Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)The Ice Road (2021)Unhinged (2020)Hate to Love: Nickelback (2023)Watcher (2022)The Russo Brothers are back on Netflix with their new film, The Electric State. The sci-fi adventure has Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt teaming up to travel cross-country in a robot-heavy world. Other movies making noise on Netflix include Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,Power Rangers,Sicario, andCounterattack.Many of those movies will crack Netflixs top 10 most popular movies list. Outside of the top 10, we made a list of five underrated movies to watch this month. Our picks include a road-rage thriller, a music documentary, and an icy action adventure.Recommended VideosWe also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max,andthe best movies on Disney+.RelatedKatalin Vermes / LionsgateHow many actors would be willing to play fictionalized versions of themselves? Less than 10? Maybe? No A-listers are taking that risk. Thankfully, Nicolas Cage is a true showman and game for anything. In Tom Gormicans The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage plays Nick Cage, a struggling actor whose life continues to fall apart as he exits the spotlight.After failing to secure a role, Nick accepts an offer of $1 million to meet Javi Gutirrez (Pedro Pascal), a billionaire celebrating his birthday in Majorca. While in Spain, the CIA recruits Nick to investigate Javi and see if hes involved with the kidnapping of a politicians daughter. Its Nicolas Cage playing fictionalized Nicolas Cage who decides to be a hero for the CIA need I say more?Stream The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talenton Netflix.NetflixLiam Neeson deserves more credit for resurrecting his career by pivoting into action B-movies. Did anyone picture that the star of Schindlers Listwould one day destroy an entire trafficking operation in Taken? Neeson continues to seek out action thrillers post-Taken. One of his more under-the-radar movies isThe Ice Road, a Netflix Original from 2021.North Dakota trucker Mike McCann (Neeson) and a team of drivers are summoned for a rescue mission in Canada. An explosion in a Manitoba mine kills eight and leaves 26 trapped underground. Mike and his team must drive emergency equipment to the mine in under 30 hours, or the miners will die. The quickest way to Manitoba is across a frozen lake that can break anytime. Along the way, nefarious figures show their true colors and try to sabotage the mission. Little did they know that Neeson is now a driver with a particular set of skills.Stream The Ice Roadon Netflix.Solstice StudiosDid Russell Crowe gain weight or wear prosthetics for his role in Unhinged?Its been an internet debate for years, though he likely wore a suit to add on the extra pounds. Regardless of how it happened, the end result worked, as Crowe looked like an imposing monster that should fight in the WWE. Crowe plays Tom Cooper, a man driving a truck during rush hour.After Rachel Flynn (Caren Pistorius) honks at him while his truck blocks traffic, Tom drives up next to the car and apologizes to her and her son (Gabriel Bateman). When Tom asks for an apology in return, Rachel refuses, stating that she did nothing wrong. This is a big mistake because Tom promises to teach Rachel a lesson and make her life a living hell. Buckle up because Psycho Crowe is ready to unleash chaos.Stream Unhingedon Netflix.Hate To Love: Nickelback (Official Trailer)At some point during the mid-aughts, Canadian rockers Nickelback went from one of the most popular groups in mainstream music to the band everyone loved to hate. Billboard named Nickelback the most successful band of the decade (2000-2009). How You Remind Meis four times platinum. If you grew up in the TRL era, youll remember most of Nickelbacks hits.Somewhere after 2010, it all went sideways. Nickelback continued to make the same music, but the internet turned on them. Why? Thats the question posed in the documentary Hate to Love: Nickelback. The more you watch, the more youll realize that not many people actually hate the band. Its just funny to laugh at the memes. If anything, Hate to Lovewill send you down a Nickelback rabbit hole. Start with Silver Side Up.Stream Hate to Love: Nicklebackon Netflix.IFC FilmsMia Goth currently holds the Scream Queen Championship Belt. With performances in the X trilogy and Infinity Pool, Goth earned the title. While Goth might hold the belt for now, Maika Monroe is right on her heels with It FollowsandLonglegson her resume. The Monroe performance that doesnt get talked about enough is Watcher.Monroe plays Julia, an American actress who moves to Bucharest with her boyfriend (Karl Glusman). One night, Julia notices a man watching her from a building across the street. After learning about a serial killer who murders women, Julia believes the mysterious man could be the killer. Yet, everyone chalks it up to Julias paranoia. If atmospheric horror is your jam, then check outWatcher, especially for Monroes superb leading performance.Stream Watcher on Netflix.Editors Recommendations

