Reacher season 3AmazonReachers return has set an Amazon record for the most views for a returning series ever (not great news for Rings of Power), but midway through the season, that was not enough to hang on to the #1 spot on Amazon Prime Videos Top 10 list.You may be able to guess what is now #1 instead, which would be Invincible, thanks to its season finale that the fanbase is raving about online, and one that has a perfect 10/10 score on IMDB, one of the few episodes of any show to ever achieve that, even if it may tick down later.The Invincible finale (spoilers ahead) featured an all-time great battle between Mark and Viltrumite enforcer Conquest, a battle from the comics that fans have long hyped up, but thanks to a few additions and changes, many would say was even better than the original. Probably two-thirds of the episode is the epic fight scene, and it was relentless, making for easily the best episode the series has ever had, which most would say is not up for debate. Last weeks Invincible War was almost as good though. Great season.InvincibleAmazonWe already know season 4 is coming, which would take us halfway through Robert Kirkmans eight seasons that he wants to make, though thats not a guarantee. Kirkman has said he wants to get these seasons out without any more big delays, and says that season 4 should arrived in 2026, either 1-1.5 years after season 3 has aired, better than the long gap between seasons 1 and 2.As for the rest of the list, do not fear for Reacher, which is already renewed for season 4 and will be back to #1 in no time. The debut of The Wheel of Time season 3, which honestly I did not realize was happening, is currently #3 on the list, and it will probably get to #2 as people finish off Invincible. The surprise hit, House of David, is down to #4, but may rise as we get closer to its season finale, a big square-off with Goliath as the biblical-based show continues to perform well.Amazon is in a pretty good groove lately, with far fewer shows than Netflix, but a much higher batting average overall. But this Invincible finale? That is certainly its crown jewel, and if youve seen it, I think youd agree.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

The big picture: Following the stellar success of the original Switch, many are eagerly awaiting its successor. In January, Nintendo gave fans their first official glimpse of the second-generation Switch, confirming that it will be called the Switch 2. Unfortunately for prospective buyers, a new report suggests that it may come with a significant price increase over its predecessor. According to Bloomberg, several analysts with insider knowledge, as well as Nintendo's hardware and software partners, expect the Switch 2 to be priced between $400 and $500.One such analyst, Toyo Securities' Hideki Yasuda, predicts the console could retail for as much as $499. He attributes the potential price hike to the cost of the Switch 2's processor, which is expected to be significantly more expensive than the chip powering the first-generation model. The original Switch's Nvidia chip costs around $80, while the Switch 2's chip is estimated to be in the $130 $150 range.Beyond the processor, looming US tariffs on Chinese imports could also influence the Switch 2's pricing. However, Nintendo is hedging its bets by assembling the device in Vietnam in addition to China.Macquarie Capital analyst Hiroshi Yamashina offers a slightly lower estimate, suggesting the Switch 2 could be priced between $399 and $449. He also predicts that Nintendo could ship around 20 million units of the Switch 2 in its first year on the market.Regardless of the reason for the price hike, the Switch 2 won't be nearly as affordable as the original model bad news for gamers everywhere. Whether it's priced at $400 or $500, it would represent a significant markup over the first-generation Switch, which launched in 2017 for $300. // Related StoriesDespite the higher price tag, analysts and investors expect the Switch 2 to be a massive hit, driven by a strong lineup of popular titles. According to Tokyo-based industry analyst Serkan Toto, Nintendo is expected to sell "boatloads" of Switch 2 units in the first few months, "almost regardless of the price."Toto added that Nintendo will likely release major titles such as Mario Kart, 3D Mario, Pokmon Legends: Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4 during the Switch 2's first year on the market. Meanwhile, blockbuster third-party games like Call of Duty are also expected to be available on day one, further boosting the console's appeal.Industry analyst Robin Zhu from investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein predicts the Switch 2 will launch in June with an initial inventory of 6 to 8 million units. If Zhu's estimates are accurate, it would mark the biggest gaming console launch in history, surpassing the 3.4 million PS5 units Sony sold in its first month.

