April 18, 20258 min readSevere Morning Sickness Is Caused by a Specific Hormone—And It Could Unlock New TreatmentsScientists discovered two genes involved in hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that can cause extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Now they're looking into treatmentsBy Tanya Lewis edited by Dean Visser PeopleImages/Getty ImagesRoughly 70 percent of pregnant people experience morning sickness: bouts of nausea or vomiting, or both, that put them off their food and send them running for the toilet. Despite its name, the miserable condition can strike at any time of day—or last all day. It usually subsides after the first trimester, though it can sometimes linger throughout an entire pregnancy.Up to 3 percent of people who are pregnant experience a severe and sometimes life-threatening form of morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which makes it extremely difficult to keep down food or liquid. This can cause severe dehydration and can sometimes lead to a hospital stay. Catherine, Princess of Wales (formerly Kate Middleton) and comedian Amy Schumer have both suffered from the condition.Marlena Fejzo, an assistant professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, was recently awarded the BioInnovation Institute & Science Translational Medicine Prize for Innovations in Women’s Health for her work on the genetics of HG. “We put men on the moon decades ago, but women are still dying from severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy,” Fejzo wrote in an essay accompanying the award.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Fejzo got interested in studying HG after suffering from the condition during both of her pregnancies. In collaboration with the consumer genetics company 23andMe, she conducted an analysis of people with HG that identified two genes involved: GDF15 and IGFBP7.Fejzo and her colleagues published a 2023 study in Nature that confirmed the role of the hormone GDF15—whose production is controlled by the GDF15 gene—in HG and milder morning sickness. Most people produce the GDF15 hormone in response to physiological stress, even when they’re not pregnant, but people with HG have a version of the gene that prevents this. During pregnancy, the placenta—which develops from embryonic tissue—produces GDF15 at high levels that can trigger morning sickness. People with HG are hypersensitive to GDF15, so the effects are severe.Fejzo is currently focused on investigating potential treatments for HG, including the diabetes drug metformin, as well as more targeted antibody therapies.Scientific American spoke with Fejzo about hyperemesis gravidarum, the discovery of GDF15 and progress toward treatments for the debilitating condition.[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]What is hyperemesis gravidarum?It is nausea and vomiting that are debilitating. It affects your daily routine, and you can’t eat or drink normally, and patients become dehydrated, so they generally will have weight loss and need to have IV fluids for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances—and they will, in more severe cases, need hospitalization and nutrition. Most cases need intervention with antinausea medications that currently don’t work very well and are pretty much used off-label to treat the condition [meaning such drugs are generally not officially approved for such treatment].It is the primary cause of hospitalization in early pregnancy and the second leading cause of hospitalization in pregnancy overall after preterm birth (tied with gestational hypertension). For it to be so common, it’s really shocking how little is known.Marlena S. Fejzo, PhD.HER FoundationWhat interested you in studying this condition?I had already been studying women’s health as my focus in my career. And then I had hyperemesis in my pregnancy. It was so severe in my second pregnancy that I couldn’t move without violently vomiting. It really was torture. I just had to lie down and stare at the ceiling. I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t even sit up. I couldn’t get up to go to the bathroom or brush my teeth or shower or anything for weeks and weeks. My doctor gave me seven different medications at once and IV fluids, but nothing helped get me to be able to eat. Eventually, I was put on a feeding tube. And I ended up losing the baby in the second trimester.After that, I looked into what was known about the condition, and there was so little known. I decided to start looking into whether it was genetic. I didn’t have it in my family, so I didn’t know. I partnered with Kimber MacGibbon, director of the Hyperemesis Education and Research [HER] Foundation, which had a great website with information on HG that people from all over the world were going to. We posted surveys on the HER Foundation website and started to look for answers to questions about HG, such as what the recurrence risk was and whether it ran in families. Those two things would provide evidence as to whether it was genetic or not.What were some of your findings about the genetic basis of HG?We found a high recurrence risk. More than 80 percent of the patients in our study had HG in a second pregnancy after the first one. Then we did a familial aggregation study and found that it did aggregate in families, so there’s a 17-fold increased risk of having it if your sister has it. We started a study to collect DNA saliva samples in addition to survey data from patients. We asked them to recruit unaffected controls—friends or acquaintances who did not have HG in their pregnancies—so that we could do a genetic study. I applied for funding to do the study on my cohort but was denied. But I was fortunate in that I got a kit for my brother from 23andMe (which just went out of business [last month]). They had a brilliant model to invite their customers whose DNA was already sequenced to participate in surveys. I called 23andMe and asked them to add hyperemesis questions to their survey, and they agreed. It