IT General

Most people know the theory that an asteroid smashed into Earth — hitting what is now the Yucatán Peninsula — and killed off many of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago. 

But that was not the only mass extinction for the planet — just the most well-known. Scientists believe at least five mass extinctions have occurred in the past 500 million years, and not all of them were caused by menacing space rocks. Perhaps two of them, one 372 million years ago and another 445 million years ago, were ice ages. 

A new study, based on a census of stars in the Milky Way, suggests those periods of severely cold climates may have begun with stars dying light-years away. 

"If a massive star were to explode as a supernova close to the Earth, the results would be devastating for life on Earth," said Nick Wright, an astrophysicist at Keele University in the United Kingdom, in a statement. "This research suggests that this may have already happened."

SEE ALSO: Hubble sees mini galaxies surrounding Andromeda are pretty wild A fossil of a type of brachiopod, Floweria chemungensis, went extinct in the late Devonian period. Credit: Andrew Bush / National Science Foundation

Previous research has yet to determine the cause for either the late Devonian or Ordovician mass extinctions, which occurred 372 and 445 million years ago, respectively. The Ordovician extinction is thought to have killed off about 60 percent of the invertebrate sea creatures at a time when most of Earth's species lived in the ocean; the late Devonian event eliminated 70 percent of all creatures and influenced sweeping changes in the kinds of fish that survived. 

Scientists have suspected these ice ages followed damage to the ozone layer. Crucially, the team working on the census says supernovas could have triggered the catastrophic changes in Earth's protective atmosphere. The rate of supernovas near Earth is consistent with the timing of both mass extinctions. The team's findings appear in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 

A supernova is a cataclysmic stellar death that leaves behind a black hole or neutron star. It is the biggest, brightest, and most violent type of explosion scientists have observed in the universe. 

These cosmic blasts are element factories, NASA says: They create carbon, for instance, the same chemical on which humans and much of life on Earth are based. They spread calcium and iron, the same stuff found in bones and blood, across interstellar space. This dispersal seeds new generations of stars and planets.

This is what astronomer Carl Sagan meant when he said we're made of "star stuff." The same substances composing our bodies were literally forged within the cores of stars, then flung through the cosmos when they died.

It's a great paradox then that supernovas could be both creators and destroyers of life, the authors observed. 

"Supernova explosions bring heavy chemical elements into the interstellar medium, which are then used to form new stars and planets," said Alexis Quintana, lead author, in a statement. "But if a planet, including the Earth, is located too close to this kind of event, this can have devastating effects."

A nearby supernova's blast of various forms of radiation could strip away the ozone layer. By "near," the experts mean within 65 light-years or so. Without the ozone, Earth would be exposed to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun and acid rain. 

Betelgeuse, about 650 light-years away from Earth, is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Credit: Alan Dyer / VWPics / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Using models that estimate how stars evolve and emit light at different wavelengths, the team analyzed data from large sky surveys, including data from the European Space Agency's recently retired Gaia mission. The census involved nearly 25,000 so-called "OB stars" — very hot, massive stars — within 1,000 parsecs, or roughly 3,260 light-years, of the sun. These stars are so hot, they're at least double the sun's surface temperature. 

This census allowed the scientists to calculate the rate of supernovas in the local region of the galaxy and throughout the Milky Way as a whole. According to the team's calculations, about one supernova happens every 400 million years within close enough vicinity to Earth that its radiation could impact the atmosphere. 

The nearest stars that could blow within the next million years are thought to be Antares and Betelgeuse. If that gives you chills, don't worry: Both stars are more than 500 light-years away — far enough that their blasts wouldn't likely trigger an ice age.

At SXSW 2025, Will.i.am hyped up FYI.AI as the future of AI-powered messaging.

As part of that AI future, Will.i.am demoed the AI personas of his FYI.AI app at Qualcomm’s SXSW panel, "AI is the New UI," on Tuesday. Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, Will.i.am claimed the goal of these personas was to make AI more relatable, giving it the "flavor and energy" of real people from different communities.

"This isn’t about replacing culture," Will.i.am said during the panel. "It’s about enhancing it, giving people AI that speaks to them in a way that feels natural."

