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Marvel RivalsJeffI was first introduced to Jeff the Land Shark flopping around the board in Marvel Snap, but now he was a surprising part of the launch roster for Marvel Rivals. And he soon may be heading to the MCU.Marvel head of TV Brad Winderbaum was asked about Jeff coming to the MCU, and he confirmed that yes, it is happening, at some point, with plans in motion:"You know it's coming. I can't say when, I can't say where, but we're all Jeff fans around here."The Marvel Rivals playerbase is kind of Jeff fans, if fans mean they hate the character with the passion of a thousand suns as he swims under the map, dodging damage, then eating your entire team and spitting them off the map with his Ultimate. But hes certainly popular, that much is clear.How did a four-legged tiny shark end up here in the first place? Hes a very new character in the history of the MCU, first appearing in the West Coast Avengers in 2019. Jeff and other Land Sharks were created by MODOK, and after Kate Bishop and the West Coast Avengers defeated him, Gwen Poole adopted a baby Land Shark she named Jeff after a kitten she had previously had to give up. Jeff then went on to eventually live with Kate Bishop and has gotten up to all sorts of antics including stealing Captain Americas shield to sled with and uh, briefly bonding with a symbiote. Jeffs so wacky.JeffMarvelMORE FOR YOUAnd so, Jeffs popularity rose. Jeff was introduce in Marvel Snap as a 2 cost 3 power card that can you move to any location once with literally nothing able to stop him, whether a lane is locked down or not. He could bevery annoying, and that annoying-ness has continued to Marvel Rivals.As for where Jeff may show up in the MCU, its easy to guess that he would probably function best in animation, rather than a live-action CGI version of the character. Though given that Marvel MCU animation is almost exclusively focused on What If? I say, I dont know, give him his own series? Or I wonder if he might somehow show up in the upcoming Young Avengers project, whatever that might be, given that Kate Bishop is going to be leading that, like she led the West Coast Avengers in the comic where this storyline unfolded. Well know more ata later date, and we will see if Jeff gets nerfed in Marvel Rivals any time soon.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

A hot potato: A significant software update is causing problems for some Samsung Galaxy S22 users, according to complaints shared on user forums and social media. The update in question, One UI 6.1, which rolled out in September, has reportedly triggered a range of issues, from display glitches to complete device failure. Many users report their phones becoming trapped in boot loops, rendering them unusable. Some describe jerky display performance, while others face more severe issues that effectively "brick" their devices.One frustrated user shared his experience on Samsung's support forum, detailing how his perfectly functional phone suddenly stopped working after the update. Despite attempting various troubleshooting methods suggested by Samsung, including cache clearing and factory resets, the issue persisted. The user's experience mirrors countless others reported across various platforms, including Reddit, Twitter, and Samsung's own forums.In response to these reports, Samsung issued an initial statement to Notebookcheck, indicating that they are investigating the user feedback. The company stated that potential warranty claims would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. However, this approach has left many users dissatisfied, especially those facing high repair costs.To add to the frustration, some users claim that Samsung has attributed the issue to defective mainboards, which require repairs not covered under warranty. This has led to accusations that Samsung is unfairly blaming consumers for what appears to be a software-induced problem. // Related StoriesThe reported issues point to a potential incompatibility between the new software and the existing hardware or firmware of the S22 models. The prevalence of boot loops suggests a critical failure in the devices' ability to properly initialize the OS after the update.Samsung released the One UI 6.1.1 update for the Galaxy S22 series earlier this year, introducing new features and improvements. The update focuses heavily on AI-powered capabilities. The camera and gallery applications received several enhancements, like Live Effects for 3D photos, a Motion Clipper for creating stickers and GIFs, and a Portrait Studio with AI-generated styles.The update also adds a Sketch to Image function for incorporating AI-generated elements into photos, and an Overlay Translation feature for text within images. Live Translate has been extended to third-party apps, while Smart Select now offers context-based suggestions.Additional changes include optimizations to video playback in the built-in player, a new option to answer calls by tapping buttons, more frequent weather updates, and enhancements to the Auto Blocker security feature.