was really fruitful, and we published our first paper that showed the link between both hyperemesis and normal nausea and vomiting.It showed that both hyperemesis and regular nausea and vomiting are very strongly associated with this nausea and vomiting hormone GDF15. After I published that, I was able to get my study participants sequenced by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron. And in that cohort, we found a mutation in GDF15 that increased risk of hyperemesis almost 10-fold. So that really helped to solidify the association between this hormone and hyperemesis, because it was a rare mutation that you're born with, and then you get the disease. But when I was looking at those patients with the mutation, some of them didn't have hyperemesis in every pregnancy. My hypothesis was that whether the mother would have hyperemesis depended on whether the baby inherited the mutation or not. So I started sequencing the children from these women who had the mutation, and I got the surprising result that they were less likely to have hyperemesis if the baby inherited the mutation.So even though some people have the gene that prevents production of GDF15 before pregnancy, if their baby’s placenta doesn’t produce it either, the pregnant person wouldn’t experience HG symptoms?Exactly. That’s why, even though the mothers had lower levels of GDF15 before pregnancy that made them hypersensitive to the hormone, they would have less chance of getting hyperemesis—because they had lower levels during pregnancy if the baby inherited the gene.At that time, I partnered with Steven O’Rahilly, an endocrinologist at the University of Cambridge, and we worked together to solve this really perplexing finding. The three genetic variants I had identified were actually associated with producing lower levels of the nausea and vomiting hormone rather than higher levels, which was surprising—but then also exciting because it meant that maybe there was desensitization going on in people who had higher levels, and that could be protective. In our Nature paper, we proved that is likely the case, both in a mouse model that O’Rahilly did and also with evidence from humans. It’s long been known, for example, that chronic smokers have a lower risk of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and hyperemesis. It’s also known that chronic smokers have high levels of circulating GDF15 because it is actually a stress-response hormone. It’s produced whether you’re pregnant or not, and whether you're male or female, from cells or in tissues that are under stress. That’s not to say people should start smoking before pregnancy! We’re looking into other methods that might be safer.Is there any evolutionary reason for why we have more GDF15 in our body during pregnancy?Back in ancient times, millions of years ago, even hundreds of years ago, going out to hunt for food was fraught with risk. So I think this evolved as a mechanism, when you are in some kind of sensitive state, to stop you from going out to eat, to stay in your cave, rest and recover or to get through that first part of pregnancy—rather than wandering far and going out to get foods where you could be attacked by a predator in a weakened state or you could, in pregnancy, eat something poisonous.I always use the example of the octopus that lays its eggs and then starves to death and dies. And the other gene that I found, IGFBP7, is the same gene that gets [dialed up] in that octopus. It's like an age-old mechanism where, in the case of the octopus, it’s clearly evolutionary beneficial for the mother to die in order to save the eggs. It’s an extreme example, but it still goes on in nature. But some animals, and I think humans, just don’t need it anymore. And I think it also wears off at a time when the nutritional needs of the fetus outweigh the risk to the fetus from not eating.Is it true that morning sickness symptoms are associated with a lower risk of miscarriage? And does that suggest the ability to produce GDF15 is a good thing?I think it’s just showing that the pregnancy is progressing. The placenta produces GDF15, so the more cells you have of the placenta, the more GDF15 you’re going to produce, right? So in those studies where they show that morning sickness is good, it’s more that no morning sickness may mean that your placenta and the fetus are not growing, and so you’re more likely to lose the baby.There are actually human knockouts [people who lack the gene entirely] out there. There is a population of people who married their first cousins, in which both partners carry the mutation, and then their offspring have the knockout of the hormone. And they’re fine. They have a normal lifespan and normal fertility. That suggests that we really don’t need this hormone anymore.Has there been any progress on treatments for HG? I believe you’ve studied the diabetes drug metformin?I haven’t published it yet, but I have done a retrospective study of metformin use prior to pregnancy and risk of hyperemesis, and that showed positive results. Metformin increases GDF15 levels. It’s also been used, for example, to increase fertility in polycystic ovarian syndrome patients. So it’s been used in the same time frame we would want to use it in people who have a history of hyperemesis: prior to pregnancy. It’s also used to treat gestational diabetes, so there’s quite a lot of evidence out there on its safety, though more study is needed to understand the potential effects on fetal growth. And it’s also available in generic form, so that’s also great, as far as it being an equitable approach.I just initiated a prospective study of metformin in patients. I don’t have the results of that yet. The company [NGM Biopharmaceuticals], which I have been working with, just announced that they treated their first patient with a drug that is an antibody to the receptor for GDF15. And they’ve initiated a clinical trial, too. We are on the cusp of finding out whether these approaches are going to work. So it’s an exciting time.

