As Dyson home tech enthusiasts, users—dare we say—experts, we’re keeping a close eye on all the Best Dyson Memorial Day sales popping up ahead of the long weekend. While we hope to be out grilling and getting sunburnt, same as you, we think Dyson deals like $300 off a wishlist-worthy cordless vacuum will be a welcome treat for the holiday. Before shopping, feel free to familiarize yourself with our catalog of tested favorites—from air purifiers to humidifiers to cordless vacuums.We’ve assembled all early bird discounts in advance of the official Memorial Day sale drop, where we’re expecting an even wider spread of deals at all our favorite Dyson retailers, including Amazon. Watch this space—we’ll be updating as more Memorial Day deals on our beloved V8’s and V15’s roll in!Our top picksBest deal overall: Dyson V8 Plus Cordless Vacuum, $470 $350Staff-approved purifier: Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde PH04, $1,000 $800A versatile floor cleaner: Dyson V15s Detect Submarine Wet and Dry Vacuum, $950 $800Dyson V8 Plus Cordless VacuumThis Dyson V8 stick vacuum is a longtime favorite of ambitious cleaners the world over. It’s suited for all your basic nightmares: dust, debris, and pet hair. It offers 40 minutes of cordless cleaning and two power modes, plus a hair-screw tool so it doesn’t overheat, as those of us with many years of vacuuming under our belts have come to normalize. Global editorial operations director Diane Dragan speaks emphatically in favor of her V8: “Before, it was exhausting to see dust and willfully ignore it. Now it’s immensely satisfying to grab the unit, zap the filth, and easily dispense of it. To those who walked with old-timey canisters and uprights so this Dyson could run, I thank you.”Rachel FletcherRachel FletcherDyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde PH04In an age of micro-pollutants, germophobes can rest easy knowing this combo air purifier/humidifier/fan not only performs to the caliber of regular Dyson products, but this model in particular sucks up formaldehyde, a colorless gas which can be emitted by paint, furniture, carpets, household cleaners, fireplaces, and even plywood. Commerce director Rachel Fletcher has owned this model for several years and finds that it still functions up to snuff, humidifying and cooling the air to her liking. Plus, the app (yes, the app) is easy to use. “After lighting a candle or cooking, the purifier went to work straight away on cleaning the air and the air quality returned to its usual after about 10 minutes,” Fletcher says.Photo: Terri WilliamsDyson V15s Detect Submarine​ Wet-Dry VacuumUnlike most vacuums—thanks to its combination of hardwood and carpet cleaning capabilities as well as and mopping functionality—this Dyson technology is what state-of-the art home cleaning dreams are made of. Contributor Terri Williams was beyond impressed with its versatility and efficiency. “The beauty of this design is that all of the water is contained in the separate wet roller head, so I can remove it, attach one of the other roller heads, and dry vacuum in other parts of my home,” she says. The top portion can be removed to use for a handheld vacuum for peskier, smaller corners, and handy attachments for handheld vacuuming are also supplied.Dyson Cool Gen1 TP10 Purifier$130 off this air purifier has a person reconsidering her air-quality needs. If you don’t already know, Dyson’s trademark brag is that their two-stage HEPA H13 filtration captures 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. That means: basically everything. This model includes a purifying fan that also cools you, so you can knock out two purchases with one.Dyson V7 Advanced VacuumIf you’re hoping for a strong and affordable Dyson model, this V7 is $250 and delivers on the basics we love: cordless, long charge time, powerful suction, and detangling technology. This is a great vacuum for those who aren’t looking for the cusp of tech, who might not be off put by older models—anyone with an iPhone 12 or earlier-type people; the corded headphone crowd.Dyson Gen5 Detect Cordless VacuumWhile it’s just 6% off, any discount on this highly coveted vacuum is worthwhile, according to Williams. “This is one of the best Dysons, one of the best vacuum cleaners, and one of the best cordless stick vacuums out there,” she says. Dyson’s most powerful cordless vacuum has 70 minutes of run time off a single charge, and it intelligently adapts its power based on debris and floor type. The LCD screen shows particles sucked up, charge time left, and the amount of power used. Last but not least, the HEPA filtration traps 99.99% of particles as small as 0.1 microns, and it expels clean air in return.Dyson Ball Animal 3 Upright VacuumEverything you love about Dyson’s cordless stick vacuums still comes in this upright vacuum cleaner, down 25% from retail price. This model is designed with pet owners in mind with unrivaled detangling technology and multiple attachments to help you reach every crevice of your home, especially where hair balls like to accumulate. Its whole-machine filtration ensures that particles are trapped inside the machine, not expelled back into the house to force another run-through.Dyson Hot+Cool HP07 Air Purifier, Heater, and FanAnother air purifier high on our list is this HP07 model, which commerce editor Audrey Lee says “works like a dream, and I noticed within a week of use that I felt noticeably less congested.” The purifier uses a 360 degree filtration system that implements a combination of activated carbon, to remove potentially harmful gases and odors from the air, and its HEPA filter, which catches 99.7% of particles. Its auto mode continuously monitors room temperature and indoor air quality while also running the fan or heat to the degree of your choosing. You can control the device with an included remote or from your app.Dyson Solarcycle Morph CF06 Floor LightDyson makes its foray into lighting gear with its Solarcycle Morph line—clean, modern, extended lines give it an ultracontemporary look. Its four-in-one lighting adapts to the atmosphere to create a light that best suits a space, featuring four modes: task, indirect, feature, and ambient. It is formulated with LED lights with glare control and low optical flicker for eye care.

The world is awash in data about, well, the world — thanks to satellites and environmental sensors. But there’s still a lot we can’t see, and Fieldstone Bio thinks microbes can change that. “They’ve evolved to sense and respond to information. It’s just trillions of calculations going on at all times all around us,” Brandon Fields, Fieldstone Bio’s co-founder and chief science officer, told TechCrunch. “How do we take that and actually manipulate that to gain benefits for us?” Fieldstone’s technology emerged from that question. The startup was founded in 2023 after spinning out of MIT, where professor Chris Voigt’s lab had developed a way to turn microbes into sensors. The scientists programmed the microbes to change color when they encountered something of interest, whether it be nutrients in soil or landmines hidden in the dirt, and then figured out how to detect them. “The key technology out of Chris’ lab is this idea of, ‘How do we actually visualize these cells from really far away?’” Fields said. Fieldstone Bio recently raised $5 million in seed funding led by Ubiquity Ventures with participation from E14 and LDV Capital, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The startup has been testing its technology in the lab, and the funding will let it test those microbes in the real world. Each strain is tailored to sense a particular compound, such as nitrogen on a farm field or TNT residue from a landmine.  “We isolate microbes from the environments we want to sense,” Fields said. “We build our sensors the DNA pieces, and we just drop them into these different ones and see which ones behave the best, which ones can last the longest.” Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW Once the microbes are ready, Fieldstone will broadcast them using drones. After the microbes have some time to sense their environment — several hours to days, depending on the target — the company will have another drone snap photos of the area. The images aren’t the usual aerial photography seen on Google Maps. Rather, they’re taken using what’s known as a hyperspectral camera, which divide visible and infrared light into as many as 600 different colors. Because Fieldstone’s microbes will reflect light at a very specific wavelength, it can train AI models to look for those signals amid a torrent of data. “That’s where the power of AI comes in, because we can start using that information to tease out these really faint signals to produce really cool heat maps of the microbe sensing the environment,” Fields said. In addition to agriculture and national security applications, Fieldstone is also programming microbes to detect environmental contaminants like arsenic, CEO Patrick Stone said. “Instead of going to do core soil samples over every 100 feet — and then you have 100 foot resolution — we could get a one-inch resolution and really map out exactly where they need to go clean up stuff,” he said. Gene edited microbial sensors broadcast over farm fields are sure to raise the eyebrows among people who oppose genetic modification. Fields said that the company has been in contact with the EPA to ensure that the company follows regulations. Fields said that, over time, he hopes the company’s database will become large enough that it can train models to associate other signals in the environment with whatever data is returned by the microbes. That would allow hyperspectral cameras to detect, say, arsenic contamination without needing to spread the engineered microbes. “Eventually, you don’t need to apply the microbe at all,” Fields said. “You have drones, planes, and satellites now collecting information about chemical information on a global scale.”

