How funny would it be if turned out to be a Lego Horizon movie instead? (Sony)The first major PlayStation announcements of the year arent any new games, but two movies based on Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2.2024 was an awfully quiet year for Sony when it came to major new game releases and so far 2025 doesnt look that much better, with Ghost Of Ytei the only new first party PlayStation exclusive currently scheduled.Games such as Insomniacs Wolverine and Naughty Dogs Intergalatic: The Heretic Prophet have been announced, but theres currently no clue as to when theyll be out.In the meantime, Sony has decided to kick the year off with a bunch of movie and TV announcements instead, with no less than three projects confirmed during its press conference at CES 2025.First is a film adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn, which presumably sprung from the ashes of the cancelled TV show that was meant to air on Netflix. Frankly, a movie always seemed like the more sensible option, given the amount of CGI that would be needed.PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash made no mention of the Netflix show while announcing the movie, only saying the film is in the early stages and, like the Uncharted and Gran Turismo film, will be a co-production with Columbia Pictures.Second is a Helldivers 2 movie (though itll probably just be titled Helldivers), which seems ironic because such a movie technically already exists. Its called Starship Troopers and it released in 1997. If they dont cast that films lead actor, who is a self-purported fan of the game, then whats even the point?Sony didnt have updates on any of the other PlayStation movie projects it has in the pipeline, although it did announce a Ghost Of Tsushima anime series; something that was rumoured to be in development back in 2023.Its set to release in 2027 and, unlike the live action movie, which is expected to be a straight adaptation of Ghost Of Tsushimas main plot, the anime is instead adapting the Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends multiplayer mode, which was more fantastical and featured enemies inspired by Japanese mythology.Every PlayStation movie and TV show in developmentAt the time of writing, Sony and its PlayStation Pictures division have no less than seven movie adaptations in development. However, theres virtually no information on any of them, with only the Until Dawn movie sporting a release date of April 25, 2025. The full list is:Days GoneGhost Of TsushimaGravity RushHelldiversHorizon Zero DawnUncharted sequelUntil DawnAs for TV shows, aside from the Ghost Of Tsushima anime and the second seasons of The Last Of Us and Twisted Metal, God Of War is meant to be getting an adaptation for Amazon Prime.However, a Deadline report from last October revealed showrunner Rafe Judkins left the project, alongside executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus seemingly leaving the project in limbo.Sony showed off a new trailer for the second season of The Last Of Us at CES, which will begin airing in April, and shared the first real story details for its Until Dawn movie.Said movie is meant to be out this April, but next to nothing has been shown of it. Only now do we know that it wont be a straight adaptation of the original game. Although Peter Stormare will still make an appearance as psychiatrist Dr Hill, who will serve as a connective thread between the movie and the game.You can watch Sonys CES presentation in full on YouTube. The event has typically never been the place for new game announcements, so anyone expecting Sony to announce a new God Of War or something was always going to be disappointed.More TrendingNevertheless, compared to the 11 movie and TV projects listed above there are, not counting PC ports, currently only four first party Sony games confirmed to be in development: Ghost Of Ytei, Wolverine, Intergalactic, and live service title Fairgame$.Others are rumoured, and Sony is planning to publish third party titles such as Hideo Kojimas Death Stranding 2, but in terms of internally developed games thats all thats currently confirmed.This seems especially strange given that many of the franchises being adapted have not had new entries announced in several years and some, like Days Gone and Gravity Rush, seem unlikely ever to get them.With any luck, Sony will have more tangible announcements at a future State of Play presentation, although theres currently no clue as to when that will be. With this anime slated for 2027, could it be out before the live-action Ghost Of Tsushima movie? (Sony)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.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