WTF?! Ubisoft released a new game this week, a spin-off of the excellent Blood Dragon standalone expansion to Far Cry 3. It even features an appearance from Rayman. But why has the company not spent millions promoting what sounds like, at the very least, an interesting title? Probably because it's a Web3 game that requires the purchase of an NFT to play it. 2013's Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is still fondly remembered among FPS fans for its tongue-in-cheek homage to the best action/sci-fi movies of the 1980s. There are references to everything from Predator and Commando to Krull and Cobra. It even stars a legend from the decade, Michael Biehn, as protagonist Sergeant Rex 'Power' Colt.This week, Ubisoft launched a spin-off of Blood Dragon (technically, it's based on the 2023 Netflix show Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix), called Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E. It's a top-down multiplayer battle arena shooter for the PC. It even features iconic Ubisoft mascot Rayman as a commentator.Most people don't even know about the free-to-play Captain Laserhawk. It doesn't appear as one of Ubisoft's games on the company's main website, and you won't find any mentions on the French giant's social media accounts. The reason for the quiet launch is almost certainly because this is yet another Web3/NFT-based game that Ubisoft has launched this year.Playing Captain Laserhawk requires an NFT the Niji Warrior ID card. Ubisoft has given 10,000 of them away, but you now have to buy it for 0.0055 ETH, or about $17.80 at the time of writing.The idea is that the more you play the game, the more accomplishments your card captures, thereby increasing its uniqueness and value, meaning you might eventually sell it at a profit. There's also plenty of other virtual items to spend money on in the hope that they will ultimately sell for more than what you paid.As for the game itself, like most NFT-based titles, that part seems like the least important element in Ubisoft's eyes. Polygon describes it as very underwhelming it certainly looks cheap and pretty awful, frankly, even for early access. // Related StoriesThis isn't the only Web3 game Ubisoft has launched this year. It released Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles on PC in October, which features NFT character cards that range in price from single figures to tens of thousands of dollars.Ubisoft was one of many gaming companies to dive into non-fungible tokens in 2021, adding NFT-based cosmetics to Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which very few people bought. The French firm said it would stick to its principles and not back down from NFTs before endearing itself even further to the public by insisting that gamers "just don't get" NFTs. Ubisoft said in April 2022 that it was no longer making updates or NFTs for Breakpoint.

So much is discounted during this Steam Winter Sale that it can be hard to decide what to pick up. If youre one of those people and are also someone who enjoys games that arent afraid to experiment with their gameplay mechanics and visual aesthetics, then I have the perfect bundle for you. Its the Okami + Kunitsu-Gami Bundle, which nets you a Capcom classic that just had a sequel announced at The Game Awards as well as one of the years most underrated titles. Pick this bundle up for $40 and youll get two wildly creative, beautiful video game experiences for the price of one.Okami HD - Launch Trailer (PC, PS4, Xbox One)Okami was originally released for PS2 by Capcom in 2006 and remastered with Okami HD in 2017. In it, players control the sun goddess Amaterasu, who takes the form of a white wolf after being summoned to defeat a demon besieging the world of Nippon. Two things made Okami a cult classic: its gorgeous art style and Celestial Brush mechanic. Okamis cel-shaded art style is heavily influenced by Japanese ink-wash paintings, also referred to as Sumi-e. This gives Okami a vibrant look thats full of color and thick black in-lines. While some games have tried to emulate that, none have been able to nail the aesthetic quite like Capcom did.Recommended VideosComplimenting the Sumi-e art style is the Celestial Brush mechanic, which allows players to pause the game and paint the screen with ink. Depending on what players draw, they can do everything from attacking enemies to controlling the elements to solve puzzles. It was an innovative mechanic in 2006 and still feels unique to Okami today. While it began its life as a cult classic, it has transformed into a more widely known and beloved classic over time. Thats why it was surprising to learn at The Game Awards 2024 that, after nearly 20 years, a sequel was in the works. The announcement also gives all of us a perfect reason to revisit Okami or check it out for the first time.Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess - Announce TrailerIf you enjoy Okami, I also think its likely that youll love Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Theyre very different, but on a spiritual level, they feel like theyre connected thanks to their focus on artistry and innovative game mechanics.RelatedReleased in July 2024, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddessmixes tower defense and strategy game mechanics. The goal of most levels is to guide a maiden from one side of the level to another. To do that, players have to fight off waves of demons called Seethe every night until they gather enough energy to get the maiden to the next Torii gate.Players can fight the demons head-on like in a character action game, but its also critically important to command and place units, tower defense style, around each level to protect the maiden. Its a funky hybrid of gameplay styles, but one that works shockingly well as its intuitive to hop between fighting enemies head-on and commanding units to make sure the maiden is OK. On top of all that, it features a similarly colorful art style influenced by ink-wash paintings, woodblock prints, and Japanese puppet theater.Kunitsu-Gami is one of the best games to release this year, but unfortunately, it didnt meet Capcoms sales expectations. Ironically, thats yet another way its spiritually similar to Okami, which didnt sell well upon its initial PS2 release. The two share a deep connection, and Capcom seems to recognize that considering Kunitsu-Gami has Okami DLC. Simply put, this is a bundle for an excellent, experimental Capcom game power couple you should all check out.CapcomThe Okami + Kunitsu-Gami Bundle will typically cost $60, but it has been discounted to $40.19. While that may be more expensive than some of the other dirt-cheap Steam Winter Sale discounts that draw attention, its a steal if you look at what youre actually getting. Normally, Kunitsu-Gami alone costs $50, and Okami HD is $20. With this bundle deal, youre essentially saving nearly $10 on the game while getting Okami HD free of charge. Kunitsu-Gami standalone is discounted to $40 during the Steam Winter Sale, so from that perspective its worth paying just 19 cents more to also get Okami HD.If you decide to pick up the Okami + Kunitsu-Gami Bundle, you wont regret it. These are two truly fantastic games from Capcom that are unlike anything else youve ever played.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThe Master of DisasterIt has an all-star castThe practical effects still hold upThe stakes keep getting higherIn the 1970s, disaster movies were the superhero cinema of their day. In other words, these were the films that brought movie fans into theaters, which led to blockbusters like Earthquake, Airport, and The Poseidon Adventure. But the genre reached its zenith 50 years ago this month with the release of The Towering Inferno.Ironically, The Towering Infernos influence can be felt in the disaster films of the 90s, including Titanic and Independence Day, both of which featured large ensemble casts and special effects extravaganzas. During and after its release, The Towering Inferno was recognized for its achievements (the film nabbed eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture). It ended up winning Best Original Song, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Yet, the bigger prize for the studios behind the film is that The Towering Inferno made $203.3 million against a $14 million budget. Even now, those are the kind of results that get film executives celebrating with cartwheels and champagne.The Towering Inferno (1974) - Trailer #2But five decades later, this film isnt readily available to stream or rent online, which means audiences have either forgotten about it or they never knew it existed in the first place. Rather than let the 50th anniversary of The Towering Inferno pass unnoticed, its time to share the reasons why it came to define the disaster genre.Recommended Videos20th Century Studios and Warner Bros. PicturesThe primary architect of The Towering Infernos success was producer Irwin Allen, who made his name in the 60s with science fiction TV shows like Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. By 1972, Allen had reinvented himself as a disaster film producer on The Poseidon Adventure, and The Towering Inferno was his chance to make an even bigger splash at the box office.RelatedPerhaps the smartest thing that Allen did in the preproduction of this movie is that he convinced 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Pictures to team up for The Towering Inferno. Each studio had optioned similar novels for the big screen Fox had the rights to Richard Martin Sterns The Tower, while Warner Bros. secured The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. Allen realized that competing movies would have cannibalized the audience. Once both studios were on board, The Towering Inferno was able to pull characters and stories from both books, which probably went a long way toward the films nearly three-hour runtime. But it also gave Allen the best of both stories to choose from.The Towering Inferno (1974)-Fire StartsIn an unusual move which he also did for The Poseidon Adventure Allen directed the action scenes and made sure that he had a special credit for that. John Guillermin directed the rest of the film. Allen also reunited with composer John Williams who had scored several of Allens previous projects including Lost in Space and The Poseidon Adventure before Williams career reached an even higher level with Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and many others. Williams music for The Towering Inferno may not be among his most iconic scores, but it does give the film a timeless quality.20th Century