Adding up Reusable rockets are here, so why is NASA paying more to launch stuff to space? Something appears to be broken in how NASA procures launch services. Stephen Clark – Apr 24, 2025 7:15 pm | 15 File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket launch with NASA's Crew-6 mission. Credit: SpaceX File photo of a Falcon 9 rocket launch with NASA's Crew-6 mission. Credit: SpaceX Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more In an era of reusable rockets and near-daily access to space, NASA is still paying more than it did 30 years ago to launch missions into orbit, according to a study soon to be published in the scientific journal Acta Astronautica. Launch is becoming more routine. Every few days, SpaceX is sending another batch of Starlink Internet satellites to orbit, and other kinds of missions fill up the rest of SpaceX's launch schedule. SpaceX, alone, has ample capacity to launch the handful of science missions NASA puts into space each year. If supply outpaces demand, shouldn't prices go down? It's not so simple. NASA is one of many customers jockeying for a slot on SpaceX's launch manifest. The US military is launching more missions than ever before, and SpaceX is about to become the Pentagon's top launch provider. SpaceX already launches more missions for NASA than any other rocket company. Commercial satellites and SpaceX's own Starlink missions also fill up the launch schedule. So far this year, more than 70 percent of SpaceX's launches have deployed Starlink satellites or Starshield spacecraft, a military version of the Starlink platform for the US government. So, there's a lot of demand, even if NASA's missions make up only a fraction of SpaceX's launch business. Cost vs. price Financial information from NASA suggests the agency's payments for launch services are increasing, according to a paper authored by Moon Kim, a research analyst for NASA's strategic investments division. The report is set to be published in the July issue of Acta Astronautica, a peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the International Academy of Astronautics. Adjusted for inflation, the prices NASA pays for launch services rose at an annual average rate of 2.82 percent from 1996 to 2024, the report says. "Furthermore, there is no evidence of shift in the launch service costs trend after the introduction of a new launch service provider in 2016." The new launch service provider mentioned here is SpaceX. NASA's Launch Services Program, which books rocket launches for the agency's science missions, used a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time in January 2016. Before then, United Launch Alliance was the only launch provider capable of hauling NASA's heaviest satellites to orbit. The Launch Services Program brokers launch contracts for NASA's interplanetary probes, space telescopes, and climate research satellites. Launches to transport crews and cargo to the International Space Station are booked through a separate account. For nearly 40 years, NASA's policy has been to launch its robotic science probes on commercial rockets whenever possible. Government officials realized in the 1980s that NASA's Space Shuttle would be more expensive to fly than anticipated. After the Challenger accident in 1986, NASA launched most of its satellites on expendable rockets, like the Atlas, Delta, and Titan launch vehicles that traced their lineages to the 1950s. A Delta II rocket built by Boeing lifts off June 10, 2003, with NASA's Spirit rover heading for Mars. Credit: NASA Newcomers entered the launch business in the 1990s. Orbital Sciences debuted its air-launched Pegasus vehicle, which became the first privately developed rocket to reach orbit. SpaceX introduced its small liquid-fueled Falcon 1 rocket in the 2000s, and then the larger Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets in 2010 and 2018. The Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are partially reusable, holding the promise that SpaceX's rockets would bring about a sharp reduction in the cost of launch. Indeed, they have. SpaceX is the first company to recover and reuse an orbital rocket's first stage booster and payload fairings. These two elements represent about 70 percent of the total cost of a Falcon 9 launcher. Reusability and processing improvements at SpaceX's factory and launch sites have significantly reduced the cost of each Falcon 9 launch. "At one point, SpaceX had publicly said that it was $28 million," said Caleb Henry, director of research at Quilty Space, in a live event hosted by Ars last year. "We believe today that they are below $20 million per launch and actually lower than that... I would put it in the mid-teens for how much it costs them internally." SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 booster for a record 27th mission earlier this month. "As they can amortize the cost of the booster over a greater number of missions, that only helps them with their business case," Henry said. Kim uses NASA's pricing data as the benchmark in his paper because the exact costs incurred by launch providers for each flight are proprietary. "For the launch industry, privatization was expected to lead to more efficient resource allocation, resulting in lower launch prices and thus increasing launch demand," Kim writes in a summary of his report. These efficiencies include economies of scale, increased production, and competitive pressures, all of which were expected to drive down prices as the industry reached an "equilibrium." These expectations have not borne out. "The results indicate that NASA's launch service cost is not decreasing," Kim writes. Let’s get to the numbers Over the last few years, SpaceX cited inflation as the reason for steadily increasing the price of a dedicated Falcon 9 launch, from $62 million, to $67 million, and now to $70 million. This suggests SpaceX is selling launches at a significant markup, although the Falcon 9's list price still undercuts the company's competitors. The complete text of Kim's paper hasn't been published yet, but a summary of the report is available online. The study results "show limited effects of the competitive market" on launch prices, and recommends NASA reassess its policies to foster more competition. Companies charge the US government more for launch services than they do for commercial customers. By paying more, NASA and the Space Force get priority on launch