If youve ever played The Last of Us or watched the HBO series of the same name, then you know that Joel (Pedro Pascal) loves Ellie (Bella Ramsey) like a daughter. Hed die for her, and hes more than willing to kill for her. Thats at the core of their emotional rift in The Last of Us season 2, which is based upon The Last of Us Part II. In the final moments of HBOs newly released season 2 trailer, Ellie finally learns just how far Joel went to protect her at the end of season 1. And their relationship is never going to be the same.Even before the truth comes out, there are clearly some signs of strain between the two in the footage, even as he gifts her a guitar and admires her tattoo. Ellies growing up in safety of Jackson, Wyoming, and shes even got a new love interest, Dina (Isabela Merced), who shares a passionate kiss with her in the trailer. However, Jackson isnt as safe as they hoped, as its walls come under attack. The people infected by the Cordyceps virus are always going to be dangerous, but the real threat to Joel and Ellie is from other people.Thats where Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) comes in. So far, HBO hasnt shown off much footage of Dever from the show, but Abby is one of the driving forces for the narrative that the season is based on. Shes got her own agenda, and shes just as driven to see it through as Joel and Ellie are. Beyond Abby, theres a militia led by Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright, who reprises his role from the game), and thats just the beginning of even larger problems for Jackson and the people who live there.Please enable Javascript to view this contentHBO recently announced six new cast members for season 2, including Joe Pantoliano as Eugene, a character who is briefly seen in the trailer. Eugene was only teased in the game with an appearance in a photo, and his role will be expanded upon in this series.As announced late last month, The Last of Us season 2 will premiere on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13.Editors Recommendations

2025-03-09T22:05:50Z Read in app Ben Stiller discussed his hit AppleTV+ show at SXSW. Julia Beverly/WireImage via Getty Images. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Ben Stiller, the 'Severance' director and EP, sees similarities between Lumon Industries and Apple.Stiller discussed the hit AppleTV+ series with Apple exec Eddy Cue at SXSW in Austin.'Severance' Season 2 is currently airing and explores themes of corporate culture and capitalism.Ben Stiller, the executive producer and director of the AppleTV+ series "Severance," said he sees similarities between the fictitious corporation in his show and the real-life global tech giant Apple Inc."Severance" follows a group of employees at Lumon Industries whose work is so mysterious that their work personas (or "innies") are medically severed from their outside selves (or "outies") with a small chip implanted in their brains.The series, which is in the midst of airing its second season, offers striking visuals and a nuanced take on corporate culture, the impacts of capitalism, and the depth of human emotion.Stiller spoke about the show with Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services (including AppleTV+), at the 2025 SXSW Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas."I think we were lucky in that when we started out, you guys gave us a lot of creative freedom," Stiller said.Stiller suggested that Apple has similar mysterious qualities that draw the viewer into Lumon in "Severance."He's not the first one to point this out. Fans have previously drawn comparisons between the two companies, such as the circular architecture at their respective headquarters and the reverence allotted to their company founders."It's funny because people talk about, 'Oh wow, you know, Apple is a huge corporation, and Lumon is a huge corporation,'" Stiller said.He added that it is "the perfect show to be on Apple" because of its aesthetic and mystery of "what's going on" in the company similar to Apple."But I've never once ever gotten any, you know, like note or anything from Apple about anything we do, and I feel like there's an intrigue about Apple," Stiller said. "By the way, how is Apple doing? Because sometimes I worry, are you guys doing okay?"Cue said Apple is doing great and working on creating "new things that people really love."Spokespersons for AppleTV+ did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Throughout the second season's airing, fans have taken to social media in a frenzy to assemble theories about different aspects of the plot.As the show progresses, Lumon's mission and objectives become increasingly sinister, and Adam Scott's Mark Scout tries to piece together the mystery behind his workplace and his severed memories.Business Insider secured quotes from the interview via live closed captions from SXSW's website.

