This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. The short, strange history of gene de-extinction This week saw the release of some fascinating news about some very furry rodentsso-called woolly micecreated as part of an experiment to explore how we might one day resurrect the woolly mammoth. The idea of bringing back extinct species has gained traction thanks to advances in sequencing of ancient DNA. This ancient genetic data is deepening our understanding of the pastfor instance, by shedding light on interactions among prehistoric humans. But researchers are becoming more ambitious. Rather than just reading ancient DNA, they want to use itby inserting it into living organisms. Because this idea is so new and attracting so much attention, I decided it would be useful to create a record of previous attempts to add extinct DNA to living organisms. And since the technology doesnt have a name, lets give it one: chronogenics. Read the full story. Antonio Regalado This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Reviews weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. If youre interested in de-extinction, why not check out: + How much would you pay to see a woolly mammoth? We spoke to Sara Ord, director of species restoration at Colossal, the worlds first de-extinction company, about its big ambitions. + Colossal is also a de-extinction company, which is trying to resurrect the dodo. Read the full story.+ DNA that was frozen for 2 million years has been sequenced. The ancient DNA fragments come from a Greenland ecosystem where mastodons roamed among flowering plants. It may hold clues to how to survive a warming climate. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Ukraine is worried the US could sever its vital Starlink connection Its satellite internet is vital to Ukraines drone operations. (WP $)+ Thankfully, there are alternative providers. (Wired $)+ Ukraine is due to start a fresh round of war-ending negotiations next week. (FT $)+ Meet the radio-obsessed civilian shaping Ukraines drone defense. (MIT Technology Review)2 Israels military has trained a powerful AI model on intercepted Palestinian data The ChatGPT-like tool can answer queries about the people its monitoring. (The Guardian)3 Donald Trump has suspended tariffs on Canada and MexicoUntil April 2, at least. (Reuters) + Its the second time Trump has rolled back import taxes in as many days. (BBC)+ How Trumps tariffs could drive up the cost of batteries, EVs, and more. (MIT Technology Review)4 Can someone check on NASAs Athena lunar lander? While we know it reached the moon, it appears to have toppled over. (NYT $)+ If it remains in an incorrect position, it may be unable to complete its mission. (CNN)+ Its engineers arent sure exactly where it is on the moon, either. (NBC News)5 Shutting down 2G is easier said than doneMillions of vulnerable people around the world still rely on it to communicate. (Rest of World) 6 The hunt for the worlds oldest functional computer codeNew Scientist $) 7 Robots are set to compete with humans in a Beijing half marathonMy moneys on the flesh and blood competitors. (Insider $) + Researchers taught robots to run. Now theyre teaching them to walk. (MIT Technology Review)8 Where did it all go wrong for Skype?The Verge) 9 Dating is out, matchmaking is in Why swipe when a platform can do the hard work for you? (Wired $)+ Forget dating apps: Heres how the nets newest matchmakers help you find love. (MIT Technology Review)10 Apps are back, baby! Its like the original smartphone app boom all over again. (Bloomberg $)Quote of the day You can only get so much juice out of every lemon. Carl-Benedikt Frey, a professor of AI and work at Oxford Universitys Internet Institute, explains why pushing AI as a means of merely increasing productivity wont always work, the Financial Times reports. The big story The cost of building the perfect wave June 2024 For nearly as long as surfing has existed, surfers have been obsessed with the search for the perfect wave. While this hunt has taken surfers from tropical coastlines to icebergs, these days that search may take place closer to home. That is, at least, the vision presented by developers and boosters in the growing industry of surf pools, spurred by advances in wave-generating technology that have finally created artificial waves surfers actually want to ride. But theres a problem: some of these pools are in drought-ridden areas, and face fierce local opposition. At the core of these fights is a question thats also at the heart of the sport: What is the cost of finding, or now creating, the perfect waveand who will have to bear it? Read the full story. Eileen Guo We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.)+ Planning a holiday? These handy accessories could make your journey a whole lot easier (beach powder optional)+ How to avoid making common mistakes.+ The latest food trend is dry-aged fishtasty.+ Its Friday, so lets enjoy a bit of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.

