Deep, deep underground.Little FriendsWe've heard of underground parties, but this is ridiculous. A new study by an international team of researchers has uncovered troves of microbes thriving in the hostile subsurface of the earth, far from the life-giving energy of the sun.The findings, published in the journal ScienceAdvances, are the culmination of eight years of first-of-its-kind research comparing over 1,400Chief among the findings is that the dank cracks of the planet's crust could be home to over half of microbial cells on Earth, challenging our previous and logical understanding that life gets less diverse and abundant the farther it gets from the sun."Its commonly assumed that the deeper you go below the Earths surface, the less energy is available, and the lower is the number of cells that can survive," said lead author Emil Ruff, a microbial ecologist at the famed Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, in a news release about the research. "Whereas the more energy present, the more diversity can be generated and maintained as in tropical forests or coral reefs, where theres lots of sun and warmth.""But we show that in some subsurface environments,"he added, "the diversity can easily rival, if not exceed, diversity at the surface."BreakthroughThat comparable diversity is the key to the group's breakthrough the researchers wrote in their paper that "species richness and evenness in many subsurface environments rival those in surface environments,"in what the team is calling a previously unknown "universal ecological principle."The study is notable not only for its findings, but also for its methodology.Prior to the team's work, which began in 2016, there was little concerted effort to standardize microbial datasets from around the globe, due to differences in collection and analysis standards. That changed thanks to a survey led by Bay Paul Center molecular biologist Mitchell Sogin also a coauthor of the new paper who organized a drive to standardize microbial DNA datasets from researchers around the world.The team's comparative work is built on these standardized datasets, allowing them to compare a sample sourced by a team at the University of Utah to that of a sample from the Universidad de Valladolid in Spain.It's a captivating tale of international collaboration and deep-diving research paving the way for a fascinating and previously overlooked avenue of research.More on microorganisms: Researchers Say "Conan the Bacterium" Could Be Hidden Beneath Mars SurfaceShare This Article

This is going to be one to watch. Track StarsIn the race to build the best humanoid robots, China is quite literally ahead of the pack.As theSouth China Morning Post reports, the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area or E-Town is hosting 12,000 humans and humanoid robots from more than 20 companies in a half-marathon race this April.The race will be roughly 13 miles, and robotic competitors both cannot have wheels and must stand between 1.5 and 6.5 feet tall. In a statement, E-Town added that "competing robots must have a humanoid appearance and mechanical structure capable of bipedal walking or running movements."Though this seems to be the world's first race explicitly pitting bipedal humans against robots, it won't be the first time a humanoid robot has taken part in a Chinese atheletic competition.Last fall, a bipedal robot called Tiangong not to be confused with China's space station of the same name, which translates to "heavenly palace" jumped into Beijing's Yizhaung half-marathon towards its end. Though it only ran about 100 meters and wasn't particularly fast, the robot got a medal because it crossed the finish line (a participation trophy if we've ever heard of one).Dog Gone ItJust a few week after Tiangong's surprise marathon debut, the the RAIBO2 robodog competed in a full marathon weeks later in South Korea. Though the adorable quadruped was significantly faster than Tiangong, it still took nearly four hours and 20 minutes to run the 26.2 mile race nearly double the time of the human winner, who clocked in at around two hours and 36 minutes.Because it's neither Chinese nor bidepal, RAIBO2 will unfortunately not be involved in the E-Town half-marathon. According to the state-runXinhua news agency, however, Tiangong will be one of the participants and will purportedly be capable of running 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) per hour by the time the race rolls around.That same agency also reported that later this year, in August, Beijing will be hosting an all-robot sporting event that not only features track and field races, but also football unclear on whether the outlet is using the American or European definition and "comprehensive skills and other application scenarios."Though we can't known how fast these running robots will be until we actually watch them, we can't wait to watch.Share This Article

