More car buyers are expected to eventually pick battery-powered cars and trucks as prices fall and technology improves, even if Biden-era incentives disappear.

As a big fan of the Ys series, my connection with it has been rathercomplicated lately. Ys 10: Nordics, the next mainline title (which served more as an interquel than a true blue sequel) was acceptable. Not quite at the level of Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana or Ys 9: Monstrum Nox. They say you can never really go back and the announcement of Proud Nordics at least ensures that wont happen anytime soon. But there are always the classics, like Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana.Speaking of complicated: This is essentially a current-gen port of 2005s Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which is itself a remake of 1989s Ys 3: Wanderers from Ys. Long story short, if youve played The Oath in Felghana on PlayStation Portable or PC back in the day, Memoire is essentially that but with some extras thrown in. Its not a major overhaul, serving as a means for PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch players to experience a venerable classic, and thats perfectly fine. Things would be awkward if it didnt quite hold up to current-day standards, but thankfully, thats not the case."The opening is also voiced and lends an epic air to the proceedings, though Adols character development and role are pretty much the same in the grand scheme."When considering the old-school and new wave of Ys games, The Oath in Felghana falls somewhere in the middle. Theres no bump mechanic or overhead view instead, it opts for a side-scrolling perspective and fast-paced combat. Dont expect any teammates to have Adols back, which would change in Ys Seven and serve as the formula for Ys 8 and 9. However, it represents some incredible action RPG design and pacing, further added by features like Turbo Mode for even more speed (and cutting down on tedious backtracking).As for the narrative, you probably know the drill: Adol and his best friend Dogi arrive at a location and find themselves embroiled in incidents. This time, its Redmont, Dogis hometown in the Felghana Providence, and the hunt for some important statues. The plot quickly thickens, as Adol runs afoul of Chester (the brother of Elena, Dogis childhood friend) and eventually learns the truth behind said statues. It isnt overly complicated, but the interpersonal relationships add some welcome depth, backed all the more by solid voice acting which still holds up.The opening is also voiced and lends an epic air to the proceedings, though Adols character development and role are pretty much the same in the grand scheme. At least the new character illustrations showcased during cutscenes look nice, though if your mileage varies, you can always revert to the classic designs.Of course, the action constitutes the main appeal of a Ys title and Ys Memoire is no slouch. Like many other aspects, it seems simple on the surface, as Adol can execute multi-hit slashing combos on the ground or leap into the air for attacks. However, the latter is also useful for plunging strikes which can stun enemies. You also have Boost, which enhances Adols damage and speed for a period, and elemental attacks, unlocked by acquiring different bracelets throughout. Some also aid exploration and open up new paths."Theres a Zelda-esque aspect to some fights as theyll necessitate using a recently obtained ability to defeat the boss."Again, it all sounds so simple, especially compared to all the mechanics of contemporary games. However, thats the joy of Memoires combat alongside the fluidity and responsiveness that defines the Ys series. Decimating enemies feels satisfying but you wont immediately bulldoze through all of them certain types are weak to specific attacks.Once youre in the flow, all this starts to feel like second nature. Foes will drop pickups like health and bonus stats, further fueling you for the next fight and keeping the action rolling. Environmental layouts are similarly streamlined, keeping the focus on the action but still offering plenty of exploration and light puzzle-solving. While not extensively nuanced, they serve the purpose.Then you have the boss fights, a hallmark of many Ys titles. The first wont exactly stress your skills, but from then on, every battle can be a frantic exercise in jumping, dodging, and fighting for your life to survive. Theres a Zelda-esque aspect to some fights as theyll necessitate using a recently obtained ability to defeat the boss. Granted, the sheer number of unlockable skills isnt that high, but each boss still stands out in unique ways, offering up different challenges and pushing you to adapt."It quickly draws you in with its excellent combat and boss fights while the plot and characterization ensure youre hooked throughout."The final key to the experience is the music and suffice