ZDNET's key takeaways The Viture Pro Neckband is available now for $299 for the Classic model and $399 for the Elite modelIncreased RAM and twice the storage are provided in the Elite modelThis accessory has a refined design with easy controls, supports hand gestures, provides multi-screen support, and lets you take content on the go without using your phone batteryThe accessory is rather expensive, the battery lasts about four hours, and it's another device to charge and carry with you. View now at Neckband.viture Last year, Xreal launched itsBeam Pro Android devicethat pairs with Xreal's XR glasses to serve as a standalone media hub and spatial video creation device. Viture upgraded its Android companion, the Neckband, with the Neckband Pro, which also serves as a content hub for its XR glasses. Both Xreal and Viture incorporate a spatial UI with Nebula OS and SpaceWalker, respectively, to provide a modern visual environment.Also: CES 2025: The most advanced smart glasses we tried on - and lovedViture's updated Pro Neckband improves upon the original Neckband in nearly every way, with more CPU and GPU power, increased RAM, double the battery life, decreased weight, and improvements in heat and noise management. I've been using the Pro Neckband with the Viture Pro XR glasses for more than a week, and I look forward to my upcoming flights with the Pro Neckband. details View at Neckband.viture A dedicated Android deviceThe Viture Pro Neckband is a dedicated Android device and is treated as another Android in the Google Play ecosystem. You will need an iPhone or Android smartphone to set up the Pro Neckband, and I found setting it up with an Android phone to be a smoother experience after installing the Neckband Remote app. With the Neckband Pro not having a display, I was wondering how I was going to input usernames and passwords for various accounts in order to download video content.Three input options are supported: your connected phone through the Neckband Remote app, hand gestures, and game controllers. The trackpad on the Neckband Remote app installed on your phone is the default input method, and that works well for initial configuration, especially for entering media content passwords. I highly recommend the rather inexpensive 8BitDo controller that Viture sells since it is awesome for navigation and also lovely for seamless gaming.The hand gesture support is currently in beta form, with the final release and more gestures scheduled to launch in March or April this year. Currently, you can move the cursor around, select items (simply pinch gesture), go back, and open quick settings with your hand. A camera on the front of the right neckband arm is used to capture and track the movement of your hand and fingers, so I highly recommend you go through the tutorial and try it out. Hand gestures have been working well for me, and I look forward to continued development of this input method.Also: CES 2025: The 17 most impressive products you don't want to missThere are three buttons on the top of the left side for power, volume, and settings. The bottom settings button has four functions using various press and press/hold actions for opening the quick settings, using the Vizard AI assistant, recentering the view, and toggling ambient mode. Since I commuted with the headset and moved around quite a bit, I often used the double press to recenter the view of the glasses. Matthew Miller/ZDNETVideo, gaming, and productivity usesWhile I have primarily been using the Viture Pro XR glasses for watching video content while traveling and using SpaceWalker for productivity while on business trips and commuting, gaming is a major function of the Pro Neckband. PSPlay and XBXPlay are provided for free to Pro Neckband users so you can enjoy your PlayStation or Xbox games on the Viture Pro glasses.Also: The Best of CES 2025 awards are inVizard is the voice assistant for the Viture Pro Neckband, so you can use it to perform simple system tasks with just your voice, saving you from having to use your phone as a trackpad or make gestures in the air. Supported voice command functions include adjusting the brightness or volume and opening or closing apps. Vizard also functions as an AI-powered game assistant that can provide you with guidance and instruction for single-player console or PC games.There is a USB-C port on the bottom of the right arm, so you can charge in advance or while using the Pro Neckband. The connection to your glasses includes the magnetic attachment for the Viture Pro XR, so if you have a USB-C port on your XR glasses, you will need the small magnetic connector to USB-C port sold by Viture. Matthew Miller/ZDNETThe SpaceWalker spatial UI has a similar look and feel to an Apple Vision Pro launcher and the Nebula OS from Xreal. It's a visually appealing launcher that also supports up to three virtual displays, three degrees of freedom, and smooth follow. You can also scale the screen to match your preferences for watching content, all in the Quick Settings utility that is just a button press away on the Pro Neckband. Matthew Miller/ZDNETOne cool function that I just recently figured out is Ambient Mode. This function works with select content, including Netflix, and when you triple press the bottom settings button, Netflix will appear and play in a small window in the right corner while the glasses switch to ambient mode so you can see