When to watch the Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles?Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT).Where to watchThe Commanders-Eagles game will stream live on Amazon Prime Video and for free on Twitch. Fans in the home markets of each team can also watch on their local Fox channel. See at Amazon Thursday Night Football each week, for $9 a month Amazon Prime Video See at Amazon See more details See at YouTube TV Carries Fox for $73 a month YouTube TV See at YouTube TV See more details See at Hulu Plus Live TV Carries Fox for $83 a month Hulu Plus Live TV See at Hulu Plus Live TV See more details See at DirecTV Stream Carries Fox for $87 a month DirecTV Stream See at DirecTV Stream See more details See at Fubo Carries Fox for $92 or $95 per month Fubo See at Fubo See more details See at Sling TV Carries Fox for $45 a month in select markets Sling TV Blue See at Sling TV See more details Table of Contents The Eagles sit atop the NFC East at 7-2, and the Commanders trail by half a game at 7-3, which means the winner of tonight's game will lead the division with six weeks remaining in the season. More importantly, the winner of tonight's game will have a win in the head-to-head matchup between these two division rivals -- they meet again in Washington in Week 16. With the Cowboys and Giants out of the race, either the Commanders or Eagles will win the NFC East with the other vying for a Wild Card spot in the conference.The Commanders-Eagles game starts tonight at 5:15 p.m. PT (8:15 p.m. ET). The game will stream nationally on Prime Video and for free on Twitch. Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders have a road test against their division rivals from Philadelphia tonight on Thursday Night Football. Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesKeep reading to see your options for watching Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, Twitch, NFL Plus and -- if you live in the home markets of the Commanders or Eagles -- a local network channel.With YouTube and YouTube TV the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket, along with games also streaming on Paramount Plus, Peacock and ESPN Plus, there's lots for NFL fans to keep track of this season. Check out our picks for the best live TV streaming services for NFL fans in 2024.TNF streaming: Prime Video, Twitch and NFL PlusThursday Night Football games are streamed nationally on Amazon Prime Video, giving NFL fans more incentive than free two-day shipping to sign up for an Amazon Prime account, which costs $15 a month or $139 a year. You can also subscribe only to Prime Video for $9 a month. AmazonFans in the local markets of each team playing on Thursday night will be able to watch the game on an over-the-air station, while those who don't pay for either of Amazon's services can watch for free on Prime Video's Twitch channel. (Twitch is also owned by Amazon.)If you subscribe to NFL Plus, the league's $7-per-month streaming service (or $15 a month with Red Zone included), you can also stream the game without subscribing to Prime or Prime Video. Note that NFL Plus viewing is limited to watching on just a phone or tablet, not on a computer or TV. Amazon Thursday Night Football games are streamed live on Amazon Prime Video. For millions of Amazon Prime subscribers, the Prime Video channel is already included at no extra cost. But if you're not an Amazon Prime subscriber, it might be worth it to shell out the $9 a month for the stand-alone Prime Video service, not only for football but also its impressive selection ofshowsand movies.Read our Amazon Prime Video review. See at Amazon Can I watch Thursday Night Football on local TV?Yes, you can, if you live in the local market of either of the teams playing on Thursday. For this week, that's Fox 5 (WTTG) in DC and Fox 29 (WTXF) in Philadelphia, according to 506 Sports. There are two ways to watch local channels on your TV without cable or satellite TV. The first is with a live TV streaming service. And the second is with an over-the-air antenna, if you live in an area that has good reception.Each of the five major live TV streaming services carry Fox, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your particular area. Sarah Tew/CNET YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes Fox. Right now, the first two months are discounted to $50 a month and there is a 7-day free trial. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review. See at YouTube TV Sarah Tew/CNET Hulu Plus Live TV costs $83 after a recent price hikeand includes Fox in most markets. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review. See at Hulu Plus Live TV Directv stream DirecTV Stream's basic $87-a-month package includes Fox in most markets. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review. See at DirecTV Stream Fubo Fubo costs $80 a month and includes Fox, but Fubocharges an RSN fee(either $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area) that raises the monthly charge to $92 or $95. Fubo is currently offering $30 off for the first month of some of its plans, which means you can get its base Pro plan for $62 or $65 to start.Click hereto see which local channels you get.Read our Fubo review. See at Fubo Sling/CNET Sling TV's Sling Blue package includes local Fox channels but only in a handful of markets. Sling Blue costs $45 a month in markets where it offers local networks and $40 elsewhere.Read our Sling TV review. See at Sling TV All the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out ourlive TV streaming services guide.