schedules, and government engineers have access to internal company data for oversight purposes. NASA and Space Force missions sometimes have special requirements, such as strict payload cleanliness specifications or augmentations to place satellites into unique orbits, meaning they often can't launch on rideshare missions, which offer cut-rate prices for missions that can fly on them. NASA's Europa Clipper mission began with a fiery launch on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. Credit: SpaceX While launch prices are not publicly available for every NASA mission since 1996, Ars found launch prices paid by NASA for most of the agency's mediun and large science missions from the late 1990s through the mid-2000s. Today, these missions would likely launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. Here's a sample with contract values adjusted for inflation from the date of launch to reflect 2025 dollars: • 1998: Deep Space 1 — Delta II rocket — $86 million • 1999: Mars Polar Lander — Delta II rocket — $88 million • 2001: Mars Odyssey — Delta II rocket — $96 million • 2003: Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers — two Delta II rockets — $87 million per launch • 2004: Swift — Delta II rocket — $90 million • 2005: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — Atlas V rocket — $147 million • 2007: Phoenix Mars lander — Delta II rocket — $132 million Launch prices for NASA missions soared after the late 2000s, following the creation of United Launch Alliance through a merger of the Atlas and Delta rocket programs developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The merger eliminated competition for most of NASA's launch contracts until SpaceX's Falcon 9 became available for NASA science missions in the mid-2010s. Here's a sample of missions as examples of the rising costs, with contract values adjusted for inflation from the time of their award to reflect 2025 dollars: • 2009: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter — Atlas V rocket — $220 million • 2012: Radiation Belt Storm Probes — Atlas V rocket — $226 million (averaged from a bulk buy) • 2014: Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 — Delta II rocket — $191 million (averaged from a bulk buy) • 2016: OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission — Atlas V rocket — $252 million • 2017: TDRS-M data relay satellite — Atlas V rocket — $179 million • 2017: JPSS-2 weather satellite — Atlas V rocket — $224 million • 2018: InSight Mars lander — Atlas V rocket — $220 million • 2018: ICESAT-2 — Delta II rocket — $134 million Again, the missions listed above would likely launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets if NASA awarded these contracts today. So, how do SpaceX's more recent Falcon 9 prices compare? Let's take a look. These contract values are adjusted for inflation from the time of their award to reflect 2025 dollars: • 2016: Jason 3 oceanography satellite — Falcon 9 rocket — $114 million • 2018: Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite — Falcon 9 rocket — $118 million • 2020: Sentinel-6A — Falcon 9 rocket — $126 million • 2021: Double Asteroid Redirection Test — Falcon 9 rocket — $86 million • 2021: Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer — Falcon 9 rocket — $62 million • 2022: Surface Water and Ocean Topography — Falcon 9 rocket — $148 million • 2024: PACE Earth sciences mission — Falcon 9 rocket — $99 million • 2025: SPHEREx astronomy mission — Falcon 9 rocket — $99 million And here are a few future launches NASA has booked to fly on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Some of these contracts were awarded in the last 12 months, and those have not been adjusted for inflation. The others reflect 2025 dollars: • 2025: Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe — Falcon 9 rocket — $134 million • 2025: Sentinel-6B — Falcon 9 rocket — $101 million • 2027: NEO Surveyor — Falcon 9 rocket — $100 million • 2027: JPSS-4 weather satellite — Falcon 9 rocket — $113 million • 2027: Compton Spectrometer and Imager — Falcon 9 rocket — $69 million There are a few other things worth noting when we chart NASA's launch prices. One is that SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, used for NASA's heaviest missions, costs more than a Falcon 9 rocket. For example, two identical weather satellites launched in 2022 and 2024 on ULA's Atlas V and SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket for $207 million and $178 million, respectively, again adjusted for inflation. It's also instructive to compare NASA's launch prices for the agency's three newest nuclear-powered space missions. These spacecraft use plutonium power generators, and their launch vehicles require an additional level of safety certification. NASA paid ULA the equivalent of $307 million in 2025 dollars for the launch of the Curiosity Mars rover in 2011. NASA's Perseverance Mars rover launched on an Atlas V rocket in 2020 under a launch contract with ULA valued at $323 million in 2025 dollars. NASA is developing the Dragonfly helicopter for launch to Saturn's moon Titan in 2028, and the agency awarded SpaceX a $257 million contract last year to launch it on a Falcon Heavy rocket. A reusable Falcon 9 booster after landing on a SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: SpaceX Reaching an equilibrium NASA is paying SpaceX less to launch its newest missions than the agency would have paid ULA to launch them on Delta II or Atlas V rockets a decade ago. That's the good news. However, despite its mastery of rocket reuse, SpaceX is charging NASA nearly as much for future Falcon 9 launches (an average of $103 million) as it did over the last decade (an average of $107 million). And the latest average Falcon 9 prices for NASA are higher than those of the expendable Delta II rocket more than 20 years ago. Meanwhile, ULA hasn't launched a NASA science mission since 2022, and hasn't won a contract with NASA's Launch Services Program since 2019. ULA's Atlas V rocket is nearing retirement, and the company's replacement, the Vulcan, only became eligible to compete for NASA launch contracts last year. This means NASA has lacked competition among US launch providers for several years. ULA's Vulcan and Blue Origin's New Glenn rockets are now operational, and they should soon contest SpaceX for NASA launch contracts. But Vulcan and New Glenn lack the long record of reliability of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, and their prices are murky. The best data available on ULA's Vulcan launch prices comes from the US Space Force. Between 2020 and 2023, the Space Force awarded dozens of launch contracts to ULA and SpaceX. Those deals average out to $120 million for ULA and $114 million for SpaceX. Earlier this month, the Space Force doled out nine more launch orders for an average of $214 million to ULA and $121 million to SpaceX. These numbers are comparable to NASA's recent launch prices and likely foretell SpaceX and ULA pricing trends for the rest of the decade. Despite the promise of competition, NASA may have to wait for the next generation of launchers, such as SpaceX's Starship, to come online for another step-change in launch prices. Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark Space Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the world’s space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 15 Comments

A 110-million-year-old fossil of the hell ant Vulcanidris cratensisAnderson Lepeco At more than 110 million years old, a fossil excavated in Brazil is the oldest undisputed ant fossil ever discovered. The finding adds to evidence that the first ants evolved on the supercontinent of Gondwana in the southern hemisphere before spreading across the rest of the world. “We have evidence they were in South America, they were in Gondwana, during their early evolution,” says Anderson Lepeco at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. Lepeco came across the fossil in a large collection delivered to the university’s zoological museum. The specimens all came from the Crato Formation in north-east Brazil, which formed during the Lower Cretaceous Period. He immediately suspected this fossil was from an extinct group of insects called hell ants. “That head shape was similar to one species we found in Burmese amber,” he says. “This gave me the hint.” Hell ants are particularly interesting because they represent a transitional “stem lineage”, says Lepeco – they are more closely related to the wasp-like common ancestor of all ants than to the species alive today, although they did have ant-like social structures. Unmissable news about our planet delivered straight to your inbox every month. Sign up to newsletter When the fossil was 3D scanned, this revealed other characteristics that identified it as a hell ant. For instance, it had forklift-like mandibles that may have enabled it to skewer other insects. In fact, it is this gruesome feature that gave the hell ant group its name. The researchers named the new hell ant species Vulcanidris cratensis, in recognition of the Brazilian entomologist Maria Aparecida Vulcano. Based on the rock strata in which it was found, the researchers suspect the fossil is about 113 million years old, 13 million years older than the previous oldest known ant fossil. “Before our new fossil, the earliest ants known as fossils were from France and Myanmar,” says Lepeco. Finding such an ancient hell ant in South America aligns with genomic evidence suggesting ants first evolved in the southern hemisphere before dispersing throughout much of the rest of the world and establishing the dominant ecological role they maintain today. Journal referenceCurrent Biology DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.03.023 Topics:

Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images 2025-04-25T00:18:02Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Take a look at any Gen Z or Gen Alpha's bag — chances are, multiple charms are hooked onto it. The hottest trend of late is bag charms: Cute keychains and figurines that can be hooked on zips and straps. From showcasing personality to being a marketing tool for brands, here's why everyone's crazy about them. Gone are the days when the clickity-clack of stilettos used to signal a woman's entrance into a room. It's now replaced by the clickity-clack of the dozen charms she's hooked onto her handbag.Bag charms — small, decorative keychains — are quickly making their way onto the clasps of Gen Zers' bags. From miniature stuffed toys and cute figurines to beaded chains and even tiny framed pictures of their favorite artists, bag charms vary dramatically in size and form.For some, the charms just help to spice up an otherwise boring bag. For others, the importance of the charms goes much deeper — they are an extension of their personality, as much a fashion choice as their clothing."Whether they're adorning the 'it bag' of the moment or a thrift store find, Gen Zs and Gen Alphas see their bags as a blank canvas to display their personalities and personal style," said Carol Davidson, an NYC-based image consultant."It's adornment, sure, but also a way of sharing oneself with others," she added. "A cluster of charms gives others a snapshot of how someone sees themselves and how they want others to see them."Retail brands are hopping on the trend, with everyone from KFC to Balenciaga releasing bag charms to get the Gen Z buy-in. Celebrities at Paris Fashion Week had charms swinging from their bags.Here's a look at the hottest Gen Z trend of late.A modern take on 'Birkinifying' bagsDavidson said one likely origin of the bag charm trend was the death of Jane Birkin, the late British actor and model who was the muse and namesake of Hermès' most popular luxury bag, the Birkin."'Birkinifying' is officially a thing, originating with Jane Birkin herself. She was admired for her unique sense of style and love of fashion, but also for not taking it all too seriously," Davidson told BI."She was one of the first — if not the first - to adorn her large, well-worn bags with charms, scarves, and trinkets. Since her death in 2023, we've seen the re-emergence of this '00s trend," she added.Gregory Scott Angel, an assistant professor of fashion at Parsons School of Design, said the punk style of the 1980s could have been a predecessor to the bag charm trend, a style characterized by a "number of piercings, jewelry, and visible identity."Angel likened charms to emojis."The charms are a big identifier with people's personality. These charms could be associated with comfort, but for the most part, I see them as identifiers, the same way we use emojis to communicate with people," Angel said.A new way to vibe checkLow Zhi An, a 23-year-old tutor and avid charm collector from Singapore, put it bluntly: "If you have no