A Martian meteorite nicknamed Black BeautyCarl B. Agee (University of New Mexico)Crystals inside a Martian meteorite hint that there may have been plentiful hot water on Mars when the rock formed 4.45 billion years ago.The rock, nicknamed Black Beauty, was blasted into space by an impact on the surface of Mars before ultimately crashing into the Sahara desert. AdvertisementMuch has already been learned about Mars from studying the meteorite, which was discovered in Morocco in 2011 and is formally known as Northwest Africa 7034.Aaron Cavosie at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and his colleagues have spent years studying a tiny fragment of it that includes a zircon crystal measuring 50 micrometres across.Cavosie describes Black Beauty as a garbage can rock because it was formed from hundreds of fragments smashed together. Its a wonderful buffet of Martian history, a mixture of very old and very young rocks, he says. But many of the fragments in it are among the oldest pieces of rock from Mars. Voyage across the galaxy and beyond with our space newsletter every month.Sign up to newsletterThe piece that Cavosie and his team have studied was crystallised in magma below the Martian surface. When they examined the zircon, they discovered that, unusually, it also contained the elements iron, aluminium and sodium, neatly arranged in thin layers like that of an onion.We wondered, where else do you find elements like this in a zircon crystal? says Cavosie. The answer was at a gold ore deposit site in South Australia, he says, where the zircon crystals were almost identical to those that had come from Mars, including their same unusual combination of additional elements.These kinds of zircons are only known to form where hydrothermal processes, hot water systems, are active during magmatism, says Cavosie. The hot water facilitates transportation of the iron, aluminium and sodium into the crystal as it grows, layer by layer.The zircon has undergone multiple massive traumas, including being hit by an ancient impact event, then later by a different meteorite that struck the Martian surface 5 million to 10 million years ago and blasted Black Beauty into space. In spite of these violent events, the rocks crystal structure is still intact at the atom scale.The absence of radiation damage means the extra elements were part of the crystal to begin with, rather than contaminating at a later date, says Cavosie.Eva Scheller at Stanford University in California says if the rock really did form in the presence of hot water and magma under the surface of Mars, that suggests the possibility of water vapour being released into Marss atmosphere before the formation of rivers and lakes.At such an ancient age of 4.5 billion years, we are placed at the timing of when Mars formed, says Scheller. So this would mark evidence of some of the earliest behaviour of water on Mars.Journal reference:Science Advances DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq3694Topics:Mars

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. How OpenAI stress-tests its large language models OpenAI has lifted the lid (just a crack) on its safety-testing processes. It has put out two papers describing how it stress-tests its powerful large language models to try to identify potential harmful or otherwise unwanted behavior, an approach known as red-teaming. The first paper describes how OpenAI directs an extensive network of human testers outside the company to vet the behavior of its models before they are released. The second presents a new way to automate parts of the testing process, using a large language model like GPT-4 to come up with novel ways to bypass its own guardrails. MIT Technology Review got an exclusive preview of the work. Will Douglas Heaven Who should get a uterus transplant? Experts arent sure. Over 135 uterus transplants have been performed globally in the last decade, resulting in the births of over 50 healthy babies. The surgery has had profound consequences for these familiesthe recipients would not have been able to experience pregnancy any other way. But legal and ethical questions continue to surround the procedure, which is still considered experimental. Who should be offered a uterus transplant? Could the procedure ever be offered to transgender women? And if so, who should pay for these surgeries?Read the full story. Jessica Hamzelou This story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter about the latest in biotech and health.Sign upto receive it in your inbox every Thursday. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 OpenAI may launch a web browser Which would be a full-frontal assault on Google (The Information$)+The Google browser break-up is an answer in search of a question. (FT$)+OpenAI accidentally deleted potential evidence in a training data lawsuit.(The Verge)2 Border militias are ready to help with Trumps deportation plans Regardless of whether theyre asked to or not. (Wired$)+Trumps administration plans to radically curb the powers of the federal agency that protects unions.(WP$)3 Russia hit Ukraine with a new type of missileHeres what we know about it so far. (The Guardian)4 Microsoft is about to turn 50And its every bit as relevant and powerful as its ever been. (Wired$)5 China has overtaken Germany in industrial robot adoption South Korea, however, remains streets ahead of both of them. (Reuters$)+Three reasons robots are about to become way more useful.(MIT Technology Review)6 The irresistible rise of cozy techOur devices, social media and now AI are encouraging us to keep looking inward. (New Yorker$)+Inside the cozy but creepy world of VR sleep rooms.