Our Experts Written by McKenzie Dillon Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 120130140150160170180190200210 Mattress Tests12345 Testers5706707708709701,0701,1701,2701,3701,470 Hours Tested How we test With over five years of mattress testing experience, we use our different sleeping position and body type perspectives to offer well-rounded, honest reviews. What to consider Firmness Do you want a soft mattress, firm or somewhere in the middle? Your sleeping position should help dictate the best firmness level for you. Sleeping position Side sleepers tend to sleep better on a soft mattress that relieves pressure around the joints, while back and stomach sleepers should consider a firm mattress to promote better spinal alignment. Combo sleepers should opt for something in between. Feel The materials inside a mattress contribute to its feel. Some are dense, slow-responding and pressure-relieving, while others feel bouncy and airy. Construction For the most part, beds are either made from foam or a hybrid of foam and coils. Hybrid mattresses are more supportive and durable, but all-foam beds are generally more affordable. Body type If you weigh over 230 pounds we recommend a hybrid mattress because they're more supportive, durable and long-lasting. If you weigh under that range, you'll be well off on either type of mattress. Performance Co-sleepers and those prone to sleeping hot may want to consider other features such as edge support, motion isolation and temperature regulation. Company policies Almost every online mattress brand will offer some kind of trial, warranty and free shipping policy. Although policies differ from brand to brand, some are more generous than others. Table of Contents Back to selection

I recently got a new mattress, theMidnight Helix Luxe, which I've been testing at home for a few months now (full article review coming soon). This purchase meant my boyfriend and I had to switch out our old Casper Select mattress. While we were relieved to finally find a bed that worked for both of us, we still had to figure out what to do with our old mattress, as we had no space to store it. The hardest part about getting a new bed is getting rid of your old one. Here's everything I did to remove my old mattress and how I met some cool people along the way.My old mattress had to go Caroline Igo/CNETMy boyfriend and I live in a smaller house, so it was hard to ignore the extra queen-sized mattress leaning against our bedroom wall. The easiest and most convenient option would have been to leave it out on the street and schedule a bulk pick-up with our city. In our area, this service is free. However, I didn't want my old mattress to end up in a landfill.My old Casper was, first and foremost, not that old -- we had it for less than three years and it was in great shape. Although we have two dogs, we always kept a mattress protector on the bed and tried to keep it as clean as possible. There were no tears or rips in the cover. While all-foam mattresses like ours deteriorate faster than hybrid beds, ours had plenty of years left in it. The bed could still go to someone who needs it.I started the removal process with friends and family. My boyfriend and I sent texts to our loved ones in the nearby area to see if anyone was looking for a new mattress. I also looked into Facebook Marketplace and local groups that bought and sold items. Unfortunately, we were out of luck and stuck with the Casper for a little while longer.After exhausting easier options, I looked for places we could take it. Simple Google searches told me that the Goodwill in my area doesn't accept used mattresses, and the thought of fitting the bed in my car to drop it off somewhere was another beast. Further research brought me to a local organization that accepts furniture and mattress donations -- and, better yet, will pick it up from your home.Local non-profits for gently used mattresses Beds for KidsBeds for Kids is a non-profit organization located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was familiar with it before starting my research because it partners with many local businesses. The organization's philanthropy is simple: It aims to provide beds and essential furniture to families in need.This non-profit accepts various furniture donations of