Studios and Warner Bros. PicturesReportedly, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman both wanted top billing in The Towering Inferno, and the studios found a way to give it to both of them. This is one of the first films to feature staggered but equal billing, where the names of both stars appear diagonally on the screen at the same time during the opening credits. McQueen was arguably a bigger star, but this film belongs to Newman, who appears far more frequently as Doug Roberts, the architect of the Glass Tower who heroically tries to save as many people as possible after a fire breaks out in the high-rise building. McQueens character, San Francisco Fire Department 5th Battalion Chief Michael OHallorhan, doesnt show up until the blaze is well under way, but his character is the last person featured on-screen in the film.Silver-screen icons Fred Astaire and Jennifer Jones have an affecting subplot that plays throughout most of the film. Astaire portrays a con artist, Harlee Claiborne, who tries to romance Lisolette Mueller (Jones), a woman who still cares for him even after he reveals who he really is. This was Jones final role before her retirement from the industry, and she made the most of it, as does Astaire. Their arc ends at the conclusion of the story, which we wont spoil here.The Towering Inferno (1974)- Where there is smoke there is fireThe rest of the cast was also very impressive, and includes William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, and others. And because of the nature of this story, many of the main characters dont make it out alive.20th Century Studios and Warner Bros. PicturesThe Towering Inferno takes the better part of an hour before the plot literally heats up, but the disaster was the prime attraction for this movie. People came to the theater to watch the building burn, and they werent disappointed. While the design choices of the 70s offices seem laughable in 2024, the fire effects still look really good 50 years later.This film was made in an era long before the advent of CGI, and its practical effects still look pretty convincing. When characters and parts of the building catch on fire, chances are good that real and controlled flames were used in the process.20th Century Studios and Warner Bros. PicturesModern audiences may be put off by the fact that The Towering Inferno doesnt jump right into the disaster. Instead, it follows Roberts as he realizes that the buildings wiring is faulty and potentially dangerous. The fact that he was proven right in less than 24 hours doesnt make him feel any better. During the first 45 minutes, the film also takes the time to establish the burgeoning relationship between Claiborne and Lisolette, as well as an illicit affair between Dan Bigelow (Wagner) and his secretary, Lorrie (Susan Flannery).Among the major characters, Dan and Lorrie are some of the first to meet their tragic ends during the fire. And the movie doesnt show much sympathy for the lovers as theyre separately engulfed in flames. Its a horrible way to die, and they arent the only ones who meet untimely ends before the conclusion of the film. The stakes feel very personal for Roberts, as he puts his own life on the line to help a mother and her children escape. But OHallorhans heroics are also important in the film, as hes also risking his life on the frontlines of the fire. This film does a great job of putting the characters into increasingly dire straits. Even after things have already gone horribly wrong, they can and will get worse.THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) Clip - Steve McQueen & Paul NewmanThe Towering Inferno does have a satisfactory conclusion, and the death toll from the fire leads to some emotional moments near the end. Guillermin and Irwin didnt forget to give this movie some heart, and that may be why it still makes an impact 50 years later.Buy The Towering Inferno on Prime Video.Editors Recommendations

The Brutalist Score DetailsThe Brutalist is a beguiling, awe-inspiring epic that feels like it could have been made 50 years ago. It's one of 2024's best films.ProsAdrien Brody and Guy Pearce's career-best performancesLol Crawley's transportive cinematographyDaniel Blumberg's epic, heart-swelling scoreConsA third act that occasionally borders on ham-fistedThe Brutalist is a big film with big questions and a gargantuan 215-minute runtime to match the size and scope of its ambition. It is a drama with characters who feel like they could have been pulled straight out of the pages of a Great American Novel, and it is set in a post-WWII period of America that it so lovingly recreates that you fall easily and seamlessly into its formalistic, dreamlike embrace. It openly invites comparisons to past, iconic American epics like The Godfather, Heavens Gate, The Master, and There Will Be Blood, despite being made for considerably less money than all of those movies.It is a film covered in the fingerprints of auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson, whose past explorations of the oppressiveness of certain social, economic, and industrial systems seem to have not just influenced The Brutalist, but guided its entire creation. Some will argue that its debt to its spiritual predecessors is too obvious and that its attempts to recreate the aesthetic and