(MIT Technology Review)7 Churchgoers in a Swiss city have been spilling their secrets to AI Jesus And theyre mostly really enjoying it. Watch out, priests. (The Guardian)8 A French startup wants to make fuel out of thin airThen use it to fuel ships and airplanes. (IEEE Spectrum)+Everything you need to know about alternative jet fuels.(MIT Technology Review)9 WhatsApp is going to start transcribing voice messagesThis seems a good compromise to bridge peoples different communication preferences. (The Verge)10 Want a new phone? You should consider second-handIts better for the planetand your wallet. (Vox)Quote of the day Nope. 100% not true. Jeff Bezos fires back at Elon Musks claim that he was telling everyone that Trump would lose pre-election in a rare post onX.The big story This chemist is reimagining the discovery of materials using AI and automation DEREK SHAPTON October 2021 Aln Aspuru-Guzik, a Mexico Cityborn, Toronto-based chemist, has devoted much of his life to contemplating worst-case scenarios. What if climate change proceeds as expected, or gets significantly worse? Could we quickly come up with the materials well need to cheaply capture carbon, or make batteries from something other than costly lithium? Materials discoverythe science of creating and developing useful new substancesoften moves at a frustratingly slow pace. The typical trial-and-error approach takes an average of two decades, making it too expensive and risky for most companies to pursue. Aspuru-Guziks objectivewhich he shares with a growing number of computer-savvy chemistsis to shrink that interval to a matter of months or years. And advances in AI, robotics, and computing are bringing new life to his vision.Read the full story. Simon Lewsen We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.) + Do you struggle with a lack of confidence?Heres howto take up a bit more space. + Theserecipeswill ensure you have a delicious Thanksgiving next week.+ Its impossible not to dream of lazy sunny days while gazing atQuentin Monges work.+ Tom Jones x Disturbed =very funny.

This article first appeared in The Checkup,MIT Technology Reviewsweekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first,sign up here. Earlier this year, a boy in Sweden celebrated his 10th birthday. Reproductive scientists and doctors marked the occasion too. This little boys birth had been special. He was the first person to be born from a transplanted uterus. The boy was born in 2014 after his mother, a 35-year-old woman who had been born without a uterus, received a donated uterus from a 61-year-old close family friend. At the time, she was one of only 11 women who had undergone the experimental procedure. A decade on, over 135 uterus transplants have been performed globally, resulting in the births of over 50 healthy babies. The surgery has had profound consequences for these familiesthe recipients would not have been able to experience pregnancy any other way. But legal and ethical questions continue to surround the procedure, which is still considered experimental. Who should be offered a uterus transplant? Could the procedure ever be offered to transgender women? And if so, who should pay for these surgeries? These issues were raised at a recent virtual event run by Progress Educational Trust, a UK-based charity that aims to provide information to the public on genomics and infertility. One of the speakers was Mats Brnnstrm, who led the team at the University of Gothenburg that performed the first successful transplant. For Brnnstrm, the story of uterus transplantation begins in 1998. While traveling in Australia, he said, he met a 27-year-old woman called Angela, who longed to be pregnant but lacked a functional uterus. She suggested to Brnnstrm that her mother could donate hers. I was amazed I hadnt thought of it before, he said. According to Brnnstrm, around 1 in 500 women experience infertility due to whats known as absolute uterine factor infertility, or AUFI, meaning they do not have a functional uterus. Uterus transplants could offer them a way to get pregnant. His meeting with Angela kick-started a research project that started in mice and eventually moved on to pigs, sheep, and baboons. Brnnstrms team started performing uterus transplants in women as part of a small clinical trial in 2012. In that trial, all the donors were living, and in many cases they were the mothers or aunts of the recipients. The surgeries ended up being more complicated than he had anticipated, said Brnnstrm. The operation to remove a donors uterus was expected to take between three and four hours. It ended up taking between eight and 11 hours. In that first trial, Brnnstrms team transplanted uteruses into nine women, each of whom had IVF to create and store embryos beforehand. The woman who was the first to give birth had IVF over a 12-month period, which ended six months before her surgery. It took a little over 10 hours to remove the uterus from the donor, and just under five hours to stitch it into the recipient. The recipient started getting her period 43 days after her transplant. Doctors transferred one of her embryos into the uterus a year after her surgery. Three weeks later, a pregnancy test confirmed she was pregnant. At 31 weeks, she was admitted to hospital with preeclampsia, a serious medical condition that can develop during pregnancy, and her baby was delivered by C-section 16 hours later. She was discharged from hospital after three days, although the baby spent 16 days in the hospitals neonatal unit. Despite those difficulties, her story is considered a success. Other uterus recipients have also experienced pregnancy complications, and some have had surgical complications. And all transplant recipients must adhere to a regimen of immunosuppressant drugs, which can have side