For many of us, our internet hardware is best left to technicians and tech-savvy friends and family to set up on our behalf. There's no shame in that, but understanding how your Wi-Fi works is still well worth it. A good start is learning the difference between your modem and router. From there, you'll have a much easier time fixing problems as they arise, and you'll have a better sense of when and how to best upgrade your network, too. What's more, plenty of home internet providers will let you skip an equipment rental fee if you use your own modem or router, so buying your own hardware could save you money over the long run, too.Let's get right to it, starting with the likely starting point for your home's internet connection:Your modem connects your home network to the outside worldThe internet is also known as the World Wide Web because that's basically what it is -- a massive web of computers and servers that can pass information back and forth in mere milliseconds. Smartphones and other cellular devices can connect to that web with a wireless connection to the nearest cell tower, but noncellular devices like smart home gadgets, gaming consoles and your computer need another way to access the web and get online. This Arris Surfboard is a good recent example of a modem -- its job is to encode your internet traffic and send it out into the web, then decode the signals you receive in response. ArrisThat's where your home's modem comes in. Short for modulator-demodulator, your modem's job is to act as the translator for your home network. It takes whatever data you want to send out into the internet -- a Google search, a request to refresh your Instagram feed, an email, you name it -- and modulates that data into an encoded electronic signal that can travel through the web. When that signal reaches its destination, the receiving modem will demodulate, decode it into readable data and then send a response.Here's a practical example: When you're at home shopping on Amazon and you click "Add to cart," your modem sends that request to Amazon's servers. Then, Amazon responds by sending the confirmation that your bulk order of red gummy bears is, indeed, in your cart. All of that happens within a fraction of a second, and you see it play out on your screen because your modem is connecting you with Amazon through the web. Thanks, modem!In the early days of the internet, a modem was all most people used to get online. You'd plug your modem into your home phone line for a dial-up connection with your internet service provider, and then you'd wire the modem to your computer to connect that computer to the web. Wired connections to the modem like that are great for a connection that's as fast and reliable as your ISP allows, but they aren't practical if you want to be able to connect from anywhere in your house, or if you want to use things like wireless smart home gadgets. For that, you'll need a way for those devices to connect to your modem without wires at all.Gee, if only there was a device for that, some way to "route" all of those wireless signals to the right place... This Asus router offers wireless access to your modem's connection with the web (hence the antennas). Chris Monroe/CNETYour router connects your devices to your modem without wiresYep, that's what your router is for. Instead of wiring each of your devices to your modem, you wire a router to it. From there, that router broadcasts a Wi-Fi network. Any Wi-Fi device in range of that network can use whatever password you've set to connect wirelessly to the router and, through it, to the modem and the web. That's also why it's important to set a strong password for your network -- without one, anyone within range will be able to use your connection and potentially interfere with other devices.There's a wide range of Wi-Fi routers available for use in people's homes, and a wide range of strengths and weaknesses between them. If you live in a small home and don't use the internet too heavily, then a basic, stand-alone router might be all you need. If your home is larger, then you might want to upgrade to a mesh router that uses multiple devices throughout your house to relay a stronger, more reliable Wi-Fi signal from room to room. If you're a hardcore gamer, you might want to invest in a feature-rich gaming router to help optimize your connection with whatever server you're playing on and keep latency as low as possible as you're lining up headshots.You should also know that all routers aren't created equal. Just as cellular connections got faster and faster from 3G to 4G to 5G, Wi-Fi has improved, too, with new-and-improved versions of the standard released every five to ten years. The latest generation, Wi-Fi 7, promises top speeds to other Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 devices, plus better performance on networks where many devices are trying to connect simultaneously.Wireless connections typically aren't as fast or dependable as wired connections, so the wireless connection between your devices and your router is likely the weakest point in the chain that connects your home to the web. That's why it makes sense to invest in a capable router with strong performance over Wi-Fi -- and it's why we're constantly testing the latest routersto bring you the best upgrade recommendations. This T-Mobile gateway acts as both a 5G modem and a wireless router. Rick Broida/CNETGateways combine a modem and router into oneA wireless home network needs a connection to the web (the modem) and wireless access to that connection for your devices (the router). That doesn't mean that you need two separate devices, though. Shop around, and you'll see all-in-one devices that combine the two into a single piece of hardware, often called a gateway. They're simply modems with their own, built-in routers.Many internet providers will rent out devices like this when setting up your connection, including AT&T, Xfinity and Optimum. Gateways are also common with cellular internet plans, like with T-Mobile Home Internet, where your incoming internet signal arrives over the air instead of by ground-laid wire like with fiber, cable or DSL. You need a special radio to accept cellular signals like those, so the provider will often provide an all-in-one gateway with that radio built right in.In most cases, you can turn off the gateway's wireless network -- the router part -- and use your own router if you so choose. Just connect that router to the gateway with an Ethernet cable, just like you would with a regular modem. Be sure to turn that gateway's wireless network off in the device settings -- otherwise, you'll have two networks in your home that