine months after the seizures. By then, the actual drugs on the street had morphed many times over. Part of the investigative challenge was that fentanyl can be some 50 times more potent than heroin, and inhaling even a small amount can be deadly. This made conventional methods of analysis, which required handling the contents of drug packages directly, incredibly risky.  Seeking answers, Maryland officials turned to scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the national metrology institute for the United States, which defines and maintains standards of measurement essential to a wide range of industrial sectors and health and security applications. There, a research chemist named Ed Sisco and his team had developed methods for detecting trace amounts of drugs, explosives, and other dangerous materials—techniques that could protect law enforcement officials and others who had to collect these samples. Essentially, Sisco’s lab had fine-tuned a technology called DART (for “direct analysis in real time”) mass spectrometry—which the US Transportation Security Administration uses to test for explosives by swiping your hand—to enable the detection of even tiny traces of chemicals collected from an investigation site. This meant that nobody had to open a bag or handle unidentified powders; a usable residue sample could be obtained by simply swiping the outside of the bag.   Sisco realized that first responders or volunteers at needle exchange sites could use these same methods to safely collect drug residue from bags, drug paraphernalia, or used test strips—which also meant they would no longer need to wait for law enforcement to seize drugs for testing. They could then safely mail the samples to NIST’s lab in Maryland and get results back in as little as 24 hours, thanks to innovations in Sisco’s lab that shaved the time to generate a complete report from 10 to 30 minutes to just one or two. This was partly enabled by algorithms that allowed them to skip the time-consuming step of separating the compounds in a sample before running an analysis. The Rapid Drug Analysis and Research (RaDAR) program launched as a pilot in October 2021 and uncovered new, critical information almost immediately. Early analysis found xylazine—a veterinary sedative that’s been associated with gruesome wounds in users—in about 80% of opioid samples they collected.  This was a significant finding, Sisco says: “Forensic labs care about things that are illegal, not things that are not illegal but do potentially cause harm. Xylazine is not a scheduled compound, but it leads to wounds that can lead to amputation, and it makes the other drugs more dangerous.” In addition to the compounds that are known to appear in high concentrations in street drugs—xylazine, fentanyl, and the veterinary sedative medetomidine—NIST’s technology can pick out trace amounts of dozens of adulterants that swirl through the street-drug supply and can make it more dangerous, including acetaminophen, rat poison, and local anesthetics like lidocaine. What’s more, the exact chemical formulation of fentanyl on the street is always changing, and differences in molecular structure can make the drugs deadlier. So Sisco’s team has developed new methods for spotting these “analogues”—­compounds that resemble known chemical structures of fentanyl and related drugs. Ed Sisco’s lab at NIST developed a test that gives law enforcement and public health officials vital information about what substances are present in street drugs.B. HAYES/NIST The RaDAR program has expanded to work with partners in public health, city and state law enforcement, forensic science, and customs agencies at about 65 sites in 14 states. Sisco’s lab processes 700 to 1,000 samples a month. About 85% come from public health organizations that focus on harm reduction (an approach to minimizing negative impacts of drug use for people who are not ready to quit). Results are shared at these collection points, which also collect survey data about the effects of the drugs. Jason Bienert, a wound-care nurse at Johns Hopkins who formerly volunteered with a nonprofit harm reduction organization in rural northern Maryland, started participating in the RaDAR program in spring 2024. “Xylazine hit like a storm here,” he says. “Everyone I took care of wanted to know what was in their drugs because they wanted to know if there was xylazine in it.” When the data started coming back, he says, “it almost became a race to see how many samples we could collect.” Bienert sent in about 14 samples weekly and created a chart on a dry-erase board, with drugs identified by the logos on their bags, sorted into columns according to the compounds found in them: ­heroin, fentanyl, xylazine, and everything else. “It was a super useful tool,” Bienert says. “Everyone accepted the validity of it.” As people came back to check on the results of testing, he was able to build rapport and offer additional support, including providing wound care for about 50 people a week. The breadth and depth of testing under the RaDAR program allow an eagle’s-eye view of the national street-drug landscape—and insights about drug trafficking. “We’re seeing distinct fingerprints from different states,” says Sisco. NIST’s analysis shows that fentanyl has taken over the opioid market—except for pockets in the Southwest, there is very little heroin on the streets anymore. But the fentanyl supply varies dramatically as you cross the US. “If you drill down in the states,” says Sisco, “you also see different fingerprints in different areas.” Maryland, for example, has two distinct fentanyl supplies—one with xylazine and one without. In summer 2024, RaDAR analysis detected something really unusual: the sudden appearance of an industrial-grade chemical called BTMPS, which is used to preserve plastic, in drug samples nationwide. In the human body, BTMPS acts as a calcium channel blocker, which lowers blood pressure, and mixed with xylazine or medetomidine, can make overdoses harder to treat. Exactly why and how BTMPS showed up in the drug supply isn’t clear, but it continues to be found in fentanyl samples at a sustained level since it was initially detected. “This was an example of a compound we would have never thought to look for,” says Sisco.  To Sisco, Bienert, and others working on the public health front of the drug crisis, the ever-shifting chemical composition of the street-drug supply speaks to the futility of the “war on drugs.” They point out that a crackdown on heroin smuggling is what gave rise to fentanyl. And NIST’s data shows how in June 2024—the month after Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro signed a bill to make possession of xylazine illegal in his state—it was almost entirely replaced on the East Coast by the next veterinary drug, medetomidine.  Over the past year, for reasons that are not fully understood, drug overdose deaths nationally have been falling for the first time in decades. One theory is that xylazine has longer-lasting effects than fentanyl, which means people using drugs are taking them less often. Or it could be that more and better information about the drugs themselves is helping people make safer decisions. “It’s difficult to say the program prevents overdoses and saves lives,” says Sisco. “But it increases the likelihood of people coming in to needle exchange centers and getting more linkages to wound care, other services, other education.” Working with public health partners “has humanized this entire area for me,” he says. “There’s a lot more gray than you think—it’s not black and white. And it’s a matter of life or death for some of these people.”  Adam Bluestein writes about innovation in business, science, and technology.