Nintendo raising cost of Switch 2 accessories in US due to tariffs, but console price to remain same Pre-orders finally open next week. Image credit: Adobe / Nintendo / Eurogamer News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on April 18, 2025 Nintendo has finally detailed how US tariffs will impact the launch of Switch 2, and confirmed price rises for an array of console accessories "due to changes in market conditions". A new set of Joy-Con 2 controllers, for example, will now cost $95, an increase of $5. The Switch 2 Pro controller and Switch 2 camera have also seen $5 price rises, up to $85 and $55 respectively. But the $450 Switch 2 itself, including its $500 bundle with Mario Kart World, will not increase in price for now, Nintendo has decided. The cost of key software launches Mario Kart World ($80 when bought separately) and Donkey Kong Bananza ($70) will also remain unchanged "at launch", Nintendo has said. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Eurogamer goes hands-on with Switch 2.Watch on YouTube The news comes amidst a backdrop of calls from fans for Nintendo to lower the price of Switch 2 - something that seemed increasingly unlikely as the expected impact of tariffs became clear. Indeed, a statement from Nintendo today makes clear that price rises may still take place in future - and not just for Switch 2. "Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions," the company said. Switch 2 pre-orders in the US, which had been delayed while Nintendo took stock of the fluctuating economic situation, will now finally begin next Thursday, 24th April. "We apologise for the retail pre-order delay, and hope this reduces some of the uncertainty our customers may be facing," Nintendo added. "We thank our customers for their patience, and we share their excitement to experience Nintendo Switch 2 starting 5th June 2025." Eurogamer previously heard from an analyst that predicted Nintendo would likely not raise the price of Switch 2 in response to tariffs, as it faced criticism of the console's cost already. While a portion of Switch 2 consoles are being manufactured in China, Nintendo has also used factories in Vietnam and diverted the majority of their manufactured stock to the US in advance of the current US-Chinese trade war taking effect.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Nintendo has confirmed that the United States pricing for the Nintendo Switch 2 will not change after delaying pre-orders due to tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration. However, gamers in the US will have to fork out extra for accessories for the new console/handheld hybrid. United States pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 will now go live next week on April 24, 2025 alongside the newly priced accessories for the console. Nintendo Switch 2 US pricing confirmed In a statement, Nintendo confirmed that Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will go live on April 24, 2025 at the same price as previously announced. The base console will release for an MSRP of $449.99 with the Mario Kart World bundle available for $499.99. “Nintendo Switch 2 accessories will experience price adjustments from those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions,” Nintendo announced, “Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions.” The jump in prices for accessories does appear to only be a minor jump in cost with the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller now costing $84.99 instead of $79.99. The Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set is jumping in price by $10 from $109.99 to $119.99. Nintendo has also confirmed that the prices of game software, both physical and digital, will remain exactly the same “on launch”. Unlike other regions, the United States will not receive cheaper digital games compared to physical releases for the console’s launch period. For more coverage of Nintendo’s upcoming console, read about how the Switch 2’s reveal has caused MicroSD Express memory cards to sell out across the world. Additionally, read about how game developers are very happy with the power of the handheld, dubbing it a tiny “mid-range PC” for modern gamers. Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Although the move didn’t cover a huge physical distance—just a short journey across the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey and down to New York City’s Upper East Side—its emotional span was much greater. Erika Jones and her two daughters, Gigi and Valentina, weren’t only changing residences but also making a fresh start in their family life as an independent threesome.Jones, a real estate developer who focuses on affordable housing, had been checking out apartments up and down Park and Lexington avenues, wanting their home base to be within walking distance of the girls’ school; when she came across a high-floor unit on Fifth Avenue instead, overlooking Central Park in a prewar building not far from Museum Mile, the other choices paled in comparison. The place was far from perfect: It had been cobbled together from two smaller apartments in less-than-ideal fashion by a previous owner, resulting in a hodgepodge of awkward ceiling soffits, irregular bump-outs in walls, and wood floors whose decorative borders no longer matched the geometry of the rooms they were in. However, Jones recalls, “At the time there was limited