Something to look forward to: Google launched a beta program for playing Android games on PC in 2022 and gradually expanded compatibility to include thousands of titles. A new update allows users to run most Android titles on Windows while offering numerous customization options. The program is set to exit beta later this year. The beta program for playing Android games on Windows PCs will soon become opt-out for developers, allowing users to try almost any mobile game on laptops and desktops. Furthermore, Google aims to make a limited selection of PC titles playable on Android devices.Developers initially had to opt in to the Google Play Games program due to concerns over compatibility with mice, keyboards, and AMD processors. Unlike Microsoft's aborted attempt to bring Android apps to Windows 11 through the Android App Store (which Tencent is currently attempting to revive), Google's program also supports Windows 10.Following the update later this month, beta testers can freely test any Android game unless the developer expressly forbids it. A new customization menu enables mapping keyboard and mouse controls to a game's original touchscreen controls. A brief clip demonstrates how to drag a WASD icon on top of a mobile game's virtual joystick. Users can also play on multiple accounts simultaneously.To help users find compatible games, Google will begin labeling games according to how well they support PC interfaces. With "optimized" and "playable" ranks, the system closely resembles Valve's Steam Deck verification program. Users can run titles labeled "untested" only by specifically searching for them.Any PC with at least 8GB of memory, a quad-core processor, 10GB of storage space, and hardware virtualization enabled can run the beta. The program initially supported only Intel CPUs for most games, but Google recently added full support for AMD processors. Additionally, Google aims to partner with PC manufacturers to ship devices with the Google Play Games launcher pre-installed later this year, likely when the program exits beta.Around 50 PC games are also playable on Android devices through Google Play Games. This month's update will expand the list with entries like Dredge, TABS, and a re-imagined version of Disco Elysium that developer ZA/UM says targets TikTok users with a new vertical display format.Anyone interested in the latter should note that most of the original game's creative team were ousted amid a complex and still-unresolved legal and financial saga. The extent of the new port's faithfulness to the critically acclaimed RPG remains unclear.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsAssassins Creed OdysseyEnter the GungeonPowerwash SimulatorGame Pass serves many functions as a service. Some use it to play the best Xbox Series X games on release, others lean on it between games, and everything in between. One of our favorite ways to take advantage of the massive Game Pass catalog is in preparation for upcoming Xbox Series X games. Whether it be playing previous games in a series to get caught up, or games in a similar genre to get in the mood, Game Pass has what youre looking for. We have our eye onAssassins Creed Shadows next week just like you, but what about this weekend? Here are the best Xbox Game Pass games to boot up over the break.All the best Assassins Creed games are on Game Pass, but we feel Odysseyis the best of them since transitioning into RPGs. Historically, this is the earliest game in the timeline, though that doesnt matter much since there are only loose threads connecting the games at this point. What does matter is how vast and enjoyable a world this is to explore. It isnt quite as bloated asValhallaand will get you back into the groove of parkouring, stealthing, and fighting all over again. The story here is also one of the best in the series if you have the time to go all the way with it. But even just dabbling in it so you dont get burned out before Shadows is a great way to prepare yourself.Recommended VideosAssassins Creed Odyssey is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.RelatedFans of roguelikes are all waiting for 33 Immortalsto drop to see how a 33 player roguelike experience plays out. Before that,Enter the Gungeonis back on Game Pass to tide you over. It shares a somewhat similar perspective and chaotic nature where positioning and dodging are as important as dealing damage. In Gungeon,youre obviously alone but also face more bullet-hell-style bosses. Each random weapon has a different use, funny name, and multiple synergies with other weapons and items to uncover. Add in multiple secret paths, bosses, and unlockables and you have one of the best feeling roguelikes that never gets too bloated.Enter the Gunegon is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.Spring is right around the corner, which means it is time for spring cleaning. Or, you can boot up Powerwash Simulatorand clean virtual environments. While you should still do the former, the latter is far more satisfying. Sure, this sounds like one of those meme simulator games, but it has become a huge hit for a reason. Blasting away grime and dirt with your powerwasher in neat lines until a dingy wall is perfectly clear scratches some primal itch within us. It is completely stress-free and perfect for just relaxing on a lazy weekend to turn your brain off and just enjoy the simple reward of cleaning. There are even some awesome crossover DLCs if you want to clean locations from Wallace and Gromit, Shrek, Back to the Future, and plenty more.Powerwash Simulator is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.Editors Recommendations

