Shutterstock/Jorm SangsornIf only we could swap bodies, we could see and feel the world as others do. This idea isnt just a favourite Hollywood plot, but was also conjured up by 17th-century philosopher and physician John Locke, a pioneer of empiricism. He used it to explore one of the biggest philosophical conundrums of the human condition is your subjective experience the same as that of others?For Locke, the appeal of the body swap narrative probably lay in a conviction that endures today that it is impossible to objectively measure subjective experience. This yawning gap in science is a problem.Take the example of pain, which is notoriously hard to gauge objectively. Multiple studies indicate that women are given less pain relief than men even when in similar amounts of agony; things are worse for those from marginalised groups. Fortunately, research now under way by neurologists could rewrite how we communicate our sense of pain, with major implications for equalising treatment. A new approach to answering the question of whether colour perception is the same for everyone has also proven fruitful (see Do we all see red as the same colour? We finally have an answer).AdvertisementTrying to measure subjective energy levels might be likely to be described as woo-wooColour perception is one thing, but what about more hazy concepts, such as energy? Trying to measure someones subjective energy levels might feel beyond the realm of investigation, more likely to be filed under woo-woo.And yet, as our cover story describes (see A fresh understanding of tiredness reveals how to get your energy back), a fresh look at the mind-body connection, along with the biological mechanisms for energy production in our cells, is revealing a new understanding of what might be driving a seemingly intangible feeling of lacking energy.That such science is coalescing is worthy of tentative celebration. Working to understand that which appears, at first, to be beyond objective measurement isnt just a way to satiate our fascination. It will help doctors to better understand and treat their patients, and help us all live better. No Freaky Friday-style body swap required.Topics:

2025-03-12T18:25:37Z Read in app Costco and Target have long made corporate social responsibility a big part of their brand identities, but they have recently handled their DEI policies differently. Talia Lakritz/BI (Costco); Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images (Target) This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Target and Costco have responded in different ways to the changing politics around DEI.A recent survey indicates some customer foot traffic and market share has shifted from Target to Costco.Meanwhile Walmart which hasn't made DEI a big part of its brand has performed consistently.The backlash to the backlash over DEI is starting to show up at Target and Costco.While both retailers have long made so-called corporate social responsibility a big part of their brand identities, they responded in remarkably different ways regarding DEI policies in the face of a second Donald Trump presidency.In January, Target said it was scrapping some of its DEI-related programs, while Costco's shareholders successfully defended theirs against an activist shareholder proposal.Now, a new survey from consumer analytics firm Numerator finds customer foot traffic and market share have shifted from Target to Costco, particularly among shoppers who say DEI is important.In terms of year-over-year visits, the firm said Target has seen nearly 5 million fewer shopping trips during the four weeks ending on February 9. By contrast, Costco saw nearly 7.7 million more visits during the same period.Neither company immediately responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.While Numerator said the changes "may be linked" to the companies' respective DEI stances, a number of other factors, such as persistently high consumer prices and the availability of eggs, may have contributed to the shifting market share between the two retailers.Still, the shifts were most pronounced among Black and Hispanic/Latino households and especially during the first week of February. In particular, Numerator said that Hispanic or Latino households drove more than a third of Costco's gains, nearly twice the rate that would be expected based on demographic representation alone.Meanwhile, Walmart which never made DEI a big part of its brand identity saw relatively consistent performance during the same four-week window, even though it scaled back some of its DEI efforts late last year.Additionally, Numerator found that frequent Walmart shoppers are generally less concerned with DEI and social justice issues than frequentThe numbers suggest that being known for one position and then changing course could push some customers away."That kind of seesawing back and forth and saying one thing and doing another, that's what gets brands like Target in trouble," Collage Group's chief insights officer, David Albert, recently told Business Insider."We've seen here, especially with Target, is that they've eroded that trust because they're not doing what they say and they don't say what they do," Albert said.