it to say that The Oath in Felghana represents some of Falcoms best work. Between the emotional violin of The Boy Who Had Wings, the fast-paced rock of Be Careful or the intermixing of techno and guitar play in Illburns Ruins, there is much to like. All of it adds to the atmosphere and Memoire allows for swapping between the multiple versions released throughout the titles history. Your mileage may vary at some renditions but its still a great option to have.Perhaps the only real downside to the experience is its visuals. Though its running at high resolutions, the environmental textures, details, and effects are starting to show their age. Yes, theres a charm to them that feels timeless but dont expect any significant differences from the PC version. The sprite work and animations are still very fluid, though, and the boss designs hold up exceptionally well.Overall, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is an essential action RPG, both for fans of the genre and the series as a whole. It quickly draws you in with its excellent combat and boss fights while the plot and characterization ensure youre hooked throughout. The gameplay loop may feel overtly rudimentary in this day and age, but that throwback feels essential given the series direction as of late. Sometimes, its nice to hop into a straightforward yet elegantly crafted hack-and-slash experience such as this."Its not overly long but also doesnt feel bloated or needlessly extended for the sake of it. And even if the visuals arent super amazing on a technical level, I still like the old-school aesthetic and character designs."Revisiting The Oath in Felghana in this fashion, especially after experiencing so many other action RPGs and dungeon crawlers through the years, its impressive just how much the experience (and the fantastic music) holds up. Its not overly long but also doesnt feel bloated or needlessly extended for the sake of it. And even if the visuals arent super amazing on a technical level, I still like the old-school aesthetic and character designs.Then again, time marches on, and Falcom will undoubtedly focus on revamping the series once more with its next mainline entry. And thats all well and good, but making its older experiences available for a new generation is great, extra bells and whistles notwithstanding. If Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana accomplishes anything beyond serving as an enjoyable action RPG, its providing that further Memoires are necessary, if only to preserve the experience for future generations.This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Time-series forecasting plays a crucial role in various domains, including finance, healthcare, and climate science. However, achieving accurate predictions remains a significant challenge. Traditional methods like ARIMA and exponential smoothing often struggle to generalize across domains or handle the complexities of high-dimensional data. Contemporary deep learning approaches, while promising, frequently require large labeled datasets and substantial computational resources, making them inaccessible to many organizations. Additionally, these models often lack the flexibility to handle varying time granularities and forecast horizons, further limiting their applicability.Google AI has just released TimesFM-2.0, a new foundation model for time-series forecasting, now available on Hugging Face in both JAX and PyTorch implementations. This release brings improvements in accuracy and extends the maximum context length, offering a robust and versatile solution for forecasting challenges. TimesFM-2.0 builds on its predecessor by integrating architectural enhancements and leveraging a diverse training corpus, ensuring strong performance across a range of datasets.The models open availability on Hugging Face underscores Google AIs effort to support collaboration within the AI community. Researchers and developers can readily fine-tune or deploy TimesFM-2.0, facilitating advancements in time-series forecasting practices.Technical Innovations and BenefitsTimesFM-2.0 incorporates several advancements that enhance its forecasting capabilities. Its decoder-only architecture is designed to accommodate varying history lengths, prediction horizons, and time granularities. Techniques like input patching and patch masking enable efficient training and inference, while also supporting zero-shot forecastinga rare feature among forecasting models.One of its key features is the ability to predict longer horizons by generating larger output patches, reducing the computational overhead of autoregressive decoding. The model is trained on a rich dataset comprising real-world data from sources such as Google Trends and Wikimedia pageviews, as well as synthetic datasets. This diverse training data equips the model to recognize a broad spectrum of temporal patterns. Pretraining on over 100 billion time points