Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are central to how users engage with software. However, building intelligent agents capable of effectively navigating GUIs has been a persistent challenge. The difficulties arise from the need to understand visual context, accommodate dynamic and varied GUI designs, and integrate these systems with language models for intuitive operation. Traditional methods often struggle with adaptability, especially in handling complex layouts or frequent changes in GUIs. These limitations have slowed progress in automating GUI-related tasks, such as software testing, accessibility enhancements, and routine task automation.Researchers from Tsinghua University have just open-sourced and introduced CogAgent-9B-20241220, the latest version of CogAgent. CogAgent is an open-source GUI agent model powered by Visual Language Models (VLMs). This tool addresses the shortcomings of conventional approaches by combining visual and linguistic capabilities, enabling it to navigate and interact with GUIs effectively. CogAgent features a modular and extensible design, making it a valuable resource for both developers and researchers. Hosted on GitHub, the project promotes accessibility and collaboration within the community.At its core, CogAgent interprets GUI components and their functionalities by leveraging VLMs. By processing both visual layouts and semantic information, it can execute tasks like clicking buttons, entering text, and navigating menus with precision and reliability.Technical Details and BenefitsCogAgents architecture is built on advanced VLMs, optimized to handle both visual data, such as screenshots, and textual information simultaneously. It incorporates a dual-stream attention mechanism that maps visual elements (e.g., buttons and icons) to their textual labels or descriptions, enhancing its ability to predict user intent and execute relevant actions.One of the standout features of CogAgent is its capacity to generalize across a wide variety of GUIs without requiring extensive retraining. Transfer learning techniques enable the model to adapt quickly to new layouts and interaction patterns. Additionally, it integrates reinforcement learning, allowing it to refine its performance through feedback. Its modular design supports seamless integration with third-party tools and datasets, making it versatile for different applications.The benefits of CogAgent include:Improved Accuracy: By integrating visual and linguistic cues, the model achieves higher precision compared to traditional GUI automation solutions.Flexibility and Scalability: Its design allows it to work across diverse industries and platforms with minimal adjustments.Community-Driven Development: As an open-source project, CogAgent fosters collaboration and innovation, encouraging a broader range of applications and improvements.Results and InsightsEvaluations of CogAgent highlight its effectiveness. According to its technical report, the model achieved leading performance in benchmarks for GUI interaction. For example, it excelled in automating software navigation tasks, surpassing existing methods in both accuracy and speed. Testers noted its ability to manage complex layouts and challenging scenarios with remarkable competence.Additionally, CogAgent demonstrated significant efficiency in data usage. Experiments revealed that it required up to 50% fewer labeled examples compared to traditional models, making it cost-effective and practical for real-world deployment. It further enhanced its adaptability and performance over time, as the model learned from user interactions and specific application contexts.ConclusionCogAgent offers a thoughtful and practical solution to longstanding challenges in GUI interaction. By combining the strengths of Visual Language Models with a user-focused design, researchers at Tsinghua University have created a tool that is both effective and accessible. Its open-source nature ensures that the broader community can contribute to its growth, unlocking new possibilities for software automation and accessibility. As an innovation in GUI interaction, CogAgent marks a step forward in creating intelligent, adaptable agents that can meet diverse user needs.Check out Twitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. [Download] Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities Report (Promoted)

This article contains spoilers regarding the games introduced in Squid Game season 2 (but no major spoilers about their results). Netflix survival drama Squid Game is back for a second season and with it comes a new batch of deadly childrens games. Season 1 covered many of the classics like Red Light, Green Light and Tug of War while introducing Western audiences to Korean traditions like Dalgona and Ddakji.The colorful creativity of these games, combined with the disturbing violence that ends them, helped create a true global phenomenon. Now season 2 faces the challenge of balancing the familiar with the novel when it comes to the games at the center of the titular squid game. Thankfully, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is up for the challenge. Squid Game season 2 features roughly 10 games within its seven-episode runsort of. There are only a handful of official squid game contests while several occur outside the context of the competition, and one includes five smaller games-within-a-game. Youll see what we mean.Read on for our breakdown of every game included in Squid Game season 2. Game Zero Rock, Paper, Scissors (Minus One) + Russian RouletteBefore the squid games themselves begin, Squid Game offers up a little appetizer in its first two episodes. When two of Seong Gi-huns employees, Mr. Kim and Choi Woo-seok, pursue the mysterious unnamed Recruiter they are captured and made to play a cruel game: Rock, Paper, Scissors (Minus One) + Russian Roulette. You likely know the rules to rock, paper, scissors already. On a three-count, two players form their right hand into one of three shapes rock, paper, or scissors then match up their choice with their opponents. Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beat paper. The Recruiter adds two additional elements to this simple game. The first is the minus one portion, meaning that players make shapes with both of their hands and then have to subtract one, creating another layer of strategy. The second is Russian Roulette. One of movie and TV villains favorite tools, Russian Roulette involves a gun with six chambers. Five of those chambers will be empty and one will contain a bullet. The chamber will be spun and then the gun pointed at a players head and the trigger pulled, with there being a 1-in-6 chance of losing i.e. being killed. The Recruiter actually does Mr. Kim and Choi Woo-seok a solid by spinning the chamber before each round. Later on he plays Russian Roulette again with Seong Gi-hun and doesnt randomize the chamber between rounds for a more dangerous game.Game One Red Light, Green LightAh, old faithful. Just like season 1, this edition of the games opens with a schoolyard classic. Red Light, Green Light sees a group of people assemble on a field and run towards a goal at the end. They can only move, however, when a judge says green light and they must stop and stay perfectly still when the judge says red light. In Squid Games version of the game, the judge happens to be a mechanical statue of a little girl who instructs guards with guns to kill anyone who moves during the red light portion. This is the only event from Seong Gi-huns first pass at the games that returns for this edition. We would wager that Red Light, Green Light is probably always the opening event for each version of this contest. Its an effective way to quickly reduce a population of 456 people into something more manageable for future games. Plus, the Front Mans and his V.I.P.s likely spent a lot of money on that girl statue. Game Two Six-Legged Pentathlon The second game this year is an interesting one that combines five disparate events into one pentathlon. Well actually, its more like six events since the overarching race portion of this pentathlon is a challenge in and of itself. Players break off into teams of five and have their legs tied together, creating one six-legged walking entity. The team then has five minutes to make its way around a circular track to safety. But along that path they must complete the five following challenges. DdakjiThis is another Squid Game classic. Ddakji involves pieces of paper that have been folded into tight shapes (usually a square). While one paper square lies on the ground, a player must throw their paper onto it with enough force to flip it. This is the game that The Recruiter uses to entice the unfortunate into the competition. He did so in season 1 and we see him do it again in season 2. Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Flying StoneThis one is pretty straightforward. One tombstone-shaped rock stands on the ground and a player must throw their own stone at it from a distance, knocking it over. Its notable (to me at least) that one player mimics side-arming South Korean baseball pitcher Kim Byung-hyun as the perfect strategy here. Gong-giLike ddakji and dalgona in season 1, gong-gi is a Korean staple that is likely unfamiliar to most Western viewers. In fact, I had to do some research to understand what was going on. The game is really quite simple though, and this YouTube video in particular helped me get it.Basically, gong-gi is similar to the games knucklebones or jacks. Five grape-sized stones begin on the ground. The player picks up one, tosses it into the air, and then picks up the remaining stones on the ground while the first stone is in the air. The player must pick up a different number of remaining stones based on rounds. In round one, they pick up each stone one-by-one while tossing a stone in the air in-between each pickup. In round two, they pick up the four remaining pieces two-by-two. In round three the player picks up three at once and then one. Round four sees all four remaining stones picked up while the first is in the air. Finally, in round five players must toss all the stones in their hand and catch them on the back of their hand. Imagine doing all of that while a gun is trained on you and a clock ticks down. Spinning TopIn spinning top, a player wraps a string tightly around a top and then pulls it like a ripcord so that the top reaches the ground and begins spinning. JegiJegi, short for Jegichagi, is a game similar to footbag or hacky sack. The goal of the game is to kick an object into the air for a predetermined amount of time or iterations. Jegi only really differs from hacky sack in the material that the central item is made out of. The Jegi is a shuttlecock-like object that is often made from paper wrapped around a small coin. Game Three MingleMingle is somewhat similar to the Western game of musical chairs. Players gather on a circular platform that slowly rotates as music plays. When the music stops, a voice calls out a number over the loudspeaker like 5, 2, 10, or 4. Upon hearing that number, players have a limited amount of time to form a group that consists of that number and run to safety to one of many rooms surrounding the circular platform. Anyone who does not find a group and make it to safety (or makes it to safety with the wrong number) is killed. All seven episodes of Squid Game season 2 are available to stream on Netflix now.