By Ed Cara Published January 7, 2025 | Comments (0) | Certain types of running shoes might be better than others for preventing injury, new research suggests. oatawa via Shutterstock Heres some potentially helpful news for both long-time runners and those thinking about picking up the habit in the new year. Scientists have recently found evidence that the heel thickness of your shoes can affect your risk of injury. Researchers at the University of Florida conducted the study, which aimed to better understand the risk factors that lead to running injuries. They found that people wearing thicker-heeled shoes were more likely to have recently experienced a running injury. The findings suggest thicker shoes make it harder for people to gauge how their feet are hitting the ground while running, the researchers sayan inaccuracy that may then contribute to injury. Some studies have indicated that both the thickness of our shoes and how our feet land on the ground (also known as our foot strike pattern) could be risk factors for running injuries. But researchers at the UF Health Sports Performance Center wanted to get a better sense of how these two things might interact with each other to make running riskier. So they went back and looked at data collected from over 700 runners who visited their clinic over the years to improve their performance or their chances of injury prevention.After accounting for factors like age, weight, or level of competitiveness, the researchers noticed several consistent trends. People who wore thicker-heeled shoes were more likely to have endured a running-related injury in the last six months, and they were less able to correctly predict their foot strike pattern (runners were asked about their usual pattern of running, then had their running objectively measured by the clinic).While running, people will strike the ground with either the rear, front, or middle of their foot. The researchers found that non-rear runners who accurately knew their pattern were the least likely to report getting recently hurt, whereas those who didnt know their running pattern at all were the most likely to get hurt. Meanwhile, rear-foot runners were the most likely to guess their pattern wrong, especially if they wore thicker-heeled shoes. The teams findings were published last month in the journalFrontiers in Sports and Active Living. The results only show an association between heel thickness and running injury, and its not clear whether heel thickness directly increases injury risk, the researchers say. As with other aspects of running, its likely to be complicated. Some research has indicated that fore-foot running is healthier or helps prevent injury than rear-foot running, for instance, while other research hasnt. It might be the case that the best methods to prevent running injury will depend heavily on the individual runner. So while thicker shoes may not directly increase injury risk, they could make it harder for people to know what style of running will work best for them over the long term, the researchers say.The shoe lies between the foot and the ground, and features like a large heel-to-toe drop make it more challenging for runners to identify how theyre striking the ground. That clouds how we retrain people or determine if someone is at risk for future injury, said lead researcher Heather Vincent, director of the Health Sports Performance Center at UF, in a statement. The runners who correctly detected mid- or fore-foot striking had very different shoes: lower heel-to-toe drop; lighter; wider toe box.That said, trying to switch to a different style of shoes or running too quickly can itself raise injury risk, according to the UF researchers. The pattern was true in this current study, since people who recently switched shoes were more likely to report a recent injury. So any big change in your running should be done gradually, Vincent notes. I had to teach myself to get out of the big, high-heeled shoes down to something with more moderate cushioning and to work on foot strengthening, she said. It may take up to six months for it to feel natural. Its a process.Vincent and her team next plan to run controlled studies testing out whether changing shoe type can help improve peoples accuracy of their running style and reduce injury risk. And from there, they might be able to unearth the best ways to keep injuries down for every kind of runner.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Ed Cara Published November 23, 2024 Jack McNamara, The Conversation Published October 29, 2024 By Ed Cara Published October 24, 2024 By Ed Cara Published August 23, 2024 By Ed Cara Published August 1, 2024 By Adam Kovac Published July 24, 2024

By Todd Feathers Published January 7, 2025 | Comments (0) | Pavel Durov, chief executive officer of Telegram, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016. Durov was detained in France, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, over claims that the messaging service failed to properly fight crime on the app. Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Since changing its policies in response to the arrest of its founder last year, the messaging app Telegram has vastly increased its cooperation with law enforcement agencies around the world, sharing details about thousands more users than it had previously. In the U.S., Telegram provided police with 108 user IP addresses or phone numbers in connection to 14 cases during the first nine months of 2024, according to the companys quarterly transparency reports. In the fourth quarter of the year, Telegram provided U.S. agencies with IP addresses or phone numbers for 2,145 users stemming from 900 law enforcement requests. In August, French authorities arrested and charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with enabling drug trafficking and child abuse on the platform. By the end of September, Durov announced that the company would begin sharing more information in response to legal requests from law enforcement agencies.Transparency report data for 2024 collected by Telegram users in more than a dozen countries shows the company has followed through on that promise.During the first half of the year, Telegram shared identifying information about only 54 users with French authorities. Between July and the end of September, that jumped to 632 users (Durov was arrested on August 24). And in the last three months of the year, Telegram gave French authorities information about 1,386 users. In the U.K., more than 98 percent of the law enforcement requests for user information that Telegram responded to came in the fourth quarter. In Finland, it was 79 percent, and in Belgium, it was 74 percent. Among the countries included in the crowdsourced Telegram transparency dataset that Gizmodo examined, India saw the most cooperation between Telegram and law enforcement. Over the course of 2024, the company supplied IP addresses or phone numbers for 23,535 users in response to 14,641 requests from Indian authorities.More than half of those requests7,649came in the fourth quarter. But unlike other countries, where Telegram responded to few if any legal demands for user data from January through September, the data from India shows that the company was responding to thousands of requests each quarter even before the policy changes.Durovs arrest in France came after years of law enforcement agencies growing increasingly angry that the company wasnt assisting with investigations in the same way they had come to expect from other social media and messaging platforms. Telegram, which allowed for the creation of large group messages that, while not encrypted, were still more private than other social media venues, had become popular for a variety of illicit activity.When Durov announced that Telegram would begin sharing more information with law enforcement, in addition to changes to the platforms search function, he said These measures should discourage criminals We wont let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Lucas Ropek Published November 11, 2024 By Matt Novak Published October 10, 2024 By Todd Feathers Published September 24, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published September 6, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published August 29, 2024 By Matt Novak Published August 28, 2024