Merseyside Police names 12 people charged following investigation into awarding of council contractsFormer Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson is among 12 people charged with bribery and misconduct relating to council contracts following an investigation involving a number of property developers.Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson will appear at Preston Magistrates Court on 28 MarchDerek Hatton, former deputy leader of Liverpool council in the 1980s, and the councils former director and regeneration chief Nick Kavanagh are also among those charged.Merseyside Police said the charges relate to the awarding of commercial and business contracts from Liverpool city council between 2010 and 2020.Anderson was first arrested in December 2020 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation as part of a year-long Merseyside Police fraud probe called Operation Aloft, which looked into the awarding of building contracts.He said at the time that he would continue to fight to demonstrate that I am innocent of any wrongdoing.Anderson has been charged with with one count of bribery, one count of misconduct in a public office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.Hatton has been charged with one count of bribery and one count of counsel or procure misconduct in a public office, while Kavanagh has been charged with two counts of bribery.Others charged include former assistant director at Liverpool council Andrew Barr, who has been charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and one count of bribery.All 12 will appear at Preston Magistrates Court on 28 March.Those charged are:David Anderson, 37 years, Wincanton Street, Wavertree, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public officeJoseph Anderson, 67 years, of The Beechwalk, Knotty Ash, charged with one count of Bribery, one count of misconduct in a public office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office former Mayor of LiverpoolAndrew Barr, 51 years, of Kendal Way, Ainsdale, charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and one count of bribery former Assistant Director at Liverpool City CouncilPhillipa Cook, 49 years of Rookery Drive, Mossley Hill, charged with two counts of briberyAlex Croft, 29 years, of Bold Lane, Aughton, Lancashire, charged with one count of briberyJulian Flanagan, 53 years, of Poplar Avenue, Crosby charged with one count of conspiracy to commit briberyPaul Flanagan 61 years, of Ormskirk Road, Knowsley Village, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit briberyDerek Hatton, 77 years, of Livingston Drive, Aigburth, charged with one count of bribery and one count of counsel or procure misconduct in a public officeSonjia Hatton, 49 years, of Livingston Drive, Aigburth, charged with one count of misconduct in a public officeNicholas Kavanagh, 56 years, of Rookery Drive, Mossley Hill, charged with two counts of bribery former Director at Liverpool City CouncilAdam McLean, 54 years,of Acrefield Road, Woolton, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit briberyJames Shalliker, 38 years of School Lane, Downholland, Lancashire, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery

Plans will partially demolish and replace Caltex House on Brompton RoadView along Brompton Street of the proposed redevelopment of Caltex HouseA pocket park with space for an art installation has been added to the proposals1/6show captionAHMMs plans to redevelop the last remaining large office building in Knightsbridge have been approved.Councillors voted earlier this week to back a recommendation from planning officers to approve the refurbishment and extension of the 1950s block at One Knightsbridge Green.The existing 11-storey building, known as Caltex House, is on a prominent site close to Harrods at the centre of the areas central shopping strip on Brompton Road, a tourist hotspot known for its high end stores and luxury apartment blocks.The Knightsbridge Neighbourhood Plan gives the building significant strategic importance as the sole major office site in an area which has lost several large office buildings to residential or retail redevelopments.The existing Caltex HouseDesigned for Berkeley Estate Asset Management (BERM), the proposals would retain 51% of the existing buildings structure and include the construction of an 11-storey newbuild block containing around 19,000sq m of office space.An existing pub on the site called Tattersalls Tavern, one of only two pubs left in Knightsbridge, would also be replaced in the same location on Raphael Street.However, the layout of the pub as proposed in the original application submitted last June has been substantially changed and would now include a large basement area, an expanded ground floor and a much reduced first floor.Space originally earmarked for a large restaurant is now proposed as office space, with the restaurant moved to the Raphael Street side of the building.External changes to the scheme include the use of a light grey cladding with a matt finish on the newbuild office block in place of the shiny black cladding originally proposed and a setting back of the blocks seventh floor by 2.5 metres.The proposed cladding on the newbuild office block has been changed to a matt grey colourA pocket garden would now also be included on Raphael Street with space for a public art installation, while the main entrance for office space on Knightsbridge Green has been relocated to limit the impact on residential neighbours.The design changes respond to feedback received during a consultation process last year.The original application received a total of 67 objections, rising to 71 following the design amendments, with concerns focused on the loss of a post office on the site, a perceived negative impact on the character of the area and the scale and design of the proposals.Other firms on the project team include Exigere on costs, CBRE on planning, Heyne Tillett Steel as structural and civil engineer, Blackburn & Co as project manager, Tavernor on townscape, Atelier Ten on sustainability and FMDC on facades.