through them and also multi-task to view the content. This can be handy for talking with flight attendants while continuing to play your content or maybe moving around your house to another viewing location. Matthew Miller/ZDNETI like the appealing launcher, self-contained wearable form factor, and nearly four-hour battery life of the Pro Neckband, but for my use cases, I still think connecting directly to my phone is my preferred solution. I don't stream games from a PlayStation or Xbox, but I understand this functionality is very compelling for gamers looking for a big-screen intimate experience with the glasses.The Viture Pro XR glasses remain my absolute favorite thanks to the comfort, diopter dial support, bright vivid display, and quality. There is now a new feature for the Viture Pro glasses that is supported by iPads and iPhones with USB-C ports, where Viture's AI agent can now transform all 2D content into 3D via the SpaceWalker for iOS application. You can now enjoy 3D views of your family holiday photos, YouTube videos, streaming content, and much more. Photos and videos captured in standard methods from your phones can be viewed in 3D, and the AI does a solid job with very few artifacts, so I highly recommend you try this out with your Viture Pro XR glasses.ZDNET's buying adviceThe Viture Pro Neckband is a good choice for XR glasses customers looking for a self-contained media and gaming hub that allows them to keep their phone separate from the viewing experience. The modern spatial UI, SpaceWalker, looks fantastic and simulates the interface found in Apple's expensive Vision Pro glasses. Load up your favorite apps, download video content for viewing on the go, and set up your favorite games to play on the big screen via the glasses on your face.Featured reviews

The world today was engineered to be ephemeral and noisy. This is a terrible combination for an investor.On Twitter alone, there are 456,000 messages sent every minute. On Facebook, there are 510,000 comments posted every minute and 293,000 status updates. Outside of social media, there are 16 million text messages sent every minute and 156 million emails.NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 27: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during ... [+] afternoon trading on March 27, 2024 in New York City. Stocks closed out high with the Dow Jones leading closing over 400 points and is on pace to end March with its fifth straight positive month, the longest streak since August 2020 and the S&P snapping a three day streak of losses. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)Getty ImagesFor an investor, the antidote to noise is quality stock analysis. Due diligence requires dozens of hours per equity, and it takes hundreds of hours every year to produce a free newsletter with quality analysis. My firm, the I/O Fund, strives to offer some of the teams best analysis for free, and I believe the consistency and depth of what my firm provides for free is hard to replicate.My firm offers this in the most challenging sector for investors, which is hands-down the tech sector. The tech sector is unusually difficult because it involves many different verticals artificial intelligence, crypto, consumer, media, cloud, and more. Its also the highest risk and highest reward sector in the market. Due to sudden price movements in both directions, the stakes are high. Perhaps I am biased, but quality analysis particularly in the tech sector can be hard to come by.Below are highlights from my free analysis on Forbes during a strong year for AI and crypto. Although numerous investor favorites rose more than 100% during the year, many other popular tech stocks declined significantly. My firm offered our readers clues and insights for the leading stocks in AI semiconductors and software, providing unparalleled depth and quality to our free readers.MORE FOR YOUNvidia to Surpass Apples ValuationRight out the gate in 2024, I expanded on my highly regarded 2021 prediction that Nvidia would surpass Apples valuation within 5 five years; which at the time, this prediction was inconceivable as it would require not only Nvidia to go up more than 300%, but also for the tech leader Apple to plateau.I explained why Nvidia would deliver on this prediction a whole 2 years early in the February 2024 analysis, Nvidia Stock Gained $1.5 Trillion To Surpass The FAANGs - Apple Is Next. In the analysis, I pointed out that it was not just the consistency and magnitude of Nvidias multi-billion dollar revenue beats, but the expansion of its margins and earnings as revenue grew >200% for multiple quarters as it approached a $90 billion annualized scale.From that August 2021 prediction to the February 2024 update, Nvidia posted some staggering growth numbers: Data center revenue grew 676% to $18.4 billion. Data center revenue scaled from a $10 billion run rate to a $75 billion run rate in 2.5 years, a feat that took AWS 6 years to accomplish. Nvidias total revenue increased 240% during the period driven by blazing data center growth, versus a 43% increase for Apple, with iPhone revenue rising just 4.5% from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2023. Nvidias quarterly EPS grew nearly 400% during the period, versus just 14% for Apple. Nvidias operating margin increased from 47% to nearly 67%, while Apples expanded from 28% to 34%.My firm provided a handful of reasons