2025-03-12T17:54:35Z Read in app Many older Americans continue working in their retirement years for social and financial reasons. Courtesy of Louis Belline This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Louis Belline, 75, has almost retired five times but kept returning to work.Belline, a pilot and flight instructor, works to stay mentally active and trains young pilots.Many older Americans continue working in their retirement years for social and financial reasons.Louis Belline, 75, has almost retired five times.Throughout his 50-year career, the pilot and flight instructor has left jobs with retirement as the goal, but work kept calling him back. He doesn't need the money he has a mid-seven-figure net worth and said working keeps his mind fresh and gives him purpose."You've got to have something to do that you're interested in because the biggest concern I have is I don't want my brain to atrophy," said Belline, who lives in the Atlanta area.Belline is one of a few dozen older Americans who told Business Insider in recent months that they have no plans to stop working in their golden years. While some continue working because they have no choice financially, others said work has given them a social life, extra financial security, and meaning in their lives.Do you have a story to share about working into your later years? Please fill out this quick Google Form.A change prompts a new plan forwardBelline grew up in a small farming town in Missouri and got his pilot license at 17. He wanted to pursue flying full-time but went to college instead, as there were few flying opportunities in his rural area.Two weeks after graduation, Belline joined the Air Force and served in the Vietnam War. He flew for six years in supersonic jets and cargo planes.After leaving the Air Force, he was hired by Delta Air Lines in 1979 and relocated to Atlanta. While at Delta, he raised a family, bought a house, saved for retirement, and allocated funds to pay for his children's college education.Belline said he stayed away from risky investments while his children grew up and focused on smart real estate choices to grow his wealth. For example, he bought homes for cheap and later sold them for a profit.In the early aughts, he retired from Delta with over $1 million in the bank and an over $6,200 monthly pension. However, when the company declared bankruptcy in 2005, his monthly pension amount dropped to about $190 and came from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation."All of a sudden, I was sitting there going, I have to make payments," Belline said, referring to the difference in his pension. "We had been saving our whole lives, and I'd already been putting 10% of my salary into 401(k)s. My goal was to preserve it and not spend it."Building wealth and keeping his mind activeHe wanted to preserve his retirement savings, so he landed another job flying a 747 cargo plane, mainly to and from Asia, though he quit a few years later. He once again considered retirement but didn't feel comfortable that his nest egg would last, so he spent three months flying for a military charter company before quitting.Shortly after, he skipped retirement again by taking a job with Boeing as a contract flying instructor, which brought him to Qatar, Singapore, and South Korea to teach pilots.Belline's wife said she was tired of him frequently going across the world for work. And so, he left the job but didn't retire: he joined Delta again as a contract instructor in Atlanta."It really keeps my mind going, and I've backed off to where I only work 18 to 20 gigs a month," Belline said, which equates to a part-time job.To build his household's wealth, Belline said he stuck 10% of his money in an IRA throughout his career. He took advantage of 401(k) matching at his employers, and, though Belline didn't call himself frugal, he said he and his wife never bought fancy cars or spent extravagantly.In between his current contract role, Belline and his wife are renovating a lake house in the North Georgia Mountains."I see people retire and sit down and just die," Belline said. He added that he knew a captain who retired at 60 and was believed to be perfectly healthy but died four months later.Belline said he has a few more years of work and would prefer to retire when he becomes less "quick and sharp.""I figure I can keep trucking and keep up with these younger people who are smarter than me," Belline said.