inventory, so I understood that I was going to have to create for myself the space I wanted to live in.”Erika Jones, wearing Valentino, with her daughters Valentina (far left) and Gigi Gieves AndersonShe turned to the AD100 list to track down a partner for the work, and was immediately drawn to AD PRO Directory designer Corey Damen Jenkins, both for his maximalist aesthetic and his personal narrative. “I loved how he bootstrapped himself in Detroit,” Jones says, “and then moved to the big city of New York and was able to be successful here too.” She saw in his experiences a kinship with what she refers to as her own “phoenix-rising story in progress.”Initial plans for the family’s new quarters only included renovating the kitchen and bathrooms, along with some cosmetic upgrades. But then, as design meetings got underway, Jenkins suggested that Jones take advantage of the opportunity to create the apartment of her dreams. “I looked myself in the mirror,” she reports, “and said, ‘You know, if I’m not going to live how I want to live now, when am I going to do it? What am I waiting for?’” She decided it was time to go all-in, and the designer and client embarked together on a total makeover.The de Gournay chinoiserie wall mural in the apartment’s front hall is hand-embroidered in colored silks. A stately peacock next to the dining room entrance symbolizes the homeowner; a pair of smaller peacocks nearby represents the girls. A grid of mirrored tiles makes the room’s ceiling seem to dissolve, while Eichholtz Hildebrandt chandeliers, dripping with crystals, supply still more sparkle. Andrew FraszEighteen months later, the condo had been utterly transformed into a vibrant, elegant, unapologetically feminine realm of layered patterns and sometimes audacious color choices. An entry hall with green chinoiserie walls beneath a ceiling of glittering hexagonal mirrored tiles leads to a dining room that is coated in a high-gloss lacquer—the velvety purple hue of a blueberry panna cotta. Jones’s love affair with de Gournay and Gracie mural papers is evident in almost every room. The kitchen—countertops, backsplash, range hood, open shelves, and all—is sheathed in a luscious Calacatta viola marble, with glittering brass hardware and fixtures added as jewelry.Jenkins designed the upholstered seat in the corner, which he dubs a “soquette” (half sofa, half banquette). A Jean Roget Flame lamp on the faux malachite desk at left (from Maitland-Smith) rubs shoulders with a carved mask from the Congo—just one of many delicious juxtapositions in the apartment. Andrew FraszJenkins and his firm completely reworked the interior architecture. Rooms were reconfigured. Arched doorways, fluted pilasters, and coffered ceilings—which occasionally conceal structural beams that couldn’t be moved—now adorn the public spaces, entirely in keeping with the kind of Beaux Arts detailing that the building’s original architect deployed in its grand foyer downstairs. New herringbone floors were also laid, which now definitely fit the spaces they’re part of.The landscape of Central Park beyond the windows almost seems to merge with the living room’s mural wallpaper. Three milk-glass chandeliers punctuate a coffered ceiling that Jenkins added; below, a joyous medley of colors and patterns animates the space. Andrew FraszJones, wearing Carolina Herrera, sits on one of the custom scallop-backed banquettes in the dining room. Gieves AndersonThe spectacular living room is proof of just how well Jones and Jenkins vibed with their shared vision. Until a fairly late stage in the project, the emerald silk grass cloth that ended up on the ceiling was meant to go on the walls. Jones, though, really desired a bolder look. So, late one night, she texted Jenkins an image of Gracie’s Kano Garden wall covering—which led to a phone call, which led to a revised scheme involving custom colors to match the furniture that was already on order. “Unlike other clients, who want to be a bit more conservative, she pushed me further, which was a lot of fun,” Jenkins says. “And it became one of the most dynamic rooms in the house as a result.” The lesson? “Even at the 11th hour, you can still make pivots,” he concludes, “and you should never settle for less.”“Settling for less” is not a thought that would come to mind when anyone sees this home today, chock-full as it is of what Jenkins terms “cultured, worldly, gathered, curated” furnishings, objects, and works of art. It has been thoroughly, and meticulously, reinvented as the perfect backdrop for a mother and her two daughters setting out on their New York adventure.Monkeys scamper among palm fronds on either side of the dining room’s fireplace. The streamlined table and chairs are from Baker, and the spectacular Murano palmette chandelier dates to circa 1920. Andrew FraszGlints of brass add warmth to an otherwise cool-toned kitchen. One entire wall, open shelving and range hood included, is paneled in Calacatta viola marble; cabinets and moldings are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Elephant Gray; and the Kravet faux leather used on the ceiling has an extremely subtle shagreen texture. Andrew FraszSoft tones of blush pink, rose gold, and celadon give the principal bedroom a wholly feminine spirit, despite a few contrasting modern notes such as the acrylic ribbon chandelier. The custom Gracie wallpaper has a slight sheen that beautifully reflects