Finalists in the contest include ADAM Architecture, ECE Architecture, David Snowdon and Matthew Rice with Scott Simpson, George & James Architects, and Hall + Bednarczyk Architects.Haysom Ward Miller Architects, Lincoln Miles Architecture, Max McMurdo, Pell-Stevens Architects, Randell Design Group, Sebastian Conran and Beta Design Office, and SOM complete the shortlist.The competition invited architects and design practices to create kennel designs that embrace the great outdoors, inspired by the theme From Nature; For Nature.AdvertisementIt is curated by TV presenter Kevin McCloud and Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond.This years shortlist includes seven entrants who are entering the annual competition for the first time. The overall winner will receive the Kennel Design Award.Participants must design and construct or procure their kennel, delivering the finished kennel to Goodwood in time for the Goodwoof festival, which takes place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May.All kennels will be auctioned by Bonhams on the Sunday of Goodwoof, raising funds for Wild at Heart Foundation, which supports sterilisation, education, and welfare programmes to help reduce the number of stray dogs worldwide.Last years winner was Rolls-Royce its Pet-All design. It was picked from a shortlist that included Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects, Chapman Taylor, Gianni Botsford Architects and Grimshaw.AdvertisementMcCloud said: Our beloved dogs adore the great outdoors, making the theme a wonderful way for us humans to reconnect with the natural world we share with them. Im really looking forward to seeing how this years architects embrace the theme and weave a sense of adventure into their designs.Aiste Butler, graphic designer and dog trainer at SW Dog Training in London, commented: Its heartening to see some of the worlds best architects turning their talents to creating unique and memorable kennels inspired by the great outdoors.A well-behaved dog loves nothing more than to play outside. But after tiring play outside they need somewhere familiar to rest and recharge, so its great to see so much thought and attention paid to making these kennels comforting, practical and eye-catching.Shortlisted entriesShortlisted: ADAM ArchitectureADAM Architecture and CastellumNew to Barkitecture, Winchester and London-based practice ADAM Architecture brings its submission Enduring Tradition to this years competition. The design highlights the elevated role of the modern dog within the family home, drawing inspiration from Palladian Villas. Designed for versatility, the structure is portable, ensuring that dogs can enjoy the suns warmth or seek shelter from the elements, adapting to the unpredictable British weather.Shortlisted: ECE ArchitectureECE Architecture + MillimetreLocal practice ECE Architecture, in collaboration with Millimetre, draws inspiration from the protective embrace of a nuts shell for its design, symbolising strength and sanctuary. The kennels exterior is robust and enduring, crafted to thrive in the natural environment, allowing dogs to immerse themselves in the scents and sounds of the outdoors. Combining comfort with practicality, the structure will be built using locally sourced timber and 100 per cent sustainable materials.Shortlisted: Hall + Bednarczyk ArchitectsHall + Bednarczyk ArchitectsThe award-winning practice, which has participated in Barkitecture for the past four years, is known for its innovative approach to residential, commercial and public architecture. This year, the team will apply their expertise to designing a kennel inspired by the timeless artistry of traditional clay-coiled pots, blending craftsmanship with contemporary design.Shortlisted: Haysom Ward Miller ArchitectsHaysom Ward Miller ArchitectsCambridge-based practice Haysom Ward Miller brings its submission Sticks Me Woofd to this years competition. The design will be crafted from repurposed timber and features five perforated blocks of varying sizes, which can be rotated to showcase the cherished treasures dogs typically collect.Lincoln Miles ArchitectureTaking inspiration from the natural world and the striking camouflage patterns of zebras and First World War dazzle ships, Lincoln Miles Architecture, in collaboration with artist Lisa Traxler, has designed Camwooflage - Dazzle Dog. Embracing the concept of hiding in plain sight, the kennel provides an incognito haven, blending seamlessly with the natural environment while offering a visually captivating habitat for dogs to enjoy.Max McMurdoEntering Barkitecture for the first time, designer, author and TV presenter Max McMurdo has created a kennel for stray dogs those often left without a home or shelter. The design will be a self-sufficient space made from natural and sustainable materials, equipped with a rainwater harvesting system for drinking and watering plants, a food dispenser and a heated blanket. Bob, named after Maxs late Jack Russell, provides a much-needed sanctuary for dogs who are all too familiar with the harsh outdoors.Shortlisted: Pell-Steven ArchitecturePell-Steven ArchitectsInspired by the art of origami, Pell-Stevens Pointer Paper Pavilion is crafted entirely from a single material cardboard. The Hampshire-based practice will use cardboard tubes to create a remarkably sturdy, waste-free kennel that can be tailored to accommodate dogs of all sizes.Shortlisted: Randell Design GroupRandell Design GroupWith a clear focus on reuniting domesticated animals with nature, Randell Design Group has designed The Burrow a kennel inspired by the natural behaviour of dogs as they pace in a spiral before curling to rest. The structure will create a nest-like home that offers safety, security and comfort. Made from upholstery filling sheets composed of natural fibres, the design provides a non-toxic, cosy resting space for canines.Shortlisted: Conran & Partners and Beta Design OfficeSebastian Conran and Beta Design OfficeReturning to the competition with their design Bark House, Sebastian Conran and Beta Design Office have collaborated to create an innovative kennel made entirely from cork a sustainable material known for being hypoallergenic and gentle on paws. Packed with thoughtful features, the design includes a paddling pool, a water trough and a tennis ball chute. The soft, curved shape creates an inviting space while seamlessly blending contemporary aesthetics with functional design.INDEXSOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill)Barkitecture will go global this year with an entry from the LA office of SOM, responsible for some of the worlds most technically and environmentally advanced buildings. Its Hover design is conceived as a retreat that caters to the various ways dogs sit, sleep and lounge, inspired by the principles of weightlessness, flexibility and comfort. Crafted from sustainable and recycled materials, the structure achieves maximum strength with minimal material use.David Snowdon and Matthew Rice with Scott SimpsonGeorge & James Architects

