OpinionMarch 11, 20255 min readA Science Protest Offers Insight into the Science of ProtestingStand Up for Science shows how science supporters are coming togetherBy Dan Vergano edited by Jeanna BrynerThousands protest the Trump administration's federal funding cuts during the Stand-Up for Science rally in Washington D.C., Friday, March 7, 2025. Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images via AFPWASHINGTON, D.C.The crowd streamed down from subways and sidewalks to the Lincoln Memorial, carrying signs on a bright, chilly day.It marched for science. During the March 7 Stand Up for Science protest in Washington, D.C., one of many nationwide, including in Chicago, Philadelphia and other U.S. and overseas cities, the crowd rallied to defend science as a public good and pillar of social, political, and economic progress, according to the organizers policy goals. Whether the gathering at the Lincoln Memorial represented the start of a bigger movement or a mere gesture in a nation turning its back on science hung in the air, undecided, as the songs and speeches began.The crowd brandished signs that were equal parts nerdy, clever and full of outrage. Speakers ranging from former National Institutes of Health chief Francis Collins to TV icon Bill Nye (and even astronomer Phil Plait, who writes a column for Scientific American) spoke to the crowd, which consisted of a few thousand people on that Friday afternoon. They condemned the mass firings, extreme budget cuts and shuttered safety panels that have been the result of actions undertaken at federal agencies since January by the Trump administration and its chainsaw-brandishing vizier Elon Musk. We have a job to do, said Atul Gawande, author, surgeon and former assistant administrator of global health at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We must bear witness to the truth. We must bear witness to the damage.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.Yet the most important people at the protest may not have been on the stage but in the audience. People like Sara Rouhi, who works in research publishing and is a co-author of the Declaration to Defend Research against U.S. Government Censorship, steadily traversed the crowd, QR-coded sign and shirt at the ready.Were trying to organize people across the board to push back, said Rouhi, who added that the group behind the declaration has signed up 3,000 supporters so far. Its looking to combine forces with organizations like the Union of Concerned Scientists, she said, as well as the Data Rescue Projects effort to collect and curate U.S. government data erased from public view by the Trump administration.A protestor at the 'Stand for Science' event in Washington D.C.Dan VerganoThat kind of activism, mobilizing people to act, is the real business at a protest, says American University sociologist Dana Fisher, author of American Resistance: From the Womens March to the Blue Wave. The big point of protests is to channel outrage into something else, Fisher said. Give people a sense of identity and engagement thats longer-term and more embedded in a movement than just showing up and holding a sign, right?Whether the protest marks the start of an effective resistance to Trumps moves starts with the crowd, then, not the speakers. It was refreshing, though, to hear Collinsso politically adroit during his tenure as NIH chief that he mostly avoided pandemic-related nonsense from Trumpcriticize pharmaceutical companies for not speaking out against moves to slash research spending. (Collins, a guitarist, also played a science-tinged version of the folk song All the Good People as the crowd sang along.)In the U.S., protests have shifted substantially since the 1970s. Decades ago massive organizing preceded massive protests. Without social media, people werent centrally connected, so local groups needed to decide to organize together and march on Washington, D.C. Everything from renting buses to signing people up for those seats took work that formed the glue that connected activists and culminated in the protest.Nowadays its really very different. Protest becomes the beginning of a movement rather than the end, says Fisher, who added that social media speeds organizing. The Womens March in 2017, for examplethe largest single-day protest in U.S. historywas a harbinger of a blue wave election a year later that gave the Democrats control of the U.S. House of Representatives. That march channeled the outrage that many people felt over Trumps behavior in his first term in office and turned it into activism and engagement that led to the highest midterm voter turnout since 1914.Theres a right way and a wrong way to do protests, especially protests as a form of resistance, Fisher said. The 2018 March for Our Lives, organized by students after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that year, brought hundreds of thousands of people to hundreds of events that often featured celebrities and bands. But while it led to record youth voter registrations and played a role in the short-lived ban on rifle bump stocks (overturned last year by the U.S. Supreme Court in a fit of gun-fetishizing bunkum), any bigger movement to end gun violence is on its back foot in the Trump era. In the 2024 U.S. election, younger mens voting shifted to Trump even though they came of age in the March for Our Lives era of school lockdowns and continued mass shootings, such as the 2022 murder of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Tex.Scientists and their supporters now face a similar test. In its first weeks, the Trump administration has targeted the U.S. scientific enterprise broadly, the culmination of decades of attacks on climate scientists, safety panels and health officials by business-backed politicians like Trump.Its personal this time, says