Final Fantasy XIV has been in content drought territory lately, with players taking the opportunity to level alt jobs and painstakingly create elaborate portraits for each one but all of that is about to change with patch 7.2. After a 24-hour maintenance period on the 24th, the patch will launch on March 25.For hard content players, the Savage version of the new Arcadion: Cruiserweight Division tier will release seven days after the initial patch, giving you one week to prep your gear. Naoki Yoshida and Toshi Murouchi showed off the first fight of the new tier in a Live Letter stream today, revealing a disco-dancing male Viera named Dancing Green as the boss.Recommended VideosHe looks so comical that as the footage showed a Warrior of Light getting ready to take him on, Murouchi lamented how embarrassing it is for us to fight such a ridiculous boss with such a serious face. Were all quite used to facing ridiculous bosses in FFXIV, though, of course.Interestingly, it looks like the fight will have some kind of rhythm game aspect to it, with Yoshida alluding to a perfection bonus and likening the music to a DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) track.Alongside the usual story and raid content, were also getting updates to PvP, the new Cosmic Exploration content, and the next Field Exploration series (i.e. the new Bozja).Please enable Javascript to view this contentCosmic Exploration is a new type of side content for leveling crafters and gatherers at level 10 and above, coming in patch 7.21 on April 22. The theme of the content appears to be building bases on distant planets, with the content beginning on the moon in this patch and moving on to new places in future updates. The main gameplay loop revolves around completing missions, earning credits, and getting rewards to expand the base. Nice QoL features include a separate inventory and a permanent sprint button.It also looks like you can fly around in a giant mech suit, smashing crystals to collect resources. There are definitely a fair few similarities between this content and the Firmament it even has a new version of Kupo Fortune called Cosmic Fortune where you can trade Lunar Credits for prizes (including a new dye color).The new Field Exploration series is coming in patch 7.25 (coming May 27) and its called Occult Crescent. You need to have completed Dawntrail and have a Disciple of War or Magic at level 100 to enter and it will be split into different instances, each with up to 72 players. Much like the Bozja content from Shadowbringers, Occult Crescent has its own leveling system where youll lose experience points each time youre incapacitated (unless youre revived by another player). There will also be a separate support job system called Phantom Jobs, which you can unlock and level up as you progress.Critical Encounters are making a comeback too, hopefully with as many hardcore mechanics as the encounters in Bozja. When enough players gather at a Critical Encounter, you can form parties and take on the boss in a time-limited battle. Theres also a weapon enhancement story tied to this content called The Phantom Weapon.Two QoL upgrades that are also coming are the ability to summon your mount while moving and a new jogging state that keeps your movement speed up for longer after a sprint ends. They might sound small, but dont be fooled this is a big deal.To recap, heres a list of the main content coming in the 7.2 patches:Main Scenario Seekers of EternityNew Arcadion raid tierCosmic ExplorationThe Occult CrescentNew Dungeon The UnderkeepNew Trial RecollectionNew Unreal Trial Hells Kier (Unreal)Allied Society QuestsMore Hildibrand questsNew crafting recipesNew mounts, minions, and emotesPvP updatesEditors Recommendations