daylight streaming in from the park outside. Jenkins designed the upholstered bed. Andrew FraszJones, wearing Reem Acra, stands in her ethereal bedroom. Gieves AndersonHygiene, beauty, and self-care functions are split up among three different spaces in the primary suite: a “glam chamber” devoted to hair and makeup, a spa room (with soaking tub) concealed behind a panel in the dressing room, and this bathroom with its classic Ann Sacks marble sink and contemporary Arteriors chandelier. The medicine cabinet mirror lifts up like a garage door. Andrew FraszA Drummonds soaking tub sits in the hidden spa room, artfully aligned with the Iksel mural behind it so that arcs of water seem to be spouting from the tap. Andrew FraszJones’s decidedly pink dressing room was formerly a separate bedroom. The elaborate millwork encloses loads of storage, and a comfy bench is upholstered in a Gastón y Daniela matelassé velvet. Andrew FraszThe media room is a space where the young ladies can do their homework or relax with friends in front of the TV. Its walls are covered in a suede-like vinyl from Arte that includes a tracery of metallic shapes. The art piece above the sofa, a collage of durags, is by Anthony Akinbola. Art: Anthony Olubunmi AkinbolaDaughter Gigi wished for a room with a more atmospheric feel. Puffy clouds scud across the walls—no need for any other artwork here—and a beaded Regina Andrew chandelier introduces a slight bohemian flavor. Andrew FraszValentina, Jones’s younger daughter, originally asked for a black bedroom—but very dark shades of green and teal proved to be an acceptable compromise. The rich amber wall covering from Cole & Son has an allover pattern of stylized feathers. Art: Christian Brechneff/KRB NYCA berry-colored Kast concrete basin and matching textured grass cloth give a compact guest bath a bit of extra punch. The over-mirror light fixture is from Visual Comfort & Co. Andrew FraszA tiny but opulent powder room sports an Alexa Hampton tiger stripe paper on its walls, above ebony-stained tambour wainscoting. The lacemaker sconces, from Kohler, are filled with water. Andrew FraszShop it out:French Mirror with SconceKate Spade Suki Table LampVintage Biedermeier Style Chairs (Set of 6)KRB Hexagonal Umbrella Standde Gournay Étienne Wall CoveringMurano Palm ChandelierVaughan Carrick Leaf Wall LightGuardian Senufo MaskPooky Empire ShadeJean Roger Paris Tulip CandlestickWilliams Sonoma Sabre Bamboo Flatware SetsLilou Green Table LampMoroccan Ceramic VaseWilliams Sonoma Scalamandré Animal Pillow CoverJonathan Adler Brass Turtle BoxMassoud Audra SetteeChanel Classic Double Flap BagCrane & Canopy Towel Essentials BundleDenver Trundle Sleeper SofaLa Rue Brass Floor Lamp

You know, I was simply going to ignore the bizarre Blue Origin stunt flight from earlier this week. But then it flopped beyond my wildest imagination, and so here we all are.Doubtless you know the contours already: Jeff Bezos’ fiancee Lauren Sánchez, pop star Katy Perry, and four other women did a big space tourism trip in the name of performative femiladyism, wearing “space suits” cut so as to require a pair of Spanx underneath. “We’re going to have lash extensions flying in the capsule,” Sánchez said. “We are going to put the ‘ass’ in astronaut,” Perry said.This promised to be a marketing bonanza for a nation addled by spectacle. What has happened instead has been a shocking amount of backlash. TikToks mocking Katy Perry’s feigned enthusiasm for “astronomy and astrology.” Suggestions the entire trip was faked. Video footage of what appears to be Bezos literally falling on his face in Texas. Did Bezos even really open the capsule door? Proclamations that the flight “showcased the utter defeat of American feminism.” Social media debates about whether the women aboard were passengers or crew.Look, the ass has always been in astronautI have been sitting here for a couple of hours now, trying to figure out how this happened, while my fearless leader has been sending me TikTok after TikTok about how dumb the whole thing was. Look, the ass has always been in astronaut — NASA mandates that those aboard the ISS do not miss leg day. Even under normal circumstances, Perry, Sánchez, and the other women would be guilty of delivering stale rhetoric about how doing space tourism was reclaiming science for the girlies. But here, it was all happening against the insistent drumbeats of budget cuts at actual NASA, while the other rocket entrepreneur, Elon Musk, rearranged the agency to benefit himself. The power of private spaceflight outfits like Blue Origin is a policy failure, and it’s an increasingly dangerous one. Once upon a time, the US didn’t need to rely on the unstable rich to get astronauts to space; NASA built its own rockets. But after a series of Republican budget cuts, some libertarian dim bulbs came up with the idea for the Commercial Crew Program, which awarded contracts in 2014. The rhetoric was that it would be lower-cost for someone other than NASA to build NASA’s rockets; in any event, after the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, NASA had no means of sending astronauts on its own.The upside of the program was that it was fixed-price; the downside was that it rendered NASA hopelessly dependent on its contractors: SpaceX and Boeing.I think, at this point, we can all agree the Commercial Crew Program was an important failure point for American