box springs, cribs, dressers, small tables, new bed linens, new pillows, new mattress protectors, new blankets and quilts and, of course, mattresses. Zach Smith, the non-profit's director of operations, told CNET, "In 2023, we received 3,900 donated mattresses." That's almost 4,000 beds out of the landfill and in families' homes that need them.In addition to donations from locals, Beds for Kids also receives donated mattresses from larger corporations and universities. For example, the University of North Carolina Charlotte donates its used dorm beds. "[Universities] change them out every five years or so. We love these mattresses because they are a durable fabric that is waterproof and bed bug-resistant," said Smith.Beds for Kids also partners with Ashley Homestore through its licensee, Broad River Retail. Smith said, "Broad River has been a partner of ours since our beginning. They donate new mattresses, but they also encourage folks who are purchasing new beds and furniture to donate their old items to us if the condition meets our standards. This partnership is instrumental in how we serve and allows us to continue to receive the inventory we need to serve families in our community."How your bed goes to a family in need Beds for KidsMy donation process to Bed for Kids was seamless. After submitting an inquiry on the website, I was contacted by inventory manager, Will Lineberry. I then sent a few pictures of the mattress to ensure that it was in good condition. We scheduled a pick-up time, and then two team members carried the bed out of my house and into their truck. Pick-up required a $30 tax-deductible fee, but drop-off donations are free. Since these donated mattresses go directly to someone who needs them, a bed needs to meet a few requirements. Smith said, "We require [used mattresses] to be less than eight years old with no rips, tears or stains. The brand does not matter." Keep in mind that these requirements are specific to this local organization. An organization that accepts mattresses near you might have stricter or looser guidelines. Once out of your hands, the bed then goes through an inspection and a cleaning process. "After we receive the donated mattresses, we send them to be sanitized at a place called Carolina Dry Heat to ensure that they are clean and free of bed bugs." With any used mattresses, bed bugs are always the main concern.In 2023, Beds for Kids made a record of 1,002 deliveries to families in the area. With the help of 2,783 volunteers, they served 3,948 people in need. "We feel passionately that we are creating a space where furniture companies, colleges and individuals can sustainably donate their mattresses," concluded Smith.Other options for getting rid of your old bed Monty Rakusen/Getty ImagesIf you can't find a local charity to donate to or can't transport your donation to somewhere that accepts old mattresses, here are a few options that might be in your area:Bulk pick-up: If this service is offered, you can leave a mattress out on your street and schedule a time for your city to come pick it up.Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity: Some Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity locations accept mattress donations. Check your local websites. ReSupply: This Veteran-founded and owned organization picks up furniture in any condition.Friends or family members: Reach out to friends and family to see if they need a mattress.Mattress brands: Some mattress brands will pick up your old mattress when you buy a new one.Local buy and sell groups: Try selling or giving away your gently used mattress on Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle Network, Nextdoor or Craigslist.Recycling services: A Bedder World is a nationwide mattress recycling and disposal service that picks up your bed from your home.Local shelters: Some homeless shelters may take mattress donations.Upcycling and DIY crafts: Stuff your pet's bed with extra foam, use the coils as a wine rack or create a wooden box out of foundation slants.Bottom line, try to keep your mattress out of the landfill. I know that this isn't possible for every mattress: Some are too old or torn up to be given to someone new. But, according to the Mattress Recycling Council, more than 75% of a mattress is recyclable. This includes materials such as foam, steel coils, some fibers and sometimes wood. Chances are there are places in your area that either recycle old beds or accept donations.I'm fortunate to have found an organization that not only made the donation process easy but left me feeling good about where my old bed was going.