Microsoft reportedly wants to partner with a manufacturer to release an Xbox handheld system, putting Nintendo's Switch 2 and Valve's Steam Deck on notice here's all we knowTech12:28, 12 Mar 2025Ready for more Xbox consoles?(Image: Xbox)We're just weeks away from the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal on April 2, with the console's release date, launch line-up, and pricing expected to be confirmed after months, even years, of speculation, which only intensified after the January 2025 reveal video.While we know the console will have rivals like the Steam Deck, MSI Claw, and other handheld PCs, it appears Microsoft could be readying a shot across Nintendo's bow, too.Article continues belowAccording to a new report from Windows Central's Jez Corden, Microsoft could be working to partner with a handheld manufacturer to launch a portable Xbox as soon as this year.While Sony has launched the PlayStation 5 Pro in recent months, Microsoft has been quiet on the hardware front, though Corden has tipped Xbox to launch a new console in 2027, with a new handheld console bridging the gap.Phil Spencer is keen on an Xbox handheld(Image: Getty Images)Corden's report suggests Microsoft won't be launching its own handheld, but rather partnering with another company to develop an Xbox system players can take with them."It seems Microsoft is working with a PC gaming OEM (think ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, etc.) on an Xbox-branded gaming handheld, surprisingly slated for later in 2025 if plans are met," Corden explains."Codename Keenan," this gaming handheld will look unmistakably "Xbox" we're told, complete with an official Xbox guide button, and Xbox design sensibilities"He continued: "Given that this is a partner device, similar to Lenovo's SteamOS partnership with Valve, I expect this handheld to be more PC-oriented. It'll most likely run full Windows, putting the Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass front and centre, alongside the ability to install things like Steam."If you're worried about how Microsoft might slim titles down for a handheld, Corden has an answer to that, too."Thanks to the Xbox Series S, Microsoft already has a large amount of games that could be more easily ported to a handheld-type system, too.""The strong possibility that these future systems will remain backward compatible ensures that those of us who are digitally locked to the Xbox ecosystem will have a place to upgrade to in the future. Future Xbox games will likely be Windows-oriented, hopefully with "Xbox Play Anywhere" as a default licensing model."Xbox became the biggest video game publisher in the world in December thanks to its multiplatform strategy, leading some to speculate its days of making hardware are over. With this handheld ambition, and the potential for an Xbox console in 2027, it appears there's still fight in the green brand yet.For more on Xbox, be sure to check out our concerns about Microsoft using a new model to generate AI-built games.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

Dating sim has a period tracker designed with help from gynaecologistsAdam StarkeyPublished March 12, 2025 5:40pmUpdated March 12, 2025 5:45pm Virtual boyfriends are all the rage (Infold Games)A surprising amount of research has gone into a new dating simulator, where the heartthrob male leads offer support and advice to would-be suitors.Dating simulators are often overlooked by the games industry but the sub-genre is arguably one of the most inclusive and considerate, between the likes of Boyfriend Dungeon and Hatoful Boyfriend where you romance sentient birds.One popular dating sim, titled Love And Deepspace, caught peoples attention earlier this year when it implemented a period tracker as part of a new update. This Remind Me feature is basically an in-game calendar which includes an option where players can put in the dates of their actual menstrual cycle, which will trigger a reminder from the dreamboat male cast.Beyond just a reminder though, the games publisher, Infold Games, have revealed how they went one further with the feature, in order to offer support for women.In the game itself, the male leads will remind players and provide comforting advice when a player is experiencing menstruation. As described in an interview with 4Gamer (translated by Automaton), these messages of support were a key part of the features design.According to the developers, the idea of a period tracker stemmed from the thought of, How nice would it be if your partner, who you spend each day with, cared about you and helped you affectionately during those days.This feature was also apparently requested by players through official surveys, with the devs describing its implementation as natural.When it came to researching the idea, the team consulted gynaecologists from several of the best hospitals in China. As such, all the statements and advice from the male leads in Love And Deepspace has been reviewed by experts on the subject.As for what these responses involve, the male cast will offer to buy you pads and give you massages. One character, Zayne, even discusses how the fluctuations in hormone levels and stress from menstruation can lead to insomnia and offers