look of other, similarly ambitious epics are too self-conscious. But the self-conscious nature of The Brutalists cinematic endeavor is the point. It is a film that wants to root viewers in a visual language they know and yet may have forgotten, especially during a time when Hollywoods interest in expansive adult dramas like those that inspired The Brutalist seems to be at an all-time low.Recommended VideosIts a big movie about the value and the cost of pursuing big artistic visions. Its hero is an immigrant whose dreams are too large for a man with so little existing social and economic standing to achieve on his own. In order to bring them to life, he must concede a portion of himself and his life. Such is the case in a world where big dreams so often require more money than their dreamers themselves possess.A24The Brutalist begins where so many other immigrant stories before it have: within the dark, cramped confines of a creaking metal boat. As the ships horns blow, Lszl Tth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, struggles to climb his way out of its pitch-black lower quarters and into the light of its upper deck. When he eventually does, he looks up to see the Statue of Liberty towering over him in a handheld camera pan masterfully executed by director Brady Corbet and cinematographer Lol Crawley that initially captures the American symbol a welcome to all immigrants crooked and upside down. This moment, striking enough to provoke a shocked gasp in the theater, is as close to a mission statement as The Brutalist comes, a warning that the dreams we pursue more often than not turn out differenty than we imagined them to be.RelatedThe Brutalist follows Lszl as he makes his way from New York to Philadelphia to live with his cousin, Attila (Kravens Alessandro Nivola), who owns a fledgling furniture store with his wife, Audrey (Emma Laird). In the first of many moments in which Lszls conception of America is marred, he is understandably left aghast when he discovers the lengths Attila has gone to cover up his Jewish identity, as well how casually his cousin seems to have accepted his perceived need to do so. Lszl nonetheless begins working for Attila and, before long, the two men are commissioned by Harry Lee Van Buren (a suitably arrogant Joe Alwyn) to renovate the dusty personal library of his wealthy industrialist father, Harrison (Guy Pearce).Despite its 3-plus-hour runtime, The Brutalist cruises through its first hour at a disarming speed. Corbet and co-writer Mona Fastvolds screenplay does a remarkable job of keying viewers into not only Lszls immigrant journey, but also his talent. You sit back and wait in anxious anticipation for the moment when someone will discover his potential. That moment comes when Harrison seeks out Lszl to apologize for his initial, negative reaction to his and Attilas renovation and also ask him about his work in Europe before the war. As he looks upon images of the buildings that he designed before he was deemed undesirable by the Nazis, Lszl is brought to tears. Harrison, whose curiosity is further piqued by Lszls emotional reaction, quickly ingratiates the brutalist architect into his high-society circles and commissions him to design a new building in rural Pennsylvania.A24The job quickly consumes Lszls every waking moment, even when his wife, Erzsbet (Felicity Jones), whom he was forcibly separated from by the Nazis, emigrates from Europe and joins him in the States. In his partnership with Harrison, Lszl sees a chance to create another building that wont just as he remarks during one key conversation in The Brutalists first act defy the erosion of time and politics, but also stand as a monument to the pain that he and his people suffered during the Holocaust. In order to bring this vision to life, though, he must navigate Harrisons many mood swings and reminders of the financial control he holds over Lszl and his latest dream. The Brutalist, notably, doesnt frame this conflict so much as a There Will Be Blood-esque battle of wills as it does another process that an immigrant artist like Lszl must simply endure and survive.The Brutalist treats Harrisons manipulation and long-unaddressed abuse of Lszl with a fatalistic touch that, unlike the heroin Lszl takes to cope with the pain of an injury he suffered during his boat trip to America, doesnt numb you to the films heart-wrenching power. Instead, it only envelopes you further in your sympathy for Lszl and Erzsbet, two people whose past traumas, as Jones and Brody both convey in different, thorny ways, have affected them on a physical, bone-deep level. Opposite his two co-stars, Pearce nearly runs away with The Brutalist, playing Harrison at first with such an astonishing level of self-confidence that you are, for a time at least, swept up in his charm. The full extent of his desire to control Lszl is finally revealed in The Brutalists best and most sickening sequence a brief trip to the mountains of Italy that hauntingly captures the difference between those who wish to respect and honor the beauty of the world and those who wish to merely own it themselves.A24As a filmmaker, Corbet has never been one to shy away from a big swing. His two previous features, 2015s The Childhood of a Leader and 2018s Vox Lux, are proof of that. Never before, though, has Corbet