could interfere with each other or cause confusion. Enlarge Image The speed ratings listed on router packaging will give you an approximate sense of the combined speed of each band -- but you can only connect to one band at a time, so those ratings are often misleading. Ry Crist/CNETHow can I tell if a modem or router is fast enough?Modem and router speed is typically described in terms of the amount of data the device can transfer each second, typically in megabits. The more megabits of data a modem or router can handle in a given second, the faster that modem or router is. Look for those top transfer rates listed in Mbps, or megabits-per-second. If it's a really fast piece of hardware, then you might see the speed listed in gigabits-per-second, or Gbps. 1Gbps equals 1,000Mbps.Mbps is the same unit internet service providers use to describe the speed of their respective plans, so it's a good idea to ensure that your modem and router are fast enough to make the most out of your connection. For instance, I have a fiber connection in my home that allows for downloads and uploads up to 300Mbps. A modem and router that supported top speeds of up to 800Mbps would likely be more than enough for my needs, but if I had a faster gigabit plan from my provider (1Gbps, or 1,000Mbps), then I'd definitely be looking to upgrade.With routers, you can get a rough sense of the speed capabilities by looking at the speed rating, typically featured prominently on the box. Those speed ratings consist of two letters followed by a number, like AX1500. The letters tell you which generation of Wi-Fi the router supports ("AX" means Wi-Fi 6, for instance, while "AC" indicates Wi-Fi 5). The number tells you the approximate combined speeds of each of the router's bands (usually 2.4 and 5GHz, as well as a second 5GHz band if it's a tri-band router -- or a 6GHz band if the router supports Wi-Fi 6E). Just know that those speed ratings are typically pretty misleading, because you can only connect to one band at a time. Checking the fine print as you shop to see the top speed of each individual band will give you a better sense of each router's true capabilities.One final thoughtIf you're considering buying your modem, make sure that your provider allows you to do that (AT&T, for instance, does not), and get one that your provider supports. Different modes of internet require different kinds of modems, so you'll want to be sure and get one that'll actually work with your connection. The help section of your ISP's website is the best place to find guidance here -- look for a list of supported modems before you pull the trigger on a purchase.

November 14, 20247 min readWhat RFK, Jr.s Role in Trumps Administration Could Mean for Public HealthFederal health scientists voice concern over an anticipated takeover by medical skeptics in Trumps second administrationBy Arthur Allen & KFF Health NewsRobert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign rally for president-elect Donald Trump at Macomb Community College on November 01, 2024 in Warren, Michigan. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesMany scientists at the federal health agencies await the second Donald Trump administration with dread as well as uncertainty over how the president-elect will reconcile starkly different philosophies among the leaders of his team.Trump has promised he would allow Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to go wild on medicines, food, and health. With that, a radical antiestablishment medical movement with roots in past centuries could threaten the achievements of a science-based public health order painstakingly built since World War II, some of these scientists fear.If Kennedy makes good on his vision for transforming public health, childhood vaccine mandates could wither. New vaccines might never win approval, even as the FDA allows dangerous or inefficient therapies onto the market. Agency websites could trumpet unproven or debunked health ideas. And if Trumps plan to weaken civil service rights goes through, anyone who questions these decisions could be summarily fired.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.Never has anybody like RFK Jr. gotten anywhere close to the position he may be in to actually shape policy, said Lewis Grossman, a law professor at American University and the author of Choose Your Medicine, a history of U.S. public health.Kennedy and an adviser Calley Means, a health care entrepreneur, say dramatic changes are needed because of the high levels of chronic disease in the United States. Government agencies have corruptly tolerated or promoted unhealthy diets and dangerous drugs and vaccines, they say.Means and Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment. Four conservative members of the first Trump health bureaucracy spoke on condition of anonymity. They eagerly welcomed the former presidents return but voiced few opinions about specific policies. Days after last weeks election, RFK Jr. announced that the Trump administration would immediately fire and replace 600 National Institutes of Health officials. He set up a website seeking crowdsourced nominees for federal appointments, with a host of vaccination foes and chiropractors among the early favorites.At meetings last week at Mar-a-Lago involving Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., Kennedy, and Means, according to Politico, some candidates for leading health posts included Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University scientist who opposed covid lockdowns; Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who opposes mRNA covid vaccines and rejected well-established disease control practices during a measles outbreak; Johns Hopkins University surgeon Marty Makary; and Means sister, Stanford-trained surgeon and health guru Casey Means.All are mavericks of a sort, though their ideas are not uniform. Yet the notion that they could elbow aside a century of science-based health policy is profoundly troubling to many health professionals. They see Kennedys presence at the heart of the Trump transition as a triumph of the medical freedom movement, which arose in opposition to the Progressive Era idea that experts should guide health care policy and practices.It could represent a turning away from the expectation that mainstream doctors be respected for their specialized knowledge, said Howard Markel, an emeritus professor of pediatrics and history at the University of Michigan, who began his clinical career treating AIDS patients and ended it after suffering a yearlong bout of long covid.Weve gone back to the idea of every man his own doctor, he said, referring to a phrase that