There was a time when "fast food" was synonymous with "cheap food," but that's not always the case now due to rising inflation. Sure, getting dinner at a drive-through still is cheaper than sitting down at a steakhouse but prices soared in 2024 at some of the most well-known fast food chains, making it less affordable than in past years.One restaurant in particular doubled its menu item prices in the last decade. According to a survey conducted by Lending Tree, which surveyed 2,000 Americans, 78% of participants say they now view fast food as a luxury, rather than a way to get a quick and cheap bite to eat while on the go.The question is, will those fast food prices continue to rise into 2025? Here's everything to know about fast food inflation, including which chains hiked up their prices the most last year and what may be on the horizon.Fast food price increases McDonald'sPopeye's Taco Bell Price increase from 2014-2024 100%86%81% Source: FinanceBuzzWhat fast food chains have increased their prices the most in the past decade?In the last decade, McDonald's has increased its prices by a whopping 100% in the US, making it the most increased fast food chain in the country, according to information gathered by FinanceBuzz. But their menu prices aren't only increasing in the states. According to Spine Genie, McDonald's has increased their prices in Canada by nearly 140%.In the US, a quarter pounder with cheese meal cost $5.39 in 2014 and in 2024, it cost $12, FinanceBuzz reports. The second and third restaurants with the most inflated prices were Popeye's and Taco Bell in the US and Panera and Wendy's in Canada. At Popeye's in 2014, you could snag the four-piece chicken dinner for $7. By 2024, that price rose 97% and now costs $13.79. Taco BellThese results slightly differ from 2022 when Wendy's and Chick-fil-a had the highest inflation rate and Burger King's chicken fries were the number one inflated menu item across all chains.According to LendingTree's new survey, 46% of participants said they now believe that prices at their local fast food restaurants are now in line with sit-down restaurants. Even more surprising is that 22% of those participants believe fast food was actually now higher priced in comparison.What causes fast food inflation?Inflation at fast food restaurants is a "multilayered phenomenon," Valerie Kilders, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, told CNET.Kilders cited increased minimum wages for low-wage workers and the "increase of general food prices" as two large factors contributing to rising fast food prices."Post pandemic, we saw that lowest wage workers, which include those that are typically working in fast food restaurants, saw the fastest growth in wages," Kilders explained, further adding that from January 2024 to January 2025 "cattle prices increased 20.6% and wholesale beef [increased] around 15%. Eggs are even up 183%, so we're seeing these big increases in just those two categories.""The increased prices for the operators are passed on to the consumers," she added.As egg prices continue to soar, economists point to bird flu as a contributor to the sky-high prices of eggs that we're seeing at grocery stores and on restaurant menus. This week, major US tariffs against Canada and Mexicowent into effect under the Trump administration, and with them could come even more price hikes at the grocery store and beyond.Although President Donald Trump has stated that the country that imports the goods will pay the implemented tariffs, or the tax on the items, economists have disagreed. According to the Tax Foundation, when the US imposes tariffs, US businesses pay the tariff tax to the US government. Similarly to fast food chains, when the company does not pay the increased prices they are facing, those prices get passed on to the consumer.The 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada began on March 4, and a previous 10% tariff on China has now doubled to 20%, according to the Associated Press. According to the US Department of Agriculture, in 2023, 72.5% of US agricultural imports came from Mexico. This included 25% of beverages, including beer and tequila, 14% of fruit, 13% of vegetables, 6% of avocados and more. USDAAnd 63.8% of the US's agricultural imports came from Canada, including 19% of animal products and 12% of fruit and vegetables. USDAAccording to EconoFact, the Trump administration's 2018 tariffs, which were then kept in place by the Biden administration, did not lower prices for Americans.Will prices continue to rise at fast food restaurants?"The short answer is, it's too soon to tell," Kilders said.However, she does say that it's not just fast food chains increasing their prices. It's happening everywhere."If we look just generally at the increase [in the Consumer Price Index] for food away from home, that increase was about 3.4% over the last year, and there's not much of a difference between both full-service restaurants and limited-service restaurants," Kilder explained. Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty ImagesWhile it may seem that McDonald's is hiking its prices more than the Olive Garden or Chili's, that's not necessarily the case. Rather, when a notoriously cheap fast food restaurant raises prices, it's always going to be more apparent to the consumer.As far as the future outlook on food prices, there are various factors that have to be taken into account."How are labor costs going to develop? Are we going to see additional increases in food input prices? Are we going to see any kind of interventions on the policy level that might influence all those factors that play a big role in how demand is going to develop," Kilders says, "and then, consequently, how supply and prices are going to develop."According to the USDA's food price outlook, cited by Kilders, it is believed that consumption of food at home will increase around 3.3% over the next year, meaning that moreAmericans will opt to skip the drive through or sit-down restaurants and cook at home in an effort to save a few bucksWays to save in 2025

Consider this your sign to rent your router. Here are the top ISPs that offer free or low-cost equipment.