effects. The uteruses arent intended to last forever, either. Surgeons remove them once the recipients have completed their families, often after one or two children. The removal is also a significant operation. Given all that, uterus transplants are not to be taken lightly. And there are other paths to parenthood. Some ethicists are concerned that in pursuing uterus transplantation as a fertility treatment, we might reinforce ideas that define a womans value in terms of her reproductive potential, Natasha Hammond-Browning, a legal scholar at Cardiff University in Wales, said at the event. There is debate around whether we should be giving greater preference to adoption, to surrogacy, and to supporting children who already exist and who need care, she said. We also need to consider whether there is a right to gestate, and if there is, who has that right, said Hammond-Browning. And these concerns need to be balanced with the importance of reproductive autonomythe idea that people have the right to decide and control their own reproductive efforts. Further questions remain over whether uterus transplants might ever be an option for trans women, who not only lack a uterus but also have a different pelvic anatomy. I asked the speakers if the surgery might ever be feasible. They werent hugely optimistic that it would, at least in the near future. I personally think that the transgender community have been given false hope for responsible transplantation in the near future, was the response of J. Richard Smith of Imperial College London, who co-led the first uterus transplant performed in the UK. Even cisgender women who have needed surgery to create neovaginas arent eligible for the uterus transplants his team are offering as part of a clinical study. They have an altered vaginal microbiome that appears to increase the risk of miscarriage, he said. There is a huge amount of work to be done before this work can be translated to the transgender community, Smith said. Brnnstrm agreed but added that he thinks the surgery will be available at some pointjust after a lot more research. And then there are the legal and ethical questions, none of which have easy answers. Hammond-Browning pointed out that clinical teams would first need to determine what the goal of such an operation would be. Is it about reproduction or gender realignment, for example? And how might that goal influence decisions over who should get a donated uterus, and why? Considering only 135 human uterus transplants have ever been carried out, we still have a lot to learn about the best way to perform them. (For context, more than 25,000 kidney transplants were carried out in 2023 in the US alone.) Researchers are still figuring out how uteruses from deceased donors differ from those of living ones, and how to minimize complications in young, healthy women. Since that little boy was born 10 years ago, only 50 other children have been born in a similar way. Its still early days. Now read the rest of The Checkup Read more from MIT Technology Review The first birth following the transplantation of a uterus from a dead donor happened in 2017. A team in Brazil transferred the uterus of a 45-year-old donor, who had died from a brain hemorrhage, to a 32-year-old recipient born without a uterus. Researchers are working on artificial wombsbiobags designed to care for premature babies. They have been tested on lambs and piglets. Now FDA advisors are figuring out how to move the technology into human trials. An alternative type of artificial womb is being used to grow mouse embryos. Jacob Hanna at the Weizmann Institute of Science and his colleagues say theyve been able to grow embryos in this environment for 11 or 12 daysaround half the animals gestational period. Research is underway to develop new fertility options for transgender men. Some of these men are put off by existing approaches, which tend to involve pausing hormone therapy and undergoing potentially distressing procedures. From around the web People on Ozempic, Wegovy, and similar drugs are losing their appetite for sugary, ultraprocessed foods. The food industry will have to adapt. (TIL Nestl has already started a line of frozen meals targeted at people on these weight-loss drugs.) (The New York Times Magazine) People who have a history of obesity can find it harder to lose weight. That might be because the fat cells in our bodies seem to remember that history and have an altered response to food. (The Guardian) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took leave as chairman of Childrens Health Defense, a nonprofit known for spreading doubt about vaccines, to run for US president last year. But he is still involved in legal cases filed by the group. And several of its cases remain open, including ones against the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Healthall agencies Kennedy would lead if his nomination for head of Health and Human Services is confirmed. (STAT) Researchers are among the millions of new users of Bluesky, a social media alternative to X (formerly known as Twitter). There is this pent-up demand among scientists for what is essentially the old Twitter, says one researcher who found that the number of influential scientists using the platform doubled between August and November. (Science) Since 2016, a team of around 100 scientists have been working to catalogue the 37 trillion or so cells in the human body. This week, the Human Cell Atlas published a collection of studies that represents a significant first step toward that goalincluding maps of cells in the nervous system, lungs, heart, gut, and immune system. (Nature)