gained currency in the 19th century. It was a bad idea then and its even worse now, he said.What does that do to the morale of scientists? Markel asked. The public health agencies, largely a post-WWII legacy, are remarkable institutions, but you can screw up these systems, not just by defunding them but by deflating the true patriots who work in them.FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told a conference on Nov. 12 that he worried about mass firings at the FDA. Im biased, but I feel like the FDA is sort of at peak performance right now, he said. At a conference the next day, CDC Director Mandy Cohen reminded listeners of the horrors of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and polio. I dont want to have to see us go backward in order to remind ourselves that vaccines work, she said.Exodus From the Agencies?With uncertainty over the direction of their agencies, many older scientists at the NIH, FDA, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are considering retirement, said a senior NIH scientist who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job.Everybody I talk to sort of takes a deep breath and says, It doesnt look good, the official said.I hear of many people getting CVs ready, said Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University. They include two of his former students who now work at the FDA, Caplan said.Others, such as Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, have voiced wait-and-see attitudes. We worked with the Trump administration last time. There were times things worked reasonably well, he said, and times when things were chaotic, particularly during covid. Any wholesale deregulation efforts in public health would be politically risky for Trump, he said, because when administrations screw things up, people get sick and die.At the FDA, at least, its very hard to make seismic changes, former FDA chief counsel Dan Troy said.But the administration could score easy libertarian-tinged wins by, for example, telling its new FDA chief to reverse the agencys refusal to approve the psychedelic drug MDMA from the company Lykos. Access to psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder has grabbed the interest of many veterans. Vitamins and supplements, already only lightly regulated, will probably get even more of a free pass from the next Trump FDA.Medical Freedom or Nanny StateTrumps health influencers are not monolithic. Analysts see potential clashes among Kennedy, Musk, and more traditional GOP voices. Casey Means, a holistic MD at the center of Kennedys Make America Healthy Again team, calls for the government to cut ties with industry and remove sugar, processed food, and toxic substances from American diets. Republicans lampooned such policies as exemplifying a nanny state when Mike Bloomberg promoted them as mayor of New York City.Both the libertarian and medical freedom wings oppose aspects of regulation, but Silicon Valley biotech supporters of Trump, like Samuel Hammond of the Foundation for American Innovation, have pressed the agency to speed drug and device approvals, while Kennedys team says the FDA and other agencies have been captured by industry, resulting in dangerous and unnecessary drugs, vaccines, and devices on the market.Kennedy and Casey Means want to end industry user fees that pay for drug and device rules and support nearly half the FDAs $7.2 billion budget. Its unclear whether Congress would make up the shortfall at a time when Trump and Musk have vowed to slash government programs. User fees are set by laws Congress passes every five years, most recently in 2022.The industry supports the user-fee system, which bolsters FDA staffing and speeds product approvals. Writing new rules requires an enormous amount of time, effort, energy, and collaboration by FDA staff, Troy said. Policy changes made through informal guidance alone are not binding, he added.Kennedy and the Means siblings have suggested overhauling agricultural policies so that they incentivize the cultivation of organic vegetables instead of industrial corn and soy, but I dont think theyll be very influential in that area, Caplan said. Big Ag is a powerful entrenched industry, and they arent interested in changing.Theres a fine line between the libertarian impulse of the medical freedom types and advocating a reformation of American bodies, which is definitely nanny state territory, said historian Robert Johnston of the University of Illinois-Chicago.Specific federal agencies are likely to face major changes. Republicans want to trim the NIHs 27 research institutes and centers to 15, slashing Anthony Faucis legacy by splitting the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which he led for 38 years, into two or three pieces.Numerous past attempts to slim down the NIH have failed in the face of campaigns by patients, researchers, and doctors. GOP lawmakers have advocated substantial cuts to the CDC budget in recent years, including an end to funding gun violence, climate change, and health equity research. If carried out, Project 2025, a policy blueprint from the conservative Heritage Foundation, would divide the agency into data-collecting and health-promoting arms. The CDC has limited clout in Washington, although former CDC directors and public health officials are defending its value.It would be surprising if CDC wasnt on the radar for potential change, said Anne Schuchat, a former principal deputy director of the agency, who retired in 2021.The CDCs workforce is very employable and might start to look for other work if their area of focus is going to be either cut or changed, she said.Kennedys attacks on HHS and its agencies as corrupted tools of the drug industry, and his demands that the FDA allow access to scientifically controversial drugs, are closely reminiscent of the 1970s campaign by conservative champions of Laetrile, a dangerous and ineffective apricot-pit derivative touted as a cancer treatment. Just as Kennedy championed off-patent drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat covid, Laetriles defenders claimed that the FDA and a profit-seeking industry were conspiring to suppress a cheaper alternative.The public and industry have often been skeptical of health regulatory agencies over the decades, Grossman said. The agencies succeed best when they are called in to fix things particularly after bad medicine kills or damages children, he said.The 1902 Biologics Control Act, which created the NIHs forerunner, was enacted in response to smallpox vaccine contamination that killed at least nine children in Camden, New Jersey. Child poisonings linked to the antifreeze solvent for a sulfa drug prompted the modern FDAs creation in 1938. The agency, in 1962, acquired the power to demand evidence of safety and efficacy before the marketing of drugs after the thalidomide disaster, in which children of pregnant women taking the anti-nausea drug were born with terribly malformed limbs.If vaccination rates plummet and measles and whooping cough outbreaks proliferate, babies could die or suffer brain damage. It wont be harmless for the administration to broadly attack public health, said Alfredo Morabia, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University and the editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Public Health. It would be like taking away your house insurance.Sam Whitehead, Stephanie Armour, and David Hilzenrath contributed to this report.Healthbeat is a nonprofit newsroom covering public health published by Civic News Company and KFF Health News. Sign up for its newsletters here.KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