When Pinch celebrated its 20th anniversary with a successful New York pop-up at the Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery last year, founders Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon began contemplating a possible permanent space in the city. It was kismet, then, when friend and collaborator Ashley Hildreth asked the London-based couple to go in on a petite apartment in a Greenwich Village brownstone with her. Since January, Pinch and Bannon have been quietly transforming the intimate, residential space into an apt showcase for their furniture and lighting, welcoming clients in for meetings and informal meals along the way. Past the building’s arched doors and stained-glass roof light, glossy white flooring leads to The Apartment, where a marble fireplace, 19th-century plaster cornicing, and sliding timber doors backdrop a capsule collection of Pinch designs, including eye-catching shelves of scaled miniatures.Exhibitions“Knit and Weave” takes over an Austrian castleSince 2014, design curator Alice Stori Liechtenstein and her family have called Schloss Hollenegg, a regal 12th-century castle about an hour south of Graz, home. Until June 1, the medieval Austrian estate will be open to the public for “Knit and Weave,” wherein 30 emerging designers have juxtaposed the building’s historical fabrics with contemporary works highlighting color and texture. Curated by Johanna Pichlbauer, the group show’s featured works explore sustainability, identity, innovation, and heritage. Standouts include Vienna designer Theresa Hattinger’s large-scale outdoor textiles, as well as Helsinki-based Aoi Yoshizawa’s loom installation that magnifies ancient weaving techniques.Craft in America presents teapots as works of artLindsey Ketterer Gates, Teapot, 2003. Photo: Tony CunhaArdent collectors Gloria and Sonny Kamm have been amassing teapots—and commissioning artists to dream up their own fantastical versions—for years, culminating in what is now considered the world’s largest collection. Last week, Los Angeles gallery Craft in America unveiled “Tea for Two” (on view through August 30), a curated glimpse into the Kamm Teapot Foundation’s impressive 17,000-piece trove. Instead of focusing on the utilitarian aspects of serving tea, the creations on display center on imagination. Consider Peter Shire’s Sunburst Accordion, which takes cues from the Memphis movement, or Marilyn da Silva’s An Unlikely Pair, a union of dazzling stripes and polka dots rendered in gold-plated copper and colored pencil. Teapot, by Lindsay Ketterer Gates, even melds stainless-steel mesh with an unlikely array of pistachio shells.AD PRO Hears…… Last week, “Chris Gustin: Ascension” opened at Donzella Project Space in New York (through June 7). Gustin, whose ceramics career spans five decades, is presenting the first solo show of his Spirit series, an assemblage of cumulus clouds standing five-feet tall.Project spotlightAll aboard! Dimorestudio revives Italy’s Orient Express trainIn 1883, Belgian engineer and entrepreneur Georges Nagelmackers launched the Orient Express in Europe, setting a new precedent in luxury rail travel. Now, the iconic train has returned to Italy as La Dolce Vita Orient Express, zipping through Venice, Tuscany, Portofino, Rome, and Sicily, with chic interiors from Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, founders of Milan-based Dimorestudio. Inspired by Italian legends—Cini Boeri, Agostino Bonalumi, and Giuseppe Capogrossi among them—the AD100 duo mixed swaths of walnut, polished brass, and jewel-toned velvet with boldly patterned textiles and bespoke furniture. Light fixtures exhibit a distinctive sheen, evocative of the 1960s and ’70s golden age.ProductDornbracht becomes even more bespokeThe Tara Handles in Leather Verdite. Courtesy of DornbrachtIn celebration of its 75th anniversary, luxury fittings brand Dornbracht has launched Dornbracht Atelier, a bespoke offering of manufactured showers, faucets, and sink fittings. The Atelier cracks open a heady spectrum of possibilities for creatives and clients who want top-quality craftsmanship matched to their particular vision. The Atelier’s offered finishes span whichever color or texture suits the project—not even leather-wrapped or checkerboard patterned options are out of reach. Engravings, logos, and other expressive accents are optional embellishments too, making a case for bathroom couture.

May 15, 20253 min readLawmakers Push to Legalize Emissions-Heavy ‘Supersonic’ PlanesA bill to repeal the ban on supersonic flights over the U.S. could increase the demand for the gas-guzzling jets from around a dozen to as many as 240By Corbin Hiar & E&E News The Concorde, seen above as it is returned to the Intrepid Museum last year, was last in commercial operation in 2003. Lawmakers want to help bring back supersonic flights by legalizing it in U.S. airspace, as United Airlines and others invest in the planemaking startup Boom Supersonic. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | Lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol are seeking to repeal a half-century-old regulation that prevents civilian aircraft from traveling faster than the speed of sound over the United States.The "Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act" could vastly increase the potential market — and emissions — of Boom Supersonic, a planemaking startup backed by United Airlines; Japan Airlines; and Sam Altman, the billionaire CEO of the artificial intelligence firm OpenAI.No commercial supersonic planes have been in operation since the Concorde ceased flights between New York and London in 2003. But aviation analysts estimate that the jets Boom is developing would consume at least two times more fuel per passenger than flying on commercial airplanes in operation now.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.The bill is from Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), whose state is home to Boom's manufacturing plant, and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), the chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. It's co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Tim Sheehy of Montana as well as Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas."Supersonic flight without an audible sonic boom should obviously be allowed," said Blake Scholl, Boom's founder and CEO, in statements released by the bill's lead sponsors. "I urge Congress to pass the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act supersonically, so we can all enjoy faster flights and maintain American leadership in aviation."The legislation would order the Federal Aviation Administration to scrap or update a 1973 regulation that prohibits non-military-related supersonic flight over the U.S. within a year of the bill's passage. It specifically calls for the agency to allow for civilian flights in the national airspace "at a Mach number greater than 1 so long as the aircraft is operated in such a manner that no sonic boom reaches the ground in the United States."The congressional push to undo the overland flight ban comes as NASA prepares to conduct its first test flights of a supersonic jet developed by Lockheed Martin to produce sonic "thumps," rather than booms, when traveling faster than the speed of sound. The United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization is also set to develop new noise standards that member states could adopt.In February, Boom completed a series of supersonic test flights in a prototype plane that it claimed did not produce sonic booms that were audible from the ground. The speed of sound, or Mach 1, varies based on atmospheric conditions but is generally around 767 mph at sea level.The following month, Scholl visited Washington to lobby Trump administration officials to repeal the supersonic flight ban, POLITICO Pro reported at the time.The International Council on Clean Transportation, an environmental research group, estimated in 2022 that dropping overland flight prohibitions for supersonic aircraft in the U.S. and other major markets could increase the demand for the gas-guzzling jets from around a dozen to as many as 240. The company has already reported inking deals with airlines to produce 130 planes.Boom is designing its engines to run on sustainable aviation fuel, which has a fraction of the carbon emissions of traditional jet fuel. But operating the supersonic jets with SAF would be uneconomic for most airlines given the higher cost of SAF and the greater fuel consumption required to break the sound barrier.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