OpinionMarch 7, 20256 min readWhy Great Storytellers Find Life More MeaningfulPeople who are rated as good storytellers exhibit a purpose-oriented mindset and big-picture thinking more often than othersBy Ron Shachar edited by Daisy YuhasEngraving of Scheherazade in Arabian Nights 1892. THEPALMER/Getty ImagesKing Shahryar, betrayed by his wife, decides to marry a new woman each night and have her executed by morning to ensure he is never deceived again. When Scheherazade volunteers to marry the king, she outsmarts him. Each evening, she begins a gripping story but stops at dawn, leaving him eager for more. Night after night, she keeps him hooked with new tales, and over 1,001 nights, he falls in love with her and abandons his cruel ways.This is the frame story of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folktalesincluding the stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbadthat highlight the power of storytelling. But can storytelling skills actually save a tellers life in the real world?The findings of recent research by my colleagues and me dont go that far yet, but they do show that strong storytelling skills can dramatically improve someones well-being. This hints that, yes, skillful storytellers may actually live longer. How exactly? Youll have to wait until the end of this story to find out. No peeking!On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Our journey starts with extensive research on narrative identity that shows that people make sense of who they are by shaping their life experiences into a storyone that gives their life meaning. The idea is that by connecting our experiences, we can recognize the guiding force that has shaped our journey (for instance, the belief that I like helping people) and, in turn, uncover our sense of purpose and meaning in life.My and my colleagues research shifts the focus from stories, particularly life stories, to storytelling. We suggest that, compared with others, skillful storytellers have a stronger sense of meaning in life and approach their experiences with what we call a why mindsetthat is, they focus on the reasons that they do what they do rather than just how they do it.Our hypothesis about skillful storytellers is rooted in the nature of stories. Typically, a hero strives to achieve a goal, such as landing a job or winning someones heart, while facing various obstacles and challenges along the way. Individuals who excel at storytelling must therefore develop two key skills. First, they need to connect the dotsthe events over the course of the storyin a meaningful way to create a coherent narrative. Second, they must learn to see the world through the eyes of their characters, understanding the why of what drives people. Applying these two skills to their own lives, skillful storytellers use the first to identify and pursue what gives their life meaning, while the second fosters a mindset that prioritizes the why behind their actions over just the how.To illustrate this point, lets imagine two people: Rachel and Monica. Both had the same career path and both worked across vastly different industries, including sports, medicine and banking. Throughout their careers, they often acted on impulse. While Rachel is a skillful storyteller, however, Monica isnt, and this difference comes across vividly when they reflect on their careers. Monica is more likely to feel lost and to lack clarity about her sense of meaning and purpose in life because she doesnt possess a why mindset, having always focused on how to get things done rather than the bigger picture. Rachel, on the other hand, would be inclined to reflect more deeply on her life and see connections, such as the fact that in every job, she used her managerial positions to bolster the presence of women in decision-making roles. This observation gives her a sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of what drives herthat is, her why. But that is just a hypothetical story. Does it pan out in real life?To examine how a skill for narrative serves storytellers, we conducted five studies with about 800 participants. To reliably measure storytelling ability, we took a multifaceted approach. First, we developed and tested a kind of questionnaire, in which we asked people how much they agreed with statements such as My stories usually excite my listeners. Second, we interviewed close friends of the participants about their storytelling skills. Third, we invited trios of strangers to our lab and asked them to share stories with one another. In our lab experiment, each participant told two distinct stories: one about a personal trait and another that incorporated three random words we provided, a task designed to isolate the core mechanics of storytelling.This approach is a significant departure from previous studies of life storieshere, we are really homing in on the ability to craft a compelling narrative from minimal material. As part of the experiment, each participant rated the storytelling ability of the others in their trio, and afterward, storytelling expertspeople who had just completed a course on the subjectreviewed video recordings of the sessions and provided independent ratings. Thus, we had four measures of storytelling skill: (1) peoples self-reports of their own ability, (2) assessments from close friends, (3) ratings from other members of the trio in our lab experiment and (4) evaluations from storytelling experts. In addition to these assessments of storytelling skills, we asked participants questions to get a sense of how meaningful they found life and whether they approached decisions with a why mindset rather than a how mindset.Across all studies and measures, we consistently found that storytelling ability is linked to both a sense of meaning in life and a mindset focused on why. When we tested whether personality traits might be driving our findings, we found that was not the case. That said, personality did add interesting nuance. People who are naturally open to new experiences tend to be better storytellers, for example. That makes sense: Such people are more likely to encounter unique and interesting events that lend themselves to great stories. And this gives these individuals more opportunities to refine their storytelling skills as they share their experiences with others.We also found that storytelling skills related to meaning in life for introverts more than they did for extroverts. In