You can see thespecific steps that a government agencyis taking to comply with the Trump administrations policies against diversity, equity, and inclusion on the agencys GitHub, whichshows it frantically deleting and editing various documents, employee handbooks, Slack bots, and job listings across everything the agency touches.18Fis a much-hyped government agencywithin the General Services Administration that was founded under the Obama Administration after the disastrous rollout of Healthcare.gov. It more or less had the specific goal of attracting Silicon Valley talent to the federal government to help the government innovate and make many of its websites and digital services suck less. It is one of the cooler federal agencies, and has open sourced many of its projects on GitHub.GitHub is a website for open source development that shows changes across different commits, or changes to code and documentation. In the first days of the Trump administration, 18Fs commit list is full of change logs detailing the administrations attempts to destroy the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion.The changes show that in the last 48 hours, 18F has edited text and wholesale deleted both internal and external web pages about, for example Inclusive behaviors, healthy conflict and constructive feedback, DEIA resources, and Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. It deleted a webpage about psychological safety (which now 404s) deleted all information about the DE&I leads at the agency, as well as language for employees that said Anyone who has issues or concerns related to inclusion or equity in the 18F engineering chapter should feel empowered to reach out to the DE&I Leads. It has deleted, in various places, the word inclusion, as well as the term affinity groups.It also deleted an internal Slack Bot called Inclusion Bot, which is described as being integrated into Slack and passively listens for words or phrases that have racist, sexist, ableist, or otherwise exclusionary or discriminatory histories or backgrounds. When it hears those words, it privately lets the writer know and offers some suggested alternatives.Do you work for the federal government? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at +1 202 505 1702. Otherwise, send me an email at jason@404media.co.It has also notably deleted information intended for improving accessibility for blind and visually impaired employees, which asked employees to use visual descriptions when introducing themselves on Zoom meetings.In a hiring document, the language Teams should consider factors of equity and complexity of the research when determining compensation for participants on their project has been changed to team should consider other factors or complexity of the research.The Trump administrationhas not tried to hide that it is trying to delete web pages and employee information across the government. But seeing the change logs pop up as theyre happening on GitHub shows exactly how these changes are being done and how theyre rolling out.

SwansongThe creator of Final Fantasy is looking to squeeze out one more game as part of his "farewell note", and he's hoping it'll be a successor to a fan favourite entry in the series"Humans are greedy creatures, arent we?" News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 26, 2025 Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has at least one more game left in him, and it might just take some cues from a much-beloved entry in the series.There are few developers out there who have as lengthy a list of iconic titles under their belt like Sakaguchi, but I suppose that's likely to happen when you're the creator of Final Fantasy. For a long while now he's been doing things over at his own studio, Mistwalker, most recently having worked on Fantasian (which just got a re-release on consoles just last month), and as it turns out, the developer is still planning on making at least one more game. Sakaguchi recently spoke with The Verge about Fantasian, as well as what it's been like working with Square Enix again, but most interesting of all are his comments on the next game he wants to work on.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "I was thinking of making Fantasian Neo Dimension my final work, but the fantastic team that was assembled to complete this project was so enjoyable to work with that I found it hard to part ways," Sakaguchi explained when asked if he'll stick to familiar styles and genres or do something new. "Humans are greedy creatures, arent we? For that reason, Im currently working on a new project with the same team that worked on Fantasian Neo Dimension. Its generally going to follow a similar style to my previous works, and itll be something that can be a successor to Final Fantasy 6 in a good way - our goal is to create something old but new at the same time. Itll be part two of my farewell note."As bittersweet as that point about it being part two of his farewell note, it is exciting to hear he's working on something inspired by Final Fantasy 6. While it could be argued that every entry in the mainline Final Fantasy games is a fan favourite, 6 is definitely high up on that list, almost definitely in part because it was the last game before the switch to 3D, but also because of its big, dramatic, and emotional story. I'm sure we can expect to wait a while for it, though, so maybe just spend that time on a replay of 6, or even give the quite good Fantasian Neo Dimension a go.