bag charms, you have no personality."Low said she probably has over 50 charms in her collection. Although she's spent up to 40 Singaporean Dollars, or about $30, on a single charm, her favorite is one she got for free at Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour concert in Singapore."I got this small keychain from this little girl, and I just thought it was really, really cute. It just happened to have my favorite song on it, Gold Rush," Low, 23, said. Low Zhi An said she's collected about 50 bag charms to date, the most expensive being SG$40. Low Zhi An Low, who is also a die-hard K-pop fan, said that her most expensive charm was a green star plushie keychain tied to an album from her favorite group, NCT.The charm has a Near Field Communication tag, which, when brought near a phone, immediately lets the user browse and stream the album online.She also has several charms with photos of her favorite K-pop celebrities, like Yeonjun from the boy band Tomorrow X Together.Yeo Wen Qing, a recent communications graduate, said her journey collecting bag charms started young, when she kept the small keychains and knickknacks she got from Kinder Joy sweets or McDonald's meals.Now, Yeo says she has more than 10 charms, at least one on each bag she owns.For Yeo, seeing what bag charms a person has is a litmus test of their personality and whether she'll be able to "vibe well with them.""If I see that person has a bag charm of a Labubu, I will know that person buys into trends, maybe buys a bit too much into trends," she said. Labubu, a furry plushie toy with serrated teeth made by Chinese toymaker PopMart, has taken Asia and, increasingly, the West by storm.She added that if she sees someone with a charm of an "obscure" cartoon or anime character that she loves, she finds it easier to approach them.Gwen Lim, a Gen Zer who works in campaign marketing in Singapore, collects bag charms on her travels. She said they serve as souvenirs of her trips and remind her of good times with her friends. Gwen Lim's bag, with fresh charms from her recent trip to South Korea Gwen Lim Lim, 23, said charms also serve a very utilitarian function for her.In Singapore, where a handful of bag brands like Charles & Keith and The Paper Bunny reign supreme and trends spread like wildfire, many people carry similar bags. Hanging charms are her way of differentiating her bag from the masses.Lim's charms are also little vehicles for her beauty products. She said beauty brands in South Korea often package their products into bag charms. Lim is a fan of bag charms that house beauty products, like the Fwee Pudding Pot blush in the blue case. Gwen Lim Even fashion stylists are getting in on the bag charm trend.Edith Chan, a Madrid-based stylist, said she's gotten her clients, who are mainly entrepreneurial women in their 30s, to get in on the bag charm trend. She said even tying a scarf onto their bag helps them make their bag unique to them.Major retail brands are hopping on the bag charm bandwagonRetail brands, from fashion to food from across the board, are making bag charms to get the buy-in of the younger consumer base. In Singapore, KFC debuted limited-edition bag charms of the beloved Japanese cat character Mofusand wearing hats shaped like egg tarts, chicken drumsticks, and an upside-down fried chicken bucket.Over to haute couture, in November, Balenciaga introduced a "Charms Bar" in some of its stores worldwide, which allows customers to personalize their bags. One of the charms it sells is the $895 "Le City Micro Bag Charm," a tiny replica of its $2,900 Le City Medium bag.Angel, the professor from Parsons, said charms are "free marketing" for big brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier."In a competitive market, it helps luxury brands solidify brand loyalty with their existing base while providing an accessible entry for aspirational consumers," Davidson, the image consultant, said.Chan, the stylist, said the charms are a big way brands are drawing in younger customers."These brands always go to the young people," she said. "It's one way to nurture this generation to make them brand loyal." 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Almost immediately after he began his second term, President Donald Trump ordered the military to ban transgender people from serving in the US military. Under the Defense Department’s policy implementing this order, the military was supposed to start firing trans service members on March 26, although those firings were halted by a court order.That court order, in a case known as United States v. Shilling, is now before the Supreme Court. The Trump administration’s primary argument — that it’s not banning trans military personnel, but merely banning service by people with gender dysphoria — is nonsensical, and the Court has repeatedly rejected similar arguments in the past. According to the American Psychiatric Association, gender dysphoria refers to the “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity” that is commonly experienced by transgender people. The government may no more recharacterize a ban on trans service as a ban on gender dysphoria than it could defend Jim Crow by recharacterizing it as a series of laws targeting people with high levels of melanin.Nevertheless, so long as the Court follows its long history of showing extreme deference to the military, it seems exceedingly likely that the Trump administration will prevail in this case.It is well-established that the government cannot evade a ban on discrimination by claiming that it is merely discriminating based on a trait that closely correlates with a particular identity. As the Supreme Court said in Bray v. Alexandria Women’s Health Clinic (1993), “a tax on wearing yarmulkes is a tax on Jews.”Yet, while the Trump administration’s brief in the Shilling case is poorly argued, the Court is almost certain to reinstate the trans military ban, in part because the case is little more than a sequel to a fight that already played out in the first Trump administration.During his first term, Trump’s government issued a similar ban on transgender military service — although the first-term ban did contain some exceptions that are not part of the second-term ban. Lower courts halted the first-term ban, but the Supreme Court voted 5-4, along party lines, to reinstate that ban in 2019. The Court has only moved further to the right since 2019, and