general, extroverts have a stronger sense of meaning in life, but storytelling may help introverts compensate for that difference. Both storytelling and extroversion are related to expressiveness. Extroversion is all about the urge to express yourself in social settings, while storytelling is about having the knack for doing so through stories. It turns out that either one of these tendencies can be enough to spark a sense of meaning and purpose.This work leaves us with several lessons learned. First, because people with a why mindset, by definition, excel at seeing the big picture, our findings suggest that the ability to tell stories well and to see the big picture are closely related. Although seeing the big picture is useful in its own right, it may also be a crucial advantage that humans have over artificial intelligence, which excels at executing micro tasks. Thus, facing an uncertain future, our ability to tell stories is something we should treasure and cultivate.My and my colleagues findings also suggest that storytelling workshopswhich have grown popular in recent yearsinfluence peoples lives in ways that go beyond improving communication and persuasion. They may strengthen the driving force of our existence and sharpen our sense of direction in life.The benefits of cultivating greater purpose are many, and some of them are unexpected. Past research has found that a strong sense of meaning in life comes with many health benefits, including a longer lifespan. Combined with our findings, this suggests that storytelling may also contribute to better health and decreased mortality. Plus, storytelling helps people to connect, which can naturally expand their social circles. Because strong social relationships are known to boost health and even influence longevity, it makes sense that storytelling could indirectly support physical health by fostering deeper and broader social ties.Perhaps the moral of One Thousand and One Nights was correct all along: storytelling can help save your life.Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience, cognitive science or psychology? And have you read a recent peer-reviewed paper that you would like to write about for Mind Matters? Please send suggestions to Scientific Americans Mind Matters editor Daisy Yuhas at dyuhas@sciam.com.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

OpinionMarch 7, 20255 min readWhy Is the Trump Administration Politicizing Weather?Climate change is real. Dismantling our federal weather agency wont change thatBy Megha Satyanarayana edited by Dan VerganoThe Trump Administration is trying to dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which houses the National Weather Service. Hundreds of employees have lost their jobs as part of the Project 2025 push to reduce the size of the federal government. Michael A. McCoy/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIn the predawn hours of Tuesday, March 4, a massive storm system spit out two tornadoes, spurred straight-line winds of up to 95 miles per hour and dropped driving sheets of rain where I live. When the sun rose, we scrambled as a 60-year-old American elm, snapped at its base, had fallen precariously onto my neighbors fence and the roof of my garage. Hours later, I watched the remaining high winds blow a couch cushion down a street and turn the sky orange with dust.By midday, hearing about caved-in buildings, small planes flipped over, and trucks on their sides on nearby freeways, I was beginning to understand the damage from something becoming more commonplace across the U.S.: severe weather.The next afternoon, a local National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist explained to me how agency staffers warned of just such calamities. They gathered information from radars, satellites, weather gauges and modeling systems that track storms to relay to city officials, police, fire, EMS and emergency managers. They warned everyone who would need to staff up, sound sirens and watch for injuries, damages and death. They provided the continuous weather forecasts to local news. They fueled the alerts that come to our weather radios, or our phones or through social media. The NWS and its employees are a critical part of a public safety system that, in our area, had worked overnight, all night to make sure that when this storm hit, our communities would be prepared.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.So why is the Trump administration targeting this vital source of information? Because to them, climate change is the inconvenient truth hobbling their greed. According to the Project 2025 Trump administration playbook, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that houses the NWS is a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity. Prosperity, based on the oil industry interests that bankrolled Trumps campaign. These interests want NWS and NOAA to stop studying and cataloguing our climate crisis, because anything we do to curb our thirst for energy affects their profit margin. And for all the talk of making government smaller, the people wielding these axes arent really interested in getting rid of these services. They want to privatize them, or in the case of de facto DOGE chief Elon Musk, get an even bigger piece of the satellite pie he already dominates.NWS and NOAA are part of the Department of Commerce, and that should tip you off right thereour atmosphere, our oceans and the technology we use to understand them are goliath economic drivers. The information that NOAA provides on the safety of international trade routes fuels trillions of dollars in economic impact. There is money to be made in warning of weather threats to our economy, but not as much if the information is a freely available public good. So Trump and his oligarch backers want to muscle in on it by destroying NOAA. This is antiscience, anti-information and antipublic interest. Congress and our judicial system must act more quickly to stop this.One of the things that NOAA does a lot of is research through modeling. Weather, climate, a lot of what we understand and use to predict what will happen in the future comes from computer models. Scientists use data to model complex things that happen on Earth. They change one parameter, say the temperature of the ocean, and see what happens to everything else in the model: the land, the air, the fish. In general tax dollars pay for this work.So what happens