President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office have been a gift to a sector of the economy that gets little attention but has enormous social and economic consequences: the US meat industry.While Congress and both Republican and Democratic administrations tend to do what meat companies want — in part because those companies tend to give a lot of money to politicians and intensively lobby them — Trump has been even friendlier than most.The one striking exception, of course, are the tariffs, which farm groups have opposed and are already feeling the sting from. The ensuing trade war has reduced two of US agriculture’s most important exports to China: pork and soybeans.fIn most other respects, though, the Trump administration has behaved like traditional anti-regulation conservatives. It’s quickly taken a number of actions that directly benefit the meat industry, at the expense of the environment, animals, slaughterhouse workers, and the American consumer.Here are the six most consequential ones.1. Speeding up slaughter lines at meat processing plantsPig slaughter lines are already allowed to process as many as 1,106 hogs per hour, or roughly one pig every 3.2 seconds, while poultry operations are allowed to slaughter up to 140 birds per minute. Yet in March, the US Department of Agriculture announced that it was drafting a rule to allow pig and poultry slaughterhouses to operate even faster. Labor advocates say the new regulations will further endanger slaughterhouse workers, who already work one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, suffering high rates of injury from the repetitive cuts they must make to animal carcasses for hours on end.“Increased line speeds will hurt workers — it’s not a maybe, it’s a definite,” the president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, which represents over 15,000 poultry workers, said in a press release. Animal advocates also worry about how this will impact the billions of animals that move through US slaughterhouses every year. “With fewer protections and higher pressure, animals will endure even more suffering on the already cruel live-shackle slaughter line,” Michael Windsor of the animal protection group the Humane League told me in an email.The USDA didn’t respond to an interview request for this story.2. Rolling back food safety measuresToward the end of President Joe Biden’s term, his USDA proposed — but didn’t finalize — a rule that would require poultry companies to limit salmonella levels in their products and test raw chicken and turkey for six strains. “If the levels exceeded the standard or any of those strains were found, the poultry couldn’t be sold and would be subject to recall,” according to the Associated Press. The Biden administration aimed to prevent more than 10 percent of the 1.35 million salmonella infections Americans suffer from each year. But that won’t be happening. The National Chicken Council, the industry’s leading trade group, opposed the rule when it was proposed; in April, Trump’s USDA withdrew it.3. Gutting the USDA’s animal welfare research departmentIn February, the USDA shrunk a farm animal welfare research team from five scientists to just one, Sentient Media’s Grey Moran reported.Female breeding pigs confined in gestation crates, which immobilize the pigs for virtually their entire lives. Chayakorn Lotongkum via Getty Images/iStockphotoThe unit’s research aimed to better understand “the gruesome mutilations and injuries routinely suffered by farm animals, including the pain experienced by livestock during and after castration (the removal of the testicles to prevent further breeding); the far-ranging psychological and physiological impacts of heat stress on farm animals and methods to increase cooling, and ways that farm animal stress is passed down to their offspring,” according to Moran. The USDA unit also worked with livestock producers to improve animal welfare and had conducted research on pain endured by female breeding pigs kept in tiny cages, a common practice in the pork industry. That work informed California’s farm animal welfare law prohibiting extreme confinement of pigs. 4. Allowing the world’s largest — and perhaps most corrupt — meat company to trade on the New York Stock ExchangeFor a decade, JBS, the world’s largest meat company, had been seeking a listing on the New York Stock Exchange to gain new investors to fuel its nearly $19 billion meat and poultry empire. The Biden administration didn’t approve the Brazilian company’s listing, nor did Trump in his first term. But last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission gave JBS the green light to go public, news that came the same week it was revealed that one of the company’s subsidiaries was the largest single donor to Trump’s inauguration.JBS has long been embroiled in scandal. During Trump’s first term, the Justice Department fined JBS, JBS’s parent company, and two brothers who control the parent company $280 million for bribing approximately 1,800 Brazilian officials. Cattle trucks offload livestock at the JBS Greeley meatpacking facility in Greeley, Colorado. Chet Strange/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIn mid-January, JBS agreed to pay $4 million to a youth migrant legal defense organization after the Labor Department found that children had worked in JBS’s slaughterhouses for years. Less than two weeks later, its poultry subsidiary Pilgrim’s Pride — the company that donated $5 million to Trump’s inauguration — paid a $41.5 million settlement to investors over allegations that it had inflated its stock price.JBS has also long been implicated in deforestation, and last year, New York state’s attorney general took the company to court for its “net zero” climate claims. 