2025-03-09T22:01:31Z Read in app Sara and Ben get engaged on "Love Is Blind" season eight. Adam Rose/Netflix This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Sara and Ben were one of four "Love Is Blind" season eight couples who made it to the altar.Sara said no because she and Ben weren't on the same wavelength about politics and religion.Ben asked to keep dating at the altar, but Sara was unsure. Here's what we know about their relationship status.Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Love Is Blind" season eight."Love Is Blind" has resulted in relatively few marriages, but sometimes couples try to continue their relationships even after saying "I don't" at the altar. Were Sara and Ben one of them?Season eight featured a cast of singles from the Twin Cities area, and from that group, five pairs coupled up and had producers follow their journey.One of those couples was Ben, a 28-year-old account executive, and Sara, a 29-year-old oncology nurse, who got engaged despite some bumpy political and ideological discussions in the pods. Ultimately, though, Sara couldn't get past their major differences and said no at the altar.Of course, they wouldn't be the only failed "Love Is Blind" engagement to try dating again after filming. Here's what we know about whether they reunited.Ben and Sara hit it off and talked through politics in the podsIn episode two, Ben and Sara bonded in the pods over a love of food, and the fact that both of their fathers make great steak. Their discussion eventually moved to deeper subjects like faith: While Ben is Christian, Sara isn't particularly religious and worries about discrimination against her sister, who is gay. In turn, Ben reassured her that he's comfortable with LGBTQ+ people and doesn't believe queerness is a sin.During a date in episode four, Ben told Sara that he was falling in love with her. Sara thanked him, but wanted to talk more about their political beliefs. She became more engaged in politics after the election of Donald Trump in 2016, and the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.Ben, however, said that he didn't vote in the previous election and that he doesn't have opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement. Sara candidly told him that she didn't like his responses."I will tell you, basic human rights, equality," she told him. "I need someone to be on the same page with me about that. I feel like that speaks volumes about who you are as a person and morals and values and, you know, how you think of others."In episode five, the couple continued to deepen their relationship. Sara, however, still had some reservations about Ben's social beliefs and politics. Ben reassured her that he intended to grow and learn, and felt that his beliefs align with her own.Ben proposed to Sara in episode five, and she said yes. The pair finally met face-to-face later in that episode, and were one of five couples producers selected to follow on the couples' getaway in Honduras. Sara and Ben. Courtesy of Netflix Sara's doubts about their compatibility grew once they were back in MinneapolisBen and Sara had a great time during the engagement trip and didn't encounter any major drama. They even talked about how physically compatible they were. Unfortunately, once they returned to the real world, things took a turn. While their parents approved of the match and seemed relatively okay with the speed of their engagement, Sara was still hung up on Ben's religion. As a devoted Christian, he attends church regularly. Sara was willing to give it a shot and attended a service with him, but she was lukewarm on it. When Ben didn't know his church's stance on LGBTQ+ issues, Sara looked for a sermon about it and didn't like the traditional and regressive messaging she found.Though Ben clarified he didn't agree with the sermon and said he would be open to exploring other, more progressive churches with her, Sara remained uncertain. Sara's sister and her sister's partner also met Ben and questioned him over his beliefs, leaving Sara feeling even more unsure."I caution you as your sister, it is not real right now," Sara's sister told her after meeting Ben.Sara also discovered a viral TikTok that Ben said was about him, where a woman alluded to a "Love Is Blind" season eight contestant having treated her poorly when they dated. Ben, for his part, admitted it was probably true but that it had happened so long ago he had no memory of it and hadn't thought to disclose it to Sara.Sara said no at the altar, and didn't seem keen on dating Ben after filmingBen expressed essentially no doubts about wanting to marry Sara, and made it to the wedding day as certain as ever that he would say yes. Sara, on the other hand, was plagued with doubt and even spoke about their differences while getting ready in the bridal suite.Ultimately, she said no at the altar."Ben, I love you so much. But I've always wanted a partner to be on the same wavelength, and so today I can't," Sara told Ben. "I'm sorry but I don't want that to be misunderstood. I still love you and everything about you is amazing and I care about you so much."Ben took it on the chin and seemed unfazed, quickly responding that he understood, still loved her, and wanted to stay together to grow their relationship. Sara, clearly taken aback, demurred, telling him they'd talk about it later. Sara and Ben at the wedding on "Love Is Blind." Netflix After the ceremony, Ben's friends comforted him and they all said they were surprised by the outcome. Then they prayed for healing for both Ben and Sara. Meanwhile, Sara debriefed with her mom and sister in the van, telling them about her dissatisfying conversations with Ben about LGBTQ+ issues and Black Lives Matter. She also told cameras she felt there was no "curiosity" coming from Ben to explore and expand his mindset. She also said their relationship may simply have been only on