enables TimesFM-2.0 to deliver performance comparable to state-of-the-art supervised models, often without the need for task-specific fine-tuning.With 200 million parameters, the model balances computational efficiency and forecasting accuracy, making it practical for deployment in various scenarios.Results and InsightsEmpirical evaluations highlight the models strong performance. In zero-shot settings, TimesFM-2.0 consistently performs well compared to traditional and deep learning baselines across diverse datasets. For example, on the Monash archivea collection of 30 datasets covering various granularities and domainsTimesFM-2.0 achieved superior results in terms of scaled mean absolute error (MAE), outperforming models like N-BEATS and DeepAR.On the Darts benchmarks, which include univariate datasets with complex seasonal patterns, TimesFM-2.0 delivered competitive results, often matching the top-performing methods. Similarly, evaluations on Informer datasets, such as electricity transformer temperature datasets, demonstrated the models effectiveness in handling long horizons (e.g., 96 and 192 steps).TimesFM-2.0 tops the GIFT-Eval leaderboard on point and probabilistic forecasting accuracy metrics.Ablation studies underscored the impact of specific design choices. Increasing the output patch length, for instance, reduced the number of autoregressive steps, improving efficiency without sacrificing accuracy. The inclusion of synthetic data proved valuable in addressing underrepresented granularities, such as quarterly and yearly datasets, further enhancing the models robustness.ConclusionGoogle AIs release of TimesFM-2.0 represents a thoughtful advance in time-series forecasting. By combining scalability, accuracy, and adaptability, the model addresses common forecasting challenges with a practical and efficient solution. Its open-source availability invites the research community to explore its potential, fostering further innovation in this domain. Whether used for financial modeling, climate predictions, or healthcare analytics, TimesFM-2.0 equips organizations to make informed decisions with confidence and precision.Check out Twitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Aswin Ak+ postsAswin AK is a consulting intern at MarkTechPost. He is pursuing his Dual Degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is passionate about data science and machine learning, bringing a strong academic background and hands-on experience in solving real-life cross-domain challenges. [Recommended Read] Nebius AI Studio expands with vision models, new language models, embeddings and LoRA (Promoted)

Size isn't everything, except sometimesIt's the notes you don't playOllie Reynolds, Staff WriterI've recently been breaking out the N64 controller for Switch to play some Zelda: Ocarina of Time you might have heard of it. I've been having a blast too; somehow, using the OG controller just feels right, y'know?I also started Zelda: Breath of the Wild again, and I'm making my way through it slooooowly. I genuinely feel like we're on the cusp of a new Nintendo console generation, so what better way to show the current Switch my unending appreciation than by playing through the game that started it all..?Jim Norman, Staff WriterI'm not sure what's on the cards for Switch this weekend, because my main focus is on *whispers* PS5. Yeah, I know and I'm sorry. But the fact of the matter is that I've been looking longingly at my copy of Star Wars: Outlaws for weeks now and I'd really, really like to take it for a spin before the inevitable burst of 'Switch 2' releases later this year pushes the backlog even further down.If I find the time, I miiight try to polish off a bit more of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake because I was really enjoying that one before I got sidelined at the end of last year. But, for the most part, Switch is on the sub-bench this time.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube791kWatch on YouTube Kate Gray, ContributorI only just got back from Christmas and New Year travelling, so I'm still in that funk of not quite knowing what day it is... but apparently it's the weekend, so here's what I'll be playing!Despite taking my Switch and my Steam Deck with me on holiday, I didn't really play much of the games I bought in the Christmas sales mostly because the majority of games that I bought are notebook-type games, rather than things to play on a plane. But now I am home and I have notebooks! I bought Epigraph and Kevin (1997-2077), both language deciphering games that were recommended to me as an enjoyer of language deciphering games, as well as Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and Void Stranger, which are both in the genre of "metroidbrainias", my favourite micro-genre.After forgetting that I had downloaded it, I have also been playing Mario & Luigi: Brothership as well. I've historically not