that would propel Nvidia to quickly become the worlds most valuable company. This included the long runway for AI accelerators AMDs executives forecast the market to reach $400 billion by 2027 with Nvidia taking the lions share. Nvidias accelerated product roadmap to a one-year release cadence lets it continue to pry away Big Tech capex, while the software opportunity beckons, already reaching a $1B+ run rate. These tailwinds combined with a valuation that was eerily low at the time considering the rapid ascent shares had made through 2023.Supply chain and demand signals point to 2025 being another strong year for Nvidia as Blackwell comes to market, with my firm tracking these data points to assess Nvidias growth potential in the year to come. I published numerous free analyses on Nvidias Blackwell; some of this explaining back in May why there was still room in the stock price as I called out institutional analyst estimates being too low (which later materialized). I also boldly wrote that delays on Blackwell were overblown, and we have gotten yet another confirmation from Nvidias management team at CES that Blackwell is shipping on time. My firms ongoing consistency and accuracy on this stock dating back to 2018 for up to 4,000% returns has been unparalleled premium members received nine real-time buy alerts below $20 in 2021 and 2022; learn more here. Nvidia Q1 Earnings Preview: Blackwell And The $200B Data Center Nvidia Stock: Blackwell Suppliers Shrug Off Delay Ahead Of Q2 Earnings Heres Why Nvidia Stock Will Reach $10 Trillion Market Cap By 2030 Nvidia Stock Is A Buy On Dips Before Blackwell Arrives In 2025 Nvidias Stock Has 70% Potential Upside For 2025Bitcoin to $100K+My firm provided two crucial updates on our game plan for Bitcoin, with his first update from April 2024 increasing our target price zones. At the time, Bitcoin was an overlooked asset compared to the over-hyped Mag 7, yet the asset has delivered superior returns compared to all of the great large-cap tech stocks in this bull cycle, minus Nvidia, while having a low inverse correlation to tech.Utilizing technical analysis and on-chain data in the analysis We Are Raising Our Bitcoin Targets To $106K - $190K, my firm explained that it was now raising its target zones for Bitcoin to $106,000 to $190,000, up from the previous zone of $75,000 to $130,000. Bitcoin was trading in the mid-$60,000 range at the time, as my firm noted that the $42,750 support region holds on any ongoing volatility, then we have no reason to doubt the uptrend in place.My firm provided another update to the Bitcoin thesis at the end of July 2024 in the analysis, Bitcoin Update: Next Stop $100,000; Bitcoin finally surpassed that historic level as 2024 came to a close. My firm explained that Bitcoin had a full corrective pattern in place that ended around $54,000 in early July, which suggests we are in the early stages of the next rally.My firm had systematically been accumulating since the start of this cycle while raising our critical supports along the way below is the history of Bitcoin buy alerts that my firm issued to our subscribers in real-time since early 2023.The I/O Fund sent out numerous buy alerts for BTC below $60,000 since early 2023.Source: I/O FundNotably, my firm assisted readers in capturing immense upside from the two top-performing large-cap tech positions in 2023 and 2024 with Nvidia and Bitcoin; the fact my firm also provided ongoing entries and risk management for these mega-winners should not be understated in terms of the value my firm has delivered. To refer my newsletter to your friends and family, please click here.Meta to Outperform SnapchatIn the January 2024 analysis, Social Media Stocks: One Metric Shows Metas Clear Leadership, I pointed out what separated Meta as a clear social media leader and why Snapchat would struggle with monetization. Since then, Meta shares have risen nearly 65%, while Snapchat has declined -28%.Meta was demonstrating improvements in ad pricing with strong ad impressions growth of >30% in Q2 and Q3 2023, while average revenue per user (ARPU) accelerated in those quarters; whereas Snapchat was struggling to effectively monetize its user base. Additionally, I explained that Meta was much more efficient with spending, maintaining R&D spending below 40% of gross profit while improving ARPU, significantly improving operating margin, and investing in AR/VR and AI technologies. Snapchat was spending around 80% of its gross profit dollars on R&D, a disproportionately high amount on R&D relative to peers while failing to increase ARPU and monetization within its user base.I pointed out that what makes Meta a clear leader is that it can maintain a high level of R&D spend while remaining a cash cow with strong operating cash flow and free cash flow growth, with OCF margin nearing 60% in Q3 2023 and OCF tracking for 50% YoY growth to $75 billion in 2023.In a follow-up analysis in March 2024, Top 3 Ad-Tech Stocks For 2024, I said that Metas key metrics [were] supporting a return to >40% operating margin for the full year and a possible >33% net margin, driven by increasing ad pricing, strong engagement trends and impressions growth, aided by the release of numerous AI features. Q3 2024s results put this prediction very close to coming true, with 9M operating margin at 39.6% and net margin at 35.8%.Amazons Cloud AccelerationIn the February 2024 