when this is privatized? Take weather forecasting for example. One of the people who lost his job at NOAA in late February was working on models to better predict severe weather, like the storm that felled my tree. If Project 2025 gets its way, and all NWS does is collect data, the models that companies create from it are more than likely going to be proprietary. We wont really know what goes into them. Other scientists wont be able to easily validate them, use them or make sure they really work.This prospect parallels a big complaint about artificial intelligence right now: the black box conundrum. We have little-to-no idea how these systems that affect so many aspects of our lives actually work. So when something goes wrong, its incredibly hard to figure out why. There is no accountability. There is no recourse. This would be the same for weather forecasting.Not to mention that we are then paying for information we have basically already paid for.The cities and towns that once worked cooperatively with NWS will instead have to devote budget to private forecasting, if they can. Then imagine what happens when, like this week, a big storm approaches. One town has contracted with Company A. One with Company B. The news station in town chose Company C. The owners of these companies get richer. But none of the models quite agree. Another town nearby couldnt afford a forecast. The storm arrives. One town is staffed up based on their forecast provider, another isnt, and the third had no time. The storm turns out to be extremely destructive. Then, in the aftermath, Company A refuses to share how it developed its model. Lawsuits happen. And no one in these towns is any safer.Of course, federal agencies can fail us. But, when it comes to the kind of science, the kind of research, that helps us all plan a little better for the extreme disasters that continue to happen in the U.S., the ones that cost billions per year to recover from, I fail to see how making that work less accessible, less standardized, less accountable, will help the general public.As climate scientist Daniel Swain has said, what NWS does costs the average taxpayer $4 per year. What NOAA does in general, including tracking the kind of space weather that affects Musks Starlink satellites, is safeguard the multitrillion-dollar economy that runs on water, air, land and space. As the U.S. DOGE Service, which President Trump says Musk runs (even while the administration denies that in court), has run riot over federal agencies, purportedly vacuuming up data it doesnt appear to have any legal right to, would Musk then make a bid to own or operate the 18 satellites NOAA owns? Its not a lot, as there are roughly 7,000 Starlink satellites, but as has been asked repeatedly since Musk started razing federal agencies, what is he going to do with the information his minions get access to, and how might he use it to unfair advantage with his own company?In contrast to Project 2025s hyperbolic proclamation of the NOAA climate charge alarm industry, the work that the agency does to understand climate change is scientific. Pretending climate change doesnt exist and trying to dismantle the agency is whats political. The work that NWS does is a public good, and one that is critical as much of the U.S. goes into tornado season, as wildfires continue to sweep across the nation, as year after year is warmer than the one before. This year could be the third in a row with 25 or more $1 billion disasters. What is happening to this agency is another billion-dollar-plus disaster and one that, if not stopped soon, could also take decades to restore to normal.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Atomfall let me bash a man's head in with a cricket bat while he was having a wee and I think I love itAnec-dose. Preview by Ian Higton Video Producer Published on March 7, 2025 In my opinion, the best kind of games are the ones that leave you with plenty of stories to tell. Our old editor-in-chief Tom Bramwell coined the phrase 'anecdote factory' when he reviewed Far Cry 3, and this is the perfect expression to describe my time with Atomfall. I was given 90 minutes with Rebellion's upcoming radioactive RPG at a recent hands-on event and I probably came away from it with about 90 different stories to tell, each one just as unexpected and entertaining as the last.AtomfallDeveloper: Rebellion Publisher: RebellionPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Releases 27th March on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Game PassA good example of this (and one that's highlighted in the much more detailed video below) happened about ten minutes into my session. After hiding from a pair of angry Protocol soldiers I decided to sneak up on them and take them out, only to round a corner and catch one of them doing an unexpected wee against a wall. I was laughing out loud as I ran at him and took him down with a couple of swings of my very English melee weapon, a cricket bat.But I'm getting ahead of myself, Atomfall is an action RPG set in the picturesque English county of Cumbria with all the action taking place in a quarantine zone that's been set up in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster that's loosely based on the real-world Windscale fire of 1957. This setting gives us the benefit of a fresh take on the apocalypse. Gone are the dusty and often barren grey-yellow-brown environments that we see in most post apocalyptic productions. You can watch almost 30 minutes' worth of gameplay and listen to a collection of stories from my Atomfall hands-on session in this here preview video.Watch on YouTubeInstead, Rebellion has set its story among the woods, hills and lakesides of the English countryside. There are bright colours everywhere, from the deep rich greens of Casterfell Woods and the bold reds of the classic British phonebox, through to the luminous blues and purples of the flora and fauna that have mutated after the disaster. Even the Windscale powerplant itself looks more like a sight you'd see in Alex Garland's Annihilation film rather than a Fallout game, thanks to the subtle pinky purple haze that quite literally radiates from its burning reactors.That's not to say Atomfall is nothing like Fallout, though. It certainly has some obvious similarities to Bethesda's series, what with it being set after a nuclear disaster and all. There are ghoul type creatures in here, and crazy