had a good time with the Mario and Luigi RPGs, for reasons I cannot figure out (they either love to crash on me, or they are not very good games looking at you, Paper Jam), but the insanely good animation is winning me over so far.Oh, and I am playing Red Dead Redemption 2, after many years of always buying it on sale and then never getting past the first really boring chapter. I'm about halfway in! It's really hard to avoid spoilers for a game that's been out for many years!!!Alana Hagues, Deputy EditorI'm still chugging along in Trails through Daybreak, but I'm flagging. Playing a long RPG to kick off the year wasn't the best idea, it turns out! I'd rather read a book or watch a movie.However, I'm very close to starting Rune Factory 4 Special, which I grabbed in the sale the other week I've only tried Tides of Destiny before and I bounced off of it, but this was under 4, so I had to. Enjoy your weekend, folks!Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube791kWatch on YouTube Gonalo Lopes, ContributorWith Yakuza Kiwami complete I can now get back to properly complete and enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. I am a bit intrigued by Chants of Sennaar and will probably start playing it this weekend. A friend recommended Spirit of the North over the holidays, and having secured a physical copy of it, I look forward to adding it to the games with foxes Ive beat list. In preparation for the impending sequel and after reading a feature about it in Retro Gamer, I also plan to give Gimmick! Special Edition a spin.My game of the week is Descent: FreeSpace The Great War. The strangest thing over the holidays: I saw the Squadron 42 extended gameplay reveal trailer and felt the urge for some space opera / shooting shenanigans so I went with a classic. Looking forward to jump into FreeSpace 2 next week. Volition: Gone but not forgotten.That's what we have planned for the weekend, but what about you? Let us know in the following poll which games you're planning on booting up over the next couple of days.What are you playing this weekend (11th/12th January)? (49 votes)Psycho Dream (SNES)1Related GamesSee Also

Tarkov has a wild new cheat floating around. Credit: Battlestate Games / Mike StubbsA new type of cheater has appeared in Escape From Tarkov over the past few days, and somehow they are managing to crash your game by making your CPU run at its maximum power.Rumours of these cheaters started a few days ago, but in the past 24 hours, multiple clips have been shared by Tarkov players to social media and community hubs showing them in action. Some top streamers have also run into these cheaters, showing that the issue is becoming more widespread.When you run into one of these cheats, you will likely start to hear some strange in game sound over the in game VOIP system, it almost sounds like the sound made when you are searching a container. This sound, for some reason, increases the load that Tarkov is putting on your CPU, usually making it run at its maximum power until it eventually runs out of resources and causes the game to crash. Once your game has crashed, the cheater is free to run up to your character in game, shoot them in the head and take all your gear.Theres no confirmed reason why this sound is causing the issue and forcing your CPU to crash, however some fans have speculated that this could be an issue tied to the recent Unity 2022 engine upgrade that launched as part of the last Escape From Tarkov wipe.There have also been reports and a couple of clips of some cheaters combining this with a cheat that allows them to move around incredibly quickly while lying prone on the floor or just under the surface of the map. This makes them even harder to kill, and of course lets them run around the entire map in seconds to crash out all the players in the lobby.Some streamers, who obviously have very powerful PCs, have managed to kill a couple of these cheaters, with this clip from streamer LVNDMARK being the best example so far. It seems if you have a really beefy CPU then you have a chance at combating this, but for the time being, most normal players dont seem to stand much of a chance if you run into one.MORE FOR YOUBattlestate Games is yet to say anything about this cheat, but that isnt all that surprising, considering they rarely discuss cheats or chatting issues other than when they announce how many accounts they have banned. They did, however, announce that the flea market closure is set to be extended into next week.Chances are, with this cheat seemingly becoming more of an issue, a lot of Escape From Tarkov players will switch to the controversial PvE mode in the coming days to avoid them. The tech issues at the start of the wipe also likely didnt help the PvP player base. We already know that by the end of a wipe, 50% of players play PvE, but this cheat is likely to speed that move over to PvE up for a lot of the community.