For those unfamiliar, FYI.AI is an AI-powered productivity app for iOS and Android, built for creators. It helps organize projects, manage calendars, summarize group chats, make calls, send messages, and more — essentially an all-in-one digital assistant meant to replace all your other apps.

The AI personas are part of RAiDiO.FYI, a new FYI.AI feature that simulates a traditional radio experience with curated content and conversational AI. Think Spotify DJ, but with the ability to actually chat with the AI.

During the panel, Will.i.am introduced an AI persona named "Flowing with the vibes," meant to embody a young Black woman. Rather than a thoughtful representation, it felt overly scripted, dropping lines like, "You know I gotta keep it real with you, always bringing that authenticity," and "Chaaa, what's up my peeps!"

You can see so for yourself around the 39:30 mark on the video.

Qualcomm and Will.i.am clearly want to push the boundaries of AI personalization. The idea of AI that adapts to culture rather than imposing a corporate, one-size-fits-all approach is intriguing. 

Through his partnership with Qualcomm, Will.i.am is working to establish himself as a key player in AI, expanding his influence from collaborating with LG on XBOOM speakers to naming Jason Derulo as an FYI.AI ambassador.

This column reflects the opinion of the author.

It's become incredibly common for tech publications (and people on Reddit) to give out blanket advice to skip the base iPad and buy an iPad Air instead. I'm here to tell you that for most people, most of the time, the base iPad is more than you actually need.

Cooler Master cases are popular for a reason. They provide a pretty good price for really high-quality cases, and the company uses its expertise in fans and coolers to give you cases with great airflow as well. This one follows that line very well, and it's surprisingly flexible.

Niantic, the company Pokémon Go, has sold its division that makes third-party games to Scopely, a business owned by a Saudia Arabian company, for $3.5 billion. This includes Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, and all the location data of its users with it.

Nintendo's 'MAR10' day might have come and gone, but some deals on Nintendo Switch games are still ongoing. You can now get Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $40, a savings of $20 from the usual price—yes, Mario Kart 8 is still $60 most of the time. A bunch of other great games are also on sale.

Building your own PC is exciting. You get to cherry-pick every part and then assemble it all together. However, with so many components and wires, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Luckily, you can simplify the process by following this build order.

TP-Link has announced the TL-WR3002X. This is a new travel router that supports Wi-Fi 6, giving you a fast, reliable, and optional VPN filter everywhere you travel.

The iPhone has a great camera with multiple modes for both photos and videos, but performing the same actions can become repetitive after a while.

Online shopping makes it easy to buy anything, anytime, but it can also lead to unplanned spending. I used to go over my budget while shopping, but after adopting a few strategies, I’ve learned to stay within my spending limits.

There's a lot to enjoy with an Amazon Prime membership: a plentiful streaming service full of acclaimed originals, same-day shipping, and Grubhub+. But that's just a sampling of the extensive benefits for members. Prime members who also happen to be bookworms can maximize their monthly reading with the Amazon First Reads program.

Similar to Book of the Month, every month, Amazon First Reads drops a new collection of discounted titles. However, unlike Book of the Month, these books are totally free for Prime Members. Here's everything you need to know about Amazon First Reads.

What is Amazon First Reads?

Amazon First Reads is a monthly program in which eight editor-selected books are offered free to Prime members. Members are allowed to choose one book per month, which is then added to their library. Non-Prime members can still join in on the fun, but they have to pay $1.99 per book.

Featured Amazon First Reads books are totally free at checkout for Prime members. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon / Mashable composite

Some months, like Prime Day's July and Black Friday's November, offer two free books. And in others, you can select a free short story with your one free e-book.

To select your book, visit the Amazon First Reads home page to browse the options. As a Prime Member, you'll see the option to "read now for free " when you go to purchase the titles. Once you make your selection, it'll automatically be added to your Kindle library.

Which books are featured in Amazon First Reads?

Among the eight books selected each month, the book editors at Amazon provide a variety of genres for every reader. The books are typically new or soon-to-be-released books — many of the books are published under one of Amazon's publishing imprints, so they're exclusive to Amazon's shelves.

In addition to the eight full-length books offered each month, there's typically a short story available, too, exclusive to read through the Kindle Store. You'll find familiar names in the First Reads collections. Past authors include Abby Jimenez, Rebecca Yarros, Lee Child, Fredrik Backman, Alice Hoffman, and Dean Koontz.