By Isaac Schultz Published January 7, 2025 | Comments (0) | A male whale shark following close behind a female. Photo: Frontiers in Marine Science (2024) Even the biggest fish in the sea have their secretsbut now, scientists have captured rare footage of whale shark courtship behaviors, offering new insights into the elusive sex lives of these giants. The video was captured in May 2024. Researchers entered the water after getting tipped off by a spotter plane that sighted a female whale shark in 131-feet-deep (40 meters) waters off Western Australias Ningaloo Reef. Shortly after sampling that shark, a male whale shark came along, and the research team took video footage of the two sharks interactions. The teams research was published this month in Frontiers in Marine Science. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are elasmobranchsthe group of cartilaginous fish that includes sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish. Whale sharks also happen to be the largest fish in the world, typically measuring about 30 feet (9 m) long. According to the American Museum of Natural History, one of the biggest-ever whale sharks was nearly 61.67 feet (18.8 m) long. The largest known whale shark egg, found in 1953, was nearly a foot (0.3 m) long.The animals mating behaviors remains fairly enigmaticcourtship has only been observed off the Saint Helena Islands and at Ningaloo Reef.At Ningaloothe sight of the recently described behaviormale whale sharks outnumber females three to one, based on data collected from over 1,000 sharks in the area in the last decade. Sharks off Saint Helena have been observed positioning themselves in a belly-to-belly formation, though the recent encounter didnt get that far. In the May 2024 event, the team observed the male shark follow and lunge multiple times at the female. The male shark increased its swimming speed and lunged again at the caudal fin of the female, this time making contact and briefly biting the tail, the team reported. The female responded by rapidly pivoting with pectoral fins pointing downwards to face the male.But the recent pair wasnt made in heaven. The female turned away from the male and rapidly descended to depth. The team stated that the behaviors they observed did not appear to result in successful mating, though its possible the two sharks coupled in deep water. The team concluded that the female they observed may not have been sexually mature based on its size. Whale sharks are an endangered species. According to AMNH, the species population may have declined by 50% in the last 75 years. The whales are illegally hunted for their meat, are caught as bycatch, and their habitats are harmed by oil spills, plastic pollution, and human shipping and tourist activity.The recent video shows that in spite of many threats, the giant fish is nevertheless persistingthough perhaps not for this particular couple. Love is in the airer, waterfor whale sharks, and scientists managed to capture it on camera.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Ed Cara Published January 3, 2025 By Ed Cara Published December 27, 2024 By Harri Weber Published December 23, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published December 12, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published December 11, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published December 4, 2024

Spluga Climbing Gym / ES-archSave this picture! Marcello MarianaSports Architecture, GymnasiumCampodolcino, ItalyArchitects: ES-archAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:70 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Marcello MarianaMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The building is a large monolith with both natural and man-made features.Save this picture!The woods and rocks that characterize the landscape represent the concept by which surfaces are shaped and measured, establishing a symbiotic nature-artifice relationship.Save this picture!Save this picture!The plan is polygonal with a sloping roof section; the pigmented concrete cast on-site, the different vertically staggered faces, and the varying degrees of sandblasting, although complex in construction, represent a sincere and simple architecture.Save this picture!A large window surface floods the interior with light and takes on the character of a reflector marking the flowing and unpredictable change of timeSave this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Campodolcino, ItalyLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeES-archOfficeMaterialConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on January 07, 2025Cite: "Spluga Climbing Gym / ES-arch" 07 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025307/spluga-climbing-gym-es-arch&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