analysis AI Driving Acceleration For Big 3 Cloud Stocks, I discussed how AI was impacting cloud growth at Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet. For Amazon, I explained that in Q4 2023, AWS finally accelerated in Q4 for the first time in 2 years, with Amazon reporting 13.2% growth in Q4, up just over 1 point from Q3s 12%. However, the more important metric was AWS operating leverage improving in the second half of 2023, with operating income growth at 3x the rate of revenue in Q4.At the time, AWS was generating the majority of Amazons company-wide operating income (67% of 2023) due to its higher operating margin (27% in Q4 2023), which I had said was a trend that can strengthen with AI driving accelerated customer and revenue growth and decreased costs. This has played out, with AWS reporting a 37.8% operating margin in Q3 2024.What I had seen in February 2024 was a combination of increased customer migrations, larger and longer duration contracts, increased incremental revenue QoQ, and opportunities to better monetize the suite via AI. These factors were the necessary ingredients for AWS to show a sustained AI-driven acceleration, even though its quarterly growth rates lagged Azure and Google Cloud. AWS growth has now re-accelerated to 19%.In a follow-up article in May, Amazon Stock: Nearing $2 Trillion Club From AWS Growth & Ads Catalyst, I provided evidence that AWS was a primary contributor to Amazons push to the $2 trillion milestone. I noted that AWS was contributing more than 60% of Amazons total operating income despite contributing less than 20% of total revenue, one reason that corporate gross profit margin has quickly approached 20% and operating margin reached double-digits for the first time ever, at 10.7%. Growth from AI quickly reached a multi-billion dollar run rate, while improvements in operating leverage at AWS aided Amazons bottom line and stock price shares have risen nearly 30% since the February 2024 analysis.Honorable MentionsMy firm was also early to call out a fundamental acceleration for one of 2024s best performing AI stocks, alongside another AI-exposed ad-tech winner and an AI theme that quickly came to the forefront thanks to Nvidia.1) Palantirs Revenue AccelerationIn December 2023, my firm outlined four cloud stocks set to see revenue accelerate in 2024, with Palantir one of the four. My firm had said that Palantir was exhibiting multiple signs of acceleration heading into 2024 with an improved fundamental backdrop driven by increasing AI demand. Palantirs Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) is driving a significant acceleration in its US commercial business, while underlying metrics and the bottom line are rapidly improving: Palantir posted its first GAAP profitable quarter in February and has since reported four consecutive GAAP profitable quarters.My firm explained that revenue growth is poised to accelerate in Q4 and through 2024, boosted by AI demand, a reacceleration in Palantirs US government segment, and continued strength in the US commercial segment stemming from [AIP].Palantirs shares ended 2024 as the S&P 500s best performer with a 341% return.2) Taiwan Semiconductors AI RevenueIn April 2024, my firm discussed Taiwan Semiconductors (TSMC) revenue acceleration stemming from the strength of AI/HPC revenue, with April sales surging after Q1 showed strong advanced node revenue growth and record HPC revenue.My firm discussed how TSMC was riding the enormous wave of demand from Big Tech, with HPC revenue rising 3% QoQ to $8.68 billion in Q1 2024, a fresh record despite the first quarter typically being seasonally weaker. Additionally, my firm said reports of Nvidia and AMD fully booking out TSMCs advanced packaging capacity through the end of 2025 lent to a strong AI-driven outlook.Aprils sales numbers gave my firm confidence that TSMC was on track to land in the upper half of or above the guided range for Q2 revenue it ultimately beat estimates by $500 million, the largest in more than two years.3) AI Power ConsumptionIn June 2024, my firm published a thematic analysis on AI power consumption, and the rising power draw from next-generation GPUs. This analysis was underpinned by the rise of generative AI and surging GPU shipments [which] is causing data centers to scale from tens of thousands to 100,000-plus accelerators, shifting the emphasis to power as a mission-critical problem to solve.My firm explained how Nvidias Hopper and AMDs MI300X accelerators consume 50% to 75% more power than the prior generation, while Blackwell represented up to a 300% increase in power consumption across one generation of GPUs with AI systems increasing power consumption at a higher rate.With power draw now quickly becoming mission-critical for data centers to address due to each generation of GPUs becoming increasingly more powerful than the last, my firm pointed out that this was driving a shift to liquid cooling.For 2025, my firm has worked to identify key Nvidia suppliers with Blackwell on deck to ramp significantly, sharing our in-depth research on the AI networking stack. Sign up to join our upcoming webinar, held every Thursday at 4:30 pm EST, where we discuss buy zones for the stocks we cover plus a special, one-hour 2025 webinar held on January 14th. Learn more here.If you would like notifications when my new articles are published, please hit the button below to "Follow" me.