the surface level.Both Ben and Sara are still following each other on Instagram, which seems to indicate they're at least cordial. However, it doesn't seem like a romantic reunion is in the cards for these two.A teaser for the reunion showed that Sara got more information about the TikTok dragging Ben, even saying that knowing what she does now, a TikTok like that about him makes sense. She also appeared to accuse Ben of sliding into another cast member's DMs, as well as getting advice from a previous season's contestant to make sure he stayed on good terms with Sara.In an interview with People, Sara also said she didn't like that Ben asked to stay together right after she said no at the altar. She revealed that she and Ben had discussed what her answer would be before the wedding, saying that they "were on the same page, and he knew coming in what I was going to say.""And so when he asked that, I wasn't shocked he wanted to do that or be together still after, but I was shocked he asked that at the altar, knowing the circumstance of we are here to say yes or no," she told People, adding that it seemed "disrespectful" of the whole conceit of the show, where you're supposed to get married or walk away forever.She also told People that she continued her relationship with Ben on the show after the initial speed bumps because she expected it would deepen and grow after the pods. "But it just never evolved," Sara said. "It never really got to that point. And so that's what made me think, okay, actually maybe there's no depth at all."It seems pretty clear that Sara has closed the book entirely on her and Ben's relationship, but we'll need to check in on Sunday's reunion to learn for sure whether they decided to try dating again.The "Love Is Blind" season eight reunion will stream Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on Netflix.

Allison Stanger, Middlebury, The Conversation Published March 9, 2025 | Comments (11) | New Yorkers Hold Tesla Protest Against President Trump And Elon Musk Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to train a private companys artificial intelligence systems. The White House press secretary said government data that DOGE has collected isnt being used to train Musks AI models, despite Elon Musks control over DOGE. However, evidence has emerged that DOGE personnel simultaneously hold positions with at least one of Musks companies. At the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX employees have government email addresses. This dual employment creates a conduit for federal data to potentially be siphoned to Musk-owned enterprises, including xAI. The companys latest Grok AI chatbot model conspicuously refuses to give a clear denial about using such data.As a political scientist and technologist who is intimately acquainted with public sources of government data, I believe this potential transmission of government data to private companies presents far greater privacy and power implications than most reporting identifies. A private entity with the capacity to develop artificial intelligence technologies could use government data to leapfrog its competitors and wield massive influence over society. Value of government data for AI For AI developers, government databases represent something akin to finding the Holy Grail. While companies such as OpenAI, Google and xAI currently rely on information scraped from the public internet, nonpublic government repositories offer something much more valuable: verified records of actual human behavior across entire populations.This isnt merely more data its fundamentally different data. Social media posts and web browsing histories show curated or intended behaviors, but government databases capture real decisions and their consequences. For example, Medicare records reveal health care choices and outcomes. IRS and Treasury data reveal financial decisions and long-term impacts. And federal employment and education statistics reveal education paths and career trajectories. What makes this data particularly valuable for AI training is its longitudinal nature and reliability. Unlike the disordered information available online, government records follow standardized protocols, undergo regular audits and must meet legal requirements for accuracy. Every Social Security payment, Medicare claim and federal grant creates a verified data point about real-world behavior. This data exists nowhere else with such breadth and authenticity in the U.S.Most critically, government databases track entire populations over time, not just digitally active users. They include people who never use social media, dont shop online, or actively avoid digital services. For an AI company, this would mean training systems on the actual diversity of human experience rather than just the digital reflections people cast online. The technical advantage Current AI systems face fundamental limitations that no amount of data scraped from the internet can overcome. When ChatGPT or Googles Gemini make mistakes, its often because theyve been trained on information that might be popular but isnt necessarily true. They can tell you what people say about a policys effects, but they cant track those effects across populations and years. Government data could change this equation. Imagine training an AI system not just on opinions about health care but on actual treatment outcomes across millions of patients. Consider the difference between learning from social media discussions about economic policies and analyzing their real impacts across different communities and demographics over decades.A large, state-of-the-art, or frontier, model trained on comprehensive government data could understand the actual relationships between policies and outcomes. It could track unintended consequences across different population segments, model complex societal systems with real-world validation and predict