For this week'scurated picksof architecture and design competitions listed on Bustler, we are featuring four calls seeking emerging and mid-career practitioners whose work focuses on the public realm, the best projects, products, and ideas from around the world, innovative artistic, inclusive, and sustainable seating solutions, and designs for an installation that will supply clean and reliable electricity and drinking water to Marou, Fiji.For the complete directory of newly listed competitions, clickhere.

The endangered Woodville Karst cave crayfish (Procambarus orcinus) Keith A. Crandall and C. Riley Nelson, IUCNFreshwater ecosystems across the world are in distress. As scientists better comprehend the extent to which lakes, ponds, rivers and marshlandsand the animal and plant life they supportare suffering from long-term human intervention, their findingsare often dire.A new study published in Nature on Wednesday finds that nearly 25 percent of freshwater faunaincluding species of fish, dragonflies, damselflies, crabs, crayfish and shrimpare threatened with extinction.That means there are high to extremely high risks of becoming extinct in the future, Catherine Sayer, lead of the freshwater biodiversity team for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the lead author of the study, explains to ABC News Julia Jacobo. Thats quite an alarming percentage.Although freshwater covers less than 1 percent of the Earths surface, it supports 10 percent of the planets known animal species, including roughly half its types of fish. For the study, researchers assessed 23,496 species of freshwater animals, determining that 24 percent were threatened with extinction. At least 4,294 species are considered at a high risk, according to a statement from the IUCN.Their examined species spanned three groups: Ten-legged decapods like crabs, lobsters and crayfish are the most vulnerable, with 30 percent of their species at risk; fish come in second, with more than a quarter of them threatened; and odonates, like dragonflies and damselflies, which are aquatic during their larval phase, follow at 16 percent.Stuart Pimm, a conservation ecologist at Duke University who was not affiliated with the study, calls it a long-awaited and hugely important paper, according to Christina Larson of the Associated Press. The critically endangered Astyanax salvatoris in Mexico Topiltzin Contreras MacBeath, IUCNThe study finds human modification of the environment is a major factor in turning freshwater ecosystems into more vulnerable shells of their former states. Some 54 percent of the threatened species are affected by pollution, 39 percent by dams and water extraction, 37 percent by agriculture and 28 percent by invasive species and disease.Major human alteration of freshwater habitats is hardly a new development. In the 12th century, for instance, the Dutch began to drain swamps to create tractable land for agriculture. Or, take Chicago, which sits along the coast of Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes that together host some 21 percent of the worlds freshwater. In 1900, engineers reversed the flow of the Chicago River, and 45 years before that, lawmakers decided to physically elevate the city from the swamplandon which it was built.But the trend has certainly accelerated in recent decades. The United Nations estimates that 35 percent of global wetland area was lost between 1970 and 2015a rate three times faster than deforestation.Almost every big river in North America and Europe is massively modified with dams, Pimm tells the AP, which threaten freshwater species by blocking migration routes, affecting sediment flow and altering downstream hydrology.Dams completely block water courses, which means that species cant move downstream, and so they cant get to habitats that they previously used for breeding or feeding, Sayer tells ABC News. And that completely disrupts the lifecycle. A male Chlorocypha cyanifronsdamselfly in Gabon Jens Kipping, IUCNEven the paragons of the freshwater realm like the Amazon River might appear mighty, Patricia Charvet, a biologist at Brazils Federal University of Cear and a co-author of the study, tells the AP. But at the same time, freshwater environments are very fragile.The authors of the study emphasize that although threatened freshwater animals tend to live alongside threatened terrestrial and avian creatures, the risks to these water-dwelling species are different. So too must be the solutions.Rajeev Raghavan, an ichthyologist at the IUCN and a co-author of the paper, offers the example of the Western Ghats, an Indian mountain range renowned for its biodiversity.Although they live side by side in the Western Ghats, conservation action for tigers and elephants will not help the critically endangered humpbacked mahseer, Raghavan says in the IUCN statement. The large, freshwater fish is threatened by habitat loss due to river engineering projects and sand and boulder mining, poaching and invasive alien species.Along with the Western Ghats, the paper identifies Lake Victoria in Africa, Lake Titicaca in South America and Sri Lankas Wet Zone as particularly species-richand threatenedfreshwater regions.The particular value of this study is that it shows us which river basins, lakes, et cetera, are the ones where the conservation challenges are most urgent and serious, study co-authorIan Harrison, a freshwater conservationist at Northern Arizona University and a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, tells Reuters Will Dunham. It acts as a baseline of information from which we can track progress, to see if our actions are reducing threats.Since 1500, the study finds, 89 freshwater species have gone extinctand an additional 178 are suspected to be gone. With the recently identified speciesGet the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Agriculture, Animals, Biodiversity, Biology, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Extinction, Farming, Fish, Invasive Species, New Research, Pollution, Water, Zoology