factions of NPCs that consist of everything from cultish lunatics to heavy handed soldiers, and there are plenty of eccentric characters to meet as well. Thanks to the beautiful landscapes and architecture of old school England though, Atomfall feels less like a clone and more like its own thing. A beautiful English apocalypse. | Image credit: RebellionOne of the most important ingredients that a good RPG can have is freedom, and during my hands-on, I was dropped into a save file that was a couple of hours into the game and told that I could go anywhere and do anything I wanted. The area itself, Casterfell Woods, looks to be one of many small, sandbox maps that are connected together by loading screens. But despite not having one huge open world, that didn't make the visuals any less impressive. The rustic scenery with its old wonky steps and tumble down walls was gorgeous and the shallow river that trickled beneath my feet as I emerged from a tunnel into the sunlight was gorgeous. So gorgeous, in fact, that as I drank in the visuals, I accidentally bumbled straight into the view of a group of angry Druids who immediately became hostile.It's important to know here that Atomfall is built using the same custom Asura engine as Rebellions Sniper Elite games, so as soon as I was spotted, my Karl Fairburn muscle memory kicked in and I dove into some nearby long grass. Alas, this also revealed what could be Atomfall's biggest weakness: the enemy AI. Just like in Sniper Elite, alert enemies on the hunt will conga line past your hiding spots before they either get bored or wander off. Its been the same way in pretty much every Sniper Elite game I've ever played and it hinted at some aging systems beneath all the pretty graphics.Then again, I still managed to biff the stealth eventually, and it was here that I got my first taste of Atomfall's melee combat. It felt a bit sluggish and clunky, but it was still an improvement over that of Fallouts hand-to-hand fighting. The rusty guns I used later on felt really punchy, though, especially the shotgun - but, oh my, they took a long time to reload, especially the bolt action rifle, so don't go rushing into any firefights or youre likely to be overwhelmed while youre struggling to push a bullet into the chamber Like a lot of first-person RPGs, the melee combat in Atomfall can feel a bit clunky. | Image credit: RebellionAs I mentioned before, I was told I could go anywhere I wanted in my preview, and there were a couple of points of interest to the north of the Casterfell Woods map that I was told would lead me to some good glimpses of Atomfall's action. But obviously, because I'm me, I went completely the other way instead, and I'm super glad I did because from that point onwards, I felt like I was on my own private adventure. It wasn't long until I bumped into something that changed the direction of my entire playthrough: a crashed helicopter which contained a distress recording from a Dr Garrow who had gone to seek refuge in a nearby village.It's hard to say if this was a peculiarity of the demo or not, but I soon discovered that Atomfall doesn't really hold your hand when it comes to tracking down leads like Dr Garrow's. I knew I had to go and find the doctor in a village called Wyndham thanks to the title of a note that came with the recording, but apart from that there were no map markers that I could see that would lead me to their exact location. Or, in fact, their approximate location either.At first, I found this lack of direction jarring, but not having a map marker to follow quickly began to feel so refreshing and freeing compared to just following waypoints like you do in Fallout and other open world games these days. Instead of just mindlessly following virtual breadcrumbs, I started to feel like I was having my own organic adventure and doing some detective work, which really helped to solidify the reality of Atomfalls world. It's not all rolling hills and pretty villages. There's also an old castle to explore in Casterfell Woods that's full of cultish Druids. | Image credit: RebellionAs I searched for the village I found hidden comic books, dug up caches of loot thanks to my trusty metal detector, got scared by a big, brutalistic tower that activated a blaring alarm when I got close, and I even battered some bloodthirsty leeches with my cricket bat when they attacked me as I paddled in a nearby lake. It was a proper adventure in the English countryside that made me remember my glorious childhood days in the Oxfordshire village of Garsington, where my friends and I would wander around fields playing army or hide in old cattle sheds from imaginary zombies.And that was only the first fifteen minutes of my play time. I haven't even touched on the horrific accident I caused in Wyndham Villages bakery, or what happened when I poked my head into the very Fallout-bunker-looking Interchange, or the way you can pour yourself a lovely little cuppa whenever you find a little teapot lying around. But I do in my video, so if you want to find out even more about the game, and watch me interact with some of its wonderful characters like the stern Captain Sims or Prudence Rook, the eccentric owner of Datlow Hall whose butler Jenks has gone missing, then do check out the video above! Can I go on holiday here, please? | Image credit: RebellionI was only in Atomfall's world for an hour and a half, but I felt like I saw more in those ninety minutes than I would do in many other games. Theres humour, heart and personality by the bucketload, and a fantastically realised world to explore that manages to perfectly capture the peculiarities of intricacies of English village life, seamlessly mixing it with a mysterious sci-fi story that constantly surprises and delights. Sure, the AI is wanting in places, and the combat does feel a bit stiff, but those are really my only complaints and Im willing to forgive those considering everything else the game offered me. If, like me, you thought Avowed was a bit stuffy and straight laced, Atomfall is the antidote to that - there's comedy, chaos, detective work and rewarding exploration. I'm so excited to get my hands on the full version of Atomfall after my hands on and I honestly think you should be, too.

While we are all here frothing at the mouth in anticipation for more Grand Theft Auto 6 news, developer Rockstar is casually sharing a trailer for a Danny Dyer-fronted film instead. Read more