Fisher, who is no longer able to fund one researcher that she had supported because of the recent cuts and still funds three others with federal grants. I work with a number of colleagues who believe they are on lists, who may be fired. Her team surveyed the protest and found that it was a first protest for about 22 percent of participants. It was also a highly educated crowd; 37 percent of people reported that they had a Ph.D., M.D. or J.D. Only in Washington, D.C.Today Stand Up for Science stands at a crossroads. Organized mainly by graduate students, the protests could mark a wider start of scientific resistance to the authoritarian offensive, as Harvard University political scientist Steven Levitsky described the actions of the new Trump administration in an Intelligencer interview. But thats only if people in the crowd do more than hold signs and sing songs. They should join local community groups or advocacy groups, Fisher said, or a data-recovery effort like the Data Rescue Project. Even organizing a book club is a good thing, she says. Only if the people protesting organize and draw in more people to effectively resist Trumps moves will all the signs and singing matter. They are off to a good start: 45 percent of people sampled by Fisher and her colleagues said that they had contacted an elected official in the last year.Rouhi said she is just getting started. This cant be the end, she said of the protests. If its the end, its end for all of us.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereUbisofts upcoming open-world game Assassins Creed Shadows is a next-gen only game on console, arriving on PS5, Xbox Series, MacOS and PC. With the games high PC requirements, many thought that the game would be another too big for Steam Deck title, but Ubisoft claims thats not the case.Assassins Creed Shadows on Steam DeckAnnounced by Ubisoft on social media, Assassins Creed Shadows is officially supported by the developer. At the time of writing, Valve has not officially verified the new open-world game for the handheld that could, but Ubisoft is awaiting classification from the company.Many of you have been asking about Steam Deck, Ubisoft continued. We are happy to say that we are supporting Steam Deck at launch and are currently awaiting the level of classification from Valve. More info to come soon.The last game in the series, Assassins Creed Mirage, currently has a playable status on Steam Deck, the same as the last open-world entry in the series, Valhalla. While Shadows has higher system requirements, it seems like players might be able to hit 30fps on Valves handheld.With Ubisoft specifically stating that its supporting Steam Deck at launch theres hope that there will be some individual Deck optimisations for the game. With games like Cyberpunk 2077 having in-game graphics presets for the handheld, it would be great if AC Shadows did the same.Ubisofts latest Assassins Creed game is scheduled to release on March 20, 2025 after a series of lengthy delays. Originally set to release way back in November, Ubisoft delayed the game until February, which was later delayed until the current release date.For more Steam Deck coverage, read our review of the Steam Deck OLED from release or read about why Valve isnt planning to release a host of new variants until a true successor can be created.Assassins Creed ShadowsPlatform(s):PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action AdventureSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereSince its release, Marvel Rivals has successfully engaged fans with its chaotic superhero world, attracting a devoted player base eager to use the powers of Spider-Man, Wolverine, and other characters. However, broken hitboxes have ruined the experience, even with the flashy team-ups and destructible environment.Numerous players have complained on social media about the games inconsistent hit detection, which makes accurate shots miss and skills like Spider-Mans uppercut into overpowered, long-range nightmares. Players are upset and calling for NetEase to fix the game because videos from the practice range show hitboxes that are too big, sometimes showing hits meters that are off-target.Similar worries about Wolverines Feral Leap and Magiks dash have been joined by players who say attacks phase through enemies or trigger without warning, throwing off the balance of the game. This isnt just a small bug; its a main problem with a game that wants to compete with Overwatch. Since fans right now are bracing for the upcoming March 13 update, patch notes show a huge fix missing and thats with these hitboxes, shocking players completely.Marvel Rivals may need to wait longer for NetEase to fix broken hitbox problemsThe Marvel Rivals player community is shocked as NetEase has released patch notes and Twitch Drops offering a free skin ahead of the upcoming update, and nowhere is the mention or acknowledgement of the broken hitboxes made by the devs.Spider-Man and Wolverine have broken hitboxes. Image by VideoGamer.Even though a new Raw Input mouse option, and small changes to heroes have been added, the hitbox issue seems to be the number one priority for players at this point. Social media posts criticize the oversight, with players saying that ignoring this important problem could turn off a passionate fanbase.At the same time, players are hating on characters like Spider-Man due to his broken hitbox and Wolverine because of his high damage output while hes one of the most banned characters in competitive matches.Despite the lack of hitbox fixes, NetEase has fixed the aiming of Wolverines ultimate, which correctly registers on enemies its supposed to be aimed at, but he remains one of the tank killers out there. On the other hand, Spider-Man at this point is simply a menace. With a hitbox that wide that lets you land a powerful uppercut way off the center, hes truly one of the most hated heroes by any Rivals player.If youre looking for more in Marvel Rivals, check out the codes you can use in the game and free rewards currently available.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterRelated TopicsMarvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