5. Increasing poultry industry bailouts for bird fluEggs are so expensive right now primarily because of bird flu, which has resulted in the brutal culling of around 100 million egg-laying hens — and over 60 million chickens and turkeys raised for meat — since the current outbreak began in early 2022. More than half of the nearly $2 billion the US has spent on this outbreak has gone to cover poultry companies’ losses. According to a recent report by advocacy group Farm Forward, around one-third of payments to poultry companies — some $365 million — have gone to 67 “repeat offender” operations with two or more outbreaks. While bird flu infections are hard to prevent, producers may be disincentivized from strengthening their biosecurity if the USDA guarantees they’ll be compensated for their losses, a problem the Biden administration identified late last year when it implemented an interim rule requiring producers to pass a biosecurity audit to become eligible for compensation.Despite all this, in late March, the USDA more than doubled the amount that it pays egg companies for each killed hen, from around $7 per bird to almost $17. No matter how weak the poultry industry’s biosecurity, and despite the fact that it culls birds in the most painful ways imaginable, the government has made clear it will generously cover poultry producers’ losses. Although many consumers don’t know it, and politicians do little to address it, agriculture is a massive polluter — it’s the largest source of US water pollution, most of it from meat and livestock feed production — and accounts for at least 11 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. In early April, a leaked USDA memo revealed that the Agricultural Research Service, the USDA’s in-house scientific research department, could no longer use 110 words and phrases, including water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, groundwater pollution, and climate change, in some of the department’s documents. That’ll only make it harder for anyone to understand and ameliorate the meat industry’s social costs. There’s more: Trump recently proclaimed that he wants to open up a marine refuge near Hawaii to commercial fishing, and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has expressed strong support for legislative efforts to dismantle critical state animal welfare laws.But not all of the Trump administration’s agricultural policies have been favorable to industry (like the tariffs). In March, the Justice Department opened an investigation into the egg industry over price-fixing concerns. Trump has also frozen most of the $19.5 billion set aside in the Inflation Reduction Act to help farmers implement conservation and climate practices, and has canceled a similar $3 billion Biden-era program.Nor is it necessarily clear that the Trump administration has been bad for animals on net. Animal advocates have cheered recent moves by the FDA and EPA to significantly reduce animal testing, which, although a separate issue from factory farming, could represent a major reduction in a type of animal suffering that has long been unchallenged by both parties.But when it comes to the industry that’s by far more responsible than any other for hurting and killing animals, the Trump administration has been even more deferential than his recent predecessors. Its positions on meat and the animals who suffer for it could be summed up as simply as “kill, baby, kill.”A version of this story originally appeared in the Future Perfect newsletter. Sign up here!You’ve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you — join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Fortnite's newest Galactic Battle season might be its most ambitious yet, so we've got all the information on how you can get involved and when it'll be ready to playTech15:27, 01 May 2025Could Galactic Battle be the biggest Fortnite season ever?Fortnite could be on its way back to the iPhone, but the most pressing concern is this week's new seasonal update. Chapter 6 Season 3, or Galactic Battle, is a huge new event for the game that brings back Star Wars fun for a whole season.There's a TV show premiere happening in the game, but the update will also introduce a whole bunch of skins, massive map changes, and much, much more.‌We've been digging through the details to help show you everything coming in the latest Fortnite season, whether you're looking to play the Battle Royale or just have fun in a Star Wars-themed map. Do or do not, there is no try.