StrandsNYTLooking for Thursdays Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:After yesterdays tuna-based puzzle, it seems that the New York Times wants us to go a bit easier on us today with a simpler puzzle with less specific knowledge required.How To Play StrandsThe New York Times Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. Its in beta for now, which means itll only stick around if enough people play it every day.Theres a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and youll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.Youll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and its possible to switch directions in the middle of a word. If youre playing on a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess.MORE FOR YOUIf you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme, youll unlock the Hint button. Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words.Be warned: Youll need to be on your toes. Sometimes youll need to fill the missing word(s) in a phrase. On other days, the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty will vary from day to day, and the puzzle creators will try to surprise you sometimes.What Is Todays Strands Hint?Here is the NYT hint followed by one of my own. The official hint is:Theyre inseparable And my hint is:PairsWhat Are Todays Strands Answers?Spoilers begin as I will first list the spangram, then the full roster of answers after. The spangram is:TOGETHERAnd that is found on the board here:StrandsNYTAnd the answer list:MILKCEREALSOAPWATERRHYTHMBLUESARTSCRAFTSStrandsNYTSo, as you can see, this was not exactly the trickiest puzzle in the world, and if you got one word, chances are you probably knew the other to hunt down pretty quick. You will also notice that each pair of words is separated by the spangram with the first word on top and the second on the bottom. Clever set up for a puzzle, even if it was not especially hard.Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" E-bikes are great, but theyre a lot more expensive than traditional bikes and often heavier, too. Thats not to mention that they can require maintenance and suffer from technical issues. But what if you could turn your traditional bicycle into an e-bike? Thats the idea behind the Livall PikaBoost, now in its second generation. Its basically a small, motorized device that can attach to your bicycle to give it e-bike power.I got a chance to check out the PikaBoost 2 on the show floor at CES 2025. Livalls PR firm, WeBranding, flew me out to Las Vegas for CES 2025 to check out the PikaBoost 2, among its other brands devices, for myself and I have to say, it seems to be a powerful yet inexpensive way to get the power of an e-bike without having to replace the bicycle you already have.Christian de Looper / Digital TrendsThe PikaBoost 2 essentially attaches to the back of the frame of your bike, extending out toward your rear tire, as long as the tire is between 23mm and 32mm in width. Theres a rubber wheel at the end of the device, which rotates your tire when you activate it, spinning the tire so you dont have to manually. Its all controlled through a wired remote thats a attached to the handlebar for easy access.Recommended VideosOnce you install it using the included propriety tool (for security), youll get access to solid electric performance. To be clear, the PikaBoost 2 doesnt quite reach the power of many e-bikes out there, which have much more powerful electric motors. But for such a small and inexpensive device, it does offer solid performance, reaching 500W of peak power, or 100W of consistent power. The device can reach speeds of up to around 15 mph.Please enable Javascript to view this contentYou can use it in a few different modes, including workout mode (which adds resistance instead of taking it away), eco mode (a pedal-assist mode that only kicks in on hills), or cruise mode (a steady power mode that removes the need to pedal).Christian de Looper / Digital TrendsUnder the hood is a 158Wh battery that Lithall says offers a range of around 43 miles, though exactly how much range you get from the device will depend on how you use it. Theres also an option for an upgraded battery, which has a range of 59 miles. And once its out of juice, you dont have to remove the whole thing simply detach the battery and plug it in to charge. The battery supports USB-PD 3.1 and QuickCharge 3.0, and Lithall says that it can charge to full in three hours.Of course, the device isnt the first e-bike conversion kit that can turn your traditional bike into an e-bike but what sets the PikaBoost 2 apart from the competition is the fact that its so easy to install and relatively inexpensive. Lithall says the PikaBoost 2 will enter mass production in late August, with units shipping starting in September. It will be available for $500 from the companys website, and will eventually be sold on Amazon too, though it may be a little more expensive there.