This article contains no spoilers for Squid Game season 2. Near the end of Squid Game season 2s second episode, returning antagonist Hwang In-ho a.k.a. The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) hits our hero Seong Gi-hun a.k.a. Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae) with an unlikely movie reference.Have you seen The Matrix? the masked man asks the former game winner via a piggybank intercom. They couldve lived in peace if they chose the blue pill. But they still chose the red pill to play the heroes.A second season of Squid Game is the ultimate pop culture example of choosing the red pill and not in the politically-charged sense that the term red pilling has come to be associated with. The Netflix survival drama could have swallowed the one-season blue pill and lived in peace, comfortable in its status as one of the most successful TV shows ever released globally. But reality doesnt quite work that way. As The Matrix itself understood the red pill and blue bill dont represent choice but the illusion of it. Take the blue pill and youre still fundamentally living a lie.As long as season 1 existed as exploitable IP in Netflixs vault, more Squid Game would always be an inevitability. Rather than wait for Netflix to bring someone else in to usher in that future, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk opted to to just write a second and third season while the cast was still relatively young and available. Its probably not a coincidence that thats the same conclusion The Matrix co-creator Lana Wachowski came to when electing to helm 2021s The Matrix Resurrections for Warner Bros. Discoverys content-ravenous investors. Fine, Ill do it myself before you ruin it, isnt exactly an artistically-thrilling proposition but its better than the alternative. And sometimes it can lead to compelling art anyway. It did so with the aforementioned Resurrections and its done so once again with Squid Game season 2.While not as groundbreaking as its first outing, Squid Game season 2 is a satisfying and entertaining episodic experience. The story picks up two years after the conclusion of season 1, with Gi-hun still reeling from being the winner (and only survivor) of the 2021 iteration of the contest that pits the impoverished against one another in deadly versions of childrens games. Singularly focused on ending the exploitative competition once and for all, Gi-hun puts his 45.6 billion prize winnings to good use by hiring a veritable army of observers to search for signs that the games are starting back up again.The first two episodes of Squid Game season 2 are understandably a bit contrived as they try to cobble together a reasoning for Gi-hun to endure hell once again by entering into the games for a second time. Its to Hwangs credit that he doesnt rush through the necessary set up to make Gi-huns decision as logically sound as possible. Having existing season 1 characters like police officer Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) and the unnamed mysterious recruiter (Gong Yoo) around to liven up the proceedings certainly helps. This portion of the story even gets the welcome addition of a Jar Jar Binks type in form of Gi-huns new employee Choi Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho) and I swear that dynamic is not as annoying as it sounds.But, as Ben Wyatt could tell you, its about the games. And once those games finally do roll around, season 2 reaches another level. As was the case in Squid Games brilliant first season, the central dramatic tension here lies in the uncomfortable space between a scathing critique of capitalism and a reveling in the splendor of its violent delights. This time around, Squid Game brings back one classic contest from season 1 while introducing no fewer than seven* fresh takes on traditional Korean playground games. Of course, youre not supposed to have fun watching desperate individuals engage in bloodsport to amuse the wealthy but you certainly will anyway and the show doesnt judge you too harshly for it.*Sort of. One challenge consists of multiple games. Itll all make sense once you see it.The allure of high-stakes childrens games is so intoxicating that it helps logically smooth over the players willing participation in them. Once again, Squid Games creative masterstroke is making the squid games themselves voluntary. There has perhaps never been a more thematically load-bearing hour of television than season 1s Hell, in which the squid gamers vote to exit the contest only to come right back when confronted with a real world full of debts and despair once again. Season 2 brilliantly expands upon these dynamics of desperation even further by introducing multiple votes between games, mimicking an ongoing democratic process complete with its own X and O political parties.One shortcoming that season 2 shares with the shows first go-around is some relatively poor characterization for most of its ensemble beyond Gi-hun and the Front Man. This squid game roster is filled with colorful, but shallow figures like a failed cryptocurrency influencer (Im Si-wanas #333 Lee Myung-gi, an ex-military trans woman (Park Sung-hoonas #120 Hyun-ju), and, borrowing a little from Netflixs Squid Game: The Challenge, a mother and son (Yang Dong-geunas #007 Park Yong-sik and Kang Ae-shim as #149 Jang Geum-ja). The charitable read on these surface-level characters is that the show is commenting on how the vagaries of poverty can reduce an individuals otherwise vibrant personality into a stock archetype. The more likely interpretation is that its really hard to write about 456 unique contestants.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Squid Game season 2 is also not immune to the recent streaming trend of incomplete ending-itis, cutting things off right when the shit is about to really hit the fan. Because of that, this middle chapter of a planned trilogy leans more Matrix Reloaded than Empire Strikes Back. But, as Matrix fan Hwang In-ho could tell you: Reloaded is still pretty sick. All seven episodes of Squid Game season 2 are available to stream on Netflix now. Learn more about Den of Geeks review process and why you can trust our recommendationshere.