November 14, 20247 min readNew Bird Flu Spread Patterns Are Revealed in WastewaterWastewater in several Californian cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, recently tested positive for bird flu. But understanding disease risk and exposure to humans isnt so straightforwardBy Lauren J. YoungRecent wastewater measurements have detected the H5N1 bird flu virus in several cities in California. Amanda Montaez; Source: WastewaterSCANSince the first avian influenza outbreaks hit the U.S. early this year, health and agriculture experts have struggled to track the viruss spotty path as it spreads in dairy cow herds and an unknown number of humans. Infection risk still seems low for most people, but dairy workers and others directly exposed to cows have been getting sick. Canadas first human case was just reported, in a teenager who is in critical condition. To get a better handle on the unsettling situation, scientists are picking up a pathogen-hunting tool thats been powerful in the past: wastewater surveillance.In the past couple of weeks, wastewater samples in several locations mostly scattered around Californiaincluding the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Josetested positive for genetic material from the bird flu virus, H5N1. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Wastewater Surveillance System reported detections at 14 sites in California during a collection period that ended on November 2. As of November 13, across the U.S., 15 sites monitored by WastewaterSCAN, a project run by Stanford University and Emory University researchers, reported positive samples this month. But finding H5N1 material in wastewater doesnt necessarily mean theres a risk to human health, says WastewaterSCANs co-director Alexandria Boehm, a civil and environmental engineer at Stanford University.Analyzing trace amounts of viral genetic material, often shed by fecal matter in sewers, can alert scientists and public health experts to a possible increase in community infections. Wastewater sampling became instrumental in forecasting COVID cases across the U.S., for instance. But the way H5N1 affects both animal and human populations complicates identifying sources and understanding disease risk. H5N1 can be deadly in poultry. Cattle usually recover from symptomssuch as fever, dehydration and reduced milk productionbut veterinarians and farmers are reporting that cows have been dying at higher rates in California than in other affected states. Cats that drink raw milk from infected cows can develop deadly neurological symptoms. The current cases in humans havent caused any known deaths (most people have flulike symptoms, although some develop eye infections), but past major outbreaks outside of the U.S. have resulted in fatalities.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.Scientific American spoke with Boehm about the latest bird flu detections in wastewater and the ways that scientists are using these data to better track and understand disease prevalence and exposureamong animals and humans both.Amanda Montaez; Source: WastewaterSCAN[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]When did WastewaterSCAN start tracking H5N1?We noticed something very unusual in Amarillo, Tex. [In the spring of 2024,] after flu season, we saw really high levels of influenza A [one of the four flu virus types that infect humans] RNA nucleic acids in their wastewater. This was surprising because we know influenza A in wastewater tracks with cases in the communitybut there were not very many cases in the community, and it was after flu season. We also then heard on the news that they had discovered cattle infected with avian influenza in the same area in Texas. So we worked in collaboration with the local wastewater treatment plants and public health officers to test the wastewater. And we found that, indeed, it was H5 [a subtype of avian influenza A virus] in their waste stream. We determined that most of that H5 was coming from legal discharges into the sanitary sewer from milk processing plants.Then when we scaled the H5 assay across the country, we were finding it in locations where, shortly thereafter, cattle were being identified as being infected [with the virus]. In June the CDC actually sent memos to the states asking them to try to measure H5 in wastewater, recognizing that the measurements can help to understand the extent and duration of the outbreak in the U.S.Has wastewater analysis been able to trace cases to any sources?We cant always rule out that its wild birds or poultry or humans, but overall the preponderance of evidence suggests most of the inputs are likely from cow milk. That cow milk is getting into consumer homes, where people are disposing of it down the drain. Im sure you have poured out milk down your sinkI know I have. Its also coming from permitted operations where people are making cheese or yogurt or ice cream, and they might be starting with a milk product that has the avian influenza nucleic acids in it.I want to stress that the milk in peoples homes that might have the avian influenza RNA is not infectious or a threat to human health. Its just a marker that some milk got into the food chain that originally had the virus in it. Its killed because milk products are pasteurizedand thats, by the way, why drinking raw milk or eating raw cheeses right now is not really recommended. The RNA that makes up the genome of these viruses is extremely stable in wastewater. Its even stable after pasteurization. So you pasteurize the raw milk, and the RNA is still present at about the same concentrations.Detecting it in the wastewater does not mean theres a risk to human health. What it does