Two women follow along during the Moby Dick reading marathon at theNew Bedford Whaling Museum. Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesEvery year, throngs of book lovers gather for a Moby Dick reading marathon at theWhaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusettsand this years event drew the biggest crowd yet.Nearly 2,500 people from 37 states and countriesincluding Australia, Brazil and Swedencame to the reading, as Amanda McMullen, the museums president and CEO, tells Ben Berke of the Publics Radio.Its the highest ever, and its the highest ever by a lot, McMullen says, estimating the next highest attendance number was around 1,750 people in 2020. Michael J. Bobbitt, executive director of the Mass Cultural Council, reads at the stern of a half-scale model of an original whaling ship. Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesThe story ofCaptain Ahabs obsessive quest to take revenge on the white whale who bit off his leg is an American classic and has been read in countless classrooms since its publication in 1851. The novel begins with its narrator, Ishmael, arriving in New Bedford in the hopes of joining a whaling voyageparalleling author Herman Melvilles own experience.The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in, in all New England, says Ishmael. Nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses; parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford.Earlier this month, crowds gathered to hearMoby Dick in the same town over the course of 25 hours. The readers followed a tight schedule as they attempted to get through the novel.The whole thing is read out loud, every word, every page, from multiple spots in the museum and from Seamens Bethel, a historic church near the water, McMullen tellsNBC 10 News Kennedy Buck.In addition to the record-setting attendance numbers, officials also announced at the event that New Bedford is building astatue in honor of Melville. The project will cost an estimated $300,000. A proposed statue of Melville shows waves gathering around the author's feet, as the ribs of a whale rise up with the water. City of New BedfordThis is fundamentally a way of New Bedford proclaiming its identity, proclaiming something great about its past, and showing off to the world that this is an important place, Jon Mitchell, New Bedfords mayor, tells the Publics Radio.The eight-foot-tall likeness of the famous author will stand at the garden of Seamens Bethel. SculptorStefanie Rocknaks design shows Meville with his hand in his pocket; at the authors feet, waves crash and a whales ribs rise from the water. At the statues base, visitors will find quotes from the novel.The statue is estimated to take 12 to 15 months to complete. Rocknacks design was chosen from 41 proposals.The opportunity to honor Herman Melville in the city that inspired the most famous literary work in the English language attracted first-class artists from across the country, says Mitchell in astatement. As the selection committee recognized, Stefanie Rocknaks vision for the statue is compelling and timeless. It will be a source of pride for New Bedford residents and visitors for generations.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: American Writers, Arts, Books, Literature, Museums, New England, Whales

The tomb's walls are painted and carved with images of objects the doctor might have used. Franco-Swiss Archaeological Mission of SaqqaraArchaeologists have excavated an intricately carved and painted tomb in northern Egypt, and they think the 4,100-year-old burial chamber belonged to a prominent, multi-talented royal doctor: a physician who served ancient Egyptian kings as an expert in medicinal plants, dentistry and venomous bites.A team of French and Swiss researchers discovered the tomb in Saqqara, the necropolis of the ancient capital city ofMemphis, according to a statement from Egypts Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.This incredible find adds to Saqqaras rich legacy as one of Egypts most significant archaeological sites, writes the ministry. The tomb is adorned with stunning carvings and vibrant artwork, including a beautifully painted false door and scenes of funerary offerings. Researchers discovered the tomb in the necropolis Saqqara. Franco-Swiss Archaeological Mission of SaqqaraInside the tomb, researchers found a stone sarcophagus bearing the name Tetinebefou in hieroglyphics. The inscriptions also indicate that he was the chief palace physician, priest, chief dentist, director of medicinal plants and conjurer of the goddessSerketan Egyptian deity known for curing venomous snake and scorpion bites.The doctor may have served under Pepi II, a pharaoh of ancient EgyptsOld Kingdom around the 23rd century B.C.E. He was crowned as a child and retained the throne for60 to 90 years. When he died, he too was buried in Saqqara, entombed in a pyramid.The Saqqara necropolis has been extensively looted over the millennia, according to a translatedblog post from the researchers. They found only small fragments of funerary materials, but the painted walls alone made the discovery exceptional. AsLive Sciences Owen Jarus reports, the paintings actually depict objects that the doctor might have used, such as jars and vases. The doctor may have served the pharaohPepi II. Franco-Swiss Archaeological Mission of SaqqaraThe doctors title of conjurer of the goddess Serket means he was a specialist in poisonous bites, as research team leaderPhilippe Collombert, an Egyptologist at theUniversity of Geneva, tells Live Science. The other titles on the sarcophagus are quite rare: Director of medicinal plants has only been found on one other ancient Egyptian artifact, and chief dentist is also very unusual, Collombert says.Evidence for ancient Egyptian dentists is exceedingly scarce, as Roger Forshaw, an Egyptologist at the University of Manchester who wasnt involved in the research, tells Live Science.The ancient Egyptians are known for theiradvances in medical science, and they possessed extensive knowledge of human anatomy. Thousands of years ago, they weretreating brain cancer via surgery, diagnosing the condition now known asdiabetes and buildingprosthetics. The entombed doctor was apparently an expert physician, dentist and healer of venomous bites. Franco-Swiss Archaeological Mission of SaqqaraWe are talking about a society that at the time had the most advanced medicine that ever existed, asEdgard Camars, a paleopathologist at SpainsUniversity of Santiago de Compostela, toldHistory.coms Jesse Greenspan last year.Many ancient Egyptian doctors were specialists, focusing on a single body part or sickness, according to the fifth-century B.C.E. Greek historianHerodotus. He wrote, All the country is full of physicians, some of the eye, some of the teeth, some of what pertains to the belly and some of the hidden diseases.As such, Tetinebefous numerous and rare titles indicate that he held high status during the reign of Pepi. As Collombert tells Live Science, He was certainly the main physician at the royal court, so he would have treated the pharaoh himself.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Artifacts, Cool Finds, Death, Doctors, Egypt, History, Medicine, Pyramids