Kindle Unlimited members are able to read most of the previous First Reads picks for free, so if there are multiple each month that you want to add to your digital bookshelf, consider a Kindle Unlimited membership.

Do you need a Kindle for Amazon First Reads?

All of the books selected are technically purchased through the Kindle Store. But does that mean you need a Kindle to read them?

Nope! No Kindle e-reader is necessary to read books collected through First Reads. All books purchased through the Kindle Store are available in the Kindle app, which can be read on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

However, if you're asking if you should get a Kindle, that's a different question. While a Kindle is not required to enjoy the bounty of the Kindle store, it is our favorite e-reader brand if you're in the market.

Kindle Paperwhite $159.99 at Amazon
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In the seminal 1984 film Footloose, Kevin Bacon's character Ren delivers a stirring speech about how it's finally the town's time to dance. If you're West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez, however, the time to dance is never.

In perhaps one of the silliest examples of football guys being football guys, Rodriguez has banned his players from dancing on TikTok. Not from using or even posting on TikTok, mind you. Just dancing.

"They're going to be on it, so I'm not banning them from it," Rodriguez said Monday, via ESPN. "I'm just banning them from dancing on it. It's like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you're in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain't quite the image of our program that I want."

SEE ALSO: The Trump campaign's take on Tim Walz's coaching days proves they don't know football

Let's just set aside how silly this is. (Very.) And how it's clearly based around Rodriguez's specific beliefs on what's "tough" or "manly." It's also probably bad for the team's success in an era where college athletes get paid and move from universities as they see fit. Because do you know which football players dance on TikTok? The best ones!

Travis Hunter, last year's Heisman Trophy winner — the prestigious award for the best player in college football — regularly dances on TikTok. Runner-up Ashton Jeanty? Ditto. Do you think good players will want to play at a place where something as simple as dancing on TikTok is banned? Obviously, it's not the biggest deal but it might be something that turns players off from the program — at least the really good ones who can play anywhere.

Rodriguez is free to make rules as he sees fit, and he said as much to reporters. But he's back at West Virginia nearly two decades after previously leading the Mountaineers to some of their best years. But banning TikTok dancing, of all things, might be a sign that he's stuck in the past.

Late last year, a YouTube video uncovering the shady affiliate tactics of PayPal's coupon Chrome extension, Honey, went viral.

The 23-minute video by YouTube creator MegaLag received more than 17 million views and spurred lawsuits against PayPal from YouTubers like Legal Eagle and GamersNexus.

As a result of the Honey expose, Google has now changed its Chrome extension policies concerning affiliate ads and marketing.

What is Honey?

First, as a refresher, Honey is a Chrome extension from PayPal that alerts users when it detects a coupon code relevant to their current e-commerce shopping cart. In exchange for providing the user with this coupon code, Honey enables PayPal's affiliate link on the user's computer so that PayPal receives credit for the customer's purchase. PayPal receives monetary compensation for every purchase made through their affiliate link from the e-commerce store.

SEE ALSO: YouTuber Marques Brownlee explains his part in the alleged Honey 'scam'

However, it appears that many Honey users were unaware of how the Chrome extension worked. MegaLag's video also highlighted that Honey inserted its affiliate link even if it had not discovered a relevant active coupon code. In addition, Honey would also replace an existing affiliate link, or where the shopper's purchase actually originated from, with its own in order to be credited for the sale.

While Honey users were incensed over Honey's affiliate link tactics, the move actually hurt content creators. YouTubers and other creators often recommend products, and their fans make their purchase through the creator's affiliate link to help support them. Affiliate sales can often make up a substantial portion of a creator's revenue. Honey was essentially stealing those sales from creators.

Google Chrome's new extension policies

Honey's tactics resulted in Google rolling out brand new affiliate ads policies for Chrome extensions.

According to the new policy, which is available on the Chrome for Developers website, "Affiliate links, codes, or cookies must only be included when the extension provides a direct and transparent user benefit related to the extension's core functionality. It is not permitted to inject affiliate links without related user action and without providing a tangible benefit to users."

