Stack CommerceShareWe may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more That Duolingo bird is relentless. It was funny at first, but then it started feeling like I was back in school making excuses for my late homework. But its not the birds fault! I just learn more from listening and speaking than from memorization. Thats actually why Ive been looking at Babbel. Babbels lessons are pretty short (10-15 minutes), and you can choose from listening, speaking, writing, or vocabulary exercises. Plus, the price for a lifetime subscription just dropped. Instead of paying $599, now its $129.99.What does Babbel have that Duolingo doesnt?Babbel just dropped its own dedicated AI that can talk to you in the language youre learning. So, instead of just memorizing terms, now you can actually have a conversation. You can practice your pronunciation and listen to the AIs response. Its like talking to a native speaker without the performance anxiety.What language do you want to learn first? Babbel has over 10,000 hours of material to study and 14 different languages to practice. Heres a samplingFrenchSpanishGermanItalianPortugueseSwedishLessons are all geared toward practical topics like asking directions, dining, shopping, making friends, conducting business, and just having normal conversations. That also means you can quickly learn a few useful phrases before you travel, or you can take the long road and work toward fluency. With a lifetime subscription, theres certainly time.You can access Babbel on as many devices as you want. It works on desktop and mobile, and your progress syncs across all your devices.This sale isnt going to last much longer.Use code LEARN40 by February 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get a lifetime subscription to Babbel for $129.99.StackSocial prices subject to change.Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $129.99See Deal

Nature, Published online: 29 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00273-2Grafting patches of lab-grown muscle to the surface of the heart could offer a lifeline for people waiting for a transplant.

Nature, Published online: 29 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08505-7This study reports that incorporating non-polar nanodomains into antiferroelectrics greatly enhanced the energy density and efficiency.

A new study suggests the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has not weakened since the 1960s but there's no doubt the circulation will slow in the future, experts say.

"This process is like a cosmic CT scan, where we can look through different slices of cosmic history and track how matter clumped together at different epochs."

Several GameCube variants were released throughout the lifespan of the console, but for anyone looking to add a piece of sought-after Nintendo hardware to their collection, you now have a chance to do so. One of the ultra-rare "Space World" GameCubes has been listed on eBay, and all it'll cost you is a mere $100,000.Put up for sale by ConsoleVariations founder Donny Fillerup (via IGN), this is the indigo model that was shown off all the way back in 2000 at Nintendo Space World, alongside several other color variants. It's worth noting that this GameCube prototype isn't a functional model, as it's merely a shell with some LEDs stuck inside of it so that it could wow audiences at the event back then, and it doesn't come with a controller. What is interesting here is to see how many tweaks Nintendo made to the GameCube between this Space World reveal and its official launch in 2001. These are mostly cosmetic in nature, but this is still an interesting piece of gaming history. According to Fillerup--who previously sold off the Queen's Golden Wii--selling the GameCube prototype will generate funds to build a gaming hangout for people to visit.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Developer BetaDwarf has announced its newest game, Vaultbreakers. Previously known under the codename "Project F4E," Vaultbreakers is described by its developer as a "hardcore top-down PvPvE ARPG," and select players will be able to access a closed playtest at the end of the week."The game is set in an evolving world that challenges players to think tactically, adapt dynamically, and battle fiercely," game director and BetaDwarf CEO Steffen Kabbelgaard said in a press release announcing the game. "With unpredictable events triggered by Changelings or other players, and with a focus on player skill and knowledge, I believe we are offering a fresh new multiplayer ARPG experience." BetaDwarf also shared a reveal trailer, which shows Vaultbreakers' gameplay along with a cinematic animation. In it, two players are shown battling a pair of enemies. One player falls, while the other escapes through a portal, which serves as the game's extraction point.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Throughout the One Piece franchise, few events have the same importance for the overall story as God Valley. Although this island has been kept a secret from most people for years, the events connected to its disappearance 38 years ago have reverberated throughout the world and are still being felt today, primarily because God Valley involved some of the most important and powerful characters in the history of the setting.

GTA Online is famous for its dynamic world and limited-time events that keep players engaged all year. The Yuanbao Collectibles event is the most recent limited-time event that the developers have continued adding to even as the renowned franchise nears its conclusion.

On Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. PST, The Expanse is reportedly scheduled to leave Prime Video not all of it, mind you. Just the first three seasons; those are the ones that aired on Syfy, before the show was rescued from cancellation by Prime. So while seasons 4-6 will stay on Prime Video, the beginning of the show will be gone.This isnt a sure thing. And there have been times in the past where streaming channels have totally reversed a shows removal even when it seemed set in stone. The world of streaming library rights is bizarre and byzantine, and its a strange and confusing place to be in with a beloved show like The Expanse, particularly when it leaves half a show in its wake. It wouldnt be alone, but that doesnt make it easier to take. Its just another reminder how helpless it can feel amid the carousel of content.The truth is, for as much as they can feel interchangeable with archives, streaming libraries arent anything like that. It makes sense when shows that get rebooted or rescued by streamers go to live there forever (or the streaming timeline equivalent of it) Gilmore Girls is still fully on Netflix after its revival, and Leverage is on Prime Video with ads after Redemption started up a few years ago. But even when it feels like the rights line up just as youd expect, the capitalism of it all makes it slippery. Just like the old Hollywood practices they stem from, these shows are part of a business, an intersection of culture and commerce that pulls back the constant tension between those two sides. And at the end of the day, streaming services dont owe us access, even when theyre the home of those shows.So much of modern life is about chasing preservation in some way what does or doesnt get saved by the apps we use; what moments we can remember forever; what favorites we can maintain, for whenever the mood strikes. Its no surprise theres a similar sentiment among media: For every silent classic or TV icon saved from being forgotten, theres a million more whose film was corrupted, or whose records got taped over, or that just never made it to DVD. There was a time when The Expanse was a darling saved by the goodwill of Jeff Bezos himself. Now its just another show that might hop between sites as rights agreements lapse and renew.All were really left with is accepting that in and of itself can be a beautiful thing not the part where its bandied about and you never know if someday will be the day you click over and its gone, but the fact that it existed at all. The Expanse is a delightful sci-fi epic, marrying intergalactic political intrigue with grounded characters stepping up in the void of the cosmos. As it goes on it keeps layering in more world, and more complication. You might think Jared Harris accent is weird and off-kilter it is! Just in a very specific the Belter creole developed from very specific Earth dialects kind of way. The cast is great, tackling physical and verbal power struggles with equal aplomb. And for my money, Wes Chathams Amos is an all-timer muscle character.Theres no wrong time to watch The Expanse, a show that rather elegantly metes out complicated book lore (and drastically improves its source materials start by both immediately introducing more conflict among the Rocinante crew and giving us Shohreh Aghdashloos spectacular Avasarala right away). Whether its leaving next month, next year, or next century, theres no time like the present to wade into the thoughtful science fiction of its world and ponder how we, too, can step up in the face of bureaucracy and say no to the easy answer in favor of doing the harder thing (in this case: ignoring a weird but promising alien fungus). After all, you dont know what youve got until its gone.All six seasons of The Expanse are streaming (for now!) on Prime Video. The first three may be removed Feb. 6.