music to help you sleep.Even when youre not on your period, you should always be mindful of how much pressure you apply to your abdomen, Zayne remarks, as shown on YouTube. This helps prevent your internal organs from being damaged. Love And Deepspace is part dating sim, part sci-fi role-player (Infold Games)While period tracking functionality is new to games, it is used in apps centred around female health. The use of the technology, however, has raised some privacy concerns over the sharing of sensitive data, especially in the US where many states have banned abortions.More TrendingIn light of these concerns, the developers behind Love And Deepspace have stressed that the period tracking feature is entirely optional.Love And Deepspace, developed by PaperGames in China and published by Infold Games worldwide, was released on iOS and Android devices last year and has since become a huge success.According to reports, it was the second most lucrative mobile game released in 2024 behind Dungeon & Fighter: Mobile. Here to ease your period pains (Infold Games)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Two new reports highlight strengths as well as weaknesses

But toppling ASML will not be easy

TheStar Wars community was rocked last month with the news of the seemingly inevitable death of Watto, the Toydarian junk dealer and former slave owner of Anakin Skywalker. But now the moment is upon us, and as with all good stories, things are a little more interesting than they first seemed. The second issue ofLegacy of Vader, out this week from writer Charles Soule, artists Luke Ross and Nolan Woodard, and letterist Joe Caramagna, takes a young Kylo Ren to Tatooine on the first stop of his new let the past die tour, a hot collabo with Darth Vaders former attendant Vane as the two explore Vaders titular legacy. The theme here, as it was throughout the first issue of the series, is less about Anakins life and his legacy: its about an awareness of narrative, a thing different from truth, and the power that can be held in projecting and presenting that narrative. This is where Ren and Vane differ. Kylo, still in the throes of tumult he went through during the events of The Last Jedi, is intent on controlling his story, and the story of those that came before him, in a distinctly destructive manner: he tells Vane constantly that things about Vaders history as Anakin Skywalker should be eradicated and erased; he literally takes his lightsaber and uses it to carve an obfuscating gash over Anakins name in a list of winners of the Boonta Eve Classic. To Kylo Ren, any history that does not make his grandfather the vision he has of him in his mindthe vision he needs in this moment of doubtshould simply no longer exist, just as he lies to himself about his own upbringing. Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard, and Joe Caramagna/Marvel Comics Vane, on the other hand, wields the power of the actual narrative of Vaders history, revealing to Ren that he knows so much of Vaders history because hes been snooping on secret files Palpatine kept on his apprentice. Even as we know that Vane is misinterpreting what that past meant to Vaderthat he held onto it for the pain and anger he derived from it, rather than it being the link that would ultimately see Anakin redeem himselfhe again makes the case throughout here to Kylo Ren, that someones history just cannot be erased from our understanding of them.Its this ideological push-and-pull that takes us and our players to the momentStar Wars fans have waited for since it was previewed last month. Seeking to find out who dared to enslave the mighty Darth Vader, Ren has Vane take him to Wattos junkyard, found empty and in a state of disrepair. Its here we get the panel glimpsed in last months previews: imagined through Vaders eyes, but indeedimagined, as Ren surmises the vision he has of his grandfather in his head. The junkyard is abandoned because Vadermust have come back, at the apex of his control of the dark side, and slaughtered Watto. He must have done this, because thats what Kylo Ren wants Vaders legacy, and through it his own, to be about (to be fair to him, it is a fair guess to make about Vader as a person, albeit for very different and far funnier reasons than Ren could ever contemplate). But thats not the case, at least according to Vane. Vader had other things to do than be so beholden to his past in the way Kylo Ren imagines, apparently, and so, Watto lived. Perhaps still lives, evenLegacy of Vader #2 doesnt definitively tell us one way or the other, just that Vader didnt kill him. Watto couldve died, he couldve abandoned the junk trade and moved on elsewhere, we dont know. Whichis the point. Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard, and Joe Caramagna/Marvel Comics Star Wars fans love facts. Whos dead, whos alive, who did what, when, where, and how. The canonical interpretation of its story has driven reams of debate analysis, it has, in many ways, especially in the decade since it was overhauled and reset to be filled up with facts anew, shaped the consumption of that narrative above all else. The very fact of Wattos death was arguably more important than Watto himself, simply for the intellectual curiosity that we didntknow it. He never got a canon death in the old Expanded Universe,Legacy of Vader #2 teased that he might. And that mattered, because, well, Watto is a fact. He is a figure of merit in the facts of Anakin Skywalkers life, a data point who stood out for the little we knew of and around him, and that mattered as much as whatever the story that would deliver those facts. I would imagine very few people actually cared whether or Watto was dead or alive beforeLegacy of Vader teased his fate, compared to the amount of people who craved the the what, the when, the where, and the how. And yet, the fact that we do not know the fate of this character, one seemingly so important to the tapestry of a character whos life we have spent nearly five decades being fascinated with, is far more interesting that the regurgitation of Darth Vader went back to Tatooine and killed the uncomfortably antisemitic stereotype that owned him as a kid. Its not the first time Soule has done this kind of thing when writing about Vader, eitherthe canon of how his lightsaber came to be was given a banal origin story where people might have imagined some grander truth, to push back against this idea that every facet ofStar Wars story must have some predestined, powerful,important fact at its root. Its the very thing that sits at the heart ofLegacy of Vader, a story that is, so far, less about that legacy and more about the way we tell storiesthe ways they can be chopped and changed, the ways they can be obfuscated to fit into a preconceived assumption, and most crucially above all, that some parts of a story just arent as grand and important as we might have imagined. Sometimes a dead Toydarian is just a dead Toydarian. Except when they might be aliveand maybe the fact that we might never know the truth is for the best. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

By AJ Dellinger Published March 12, 2025 | Comments (5) | YouTube TV channels screen displayed on a smartphone Caitlin McGarry/Gizmodo Brendan Carr has some questions about God. Mainly, why isnt he getting more air time? Donald Trumps pick to head the Federal Communications Commission sent a letter last week to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan asking if YouTube TV has any policies that discriminate against faith-based programmingan ask prompted by a complaint from Great American Media, which claims the streaming TV provider refuses to carry its cable networks. Carr doesnt seem to see any reason why YouTube TV wouldnt want to pick up Great American Medias Great American Family channel. After all, as Carr writes, its the second-fastest growing channel in cable television and its already been picked up by platforms and services like Comcast, Cox, Hulu, FuboTV, and DirecTV. So, Carr wants to know, whats YouTube TVs beef with good, old-fashioned American programming like Farm Kings or Celebrity Motorhomes? Now, a reasonable operator may assume that YouTube TV has simply done the math and figured there isnt much to gain by adding Great American Family to its network, given that its a pretty niche operation that mostly produces made-for-TV films that answer the question, What if Hallmark was born-again? But where most may see a very normal business decision, Carr fears there may be something insidious. He fears that YouTube TV might be marginalizing faith-based and family-friendly content. Worse, he believes that by not carrying channels like Great American Family, YouTube TV might be hurting the public discourse.In too many cases, tech companies silenced individuals for doing nothing more than expressing themselves and in the digital town square, he wrote.Another observer might see the FCCs pursuit of this whole thing to be a bit of favor-trading. Great American Media is co-owned by Bill Abbott, a Trump-orbiter who spoke at CPAC this year and has been using Trumps victory to try to push his own programming, going so far as to claim the 2024 presidential election shows there is a demand for content that uplifts faith, family, and country. The son of Great American Medias other owner, Tom Hicks, served as the National Finance Co-Chairman for Trumps 2016 campaign and was the Texas chair for Trumps America First Super PAC. Frankly, it seems a little silly that God would need access to an over-the-top streaming platform when he has the ability to speak to humans directly, be it through speaking to people in their dreams or flooding the entire Earth to send a message. If anything, seems like God has the advantage when it comes to reach.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By AJ Dellinger Published March 3, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published February 12, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published February 6, 2025 By Lucas Ropek Published January 31, 2025 By Todd Feathers Published January 2, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published December 31, 2024