managed to combine his always admirable artistic ambitions and his cynical, sometimes limiting perspective as successfully as he does in The Brutalist. It is a film that, like Vox Lux, is made with a level of technical skill that is impossible to deny. In addition to Corbets steady, calculated direction and Crawleys atmospheric, surreal cinematography, The Brutalist also benefits greatly from composer Daniel Blumbergs percussive score, which chugs assuredly along at all times, propelling the film forward and imbuing it with swells of emotion and grandeur that make the titanic scope of its story all the more effective.Here, Corbet has captured a kind of frustrated hopelessness that feels as specific to its characters and their story as it does timeless. They do not want us here! Lszl screams at Erzsbet during one climactic argument, assuaging her of her belief that theyll ever truly be welcomed in America. The problem is that they were not wanted in Europe, either. Erzsbet does her best to hold on to her dream of Israel as a potential haven for her and Lszl, but what The Brutalist taps into with devastating precision is the sense that there isnt anywhere any of us can go to feel valued and safe. That is a dark thought, but one that has felt true for decades and continues to.A24Even if this is a world that does not want our ideas, though, that does that mean we must give up on them. There are still ways to bring even the grandest of our dreams into being. The Brutalist, a film that took six years to make, is proof of that. The question we must all ask ourselves, and which The Brutalist does, is how much pain we are willing to endure to make our dreams reality. At what point does the cost overtake the reward? How much of a victory, in other words, is creation alone?The Brutalist opens in select theaters Friday, December 20.Editors Recommendations

Under the sea Green sea turtle gets relief from bubble butt syndrome thanks to 3D printing Boat collision left Charlotte stranded at the surface and in danger of predation. Jacek Krywko Dec 21, 2024 7:25 am | 5 Charlotte the turtle Credit: Laura Shubel Charlotte the turtle Credit: Laura Shubel Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreCharlotte, a green sea turtle, was hit by a boat back in 2008. This left it with an affliction colloquially referred to as the bubble butt, a kind of floating syndrome that makes it impossible for a turtle to dive. Most sea turtles suffering from issues like this simply die at sea, since the condition leaves them stranded at the surface where they cant forage, sleep, and avoid predators like sharks. But fate had other plans for Charlotte.Charlotte didnt end up as a sharks lunch and didnt starve to death floating helplessly in the ocean. Instead, it got rescued shortly after the boat accident and eventually found a home at Mystic Aquarium in Stonington, Connecticut, where it received professional care. That was the first time Charlotte got lucky. The second time came when a collaboration formed: Adia, a company specializing in 3D-printing solutions; Formlabs, one of the worlds leading manufacturers of 3D printers; and New Balance Athletic, a sportswear giant based in Boston. This team chose Charlotte as a technology showcase, which basically turned the turtle into an Oscar Pistorius of the seajust without the criminal conviction.Weights and dietSea turtles are marine reptiles, which means they dont have gills like fishthey need air to breathe. The lungs also play a key role in their buoyancy regulation system, which allows them to rest for extended periods of time at the sea floor or float at a precisely chosen depth. A sea turtle can precisely choose the depth at which it achieves neutral buoyancy by inhaling the exactly right volume of air.Their lungs therefore serve a dual-purposethey are an oxygen storage, but they also enable a turtle to maintain a chosen position under water. The issue with Charlotte and many other turtles is a bubble butt syndrome, where there are gas pockets causing added buoyancy, says Alex Pestana, a Formlabs manager involved in helping Charlotte.Two main reasons those gas pockets appear in turtles are plastics and boat strikes.When a turtle consumes something it cant digestlike parts of fishing nets, plastic bottles, or even rubber gloves (yes, there was a sea turtle found with a rubber glove in its intestines)it sometimes gets stuck somewhere along its gastrointestinal tract. This, in turn, causes gases to gather there, which throws the turtles buoyancy out of balance.Those gases usually gather in the parts of the gastrointestinal tract located near the rear of the turtle, so the animal is left floating bum-up at an unnatural angle. Conditions like that are sometimes curable with dietary modifications, assisted feeding, fluid therapy, and other non-invasive means to the point where afflicted animals can be safely released back into the wild. Boat strikes, on the other hand, often lead to permanent damage.Sea turtles shells are tough but not tough enough to withstand a boat impact, especially when the shell gets hit by a propeller blade. This often leaves a shell deformed, with air bubbles trapped underneath it. In more severe cases, the spinal cord under the shell also gets damaged, which leads to complete or partial paralysis.The most popular