A Frank Lloyd Wright home in Chicago has been placed on a list of the most endangered historic buildings in the city, reports Austin Weekly News, a local Windy City paper. Preservation Chicago, a nonprofit advocacy organization that protects local architecture, recently named the home, known as the J.J. Walser Jr. House, on its list of the Chicago 7 Most Endangered. Ward Miller, Preservation Chicagos executive director, tells AD that the annual list is our way of sharing with the public, City of Chicago officials, stakeholders, and owners our collective concerns for these structures and to spotlight them. Its our hope that this list will encourage a good preservation outcome, and in some cases, new stewards for these troubled buildings and sites.Located in the Austin neighborhood on the citys west side, the residence was designed in 1903 for Grace and J.J. Walser, a local couple. The home is finished in a tan stuccowhich at the time was a unique material to usewith dark wood trim. In fact, the house appeared in a 1905 article in House Beautiful about the growing use of plaster and cement in home construction. Overhanging eaves and a hipped roof firmly establish the residence in the Prairie style, and in 1984 the home was designated a Chicago landmark. In 2013, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The Walser House in Chicago is in need of immediate repairs.Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesBuilt for $4,000 (about $143,000 today), it is one of the best examples of Wrights early pursuits of inexpensive, well-designed homes. He would continue to rethink and reconfigure the Walser plan for future projects, and its influence can be seen in the Barton House in Buffalo, New York; the DeRhodes House in South Bend, Indiana; and the Horner House in Chicago, which was demolished in 1952.The Walsers sold the property in 1910 after having lived in it for seven years. Over the next six decades, the home changed hands 11 timessimultaneously undergoing a series of renovations and remodelsbefore it was purchased by its most recent owners, Anne and Hurley Teague, in 1970. Austin has experienced much disinvestment over the past half century, which has also impacted the property and its value, Miller explains. Its longtime owners tried their very best to maintain the home, despite the costs associated with some of the various needs and requirements, as they continued to age.

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BlessedWe all know thick thighs save lives, but they also do well during recession depression, according to Atelier Yumia producerA look back on Ryza, but also some nice insight onto Yumina vastly different look.Image credit: Gust News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on March 12, 2025 The saying goes that thick thighs save lives, but according to producer on the Atelier serie, Junzo Hosoi, when speaking about fan favourite character Reisalin Ryza Stout, they are also quite popular during economic recessions. Japan, having experienced a "lost decade" during the 90s and ongoing recession indicators ever since, it seems it was the perfect audience for such a character (and her own trilogy being quite good on its own merits from what I hear). In an interview with 4Gamer, Hosoi spoke about his perspective on the matter.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. This is just my perception, but I think that the economy has an influence on what kind of designs become popular. There are certain types of characters that are needed in times of recession, and there are types of characters that are embraced only when the economy is booming. He would then go on to note a theory that people want more physically substantial body types during economic recessions.Now this might sound a bit peculiar to you, but it turns out a quick Google provides academic evidence to the matter! Not recent findings either, take this 2005 paper from Leif Nelson and Evan Morrison titled "The symptoms of resource scarcity: judgments of food and finances influence preferences for potential partners". In laymans terms, in hard times, people may find physical signs that you aren't skipping meals more attractive.Back to Hosoi's interview, he would later speak on Atelier's next protagonist, Yumia. Now, Yumia doesn't share the same body type as Ryza, instead leaning towards the more slim standard you see across many other games. However, she was designed with more global tastes in mind.Funnily enough, this is also tied to economics. You see, Japan's ongoing recessions and financial troubles have led various Japanese-based video game companies to widen their net to appeal to gamers around the world. Take Sony's shift to bringing games to the PC, something that may not make a huge impact to domestic sales but certainly is important in America and Europe.Gust, the developers behind Atelier, have found great success from the Ryza trilogy, not only in Japan, but overseas as well. As such, this new audience with money to spend has been taken into account. Poland on its lonesome is set to overtake the GDP of Japan next year, and that's just Poland.So there we have it. Some reasoning behind thicker thighs in the Atelier Ryza trilogy, and some insight on why the designs are going back to the slim look. This is the only job I've ever had that led me to read through economic reports and 2005 studies, only to connect the dots between the academic insight within and anime characters.