Solo SamuraiNo, Assassins Creed Shadows' Yasuke isn't an assassin, and yes, that does mean he won't play the same way the series' protagonists traditionally have"Yasuke is not an assassin, because the narrative makes sense that he is not."Image credit: Ubisoft News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 26, 2025 Yasuke, co-protagonist of the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows, is not one of the titular assassins, which means that he'll play a bit different than you're used to.For the most part across the Assassin's Creed series you do, in fact, play as an assassin, but there are occasions where you don't even if they're few and far between. You do still get to be on in the upcoming Japan-set Shadows, as the game's other protagonist Naoe is one, but in a recent interview with GamesRadar, game director Simon Lemay-Comtois made it clear that Yasuke isn't one, and took the time to explain why, and what difference that makes. "Yasuke is not an assassin, because the narrative makes sense that he is not," Lemay-Comtois said.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. While Lemay-Comtois didn't go into story specifics, the developer did make it clear that Yasuke "works with [fellow protagonist] Naoe, but he's not an assassin, and he doesn't have to be." We already know Yasuke won't play the same as Naoe, meaning combat will be different depending on who you are, but it obviously means he won't have the same stealth tools as her. This difference in design meant that Ubisoft had to "always embrace" the fact that they are so different.In turn, that meant they couldn't just give Yasuke something like the iconic Eagle Vision just because - "No," Lemay-Comtois explains, "he needs to not have it so you play different with him than you play with Naoe." As mentioned, there are some major characters other games, like Haytham Kenway in 3, Black Flag and Rogue, who isn't an assassin, or like Barnabas in Odyssey, but unlike him Yasuke is "much more involved in the story" of Shadows, with Lemay-Comtois noting "he doesn't have to be an assassin, he has his own motivation and core beliefs that align with Naoe's, and off they go."Shadows received yet another delay earlier this month, with its new release date a month later, now March 20 this year, but our own Dom did say in a recent hands-on preview that the dual-protagonists might be offering a much needed refresh for the series, so perhaps the wait will be worth it.

Jack and beans.Welcome to Catch-up Crew, where USS Nintendo Life officers slingshot around the sun and go back to play something a crewmember missed back in the day.We went back to the first WarioWare game last time, but today our destination is the year 1999 when Pokmon Snap first appeared on a chunky N64 cartridge. For anyone looking to play or replay this mon-based snap 'em up, it's part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack library.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

More startups shut down in 2024 than the year prior, according to multiple sources, and thats not really a surprise considering the insane number of companies that were funded in the crazy days of 2020 and 2021.It appears were not nearly done, and 2025 could be another brutal year of startups shutting down.TechCrunch gathered data from several sources and found similar trends. In 2024, 966 startups shut down, compared to 769 in 2023, according to Carta. Thats a 25.6% increase. One note on methodology: Those numbers are for U.S.-based companies that were Carta customers and left Carta due to bankruptcy or dissolution. There are likely other shutdowns that wouldnt be accounted for through Carta, estimates Peter Walker, Cartas head of insights.Yes, shutdowns increased from 2023 to 2024 in every stage. But there were more companies funded (with bigger rounds) in 2020 and 2021. So we would expect shutdowns to increase just by nature of VC naturally, he said.At the same time, Walker admitted that its difficult to estimate exactly how many more shutdowns there were, or will be.I bet were missing a good chunk, he told TechCrunch. There are a number of companies who leave Carta without telling us why they left.Meanwhile, AngelList found that 2024 saw 364 startup winddowns, compared to 233 in 2023. Thats a 56.2% jump. However, AngelList CEO Avlok Kohli has a fairly optimistic take, noting that winddowns are still very low relative to the number of companies that were funded across both years.Layoffs.fyi found a contradicting trend: 85 tech companies shut down in 2024, compared to 109 in 2023 and 58 in 2022. But as founder Roger Lee acknowledges, that data only includes publicly reported shutdowns and therefore represents an underestimate. Of those 2024 tech shutdowns, 81% were startups, while the rest were either public companies or previously acquired companies that were later shut down by their parent organizations.VCs didnt pick winnersSo many companies got funded in 2020 and 2021 at heated valuations with famously thin diligence, that its only logical that up to three years later, an increasing number couldnt raise more cash to fund their operations. Taking investment at too high of a valuation increases the risk such that investors wont want to invest more unless business is growing extremely well.The working hypothesis is