that darn monkey Outbreak turns 30 Ars chats with epidemiologist Tara Smith about the film's scientific accuracy and impact over 3 decades. Jennifer Ouellette Mar 14, 2025 7:15 am | 10 Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo starred in this medical disaster thriller. Credit: Warner Bros. Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo starred in this medical disaster thriller. Credit: Warner Bros. Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreBack in 2020, when the COVID pandemic was still new, everyone was "sheltering in place" and bingeing films and television. Pandemic-related fare proved especially popular, including the 1995 medical disaster-thriller Outbreak, starring Dustin Hoffman. Chalk it up to morbid curiosity, which some researchers have suggested is an evolved response mechanism for dealing with threats by learning from imagined experiences. Outbreak turned 30 this week, making this the perfect time to revisit the film.(Spoilers for Outbreak abound below.)Outbreak deals with the re-emergence of a deadly virus called Motaba, 28 years after it first appeared in an African jungle, infecting US soldiers and many others. The US military secretly destroyed the camp to conceal evidence of the virus, a project overseen by Major General Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland) and Brigadier General William Ford (Morgan Freeman). When it re-emerges in Zaire decades later, a military doctor, Colonel Sam Daniels (Hoffman), takes a team to the afflicted village to investigate, only to find the entire town has died.Daniels takes blood samples and realizes the villagers had been infected by a deadly new virus. But Ford shrugs off Daniels' concerns about a potential global spread, not wanting the truth to come out about the bombing of the village nearly 30 years ago. Daniels alerts his estranged ex-wife, Dr. Roberta "Robby" Keough, who works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the virus, and she, too, is initially concerned.Meanwhile, a local monkey is captured and brought to the US as an exotic pet. A smuggler named Jimbo (Patrick Dempsey)who works at an animal testing facilitytries to sell the monkey to a pet shop owner named Rudy (Daniel Chodos) in the fictional town of Cedar Creek, California. The monkey bites Rudy. Unable to sell the monkey, Jimbo lets it loose in the woods and flies home to Boston. Both Jimbo and his girlfriend (who greets him at Logan Airport and passionately kisses a feverish Jimbo right before he collapses) die from the virus. Such an innocent-looking monkey to bring so much death. Warner Bros. Such an innocent-looking monkey to bring so much death. Warner Bros. Col. Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) and Dr. Robby Keough (Renee Russo) examine an early victim. Warner Bros. Col. Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) and Dr. Robby Keough (Renee Russo) examine an early victim. Warner Bros. Such an innocent-looking monkey to bring so much death. Warner Bros. Col. Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) and Dr. Robby Keough (Renee Russo) examine an early victim. Warner Bros. Brig. Gen. William Ford (Morgan Freeman) knows more about the virus than he's letting on. Warner Bros. Brig. Gen. William Ford (Morgan Freeman) knows more about the virus than he's letting on. Warner Bros. Major General Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland) is almost cartoonish in his villainy. Warner Bros. Major General Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland) is almost cartoonish in his villainy. Warner Bros. Brig. Gen. William Ford (Morgan Freeman) knows more about the virus than he's letting on. Warner Bros. Major General Donald McClintock (Donald Sutherland) is almost cartoonish in his villainy. Warner Bros. Naturally Keough hears about the Boston cases and realizes Daniels was rightthe new virus has found its way to American soil. Initially she thinks there aren't any other cases, but then Rudy's demise comes to light, along with the death of a hospital technician who became infected after accidentally breaking a vial of Rudy's blood during testing. When the virus strikes down a cinema filled with moviegoers, Daniels and Keough realize the virus has mutated and become airborne.This time Ford and a reluctant McClintock can't afford not to act as the bodies keep piling up. The military declares martial law in the town as Daniels and his fellow scientists race to develop a cure, even as the nefarious McClintock schemes to bomb Cedar Creek to smithereens to contain the virus. The deaths of the residents strike him as a necessary cost to preserve his hopes of developing Motaba as a biological weapon; he dismisses them as "casualties of war."Outbreak ended up grossing nearly $190 million worldwide when it was released in March 1995, but critical reviews were mixed. Some loved the medical thriller aspects and quick pacing, while others dismissed it as shallow and improbable. Some of the biggest criticisms of the film came from scientists.A mixed bag The patients are increasing in number very quickly. Warner Bros. The patients are increasing in number very quickly. Warner Bros. The military intervenes, to the great dismay of the town's residents. Warner Bros. The military intervenes, to the great dismay of the town's residents. Warner Bros. The patients