For those who are on the hunt for OLED TV deals, you cant go wrong with the Samsung S90D. All sizes of this TV are on sale right now if you buy it from Samsung directly, ranging from $1,100 instead of $1,400 for the 42-inch model to $3,800 instead of $5,400 for the 83-inch model. You better choose the size that you want and complete your purchase as soon as possible though, as were not sure how much time is remaining before you miss out on the savings.The Samsung S90D is featured in our list of the best OLED TVs as its an excellent option for its price, especially with the discounts that Samsung is offering. Its powered by Samsungs NQ4 AI Gen2 processor, which uses artificial intelligence to further improve picture quality, while OLED TV technology enables pure blacks and bright whites for vibrant details while you watch your favorite shows and movies. Samsungs Tizen operating system grants access to all of the popular streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, but youll also enjoy free content from thousands of channels through Samsung TV Plus.Samsung is among the best TV brands partly because of its work on QLED TV technology. However, with the Samsung S90D OLED TV, youll enjoy the benefits of OLED TVs versus QLED TVs, specifically the ability to create perfect black levels, superior response time, wider viewing angles, less power consumption, and better eye comfort. If you like these advantages, you will love having the Samsung S90D OLED TV in your living room.RelatedIf youre willing to spend some cash on Samsung TV deals, you should set your sights on the fantastic Samsung S90D. All six sizes of the OLED TV are available with a discount from Samsung, with the smallest 42-inch model down to $1,100 for savings of $300, and the largest 83-inch model down to $3,800 for savings of $1,600. You definitely wont regret going for the Samsung S90D OLED TV as an upgrade for your home theater setup, but if you want to enjoy the discount, we highly recommend pushing forward with your transaction immediately.Editors Recommendations

Temporary rules Coal likely to go away even without EPAs power plant regulations Set to be killed by Trump, the rules mostly lock in existing trends. John Timmer Jan 9, 2025 6:24 pm | 14 Credit: Ron and Patty Thomas Credit: Ron and Patty Thomas Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIn April last year, the Environmental Protection Agency released its latest attempt to regulate the carbon emissions of power plants under the Clean Air Act. It's something the EPA has been required to do since a 2007 Supreme Court decision that settled a case that started during the Clinton administration. The latest effort seemed like the most aggressive yet, forcing coal plants to retire or install carbon capture equipment and making it difficult for some natural gas plants to operate without capturing carbon or burning green hydrogen.Yet, according to a new analysis published in Thursday's edition of Science, they wouldn't likely have a dramatic effect on the US's future emissions even if they were to survive a court challenge. Instead, the analysis suggests the rules serve more like a backstop to prevent other policy changes and increased demand from countering the progress that would otherwise be made. This is just as well, given that the rules are inevitably going to be eliminated by the incoming Trump administration.A long time comingThe net result of a number of Supreme Court decisions is that greenhouse gasses are pollutants under the Clean Air Act, and the EPA needed to determine whether they posed a threat to people. George W. Bush's EPA dutifully performed that analysis but sat on the results until its second term ended, leaving it to the Obama administration to reach the same conclusion. The EPA went on to formulate rules for limiting carbon emissions on a state-by-state basis, but these were rapidly made irrelevant because renewable power and natural gas began displacing coal even without the EPA's encouragement.Nevertheless, the Trump administration replaced those rules with ones designed to accomplish even less, which were thrown out by a court just before Biden's inauguration. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court stepped in to rule on the now-even-more-irrelevant Obama rules, determining that the EPA could only regulate carbon emissions at the level of individual power plants rather than at the level of the grid.All of that set the stage for the latest EPA rules, which were formulated by the Biden administration's EPA. Forced by the court to regulate individual power plants, the EPA allowed coal plants that were set to retire within the decade to continue to operate as they have. Anything that would remain operational longer would need to either switch fuels or install carbon capture equipment. Similarly, natural gas plants were regulated based on how frequently they were operational; those that ran less than 40 percent of the time could face significant new regulations. More than that, and they'd have to capture carbon or burn a fuel mixture that is primarily hydrogen produced without carbon emissions.While the Biden EPA's rules are currently making their way through the courts, they're sure to be pulled in short order by the incoming Trump administration, making the court case moot. Nevertheless, people had started to analyze their potential impact before it was clear there would be an incoming Trump administration. And the analysis is valuable in the sense that it will highlight what will be lost when the rules are eliminated.By some measures, the answer is not all that much. But the answer is also very dependent upon whether the Trump administration engages in an all-out assault on renewable energy.Regulatory impactThe work relies on the fact that various researchers and organizations have developed models to explore how the US electric grid can economically meet demand under different conditions, including different regulatory environments. The researchers obtained nine of them and ran them with and without the EPA's proposed rules to determine their impact.On its own, eliminating the rules has a relatively minor impact. Without the rules, the US grid's 2040 carbon dioxide emissions would end up between 60 and 85 percent lower than they were in 2005. With the rules, the range shifts to between 75 and 85 percentin essence, the rules reduce the uncertainty about the outcomes that involve the least change.That's primarily because of how they're structured. Mostly, they target coal plants, as these account for