7.5 /10 SCORE Our Verdict Our Verdict Best for: Score Breakdown Pros and Cons Pros Great option for side sleepers Unique, gel-like feel Excellent temperature regulation Affordable (for the brand) Cons Only comes in one firmness option Not a good option for back sleepers Unique feel can be somewhat divisive Table of Contents The Purple mattress lineup has improved significantly over the last few years. Only one mattress underwent a redesign to improve the edge support. There were three hybrid models, called the Purple 2, 3 and 4 (referring to the amount of GelFlex Grid the mattress had). Now Purple has three different collections of beds: the Essential, Restore Hybrid and Rejuvenate Luxe. The Purple Plus is the most high-end bed in the Essential Collection and is designed to be an upgraded version of the Original Purple Mattress.It is designed for side sleepers specifically, and we tested it to see what the hype is about.First impressions of the Purple Plus mattress JD Christison/CNETThe Purple Plus mattress wasn't super impressive right out of the box, or I should say bag. Certain mattresses will ship inside of a large bag instead of a box which is what we see the vast majority of the time. It was unimpressive because it had a pretty long "off-gassing" process.Every mattress needs some amount of time to fully inflate and firm up when it's removed from the plastic, and beds like the Purple Plus that use lots of foam layers generally take longer. When I first laid down on the Purple Plus, it was so soft that I sank all the way down to the slats on the foundation, and it also looked somewhat misshapen. Based on our experience, I wouldn't recommend sleeping on the Purple Plus night one, but by the next day, it was good to go.I was able to immediately tell that the Purple Plus had a very familiar feel, at least to me because, at the time, I slept on a Purple Hybrid mattress, and on both beds, you are essentially sleeping directly on the GelFlex Grid material that provides (most) Purple beds their unique feel.Video: Purple Plus mattress reviewWatch me review the Purple Plus mattress in this video review.Purple Plus constructionThe Purple Plus mattress is about 11 inches thick and, aside from the Purple GelFlex Grid material, is made entirely of foam layers. The bed has a "dual base" support foam, which means there are two distinct support layers, with the top one being slightly softer than the bottom.Above this support foam is a layer of comfort foam that is only found in the Purple Plus, not the Original or the Flex. The topmost layer in the Purple Plus is the same 2-inch-thick layer of the proprietary Purple GelFlex Grid material, and this dominates the feel of the bed. JD Christison/CNETIt's made of a material called hyper-elastic polymer that doesn't resemble normal mattress foams. In fact, it looks more like a shoe insole. This material provides a uniquely responsive and squishy sensation that we describe as "gel-like." It moves with you really well and conforms to your body's shape nicely while providing lots of support at the same time.With that said, some sleepers may think the bed's one-of-a-kind feel is somewhat strange, so make sure you fully utilize the 100-night trial period provided by Purple.I slept on a different Purple mattress for over 5 years (I only switched because my partner needed something different), and I found it to be exceptionally comfortable.Purple Plus firmness and feel JD Christison/CNETThe biggest difference between the Purple Plus and the Original Purple is the additional layer of comfort foam, which doesn't impact the feel -- but it strongly impacts the firmness profile, making it noticeably softer.We rate the Purple Original to be a flat medium on our firmness scale, which makes it pretty accommodating for most sleepers, including couples and combo sleepers, but the Purple Plus will be closer to a medium-soft, which means it will provide a lot of pressure relief for your hips and shoulders and be a great option for people who spend the majority of the night on their side.If you are looking for something firmer, the PurpleFlex mattress is meant to be the firmest bed in the Purple Essential Collection, but we haven't gotten the opportunity to test it yet. The Purple Restore mattress is noticeably firm as well, and I think that it is a fantastic bed, albeit more expensive and featuring coils instead of support foam.Purple Plus mattress performanceEdge support Jonathan Gomez/CNETThe original model of Purple I tested over six years ago had very poor edge support because the GelFlex Grid material extended all the way to the edge of the mattress and didn't provide enough support.Purple did a redesign of the Original mattress that encased the perimeter of the bed in a firmer foam which vastly improved the edge support. This same design is also in the Purple Plus mattress, so the edge support is pretty solid despite being a softer mattress that uses foam for support.If you end up sleeping on the edges of the Purple Plus mattress, I don't think you'll have any serious problems with a roll-off sensation.Motion isolationIf waking up in the middle of the night because your partner tosses and turns a lot, having a mattress that isolates cross-mattress motion well is important. Despite the responsive nature of the GelFlex Grid material in the Purple Plus mattress, we observed it isolates motion surprisingly well.It doesn't quite compete with memory foam beds that famously excel at motion isolation, but I didn't see cross-mattress motion being a huge problem for most people.Temperature regulationOne area where Purple as a brand excels is temperature regulation. Their beds don't feature active cooling elements like the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe or the Leesa Chill collection, but thanks to the GelFlex Grid material, the Purple Plus is breathable and stays temperature neutral throughout the night.Again, I slept on a Purple bed for over five years through hot summers, and I can definitely say the bed didn't retain much heat. I still had occasional night sweats when I didn't have air conditioning, but that had little to do with the mattress.Purple Plus mattress pricing Size Measurements (inches)PriceTwin 38 x 74 inches$1,499Twin XL 38 x 80 inches$1,599Full 54 x 75 inches$1,799Queen 60 x 80 inches$1,899King 76 x 80 inches$2,399Cal king 72 x 84 inches$2,399 Purple, in comparison to other brands like Casper, Leesa and Helix, is a bit on the expensive side. You'll be paying a bit of a premium for Purple no matter which bed you choose because it has a special material that no other brand has.A queen-size Purple Plus has a retail price of $1,899, which is in the same range as really high-quality pillow-top