The disovery of this tomb about 25 miles southwest of Cairo shows how revered magic and medicine were in Ancient Egypt. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesShareA team of archeologists in Egypt have discovered the 4,000-year-old tomb of a renowned royal doctor who was likely a venom expert. The remains were uncovered in Saqqara, the site of the ancient city of Memphis, about 25 miles southwest of Cairo. While there is evidence that looters have plundered the tomb, the walls were found intact and well decorated.Engravings on the wall of the tomb at Saqarra in Egypt. CREDIT: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The tomb is adorned with stunning carvings and vibrant artwork, including a beautifully painted false door and scenes of funerary offerings, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated Facebook post.From these elaborate decorations on the sarcophagus, the team from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities found that the remains belong to the royal doctor from the old state of Saqarra named Teti Neb Fu. He served during the reign of King Pepi II who became king during the sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt, between roughly 2305 and 2118 BCE. During Pepi IIs reign, Teti Neb Fu held several prestigious titles, including the chief palace physician, chief dentist, and director of medicinal plants. He also was a priest and a magician of the goddess Serket. Since Serket is the goddess of venomous creatures, scientists believe that Teti Neb Fu was an expert in treating venomous bites or stings.A line of hieroglyphics in Teti Neb Fus tomb. CREDIT: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The excavations in this portion of Saqarra began in 2022 and Kings from Egypts first dynasty and the Apis Bull that was the physical incarnation of the god Ptah have all been found. The graves of King PepiIIs other employees have also been uncovered near him and his wives. They have also found a stone coffin engraved with hieroglyphics bearing the name and titles of the owner of the cemetery.Despite evidence of plundering, the walls of the tomb remain in tact. CREDIT: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Muhammad Ismail Khaled stressed that discovery is important as it reveals new aspects of daily life during the era of the Old State. It also indicates how well revered both magic and medicine were at this time, since Teti Neb Fu had such an elaborate burial. Ancient Egyptians are known to have attempted to treat brain cancer, diagnose diabetes, use crocodile dung for contraception, and may have been aware that some sitting positions could lead to bone damage. Over 3,000-year years, Ancient Egyptian physicians also learned a great deal about the human cardiovascular system, early dentistry, and worked on depression and dementia treatments. Since they were masters of embalming their dead, Ancient Egyptians also had a solid understanding of chemistry. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.The practice of magic was also widely used in Ancient Egypt. According to the Brooklyn Museum, it was written that Egypt was the mother of magicians, during the Third Century BCE. There is also evidence of this in the Hebrew Bible, when Pharaoh is attended by magicians who compete with Moses and Aaron in performing marvels like turning their staffs into serpents. Ancient Egyptians also believed that the manipulation of written words, images, speech, and ritual could influence the world. Win the Holidays with PopSci's Gift GuidesShopping for, well, anyone? The PopSci teams holiday gift recommendations mean youll never need to buy another last-minute gift card.SEE GIFT GUIDES

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the biggest fish on the planet, with some clocking in at 60 feet long. Now, for the first time, we might have some clues to how these endangered gentle giants mate. During a research expedition to Western Australias Ningaloo Reef in May 2024, a team of scientists observed sexually mature male whale sharks following and biting smaller females. This biting could be a precursor to mating and the findings are detailed in a study published January 2 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.CREDIT: Christine Barry ResearchCREDIT: Christine Barry ResearchPreviously, fishers in the area had reported this behavior of the sexually mature males swimming towards females at different aggregation sites. Whale sharks typically gather around Ningaloo Reef every year from March through July to feast on the plankton and krill that are abundant after the reef spawns. While they are usually found in tropical coastal waters, juvenile males often make up the majority of these populations.This new study was part of an annual research trip to the reef when the sharks are typically there in their highest numbers. On May 14, a boat pilot alerted the team to the location of a female whale shark that was about 22 feet long. Shortly after, an adult male whale shark appeared and followed about 6.5 to 10 ten feet behind the female.The male was observed to open its mouth and lunge forward towards the caudal fin of the female, the authors write in the study. The male shark increased its swimming speed and lunged again at the caudal fin of the female, this time making contact and briefly biting the tail. The female responded by rapidly pivoting with pectoral fins pointing downwards to face the male.The team ultimately did not see these interactions culminate in mating. However, the following and biting are similar to the early mating behaviors seen in shark species, including tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), zebra sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum), basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus). Observing this behavior not only expands our understanding of how whale sharks might mate, but offers some insight into the sex imbalances at these sites where whale sharks gather.At Ningaloo Reef, and many aggregation sites around the world, males outnumber females with a ratio of 1 female to 3 males, Christine Barry, a study co-author and PhD candidate at Murdoch University in Australia, said in a statement. This could explain why female whale sharks may be avoiding aggregation sites. Particularly for juvenile female sharks, the energetic costs of unwanted attention from males could imply a reason for strong male biases.[ Related: Orcas observed preying on massive whale sharks. ]This research also opens up new avenues for conservation efforts for this struggling fish species. Whale sharks have been classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2016. While their numbers are difficult to document, some scientists estimate that there are 130,000 to 200,000 whale sharks swimming in the worlds oceans. In addition to Australia, there are other documented aggregation sites in the Galapagos, Philippines, Mexico, Thailand, and Mozambique.The post Whale shark pre-mating ritual observed for the first time appeared first on Popular Science.

Photos from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed more than 40 stars within the gravitationally lensed "Dragon Arc" galaxy, 6.5 billion light-years from Earth. It is the largest group of individually imaged stars ever seen at such a distance.

Shark sex is a bitey business, with males grasping females with their teeth during the act. The resulting wounds are helping scientists to figure out when and where sharks are doing the deed.