Trump nominated Scott Bessent, a billionaire investor, for Treasury secretary.Bessent spent years working for George Soros before founding a hedge fund.He's signaled support for many of Trump's proposals, including deregulation and tariffs.President-elect Donald Trump nominated Scott Bessent, a Wall Street veteran and campaign ally, for Treasury secretary, one of the biggest Cabinet prizes.Trump made the announcement Friday evening in a Truth Social post after multiple news organizations reported the plans. Trump's spokesperson did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment."Scott is widely respected as one of the World's foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, "we will ensure that no Americans will be left behind in the next and Greatest Economic Boom, and Scott will lead that effort for me, and the Great People of the United States of America."Bessent, 62, founded and runs the macro hedge fund Key Square Group and emerged as a key economic advisor to Trump on the campaign trail. Bessent was a top choice for Trump early in the cabinet selection process. He widened his search, however, adding Kevin Warsh and billionaire investor Marc Rowan to the mix after growing frustrated by the "knife fight" jockeying between Bessent and Howard Lutnick over the position, The New York Times reported. Elon Musk chimed in during that time, throwing his support behind Lutnick for Treasury secretary. "My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change," Musk wrote.But Trump nominated Lutnick for commerce secretary on Tuesday. Axios reported Monday that Warsh was eyeing Fed chair in the future.Bessent's journey to the top tier of the GOP financial world hasn't been entirely linear, though it includes years working for the liberal philanthropist George Soros and hosting a fundraiser for Al Gore, a former Democratic vice president.The billionaire investor spent his childhood in South Carolina. His father went bankrupt investing in real estate, which Bessent later said led him to get his first summer job when he was 9 years old, The Wall Street Journal reported. Bessent attended Yale and broke onto the investing scene after working for Soros' first partner, James Rogers. He joined Soros Fund Management in 1991.By 2011, Bessent was Soros' chief investment officer, and he was instrumental in the fund's hugely successful bets against the British pound and Japanese yen. In 2015, Bessent broke off to start Key Square. He hasn't talked to Soros in years, The Wall Street Journal said.In 2011, Bessent married his husband, John Freeman, a former New York City prosecutor. They primarily live in Charleston, South Carolina, with their two children. They spend their spare time preserving historic mansions and used to own an 1880s-era house in Southampton, New York.Despite his nomination that would put him at the center of Trumpworld, Bessent has a somewhat checkered political history. He disagreed with much of the work Soros did through his nonprofit and has primarily donated to Republican candidates, though he's helped Democrats on occasion. In 2000, Bessent held a fundraiser at his home for Gore's presidential bid.By 2016, Bessent was inching toward Trump, telling people they weren't taking Trump seriously enough as a candidate. After Trump won, Bessent donated $1 million to his inaugural committee. Though Bessent has known Trump's family for decades, the 2024 election brought him closer to the former and future president Trump has called Bessent "one of the most brilliant men on Wall Street" and "a nice-looking guy." Rather than slam Bessent for his previous connections to Soros, a favorite right-wing punching bag, Trump appears impressed by how successful he was at Soros' firm.Bessent donated $3 million to Trump-aligned PACs and Republican committees this election cycle. His support extended beyond his pocketbook, as he frequently conferred with campaign officials on economic plans. Known for his interest in niche economic data, Bessent helped draft speeches and write policy proposals for Trump's economic ideas. By the end of the race, Bessent was fully woven into Trump's orbit; he attended the last two rallies and watched from Mar-a-Lago as election results rolled in.As treasury secretary, Bessent would face a mixed economic landscape. While unemployment is low and the economy is growing at a healthy clip, Americans remain frustrated by high prices and what they see as runaway inflation. Dubbed a "Trump whisperer" by Forbes, Bessent has signaled support for some of Trump's key proposals.Among Bessent's top priorities is shrinking the country's significant debt, primarily through increasing growth and, in turn, boosting tax revenues. He has also supported Trump's tariffs proposal, telling CNBC that they should be "layered in gradually" to spread out any inflationary impact. At one point, Bessent floated the idea of a shadow Federal Reserve chair under his theory, Trump would nominate a replacement to lead the central bank before Jerome Powell's term ends in 2026. After facing blowback, Bessent walked back the idea.Bessent has advised Trump on a "3-3-3 policy," which the Journal described as "cutting the budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product by 2028, spurring GDP growth of 3% through deregulation, and producing an additional 3 million barrels of oil or its equivalent a day."On November 10, the Journal published an opinion piece by Bessent that praised Trump's economic vision. The markets, he wrote, were evidently giddy about the former president's return to the White House. Beyond lavishing praise on Trump, he said that the US should slash bank regulations, overhaul the Inflation Reduction Act, and reinvigorate American energy investment."Mr. Trump has turned around the economy before, and he is ready to do so again," Bessent said.