democracyHow is that going? Well, Boeing stranded some astronauts — including an actual female astronaut — in space when its Starliner malfunctioned; they had to be rescued from the ISS by SpaceX. SpaceX has been more technically successful, but that means when Musk misbehaved — whether it was by smoking weed, making unapproved launches, polluting, or whatever — there was nothing the government could really do to him. They needed his rockets too badly. I think, at this point, we can all agree the Commercial Crew Program was an important failure point for American democracy, propping up Musk’s SpaceX for so long that Musk could steal Americans’ most sensitive data, wreak havoc on Social Security, and use X, formerly known as Twitter, to recruit an unknown number of baby mamas.Blue Origin, meanwhile, has barely stayed in the running. The company has been around for 20 years now, was awarded just $25.6 million by Commercial Crew in exploratory grants, and its first heavy-lift launch of the New Glenn, the kind of rocket that sends up satellites and equipment, happened in January of this year. None of its known planned launches are meant for people at all. And while the launch cadence is ambitious for a new rocket, the company is still lagging behind SpaceX — while primarily doing little jaunts to indulge Bezos’ and Sánchez’s vanity.So against this backdrop, Blue Origin’s space tourism seems especially silly, particularly with a rumored price tag of $28 million per seat. (Dennis Tito paid $20 million to spend several days aboard the ISS in 2001, by the way, so Blue Origin’s trip seems much less cool than the one from more than 20 years ago.) The New Shepard flew up to just barely what we call space, remaining strictly suborbital. It’s probably pretty cool to see Earth from beyond the Kármán Line for 11 minutes — I would take that ride if someone offered it to me — but it’s not, you know, groundbreaking. It’s not even groundbreaking for Blue Origin; Bezos was on the first human mission, along with some other dudes.What a breakthrough for feminism — am I right, girls?You can see the marketing logic of saving women for later: first crew (just coincidentally all men, I’m sure), then first all-women crew. Great for marketing. Two big firsts. But the you-go-girl rhetoric feels odd next to the government’s antiwoman stance; actual astronauts and other women in leadership are literally being erased from NASA’s history. Hey, you know who was at the inauguration of the guy who’s responsible for that? Oh yeah, Blue Origin honcho Jeff Bezos. I mean, Bezos dictated a $1 million payoff to the guy whose goons took down pictures of women in science. Amazon is also paying $40 million for the privilege of a documentary about Melania Trump, helmed by Brett Ratner, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct and rape.And on top of that, the reason Sánchez was aboard the Blue Origin flight is that she’s literally fucking the boss. What a breakthrough for feminism — am I right, girls?Broadcaster Gayle King, who joined Sánchez and Perry on the New Shepard, has been touchy about the backlash. “My question is, have y’all been to space? Go to space or go to Blue Origin and see what they do and then come back and say, ‘This is a terrible thing,’” she said. Baby, I’d love to, but I make a normal amount of money, so I can’t do space tourism, and NASA’s entire astronaut thing is in serious jeopardy. King’s “let-them-eat-cake” moment is particularly jarring when you consider that the economy is on the rocks thanks to idiotic tariffs, inflation is on the rise, and de-dollarization is the order of the day. But, hey, who’s surprised by a tone-deaf rich lady?It isn’t just King feeling touchy. Perry is now beefing with Wendy’s — that’s right, the fast-food joint — over a couple of mean tweets. Perry’s camp is attempting to use People to demand an apology.The thing is, King, Perry, and the rest aren’t the real villains here. They got taken for a ride. The problem is Bezos, who’s play-acting at doing something worthwhile to — what? Impress his girlfriend? Pretend he’s a cowboy? Pose as being somehow better than Musk? It seems like if Bezos wanted to make a difference, he could be using his vast influence to fight the destruction of NASA. Instead, he’s playing with his toys.Whatever is going on here, it’s not working. Even a nation that loves nothing better than falling for spectacle isn’t biting on this one. Maybe it’s just that Perry is in her flop era, and she poisoned the well; maybe it’s that Sánchez, entertaining as she is, has the worst media instincts I’ve ever seen. Or maybe it’s that some of us have gotten really tired of performative feminism even as abortion rights have been vaporized and access to birth control is increasingly threatened. Maybe it’s just that no one’s rooting for Bezos or his companies. One way or another, the all-women space tourists have turned into the butt of a cosmic joke.See More:

LOTF - 2025 Edition Somehow, Lords of the Fallen continues to get major patches - and its biggest one yet just gave everyone an unbeatable reason to play The developers of Lords of the Fallen just cannot stop working on the 2023 Souls-like action RPG, and the game's most recent patch has a very compelling reason for anyone to jump in. Image credit: CI Games / Hexworks News by Sherif Saed Contributing Editor Published on April 18, 2025 Lords of the Fallen faced a bit of a middling reception when it came out in October, 2023. Myself and many others had a lot to criticise about the launch version, and though some major design issues were never truly fixed, developer Hexworks stuck with it far longer than anyone could’ve predicted. What many thought would surely be its final update, version 1.7, came out last December and delivered significant improvements to many aspects of the game. Hexworks seemingly wasn’t done, because the game just received yet another major one. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The latest Lords of the Fallen patch is so significant, in fact, that the developer is dubbing it the 2.0 version of the Souls-like action RPG. This one doesn’t just adjust core mechanics and overhauls so much of the game, it also introduces a fantastic new features for newcomers that I don’t think I have seen before in a game of this kind. CI Games is following in the footsteps of Split Fiction and It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios by offering a Friend’s Pass, which does exactly what you think it would. The pass allows any player to invite a friend - on any platform - who doesn’t own the game, to play in online co-op. As a result, anyone can now download the game for free, create a character, and play the full tutorial - which incidentally has also been redone in this patch. Once that’s done, you’re free to be invited to sessions by anyone who owns the full game. Progression is a little more tricky to explain, but the developer has made several changes with 2.0 to make that experience viable. Character progress and loot is saved between sessions, but only the host will retain world progression. Within the same playthrough, both players will save mainline story progress individually, defeated bosses, and lit Beacons (Bonfires). Vigor and loot drop for each one individually, and both players can revive each other.. Watch on YouTube That’s not all, 2.0 is also making several major tweaks to gameplay. There’s now a dedicated jump button! Core combat has been overhauled, too, with refined lock-on, more precise weapon handling, smoother movement with faster evasions, and entirely new sounds for all combat moves. There’s even a new mechanic that lets you use the Umbral Lamp to help guide you to where you should go next. Elsewhere in this massive updates, you’ll also find a cleaner UI, and some upgrades to the general interface. There’s a host of quality of life updates here, too, such as faster (and automated) Vigor collection and a few other changes to the moment-to-moment flow. Just look at it! | Image credit: Hexworks, CI Games To celebrate this monumentous patch, Lords of the Fallen is currently on sale across all platforms for up to 72% off. Sale periods vary by platform, with some ending as early as April 23 while others going all the way to May 1. If nothing else, you should definitely download the Friend’s Pass on Steam or your preferred platform, play the tutorial and see how it feels. The patch isn’t live everywhere at the moment, but you should expect it to arrive no later than Monday, April 21.

But accessories "experience price adjustments" in the US.Switch 2 will remain at the previously announced price of $449.99 USD ($629.99 CAD) for the base hardware and $499.99 ($699.99 CAD) for the Mario Kart World bundle in North America, Nintendo has announced.Prices for Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Bananza will also remain unchanged at $79.99 USD ($109.99 CAD) and $69.99 USD ($99.99 CAD), respectively. Retailer pre-orders in the US and Canada will begin on 24th April.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Nintendo announced on Friday that it will open Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. on April 24, following a delay due to the Trump administration’s hefty tariffs. Fans feared the long-awaited console would spike in price due to Trump’s export rules on international goods, but Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2 will still cost $449.99 and come out on June 5, as originally announced. Switch 2 accessories, however, will increase in price due to “changes in market conditions,” Nintendo said in a press release. The company added that other products could also face hikes down the road. Most of the Switch 2 accessories seem to be getting a $5 price bump. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, which was initially set to cost $79.99, will now cost $84.99. Joy-Cons will cost $94.99, up from $89.99, and the new Switch 2 camera attachment will cost $54.99, up from $49.99. As far as games go, Nintendo isn’t changing the prices of the digital and physical versions of two launch-day heavy-hitters, Mario Kart World ($79.99) and Donkey Kong Bananza ($69.99). “We apologize for the retail pre-order delay, and hope this reduces some of the uncertainty our customers may be experiencing,” Nintendo wrote in the release. Though the changing prices of accessories may concern some customers, they won’t find reprieve from other gaming companies. Earlier this week, Sony announced that it would bump PlayStation 5 prices in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand due to shifts in the global economy. Fans expect that similar price adjustments will hit the U.S. eventually, too. Certain electronics, like smartphones and laptops, are exempted from Trump’s tariffs, but not video game consoles.