Republicans now have a 6-3 supermajority among the justices.The Supreme Court has long held that judges should defer to the militaryIt’s not clear that the first-term decisions reinstating the ban were wrongly decided under the Supreme Court’s precedents. The Court has long permitted the military to engage in activity that would clearly violate the Constitution in a civilian context.As Judge Benjamin Settle, the district judge who blocked Trump’s second-term ban, explained in his opinion, this ban is likely to do considerable harm to the United States.In Goldman v. Weinberger (1986), for example, the Court held that the military could ban Jewish service members from wearing yarmulkes while in uniform. As the Court explained, its “review of military regulations challenged on First Amendment grounds is far more deferential than constitutional review of similar laws or regulations designed for civilian society.” The military, Goldman reasoned, “must foster instinctive obedience, unity, commitment, and esprit de corps,” and that justifies imposing restrictions on service members that would normally violate the Constitution.The Court has even held that the military may engage in explicit sex discrimination — a fact that is highly relevant to the Shilling case because the Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) that discrimination against transgender workers is a form of illegal sex discrimination. In Rostker v. Goldberg (1981), the Court upheld the federal law that requires men, but not women, to register for the draft. While this kind of explicit sex discrimination would be unconstitutional in virtually any other context, Rostker explained that the courts owe extraordinary deference to Congress in matters of “national defense and military affairs.”Given these precedents, the plaintiffs challenging Trump’s transgender service ban always faced an uphill climb. And that’s doubly true because the Court’s current majority has not been particularly sympathetic to constitutional claims brought by trans litigants.As Judge Benjamin Settle, the district judge who blocked Trump’s second-term ban, explained in his opinion, this ban is likely to do considerable harm to the United States. The named plaintiff in the Shilling case is Commander Emily Shilling, a pilot with 19 years of military service who has flown 60 combat missions. Shilling alleges, without any contradiction from the government, that the Navy spent $20 million to train her. All of that expertise will now be lost to the US military.But the Constitution does not forbid the government from self-harm. And the Supreme Court’s precedents permit the military to discriminate in ways that other institutions cannot, which is bad news for people targeted by Trump’s transgender service ban.See More:

Pre-orders are not easy to come across anywhere (Nintendo) The Friday letters page wants more The Elder Scrolls and Fallout remasters, as a reader is upset by the price hike for amiibo. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Too popular Seeing the sales predictions for the Nintendo Switch 2 it’s clear the console is going to be a major success, much bigger than the PlayStation 5. You can complain about the mistakes Nintendo has made in the reveal, and some of the lesser games (I still haven’t heard any explanation for why Kirby: Air Riders is a 2025 game) but the thought of a new Switch and a new Mario Kart is all a lot of people need to hear.I don’t say they’re wrong either. I need a bit more myself, especially as Donkey Kong Bananza is an unknown factor, but while I am still somewhat tempted, the problem is that the Switch 2 is clearly going to be almost impossible to get, whether you want it or not. Nintendo were probably unwise to talk about having so much stock that scalping will be irrelevant. But they are wrong because the console has proven ‘too popular’. Unless you happen to be in the right place at the right time, for the few seconds stock is available, I don’t think there’s any real chance of getting a Switch 2 before launch. There aren’t going to be any major pre-orders at all. At this point I doubt it’ll be much easier even by Christmas.Focus Finding your way What this excellent Oblivion remaster shows is how Bethesda have lost their way with their recent mainline games. I’m a big fan of theirs and have put a lot of time into Starfield, but all that procedurally generated nonsense just doesn’t work for me. Their best work comes in their dungeons and handcrafted open worlds, the potato head characters have never bothered me one iota.Oblivion was the first game I played by them, back on the Xbox 360, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. I managed to conquer it back then, but I never really mastered it. I closed the main quest and Oblivion gates way too early and never got to see half the dungeons. Playing it now feels like unfinished business, a beautifully enhanced unfinished business, may I add, in Unreal Engine 5. I don’t know if it’s a lot harder than Skyrim, or I’ve just forgotten the map, but I’m having real difficulty in those Ayelid ruins on this playthrough. I vaguely remember some of the missions, but I’ve spent way too many hours in Skyrim to really remember things about Oblivion. I’m really enjoying this game again and I’m glad I bought it after first thinking it might just be another Bethesda cash grab. Let’s have Fallout 3 and New Vegas next and welcome Elder Scrolls 6 in with open arms.Nick The Greek Guaranteed hit Seems to me, after reading your news of 2.2 million people wanting a Switch 2 in Japan, Nintendo have got the Switch 2 perfect for another generation. 2.2 million? How mad is that? Everywhere is sold out in the UK. You get the odd one or two available, but it’s sold out within a second or two and if the USA pre-orders go live on Thursday it seems they’re going to be gone in seconds as well.By Xmas people will still be waiting for one. I really thought it wouldn’t sell well and it goes to prove I know nothing about the gaming market or what people are willing to pay for it.David GC: 2.2 million is indeed an insane number for Japan alone. We never would’ve thought it possible in a post-mobile world. Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk New information Do you guys know how all my games from my Switch will transfer to my Switch 2 come launch? I pre-ordered mine on April 4th at Smyths toy store in York.I want to sell my Switch whilst I can a better return on it. I have a lot of games I have bought digitally, and I don’t want to lose them. Nintendo during the Direct mentioned that come late May they will put up on My Nintendo how it will work. I would rather know sooner rather than later. On another note, the store I pre-ordered from is relocating to another area of York on 22nd May. They better not lose my pre-order in the move; I have my receipt though. I will be there at 9am on June 5th at the new location to collect my Switch 2.woz_007 (NN ID) GC: We had exactly this same question earlier in the week. Although that was before Nintendo decided to suddenly change its information about Zelda cloud saves. Hopefully that should make things easier though, so all you have to do is redownload your digital games and then transfer your saves from the cloud – although you’ll need to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online to do that. Chosen title While everyone seems to be doing their best to manufacture controversy over the Switch 2, because it’s generating clicks, I’ve been looking back through my Switch library to work out what to play on 5th June, other than Mario Kart, obviously.I think it’s about time I played XCOM: War Of The Chosen again. My laptop loads it almost instantly and runs it at 200+ fps with settings maxed, because it has no selectable frame rate cap. However, despite the low graphics settings, minutes long loads and choppy frame rate, there is something about just playing it slumped on the couch on the Switch. The Switch 2 should do wonders for the experience, and now I’ve had the idea I’m already getting itchy fingers waiting.Antony White GC: Which controversy do you feel has been manufactured? Between two stools Meant to write in a few weeks ago, with the news of Star Wars XCOM, which I’m very excited about. However, I always feel a bit sad that they created XCOM 2, one of the greatest games of all time, then brought out War Of The Chosen, which somehow made it even better and added some really interesting mechanics, and then instead of making 3, they made Midnight Suns instead.Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a terrible game, it’s actually quite good, but a card-based Marvel game was pretty doomed as it would alienate Marvel fans and XCOM fans from the start. More recently I loved your review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; 9/10 from Metro means it must be a seriously good game and it made me buck the trend and pre-order it (I swore I never to do that after agents of mayhem broke me), but so far it is living up to the hype and some! Keep up the good work GC.Michael, Crawley GC: Thank you. We’d rate Midnight Suns much higher than you, though. If it wasn’t for the overstuffed narrative elements back at the Abbey, we believe it would’ve been approaching XCOM 2 status – we thought the combat was excellent. Next gen price hike The new Street Fighter and Legend Of Zelda amiibo are currently in stock on Nintendo Store UK, available for pre-order on June 5th 2025. There is also a Street Fighter 6 amiibo Cards Starter Set which has three character cards for Kimberley, Luke, and Jamie for £24.99 available for pre-order too.They are very expensive compared to previous amiibo prices. I’ve pre-ordered the Street Fighter amiibo myself. I would like to get the Zelda ones too but will have to get that at another time, as they are expensive compared to Switch 1 amiibo. The Zelda amiibo are cheaper than the Street Fighter 6 amiibo.Andrew J. GC: Yeesh, that is very expensive. We guess amiibo are no longer impulse purchases. Multiformat option Thanks for the recommendations from GC reader Andy F. After reading some reviews of Mario Golf: Super Rush I’ve decided to pass on that game and pick up Everybody’s Golf, when it finally gets released onto the Switch, as this series has always been supremely enjoyable when I’ve played them on various PlayStation platforms in the past.I still have a quandary with the Mario games I mentioned though. That’s basically because I’m not very good at 2D Mario games and I tend to fare better in a 3D world. However, with Super Mario Odyssey I’ve read so many times that the moons feel too easily earned and superfluous. I adored the Galaxy games because each star was a challenge and meant something to me. I know this is a very divisive issue, however. I’m currently looking up reviews of all three of the Mario games I mentioned, including Bowser’s Fury. I still do have a gripe with the Switch 2 though and feel that Nintendo have valued innovation over economics regarding the console being mostly flat in handheld mode. I’m going to have to purchase some aftermarket kit to make the Switch 2 usable for longer sessions in handheld as I have carpal tunnel in both hands. I’d also like a proper D-Pad from the company who invented it. Seems crazy to say that my Xbox Series X/S controllers allow me superior control on 1 vs 1 fighters, like Street Fighter 6 (I have no issues pulling off special moves for example) over a Nintendo device. Anyway, that’s my little rant out the way.Charlie H. GC: Ignoring the New Super Mario sub-series, you’d be hard pressed to find any Mario platformer that wasn’t an exceptional game. But Super Mario 3D World is right in the middle between 2D and 3D, so it seems perfect for you. As for the Switch 2, the Pro Controller has always been a very good joypad. Inbox also-rans It’s interesting that Mario Kart World doesn’t have any non-Mario characters in it, even though Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does. Is that a sign of DLC to come or that Nintendo is trying to pull things back in and avoid a Nintendo Kart situation – it’s not like World doesn’t have tons of characters as it is.LossyJust finished Indiana Jones And The Great Circle and it was overall a really good game, but that final boss battle was absolutely terrible. A 30 hour game and literally the final 10 minutes were the worst bit.Zeiss More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will GTA 6 be on Nintendo Switch 2? 