are increasing in number very quickly. Warner Bros. The military intervenes, to the great dismay of the town's residents. Warner Bros. Anyone with symptoms is moved to a military encampment for isolation. Warner Bros. Anyone with symptoms is moved to a military encampment for isolation. Warner Bros. Some residents resist the quarantine orderonly to meet with a brutal counter attack. Warner Bros. Some residents resist the quarantine orderonly to meet with a brutal counter attack. Warner Bros. Anyone with symptoms is moved to a military encampment for isolation. Warner Bros. Some residents resist the quarantine orderonly to meet with a brutal counter attack. Warner Bros. "Honestly, the science, if you look at it broadly, is not awful," Tara Smith, an epidemiologist at Kent State University in Ohio, told Ars. "They showed BSL-4 facilities and had a little description of the different levels that you work in. The protagonists respond to an outbreak, they take samples, they bring them back to the lab. They infect some cells, infect some animals, they do some microscopy, although it's not clear that they're actually doing electron microscopy, which would be needed to see the virus. But overall, the steps are right."Granted, there are plenty of things to nitpick. "There's a lot of playfulness," said Smith. "Kevin Spacey [who plays military doctor Lt. Col. Casey Schuler] takes out a fake virus tube and tosses it to Cuba Gooding Jr. [who plays another military doctor, Major Salt]. You don't play in the BSL-4 laboratories. You just don't. And a lab tech [who becomes infected] is spinning a centrifuge and doing other things at the same time. Then he opens up the centrifuge and just puts his hand in there and everything breaks. That's how he gets exposed to the virus. I've used a centrifuge hundreds of times. You wait until everything is stopped to open it up. As a trained scientist, those are the things you are told over and over not to do. [The filmmakers] exploit those to drive the plot."One of the biggest scientific criticisms is the time compression: the virus multiplies in the body within an hour instead of days; Salt eventually synthesizes a cure in under a minute when this would normally take months; and Keough (who has been infected) recovers almost immediately after being injected with said cure. Smith also noted that scientists identify the two Motaba strains using electron micrographs rather than sequencing them, as would normally be required.And that whole bit about the Motaba virus liquefying organs just isn't a thing, according to Smith. "If you read The Hot Zone [Richard Preston's bestselling 1994 nonfiction thriller], or watch Outbreak and take a shot every time you hear 'liquefying,' you would be dead by the end," she said. "I don't know how that trope got so established in the media, but you see it every time the Ebola comes up: people are bleeding from their eyes, they're liquefying. That doesn't happen. They're horribly sick. It is an awful virus, but people don't just melt."That said, "I think the biggest [scientific] issue with Outbreak was the whole airborne thing," said Smith. "Realistically, viruses just don't change transmission like that." Lt. Col. Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey) is a doctor who falls victim to the virus. Warner Bros. Lt. Col. Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey) is a doctor who falls victim to the virus. Warner Bros. Robby contracts the virus, raising the stakes for her ex-husband, Sam. Warner Bros. Robby contracts the virus, raising the stakes for her ex-husband, Sam. Warner Bros. Lt. Col. Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey) is a doctor who falls victim to the virus. Warner Bros. Robby contracts the virus, raising the stakes for her ex-husband, Sam. Warner Bros. Sam makes an impassioned plea for help in finding the monkey that is the source of the infections. Warner Bros. Sam makes an impassioned plea for help in finding the monkey that is the source of the infections. Warner Bros. "There you are!" The monkey befriends a little girl. Warner Bros. "There you are!" The monkey befriends a little girl. Warner Bros. Sam makes an impassioned plea for help in finding the monkey that is the source of the infections. Warner Bros. "There you are!" The monkey befriends a little girl. Warner Bros. Influencing public perceptionsAccording to Smith, Outbreak may have impacted public perceptions of the 20142016 Ebola outbreakthe largest yet seenfueling widespread fear. "There were very serious people in The New York Times talking about Ebola potentially becoming airborne," she said. "There was one study where scientists had aerosolized the virus on purpose and given it to pigs and the pigs got infected, which was treated as proof that Ebola could be airborne.""That idea that Ebola is super contagious and you can spread it by airthat really originates with Outbreak in 