The year will kick off with the maiden voyage of New Glenn, a heavy-lift rocket built by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Credit: Blue Origin Though 2025 won't mark the return of astronauts into deep space as NASA had hoped, launchpads still will be scorching-hot from a procession of robotic spacecraft attempting to land on the moon. How many of these moon landings will succeed? Will the number top the two-ish (one of which made a heckuva comeback) last year? Giant commercial rockets, such as SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn, will likely also have several uncrewed orbital test launches as they iron out the kinks in their hardware. And while people await scientific missions to distant solar system destinations, a few probes will send home close-up pictures of planets as they snag gravitational boosts from flybys.  You May Also Like Here's a round-up of space missions and cosmic events just around the bend. Bookmark this calendar and look for updates from Mashable throughout the year.  BepiColombo makes final Mercury flyby: Jan. 8Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but it's perhaps the most overlooked of the rocky worlds in the solar system. Hot and harder to reach than Saturn, it hasn't enjoyed the level of study that other worlds have.But BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European and Japanese space agencies, seeks to change that. The spacecraft makes its sixth and final flyby on Jan. 8 before returning to enter orbit around the planet in late 2026. Closest approach will take the spacecraft just 160 miles above the surface of Mercury. Mission controllers will release images of the event on Jan. 9.Two moon landers on one rocket: Jan. 15Two small uncrewed spacecraft, one of which is carrying several NASA instruments, will try to land on the moon with a boost from the same rocket. Both Firefly Aerospace and Japan's ispace will ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slated to leave Earth as early as 1:11 a.m. ET Jan. 15. Firefly's Blue Ghost lander was originally scheduled to lift off in late 2024, and the launch will mark its maiden voyage. The spacecraft is slated to travel for 45 days before trying to touch down in early March. Firefly's flight will be the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services mission of the year. The NASA program has recruited vendors from the private sector to help deliver instruments to the moon and send back crucial data.Ispace's new Hakuto-R mission will be its second try, after it ran out of fuel and crashed on the lunar surface in April 2023. The Resilience lander, a partnership with Japan's space agency JAXA, is taking a long way to the moon to save on fuel, arriving about four to five months after launch.Blue Origin's first flight for New Glenn: Jan. 16Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will soon get a chance to see his giant rocket New Glenn launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. His aerospace company Blue Origin started a countdown on Jan. 13, but launch controllers waved off the opportunity when a technical issue arose. The company will try again no earlier than Jan. 16, targeting a three-hour launch window that opens at 1 a.m. ET.Blue Origin's goal is to reach orbit, and the company will also try to land its booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean so that it can be reused on future flights, though executives admit doing so would be "ambitious" on the first try. SpaceX tests upgraded Starship: Jan. 16SpaceX is preparing to launch another uncrewed Starship test, this time with an upgraded spacecraft and 10 mock satellites to practice a payload deployment in space. This SpaceX launch would mark the seventh Starship test and feature a reused engine from the booster returned from the fifth test. Weather-related postponements have made it possible that Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn will lift off for these tests on the same day. Starship's one-hour launch window opens at 4:00 p.m. CT. NASA moon rover and orbiter delivery: Feb. 26Intuitive Machines made history last year as the first company to reach the moon intact — though its lander, Odysseus, broke a landing leg and touched down tilted. The Houston-based company is now gearing up for a second moon landing — this time with the Athena lander. The mission, referred to as IM-2 or PRIME-1, will carry a NASA rover. The spacecraft will test a drill and mass spectrometer, a device that identifies the kinds of particles in a substance. Liftoff is targeted for a four-day launch window that opens no earlier than 7:02 p.m. ET Feb. 26.Another spacecraft, NASA's Lunar Trailblazer, will also hitch a ride on this flight. The small satellite will orbit the moon to map out the locations of lunar water. Europa Clipper flies by Mars: March 1After a successful October 2024 launch, the Europa Clipper spacecraft has been hurtling through space. It's on schedule to make its first flyby of Mars on March 1, where it will get a gravity assist to continue its journey. Its closest approach to the Red Planet is expected at 12:57 p.m. ET, when it will zip 550 miles above the Martian surface. The probe won't arrive at Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, for its mission until 2030. Scientists are intrigued by Europa because they believe it could hold double the water held by Earth's oceans. Could this small world in the outer solar system have conditions capable of supporting life? If NASA finds that Europa is a habitable place, a second Europa mission could return to determine if there are indeed any inhabitants. Firefly attempts moon landing: March 2Following a successful launch in January, Firefly Aerospace will target a robotic landing in the Mare Crisium region of the moon, an ancient hardened lava flow, no earlier than 2:34 a.m. CT on March 2. Prior to descent onto the surface, NASA and Firefly intend to broadcast commentary, starting at 1:20 a.m. CT that morning. However, the broadcast will not include a live video stream of the spacecraft."Our available bandwidth will be dedicated to critical descent operations during landing," Firefly officials said on X, formerly called Twitter. Landing on the moon remains onerous. The moon's exosphere provides virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down as it approaches the ground. Furthermore, there are no GPS systems on the moon to help guide a craft to its landing spot. Blue Ghost shared a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Japanese company ispace, which will try to land on the moon after a failed attempt in 2023. Its Resilience lander is taking a longer route than Blue Ghost to save on fuel, arriving in May or June.  Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Intuitive Machines attempts moon landing: March 6On the heels of Firefly Aerospace's moon landing attempt, competitor space company Intuitive Machines will try to touch down just four days later. The landing is slated for 11:32 a.m. CT on March 6. Intuitive Machines will provide live event coverage, starting at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET. The company's lander, Athena, will attempt to descend on Mons Mouton, a plateau at the moon's south pole. Before landing, the spacecraft is expected to orbit the moon for about one week. SpaceX tests Starship following explosion: March 6Coming off the heels of a Starship test that ended in an explosion and a scrubbed launch on March 3, SpaceX will try to fly the rocket and empty spacecraft again as early as 5:30 p.m. CT March 6. The upcoming launch will be the eighth for Starship and feature several hardware changes following January's mishap. During the previous test, two flashes occurred near one of the ship's engines shortly after booster separation. A post-flight investigation determined that strong vibrations led to fuel leaks that were too much for the ship's vents to handle, leading to fires that eventually triggered the flight termination system. Launch of new astrophysics observatory: March 11NASA intends to launch an astrophysics observatory to create a map of the entire sky in 3D. The mission, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), will orbit Earth while studying hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies, showing them in 102 invisible "colors." One of the main goals of the mission is to learn more about cosmic inflation, a brief but crucial phase of the Big Bang that contributed to the universe's expansion. It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as early as 11:10 p.m. ET on March 11. Live launch coverage will begin at 10:15 p.m. ET. NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) probe is hitching a ride on the same rocket and will be the first to image the sun’s corona and solar wind together to better understand them as a connected system.  European spacecraft Hera flies by Mars: March 12Back in 2022, NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a harmless asteroid to practice thwarting a space rock, should a hazardous one ever be on a collision course with Earth. The European Space Agency is providing a follow-up to that test, known as Hera. The mission's spacecraft launched in October 2024 and will rendezvous with Dimorphos, the slammed asteroid, in 2026. But this March, it will also have a quick pop-in with Mars, closest approach at 7:51 a.m. ET, and one of the Red Planet's two moons, Deimos. Mission controllers will use the opportunity to collect data on the Martian moon. The agency plans to host a webcast image release from the flyby at 6:50 a.m. ET the next day, March 13.Boeing astronaut crew returns home: March 18Two astronauts whose eight-day visit to the International Space Station turned into a more than eight-month layover are expected to return to Earth in March. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been waiting for their ride since the space agency decided not to send them home on the spaceship they rode in on. That test vehicle, Boeing's Starliner, landed empty without any problems, but NASA hadn't wanted to risk it after the capsule experienced propulsion issues in space. The pair was supposed to return in a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February, but NASA announced at the end of 2024 that the flight would likely be pushed back to March. Wilmore and Williams, who were integrated into Crew-9, will fly back to Earth after the next crew arrives at the space station, allowing for a brief hand-off period. Crew-10 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 14. Due to weather concerns later in the week, NASA has decided to move up the Crew-9 return. Their spaceship is expected to undock at 1:05 a.m. ET on March 18. A splashdown landing would follow at about 5:57 p.m. ET that evening. Katy Perry and others head to space: April 14Blue Origin will send an all-female crew to the edge of space in its next civilian astronaut mission. The flight will be the eleventh carrying passengers on the New Shepard rocket to the Kármán line, where Earth's atmosphere and outer space meet.Katy Perry, CBS Mornings' Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez will join former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics scientist and social activist Amanda Nguyen, and fashion designer-turned-film producer Kerianne Flynn on the trip. The NS-31 mission will target liftoff from the company's private West Texas launch pad at 8:30 a.m. CT / 9:30 a.m. ET on April 14. Check back here for details about the webcast as the launch approaches. Lucy spacecraft flies by asteroid: April 20NASA launched the Lucy spacecraft on a grand 12-year asteroid tour last fall with plans to fly by several space rocks that share Jupiter’s orbit. On April 20, Lucy will encounter a small main-belt asteroid, Donaldjohanson, as a sort of test sequence before it visits seven Trojan asteroids. The asteroid, called DJ for short, is only 2.5 miles wide, with an extremely slow rotation that takes more than 10 days to complete. Peak of Lyrids meteor shower: April 21-22Meteor showers happen every year or at regular intervals as Earth passes through the dusty wake of previous comets. Each time a comet zips through the inner solar system, the sun boils off some of its surface, leaving behind a trail of debris. When the planet intersects with the old comet detritus, the result can be a spectacular show, with sometimes up to hundreds of meteors visible per hour. The debris that creates the Lyrid meteor shower originates from comet Thatcher. The Lyrids, best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, will be active from April 17 to 26. Related Stories Peak of Eta Aquariids meteor shower: May 3-4The Eta Aquariids meteor shower, best viewed from the southern tropics, produces strong "persistent trains" of shooting stars. The shower is the first of two each year created by Halley's Comet debris. The celestial event will be active from April 20 to May 21.Twin spacecraft go to Mars: no earlier than springA NASA-funded science mission seeks to get to the bottom of how solar radiation strips away the tattered Martian atmosphere. Called Escapade, the mission will involve two Mars orbiters built by Rocket Lab.The flight was previously scheduled for October aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, which would have been its first launch. But, as rockets are wont to do, the inaugural flight was delayed. NASA and Blue Origin are now in talks for a new launch date for that mission, no earlier than spring 2025.Japanese company tries moon landing: June 5After a failed attempt in April 2023, Japan's ispace will try to land an uncrewed robotic spacecraft on the moon and deliver a rover to its surface. The Hakuto-R mission is gearing up for a landing near the center of Mare Frigoris at 3:24 p.m. ET on June 5 (It will be June 6 for Japan). Livestream coverage will begin about one hour earlier, at 2:15 p.m. ET, with English translation. If conditions change, the company has identified three other potential sites for its lander, dubbed Resilience. The alternative locations have different landing dates and times. Private astronauts fly to ISS: June 8Private astronauts will launch to the International Space Station for Axiom Space's fourth mission. Four crew members will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as early as 9:11 a.m. ET on June 8. The commercial space company has said this mission will consist of about 60 scientific studies on the effects of spaceflight on the body and how to improve health and medical treatments on Earth.When Axiom flew its first private mission in 2022, it redefined the word "astronaut." For decades, that title was reserved for government space pilots and crew. More recently, uber-rich space tourists earned the distinction by breaching Earth's atmosphere. But with Axiom's private mission came a third possible description: Someone privately trained and sent into space to perform commercial scientific research. Axiom crews receive 750 to over 1,000 hours of training. Peak of Delta Aquariids meteor shower: July 29-30The Delta Aquariids are another shower best observed from the southern tropics. Conditions will be favorable for viewing meteors in the morning. Astronomers suspect the interacting debris causing the event came from the strange Comet Machholz. The event will be active from July 18 to Aug. 12. Peak of Perseids meteor shower: Aug. 12-13 Perseids meteors streak across the sky over Bishop, California, in 2024. Credit: NASA / Preston Dyches The popular Perseids, made up of remnants of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, is usually a spectacular show for the Northern Hemisphere. The meteor shower is active from July 17 to Aug. 23. But don't get your hopes up this year: Experts say the waning gibbous moon, more than 80 percent full, will allow only the brightest meteors to be seen. Europe's Juice spacecraft flies by Venus: Aug. 31The European Space Agency's so-called Juice mission is scheduled to fly by Venus on Aug. 31, though exact times and distances will be determined closer to the event. "Juice" is a wonky acronym for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.The mission will study Jupiter's moons, including Europa, Callisto, and particularly Ganymede. These moons have intrigued scientists for years because they're thought to have liquid oceans trapped beneath icy shells. Before reaching Jupiter, the spacecraft will make flybys of Earth and Venus to get enough energy to slingshot to the outer solar system, reaching Jupiter in 2031.Astrobotic attempts moon landing, again: fall Astrobotic Technologies tried to become the first commercial company to land on the moon last year, but it lost its chance just a few hours into the flight because of a fuel leak. The company will try again this fall with its Griffin lander. Originally, this mission was supposed to carry a NASA rover to drill for ice at the lunar south pole. But VIPER — short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover — was canceled due to cost overruns. Griffin will still launch without the rover as a flight demonstration of the lander and engines.Peak of Orionid meteor shower: Oct. 22-23The Orionids meteor shower marks the return of activity caused by Halley's Comet debris. In recent years, the displays have been pretty lackluster, but a waning crescent moon rising near dawn means moonlight won't obscure the shower in 2025. The celestial event will run from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12.Peak of Southern Taurids meteor shower: Nov. 3-4The Southern Taurids make up a complex meteor shower. Usually, the displays are weak, but Taurid meteors are more numerous sometimes. Known as a "swarm year," 2025's event could offer more fireballs as Earth plows through a group of pebble-sized fragments from the Comet Encke. But given the moon's phase, there's a good chance moonlight will interfere with viewing most Taurids. Activity will go from Oct. 13 to Nov. 27.  A Dream Chaser spaceplane, Tenacity, is expected to launch to the International Space Station in 2025. Credit: Sierra Space Peak of the Leonids meteor shower: Nov. 16-17The Leonids are some of the fastest-moving meteors, traveling up to 44 miles per second. The debris that causes the show comes from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, but the displays are usually pretty weak. The exceptions are years when the showers become so-called "meteor storms," but that won't likely happen again until perhaps 2035. The shower will be active from Nov. 3 to Dec. 2. Peak of Geminids meteor shower: Dec. 12-13Widely regarded as the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids can be seen from most any part of the world, especially the Northern Hemisphere. The Geminids are denser meteors, allowing stargazers to see them as low as 29 miles above ground before the cosmic dust burns up. The shower will be active between Dec. 1 and 21.This year the moon will have a waning crescent phase, which rises around 2 a.m. local time. Prior to that, views should be moon-free. You could glimpse bright meteors by facing a direction with the moon at your back, according to the American Meteor Society.Peak of Ursids meteor shower: Dec. 21-22The Ursid meteors are caused by debris from Tuttle's Comet, which orbits every 13 years. This shower, often overlooked because of its close timing to Christmas, can only be observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of a new moon at the shower's peak, moonlight won't interfere with the show. The event will be active from Dec. 16 to 26. Other possible missions in 2025Sierra Space has been working on a spacecraft with the nostalgia of NASA's space shuttle program. Dream Chaser, a cargo space plane capable of runway landings, is set to launch for the first time to the ISS for a resupply mission sometime this year. Following Intuitive Machines' second mission in early 2025, the company will shoot for another later in 2025 or early in 2026. If successful, the lunar landing mission, IM-3 or PRISM, will deploy rovers and study a so-called "lunar swirl."NASA is teaming up with India's space agency on a mission to study Earth's land and ice, involving the NISAR satellite, which will scan all of the planet's surfaces twice every 12 days to measure changes. The satellite will launch from the Indian Space Research Organisation's space port, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, on India's southeastern coast. It was supposed to liftoff this spring, but neither agency has provided an update on the mission's status. Topics NASA Elisha Sauers Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA's moon and Mars missions, chatting up astronauts and history-making discoverers, and jetting above the clouds. Through 17 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show, and national recognition for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards, including first place for her Sex in Space series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email protected] or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers.