the impacts of proposed changes based on historical evidence. For companies seeking to build next-generation AI systems, access to this data would create an almost insurmountable advantage. Control of critical systems A company like xAI could do far more with models trained on government data than building better chatbots or content generators. Such systems could fundamentally transform and potentially control how people understand and manage complex societal systems. While some of these capabilities could be beneficial under the control of accountable public agencies, I believe they pose a threat in the hands of a single private company.Medicare and Medicaid databases contain records of treatments, outcomes and costs across diverse populations over decades. A frontier model trained on new government data could identify treatment patterns that succeed where others fail, and so dominate the health care industry. Such a model could understand how different interventions affect various populations over time, accounting for factors such as geographic location, socioeconomic status and concurrent conditions. A company wielding the model could influence health care policy by demonstrating superior predictive capabilities and market population-level insights to pharmaceutical companies and insurers. Treasury data represents perhaps the most valuable prize. Government financial databases contain granular details about how money flows through the economy. This includes real-time transaction data across federal payment systems, complete records of tax payments and refunds, detailed patterns of benefit distributions, and government contractor payments with performance metrics.An AI company with access to this data could develop extraordinary capabilities for economic forecasting and market prediction. It could model the cascading effects of regulatory changes, predict economic vulnerabilities before they become crises, and optimize investment strategies with precision impossible through traditional methods. Elon Musks xAI company is well financed. Infrastructure and urban systems Government databases contain information about critical infrastructure usage patterns, maintenance histories, emergency response times and development impacts. Every federal grant, infrastructure inspection and emergency response creates a data point that could help train AI to better understand how cities and regions function. The power lies in the potential interconnectedness of this data. An AI system trained on government infrastructure records would understand how transportation patterns affect energy use, how housing policies affect emergency response times, and how infrastructure investments influence economic development across regions. A private company with exclusive access would gain unique insight into the physical and economic arteries of American society. This could allow the company to develop smart city systems that city governments would become dependent on, effectively privatizing aspects of urban governance. When combined with real-time data from private sources, the predictive capabilities would far exceed what any current system can achieve.Absolute data corrupts absolutely A company such as xAI, with Musks resources and preferential access through DOGE, could surmount technical and political obstacles far more easily than competitors. Recent advances in machine learning have also reduced the burdens of preparing data for the algorithms to process, making government data a veritable gold mine one that rightfully belongs to the American people. The threat of a private company accessing government data transcends individual privacy concerns. Even with personal identifiers removed, an AI system that analyzes patterns across millions of government records could enable surprising capabilities for making predictions and influencing behavior at the population level. The threat is AI systems that leverage government data to influence society, including electoral outcomes.Since information is power, concentrating unprecedented data in the hands of a private entity with an explicit political agenda represents a profound challenge to the republic. I believe that the question is whether the American people can stand up to the potentially democracy-shattering corruption such a concentration would enable. If not, Americans should prepare to become digital subjects rather than human citizens. Allison Stanger, Distinguished Endowed Professor, MiddleburyThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By AJ Dellinger Published March 8, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published March 8, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published March 7, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published March 7, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published March 7, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published March 6, 2025

Restaurant in Bakurocho / UENOASave this picture! Naomichi SodeArchitects: UENOAAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:70 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2022 PhotographsPhotographs:Naomichi Sode, UENOA Lead Architects: Yoshinori Hasegawa, Fumie Horikoshi More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Soft and massive surface.This is an interior design project for a new restaurant of "Tokiwa Shokudo", a long-established diner that has been in business for 100 years.We focused on the "noren," a traditional blind curtain, to create a new look for the next 100 years while preserving 100 years of tradition.Save this picture!Originally installed at entrances and exits to block sunlight or to shield people's eyes from the sun, the noren, which is a uniquely Japanese cultural element, began to incorporate unique designs such as family crests around the Kamakura period and began to function as a "media". The noren has become a common recognition among Japanese people that it is a sign that a store is open for business, and as the phrase "noren wo mamoru" ("to protect goodwill") suggests, it has become a special presence that includes time for those who are in the business of doing business. In this way, the noren displayed in front of the storefront is a symbol with multiple meanings, and we wanted to bring out the charm of the noren as an object by incorporating it into the interior design.