Apple has different sales strategies for its regular iPhones and the Pro handsets: the regular models will stay in the range for several years, but if you want the Pro, you need to buy it in the 12 months after its released, and then its gone. However, in a surprisingly early move, Apple just brought the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, in some countries, on its refurbished siteand at a price thats up to 15% lower.Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.Getty ImagesRight now, those countries dont include the U.S. or the U.K., but the refurbished 15 Pro models are available from several of Apples online stores, including in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.On the Spanish site, for instance, the iPhone 15 Pro in titanium black with 128GB storage isa available for 949 ($971), saving 170 compared to the original 1,119 sticker price. As is common with Apples refurbished products, not all colors are available, and in this case its just the black model. The storage options with 256GB and 512GB are also back, in black, for 1,059, saving 190, and 1,269, saving 230, respectively.The fact that they are now available in these European sites suggest U.S. releases may not be far off.As a reference, this is much earlier in the cycle than last year: the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max reappeared in May 2024, a full four months later in the year.MORE FOR YOUSo, why so early? Well, a few days ago, there were only two iPhones (iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus) in the refurbished stores in EU countries, because of the legislation that meant phones without USB-C connectors could no longer be sold there, new or refurbished. This saw the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone SE suddenly withdrawn from sale in 27 countries of the EU, plus Switzerland and one part of the U.K., Northern Ireland. With this move, there are two new handsets available at lower prices.It also means that two more phones capable of running Apple Intelligence are now on sale, in readiness for the deployment of the features in Europe in the spring.

An exhibit at the Oracles, Omens and Answers showIan WallmanOracles, Omens and AnswersST Lee Gallery, Oxford, UKUntil 27 April 2025There can be few happier disciplines than the history of science: the study of how people did the best with what they had and, generation by generation, accreted better and better models of the way the world works. We used to call this progress, and it beats me why we cant carry on using the word and just accept that its processes are way more curious, complicated and contradictory than we supposed.Oracles, Omens and Answers

Zenia Olivares has been customizing her New Jersey home for the last two years.She decided to add a partial wall to her open-concept living room to break up the space.Olivares said the new wall made the area more functional and aesthetically pleasing.Zenia Olivares wasn't a fan of the shape of her living room when she bought her home two years ago.Olivares, 34, lives in a 1935 bungalow in New Jersey with her husband and their two dogs. She's a full-time content creator, documenting how she has transformed her 2,800-square-foot house into the perfect home for her family on her social media pages."It's got a lot of original charm," Olivares said of her six-bedroom, three-bathroom house. "We've got the original Douglas fir floors and some of the original baseboard and trim, but there has evidently been a lot of stuff done to the house." Zenia Olivares in her home. Zenia Olivares "It was updated in the '70s and the '80s and in the '90s, so there are layers upon layers of things that I've found just working on the house itself," she said. "It's like an onion."Olivares' goal has been to make her home feel comfortable with vintage and transitional influences. She described her decor style as "real cozy," saying it "feels like a hug."She's transformed nearly every space of her house, telling Business Insider she knew there was one room she definitely wanted to change when they bought the house: her open-concept living room.The open-concept living room didn't feel rightWhen you enter Olivares' home, you're greeted by the living room, which was initially a large rectangular space. All of the other rooms in the house are nearly perfect squares, so the length of the space felt out of place to Olivares."The living room was too long, and it didn't quite make sense with the layout of the house and how everything else was," Olivares said. "It felt disconnected.""I thought, 'What if I built something to separate the spaces?'" Olivares said.She told BI she went back and forth about the idea as she and her husband continued to work on their home, as she wasn't sure a wall would work as the house changed. The area before the wall was added. Zenia Olivares Olivares revamped her fireplace and added columns to the ceiling, but she still felt like the living room was the wrong shape."I tried doing furniture as a divider, but it didn't quite work with the positioning of the door," she