On Friday, lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs asked a third judge to set him free on bail.Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries won bail on sex-trafficking charges, Combs' lawyers noted.On Friday, prosecutors said that Combs' case is more like R. Kelly's than like Jeffries'.Prosecutors compared Sean "Diddy" Combs to sex-trafficking convict R. Kelly during two hours of bail arguments in federal court in Manhattan on Friday.The bail hearing, attended by Combs' children and his mother, ended with the judge promising a decision sometime next week on whether the rap entrepreneur can remain free on bail pending a trial scheduled for May 5. Combs has been jailed since his September 16 arrest. King Combs, left, son, Janice Combs, right, mother of Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrive at Manhattan federal court, Friday, Nov. 22 2024, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura Combs is asking to post a $50 million bond and to remain on home confinement in a three-bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Prosecutors counter that Combs is continuing to obstruct justice by contacting witnesses and victims from jail, and can't be trusted to stop doing so if freed.Over the past two weeks, Combs' lawyers have pointed to ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries who was quickly freed on $10 million bail when arrested last month on federal sex-trafficking charges in arguing that Combs, too, deserves bail.Both Combs and Jeffries used the power of their brands and their wealth to force victims to participate in drug-fueled sex parties, federal prosecutors have alleged. Both men have pleaded not guilty and deny the allegations.When defense lawyers raised the Jeffries case again on Friday, prosecutors said that the charges against Combs are more like the sex-trafficking charges faced by disgraced R&B singer Kelly and sex-cult leader Keith Raniere, neither of whom were granted bail pre-trial.The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer is serving a 30-year sentence after being convicted on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges in Brooklyn in 2021 and in Chicago last September.Raniere, the former leader of the self-help organization-turned-sex-cult NXIVM, is serving a 120-year sentence after a federal jury in Brooklyn found him guilty of sex trafficking in 2019. Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, is charged with sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell The former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO is 80 years old, halted his criminal behavior ten years ago, and suffered "certain other non-public health issues" that contributed to his getting bail, in contrast to the 55-year-old Combs, an assistant US attorney, Christy Slavik, told Combs' judge on Friday.And like Combs, Kelly and Raniere continued a pattern of violence and intimidation until their arrest, Slavik alleged."These cases are much more comparable, your honor," she told US District Court Judge Arun Subramanian. King Combs, center, son, D'Lila Combs and Jessie Combs, daughters of Sean "Diddy" Combs, leave Manhattan federal court, Friday, Nov. 22 2024, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura The judge asked both sides to submit one more set of written bail arguments on Friday, and said he'd issue a decision before week's end.Also Friday, the judge asked defense attorney Marc Agnifilo why he said in court on Tuesday that prosecutors improperly possessed copies of Combs' handwritten notes that had been clearly labeled "Legal."The word "Legal" had only been written on the notes after prosecutors received copies, the judge had pointed out. "As I sit here today, I'm not sure when 'Legal' was written on all of them," Agnifilo told the judge Friday, promising to look into the matter further.A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office and an attorney for Jeffries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Combs, once one of hip-hop's most successful entrepreneurs, is accused of engaging since 2009 in a pattern of physical and sexual violence against multiple victims, including during elaborate, days-long sex parties called "freak offs."He has contended that the sexual behavior was consensual and that his accusers have a financial motive to implicate him.

Over the past few years, the public has stopped treating movie press tours like marketing fluff and started treating them like reality shows. These often tedious stretches of talk-show appearances, red carpets, and press junkets that have been part of the Hollywood grind for decades are suddenly getting as much attention on social media as the films themselves, with the stars interactions being picked apart by fans.Since the social media frenzy surrounding the 2022 film Dont Worry Darling, press tours have become sites of intense speculation often translating to full-blown scandals, from affair speculation from Anyone but You fans to the persistent rumors of everyone versus Justin Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us.Its not surprising that this trend has struck the most anticipated (or unavoidable) movie of the year, Wicked. However, its manifested in a more uncomfortable way than rumors about Harry Styless spit. Its two stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, have become subjects of rampant online theories and scrutiny regarding their red carpet appearances, adding an icky element to an otherwise wholesome movie rollout.All of this press tour nonsense speaks to the free-for-all nature of the internet, particularly in the TikTok age. In its worst cases, this insatiable desire for controversy can override ethical or productive conversations. Inevitably, these narratives become seen as absolute truths. Wickeds press tour got the internets attention, for better or worseThe promotion for Wicked dates all the way back to March when Erivo and Grande presented at the Academy Awards together wearing green and pink gowns representing their respective roles as Elphaba and Glinda. Since then, themed dressing, a la Margot Robbie for Barbie, has