Fortnite Festival, the games Rock Band-like music mode where you play along with real songs, is getting local multiplayer for up to four people on PlayStation and Xbox on January 14th.Currently, you can only play Fortnite Festival multiplayer online, but with this change, youll be able to get your former Rock Band back together and jam out on the same TV screen well, with a major asterisk. Fortnite Festival currently only supports certain Rock Band guitar controllers, so if youre on vocals or drums, youll be relegated to playing on a controller.Epic Games didnt immediately reply to a request for comment about when drum kit or microphone support might be added to Fortnite Festival. The new local multiplayer mode is being added as part of season 7 of Fortnite Festival. The featured artist for the season is rumored to be virtual pop star Hatsune Miku and Epic Games is has already dropped a hint that she might be joining Fortnite soon.

Tesla issued a recall for over 200,000 electric vehicles due to an issue with its latest computer hardware that can short circuit and disable some safety features including the rearview camera.Tesla submitted the recall on January 6th, which acknowledges faulty computers are in some of the most recent builds of Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles. It includes ones with manufacturing dates ranging as early as January 25th, 2023 for some Model Xs, and as late as December 16th, 2024 for some Model Ys (with other models overlapping in between).The latest recall is due to non-compliance with the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has stringent rules on rearview camera reliability. Tesla issued a separate recall for problematic rearview cameras in January 2024 and one for Cybertrucks with laggy rearview cameras in October. Both were fixed with over-the-air (OTA) software updates.Tesla is again leveraging its OTA abilities to remedy this new recall, which started rolling out on December 18th and was added to newly manufactured vehicles on December 16th, according to the safety recall report.But as Electrek reports, the update cant fix the broader computer issue, which has been identified in 887 warranty claims and 68 field reports as of December 30th. The issues are reportedly affecting Teslas latest HW4 (also known as AI4) computers, which are supposed to support the companys transition to full autonomy. Tesla says it will replace computers in cars that dont get fixed with the OTA update. But the company will undoubtedly need to replace them soon, especially if CEO Elon Musk wants to build out the robotaxi service he has promised for years.

Godox, a company known for its professional photography gear like flashes and reflective umbrellas, has announced a new lighting product for smartphones. Its MA5R is a magnetic power bank with an array of diffused color-changing LEDs on the back that can improve phone photography while keeping battery anxiety in check. Its priced at $49, and while you can preorder it through online specialty stores, official availability isnt known.The MA5R attaches to MagSafe-compatible iPhones, smartphones supporting the Qi2 wireless standard, or mobile devices upgraded with a magnetic ring on the back. It can also be used handheld, but Godox didnt include a standard tripod mount for attaching it to stands an odd omission given the companys lineup of pro gear.The MA5R uses color-changing LEDs to reproduce a wide range of colors and color temperatures. Image: GodoxThe accessory can be controlled through the Godox mobile app over Bluetooth, which allows its color temperature to be adjusted across a wide range from 1800K (warmer) to 10000K (cooler) so you can match the lighting in almost any environment. You can also opt for a wide range of colors if youre looking for a more dramatic lighting effect or choose one of 14 pre-programmed special effects, which could be useful when shooting video.The MA5R includes an additional smaller LED on the other side that can be used to improve the lighting of selfies. Image: GodoxOn the other side of the MA5R, next to its magnetic mount, is a small display showing battery life and lighting brightness. Theres also a smaller front-facing LED light that can be used to improve selfies by rotating the accessory while its attached to a phone. It offers a smaller range of color temperature adjustments between 2800K and 6500K.The added lights mean the MA5R is 13 millimeters thick, so its not exactly going to disappear when attached to your phone. And its only got a 5,000mAh battery inside. Thats enough to keep its LEDs running for up to three hours, 40 minutes at full brightness or up to seven hours, 20 minutes at half brightness, but not quite enough to fully recharge many smartphones more than once.Wireless charging also stops while the LEDs are turned on, so maybe think of the MA5Rs charging capabilities as a bonus feature for what looks like a solid portable lighting solution.