‌The update lands on May 2 (Friday), with the Fortnite servers expected to go down at 7 AM UK time for a few hours.That means we could be waiting until around midday to be able to log on, but it looks as though it'll be worth the wait.Article continues belowFortnite's new Star Wars-themed chapter lands tomorrowIn all honesty, it's been a while since we've seen an update this big for the battle royale. Sure, there have been map changes and fresh Battle Pass skins, but rarely is an entire season so focused on a crossover.The new update will lead to some huge map changes‌This season, there are four new POIs joining the map, with the Outpost Enclave, Resistance Base for the goodies, the First Order Base for the baddies, and Vader Samurai's Solitude.Looks like Resistance Base will feature a Millennium Falcon, too, so we know where we'll be going first.The Battle Pass features General Grievous‌The Battle Pass skins this time around are, naturally, all Star Wars themed.There's a Wookie Team Leader and Resistance Fighter Evie for Fortnite fans, but the big draws here are likely to be Poe Dameron, Emperor Palpatine, and a rather excellent-looking General Grievous skin.It's nice to see them give some prequel love, which also brings us to Darth Jar-Jar. The Sith version of the Gungan has been shown in the update's trailers, so we reckon he might be the Battle Pass Bonus Skin this time around but time will tell.‌From the trailer, we've spotted Captain Phasma, Mace Windu, and what appears to be a new Mandalorian skin, but as always we've learned to expect the unexpected.The Star Wars setting should help get you in the zone for the show's debutOn May 2, the new anthology show will be found in the Star Wars Watch Party island, which you can find using a code.‌“How to find the Star Wars Watch Party? It’s simple — it’ll be in the row of experiences you see after logging into Fortnite! If you want, you can also click the magnifying glass in the top-left of the screen and search using the code 2124-6713-8076,” Epic's Blog Post explains.The island is sticking around until May 11, and there are bonuses for taking part. For one, you'll get a special Asajj Ventress Loading Screen if you watch both episodes, and there are minigames to take part in that let you wield a blaster of lightsaber.From the trailer, it certainly looks as though we'll be taking to the skies in an X-Wing or TIE Fighter, but we're yet to find out how that will work.‌Will they be able to be flown right from the ground? Or do we have to kill a boss to earn the right? All will be revealed soon.You can snag a Stormtrooper outfit for freeThat's not all. You can unlock the First Order Stormtrooper outfit in-game by connecting your Epic and MyDisney accounts.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.‌‌‌

Xbox games facing new £80 price tag as console prices rise by £50 GameCentral Published May 1, 2025 4:10pm Updated May 1, 2025 5:01pm Everything is more expensive (Microsoft) It’s not only Xbox consoles and controllers that are increasing in price but the games too, with Microsoft blaming adverse ‘market conditions’. Microsoft revealed only this week that sales of their various Xbox consoles are continuing a downward trend, with hardware revenue dropping by 6% in the last three months. Sales have been falling for years now and they’re unlikely to be helped by Microsoft’s latest annoucement: a worldwide price increase for all Xbox hardware… and software. Sony has already announced a £40 price hike for the PlayStation 5 digital edition, but not the disc version or the PS5 Pro. This was blamed on ‘a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates.’ Microsoft’s justification is even vaguer, with mention only of unfavourable ‘market conditions’ and increased development costs – the latter a reference to the fact that major triple-A titles will be seeing a price increase to $80 in the US. $80 is only £60 but currently major titles in the US, such as Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 and most Sony first party titles, are priced at $70, with the equivalent in the UK being £70. That suggests that this new price increase will likely be £80. ‘We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration,’ said Microsoft in a statement. ‘Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.’ What’s the new price for Xbox consoles in the UK? In terms of hardware prices, the Xbox Series X will see an increase of £20, to £499.99; while the 2TB Xbox Series X will increase by £40 to £589.99; and the Xbox Series S will see a massive £50 jump, to £299.99. For once, and no doubt thanks to the tariffs, the US seems to have it worse, with the Xbox Series X price rising $100 and the 2TB model up by $130. That means there is hope that the $80 price rise will not be as much as £80 and possibly will not happen at all, as at the moment all that’s been announced is the US increase. Would you pay £80 for the next Call Of Duty? (Activision) We asked Microsoft for clarification but were told only that, ‘Local pricing may differ across countries and platforms. These differences reflect regional considerations including foreign exchange rates and market conditions.’ The only real silver lining is that existing games will not increase in price, it’s just new titles from this Christmas. ‘This update will apply to physical and digital versions. That said, different games and expansions will continue to be offered at a variety of price points,’ says a new Q&A on the subject. The same website also notes UK prices for all Xbox controllers, but they’re less affected than the US, with only the Elite Series 2 (Full) seeing a £10 increase to £169.99. Next year’s Fable reboot may end up costing £80 (Xbox Game Studios) Why are video games getting more expensive? The news comes only weeks after Nintendo announced their prices for Switch 2 games, which vary considerably by title but at the highest end costs £67 for the digital version of Mario Kart World and £75 for a physical copy. More Trending As many suspected, this seems to be merely the vanguard of an industry wide wave of price rises. Rumours suggest that GTA 6 could cost up to £100 – with other publishers eager to charge the same for their games, if that price is accepted by customers. Video games are unquestionably more expensive to make now than they’ve ever been but it’s unclear whether that or tariffs are the primary reason for Microsoft’s software increase. Although tariffs should only affect the US, given most Xbox hardware is made in China, many companies, whether in the games industry or not, will be looking to limit price increases in the huge US market by also increasing prices elsewhere, if only by a smaller amount. Microsoft is never going to admit that’s the case, any more than Nintendo or Sony would, but it certainly seems as if a new era of more expensive video game software and hardware is firmly upon us. This is not good news (Picture: Microsoft) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Is GTA 6 really out this year? GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

By Ed Cara Published May 1, 2025 | Comments (0) | HHS Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously promised to shut down infectious disease research. © New Africa via Shutterstock The Trump administration looks to be surrendering in the war against germs. A new report from Wired reveals the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has shuttered a federal lab dedicated to studying some of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. According to Wired’s report, published Wednesday, the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland was ordered to completely cease its experimental research by April 29. The facility has long researched the treatment and prevention of “high consequence” infectious diseases, including Ebola and Lassa fever. The facility’s ultimate fate is uncertain at this time. The Integrated Research Facility operates under the umbrella of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). It hosts one of the dozen research laboratories in North America allowed to handle germs that meet the criteria for Biosafety Level 4, the highest level of containment; it’s also one of the few places in the entire world where scientists can perform medical imaging on BSL-4 infected animals. BSL-4 pathogens typically cause severe or fatal illness, may be able to spread easily in a lab setting, and have few or no available treatments or vaccines. These pathogens include the viruses that cause Ebola and Lassa, as well as the reconstructed flu virus that caused the 1918 pandemic. Wired viewed an email sent by Michael Holbrook, associate director for high containment at the Integrated Research Facility, that detailed the facility’s shuttering. Holbrook reportedly told employees that the facility will be explicitly ending its studies on Lassa fever, SARS-Cov-2, and Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a rare but often deadly mosquitoborne virus found in the U.S. Northeast. The animals used for these studies, however, will not be euthanized. He added that officials from the Department of Homeland Security would padlock the freezers used for BSL-4 research. “The sacrifice to research is immense,” Gigi Kwik Gronvall, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Wired. “If things are unused for a period of time, it will cost more money to get them ready to be used again.” The HHS’s closing of the Integrated Research Facility shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. After President Donald Trump’s election win last November, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who has since become HHS chief—promised that he would try to shut down infectious disease research at the National Institutes of Health as soon as Trump took office. During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy also (wrongly) claimed that federal funding on infectious diseases far outweighed the money spent studying chronic diseases. When contacted by Wired, a NIH spokesperson characterized the facility’s closing as a “research pause” and appeared to blame staff members for the shutdown, though without any further details. Notably, the facility’s director, Connie Schmaljohn, was also put on administrative leave. “This decision follows identification and documentation of personnel issues involving contract staff that compromised the facility’s safety culture, prompting this research pause,” Bradley Moss, communication director for the office of research services at NIH, told Wired. The government’s stated rationale for pausing work at the Integrated Research Facility might merit some skepticism, however, given how unorganized and destructive the supposed “restructuring” of HHS being carried out by RFK Jr. has gone to date. And seeing as we’re still fresh off the worst pandemic seen in over a century, any sustained pause in infectious disease research is likely to be bad news. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Ed Cara Published April 30, 2025 By Ed Cara Published April 23, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published April 22, 2025 By Ed Cara Published April 21, 2025 By Ed Cara Published April 15, 2025 By Ed Cara Published April 11, 2025