been a significant feature of the press tour. The two have also been keen on highlighting their close friendship, one of the overarching themes of the musical. They often hold hands on red carpets and in interviews, in addition to complimenting one anothers talents in interviews. In a now-viral interview with reporter Jake Hamilton, they were asked how theyve been changed by one another, causing Grande to well up. Both actresses tendency to cry and be overly sentimental while discussing the film, about witches and talking goats, has become a bit of a joke on social media before the conversation around them became a lot more serious.Even separate from the press tour, Grandes appearance was already being put under a microscope on social media. In April 2023, the singer posted a video on TikTok urging fans to stop speculating about her body weight after Redditors and other social media users expressed concern about her thinness. Grande told social media users to be gentler and less comfortable discussing peoples bodies. Her response did little to quell those public chatter. In fact, the speculation around a potential eating disorder has torpedoed into a weeks-long discussion among both fans and detractors on social media in the months since Wickeds press tour began. Social media users have claimed Erivo also looks markedly thinner. Some have even accused the pair of costars of having competitive eating disorders.Meanwhile, others have expressed concern about the effects over Erivo and Grande being so hypervisible at their current state. Some even suggested the two are promoting eating disorders, if not inadvertently triggering people who have them. Others have put the responsibility on their teams for not intervening. In an op-ed for the Standard, India Block writes that the conversation around their appearance is more so an indictment of Grande and Erivos management, the Wicked team, and the entertainment industry as a whole. In the wake of an Ozempic fad thats taken over Hollywood and the concerns its raised, its not exactly a shock that we got here. Still, its unclear how this very public conjecture will benefit anyone. Maybe Grande and Erivos well-being was never really the point of the conversation.How press tours became bigger than the moviesConsidering the point of press tours is to generate press attention, Wickeds was a massive success, despite the controversies that dogged the film along the way. Compared to the laundry list of other movies from the past few years whose press tours eclipsed the impact of the film itself, Wickeds mess was positively tame. While the discourse around the Barbie press tour, perhaps the most famous in recent history, seemed solely focused on star Margot Robbies hyper-coordinated fashion moments and director Greta Gerwigs techniques to bring Barbieland to life, there was juicier drama behind the scenes of other films. When Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney were busy promoting Anyone but You, their palpable chemistry didnt go unnoticed. Both had partners going into filming, but Powell left single, after his girlfriend unfollowed Sweeney on Instagram and posted a cryptic breakup message (a source claimed they never hooked up). Related:This, of course, is what press tours are designed to do: Make audiences believe that the heat between its leads isnt just an act, that its real and if there are real-world repercussions, welp, thats showbiz, baby. (Who could forget Lady Gaga and Bradley Coopers year-long lovefest to promote A Star Is Born?). There are some cases where the on-set chemistry is, in fact, real whenever Zendaya and Tom Holland get to promote a Spider-Man movie together, the internet collectively squeals and some cases where its so real that peoples lives get blown apart (like when Kristen Stewart, then dating Robert Pattinson, had an affair with Rupert Sanders, the married director of Snow White and the Huntsman). But the most compelling version of press tour drama is when the cast seems to absolutely hate each other. Thats what thirsty fans were treated to in advance of this falls It Ends With Us, in which star Blake Lively clashed with director and co-star Justin Baldoni. Though details were murky and mostly seemed to center on a difference in creative vision between the two (not exactly the stuff of soap operas), it snowballed into fodder for all kinds of other discussions on the controversial themes of the film, which dealt with domestic violence, Baldonis previous life as a self-identified male feminist voice online, and Livelys husband Ryan Reynolds, who people tend to have strong opinions about. Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney at CinemaCon in Las Vegas n April 24, 2023. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CinemaCon2022s Dont Worry Darling had both love and hate buzz about an affair between director and star Olivia Wilde and her lead actor, pop megastar Harry Styles, and rumors of tension between everyone from Wilde and actress Florence Pugh, Pugh and one-time co-star Shia LaBeouf, and, potentially, Styles and co-star Chris Pine, with whom he was alleged to have spit on at the premiere. (The spitting was roundly denied.)All of these films have been major box office successes, begging the question of how much the off-screen drama convinced people to buy tickets. This isnt always the case; when Joaquin Phoenix caused controversy for his behavior on the 2008 press tour for Two Lovers, which he later described as performance art, it didnt translate to tons of sales. Perhaps thats because audiences relationship to press tours is extremely different than it was 16 years ago. Thanks to social media, people now have unprecedented access into the lives of celebrities and industry insiders to the point where theyre absorbing the jargon of the business and speculating on the career trajectories of their favorites. Normal fans now regularly discuss whether a certain star is sufficiently media trained, congratulating those who are able to sidestep uncomfortable questions and seem unflappable. Youd think its counterintuitive dont people want their celebrities to be unfiltered