hybrids like the Saatva Classic and The WinkBed and is quite a bit more expensive than popular all-foam mattresses like the Leesa Original. Purple will sometimes go on discount, especially around major holidays, and I've seen the price get to as low as $1,499, which is a much more accessible price.Make sure you check out our mattress deals page for the most up-to-date pricing and discounts on the Purple Plus or any other bed you are interested in.Purple Plus mattress policiesFree shippingThe Purple Plus mattress will ship to your door at no extra cost via FedEx or UPS inside of either a large box or a large bag. We have usually seen Purple mattresses get delivered in a bag, but there's virtually no difference in the process for you to set up the bed if it's in a box or a bag.100-night trialAll Purple mattresses, including the Purple Plus, come with a standard 100-night trial period to determine if you actually like the mattress and want to keep it long-term.100 nights is what we usually see with most brands, and we think it is plenty of time to figure out if you want to keep a mattress. Keep in mind that it can take a few weeks for your body to fully adjust to a new bed, no matter how well-suited it is to your preferences.Return policyIf you don't like the Purple Plus mattress after the first 30 nights, you can return it at no extra cost and get a full refund. Returning a mattress is actually pretty easy. Many people think you have to somehow ship the bed back to them, but that's not the case.Usually, they will arrange for someone in your area to pick it up, and then it often gets donated.WarrantyAll Purple mattresses are backed by a standard 10-year warranty. If you buy a mattress online, a 10-year warranty is the minimum you should expect.Final verdict on the Purple Plus mattress JD Christison/CNETThe Purple Plus mattress is for someone interested in the unique feel and characteristics of the GelFlex Grid who doesn't want a hybrid and also wants their bed to be noticeably soft. That is a pretty specific niche that the Purple Plus fits because the Purple Original is a more accommodating medium firmness and is also more affordable, and the Purple Restore is a hybrid bed with multiple firmness options to choose from, which also makes it compelling for only a bit more cost.Plenty of sleepers prefer not to have a hybrid mattress because of the improved motion isolation provided by foam, and many sleepers also favor their side as a primary sleeping position, so for those people, I think the Purple Plus makes a lot of sense, assuming you enjoy the gel-like feel of a Purple mattress. I think it's incredibly comfortable, but not everyone agrees.You might like the Purple Plus mattress if:You are a primary side sleeperYou have a decent amount of money to spend on a new bedYou are interested in the unique feel provided by PurpleYou want a mattress with foam support layersYou might not like the Purple Plus mattress if:You want a more conventional feeling mattressYou want a firm mattress or the ability to choose between firmness optionsYou are seeking a hybrid mattressYou are shopping on a tight budgetOther mattresses from PurplePurple Original: This mattress is the flagship mattress from Purple, which means it's the most popular. It has a virtually identical design to the Purple Plus, with the same support layers and the same 2-inch-thick layer of GelFlex Grid material. The Purple Plus has that additional layer of comfort foam which softens up the bed in comparison to the Purple Original, which is about a medium on the firmness scale. The Purple Original is also the more affordable mattress. Purple Restore Hybrid: The Purple Restore mattress is the base model of the Purple Restore Hybrid Collection. It features the same 2-inch-thick layer of GelFlex Grid material from the Purple Original and Purple Plus. The biggest difference is that the Purple Restore uses coils instead of foam for its main support layer and also comes in two different firmness options: a soft and a firm. The firm model is about a medium-firm on the firmness scale and is great for back, stomach and combo sleepers and the soft medium is roughly a medium, which is pretty accommodating for all sleepers types, especially combo sleepers and couples. It will be quite a bit more expensive than the Purple Plus, though. How does the Purple Plus mattress compare to similar mattresses?Purple Plus vs. Nolah Signature 12"The Nolah Signature 12 is pretty similar to the Purple Plus. They have roughly the same firmness level, around a medium-soft, and they are both designed to be more premium, softer versions of each brand's respective flagship mattress.The Nolah Signature 12 will have a much different feel than the Purple Plus because no mattress feels like Purple. On Nolah, you get a mixed foam feel thanks to the top layer of foam being responsive while having some similarities to memory foam. The Signature 12 is also more affordable than the Purple Plus by a significant amount when factoring in discounts.Purple Plus vs. Tuft & Needle MintTuft & Needle Mint is another enhanced version of a popular mattress that is intended for side sleepers. We rate the Tuft & Needle Mint to be slightly firmer than the Purple Plus, but not by much and should provide a lot of pressure relief for sleeper's hips and shoulders. The Mint mattress has an accommodating, soft and neutral feel that strikes a nice balance between sink-in comfort and responsiveness. It is also quite a bit more affordable than the Purple Plus.Purple Plus mattress FAQs How thick is the Purple Plus mattress? The Purple Plus mattress is 11 inches thick. Show more What are Purple beds made of? The beds use a variety of coils and foam, but Purple is most well known for its GelFlex Grid material, which is made from hyper-elastic polymer. Show more Are Purple beds made in the USA? Yes, Purple beds are made in the USA with "American-made" materials. Show more Are Purple mattresses safe? Yes, all of its beds are Certa-PUR US certified, which means they are free of ozone-depleting chemicals and other chemicals, like formaldehyde, so it is perfectly safe. Its beds are also Clear Air GOLD certified. Show more