1995, because if you look at the science, it's just not there," Smith continued. "Ebola is not that easy to get unless you have close, personal, bodily-fluid-exchanging contact. But people certainly thought it was airborne in 20142015, and thought that Ebola was going to cause this huge outbreak in the United States. Of course, we just had a few select cases."Smith is currently working on a project that reviews various outbreak stories in popular media and their influence on public perception, particularly when it comes to the origins of those outbreaks. "Where does the virus, fungus, or bacteria come from?" said Smith. "So many films and TV series have used a lab leak origin, where something was made in the laboratory, it escapes, and causes a global pandemic. That's an important narrative when we talk about the COVID pandemic, because so many people jumped on the lab leak bandwagon as an origin for that. In Outbreak it's a natural virus, not a lab leak. I don't think you'd see that if it were re-made today." Sam and Salt find the information they're looking for. Warner Bros. Sam and Salt find the information they're looking for. Warner Bros. Sam and Major Salt (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) hijack a military helicopter. Warner Bros. Sam and Major Salt (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) hijack a military helicopter. Warner Bros. After a daring standoff, the bomber pilots deposit their load in the ocean, away from the town. Warner Bros. After a daring standoff, the bomber pilots deposit their load in the ocean, away from the town. Warner Bros. Sam and Major Salt (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) hijack a military helicopter. Warner Bros. After a daring standoff, the bomber pilots deposit their load in the ocean, away from the town. Warner Bros. Outbreak is often unfavorably compared to another pandemic movie, 2011's Contagion, of which Smith is naturally a fan. "Contagion is the gold standard [of pandemic movies]," said Smith. "Contagion was done in very close collaboration with a lot of scientists. One of the scientists in the movie is even named for [Columbia University epidemiologist] Ian Lipkin. Scientific accuracy was more important from the start. And there's a bigger timeframe. These things happen in months rather than days. Even in Contagion, the vaccine was developed quicker than in the COVID pandemic, but at least it was a little bit more realistically done, scarily so when you think about the Jude Law character who was the blogger peddling fake curesvery similar to Ivermectin during the COVID pandemic."One might quibble with the science, but as entertainment, after 30 years, the film holds up remarkably well, despite the obvious tropes of action films of the 1990s. (Sam and Salt defying orders and hijacking a military helicopter, then using it to face-off mid-air against a military aircraft deployed to bomb the town out of existence, is just one credibility-straining example.) The talented cast alone makes it worth a rewatch. And for Smith, it was nice to see a strong female epidemiologist as a leading character in Russo's Bobby Keough. On the whole, "I honestly think Outbreak was fairly good," she said.Jennifer OuelletteSenior WriterJennifer OuelletteSenior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 10 Comments

The Amazon rainforest is being transformed by human influenceLynsey Addario/Getty ImagesThere is almost no ecosystem on Earth left untouched by human activity, according to new research that suggests widespread change from pollution, wildlife extinctions and disruption to plant life is pushing the planet into uncharted territory.We have shifted the system to conditions that we have not seen before, says Alejandro Ordonez at Aarhus University in Denmark.Ordonez and his colleagues have mapped the lands exposure to three key drivers of ecosystem novelty

For millennia, mathematicians have been pinning down piGazanfer/Getty Images Copyright: Gazanfer/Getty ImagesWho was the first person to calculate pi? The first person to realise that, hang on, when you divide the circumference of a circle by its diameter, you always seem to get the same number, namely slightly more than 3? We will never know exactly, of course, but it is a reasonable assumption that they lived about 4000 years ago.Lets start with the ancient Egyptians. A papyrus dated to around 1550 BC, which appears to be a maths textbook of sorts, give examples for