To make it absolutely clear, Google even provided some examples that would be in violation of this policy, such as inserting an affiliate link when no coupon, cashback, or other discount is provided. In addition, Google says a user must take action for an extension to inject an affiliate code. The extension can't just insert the affiliate code without being manually prompted to do so by the user.

"Related user action is required before the inclusion of each affiliate code, link, or cookie," reads the next section of the policy.

This section clearly states that a Chrome extension must notify the user if it is replacing an existing affiliate link with its own. Any Chrome extension replacing an affiliate link without a user's knowledge violates Google's policies.

Looking through the policy, it appears to be a pretty targeted response to Honey's affiliate tactics. It also doesn't appear to affect the legitimate utility that Honey and other coupon — and cashback-related Chrome extensions — provide users.

Hosting your own Minecraft server doesn't have to be difficult. I've hosted my own servers for friends for the past few years, and it's actually pretty simple to do.

SAVE $31.99: As of March 12, get the Sony Inzone wireless gaming earbuds for $168, down from their usual price of $199.99, That's a discount of 16% and their lowest price yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony Inzone wireless gaming earbuds $168 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $31.99 Get Deal

Not all gaming audio accessories have to be bulky over-ear headsets. Sony has a pair of earbuds specifically for gaming, and they're on sale for their lowest price ever.

As of March 12, get the Sony Inzone wireless gaming earbuds for $168 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $199.99. That's a discount of 16% and the lowest price we've tracked so far. This sale applies to both the black and white colors.

These buds offer active noise cancellation and 360 spatial audio, and you can use them on both PlayStation 5 and PC. They have onboard controls for volume, game/chat balance, mute, and music playback, all of which should make gaming with friends or just chatting a much more immersive affair. Plus, they have an AI-assisted microphone that helps extract noise from around you so everyone can hear you better.

These buds also last quite a while, with 12 hours of battery life and 24 hours with their included charging case. So you can get your game on without having to stop and switch to a different pair or juice them back up.

Video game sequels allow developers to refine their old ideas, but they are typically reserved for already-great games. There's nothing wrong with better versions of beloved titles, but developers are wasting their best ideas by ignoring their worst games.

Ever since the Tesla Cybertruck launched, people have been putting the truck through its paces with hilarious, and often catastrophic, results. Tech YouTuber JerryRigEverything — mostly known for his smartphone durability test — put a Cybertruck through a different kind of test by loading the truck’s hitch up to its 11,000-pound tow limit to see if the truck could handle it. 

We won’t spoil the ending entirely, but based on the headline, you can probably guess how the test is going to go. In the video, Jerry has an excavator put 10,000 pounds of weight directly on the hitch of the Tesla to see if the Tesla can handle an improperly loaded trailer or the variances in weight that can happen when towing a trailer. The Tesla does not fare well. 

After the Tesla, Jerry performs an identical test on a Ram 1500. Not only does the Ram 1500 pass the test, but the excavator bounces the truck while keeping it under a 10,000-pound load to intentionally try and break the vehicle. Spoiler alert: It didn’t work. 

Jerry concludes that the gigacasting method for making car frames is great for Tesla’s other cars but may not be the best idea for the Cybertruck.

Apple has released update 18.3.2 for iOS and iPadOS, and it should be rolling out to compatible iPhones and iPads starting Wednesday. 

The latest update isn’t too big, so let’s get right into it. 

For the most part, Apple is going with the boilerplate update description. Cupertino says that the update “provides important bug fixes, security updates, and addresses an issue that may prevent playback of some streaming content.” Apple has a habit of not disclosing or discussing security issues until they’ve properly investigated and patched the issue, so whatever security updates were added are a mystery for now.

With that said, the update does bring a couple things of note. It adds a supplemental patch for a WebKit exploit that was originally fixed back in iOS 17.2. The bug allowed a specifically crafted website to break out of the Web Content sandbox and wreak havoc on devices. 

SEE ALSO: iOS 18.3 is here. 3 major changes to know

The other thing of note is that the update is turning Apple Intelligence back on by default, so users who don’t want to use it will have to go back into the settings and disable it again. This is a minor annoyance but one that iPhone and iPad owners will likely have to get used to with every update as users reported the same thing occurring after updating to iOS 18.3.1. 