resistance is futile A peer’s promise can help kids pass the marshmallow test Younger children were slightly more likely to successfully delay gratification than older children. Jennifer Ouellette – May 15, 2025 9:46 am | 0 For decades, Walter Mischel's "marshmallow test" was viewed as a key predictor for children's future success, but reality is a bit more nuanced. Credit: Igniter Media For decades, Walter Mischel's "marshmallow test" was viewed as a key predictor for children's future success, but reality is a bit more nuanced. Credit: Igniter Media Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more You've probably heard of the infamous "marshmallow test," in which young children are asked to wait to eat a yummy marshmallow placed in front of them while left alone in a room for 10 to 15 minutes. If they successfully do so, they get a second marshmallow; if not, they don't. The test has become a useful paradigm for scientists interested in studying the various factors that might influence one's ability to delay gratification, thereby promoting social cooperation. According to a paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, one factor is trust: If children are paired in a marshmallow test and one promises not to eat their treat for the specified time, the other is much more likely to also refrain from eating it. As previously reported, psychologist Walter Mischel's landmark behavioral study involved 600 kids between the ages of four and six, all culled from Stanford University's Bing Nursery School. He would give each child a marshmallow and give them the option of eating it immediately if they chose. But if they could wait 15 minutes, they would get a second marshmallow as a reward. Then Mischel would leave the room, and a hidden video camera would tape what happened next. Some kids just ate the marshmallow right away. Others found a handy distraction: covering their eyes, kicking the desk, or poking at the marshmallow with their fingers. Some smelled it, licked it, or took tiny nibbles around the edges. Roughly one-third of the kids held out long enough to earn a second marshmallow. Several years later, Mischel noticed a strong correlation between the success of some of those kids later in life (better grades, higher self-confidence) and their ability to delay gratification in nursery school. Mischel's follow-up study confirmed the correlation. Mischel himself cautioned against over-interpreting the results, emphasizing that children who simply can't hold out for that second marshmallow are not necessarily doomed to a life of failure. A more nuanced picture was offered in a 2018 study that replicated the marshmallow test with preschoolers. It found the same correlation between later achievement and the ability to resist temptation in preschool, but that correlation was much less significant after the researchers factored in such aspects as family background, home environment, and so forth. Attentiveness might be yet another contributing factor, according to a 2019 paper. There have also been several studies examining the effects of social interdependence and similar social contexts on children's ability to delay gratification, using variations of the marshmallow test paradigm. For instance, in 2020, a team of German researchers adapted the classic experimental setup using Oreos and vanilla cookies with German and Kenyan schoolchildren, respectively. If both children waited to eat their treat, they received a second cookie as a reward; if one did not wait, neither child received a second cookie. They found that the kids were more likely to delay gratification when they depended on each other, compared to the standard marshmallow test. An online paradigm Rebecca Koomen, a psychologist now at the University of Manchester, co-authored the 2020 study as well as this latest one, which sought to build on those findings. Koomen et al. structured their experiments similarly, this time recruiting 66 UK children, ages five to six, as subjects. They focused on how promising a partner not to eat a favorite treat could inspire sufficient trust to delay gratification, compared to the social risk of one or both partners breaking that promise. Any parent could tell you that children of this age are really big on the importance of promises, and science largely concurs; a promise has been shown to enhance interdependent cooperation in this age group. Koomen and her Manchester colleagues added an extra twist: They conducted their version of the marshmallow test online to test the effectiveness compared to lab-based versions of the experiment. (Prior results from similar online studies have been mixed.) "Given face-to-face testing restrictions during the COVID pandemic, this, to our knowledge, represents the first cooperative marshmallow study to be conducted online, thereby adding to the growing body of literature concerning the validity of remote testing methods," they wrote. The type of treat was chosen by each child's parents, ensuring it was a favorite: chocolate, candy, biscuits, and marshmallows, mostly, although three kids loved potato chips, fruit, and nuts, respectively. Parents were asked to set up the experiment in a quiet room with minimal potential distractions, outfitted with a webcam to monitor the experiment. Each child was shown a video of a "confederate child" who either clearly promised not to eat the treat or more ambiguously suggested they might succumb and eat their treat. (The confederate child refrained from eating the treat in both conditions, although the participant child did not know that.) Then the scientist running the experiment would leave the Zoom meeting for an undisclosed period of time, after telling the child that if both of them resisted eating the treat (including licking or nibbling at it), they would each receive a second one; if one of them failed, neither would be rewarded. Children could not see or communicate with their paired confederates for the duration of the experiment. The scientist returned after ten minutes to see if the child had managed to delay gratification. Once the experiment had ended, the team actually did reward the participant child regardless of the outcome, "to end the study on a positive note." The results were controlled for unavoidable accidental distractions, so the paper includes the results from both the full dataset of all 68 participants and a subset of 48 children, excluding those who experienced some type of disruption during the ten-minute experiment. In both cases, children whose confederate clearly promised not to eat their treat waited longer to eat their treat compared to the more ambiguous "social risk" condition. And younger children were slightly more likely to successfully delay gratification than older children, although this result was not statistically significant. The authors suggest this small difference may be due to the fact that older children are more likely to have experienced broken promises, thereby learning "that commitments are not always fulfilled." Of course, there are always caveats. For instance, while specific demographic data was not collected, all the children had predominantly white middle-class backgrounds, so the results reflect how typical children in northern England behave in such situations. The authors would like to see their online experiment repeated cross-culturally in the future. And the limitation of one-way communication "likely prevented partners from establishing common ground, namely their mutual commitment to fulfilling their respective roles, which is thought to be a key principle of interdependence," the authors wrote. DOI: Royal Society Open Science, 2025. 10.1098/rsos.250392  (About DOIs). Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer Ouellette Senior 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. 0 Comments

May 15, 20255 min readThe Wonders of Bird-Watching without TechTechnology has made it easier than ever to quickly find, identify and record birds. But to truly appreciate feathered friends, consider unpluggingBy Derek Lovitch edited by Kate WongA Boreal Owl emerges from its roost to begin its evening of hunting activities in Northern Minnesota. The Boreal Owl is a tiny but fierce gnome of the deep boreal forest—the belt of cold, wet, largely coniferous forest that encircles the North Pole. Highly sought after by birders, this owl appeals less for its plumage than for its secrecy and its rarity in most places where people tend to live. This past winter, a huge movement of this species to regions south of its usual range occurred because of food scarcity—an event called an irruption. This put Boreal Owls within striking distance of birders—including me—who were looking to add the species to their “life list,” a record of all the species a person has seen. So in March, before the visiting owls returned home, some friends and I made a last-minute weekend trip to Duluth, Minn., to look for them. Although there’s always a frenetic energy to a rarity chase such as this, to me, the experience underscored the importance of taking time to pause and observe the birds we find.Deep birding. Slow birding. Holistic birding. There are a lot of things we can call it, but I prefer, simply, “bird-watching.” I’ve spent most of my career as a biologist introducing people to birding and getting them to engage in the natural world, from the backyard and beyond. The recent surge of interest in birding, which began during the peak of the COVID pandemic, has been wonderful to see. But the vast majority of recent birders, particularly those who began birding in the past five years, have found birding to be intimately tied to technology, especially cell phones.We have phone apps that can keep lists of birds we’ve seen, apps to help identify birds, apps that allow us to contribute data to scientific projects and messaging apps to alert others to rare bird sightings. We can also use our phones to document our birding discoveries with photographs, videos and audio recordings.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.But I wonder whether, by relying on technology to this extent, we are losing out on the most important tool for birding—and perhaps life in general: the power of observation.Slow DownAt just 10 inches from head to tail, a Boreal Owl hidden in a dense conifer stand is the proverbial needle in a haystack. But on cold, sunny mornings, the owls come out to sun themselves at forest edges, using the meager winter rays rather than hard-earned calories to warm up. One famous “edge” is the length of the North Shore Scenic Drive heading north from Duluth. On our first morning of the trip, as we ventured onto this road, a text alerted us to a nearby Boreal Owl. After the longest 12-minute drive of my life, we saw the growing group of gawkers. We jumped out of the car, and there was our quarry, sitting in a sun-soaked spruce tree! We basked in the glory of a little predator that is so hard to find that people fly halfway across the country to spend a weekend shivering in hopes of seeing it. Mission accomplished!Birders were coming and going, some seeing the owl only for a moment before they hopped back into their car and raced off for the next tick mark in the never-ending collecting game of modern birding. My friends were getting cold, and they were antsy to find a Great Gray Owl that had been seen a few miles away. I couldn’t blame them—Great Grays are active during the day, so they can be seen flying, hunting or otherwise doing something. This Boreal was just sitting there. But I couldn’t leave. I handed my friends the car keys and said, “Give me a little longer.”When I was growing up as a young birder, I had a field guide, an inexpensive pair of binoculars, and a pen and notebook. I loved my time in the woods, with only the birds for company, eagerly learning the nuances of identification and watching their behavior. Without the instant gratification of an ID or listing app, I had to pay close attention to the details of birds. I learned from my many mistakes. Mentors shared their ethical practices with me, and I relished the personal connections I made in the birding community.Yet these days, I describe myself not as a birder but rather a bird-watcher. Sure, I make use of the