that VCs as an asset class did not get better at picking winners in 2021. In fact, the hit rate may end up being worse that year since everything was so frenzied, Walker said. And if the hit rate on good companies remains flat and we fund a lot more companies, then you should expect many more shutdowns after a few years. And thats where we are in 2024.Dori Yona, CEO and co-founder of SimpleClosure, a startup that aims to automate the shutdown process, believes that in 2021, we saw a large number of startups receiving seed funding probably before they were ready.Merely getting that money may have set them up for failure, Yona explained.The rapid capital infusion sometimes encouraged high burn rates and growth-at-all-costs mentalities, leading to sustainability challenges as markets shifted post-pandemic, he noted. As such, in recent years, many high-profile companies ceased operations despite significant funding and early promise.The primary impetus behind the shutdowns is an obvious one.Running out of cash is typically the proximate cause, Walker surmises. But the underlying reasons are likely some combination of lack of product-market fit, lack of ability to get to cash-flow positive, and overvaluation leading to an inability to continue fundraising.Looking ahead, Walker also expects well continue to see more shutdowns in the first half of 2025, and then a gradual decline for the rest of the year.That projection is based mostly on a time-lag estimate from the peak of funding, which he estimates was the first quarter of 2022 in most stages. So by the first quarter of 2025, most companies will have either found a new path forward or had to make this difficult choice.AngelLists Kohli agrees. Theyre not all washed out, he said of the startups funded at unreasonably high valuations during those heady days. Not even close.Already this year, weve seen Pandion, a Washington-based delivery startup, announce it was shutting down. The company was founded during the pandemic and had raised about $125 million in equity over the last five years. And in December, proptech EasyKnock abruptly shut down. EasyKnock, a startup that billed itself as the first tech-enabled residential sale-leaseback provider, was founded in 2016 and had raised $455 million in funding from backers.Startups dying across industries, stagesThe types of companies impacted last year were across a range of industries, and stages.Cartas data points to enterprise SaaS companies taking the biggest hit making up 32% of shutdowns. Consumer followed at 11%; health tech at 9%; fintech at 8%, and biotech at 7%.Those percentages align pretty well with the initial funding to those sectors, Walker said. And essentially what this says is that every startup sector has seen shutdowns and none vastly outperformed, which gives support to the theory that the main cause of the increase is macro-economic, i.e. interest rate changes and the lack of available venture funding in 2023 and 2024.Layoffs.fyis much smaller subset found that finance accounted for 15% of the shutdowns with food (12%) and healthcare (11%) coming in second and third.When it comes to stage, SimpleClosures data found that 74% of all shutdowns since 2023 are either pre-seed or seed, with the plurality (41%) at the seed stage.Most startups tend to shut down when the coffers are completely dry, though some see the writing on the wall early enough to give a bit back to their investors.The majority of startups (60%) that fail dont have enough capital left to return to investors, Yona said. Founders that do plan on returning funds have an average $630,000 of investments left about 10% of total capital raised, on average.Yona also predicts the rate of startup closures will notslow down anytime soon.Tech zombies and a startup graveyard will continue to make headlines, Yona said. Despite the crop of new investments, there are a lot of companies that have raised at high valuations and without enough revenue.

Chicopee, Massachusetts, was first settled in the early 17th century and incorporated as a town in 1848. Originally part of Springfield, Chicopee grew rapidly in the 19th century, fueled by industrialization and following immigrants arriving to the city to work in factories there. Many of these ethnic groups established cultural centers and built churches, creating the diverse and architecturally unique city we see today. Sadly, like many other 19th century industrial cities, many of the factories closed or relocated in the mid-late 20th century. While the loss of industry harmed the local economy, Chicopee is poised for growth and rebirth as the second largest city in Western Massachusetts, and anchored by its great architecture. The Chicopee City Hall, built in 1871, is one of the regions finest buildings and one of a handful built in the Romanesque Revival style. The present building was constructed on land the City purchased in 1869 from the Ames Manufacturing Company, a major employer in town with mill buildings nearby along the river. Architect, Charles E. Parker ofBoston, was hired to design the new building which is said to have been loosely modelled after thePalazzo Vecchio, the historic town hall ofFlorence, Italy. The City of Chicopee have been great stewards to their historic City Hall, undergoing numerous restoration projects in the past decades.