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Most people who own a smart watch or fitness watch use a band made of synthetic rubber to hold the device on their wrist. Although the bands are designed to feel comfortable against the skin, a recent study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that they may be harmful. This is due to the substances they are made from known as fluoroelastomers which can contain large quantities of a dangerous so-called forever chemical known as perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA); it is unclear the extent to which this can be absorbed through the skin.PFHxA belongs to a classification of industrial products known as per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which do not biodegrade and resist breaking down after exposure to water and light, hence the nickname forever chemicals. They have been linked to extreme health problems like cancer, high blood pressure and infertility. Despite these risks, PFAS are widely used in products like non-stick cookware, umbrellas, cosmetics, furniture, cleaning chemicals, water-resistant fabrics and stain-resistant coatings. PFHxA specifically is commonly used in pizza boxes, rain jackets, firefighting foam and waterproofing sprays.RelatedHeres how to remove some persistent pollutants from your drinking water at homeWhile the scientists behind the study werent originally looking for PFHxA, the forever chemical was the most frequently detected compound within the 22 watch bands analyzed across numerous brands and price points. Lead author Graham F. Peaslee, a physicist at the University of Notre Dame, told Salon that the researchers had not even been aware that PFAS were used in the watch bands until they saw a full-page ad touting them for being made of fluoroelastomer."The good news is that the consumer can opt for alternative wrist bands to avoid potential PFAS exposure risks."We realized that the general public didn't recognize fluoroelastomers as a type of PFAS, Peaslee said. Like all other forms of polymeric PFAS, we suspected that these materials would also have other PFAS readily available together with the fluoropolymer, and we searched for 20 common PFAS. Thats when they found the surprisingly high concentrations of PFHxA, a forever chemical that can enter the body after being eaten, inhaled, consumed through drinking or absorbed through the skin.This was unique in the sense that it was the first time we had found only one PFAS, and that it was at such high concentrations much higher than we typically find in consumer products, Peaslee said.While the scientists didnt test this with humans, they still reported that the high levels of PFAS in these products poses an opportunity for significant transfer to the dermis [skin] and subsequent human exposure. Additionally, several of these watch bands were advertised as sports and fitness monitors, implying that the wearer may be exercising with them, which means additional sweat contact and open skin pores.Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter Lab Notes.Importantly, Peaslee noted that this is one instance in which a forever chemical was not necessary to include as an ingredient.There were many wrist bands available that don't use PFAS and without concern for the toxic shorter-chain PFAS that can be in direct contact with the consumer's skin, Peaslee said. The good news is that the consumer can opt for alternative wrist bands to avoid potential PFAS exposure risks.He added, It is just a question of knowing that they are present and it is possible to avoid those with fluoroelastomer materials.In addition to PFHxA, the nearly endless varieties of PFAS include perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid (PFOS), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). As of 2019, there were more than 4,700 documented PFAS, even though most of them perform the same basic function making products more resistant to stains, grease and other kinds of damage.We need your help to stay independentSubscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalismAccording to Dr. Anna Reade, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), chemical engineers have created this wide variety of forever chemicals to engage in a practice known as regrettable substitution. When certain forever chemicals face increased regulation or notoriety, manufacturers try to have their cake and eat it too (often successfully) by swapping out the specifically banned compound for a slightly different alternative."There are two really good examples that are supported by just a ton of evidence now," Reade told Salon in July, mentioning the two different PFAS known as PFOA (which was used to make teflon) and PFOS (which was used to make Scotchgard)."When those came under scrutiny, one of the big substitutions was to use a four-carbon version of PFOS instead, Reade said. What they did was they just used a different chain length, exactly the same molecule, but just a shorter version of it, a smaller version."The final result was that "they switched to that and said it was safe because there wasn't any data on it," Reade said. The practice of engaging in regrettable substitution is still prevalent today.Read moreabout toxinsBy Matthew RozsaMatthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.MORE FROM Matthew RozsaRelated Topics ------------------------------------------Apple WatchExplainerForever ChemicalsHealthPfasPollutantsScienceSkinSmart WatchSmart Watch BandToxins

Indian online pharmacy PharmEasy is now being valued at about $456 million after its investor Janus Henderson said in a filing that it valued its stake of 12.9 million shares in the startup at $766,043. The asset managers Global Research Fund had originally spent $9.4 million to acquire these shares. This valuation is 92% less than PharmEasys all-time-high price tag of $5.6 billion.The persistent low valuation comes despite PharmEasy securing more than $200 million in fresh capital earlier this year, and while its preparing to file for an initial public offering next year.PharmEasy had launched a rights issue in 2023 amidst a funding crunch and obligations to pay off a debt. (A rights issue allows companies to raise capital by letting shareholders purchase shares at a discount. Depending on the terms, shareholders can also be wiped out of their previous ownership structures if they dont participate in a rights issue.)PharmEasy had raised $417 million through the rights issue, according to its co-founder Dharmil Sheth. A regulatory filing in April 2024 showed the startup had secured about $216 million.The startup, backed by Prosus, Temasek, TPG and B Capital, operates one of the largest online pharmacies in India. Janus Hendersons valuation of its stake implies that PharmEasy is now worth much less than the $600 million it had paid to acquire diagnostic lab chain, Thyrocare, in 2021. Pharmeasy has raised over $1 billion to date.The startups financial challenges emerged after it deferred an $843 million IPO planned for November 2021. It then turned to debt financing, including a $300 million loan from Goldman Sachs, which proved problematic as the company struggled to repay those loans and raise new equity in a deteriorating market.