mean is that there are still infected cattle that are around the vicinity, and work still needs to be done to identify those cattle and remove their products from the food chain, which is the goal of the officials that are in charge of that aspect of the outbreak.How might we be able to better determine where the viral genetic material is coming from and assess human infection rates?It is very difficult because genetically the virus is not different [between sources]. Its not like we can say, Oh, the one in humans is going to be like this, and so lets look for that. Were working really closely with public health departments that are really proactive in sequencing positive influenza cases. If we do start seeing it in [more] people, we will likely know it because well see differences in the wastewater.I dont want to be alarmist because right now the risk of getting H5N1 is very minimal, and the symptoms are really mild. But I think one of the concerns is that the virus could mutate during this influenza season coming up. Somebody whos infected with [seasonal influenza] could also get infected with H5N1, and then it could maybe create a new strain that could be more severe. Were hoping that the wastewater data, along with all the other data that people and agencies are collecting, will together help figure out whats going on and protect public health better.What are trends are you seeing in your surveillance right now?Most recently, California is just lighting up. A lot of the wastewater samples in California are coming back as positive, even in locations that are very urbansuch as the Bay Area and in Los Angeles. The question is: Why? In some of these locations, there actually are small operations where people are making dairy products with milk. But another explanation, like I mentioned earlier, is just the wasting of milk products.How do H5N1 levels in wastewater correlate to infections in animals?Were sort of seeing it as an early indicator, or concurrent indicator, of cattle in the vicinity being infected with avian influenza. The first detections were in Texas, and we saw a lot of detections in Michigan for a while, and now the hot spot is California. As scientists, were going to analyze all this in the future. But anecdotally, the H5 detections in wastewater are following along with when herds are identified, and then once its sort of under control, we stop seeing it.Public health officials are using the data to say, Okay, we got a positive in this location. What are the different sources that could account for it? Have we tested all the cattle that are contributing milk products to industries in this sewer shed? Have we gotten rid of all the infected herds in our state, because now were not getting any positives in the wastewater?How else are scientists and officials staying on top of cases and spread?The [U.S. Department of Agriculture] and different entities around the country are pursuing it from an animal health perspective and a food safety perspective. So there is testing of cattle herds and milk products. Theres also testing of poultry, and then theres testing of workers that are in contact with infected herds and infected poultry. On the clinical side, there is a push to get influenza-positive samples sequenced to understand what kind of influenza it is, as sort of a safety net to see if there might be some avian influenza circulating in people. So far, cases have been in people who are actually exposed to infected animals, who are working on farms, and perhaps in some of their family members.How has tracking H5N1 been different from or similar to COVID or other pathogens?All the other pathogens that we track have been conceptually similar to COVID, where humans are the source [of pathogenic material in wastewater]. We know that the occurrence of the viral or fungal material in wastewater match the cases. Bird flu is the first example where were using wastewater to track something that is primarily not, at least right now, from a human source but has potential human health implications for different reasons. Its been a really great case study of how wastewater can be used not only for tracking human illness but also zoonotic pathogenspathogens that affect animals. So now were thinking about what else wastewater could be used for. What other kinds of animal byproducts end up in the waste stream that might contain biomarkers of infectious disease? H5 is our first example, and Im sure there will be more.

Games of Thrones' Sophie Turner reportedly in talks to play Lara Croft in Amazon's Tomb Raider TV seriesFollowing recent tests.Image credit: Aspyr News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Nov. 14, 2024 Amazon's live-action Tomb Raider TV series might have found its Lara Croft. Following reports last month that Sophie Turner was in the running to play the iconic character, it's now being claimed the Game of Thrones' actor has reached the negotiating stage.A live-action Tomb Raider series (not to be confused with Netflix's animated adaptation) was first reported back in January 2023, with Fleabag and Killing Eve's Phoebe Waller-Bridge attached as writer. It wasn't until May this year, however, that Amazon made the series official, confirming Waller-Bridge's involvement and not much else.Since then, curious minds have started pondering the obvious question: who might Amazon cast as Lara Croft following Angelina Jolie's memorable live-action turn as the jet-setting archaeologist in the early 2000s and, later, Alicia Vikander's more grounded approach to the role. Then, last month, it seems like an answer could be near, with Deadline reporting Sophie Turner (perhaps best known as Game Of Thrones's Sansa Stark) and Lucy Boynton (Mary Austin in Bohemian Rhapsody) were both poised to test for the part.The recently announced Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered arrives next year.Watch on YouTubeAnd it looks like Turner may have clinched it; Deadline has followed its earlier story with claims the actor is now "in negotiations to star as Lara Croft". So assuming all goes well, Turner could soon be joining the elite club of actors who've played the iconic role either on or off camera.The Tomb Raider TV series - which Amazon has previously referred to as "epic" and "globe-trotting" - doesn't have anything close to a release date yet, but it'll air on Prime Video when it eventually shows up. In addition to the series, Amazon is also set to publish Crystal Dynamics' next Tomb Raider game and is even planning a new movie instalment. And if that's still not enough Lara for you, Apsyr is releasing Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered next year.