Arrow House / Mora Hughes ArquitectosSave this picture!© Luis Abba Architects: Mora Hughes Arquitectos Area Area of this architecture project Area:  3757 ft² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2024 Photographs Photographs:Luis AbbaMore SpecsLess Specs Save this picture!Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. Located in the town of Chacras de Coria, Casa Flecha is a contemporary retreat immersed in a natural setting, conceived as a space for gathering where architecture establishes a fluid dialogue with the landscape. Set on a wooded plot, the house is composed of a series of gabled volumes built with a metal structure, forming a fragmented composition that defines different areas of use and reinforces the connection with the surroundings.Save this picture!The volumes are uniformly clad in micro-ribbed metal sheeting, lending unity and character to the whole. Glass and perforated black metal enclosures provide lightness and permeability, encouraging interaction with the outdoors. The layout of the volumes creates courtyards and intermediate spaces that promote cross ventilation and integration with the landscape.Save this picture!Inside, the walls and ceilings are fully clad in wood, bringing warmth and a sense of coziness that contrasts with the robustness of the metal structure. Polished concrete floors reinforce the understated, continuous aesthetic of the interior, creating a harmonious and contemporary atmosphere. A mezzanine level houses a workspace and relaxation area, enriched by greenery that adds life and freshness to the space. In the social area, a wood-burning stove becomes a focal point, providing comfort and warmth during the colder months.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The outdoor spaces enhance the living experience with a jacuzzi and open-air shower that invite connection with nature in a setting designed for rest and enjoyment. A custom-designed grill area encourages social gatherings, reinforcing the home’s character as a place for celebration and togetherness.Save this picture!Save this picture!More than a traditional dwelling, Casa Flecha is envisioned as a contemporary retreat that balances strength and lightness, offering a flexible living experience in close relationship with its natural surroundings.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this office MaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on May 01, 2025Cite: "Arrow House / Mora Hughes Arquitectos" [Casa Flecha / Mora Hughes Arquitectos] 01 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1029522/arrow-house-mora-hughes-arquitectos&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

Welcome to your first 300 seconds in Unreal Engine! In this quick and engaging tutorial, we'll guide you through the essential steps to download the Epic Games Launcher, install Unreal Engine, and create stunning visual effects (VFX) in no time. What You'll Learn: - How to download and install the Epic Games Launcher - Step-by-step instructions to set up Unreal Engine - Tips for creating your first big effect in Unreal Engine - Best practices for beginners in VFX design Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to refresh your skills, this video is perfect for you! Join us as we unlock the power of Unreal Engine and dive into the world of visual effects. Don't forget to: - Like this video if you found it helpful! - Subscribe for more Unreal Engine tutorials and VFX tips! - Leave a comment below with your thoughts or any questions you have! Let’s get started and unleash your creativity in just 300 seconds! FAB - https://www.fab.com/sellers/CGHOW Whatsapp - https://bit.ly/3LYvxjK Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Ashif Twitter - https://twitter.com/cghow_ 👉👉 If you Liked it - http://bit.ly/2UZmiZ4 Channel Ashif - http://bit.ly/3aYaniw Visit - https://cghow.com/ Gumroad - https://cghow.gumroad.com/ #cghow #UE5 #UE4Niagara #gamefx #ue5niagara #ue4vfx #niagara #unrealengine #realtimevfx

just a quick tip :) This render was for some html i was working on (for my addon) ➟ https://www.cgmatter.com/genie 🧞Genie🧞 ➟ https://superhivemarket.com/products/genie

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The ancient Egyptians were astute astronomers. They often depicted the cosmos atop coffins. A new survey of such artwork suggests that they may have had a greater understanding of the Milky Way than previously thought, according to a study in The Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.The study focuses on how the Egyptian Sky Goddess Nut has been depicted in several settings over time. The goddess was often portrayed as a naked, star-covered woman arching over the Earth, often above the Earth god Geb. Nut’s legend has her consuming the sun at night and giving birth to it at dawn.Ancient Egyptians and the CosmosThe study’s author, Or Graur, an astrophysics professor at the University of Portsmouth, England examined 125 images of Nut drawn from a list of 555 ancient Egyptian coffins. He was searching for both similarities and anomalies.He found the most telling discrepancy on the outer coffin of Nesitaudjatakhet, a chantress to Amun-Re who died about 3,000 years ago. The coffin depicts a wavy line across Nut’s star-covered body. This feature “recalls the Great Rift that cleaves the Milky Way in two,” according to the paper.Although the feature appears to be rare in ancient Egyptian coffin art, it has been seen in other settings. Similar lines run through a star-painted ceiling within Seti I’s tomb and also appear with Nut in the tombs of Ramesses IV, VI, and IX.