Artistic reconstruction of the terrestrial ecological landscape before the end Permian mass extinction based on fossil palynomorphs, plants, and tetrapods recovered, as well as sedimentological data from the South Taodonggou Section Image by Dinghua YangShareDuring a cataclysmic mass extinction event, there are typically not many places to hide. However, a region of the mountainous Turpan-Hami Basin in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in Western China may have been an oasis for some living organisms during the planets largest mass extinction. The spot may have served as a refugiumor life oasisfor terrestrial plants during the end-Permian mass extinction, when 80 to 90 percent of life on Earth was wiped out about 252 million years ago.These new findings are detailed in a study published March 12 in the journal Science Advances and challenges some of the views that land-based ecosystems saw the same major losses as marine environments during this incredibly turbulent time in our planets natural history. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.Great Dying debatesDuring the end-Permian mass extinctionalso called the Great Dying80 percent of marine species were wiped out. While most species on land did not fare much better, the scope of terrestrial impacts has been debated by scientists.One prevailing theory suggests that massive volcanic eruptions in present-day Siberia triggered widespread devastation on land through wildfires, acid rain, and toxic gases. The extinction of Gigantopteris plants in South China and across the ancient supercontinent Gondwanaland around 252 million years ago helps bolster this argument.However, another theory argues that latitude and atmospheric circulation may have limited the effects of acid rain, wildfire, and toxic gases in certain regions. Some fossils suggest that some Mesozoic plants even existed before the mass extinction event, which could be evidence of uninterrupted evolution.Tree trunks and fern stemsIn this new study, a team of scientists from institutions in the United States, Tibet, and China used fossil evidence of a terrestrial plant community that appears to have remained largely intact throughout the extinction event. This allowed the plants to continuously evolve and recover from any losses more quickly.The team looked at the South Taodonggou section of the Turpan-Hami Basin in Xinjiang. They used detailed analysis of fossil pollen and spores and a new geological dating method developed by Missouri University of Science and Technology geologist Wan Yang. From this dating technique and fossil analysis, it appears that the riparian fern fields and coniferous forest here continually thrived from 160,000 years before the extinction event began until 160,000 years after it ended.Artistic reconstruction of the terrestrial ecological landscape at the onset of the end Permian mass extinction based on fossil palynomorphs, plants , and tetrapods recovered, as well as sedimentological data from the South Taodonggou Section. CREDIT: Image by Dinghua Yang. The presence of intact tree trunks and fern stems further confirms that these microfossils represent local vegetation, not transported remnants, Mingli Wan, a study co-author and paleobotanist at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGPAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a statement.While some plant species did disappear locally, the team found that the overall extinction rate of spore and pollen species in South Taodonggou may have been only 21 percent. This percentage is significantly lower than the marine extinction rate during the same period, which saw about 80 percent of life wiped out.What causes biological resilience?According to the team, this stable base of vegetation was crucial for the local ecosystems recovery. Fossil evidence shows that this area was home to numerous tetrapods, small four-limbed vertebrates that include todays living amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The region was home to a plant eating tetrapod called Lystrosaurus and carnivorous chroniosuchians, which shows that the food web became more complex fairly quickly. The new evidence suggests the area recovered more than 10 times faster than in other regions of the world.The areas stable, semi-humid climate may have been the reason behind this great biological resilience. South Taodonggou consistently received about 100 millimeters of rainfall per year, which helped build abundant vegetation and a more habitable environment than other regions after the end-Permian mass extinction. All of this plant life offered vital support for migrating animals.Tetrapod skeletal fossils preserved in the South Taodonggou Section in Xinjiang, China date to approximately 150,000 years before the end-Permian mass extinction. CREDIT: Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGPAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its proximity to the volcanic activity that triggered the end-Permian extinction also allowed the Turpan-Hami Basin shelter for crucial biodiversity.This suggests that local climate and geographic factors can create surprising pockets of resilience, offering hope for conservation efforts in the face of global environmental change, Feng Liu, a study co-author and paleontologist at NIGPAS, said in a statement.According to the authors, the current concerns about the planet entering another mass extinctionone driven by human activityhighlights the importance of identifying and protecting areas like this that could protect life.