The new Tarkov patch notes make for interesting reading. Credit: Battlestate Games / Mike StubbsThe patch notes for the new Escape From Tarkov wipe have been released, and they bring some major new features, including a wild new type of extraction that is available on all the maps, as well as the long awaited engine upgrade that should bring a lot of technical improvements.With the installation now getting underway, the patch notes for Escape From Tarkov 0.16.0.0 have been released, and they make for some very interesting reading. Compared to other winter wipes, this patch is a little smaller than usual, but there are some major new features and content added to keep things fresh.The biggest change is one that may not be immediately obvious but will have a big impact. The engine that Tarkov runs on has now been updated to Unity 2022, which is a much more modern version of the Unity engine that Tarkov is built on. This upgrade will allow the development team to have access to a lot of new features and make a lot of technical improvements. Initially there may not be too many differences, as the goal was to get Tarkov running as smoothly as possible on the new engine, but as time goes on more of the engines features are expected to be used.However, the Unity 2022 has brought one significant improvement for the 0.16.0.0 patch, an overhaul to the audio in Tarkov. The patch notes dont give too much away, but the new audio system should bring a lot of improvements when it comes to locating the direction a sound comes from, something Tarkov still struggles with.Another, somewhat wild, addition to Escape From Tarkov is the new hidden extraction mechanic, which is available on the eight main Tarkov maps. This new extraction option on all the maps requires you to find a specific item in the raid to be able to use the new extraction, meaning it will not be something you can use too often. However, it sounds like a fun extra extraction option that could further prevent players trying to camp popular extracts on maps like Reserve.Read More: Escape From Tarkov Wipe And Patch Date Confirmed, And Its Very SoonThe other big addition is the launch of the prestige system, which effectively allows you to play through the game multiple times without having to reset your character. When you prestige, you can unlock rewards including hideout upgrades that wont have much of an impact on gameplay, but can be shown off to friends with the new ability to visit other peoples hideouts or have others come to yours.The full patch notes cover all the changes, but there are a few other noteworthy additions including some new weapons, details on the reworked recoil system and of course, the big overhaul to the Customs map.Are The Escape From Tarkov Servers Down?The Escape From Tarkov 0.16.0.0 patch is currently being installed onto the severs, which means the Tarkov servers are currently down. Providing there are no delays, the servers are expected to come back online around 3:00 PM GMT / 10AM EST, and that is when you will be able to play the new patch. Until then, youll just have to keep reading the patch notes over and over until you are sure you have a handle on all the changes that are about to arrive in Tarkov.