said. "I couldn't let the idea of a wall go."Olivares isn't alone in her desire for separation in her home. The trend of open-concept living has become less popular in recent years, and realtors are seeing more and more people find ways to enclose rooms in their homes.In mid-2024, Olivares decided to make her dream a reality, working with a contractor friend to build a partial wall in the middle of the living room.Olivares used a partial wall to break the space upOlivares knew she didn't want to fully close off the space to the right of her front door. Instead, she decided to add a partial wall, often called a pony wall, with columns.She told BI she wanted to keep the "open feeling" of the large room but hoped the partial wall would create division."I also like the idea of being able to visually frame the stairs," she said.Olivares and her friend worked together to add a large beam to the ceiling, to which they attached tapered columns connected to a pony wall below.They made all the pieces themselves, also creating molding and staining the wood a darker hue that fit Olivares' vision.Olivares also mocked up the new wall using cardboard boxes before they started any work to ensure she liked the look, which she recommends to anyone doing a similar project.Because she didn't hire someone to work on her home, Olivares said adding the wall and columns only cost around $830. It also wasn't too time-consuming; building, installing, and staining the wood took just over a week.She said adding the column to the ceiling was the most challenging aspect of the project."The ceiling is original plaster, and it is not in any way level whatsoever," Olivares said. "And it's overhead work, so that's going to hurt your shoulders and your back.""It took me and my contractor friend an entire day to get that up there and for it to look as good as we could get it," she added.The hard work was worth it for the final look.Olivares loves the separate spacesOlivares told BI she was able to bring her exact vision to life."I love it," she said of the pony wall. "I smile every time I walk through the living room, and everybody has to walk through the living room to get to one side of the house or the other. It's beautiful to look at, and it makes the spaces make sense.""It makes it flow," she added. "It makes it function, and it looks right." The finished wall. Zenia Olivares The functionality the new wall brought to Olivares' home has been a huge benefit of the addition. For instance, the wall created an area for Olivares to put her keys down when she walks through the front door.Likewise, she placed her Christmas tree for 2024 in the corner next to her staircase, and the new wall helped to make it feel like a dedicated space.She also plans to add a buffet bookshelf to the wall next to the stairs to make the new room feel even more intentional down the road. Looking at the wall, Olivares knows adding the barrier was the perfect choice for her home."Sometimes open-concept is a little too open," she said.

In just four days, blazing wildfires across Los Angeles neighborhoods have put 150,000 residents under evacuation orders, burned over 30,000 acres, destroyed more than 10,000 structures, and, as of Thursday, killed killed 10 people. Experts say it may be the costliest wildfire in US history. The fires are still ongoing, and the toll of destruction is still far from a final tally.But its not just human lives and homes that have been taken and are still at risk. A reporter and a photographer helped a Pasadena woman rescue her chickens from her burning home. Another journalist interviewed two residents evacuating with their horses while surrounded by flames. On social media, people have posted videos of animals like dogs and deer wandering alone amid the fires, confused and distressed. These images and videos are just small glimpses of how the wildfires have affected the animals and wildlife who call Los Angeles their home. There arent exact numbers yet on the amount of animals displaced, injured, or killed, but the nonprofit Pasadena Humane has taken in more than 300 animals, from dogs and cats left behind to peacocks and baby raccoons escaping fiery areas, according to an Instagram post.Meanwhile, as Vox reporter Umair Irfan reported earlier this week, the dangers from fires in Southern California are likely about to get worse. While winds have slowed down a bit, meteorologists expect wind speeds to pick up again on Sunday and into next week, which could threaten what progress has been made to contain the fires. Climate change is exacerbating wildfire risk everywhere, and in Los Angeles, which has seen rapid swings between extremely wet and dry weather in recent years, this weather whiplash can increase the threat of extreme blazes. Anywhere humans are experiencing distress from calamities, animals (both domestic and wild) are too. As these dangers grow, so will the silent suffering of animals who have contributed nothing to the climate crisis but suffer disproportionately from it.Heres how wildfires affect pets and wildlife alike, and how you can