Movie & Games Trailers Light & Magic – Season 2 By Vincent Frei - 18/04/2025 YES! Light & Magic is back! Season 2 dives into ILM’s most daring era — the digital revolution. From groundbreaking CG characters to the invention of digital water, witness how the magic was reinvented. Featuring VFX legends like John Knoll and Rob Coleman, and packed with stunning archive footage and directed by legendary filmmaker Joe Johnston. Streaming now on Disney+. Director: Joe Johnston Release Date: April 18, 2025 (Disney+) © Vincent Frei – The Art of VFX – 2025

Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote | © Julian Weyer, Flickr User In the northeastern reaches of Lanzarote, beneath a rugged crust of basaltic rock, lies one of the most singular architectural experiments of the 20th century. Jameos del Agua, designed by the multidisciplinary Spanish artist César Manrique, redefines the boundary between architecture and geology. Carved into the remnants of a volcanic eruption, this subterranean complex is not a building in the conventional sense but rather a spatial strategy—a choreography of light, silence, and stone. Through restrained intervention, Manrique proposed a radical gesture: to do less, and in doing so, to reveal more. Jameos del Agua Technical Information Architects1-5: César Manrique Location: Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain Area: 5,000 m2 | 53,820 Sq. Ft. Construction Phases: 1966 – 1977 Photographs: © Julian Weyer, Flickr User For me, the most important aspect of art is nature. In Jameos del Agua, I did nothing more than underline the beauty that was already there. – César Manrique 6 Jameos del Agua Photographs © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User © Julian Weyer, Flickr User Lanzarote’s Geology and Manrique’s Vision The genesis of Jameos del Agua lies in geology. The site forms part of the extensive volcanic tube system generated by the eruption of La Corona Volcano nearly 4,000 years ago. These tubes, punctuated by collapsed sections known as jameos, offered a pre-existing, raw spatiality. The architecture emerges not by constructing anew but by accentuating what is already present—an inversion of typical architectural processes. César Manrique, born in Arrecife in 1919, returned to Lanzarote in the 1960s after years of artistic engagement in Madrid and New York. Confronted with the threat of unchecked tourism development, Manrique envisioned an alternative: a model in which art and ecology could co-exist. Jameos del Agua, inaugurated in phases beginning in 1966, became the prototype for his environmental ideology—a philosophy rooted in restraint, respect, and resonance with the land. As both artist and architect, Manrique eschewed authorial dominance, opting instead for a spatial modesty that foregrounds the natural environment. Jameos del Agua Spatial Strategy The experience of Jameos del Agua unfolds as a sequence of calibrated transitions. From the surface, visitors descend into darkness, enveloped by the volcanic tube’s porous walls and irregular surfaces. The first chamber, partially lit by a collapsed roof, contains an underground lake inhabited by the endemic blind albino crab (Munidopsis polymorpha). These species render the space both biologically unique and symbolically fragile. From there, the route continues through a tropical garden between volcanic walls, culminating in a visually surreal pool of turquoise water. The experience is not linear but episodic—each spatial fragment offers a distinct atmospheric condition. Light, temperature, and sound shift subtly between chambers, guiding the visitor without the need for signage or explicit direction. Materially, Manrique intervenes with an ethos of minimalism. Architectural elements—stairs, benches, railings—are embedded within the lava or whitewashed with lime. Structural additions are few and discreet. Instead of dominating the cave’s geometry, they echo it. The result is a hybrid landscape that reads as natural, intentional, raw, and curated. The architectural program resists categorization. Jameos del Agua is a cultural venue, ecological reserve, and experiential landscape. It houses a subterranean auditorium with exceptional acoustics, a restaurant built into the rock face, and an open-air space for reflection and repose. Yet, the architectural language remains consistent: no gesture is excessive, no surface ornamental. The architecture performs by withdrawing. Atmosphere, Light, and Phenomenology If Jameos del Agua has a primary material, it is not concrete or stone, but light. The project operates phenomenally, manipulating illumination to define space, accentuate textures, and heighten perception. The journey from the cave’s darkness to the garden’s brightness and finally to the searing white of the pool is not just optical but symbolic. It narrates a movement from the underworld to the surface—an architectural ascension from shadow to clarity. Manrique’s orchestration of light is neither theatrical nor didactic. It is atmospheric. Subtle lighting within the cave avoids spectacle, instead emphasizing depth and intimacy. Reflections on water multiply space and distort form. Conversely, the outdoor pool—surrounded by white walls and lush vegetation—amplifies brightness to a point of abstraction, where the volcanic context temporarily dissolves. These sensory strategies situate Jameos del Agua within a broader tradition of phenomenological architecture. Much like Zumthor’s Therme Vals or Ando’s Church of the Light, Manrique’s work is less concerned with form than with staging perception. His interventions are not compositions but conditions—atmospheres that unfold over time. Jameos del Agua Plans Site Plan | © César Manrique Axonometric View Jameos del Agua Image Gallery About César Manrique Credits and Additional Notes Collaborators: Jesús Soto (lighting design), Luis Iñiguez (technical coordination) Key Features: Volcanic cave system, underground lake, open-air pool, concert hall, endemic fauna Client: Cabildo de Lanzarote Geological Feature: Part of the Cueva de los Verdes volcanic tube, created by the eruption of the La Corona Volcano (~3,000–4,000 years ago) Current Operator: Centers of Art, Culture, and Tourism of Lanzarote (CACT) Fundación César Manrique, Lanzarote by César Manrique César Manrique and Lanzarote: Essential Guide by Alejandro Scarpa