“Hence, I argue that the undulating curve is a visual representation of the Milky Way and that it supports a previously suggested identification of ‘Winding Waterway’ as the Galaxy’s Egyptian name,” according to the article.Egyptian Astronomers and the Milky WayGraur’s conclusion based on the Egyptian art examination supports earlier work based on his studies of previous research, written records like the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and Book of Nut. That article suggests that Egyptian astronomers used the Milky Way’s curvature to locate the constellation representing Nut.He also found clues about Nut’s cosmological role by analyzing other inconsistencies. For instance, she was only depicted as a star-covered being in about 25 percent of the images studied. That, along with the relative rarity of the wavy line motif, could clarify the god’s significance.“Though Nut and the Milky Way are linked, they are not synonymous,” according to the article. “Instead of acting as a representation of Nut, the Milky Way is one more celestial phenomenon that, like the Sun and the stars, is associated with Nut in her role as the sky.”Graur’s studies of Nut represent a portion of a larger body of work that examines how various cultures have depicted the Milky Way. He has linked a similar curve to art of the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes.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:The Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. The Ancient Egyptian Cosmological Vignette: First Visual Evidence of the Milky Way and Trends in Coffin Depictions of the Sky Goddess NutBefore joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

Polynomials were first conceived by the Babylonians around 1800 BCE. Credit: Getty Images Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Most people’s experiences with polynomial equations don’t extend much further than high school algebra and the quadratic formula. Still, these numeric puzzles remain a foundational component of everything from calculating planetary orbits to computer programming. Although solving lower order polynomials—where the x in an equation is raised up to the fourth power—is often a simple task, things get complicated once you start seeing powers of five or greater. For centuries, mathematicians accepted this as simply an inherent challenge to their work, but not Norman Wildberger. According to his new approach detailed in The American Mathematical Monthly, there’s a much more elegant approach to high order polynomials—all you need to do is get rid of pesky notions like irrational numbers. Babylonians first conceived of two-degree polynomials around 1800 BCE, but it took until the 16th century for mathematicians to evolve the concept to incorporate three- and four-degree variables using root numbers, also known as radicals. Polynomials remained there for another two centuries, with larger examples stumping experts until in 1832. That year, French mathematician Évariste Galois finally illustrated why this was such a problem—the underlying mathematical symmetry in the established methods for lower-order polynomials simply became too complicated for degree five or higher. For Galois, this meant there just wasn’t a general formula available for them. Norman Wildberger’s mathematical work rejects concepts like irrational numbers. Mathematicians have since developed approximate solutions, but they require integrating concepts like irrational numbers into the classical formula.  To calculate such an irrational number, “you would need an infinite amount of work and a hard drive larger than the universe,” explained Wildberger, a mathematician at the University of New South Wales Sydney in Australia. This infinite number of possibilities is the fundamental issue, according to Wildberger. The solution? Toss out the entire concept. “[I don’t] believe in irrational numbers,” he said. Instead, his approach relies on mathematical functions like adding, multiplying, and squaring. Wildberger recently approached this challenge by turning to specific polynomial variants called “power series,” which possess infinite terms within the powers of x. To test it out, he and computer scientist Dean Rubine used “a famous cubic equation used by Wallis in the 17th century to demonstrate Newton’s method.” You don’t need to try wrapping your head around all that, however. Just trust Wildberger when he said the solution “worked beautifully.”  The same goes for Catalan numbers, a famous sequence of numbers that describes the number of ways to dissect any given polygon. These also appear in the natural world in areas like biology, where they are employed to analyze possible folding patterns of RNA molecules. “The Catalan numbers are understood to be intimately connected with the quadratic equation,” explained Wildberger. “Our innovation lies in the idea that if we want to solve higher equations, we should look for higher analogues of the Catalan numbers.” Outside of headspinning concepts on paper, Wildberger believes the new approach to higher power polynomials could soon result in computer programs capable of solving equations without the need for radicals. It may also help improve algorithms across a variety of fields. “This is a dramatic revision of a basic chapter in algebra,” argued Wildberger. Luckily, none of this will be your next pop quiz.