help. Wildfires are a natural part of Californias ecosystem, and serve key roles in maintaining the health of the surrounding environment, like by clearing decaying brush and getting nutrients back into the soil. Vegetation like chaparral, brush, and shrub are common in these ecosystems, and are highly flammable, so frequent, controlled fires can help clear these plants. But when fires get out of hand, as they are in the Los Angeles area, they can endanger lives, homes, and displace thousands of people and animals. For families rushing to evacuate safely, their pets may get lost or left behind in the mayhem. Those who have larger animals, like goats and horses, may not have the ability to relocate their animals to safety on short notice. Pet displacement is an unfortunate consequence of natural disasters and emergencies. One survey by the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found that nearly half of pet owners have left behind an animal while evacuating an emergency. Even if someone is able to bring along their pets, if they have lost everything in a fire, they may have to surrender their pets to animal shelters because they no longer have the means to care for them. Right now, local Los Angeles shelters are receiving an influx of animals in their facilities. Even for pets who arent directly in the fires path, lingering smoke can harm animals just as it harms humans. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, wildfire smoke can cause animals to cough, gag, and have difficulty breathing. As for wildlife, were still learning a lot about how individual species and larger ecosystems respond to fires, especially how these animals actively respond and are harmed by blazes. Morgan Tingley, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), told Vox that there arent exact numbers on the amount of wildlife that are killed by wildfires, but that in some cases, its probably a lot.The scientific study of what animals do during fire is stunningly behind, Tingley said. He added that we know more about the responses and deaths of larger animals, like bobcats and coyotes, than of smaller creatures like songbirds or mice. Some of this research relies on surveys and citizen scientists to report carcasses or animal sightings; Tingley himself is part of an ongoing citizen science study called Project Phoenix that records how wildfire smoke affects birds. Just this week, Tingley says he noticed bird species like yellow-rumped warblers flying away from the fire. One review of the effects of wildfire smoke on wildlife found that smoke inhalation contributed to adverse consequences like neurological impairment and carbon monoxide poisoning.A study by UCLA and the National Parks Service found that the 2018 Woolsey Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains prompted mountain lions to take greater and often deadly risks to try to survive. The wildfire burned nearly 100,000 acres, including half of the mountain lion populations available habitat. Loss of vegetation removed hiding spots for mountain lions to hunt, and researchers found that these animals nearly completely avoided their former habitat after it had been burnt. Seeking out a new home, one mountain lion crossed a busy freeway, and was later struck and killed. Another mountain lion crossed a freeway safely, but later died of starvation.Part of our lack of knowledge is because humans have actively repressed fires for a century a strategy that can be traced back to the early 20th century when a mega wildfire burned 3 million acres across Montana and Idaho. We have very little reference for what these animals are going through and how to deal with these kinds of landscape changes, Gavin Jones, a research ecologist at the US Forest Service, told Vox in 2023. In this new era of rapidly changing fire regimes, we dont have a great roadmap for how to conserve wildlife.Animals and their environments can be resilient. These ecosystems, in general, have co-evolved with fire for millions of years, Tingley said. The native plants are adapted to relatively frequent fire scenarios, and the animals are too. But he also acknowledged that megafires like this one are different, and are causing less healthy regeneration a crucial part of any kind of recovery. Adaptation takes a long time, and its not a guaranteed (or timely) solution. The good news is that there are ways humans can help now.How to give and get help to animals in Los AngelesMultiple local organizations are quickly working to rescue animals from imminent danger and treat their injuries. Heres how you can help these groups.If youre in the Los Angeles area, and if its safe to do so, consider helping these shelters by fostering. Pasadena Humane has received enough physical donations (like food) and are now asking for monetary donations to get the animals in their care the resources they need. The Little Lion Foundation, a Long Beach-based nonprofit focused on caring for cats, is open to providing space, supplies, and medical care for injured cats.The Los Angeles Animal Services is directing people with