nearly half of the US grid's emissions despite supplying only about 15 percent of its power. They've already been closing at a rapid clip, and would likely continue to do so even without the EPA's encouragement.Natural gas plants, the other major source of carbon emissions, would primarily respond to the new rules by operating less than 40 percent of the time, thus avoiding stringent regulation while still allowing them to handle periods where renewable power underproduces. And we now have a sufficiently large fleet of natural gas plants that demand can be met without a major increase in construction, even with most plants operating at just 40 percent of their rated capacity. The continued growth of renewables and storage also contributes to making this possible.One irony of the response seen in the models is that it suggests that two key pieces of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are largely irrelevant. The IRA provides benefits for the deployment of carbon capture and the production of green hydrogen (meaning hydrogen produced without carbon emissions). But it's likely that, even with these credits, the economics wouldn't favor the use of these technologies when alternatives like renewables plus storage are available. The IRA also provides tax credits for deploying renewables and storage, pushing the economics even further in their favor.Since not a lot changes, the rules don't really affect the cost of electricity significantly. Their presence boosts costs by an estimated 0.5 to 3.7 percent in 2050 compared to a scenario where the rules aren't implemented. As a result, the wholesale price of electricity changes by only two percent.A backstopThat said, the team behind the analysis argues that, depending on other factors, the rules could play a significant role. Trump has suggested he will target all of Biden's energy policies, and that would include the IRA itself. Its repeal could significantly slow the growth of renewable energy in the US, as could continued problems with expanding the grid to incorporate new renewable capacity.In addition, the US is seeing demand for electricity rise at a faster pace in 2023 than in the decade leading up to it. While it's still unclear whether that's a result of new demand or simply weather conditions boosting the use of electricity in heating and cooling, there are several factors that could easily boost the use of electricity in coming years: the electrification of transport, rising data center use, and the electrification of appliances and home heating.Should these raise demand sufficiently, then it could make continued coal use economical in the absence of the EPA rules. "The rules ... can be viewed as backstops against higher emissions outcomes under futures with improved coal plant economics," the paper suggests, "which could occur with higher demand, slower renewables deployment from interconnection and permitting delays, or higher natural gas prices."And it may be the only backstop we have. The report also notes that a number of states have already set aggressive emissions reduction targets, including some for net zero by 2050. But these don't serve as a substitute for federal climate policy, given that the states that are taking these steps use very little coal in the first place.Science, 2025. DOI: 10.1126/science.adt5665 (About DOIs).John TimmerSenior Science EditorJohn TimmerSenior Science Editor John is Ars Technica's science editor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. When physically separated from his keyboard, he tends to seek out a bicycle, or a scenic location for communing with his hiking boots. 14 Comments

Finders keepers? US selling 69K seized bitcoins could mess with Trump plans for crypto reserve US could get about $6.4 billion from the sale at bitcoin's current price. Ashley Belanger Jan 9, 2025 5:44 pm | 33 Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor | NurPhoto Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAt the end of 2024, a US court authorized the Department of Justice to sell 69,370 bitcoins from "the largest cryptocurrency seizure in history."At bitcoin's current price, just under $92,000, these bitcoins are worth nearly $6.4 billion, and crypto outlets are reporting that DOJ officials have said they're planning to proceed with selling off the assets consistent with the court's order. The DOJ had reportedly argued that bitcoin's price volatility was a pressing reason to push for permission for the sale.Ars has reached out to the DOJ for comment and will update the story with any new information regarding next steps.A hacker initially stole these bitcoins from Silk Roadan illegal online marketplace where goods could only be bought and sold with bitcoinsin 2012, shortly before the US government shut down the marketplace. The US later discovered the stolen bitcoins in 2020 while conducting further investigations of Silk Road, eventually securing a consent agreement that year from the hacker, who signed the bitcoins over to the government.Whether the government's seizure of those bitcoins was proper has been disputed by Battle Born Investments, a company that purchased the assets of bankruptcy estate from an individual who they believed to be either the hacker whose bitcoins were seized or someone "associated with him."After a court battle failed to return the bitcoins, Battle Born attempted to unmask the hacker through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which sparked a new court fight. But ultimately, in late December, the court agreed with the US government that the hacker had a right to privacy as someone who was the subject of a criminal investigation and shouldn't be unmasked. That ended Battle Born's claim to the bitcoins and cleared the way for the government's sale.Soon after the news dropped, bitcoin's price fell, which some outlets linked to speculation about the DOJ's sale and others to announced shifts in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy strategy and new Treasury Department data sparking inflation concerns.If the sale is set in motion, it could affect the price of bitcoin. But perhaps more importantly, it could mess with Donald Trump's plans to establish a US bitcoin reserve.In December, while the DOJ pushed for permission to sell the bitcoins, Trump confirmed a bitcoin reserve was needed, urging, "We're gonna do something great with crypto because we dont want China, or anybody else but others are embracing it, and we want to be ahead," Forbes reported.Starting in July, Trump campaigned on being a "pro-crypto president," promising to loosen regulations and suggesting that cryptocurrency could be used to wipe out the US national debt.Axios noted that Trump plans to build the US bitcoin reserve from cryptocurrencies seized in criminal investigations, so it wouldn't make sense to sell off the largest haul ever if he intends to take the US in that direction.Analysts told Forbes that there's an estimated 60 percent chance that Trump will implement a bitcoin treasury reserve this year. And if that happens, bitcoin's price could jump significantlyperhaps as high as "$225,000 per coin by the end of 2025," they estimated. That forecast likely makes a sale even less appealing to pro-crypto regulators, who may see more value in stockpiling than selling.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 33 Comments