Humans have been living and working aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since 2000, but like every piece of aging machinery, the orbital outpost has a limited lifespan.Recommended VideosIn fact, the ISS only has about seven years left until itll be decommissioned and nudged into a rapid descent to burn up in Earths atmosphere.Please enable Javascript to view this contentKeen for its astronauts to continue living and working in near-Earth orbit, NASA is encouraging private companies to develop their own space stations for deployment.RelatedNext year could be a pivotal one for the endeavor to replace the ISS as California-based Vast Space is planning to deploy the Haven-1, an astronaut-ready single-module facility thats on track to become the first commercial space station to reach orbit.Vast Space hopes that if it can achieve a successful deployment of the Haven-1 module, including putting astronauts aboard, it will bolster its bid for NASAs Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) Phase II program, which in 2026 will select at least two providers to build commercial space stations for orbital operations.A nod from NASA would pave the way for the Haven-2 facility, a more complex, multi-module station that Vast Space says could begin deployment in 2028 and be completed by 2032.Haven-2 is being designed with compatibility in mind, ensuring that international partners can integrate seamlessly into this next-generation platform, Andrew Feustel, a Vast adviser and veteran NASA astronaut, said recently. This vision of global cooperation in space will create opportunities for scientific and technological advancements, benefiting new and current sovereign partners, as well as industries around the world.Other companies aiming to build a space station and vying to be selected by NASA in the CLD Phase II program include Blue Origin, which is leading a consortium that includes Sierra Space, Boeing, and Redwire for the Orbital Reef facility; Voyager Space and Nanoracks in partnership with Airbus Defense and Space for the Starlab Space Station; and Axiom Space, which has been gaining experience in recent years through its private astronaut missions to the ISS.The NASA selections are key, but its Vast Space thats aiming to push such a project forward in a big way in the next 12 months by becoming the first to deploy a commercial space station in near-Earth orbit.Editors Recommendations

Paris-headquartered Newcleo is developing small modular reactors powered by radioactive waste.The startup, Europe's only nuclear unicorn, is riding a wave of Big Tech interest in nuclear energy.Elisabeth Rizzotti, its COO, said the startup will go public after hitting two key milestones. A three-year-old startup is banking on molten lead and radioactive waste to fuel a nuclear energy renaissance driven by the tech world's demand for abundant and clean power.Paris-headquartered Newcleo is building small modular reactors, a type of scaled-down nuclear fission reactor assembled in a factory that can be deployed locally at operating plants. It is aiming to capitalize on the frenzy to power energy-intensive AI data centers.The startup's unique selling point is that its SMRs use molten lead instead of water as a coolant to transfer heat from the reactor core to a power-generating system.Notably, the startup's SMRs use spent plutonium and uranium radioactive waste as fuel by separating these two elements from the unwanted fission products."We're using and reducing what is considered to be a liability and a strong concern for all the governments who have so many deposits of nuclear waste," Elisabeth Rizzotti, the cofounder and chief operating officer of Newcleo, told Business Insider in an interview. "So we also promised to reduce them. And this is a story that really excites people."Big Tech's push into nuclear has galvanized the startup's efforts. Tech giants such as Google and Amazon have been pivoting to nuclear energy sources to power data centers, which in turn power AI applications. In September, Microsoft announced a deal to help restart Three Mile Island, a nuclear plant infamous for housing one of the most significant nuclear accidents in US history.Localized nuclear powerNewcleo is one of a handful of companies developing SMRs. Competitors include NuScale, X-Energy, and Rolls-Royce. One appeal of SMRs is that they can be readily transported to industrial sites."One of our most relevant business models is supporting the industrial sector, in providing them energy locally," Rizzotti said. "The small models are easily transportable because they're flexible, and you can build them in the factory, so it's very feasible so there is strong interest from the AI sector, but also wider commercial partners."She told BI that Newcleo has been approached by other industrial sectors, such as ceramic metal producers, in addition to those in the AI ecosystem.Securing industrial partnerships is key to Newcleo's growth strategy and fundraising efforts. The startup aims to develop its first prototype by 2026 and operate its first reactor by 2031. Right now, Newcleo is lossmaking, but earlier this year, it hit around $55 million in revenue through its three subsidiaries. A rendered image of Newcleo's reactor design. Newcleo Growth ambitionsIn September, Newcleo moved its headquarters from the UK to Paris, which Rizzotti said was to be closer to the French government and support its licensing applications. The move helped Newcleo get selected to be part of the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors, an initiative to accelerate the deployment of SMRs.Despite public and private sector interest, nuclear energy is still seen by some as a risky enterprise due to safety concerns and the hefty upfront cost of building power plants.Rizzotti acknowledged that Newcleo's investors had a "high risk appetite" but says Newcleo's place in the circular economy makes it an attractive investment option.In March 2023, Newcleo announced a bold ambition to raise 1 billion, about $1.04 billion. It's now over halfway to meeting that target, having raised over $560 million in funding from the likes of Pi Campus, Tosto Group, and Viaro Energy since its launch in 2021.Its future capital-raising strategy will also partially depend on public funds. "At a European level, energy independence is something that we need to consider," Rizzotti said. "It is very important to have a partnership between the public and private, because public investment will reassure private investors."The startup also sees an IPO as a viable exit option in the future. "Sooner or later, we will start the project of an IPO, so the perspective of being public allows people and investors to have shares of a company that is recognized in the market," Rizzotti told BI. "It is a tangible asset."While Rizzotti did not have a set timeline for the company going public, she added that it would likely be after the startup achieved a second key milestone after its first prototype in 2026: pre-authorization to build its first reactor in France by early 2027."Once we obtain these two milestones, in our opinion, we could be ready to go public," she told BI. "Otherwise, we will continue to raise money through more natural channels like private equity or venture capital."