Other than that, this is a pretty simple update. It’s still important to make sure your iPhone is updated to the latest OS to prevent any issues. 

In addition to iOS 18.3.2, Apple also released updates for Safari, along with macOS Sequoia 15.3.2 for Macs, visionOS 2.3.2 for the Apple Vision Pro, and tVOS 18.3.1 for Apple TV devices. 

Which iPhones and iPads are getting iOS 18.3.2?

Per Apple, the following devices should be receiving the update:

• Every iPhone from the iPhone XS generation to the latest iPhone 16

• iPad Pro 13-inch

• iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later

• iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later

• iPad Air 3rd generation and later

• iPad 7th generation and later

• iPad mini 5th generation and later
  

How do I install iOS 18.3.2?

It should be the same as any other update. If you don’t want to do it manually, you should receive a notification to update your phone or iPad and you just need to start the update from there. 

If you want to do it manually, hop into the Settings, then General. From there, tap Software Update and the update should appear. Tap the Update Now button to install the update. The device will reboot when it’s finished. 

Electric vehicles (EVs) have had a weird year so far. Thanks to Elon Musk, Tesla fell from grace. As the brand synonymous with EVs, that would seem to indicate that EVs are in trouble. As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth.

Ars Technica, citing analysts at Rho Motion, reported that global EV sales had jumped up 30 percent compared to this time last year. Even in the U.S., sales were reportedly up 28 percent compared with this point last year. That might actually be because folks are trying to get ahead of an anti-EV administration.

"American drivers bought 30 percent more electric vehicles than they had by this time last year, making use of the final months of IRA tax breaks before the incentives are expected to be pulled later this year," Charles Lester, Rho Motion data manager, told Ars Technica.

It’s a continuation of an already hot start to 2025 for EVs. Rho Motion noted in a previous report that sales in January 2025 were higher than they were in January 2024 by about 18 percent overall. Europe and the U.S. saw the largest gains at 21 percent and 22 percent, respectively, with China continuing to put up decent growth as well.

There are some blips here and there. For example, France saw a 15 percent decrease in EV sales in January 2025 versus the same time last year. Rho Motion suggests that it’s due to a newly implemented weight tax on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that started this year. This likely led to a lot of people buying EVs in December before the tax went into effect. Meanwhile, Germany saw the biggest jump with a 40 percent growth in January 2025 versus the same time a year ago.

SEE ALSO: Trump and Musk hosted a Tesla ad at the White House

In terms of brands, Rho Motion didn’t mention which automakers were the big winners and big losers in their data. For 2024, Tesla led the way in EV sales in the U.S. and most of the rest of the world. BYD had the most sales globally, however, thanks to its success in China. 

Tesla remains one of the biggest players in the EV game despite all of the controversy surrounding the brand. 

There have been signs, however, that the company has been adversely affected by Musk’s prominent role in the U.S. government and right-wing politics. Early signs have shown Tesla sales falling precipitously. Used Teslas, meanwhile, are dropping in price alongside the company’s shares.  

EVs may be selling overall, but Tesla could still be in trouble.

Disney continues its roll of live-action remakes with Lilo & Stitch, coming to theaters May 23.

SEE ALSO: 2025 movie preview: All the films you'll want to know about

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Lilo & Stitch once again tells the story of renegade alien Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders, who co-directed and voiced Stitch in the original film) who crash-lands in Hawaii. There, he'll find an unlikely friendship with human Lilo (newcomer Maia Kealoha).

Lilo & Stitch's first full trailer pays tribute to several of the original film's most well-known moments, including Ice Cream Man tragically losing his ice cream, and those always-memorable words, "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

On top of re-introducing Lilo and Stitch, the trailer also introduces the rest of the film's cast of characters, including Lilo's sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong), Nani's boyfriend David (Kaipo Dudoit), and social worker Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B. Vance). On the alien side, Zach Galifianakis and Billy Magnussen play Jumba and Pleakley in their alien and human forms, and Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham voices the Grand Councilwoman. Tia Carrere and Amy Hill, the original voices of Nani and Lynne Hasagawa, return as new characters Mrs. Kekoa and Tūtū.

Catch them all in (live) action in the trailer above.

Lilo & Stitch hits theaters May 23.