Hard as it is to believe, it's been almost 50 years si8nce the original Micronauts toy line hit store shelves. The franchise has been dormant for quite some time, but that's about to change as Hasbro and Super7 join forces for a new series of Micronauts action figures.Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the first two figures in Super7's Micronauts line, Biotron and Baron Karza: Super7's Micronauts Figures - Image GalleryThe Micronauts figures are part of Super7's Reaction+ line, featuring the same 3 3/4-inch scale and retro-style packaging the line is known for. The figures aim to be as close to the original 1976 versions as possible in terms of articulation, with 12 points of articulation and an O-Ring construction. The return of Micronauts really represents what Hasbro and our licensing business are all about bringing unique interactive fun and collectible experiences for fans across multiple generations, Marianne James, Senior Vice President, Global Licensing at Hasbro, tells IGN. The team at Super7 have done an incredible job reintroducing the line for a new generation while capturing what made the original 1970s lineup so special. We look forward to exploring even more licensing opportunities with world-class partners like Super7 to give fans unique offerings from the brand like never before.Super7 co-founder and CEO Brian Flynn says, "As kids, Micronauts were undeniably some of the coolest action figures ever made. Their clear bodies and interchangeable pieces were like nothing else, and their fantastical designs were out of this world (in space!) and ignited imaginations everywhere. From the colossal Biotron and the magnetic Baron Karza to the dynamic Microtron and the translucent Time Travellers, Micronauts had it all - from aliens to robots to heroes! Being able to revisit the fantastical world of Micronauts with the same childhood excitement is nothing short of a dream come true for all of us here at Super7."PlayBoth Baron Karza and Biotron will be released later in 2025, with more Micronauts figures hopefully to follow.In other Micronauts news, animator Eric Rogers revealed that he oversaw a 52-episode Micronauts animated series that was completed in 2020 but never released. While Rogers himself fears the series has been written off for tax purposes, similar to Warner Bros.' Batgirl movie, IGN sources indicate the series could still see the light of day alongside a live-action Micronauts movie and series. Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.

Hyper Light Breaker, the upcoming roguelike prequel to Hyper Light Drifter, tasks you with trekking into the Overgrowth alone or with a friend in order to restore peace by defeating the Abyss King. Today we have two exclusive new gameplay videos to share with you. Both are boss fights.The first, which you can watch above, pits you against Dro, described by the developers at Heart Machine as "a furious wolven warrior." And the second, which you can watch below, showcases Exus, whom Heart Machine calls a "fierce gladiator."PlayHyper Light Breaker launches into Steam Early Access on Tuesday, January 14. Check out our first hands-on preview from 2023, and if you still want more, we previewed it again last year. Oh, and check back on Monday for one more exclusive gameplay video!Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

Sid Meier's Civilization 7 developer Firaxis has confirmed the highly anticipated strategy game will be Steam Deck verified upon its February 6 release date.A simple post from the official Civilization 7 X/Twitter account made the announcement. "Civ 7 is officially Steam Deck verified," it said. "Make history on the go."The next entry in the beloved franchise promises a "revolutionary new chapter" as it "empowers you to build the greatest empire the world has ever known." Its release is finally just a few weeks away, with a lengthy eight years between it and Civilization 6.Civilization 7 - First ScreenshotsIGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!IGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!To start:...try asking a question that can be answered with a "Yes" or "No".000/250Firaxis announced "the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise" was in development as of February 2023 before fully unveiling it as Civilization 7 in June 2024. Fans were relieved to hear they didn't have further years to wait thanks to a 2025 release window, and Firaxis soon after confirmed the February 6 date.IGN called it "a more daring, risky take on the formula than any of the past few iterations have been," in our first preview. We "think that's definitely the way to go, considering those older games aren't going anywhere and are still quite playable. From ages that completely transform your chosen civilization, to a bold, readable, but grounded new art style, Firaxis is already putting their best foot forward."It's coming to PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. Those wanting to play on its release date will need to pay $99.99 for the Deluxe Edition, while those only willing to pay $69.99 (or $59.99 on Switch) will need to wait until February 11.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.