Bundles of joy.We've given this list an early spring clean with several new additions and tweaks. Enjoy!Switch is many a gamer's go-to console for revisiting retro classics, at home on the TV, or wherever you happen to take the handheld hybrid. Squeezing in nostalgia trips between the big new releases has never been easier, and there have been a host of exceptional collections and compilation packages on Nintendo's system that bring together bundles of retro games, often with new features, bells, and whistles.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Image: LandfallBack in April 2024 you may remember a flurry of excitement when Landfall's Content Warning released for PC. A first-person co-op horror game which involves capturing footage of scary events and uploading it to 'SpkTube' for likes and clout, it was made free to download for 24 hours at launch and its blend of quirky comedy and genuine scares proved to be a hit.Switch has seen its fair share of shocking clones recently, the latest of which appears to rip off Landfall's game. Out tomorrow (13th March), Content Warning: Scary Filming is... well, let's just compare the key art, shall we?Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube798kWatch on YouTube Look, the logo's, like, a totally different colour!... Images: Landfall, Er...Landfall?Coming from publisher BurleaGamesStudio, purveyor of software such as Street Survival: Homeless Simulator and (the apparently unironic) Thief Simulator: Heist Master, this is a single-player affair described on its eShop page as "a co-op horror game where you and your friends embark on a spine-chilling adventure to film terrifying content and go viral." There's not much else to say, is there? It's absolutely shameless.It's not the only Content Warning clone, either. Landfall is well aware of the scam games on Switch and other platforms, and recently posted a video to YouTube flagging them as unofficial, unsanctioned clones.In the warning (below), the studio confirms that they're trying to get the games removed but "the process is really slow." The devs highlight that they're planning official console releases and are hard at work "trying to make a really good version." A Switch announcement isn't a certainty, but we've got our fingers crossed it'll be included in an announcement "sometime later this year."Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube798kAt the time of writing, the real Content Warning has 54,033 user reviews and a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam. "6.6 million people ended up claiming the game on Steam," according to Landfall's website - no wonder unsavoury sorts are looking to cash in on its popularity.Somewhat ironically, Content Warning itself bore similarities to Zeekerss' Lethal Company, another procedurally generated co-op survival horror game (currently still in early access) and continues the studio's line of tongue-in-cheek games such as Totally Accurate Battle Simulator.Recently, developer Steelkrill flagged that publisher 'COOL DEVS' brazenly ripped and repackaged The Backrooms 1998 and put it on the Switch eShop. That game has since been removed from the eShop.So, another one to avoid. Stay vigilant, lovely people. "Nintendo are letting this slide""It's feast or famine, really"Sea of low-qualityRelated GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesPokmon Scarlet & Violet: Mystery Gift Codes ListAll the current Pokmon Scarlet and Violet Mystery Gift codesTony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 Has Been Butchered For The Switch RemakePop shuvit up your...Talking Point: What We Expect From The Switch 2 DirectIn four weeks' time...

A U.K. competition authority investigation of Apple and Googles mobile browsers has concluded that the mobile duopolys policies are holding back innovation and could also be limiting economic growth.Mobile browsers are apps which provide the primary gateway for consumers to access the web on their mobile devices, and hence for businesses to reach them with their content and products. The issues we have identified mean that consumers could be missing out on new features when using mobile browsers; and businesses are limited in their ability to reach consumers through browser apps, runs a summary of the 611-page final decision report published on Wednesday. Most of the concerns identified relate to Apples policies that determine how mobile browsers, the way we access the web on mobiles, work on Apples devices, per a press release.These include issues such as Apple mandating the use of its WebKit browser engine for other browsers on iOS, which limits their ability to differentiate versus Apples own Safari browser by offering enhanced features; Safari having greater or earlier access to key platform features vs rival browsers, which the inquiry groups believes is crimping competition (including around privacy features), and holding back development of PWAs (progressive web apps) on iOS; limits on in-browsing which puts limits on rival browsers ability to serve app users who click on a link out to the web; and certain choice architecture issues.When it comes to Google, the investigating inquiry groups concerns center on revenue sharing arrangements between Mountain View and Apple, whereby Google pays Apple a significant share of the search ad revenue earned from traffic on Safari and Chrome on iOS.We have found that Apple and Google earn significant revenue when their key rivals mobile browser is used on iOS for web searches on Google, significantly reducing their financial incentives to compete, they observe, going on to note that the extent of the revenue-sharing is so large as to significantly limit the financial incentive to compete. But still no enforcement in sightDespite this raft of negative findings and despite U.K. competition concerns over Apple and Googles grip on mobile dating back many years at this point theres still no competition enforcement action in sight; the report recommends waiting for special abuse control powers to kick in.These are powers that would be unlocked if an active investigation of the two tech giants (opened in January) confirms they fall in-scope of beefed up antitrust