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By Sabina Graves Published April 24, 2025 | Comments (0) | Sketch of Shrek and Donkey (from a set of three character illustrations) by Colin Jack. © DreamWorks/Sotheby's The animation industry in partnership with ASIFA-Hollywood has launched AnimAID, and a fundraising auction at Sotheby’s is set to raise money for industry folks affected by the LA wildfires. The Walt Disney Company, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, LAIKA, and more big studios have all donated an array of rare and unique pieces of animation art for interested parties to bid on. The online auction opened this week with the hopes of aiding artists and professionals within the animation industry who are facing displacement or have lost their homes as the city of Los Angeles continues to come together and rebuild. Animation producer Don Hahn (Beauty and The Beast, Howard) spoke on behalf of the cause on Instagram: “The animation community was hit hard by the Los Angeles fires. Now the animation world is banded together by donating artwork, priceless artwork to Sotheby’s for a very special auction to benefit an organization called AnimAID and those profits will go completely to victims of the LA fires.” The curation of over 90 years of incredible art draws from both cinema and television, including Snow White, The Simpsons, Inside Out, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Wild Robot, Beauty and the Beast, Avatar, and other beloved titles. Hahn continued, “Every bid makes a difference and helps people rebuild their homes and their lives.” The exhibition’s bidding is now ongoing and here’s a look at some of the pieces that are up for auction. Items also include film industry artist commissions, tours of the animation studios, signed posters, and more, as well as original production drawings and animation cells. For the live auction and more information visit here. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Sabina Graves Published April 23, 2025 By Sabina Graves Published April 22, 2025 By Sabina Graves Published April 11, 2025 By Justin Carter Published April 6, 2025 By Sabina Graves Published April 2, 2025 Germain Lussier Published April 1, 2025

Mitsugo House / Pranala AssociatesSave this picture!© Ernest Theofilus Architects: Pranala Associates Area Area of this architecture project Area:  837 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2023 Photographs Photographs:Ernest Theofilus Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Neolith, Daikin, MiLL Alumunium Lead Architects: Erick Laurentius More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. Mitsugo House is located in central Jakarta. The high density and bustling environment present a challenge for privacy and green space, as most surrounding properties are full-lot houses with little outdoor area. The neighborhood is packed with close-knit houses and narrow streets. To address this, the second floor was set back from the street. The house features a combination of wooden screens and natural elements like trees to enhance privacy while maintaining an open, airy feel inside. The design creates a clear separation from the public street and establishes a sense of privacy within the house.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The house emphasizes the connection with the outdoors. On the right side of the entrance, there is a void with two tall trees planted, and their tops can be seen directly from the master bedroom's window. Walking further, a koi pond brings tranquillity to the residents and guests alike, while natural stones formation stands out among the garden greeneries.  Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The open living room, which connects directly to the central courtyard, also fosters a strong relationship with nature. The courtyard serves as the heart of the home, providing a space for the family to gather and enjoy the outdoors. Large glass sliding doors are used throughout the house, offering natural light and flexibility in controlling air circulation. This design not only enhances the experience of living in the house but also helps regulate sunlight, temperature, and airflow, making the home comfortable year-round. Save this picture!Save this picture!Further back on the first floor, a semi-private lounge is connected to a small stone garden where the owners can serve their guests. The garden is also accessible from the sunroom, which also functions as a multi-purpose space.Save this picture!The materials chosen for Mitsugo House emphasize a connection to nature. The use of natural elements like ironwood and wood-textured concrete helps soften the building's exterior while also ensuring durability. The ironwood will naturally age to a grey tone, blending with the concrete. These materials are integrated, both inside and outside the house, creating a seamless transition between the living spaces and the surrounding environment.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this officePranala AssociatesOffice••• MaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on April 24, 2025Cite: "Mitsugo House / Pranala Associates" 24 Apr 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1029406/mitsugo-house-pranala-associates&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

In this clip, I demonstrate how to create a darker background using radial transparent material in Unreal Engine 5. Perfect for enhancing your visual effects!#UnrealEngine5 #NiagaraTutorial #GameDev #VisualEffects #CGHow

There’s a lot that goes on inside our brains. But there are times that our minds go… well… what’s the word? Blank? Reviewing available research on mind blanking, a new article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences says that the moments in which we are “thinking about nothing” are actually a lot more complex than we might think, as they tend to correspond with physiological, neural, and cognitive changes in our brains and bodies. Taken as a whole, the new article suggests that the blanking mind represents a distinct and phenomenally diverse mental state — a state that scientists are only starting to understand. What Is Mind Blanking?When we’re awake, our minds move from one mental state to another, with the majority of these mental states being characterized by “contents.” These contents are the topics that are on our minds — the things and ideas that our mental states are “about.” Though our minds typically transition seamlessly from one mental state to another, and thus from one content to another, there are some instances in which our minds happen to arrive at a mental state without any recognizable or reportable content at all. That’s the definition of mind blanking, which is also sometimes defined as an absence