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Ten large "noren" curtains are hung in a series of layers in the seating area. While a typical noren is made of No. 11 canvas, the curtains used for the interior are made of thicker No. 8 canvas, sewn together in a bag-like shape, and are very large and heavy, measuring 6 meters wide. These curtains are soft yet have a sense of weight and move when touched.Save this picture!The front and back sides of the curtain are made of different colors of canvas, and the length of each side increases as one moves toward the back. The length of each side is longer the further back you go. This gives a different impression when you stop by the restaurant from the street and when you take a seat or leave the restaurant after finishing your meal. The intention was to create a sense of space in the dining area, which tends to be a fixed background for dining. Unlike the hard, immobile wall surface, the noren, which sways slowly when people actually move, is used to create a more relaxed atmosphere.Save this picture!Save this picture!While respecting the tradition of the noren, we attempted to create a relationship between the noren and the architecture and interior design. We feel that we were able to embody the store's philosophy of "enriching daily life through Japanese culture" through Noren.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Tokyo, JapanLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeUENOAOfficeMaterialFabricMaterials and TagsPublished on March 09, 2025Cite: "Restaurant in Bakurocho / UENOA" 09 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027685/restaurant-in-bakurocho-uenoa&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

If you picture a megalodon, chances are you envision what amounts to a gigantic great white shark. The image is understandable, given almost every depiction of the ancient apex predators across research and pop culture. But last year, an international team put forth a new anatomical design based on their analysis of incomplete fossilized vertebrae. According to the researchers, the famous megalodon was likely more slender and possibly even longer than the prevailing theory. Rather than a great white, the team offered sleeker mako sharks for a frame of reference.Researchers first proposed that megalodons may have looked like giant mako sharks. Credit: Deposit Photos The hypothesis kicked off a heated debate among paleobiologists, many of whom contended the evidence still simply didnt support giant prehistoric makos. Unfortunately, a follow-up study likely wont satisfy anyone who disagrees with the mako idea, either. According to many of the original studys authors, megalodons may have been even longer and leaner than they first proposed. In terms of todays shark parallels, think less mako and more lemon.Megalodons may have resembled sleeker lemon sharks than great whites. Credit: Deposit Photos Rob de VriesThe revised shape and size is detailed in a paper published on March 9 in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica. After comparing portions of a megalodons vertebral column to over 100 species of living and extinct shark species, researchers now estimate the megalodon may have topped out at around 80-feet-long, or about two school buses, while weighing as much as 94 tonsroughly as massive as a blue whale. For reference, the predominant megalodon theory puts them at 50-65 feet long and 53-115 tons. Based on their conclusions, even newborn megalodons were sizable creatures, and likely measured as large as a modern adult great white.It is entirely possible that megalodon pups were already taking down marine mammals shortly after being born, Phillip Sternes, a co-author on both papers, argued in an accompanying statement. Sternes also contends the latest study provides the most robust analysis yet of megalodons body size and shape.Rather than resembling an oversized great white shark, it was actually more like an enormous lemon shark, with a more slender, elongated body, he said. That shape makes a lot more sense for moving efficiently through water.While the great white sharks bulkier, torpedo-like frame makes it perfect for quick bursts of speed, the lemon shark evolved for energy-efficient, sustained ocean cruising. This concept of evolutionary efficiency played into the teams alternative theory, as well. Tim Higham, a study co-author and biologist at University of California Riverside, offered Olympic swimmers as a comparison.You lead with your head when you swim because its more efficient than leading with your stomach, he explained in a statement. Similarly, evolution moves toward efficiency, much of the time.If theres anywhere Team Lemon (formerly Team Mako) and Team Great White may find common ground, its megalodon speed. Rather than a high-speed chaser or a slower, methodic hunter, the studys authors suggest a balance in which the sharks generally swam at a moderate pace while able to attack in quick bursts.Gigantism isnt just about getting biggerits about evolving the right body to survive at that scale, Sternes said. And megalodon may have been one of the most extreme examples of that.The post Megalodon may have been even longer than we thought appeared first on Popular Science.

New study suggests megalodons may have grown 15 feet longer than some previous estimates, had enormous babies, and didn't look like supersized great white sharks.

research.