11 Bit Studios' This War of Mine marks 10th anniversary with new Forget Celebrations charity DLC"With the world bleeding, we believe it is vital to keep pushing for change."Image credit: 11 Bit Studios News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Nov. 14, 2024 11 Bit Studios' harrowing side-scrolling survival game This War of Mine is ten years old today. And to mark the occasion, 11 Bit has unveiled Forget Celebrations, a new charity DLC being released as part of the game's continuing "mission to shed light on the civilian cost of war"."Innocent lives are still being lost on battlefields, new conflicts are erupting, arms production escalates to feed war's demand, and civilians and soldiers continue to face unimaginable brutality," the studio writes in its announcement of Forget Celebrations. "With the world bleeding, we believe it is vital to keep pushing for change."In Forget Celebrations, 11 Bit once again returns to the fictional war-torn city of Pogoren, this time to tell the story of Katia, a seasoned war correspondent. "While struggling to write a book on the brutal realities of war," the studio explains, "a missile attack devastates her home, forcing her into an even harsher fight for survival and the recovery of her gathered material."This War of Mine in Polish schools.Watch on YouTube11 Bit hasn't announced a release date or price for This War of Mine's Forget Celebrations DLC as yet (and it's so far only confirmed for Steam), but it says all studio proceeds will be donated to its charity partners - War Child, Amnesty International, Liberty Ukraine, and Indie Games Poland - in the "hopes of helping those affected by today's ongoing wars".This War of Mine has been met with significant acclaim since its release back in 2014, appearing in London's Imperial War Museum and New York's Museum of Modern Art. It was officially added to the Polish school curriculum in 2022, and was even awarded a Special Recognition Award by Amnesty International earlier this year for its "continued relevance in portraying the harsh realities faced by civilians in conflict zones" and as a "powerful reminder of the crucial importance of international humanitarian law in protecting civilian lives in areas of armed conflict, citing current situations in various regions of the world."In his review of This War of Mine back in 2015, former Eurogamer editor-in-chief Martin Robinson wrote, "[Its] simple message - that war is hell, and that we're all capable of being sucked into its moral depths - might be slightly compromised by its strengths as a game, but at least it's a message carried with a great deal more conviction than other, more bombastic portrayals of conflict. That, for certain, is something to be thankful for."

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 hereSilent Hill 2 Remake is already one of the scariest games of the modern generation, but one gamer has gone above and beyond, turning the game into a VR nightmare. Armed with full immersive controls, a new Silent Hill 2 VR mod might just be the most terrifying game available on PC.Silent Hill 2 VR can go join MaryCreated by prolific VR modder PrayDog, Silent Hill 2 VR cleverly uses the modders UEVR tool to bring six degrees of movement to the game. Alongside being fully immersed via a VR first-person perspective, the mod also brings full movement controls to the game.This means that players now have to physically swing their wooden planks and rusty pipes at enemies and manually peak around corners to pop a nurse in the shin with a pistol. While the game doesnt have the full manual reloading of actual VR games, at least for now, its the most realistic SH2 experience yet.Due to the amazing gameplay of Silent Hill 2 on a flatscreen, the UEVR version is perfectly suited for virtual reality. As enemies react depending on where the player hits them, you can actually use your makeshift bat to sweep enemies in the legs to knock them down, a move previously only available with the power of a gunshot.While we have yet to try out the VR mod, and were not sure we want to, Praydogs UEVR turns an already terrifying game into an absolute nightmare. Do you want to delve into the prison in virtual reality? I sure as Hell dont. Im better off beating up goons in Batman: Arkham Shadow.For more SH2 coverage, check out the mod that turns protagonist James Sunderlund into an atrocious blob, or read about the hidden bonus ending only available on PlayStation 5. Or just go and play the game in VR.Silent Hill 2 (Remake)Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 5Genre(s):Action, Adventure, Survival HorrorSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

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 Contents hide The new Spiritborn class is overtaking Diablo 4 after the release of Vessel of Hatred. While the class has been slightly nerfed since release, the extremely powerful class has overtaken the RPG with 60% of players fighting as the new warrior.In a recent Campfire Q&A, Blizzard revealed that it wont be nuking Spiritborn in response to fan feedback on social media. However, every other class will see huge buffs to keep in line with the current king of the games meta.Diablo 4 gets huge buffsIn the latest Campfire chat, Blizzard confirmed that Diablo 4 is set to bring a host of buffs to every other class in the game. Every class damage output will be substantially increased to level the playing field, making it so that gamers arent too attracted to the new class.Releasing in a new mid-season patch, this update will significantly raise the floor of power for D4 players. While the patch focuses on providing satisfying power upgrades for other classes, Spiritborn will also see just a few buffs coming