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. This annual shot might protect against HIV infections Every year, my colleagues and I put together a list of what we think are the top 10 breakthrough technologies of that year. When it came to innovations in biotech, there was a clear winner: lenacapavir, a drug that was found to prevent HIV infections in 100% of the women and girls who received it in a clinical trial. You never hear 100% in medicine. The trial was the most successful weve ever seen for HIV prevention. The drug was safe, too (its already approved to treat HIV infections). And it only needed to be injected twice a year to offer full protection. This week, the results of a small phase I trial for once-yearly lenacapavir injections were announced at a conference in San Francisco. These early first in human trials are designed to test the safety of a drug in healthy volunteers. Still, the results are incredibly promising. Read our story to find out why. Jessica Hamzelou This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Reviews weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. My sex doll is mad at me: A short story In the not-too-distant future, we might form intimate relationships with robots. In this short fiction story from the latest edition of our print magazine, writer and artist Leo Herrera imagines what might happen when those robots break. Read the full story and if you arent already a subscriber, sign up now to get the next edition of the print magazine. Subscriptions are 25% off today! The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A second wave of mass US government firings is coming More than 100,000 jobs have been cut to datea figure thats likely to keep rising. (Reuters)+ But a judge has demanded the rehiring of thousands of recently fired workers. (NYT $)+ Meet the archivists resisting DOGEs data purge. (New Yorker $)+ Can AI help DOGE slash government budgets? Its complex. (MIT Technology Review)2 OpenAI has accused DeepSeek of being state-controlled And its recommended the US bans the Chinese companys models, just in case. (TechCrunch)+ OpenAI wants to preserve US AI models ability to learn from copyrighted material. (CNBC)+ DeepSeek is uninterested in entering the AI rat race for profits. (FT $)+ How a top Chinese AI model overcame US sanctions. (MIT Technology Review)3 NASA and SpaceX will attempt to rescue the astronauts stuck in space tonight After a mission to send their replacements into space was called off on Wednesday. (WP $)4 Techs biggest companies arent fans of Donald Trumps tariffs Chinese manufacturer Foxconn, which supplies Apple and Amazon, has been hard hit. (FT $)+ Meanwhile, Trump has taken aim at the foundation of US climate rules. (Vox)5 China will start to label AI-generated content online Following in the footsteps of the EU. (Bloomberg $)+ The race to find a better way to label AI. (MIT Technology Review) 6 Big Pharma is cautiously investing in mental health againThe industry had previously turned its back on the field, but new treatments are piquing its interest. (WSJ $) 7 Africa is pinning its hopes of reliable electricity on solar gridsAfrica is the worlds sunniest continent. Why not harness that energy? (Knowable Magazine) + Yes, we have enough materials to power the world with renewable energy. (MIT Technology Review)8 Meet the Christians of Silicon Valley When their work leaves them feeling disillusioned, they find hope in their faith. (Wired $)+ The rise of the tech ethics congregation. (MIT Technology Review)9 How generative AIs creations complement the MAGA aestheticThe pro-Trump internet isnt especially stylish. (NYT $) 10 How to lose $148 billion in under two months Just ask Elon Musk. (The Atlantic $)Quote of the day Its about as good as an intern. Generic and guessable answers. An anonymous US agency worker says theyre not impressed by a chatbot DOGE created in an attempt to automate work previously done by federal employees, Wired reports. The big story Inside the quest to map the universe with mysterious bursts of radio energy May 2024When our universe was less than half as old as it is today, a burst of energy that could cook a suns worth of popcorn shot out from somewhere amid a compact group of galaxies. Some 8 billion years later, radio waves from that burst reached Earth and were captured by a sophisticated low-frequency radio telescope in the Australian outback. The signal, which arrived in June 2022, and lasted for under half a millisecond, is one of a growing class of mysterious radio signals called fast radio bursts. In the last 10 years, astronomers have picked up nearly 5,000 of them. This one was particularly special: nearly double the age of anything previously observed, and three and a half times more energetic.No one knows what causes fast radio bursts. They flash in a seemingly random and unpredictable pattern from all over the sky. But despite the mystery, these radio waves are starting to prove extraordinarily useful. Read the full story.Anna Kramer We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + Why is Hollywood so obsessed with twins right now?+ This octopus contorting its body to fit into a tiny hole is mesmerizing + Did you catch this mornings blood moon lunar eclipse? Dont worry if you didntthese pictures are pretty amazing.+ Happy Pi Day to all who celebrate!