latest tools. For example, my birding plans during migration are informed by the complex algorithms that underpin modern weather forecasting and advanced radar technology that allows me to gauge the movement of birds overnight. But once I am out in the field, all I want to do is disconnect, to absorb, to engage. I typically enter the trails with nothing more than a weatherproof notebook and my trusty binoculars. If I take a camera, it’s handy in case I need to document a rarity or capture a special moment, but it’s a distant second in my priorities.Instead I take copious notes. When traveling, I write down descriptions of unfamiliar birds, even new species pointed out to me by a local guide. Like many people, I retain information better from the simple act of writing it down. And my field notebook holds more memories than any checklist can accommodate.What fascinates me the most about birds is their behavior, which isn’t easy to understand when looking through a viewfinder or reviewing photographs at home. So when observing a bird, I also jot down what it is doing. What is it looking at? How is it interacting with its mate? How does it look when it flies (after all, flight is the most magical thing about birds)?Go DeepWhen my friends left me with the Boreal Owl, I settled in to give it my fullest attention. The bird acknowledged my presence for nearly a second as it opened one eye before turning its head and nestling its face into its fluffy back. When a Black-capped Chickadee called nearby, the owl awoke and made sure it wasn’t going to be harassed by the fearless chickadee before it went back to sleep. Later a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches decided they weren’t too happy about the predator’s presence but only gave a half-hearted attempt to drive it away. This owl was apparently boring to them.It wasn’t to me. I was transfixed on my life bird. What would it do next? How old was it—could I tell based on the wear and molt patterns of its feathers? Would it be as tolerant of the nuthatches the next time? I was in deep.Only when my friends returned did I realize I had been staring at this barely moving bird for a full two hours. No wonder I could no longer feel my feet or hands. But I had seen—truly seen—a Boreal Owl. I could finally leave now.Birding is a chance to turn off our devices and use our senses, to breathe fresh air, to connect with the natural world and immerse ourselves in the now, the moment, the bird. The next time you see a bird, whether it’s a rare Boreal Owl or a common American Robin, maybe step back, stay a while and put the watching back in bird-watching.

Iron Man was a resounding success when it opened in 2008, earning more than half a billion dollars and declaring in no uncertain terms that Marvel Studios—and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it later came to be known—had arrived. Although Marvel was also developing movies about Thor, Captain America, and Ant-Man at the time, Iron Man 2 was pushed to the front of the line and set for release in May 2010, just two years after the first film. The idea was to cash in on the surprise success of Iron Man and give the other movies a little more time to breathe and develop, with the ultimate goal of teaming all the characters up in The Avengers. But perhaps due to its rushed production schedule, studio growing pains, and the need to lay down breadcrumbs for the stories to come, Iron Man 2 was a shaky affair when it eventually came out. Not that this hurt its box office potential. It grossed more than the first film. Still, it did not escape the notice of critics and hardcore fans, resulting in a film that still regularly lands near the bottom of MCU movie rankings. Strangely, however, Marvel Studios has repeated many of the same mistakes it made on Iron Man 2 in later films while also taking some of the wrong lessons from the troubled production of the MCU’s first sequel. A Rushed Development With Iron Man 2 announced days after the release of Iron Man (even before the relative failure of The Incredible Hulk that same year), Marvel had to scramble to come up with a story and lock down its principal players. Robert Downey Jr., of course, was signed to reprise the role of Tony Stark at a much higher salary. Gwyneth Paltrow was also confirmed to return, as was director Jon Favreau (who would also once again play Stark security chief Happy Hogan). Also returning were Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg as Nick Fury and Agent Phil Coulson, respectively, expanding the presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. that was briefly established in the first film. Downey and Favreau tapped writer/actor Justin Theroux to pen the screenplay, which would introduce villains Justin Hammer and Whiplash (actually a sort of hybrid of that character and the Crimson Dynamo) into the story after comic book arch-nemesis The Mandarin was nixed as both too fantastical and potentially racist. Also slated to make her debut in the movie: Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), a nod to the impending creation of the Avengers but one of the many elements of a movie that was potentially piling up too many plot threads. Although initial reports suggested that at least part of the film would adapt the famous “Demon in a Bottle” storyline, in which Tony Stark becomes a full-blown alcoholic, that aspect of the narrative was toned down due to concerns over toy sales and younger viewers’ perception of Iron Man. The movie reportedly began filming without a finished script, something that would hamper future Marvel movies and lead the studio to make reshoots a permanent part of every film’s production schedule. This necessitated Theroux having to do daily rewrites on the set with Favreau and Downey, with the latter’s ad-libbing and improvisatory style of acting further muddying what was already a confusing and tonally uneven plot. New Faces, New Problems As mentioned, Downey, Paltrow, Favreau, Gregg, and Jackson (the latter after some torturous negotiations) all returned to their roles in Iron Man 2, but Terence Howard, who co-starred in Iron Man as Tony Stark’s best friend, Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes, did not. Depending on who you ask, Howard was either too difficult or too expensive—or both—to keep around for the sequel. He was replaced by Don Cheadle, who’s played Rhodey (and become a fan favorite, at least until Secret Invasion retconned him as a Skrull) ever since. Ironically Marvel should have learned from this and the recasting of Bruce Banner (from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo) that it was okay to recast a major role once in a while. But the biggest mistake Marvel made in this regard was arguably announcing that T’Challa/Black Panther would not be recast after the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, which left the MCU without one of its most potentially important superheroes (Marvel has since seemingly eased up on this, with Harrison Ford replacing the late William Hurt as “Thunderbolt” Ross and rumors circulating that a new T’Challa from a different universe will soon appear). Still, the casting of Iron Man 2’s villains, Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, set some precedents that would later haunt the MCU in a different way. Hammer was played by Sam Rockwell (an early candidate for Iron Man himself) and acquitted himself well, but his role was in some ways superfluous to a story already packed with new characters and themes and his function in the movie was not always clear (he’s also yet to reappear in the MCU). But it was Mickey Rourke being courted to play Whiplash that perhaps caused the most angst. With Rourke coming in hot off his Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning comeback performance in The Wrestler, Marvel wanted to seize a prestige casting coup—a move similar to its hiring of recent Oscar winner Brie Larson years later to play Captain Marvel. It could be argued that neither Rourke nor Larson was ultimately the right fit for their roles, but luring award winners to a comic book universe was too tempting for Marvel to pass up. In retrospect, they might have even dodged a bullet when Joaquin Phoenix passed on playing Doctor Strange given the actor’s reportedly mercurial methods. Rourke allegedly made bizarre demands to Marvel on Iron Man 2. This included that Vanko have a pet bird and wear his hair in a bun. He also reportedly clashed with Favreau during filming. Later he would say publicly he was unhappy with the final product, claiming that a lot of his performance was left on the cutting room floor. Whiplash in the finished film is certainly a strange character and the first of many undercooked Marvel villains to come. But that didn’t stop the studio from pursuing other actors and filmmakers basking in the glow of a high-profile awards run. Too Much of Everything Whereas the first Iron Man was a sleek, crisply told origin story, Iron Man 2 was, narratively speaking, a mess. The film dealt with Tony Stark’s inability to reconcile his personal identity with his new public persona as Iron Man, his lingering issues with his father, Howard Stark (John Slattery), his burgeoning drinking problem (less visible in the finished film, but still there), and his discovery that the core element in his arc reactor was slowly poisoning him. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! And that was just Tony; the rest of the film introduced Black Widow and the beginnings of the Avengers, put Rhodey in his War Machine armor for the first time, expanded the role of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., set out easter eggs for Thor and Captain America, and tried to balance the roles of two villains whose motivations and tones were not at all well-defined or complementary. It was, in short, a hodgepodge of ideas, plot points, and hints at future movies that all but dragged itself over the finish line without a coherent structure—a problem that would crop up again in the MCU. The franchise’s obsession with world-building at the expense of focus and logic reared its head in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which brought four new characters into an already crowded ensemble (Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Vision, and the title villain) while also planting seeds about Asgard, Wakanda, and the Infinity Stones (some of which, to be fair, did pay off later). Even the underrated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released years later, acted partly as a commercial for the still-unaired Ironheart TV series (ironically The Marvels worked in reverse, requiring audiences to watch two TV shows to understand some of what was happening). Part of the charm of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of course, is watching out for those many easter eggs, post-credit scenes, and surprise cameos that remind us that it is indeed a universe, one that’s constantly evolving and expanding. But some of those universe-building elements have worked better than others over the years, and with Iron Man 2, it felt like sensory overload—not that that stopped Marvel from doing it again and again in the years since. Iron Man 2: The Gift That Keeps on Giving? Iron Man 2 was an even bigger success at the box office ($624 million) that its predecessor ($585 million), but it also cost more ($200 million as opposed to $140 million) and was less enthusiastically received by critics. It was a troubled, patchwork project from the start, but even as Marvel Studios went on to hit heights of success no one could have possibly imagined for a filmed comic book universe, the studio continually made the same mistakes that dogged the production of Iron Man 2 and kept it from being the sequel it could have been. In some cases those mistakes may have temporarily dinged the brand (Age of Ultron), but in the long run, their impact has not done permanent damage to the MCU or the vast majority of its output. Still, with the last few years being particularly rocky ones for the MCU in terms of quality and coherence, it might not hurt Kevin Feige and company to fire up Iron Man 2 once in a while and remember it as a cautionary tale of what not to do.