of thoughts or an absence of awareness. Indeed, though we’ve all experienced these blips in our own thinking, mind blanking is surprisingly difficult to define, with some scientists even describing it as a form of drowsiness.As difficult as mind blanking is to define, it’s also difficult to study. Setting out to review what researchers have revealed about mind blanking so far, the authors of the new Trends in Cognitive Sciences article examined the changes in our physiology, neurology, and cognition that occur as our minds blank out. “We sought to better understand mind blanking by parsing through 80 relevant research articles — including some of our own in which we recorded participants’ brain activity when they were reporting that they were ‘thinking of nothing,’” said Athena Demertzi, an author of the article and a neuroscientist at the University of Liège, Belgium, according to a press release. Mind Blanking on the Body and Brain Revealing the frequency of the occurrence, the authors found that mind blanking occurs with around 5 to 20 percent frequency in the available research. They also found that mind blanking typically takes place toward the end of sustained attention tasks or after, and also after periods of sleep deprivation and physical activity. Not only that, the team also suggested that sustained-attention-task mind blanking is associated with physiological and neural changes in people’s heart rate, pupil size, and brain activity. Tied to the latter are declines in the speed and the complexity of brain waves that are a lot like the declines seen in sleeping or unconscious brains. The researchers added that different types of mind blanking were associated with different types of brain activity, with mind blanking during sustained attention tasks appearing differently in the brain than mind blanking during rest. And, in addition to the physiological and neural changes, the researchers found a variety of cognitive changes associated with mind blanking, too, including slips in attention, memory, and inner speech. Read More: Scientists Aren't Sure How the Inner Voice WorksMind Wandering vs. Mind BlankingPrevious research has regarded mind blanking alongside mind wandering. But while similar, mind wandering and mind blanking are two distinct experiences. Mind wandering occurs when the mind moves from an external task to an internal task or thought, whereas mind blanking occurs when the mind goes “nowhere” instead of “elsewhere.”According to the authors of the new Trends in Cognitive Sciences article, mind blanking is its own experience, which leaves people slower, sleepier, and more mistake-prone than mind wandering does. And not only is it a distinct experience; it is also a diverse experience, since its physiological, neural, and cognitive impacts vary so much. As Jennifer Windt, another author and a philosopher at Monash University in Australia, said, according to the release, “The experience of a ‘blank mind’ is as intimate and direct as that of bearing thoughts.” The article suggests that arousal levels shape the various types and impacts of mind blanking. But regardless of its specific findings, the article contributes to our current understanding of mind blanking and could contribute to our future understanding of mind blanking, too."We believe that the investigation of mind blanking is insightful, important, and timely,” said Thomas Andrillon, the lead author of the article and a neuroscientist at the Paris Brain Institute, according to the release. “Insightful because it challenges the common conception that wakefulness involves a constant stream of thoughts. Important because mind blanking highlights the interindividual differences in subjective experience. Collectively, we stress that ongoing experiences come in shades with varying degrees of awareness and richness of content.”Article 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:Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Where Is My Mind? A Neurocognitive Investigation of Mind BlankingSam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology, and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. Before joining the Discover team as an assistant editor in 2022, Sam studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

The vegan dish includes five percent more protein than actual calamari. Credit: Credit: ACS Food Science & Technology (2025) Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 In 2023, researchers at the National University of Singapore unveiled their early attempts at realistic, nutritious 3D-printed vegan calamari rings. While results at the time tasted similar to the real thing, its inventors conceded that the texture didn’t quite work. That might seem like a minor caveat, but designing alternative cuisines that closely resemble their source dishes will be necessary if society wants to transition towards a more sustainable food industry.  After two years of trial and error, the researchers have returned with an updated fried calamari recipe they say finally matches the real thing. Not only that, but it actually provides 5 percent more protein than actual squid. Their results were recently published in the American Chemical Society. The new 3D-printed recipe still starts as plant-based paste made from isolated mung bean protein and powdered microalgae. But researchers also determined a precise mixture of extra ingredients to give their faux-calamari its familiar textural springiness. In addition to 10 percent powdered microalgae, the improved mixture also includes 1.5 percent gellan gum for thickening and 2 percent canola oil for fat content. To make the meal, each calamari is 3D printed in rings about 1.8 inches wide. Unlike previous trials, the team this time allowed the uncooked rings to freeze overnight. The following day, the researchers battered and quickly deep-fried their vegan calamari before proceeding to the taste tests. Microscopic imaging of the rings indicated another key factor that helped improve the meal. Inside the cooked paste resided small structural voids that modified its overall softness in ways that better resembled actual seafood. “This research showcases the potential of 3D printing to transform sustainable plant proteins… into seafood analogs,” said study lead author Poornima Vijayan. Moving forward, Vijayan says it’s just a matter of scaling their product—and convincing hungry diners to give it a try.