2025-03-14T14:16:51Z Read in app Kitty Mayo, the CEO of Project Europe. Project Europe. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Project Europe has launched to support young founders with 200,000 in investment and mentorship.The initiative aims to nurture European talent and build a more collaborative tech startup ecosystem.Its CEO, Kitty Mayo, outlined key tips and pitch deck dos and don'ts for prospective applicants.Europe's tech ecosystem has long been chastised for trailing behind the US. A batch of investors and founders on the continent want to change the narrative and they are betting on young people to do it. Project Europe, which launched this week as a collaboration between 20VC, Adjacent, and Point9 Ventures, is looking to back enterprising founders under 25 who are building a tech-enabled startup.The program which is being billed as Europe's own Thiel Fellowship offers a 200,000 initial investment in exchange for 6.66% equity in an applicant's startup. And, crucially, it can provide access to a sprawling network of European founders who can act as mentors."We've seen so many talented people build in Europe," Project Europe's CEO Kitty Mayo told Business Insider. "The shame is, there seems to be this dismissal that Europe is a good place for them to be building and so it means that actually, we're missing out on a lot of that growing ecosystem around technology, as it's hyper-concentrated in certain areas in the world."Still, competition for the initiative, which Mayo said aims to "nurture and accelerate" talent in Europe, is likely to be fierce. Mayo outlined what the organizers are looking for in top-tier applications.Young, technical, and hyper-ambitious foundersEurope is teeming with technical talent across all ages, but Project Europe is looking for "hyper-ambitious" founders under 25.Mayo told BI that this was a deliberate choice."Actually, because this is such a grassroots movement, we're trying to change the culture and the approach to entrepreneurship in Europe. It makes sense to focus on people who are just starting their career and then the whole thing will filter up through those companies as those founders mature," she told BI."It also means that we can go directly to the source and find people at the very, very early stages when they're based, either universities or schools or different communities around where they're building," she added.Many Gen Zs are digital natives, so Mayo expects applicants to tout these technical skills in their application.Instead of backing founders with pure business backgrounds, Mayo said the project looks for those "who have engineering minds, who are fluent in all the local tools and anything they can get their hands on so they can hack together and resourcefully pull together things to get to an outcome."Contrarian ideas and concise pitch decksApplicants should make sure they're "sharing ideas about why they're exceptional," Mayo said. "Don't hyper-fixate on one specific thing in the application and don't procrastinate for months."A common pitfall is that applicants often share answers that they think the team would want to hear instead of relaying a natural and authentic response. "Be as natural and audacious as you can be," Mayo advised.Prototypes, demos, and examples of founders' work would also strengthen the pitch, Mayo said. "Tell us stories about the things you've done, rather than just talking about your notions and beliefs," she said.When it comes to formatting the pitch deck, Mayo advised founders to keep it short and concise in lieu of providing too much information in an overly formatted style."I want to know what the problem is, what unique insight you have around how to solve this problem differently, and then why you're the person to solve it," she said.Cultivating Europe's next tech darlingsOver 140 European tech founders including heavyweights such as ElevenLabs' Mati Staniszewski and Synthesia's Victor Riparbelli have partnered with the Project to provide mentorship and masterclasses to this incoming cohort of founders."The dream scenario is that the founders who joined the first cohort will be the partners for mentoring cohorts coming through in the future," Mayo said. With so many communities of builders acrossEuropean hubssuch as Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and Tallinn, Mayo said the initiative would aim to "be a clear conduit" that gives these founders the best access to support and communities locally and across the continent.Just like the famed accelerator Y Combinator, which offers financial and advisory backing, Project Europe intends to build a collegial environment of founders working adjacent to each other across the continent."We hope that seeing other people going through the journey at the same time galvanizes the ecosystem and creates a proper network, instead of isolated success stories," Mayo added.