just to make sure it doesnt fall too flat.In Season 7, were going to be fixing all the unintended interactions we found with Spiritborn, explained class designer Adam Jackson in the latest Campfire stream. You can expect a lot of changes there [but] until then, enjoy what you have.While Spiritborn launched with some rather hilarious and game-changing bugs and exploits, huge patches have already made the class more stable, as well as ravmping rewards across the board. With most exploits fixed, the true balancing comes, and buffing every class is a clever way of making sure everything feels right.When does it arrive?The mid-season patch is quickly approaching with Blizzard set to launch the changes on November 15. Furthermore, the studio will be releasing another update specifically targeting Spiritborn sometime after November 18, but this will launch in a private test realm first before releasing for all players.After the launch of VoH, Blizzard has rapidly moved to address Diablo 4 issues, although some still remain. Currently, the games PC version is still plagued with crashing issues, causing some players to be unable to play the title without a band-aid fix. Furthermore, co-op issues are still so broken the studio has no idea how to fix them.Diablo 4 is available right now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC.Diablo 4Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Action RPG, RPGSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

While I hate having an app for literally every device in my home, installing the Dyson Link app really did make installation a snap. And I love being able to check in on the air stats (temperature, particle level, humidity level, etc) whenever I want. You can also control the fan speed, oscillation range, and set timers from the app.As for specific features I appreciate, filling the water tank from the top is a huge plus and its large enough that it doesnt have to be refilled every day. I also appreciate the night mode setting, which makes everything a little quieter and less bright.What I would change: This may be a misconception about the purpose of a humidifier, but I am used to really intense humidifiers that emit visible plumes of moist steam all night long. This is not that. The humidity that the Dyson model generates in the house is definitely a healthy and reasonable level (most sources recommend 3050% humidity, and the Dyson, at its max humidity setting, hovers around 60%), but if you are like me and want more targeted humidity in the super dry winter months, this is not the machine for you and you might want to stick to separate devices for purifying, humidifying, and cooling.The bottom line: Aside from the note above, this is a really expensive device, coming in at more than $800. That said, it might actually save you money in the long run if you dont want to buy a purifier, a fan, and a humidifier individually and you want a powerful device for each activity. Id recommend it if you have deep pockets and not a ton of challenging air pollution situations to combat on the regular.Best Budget Pick: Clorox Smart Medium Room Air PurifierAndrea LewisAndrea LewisClorox Smart Air PurifierTester: Andrea Lewis, Assistant to the Global Editorial DirectorMy space: I have allergies and live in an old building that generates dust easily, so I am very sensitive to air quality. This makes me particularly focused on reducing allergens and dust in my living space; especially in my bedroom, which is smaller and where the air is noticeably less fresh.Area coverage: The Clorox Smart Medium Room Air Purifier is designed for medium-sized rooms. It works best in spaces up to 1,000 square feet, but it can clean the air up to five times per hour in a room as small as 225 square feet, which is ideal for my needs.

In a $19 million deal, hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin has sold two of his four units at luxury Chicago high-rise condominium No. 9 Walton, the Wall Street Journal reports. The sale marks a 44% loss for the Citadel founder, who paid over $34 million for the penthouse residences in 2017. Though he spent a total of $58.75 million for the four unitsbreaking the record for the citys priciest home sale that yearthe Florida native reportedly never lived on the premises.Griffins purchase, which included a deal with the buildings developer to expand the penthouses, was delivered as a shell so that it could be fully customized to the hedge fund managers preferences, per the WSJ. Griffin never began renovations, however, and the four units still sit empty and unfinished. Griffins other two units in the 38-story building have yet to sell.Spanning roughly 15,000 square feet in total, the two recently-sold units feature 16-foot-tall windows, four terraces, a rooftop swimming pool, and a private elevator connecting them. Their new owner, who was not named, now has a blank canvas to make the penthouse duplex of their dreams. They also have access to some luxe amenities, which include a gym, a house car and driver, a golf simulator, a sauna, and a dining room with a catering kitchen.Register TodayAD PRO's 2025 Interior Design Forecast is almost hereArrowThe sale comes two years after Griffin announced that he was moving Citadels headquarters from Chicago to Miami. I am excited to have recently moved to Miami with my family and look forward to rapidly expanding Citadel in a city so rich in diversity and abounding with energy, the businessman reportedly said in a statement to the hedge funds employees. Griffin owns numerous plots on Miamis ultra-exclusive Star Island and is building a tower in the citys Brickell neighborhood to house Citadels offices as well as a luxury hotel, spa, restaurants, and retail space.