La Nia increases the risk of drought in certain regions, as occurred in California in 2022David McNew / Getty ImagesA weak La Nia climate pattern has emerged in the Pacific Ocean, months later than was initially forecast. This will raise the risk of drought and heavy rain in parts of the world, even as it lowers global average temperatures.The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean shifts from hot to cold and back in a temperature cycle known as the El Nio Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and La Nia is the cool phase of the cycle. It normally occurs about every three to five years when trade winds strengthen, which pushes colder water upwelling off the coast of South America to the west. AdvertisementSea surface temperatures in that part of the Pacific have been cooler than average for months, but they didnt fall below the threshold needed to declare a La Nia event until now, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Wind patterns also now reflect La Nia conditions.The agency forecasts the La Nia will continue through April 2025 before temperatures return to neutral conditions.Even though it is a weak event, the cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures are expected to have their characteristic influence on global weather patterns, increasing the risks of drought in parts of North and South America and intense rainfall in Australia and South-East Asia. Unmissable news about our planet delivered straight to your inbox every month.Sign up to newsletterLa Nia also tends to lower global average temperatures, although this cooling effect is proportional to the strength of the event, says Pedro DiNezio at the University of Colorado Boulder. Temperatures have cooled as the warm El Nio gave way to neutral and now La Nia conditions, but remain above average in much of the world, says DiNezio.Thats also true of the oceans. The shift to La Nia means temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific are colder than average. But global sea surface temperatures remain more than 0.5C above average.The oceans in particular were slow to cool from the record warmth that developed in mid to late 2023, said Karin Gleason at NOAA during a press call in December before La Nia had officially emerged.It is not unusual for La Nia to emerge so late, even following a strong El Nio event. But the shift comes months later than forecasters predicted. It remains unclear exactly why forecasts were so far off, and whether human-caused climate change played a role in the delay.Topics:

These bubble-wrap cartilage cells have been dyed green to make them easily visiblePlikus lab/University of California/IrvineA long-overlooked skeletal tissue found in the nose and ears turns out to resemble bubble wrap and harnessing it could make facial surgery, like nose reshaping, easier.Maksim Plikus at the University of California, Irvine, and his colleagues first spotted the unusual tissue a few years ago while they were studying fat cells collected from mouse ears. It was just a scientific accident, he says. AdvertisementThe nose and ears of both mice and humans contain a firm but flexible tissue called cartilage, which is also found in our joints. Conventional wisdom says that cartilage is structured similarly, no matter where it is in the body. The cells in it dont contain much fat and are surrounded by a thick, protein-rich matrix that provides strength.But when the researchers examined mouse nose and ear samples under a microscope, they found a structure consisting of cells packed full of fats, also known as lipids, connected only by a thin mesh of protein prompting the team to name it lipocartilage. It looks like bubble wrap, says Plikus.This unusual cartilage had been noticed before, the team found, but only in a brief account of its discovery from the 1850s and a few short reports since then. To investigate further, the researchers stretched and squeezed samples of lipocartilage from the mouse ears, and did the same for standard cartilage from the knees and ribs of mice. Get the most essential health and fitness news in your inbox every Saturday.Sign up to newsletterThey found that lipocartilage is softer and more stretchy, probably due to its high fat content, says Plikus. This suggests lipocartilage has unique roles in the body compared with standard cartilage, though identifying these requires further study, he says.The team also found lipocartilage in human ear and nose samples collected from medically aborted fetuses,leading them to wonder whether the tissue could be grown in the lab for use in reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. Nose alterations, for example, sometimes involve taking a piece of cartilage from a persons rib.Growing it from stem cells instead could avoid this, but attempts to do so for standard cartilage have been hampered by the difficulty of screening out any remaining stem cells, says Plikus, which, if implanted, could develop into tumours. The researchers found that they could successfully grow lipocartilage from human stem cells derived from embryos, and that it was much easier to spot leftover stem cells using a dye that attaches to the fat in the tissue.It is too early to tell how well this will work in practice until the findings are replicated and the approach is tested in animals and humans, says Mark Grimes at the University of Montana, who wasnt involved in the study.Plikuss team is already carrying out facial implant tests with stem-cell derived lipocartilage in mice and hopes to trial it in humans soon. If were optimistic, within a span of five years, he says.Journal reference:Science DOI: 10.1126/science.ads9960Topics:stem cells

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