Watch a Giant Snail Lay an Egg From a Pore in Its Neck in First-Ever Footage Captured in New Zealand Conservation rangers took a video of an endangered, captive snail laying a large egg, revealing insight into the creature’s reproductive process Rangers witnessed a captive Powelliphanta augusta snail lay an egg from its neck, and they managed to catch it on video for the first time ever. New Zealand Department of Conservation A small, white orb emerges from the body of a slimy creature in footage shared by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC). Though this scene might not look like much, it’s an extremely rare moment that scientists just captured on video for the first time: a mysterious Powelliphanta augusta snail laying an egg from a pore in its neck. The snail is one of New Zealand’s most threatened invertebrates, named for its natural habitat along the Mount Augustus ridgeline in the country’s West Coast. But now, that site has almost entirely been destroyed by mining activity. To protect the snails, the DOC brought a number of them into captivity in 2006, and experts have been tending to the population ever since, keeping them in chilled containers that mimic the creature’s preferred environment. “It’s remarkable that in all the time we’ve spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we’ve seen one lay an egg,” DOC ranger Lisa Flanagan, who took the video, says in a statement. “We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail.” Scientists knew very little about Powelliphanta snails before they began caring for the captive population. “This moment gives us a glimpse into the fascinating reproductive lives of these threatened snails,” according to a DOC Facebook post. Powelliphanta augusta snail laying an egg Watch on Powelliphanta are some of the largest snails in the world. They’re carnivorous, dwell on land and feast on worms and slugs. Like many other snails, they’re hermaphrodites, meaning individuals have both male and female genitalia. Powelliphanta snails thrive in moist habitats and are thus mostly found in New Zealand’s high-altitude forests and wetter western regions, where they occasionally emerge from leaf piles at night to mate and search for food. Many snails lay eggs, though some—like the marine species Littorina saxatilis—birth live baby snails, as reported by Live Science’s Pandora Dewan. The P. augusta snail, meanwhile, has a genital pore—akin to the vagina in mammals—just below its head. While this might seem like an unusual position, it allows the snail to poke out its head for mating and laying eggs, while the rest of its soft, vulnerable body remains protected by the shell. “It extends its penis out of this pore and into its mate’s pore, and its mate does the same, simultaneously exchanging sperm,” DOC senior science advisor Kath Walker explains in the statement. Though, as hermaphrodite “carnivores, which have to live at relatively low density, being able to occasionally self-fertilize must help with survival of the species.” What probably doesn’t help, however, is that P. augusta snails don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re 8 years old. While some of the snails in the DOC’s care are between 25 and 35 years old, they only lay about five eggs per year, which can take more than a year to hatch. That’s in stark contrast with non-native, invasive garden snails in New Zealand, which live short lives but lay thousands of eggs annually, according to the statement. When P. augusta’s habitat began to be threatened by mining in the early 2000s, the DOC relocated about 4,000 of them to other areas and took another 2,000 into captivity, per the Associated Press’ Charlotte Graham-McLay. It’s been a bumpy ride, however—the snails returned to the spotlight in 2011, when a faulty fridge accidentally froze 800 of them to death. “Keeping our wildlife in fridges is obviously not how New Zealanders would like to care for native animals found nowhere else in the world,” Nicola Toki, a conservationist who is now CEO of the New Zealand nonprofit Forest & Bird, told the BBC at the time. “It’s a sad fact that this has been the best option for them.” Nevertheless, the captive program has both saved the species from extinction and allowed scientists to learn more about the mysterious snail, per the DOC’s Facebook post. As reported by the Associated Press, the captive population had risen to 1,900 snails and almost 2,200 eggs by March of this year. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Macworld If you’re on the hunt for an iPhone but your budget doesn’t quite stretch to Apple’s newest models, buying a used or refurbished iPhone is a great way to pick up a bargain. While this might sound like a risky option, it doesn’t have to be. Specialist retailers offer warranties and check devices before reselling them. We’ll help you find a reputable source for second-hand iPhones. Now that Apple has launched the iPhone 16 series, you can get excellent deals on older phones including the 15-, 14-, and maybe even the 13- series. (Apple still sells the standard iPhone 15 models, but has discontinued the 15 Pro and Pro Max, which means refurbished is the way to go with those models.) The older iPhone you’re prepared to buy, the bigger the savings you can enjoy. In this article, we cover everything there is to know about safely buying a refurbished iPhone, whether you’re looking to buy SIM-free or on contract. Best Refurbished iPhone deals You can save money buying the iPhone 15 from Apple’s refurbished store and from resellers such as BackMarket or Amazon Renewed. We have details of all the best resellers of refurbished iPhones below. Just be aware that the resellers can get a bit creative with the original pricing. Refurbished iPhone 15 deals U.S. Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15, 128GB, $619 (save $110) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15 Plus, 128GB, $699 (save $130) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro, 512GB, $1,019 (save $180) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max, 512GB, $1,099 (save $200) BackMarket: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro, 128GB, $658 BackMarket: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB, $772 Amazon Renewed: iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB, $749 Refurbished iPhone 15 deals U.K. Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15, 128GB, £589 (save £110) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15 Plus, 128GB, £779 (save £140) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro, 256GB, £869 (save £150) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB, £949 (save £170) BackMarket: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro, 128GB, £586 BackMarket: Refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB, £628 Amazon Renewed: iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB, £730 Screenshot Older Refurbished iPhone deals U.K. In Apple’s UK refurbished store you can also get the following iPhones: iPhone 14-series, iPhone 13 series, including: Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 13 mini, 512GB, £639 (save £340) Apple refurbished store: Refurbished iPhone 14 Pro, 256GB, £759 (save £240) You can find more deals on specific iPhone handsets in our iPhone deals round ups: iPhone 16 deals U.S. / iPhone 16 deals U.K. – for the best prices on Apple’s newest series of iPhones. iPhone 15 deals U.S. / iPhone 15 deals U.K. – including deals on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max which Apple no longer sells. iPhone 14 deals – including refurbished deals. iPhone 13 deals – including refurbished deals. Best place to buy a refurbished iPhone Apple itself should be your first port of call, if only to establish a benchmark of what is reasonable to pay for your chosen handset: check to see if the Apple Refurbished Store has the iPhone model you’re looking for. (That’s the U.S. store. British readers should try the U.K. Apple Refurbished Store.) At time of writing Apple is selling refurbished models of the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Apple’s refurbished store tends to be the most expensive place to buy refurbished iPhones–although it’s still significantly cheaper than buying new. (The standard reduction on the Apple Refurbished Store is 15 percent.) But there are advantages that come with this higher price. The refurb phones all come with the same one-year limited warranty that you’ll find on the brand-new versions, for example. And it’s worth noting that any parts used in the refurb will be official Apple ones, and all devices come with brand-new batteries. It’s worth shopping around, however, to make sure you’re getting a good deal. There are plenty of other companies that make a living from refurbishing and selling iPhones. Here are some of the more prominent resellers of refurbished and used iPhones: Refurbished iPhone sellers in the U.S. Back Market: You get 30 days to change your mind and a 12-month warranty… or occasionally more. Decluttr: A popular destination for refurbished devices, often with sales that slash even more money off. You can also trade in any of your old tech, gadgets, and media (including books and CDs) to get steeper discounts. The iOutlet on eBay: Offers competitive pricing for refurbished devices and also accepts other gadgets such as iPads, Apple Watches, and gaming consoles.  