small animals under evacuation orders to the Westwood Recreation Center and the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center if they need a place to stay. For people with large animals like horses, they recommend the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and the Hansen Dam Recreation Area.Tingley also gave some advice for people who may come across wildlife. Report injured animals that you see to wildlife rehabilitation centers and on apps like Animal Help Now, keep water available for displaced wildlife passing by, and keep pets indoors so that they dont interact with predators like bobcats and mountain lions.Supporting conservation groups that work to protect wildlife is also an option. Save LA Cougars, an initiative thats part of the National Wildlife Federation, has a strong track record: They successfully advocated for a wildlife crossing for LAs Highway 101. That crossing is slated to open in 2026.Its likely we will never know the exact loss of animal life in these wildfires but the residents, researchers, and volunteers of Los Angeles are doing what they can to preserve the lives of their domesticated companions and wildlife neighbors. Angelenos love our natural beauty, and I think in many cases, actually love the great abundance of wildlife that are at our doorsteps, Tingley said.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

2025This years CES saw a number of major automakers skip the show amidst a disappointing market for tech-forward products and a political climate that could see that market worsen. Its not unusual for automakers to pull back on major expenses like exhibiting at a trade show in response to uncertainty, and when it comes to the future of the U.S. car business, theres plenty of that to go around. But even in a light year for mobility, we managed to find some cool stuff. Here are our highlights.XPENG AEROHT Rory Carroll/GizmodoXPENG AEROHT bills itself as Asias largest flying car company and says the Land Aircraft Carrier pictured here will be the first mass-produced modular flying car. The 6-rotor aircraft tucks neatly into the back of the 6-wheeled mothership and is deployed automatically. In person, the mothership has a little bit of a Cybertruck vibe, but without the awful proportions. XPENG says production will begin in 2026, but we did note a couple things thatll need to be worked out before then, most notably that the wheels on the mothership we saw dont look like theyll be able to turn.Honda 0 Series Rory Carroll/GizmodoWeve been watching the development of the 0 Series closely, mostly because its so wild looking. Car companies usually come out swinging with a wild concept car, then water it down to make it legal, practical, and saleable. Honda seems to be staying the course here, planning to deliver something truly different in 2026. The 0 Series Saloon and SUV will turn heads in traffic, but beyond their looks the cars will introduce a totally novel concept in handling and an in-car assistant that aims to be your trusted friend.Zeekr Mix Rory Carroll/GizmodoChinese Automaker Zeekr brought three cars to CES, but the Mix was the most compelling. Its a smallish minivan with side doors that provide incredible access to the reconfigurable passenger compartment, and it boasts battery and charging technology that makes you wonder why we cant get EVs like this in the U.S. The Geely-owned automaker looks as ready as any Chinese automaker to make the jump to the U.S. when conditions are right. Rory Carroll/GizmodoScout Rory Carroll/GizmodoScout brought the Terra truck and the Traveller SUV to CES. Weve seen them before, but if you havent seen them in person yet, theyre a lot more butch (at least at this stage in their development) than comparable offerings from Rivian. Another key differentiator for Scout is the planned gasoline fueled range extender that will allow them to travel a lot farther afield than a pure electric off-roader.Royal Enfield Flying Flea S6 Rory Carroll/GizmodoThere were a lot of electric bikes and scooters at CES this year, but this electric motorcycle from Royal Enfield caught my attention. Royal Enfield is one of a handful of old British brands that have found new life under Indian ownership. The revived company is best known for relatively affordable, retro-themed gasoline-powered bikes, but this little motorcycle is electric. The Flying Flea is named after a tiny motorcycle designed to be airdropped alongside WWII paratroopers, and the modern version is intended to provide easy, versatile electric transportation to city-dwellers.Suzuki Micro E-Mobility Platform Concept Rory Carroll/GizmodoOk, this ones here mostly because its cute. But a modular, configurable electric vehicle this size could be really useful. Suzuki had one fitted with a little plow and suggested that, instead of allowing snow to accumulate in a large parking lot and then using a truck or plow to clear it, you could set one of these little fellers out there to keep snow from piling up in the first place. Will anyone actually do that? I dunno. What would you use it for?