approach to rehabilitating these injuries relies on gluing Velcro patches to the shell at carefully chosen spots and attaching weights to those patches to counteract the buoyancy caused by the air bubbles. This is a pretty labor-intensive task that has to be done repeatedly every few months for the rest of the turtles life. And green sea turtles can live as long as 80 years. Charlotte swimming with the harness on. Credit: Laura Shubel Charlotte swimming with the harness on. Credit: Laura Shubel Harnessing advanced manufacturingCharlotte, as a boat strike victim with air bubbles trapped under its deformed shell, was considered non-releasable and completely dependent on human care. Since full recovery was not an option, Mystic Aquarium wanted to make everyday functioning more bearable for both the turtle and its caretakers. It got in touch with Adia, which in turn got New Balance and Formlabs onboard. Their idea was to get rid of the Velcro and replace them with a harness fitted with slots for weights.The work started with a 3D scan of Charlottes shell. The scan was the starting point for a New Balance computational design team. And the task proved quite hard.For starters, turtles, as all reptiles, grow all their lifetheir growth rate slows down dramatically when they reach mature sizes, but it never stops. Turtle shells also change over time, with individuals shedding some features and replacing them with new ones. So permanently attaching weights was out of the question.The air bubbles beneath Charlottes shell also shifted at times, which meant the harness had to make repositioning the weights possible. Finally, through years of swimming at an awkward 45-degree angle, the turtle mostly used its fore flippers, which led to atrophy of the hind limbs.The goal then was to gradually get Charlotte used to using its hind flippers again by leveling its position gradually using small weights at the start and moving to larger weights later on.When New Balance finally designed a harness that checked all the boxes, the CAD files went to Formlabs for 3D printing. Pestanas team prepared those files for 3D printing in a process called slicing, where a digital model is divided into very thin layers. Those sliced models were then fed into the Formlabs Fuse 1 SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) 3D printer. In this process, we take powderized plastic, finer than sand, and we are heating that powder to just about its melting point, Pestana explained. Then we are using a laser to melt itthe laser kind of draws the layers image on the powder, starting from the bottom of the model. Then we recoat the powder for the next layer, and we do that over and over, till the model is printed. To get the right mix of flexibility, stiffness, and impact-resistance, Formlabs made Charlottes harness with carbon fiber-reinforced nylon. And it worked.Future turtle careCharlotte got the harness in December 2024 and, according to its handlers, it is doing great, making progress toward getting its hind flippers moving. But Aida, New Balance, and Formlabs are already thinking about applying this approach at a broader scale. There are definitely several cases like this one. I dont know the exact number, but I know Adia was reached out to by at least four other aquariums that have similar issues. There are many turtles like Charlotte out there in the US and several more across the world, Pestana says.He said 3D printing is particularly useful in helping afflicted animals because it offers a relatively inexpensive, low-volume manufacturing option where each design can be heavily customized. Were talking about designs that are very complex that need to be very specific to the animal and to the injury or trauma the animal suffered, Pestana told Ars. Traditionally you would make designs like that by hand. It would be very labor-intensive, and you probably wouldnt get them quite as optimized to the loads they need to withstand.Adia and New Balance have a vision for helping turtles with floating syndromes that relies on seeking collaborators who can assist in getting the process of manufacturing harnesses as simple and automated as possible. We need workflows that are more streamlined. People are usually not adept in CAD design and all that. Our goal is a system where you could just use a scan data of the shell to generate a harness design we could directly transfer to the SLS system and produce end-use parts, Pestana says. Thats like an end-state. We are trying to get that done.Jacek KrywkoAssociate WriterJacek KrywkoAssociate Writer Jacek Krywko is a freelance science and technology writer who covers space exploration, artificial intelligence research, computer science, and all sorts of engineering wizardry. 5 Comments

Nature, Published online: 18 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08329-5Lithocholic acid is one of the metabolites upregulated during calorie restriction, and treatment of mice, worms and flies with this bile acid alone can reproduce the health benefits of calorie restriction.

Nature, Published online: 18 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04236-xWe hear that a 2020 study promoting hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 has been retracted and explore how science explains the widening political divisions in the United States.