Amazon Renewed Store: This site’s greatest benefit is that purchases are all backed by Amazon’s standard returns policy and its “Renewed Guarantee” lets you get a refund or replacement within 1 year of receiving your product. Best Buy: Best Buy doesn’t offer a great deal of information on pre-owned iPhones’ condition, but you can return within 14 days if the item is “unopened or defective in any way.” Walmart: Walmart doesn’t sell refurbished iPhones directly; rather, they are sourced from other sellers. Return policies vary from seller to seller, but there are minimum requirements that apply universally. Refurbished iPhone sellers in the U.K. Back Market: You get 30 days to change your mind and a 12-month warranty… or occasionally more. Music Magpie: The UK version of Decluttr and a good place to start looking for refurbished iPhones. You may find that sales reduce the price still further. Hoxton Macs: Don’t let the Mac in the name fool you. Hoxton Macs has started selling refurbished iPhones. Reboxed: Pledges that devices “are fully tested and in perfect working order.” All come with a 12-month no quibble warranty. The iOutlet or The iOutlet on eBay: Offers competitive pricing for refurbished devices and also accepts other gadgets such as iPads, Apple Watches, and gaming consoles.  Amazon Renewed Store: While you can’t really sell on Amazon Renewed unless you’re a business, those looking to buy a refurbished iPhone Amazon Renewed have plenty of options to choose from. Its greatest benefit is that purchases are all backed by Amazon’s standard returns policy and its “Renewed Guarantee” lets you get a refund or replacement within 1 year of receiving your product. Envirofone: Also allows you to trade in your old phone for credit towards purchasing a refurbished phone. 4Gadgets: Offers a 12-month warranty for all online orders. Smartfone Store: Look out for the additional 10 percent discount for students and young people. Refurb-Phone: Like most refurb sellers, this site offers a 12-month warranty. Less commonplace is its policy of allowing returns within 14 days if you simply change your mind. The Big Phone Store: Says it ensures refurb phones “are thoroughly tested, repaired, and cleaned before being sent out.” Backs this with a 12-month warranty. Laptops Direct: You get a 12-month warranty on parts and labor. Watch out for slightly confusing grading system: “A3,” for example, means “Average condition.” Where to buy a refurbished iPhone on contract You can pick up refurbished phones on contract as well from the following carriers and resellers: US carriers Verizon AT&T T-Mobile UK carriers GiffGaff Mobiles.co.uk O2 Like New Vodafone Carphone Warehouse Fonehouse  Outside of specialist retailers, there’s also eBay and eBay UK (just be sure to check the seller’s feedback and read the descriptions carefully), and, in the UK, CeX. Buying older iPhones new on contract Another way to dampen the financial impact of buying a new iPhone is to go down the tried and tested route of contracts offered by mobile providers. You’ll find older iPhone models in the online stores of many networks. Prices change all the time, so we’d recommend reading our Best iPhone deals guide on a regular basis to see which offers are currently available. Should I buy a refurbished iPhone? What is refurbished? You might be concerned about buying a refurbished handset, thinking that it would be like buying a second-hand iPhone, but there’s no reason to be worried. Remember: refurbished and second-hard aren’t the same thing. Refurbished iPhones are pre-owned but are wiped, tested, and repaired to work like new.  The iPhones Apple sells in the Refurbished Store were returned to Apple for a variety of reasons: The previous owner could have exercised their consumer rights and returned the handset unused within 14 days (as per Apple’s refund and exchange policy). The iPhone may have been used as a demonstration model. The iPhone may have been returned to Apple due to a fault. The third point on that list may concern you, but you can be sure that Apple will have identified and fixed any faults before reselling the device. The company says refurbished products undergo “full functional testing” and are provided with “genuine Apple part replacements (if necessary).” They also get “a thorough cleaning,” incidentally. There are plenty of benefits to buying a refurbished iPhone: You get a one-year warranty. You get 90 days of tech support. Because you’re buying from Apple directly, there are no shipping costs and free returns. You can also take advantage of Apple’s 14-day returns policy if you change your mind. (Note however that Apple isn’t the only seller to offer such a policy.) Refurbished vs second-hand: What’s the difference? If it’s not already clear, a refurbished iPhone is tested and repaired so the handset works like new (or as close to new as possible). A second-hand iPhone, on the other hand, is simply sold as is, which means the device may not last as long, and may have small imperfections or defects. The battery in particular will be a worry in the long term. There are other risks to buying second-hand too. If the previous owner hasn’t dissociated their Apple ID from the device you may get permanently locked out of the iPhone. Unfortunately, Apple’s customer service wouldn’t be able to help you unlock the phone either, as the company has strict security policies. Such a situation would be less of a concern if you know and can easily contact the previous owner (and they remember their Apple ID details), but we’d prefer avoiding such complications to start with. This is just another reason why buying refurbished is a more reliable route to go if you did want to pick up a previously owned iPhone. What does refurbished Grade A mean? When you shop refurbished you might see grade scores such as A, B, or C; this indicates the condition of the phone. Is it dinged up? Does it have scratches? Or is it completely blemish-free and pristine? The grade gives you a general idea. We say “general” because these grades aren’t set by an independent body, which means they can vary from retailer to retailer. This is how the grades usually break down: Grade A: Looks like new or has very few signs of wear Grade B: Might have some minor scratches and some wear Grade C: Looks used and has obvious signs of wear But some sites go with Fair, Good, and Excellent or some other variation. (One site we’ve visited appears to grade everything as A plus a number–so a comparatively poor handset would be rated as A3. This may strike some readers as a little confusing.) Needless to say, Grade A/A1/Excellent refurbished devices will be more expensive than Grade C, but you’ll still be paying far less than you would for a brand-new device.  Pay attention to refurbished warranties  Given that the quality of refurbished iPhone devices can vary from retailer to retailer, it’s important to pay attention to the warranty. How long is the phone covered? The warranty allows you to get help or free repairs from the seller if you run into any issues after purchase. Retailers typically offer a year, and many allow “quibble-free” returns if you change your mind within 14 days. Check the fine print. More refurbished Apple guides Should I buy a refurbished Apple Watch? Why you should buy a refurbished Mac Should I buy a refurbished iPad & best deals Where to buy a refurbished MacBook or Mac