and entertaining rather than brand-safe? Instead, they cheer on the performance of celebrity rather than the celebrity herself. In other words, press tours arent for the press anymore. Theyre for the general public, which has, in turn, become the press or at least the press that matters. What would once involve a trip to a couple late night talk shows and a glossy magazine cover now mandates appearances on a laundry list of shows, many of them online-only, whether that means shoving down chicken wings on Hot Ones, flirting with Amelia Dimoldenberg on Chicken Shop Date, taking a Vanity Fair lie detector test, or gabbing about your must-have products with GQ. Footage from these shows and red carpet interviews are then clipped and optimized to go viral on social media and become inescapable whether youre interested in seeing the film or not. Because so much of press tours now take place online, its even easier to feel like what youre seeing is an authentic portrayal of actors lives. It seems less manufactured (though of course the celebrities are there to work). Its easy to believe that Grande and Erivo really do share Glinda and Elphabas complex best friendship or even, perhaps, that youre their friend, too. A dramatic or intense off-camera dynamic among a cast now might be exactly what convinces audiences to shell out for movie tickets, because it feels like the stakes are immediate. Wait too long to see it, and you might have missed out on your chance to join in the discourse while its still fresh. In the case of Wicked, itll be interesting to see how Part One compares to next years promotional tour. How many more times can we see Erivo and Grande in theatrical green and pink gowns crying over how much they love each other? How much more and please excuse the Wicked pun popular could it even get? Youve 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. 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Editors note: In October 2024, the administration finalized a new rule making subscriptions easier to cancel the article below, originally published on August 13, 2024, explains how the rule works.President Joe Biden has made taking on junk fees hidden fees on everything from airline bookings to concert tickets a key part of his domestic agenda.His administration has already tried to limit fees on things like bank overdrafts and late credit card payments, and Monday, it turned its attention to making subscriptions and memberships easier to cancel. White House policy adviser Neera Tanden said in a call with reporters that new Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission rules should make it so Americans only need one or two clicks on your phone to end a service. Businesses often trick consumers into paying for subscriptions on everything from gym memberships to newspapers to cosmetics that they no longer want or didnt sign up for in the first place, a White House fact sheet released Monday reads. Consumers shouldnt have to navigate a maze just to cancel unwanted subscriptions and recurring payments.Americans regularly cite the economy as one of the USs most important problems. And the Biden administrations attempts to rein in junk fees are a way for it to make the case that Democrats are addressing Americans concerns about high prices before the election. Limiting fees is popular on a bipartisan basis: a December Data for Progress poll found that 77 percent of voters including 81 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of independents, and 72 percent of Republicans said they supported legislation banning junk fees. Essentially in all of these practices, the companies are delaying services to you or, really, trying to make it so difficult for you to cancel the service that they get to hold on to your money longer and longer, Tanden said. And what that means is, ultimately, consumers, the American public, is losing out.How the policy would workThe Biden administrations proposals would prohibit companies from billing customers without their consent, failing to disclose cancellation policies, and making cancellation difficult by, for example, requiring customers to cancel in person or endure long holds on the phone with customer service. Companies that fail to comply with the rule could face civil penalties, like those the FTC has sought in recent cases related to advertising. The FTC is currently reviewing public comments on its proposed rule, which would require companies to allow customers who sign up online for a service to also cancel that service online in no more steps than it took them to sign up. Companies would be allowed to make additional offers when a customer tries to cancel, but only if they first ask if a customer is open to hearing them. Companies would also have to provide reminders before subscriptions are automatically renewed if they are not for any physical good.That rule could go into effect in the coming months. Meanwhile, the FCC opened an inquiry Monday into pursuing a similar rule that would apply to the communications industry. If the FCC decides to do so, that rule might not go into effect before Bidens term ends, though if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election, she would likely advance it.Bidens subscription cancellation policy is part of a broader pro-consumer agendaIn addition to his latest move on subscriptions, Biden has pursued a still-pending broad regulation to combat junk fees overall, as well as regulations aimed at industry-specific junk fees.Notably, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a rule to curb overdraft fees incurred when consumers withdraw more than the available funds in their bank account a move that might save customers about $3.5 billion a year overall.The administrations efforts have hit some barriers, however. Airlines recently sued the Biden administration over a new final rule that requires airlines and ticket agents to disclose upfront any fees associated with booking a plane ticket. And a federal judge temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule that would limit fees on late credit card payments to $8 per month, which the CFPB