powers wielded by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) since a major U.K. reform of competition law targeting digital giants came into force in January. So remedies for the anti-competitive issues identified remain up in the air. The report advises against trying to remedy the competition concerns using standard market investigation powers as it says there are a number significant risks to the effectiveness of these measures.Cloud gaming, which had also formed part of the market investigation, was dropped from the inquiry last November after somechanges by Apple that the regulator deemed likely to alleviate competition concerns.The report by the independent inquiry group, which was set up by the CMA when it opened a market investigation into Apple and Googles grip on mobile back in November 2022, follows similar preliminary conclusions last fall. But the inquiry group now says it is no longer concerned about some specific choice screen issues it had previously raised.It said an update by Apple in December making changes to how iOS users can switch their default browser resolved concerns it had had on that platform. While Google provided the inquiry group with new evidence relating to its use of prompts to encourage users to set Chrome as their default browser on Android that also resolved its concerns.At the same time, the inquiry group still took issue with some other screen architecture design choices that they said could be making it harder for users to switch to alternative mobile browsers versus Apples Safari and Googles Chrome native browsers.Future remedies?The final report suggests a range of potential remedies (or appropriate interventions, as it terms them) for the mobile browser competition concerns, which are set out in full in Appendix D.Suggested remedies include requiring Apple to allow the use of alternative browser engines and an interoperability requirement that would mandate equivalent access to iOS features for rival browsers, as well as a ban on the Chrome revenue share, among others. Additionally, how Google displays browser choice screens could be regulated under this approach, including the frequency of default browser pop-ups. While none of the proposed remedies is being taken forward as part of this CMA market investigation, they could offer a steer of how the regulator might ultimately enforce on Apple and Googles mobile duopoly.Thats assuming its Digital Markets Units investigation determines they have so-called Strategic Market Status (SMS), meaning they would fall under the special abuse control regime and could be subject to such bespoke interventions. The SMS investigations on Apple and Google are expected to conclude later this year.Commenting in a statement, Margot Daly, chair of the CMAs independent inquiry group, wrote:The analysis set out in our report and the range of potential interventions considered to address the market issues we have identified merits consideration by the CMA under its new powers, which have been specifically designed for digital markets. So, I welcome the CMAs prompt action to open strategic market status investigations into both Apple and Googles mobile ecosystems. The extensive analysis weve set out today will help that work as it progresses.Apple and Google were contacted for comment on the inquiry groups final report. Heres Apples statement: Apple believes in thriving and dynamic markets where innovation can flourish. We face competition in every segment and jurisdiction where we operate, and our focus is always the trust of our users. We have concerns with this report and believe the remedies it discusses would undermine privacy, security, and the overall user experience. We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA to best address their concerns.

Since Donald Trump Jr. joined VC firm 1789 Capital after his father won the election, hes been busy monetizing the Make America Great Again (MAGA) ecosystem.Hes been making bets in media, pharmaceutical, guns, and crypto while pushing against environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Financial Times reported.The VC firm was co-founded by Trump donor Omeed Malik (who is also a backer of Substack) and has support from Rebekah Mercer, a backer of the conservative news site Breitbart. Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, right-wing radio personality Clay Travis, and investor Marc Andreessen were also early backers of 1789, according to Bloomberg.The 1789 team, situated less than two miles from Mar-a-Lago, is immersed in Trump world. So far, the firm led the $15 million seed round for Tucker Carlsons new media company; has poured more than $50 million into Elon Musks companies xAI and SpaceX; invested in a beverage company founded by right-wing YouTubers the Nelk Boys, and backed the prediction site Polymarket, according to Bloomberg.The firm is reportedly looking for companies to acquire, under the expectation that President Trump will relax some financial regulatory rules, a source told Bloomberg.Overall, 1789 raised $500 million alone after Inauguration Day and is hoping to raise at least $1 billion for its first fund by the middle of this year, especially from endowments and pensions in Republican states.Elsewhere, according to Bloomberg and the Financial Times, Trump Jr. is on the board of three publicly traded companies, including a drone manufacturer, a conservative marketplace, and a fintech. Hes on the board of BlinkRX, a 1789 portfolio company that does drug deliveries. Hes an adviser to the firearm retailer GrabAGun, which Malik said he and Trump Jr. were looking to take public this year. Hes an adviser to another prediction market company, Kalshi, and alongside his brother Eric, he is an investor in the biotech company Dominari Holdings.Hes also, of course, the sole trustee of Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social.Many were surprised that Trump Jr. decided to go deeper into the startup and investment world after his father became president again, Bloomberg reported, but the move has since become another indication of the deepening economic and social ties between the power players in Silicon Valley and on Capitol Hill.