said would cut costs for Americans by $10 billion a year. Bank and credit card company lobbyists, supported by some Republican members of Congress, had argued that the rule was unconstitutional.Though those lawsuits are meant to limit the administration, Biden has also used the courts in an aggressive antitrust pro-consumer strategy. His administration has filed a flurry of sweeping lawsuits against major companies, including four Big Tech companies, on the grounds that they are harming competition in their industries and, therefore, American consumers. The Biden administration recently won a major ruling against Google in which the judge found that the companys search business constituted an illegal monopoly. Other antitrust lawsuits are pending against Google over its ads business, Meta over its acquisitions of Instagram and Whatsapp, Apple over its alleged anticompetitive practices in the smartphone market, and Amazon over its restrictions on third-party sellers that have served to keep prices higher. The Biden administration has also filed a lawsuit seeking to break up Live Nation, Ticketmasters parent company, accusing it of operating an illegal monopoly through anticompetitive behavior that has harmed everyone from consumers to concert venues to artists.The durability of Bidens consumer protection initiative may depend in part on the November election. A Harris administration would likely uphold these policies and could continue to pursue these antitrust lawsuits and then some. But if former President Donald Trump wins the election, its probably a different story the Trump administration didnt make consumer protection a priority in its first term, and has not made doing so in a second term central to its campaign.Correction, November 22, 5:33 pm ET: Due to an editing error, the editors note misstated the date when the rule was finalized.Youve 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:

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Im a hardcore gamer but I havent bought a new game in 10 years Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished November 23, 2024 1:00amUpdated November 23, 2024 1:00am Very few people bought it at full price (Ubisoft)A reader explains how and why hes never paid full price for a video game in over a decade and why he never gets a new title on day one.There was some talk recently about what the term hardcore gamer really means but I think its clear that, like most things, its all a matter of perspective. Im sure theres lots of Call Of Duty and EA Sports FC fans that play the games non-stop and consider themselves hardcore, but to many other people theyd be considered casual gamers, since they only play the most mainstream of games.Ive been gaming for over 30 years and have a collection of literally hundreds of games from across those years, from the Amiga all the way up to the PlayStation 5. I know who Hidetaka Miyazaki is and I was downloading what would now be called mods for Doom off a BBS in the early 90s. Im pretty sure most people would call me a hardcore gamer (if they didnt just opt for nerd or something even less pleasant).And yet I havent bought a brand new game, on day one, for over 10 years. Everything Ive purchased has either been in a sale or second-hand, and where possible physical. This includes digital-only indie games, which I find are discounted just as often as anything else. The idea of spending over 100 on digital deluxe versions of games seems crazy to many people but to me the idea of paying 60 or 70 is just as mad. I doubt Ive paid more than 50 for anything in over a decade.I imagine I dont need to spell out my main reasons for doing this, but I feel the ever increasing prices of games makes the savings I enjoy all the more important. Despite the maximum price of games constantly rising I find the minimum is exactly where it always was and even if a game is sold for 70 at the start it can quickly drop to 20 or less in a few months, or at most a year. I just checked Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and it was 23 on Amazon earlier in the month and is now 18 in their Black Friday sale.Im not sure Ubisoft fully realise this, but the moment Star Wars Outlaws got an August release date its fate was sealed. Every sensible person knew it would end up in the Black Friday sales and lo and behold its currently the headliner for most stores, at around 40 depending on the format. Ive already picked it up.Actually, I say Ubisoft dont realise it but I dont think its any coincidence that the games big new patch and the Lando Calrissian DLC came out this week. I dont think they realised the game was doomed when they first planned its release date, but they clearly know now that everyones waiting to get it cheap during Black Friday.Im not going to insist everyone do what I do or suggest anyones wrong for buying day one or soon after, but for me it makes no sense. Maybe if I was into multiplayer games I could see some exceptions, since nobody wants to start the latest Call Of Duty after everyone else has had six months of practice, but thats not my thing so it doesnt affect me.I will say though that buying late not only saves money, but it means that the game itself is almost certain to be working properly, no matter what it was like at launch, and often it has some substantial DLC ready as well, that I dont have to wait a year or more for.The only downside is potential spoilers for story-based games, but I cant say Ive ever had any real problems with that, since its fairly easy to avoid the places that would obviously give things away.More TrendingIts a great way to buy and enjoy games and allows me the freedom to take risks with what I buy, in case I dont like it, since I know I can easily just resell the game on eBay if I dont like it. There really is no need to buy games the way publishers want you too and I feel Ive both saved money and kept my hardcore credentials.By reader Tacle Suicide Squad is cheaper than chips in less than a year (Warner Bros. Games)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.GameCentralExclusive 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