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What are the AirPods Pro (2nd generation)? The $249 AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are the long-anticipated follow-up to what is essentially the default Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) earbud for iPhone users and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear they’re already everywhere. As I write this they haven’t been released yet, but there they seem to be across from me on the train, waiting in line with me for a bagel, jogging by in the street and lounging on benches in the park....

His wife places a copy of the freshly printed book, A ­Voyage to Terra Australis, in his hands as he lies unconscious in their central London home the day before his death in July 1814. Later, he’s interred at St. James’s burial ground, but within a few decades, the tombstone is missing. When the railways at nearby Euston Station expand in the mid-1800s, workers re­locate, pave over, or strip graves....

Each winter, Yellowstone’s bison move from the high country in groups of a few dozen, seeking better feeding grounds. The evidence of wild bison migration is etched into our continent, where the movement of vast herds shaped the land. The countless pounding hooves formed wide passages called buffalo traces, as the beasts followed watersheds and ridgelines to new territory. The early pioneers followed these paths—through the Cumberland Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, across the Ohio River near Louisville, and the Vincennes trace through Indiana and ­Illinois—​to settle the West....

To really wipe a drive clean, users will need to run secure-erase software. For Windows, the best bet is the command-line utility SDelete (free), which writes over the space on the drive. SDelete runs from any bootable disk or from the hard drive of another computer connected with a device such as the Universal Drive Adapter ($39.99). Linux users can try the Shred command, which overwrites files in a similar fashion....

Plenty of anecdotes support the notion that solar eclipses can trick animals into performing their nighttime routines, but evidence in the scientific literature has been sparse. Eclipse science moves in fits and starts, in part because the chance to study them comes so rarely. Astronomers who plan their lives around being in the right place at the right time can catch dozens, but biologists with other research priorities might consider themselves lucky to witness one or two....

The goal isn’t to create a self-driving car that can drift around a race track. Instead, the researchers want to help autonomous cars actually drive more safely by allowing them to know their own limits and even operate at the edge of those limits. It’s a useful skill for any driver to have if a deer dashes in front of the car—you want to be able to swerve if needed, but not so hard that the tires lose all purchase on the asphalt and the car skids off the road....

Best wired for under $100: Steelseries Arctis 5Best wireless for under $100: Corsair HS70 ProBest for $50 or less: Corsair HS50 ProBest for PS5: Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless HeadsetBest for Xbox: Xbox Wireless HeadsetBest mic: HyperX Cloud Alpha S How we picked the best cheap gaming headsets In years of writing about tech, I’ve tested piles of headsets from companies like Logitech G, Astro, Corsair, Cougar, and more, with price points ranging from budget bin up through premium grade gear....

Best overall: Audio-Technica-ATH M40xBest noise-canceling: Anker Soundcore Life Q30Best for podcasting: Sony-MDR7506 Best wireless: Jabra Elite 45Best open-back: Philips SHP9500Best budget: UrbanEars Plattan 2 How we chose the best headphones under $100 In order to find the best headphones under $100, I relied heavily on real-world experience; I personally use several of the models listed here both for professional work as a sound designer and as supplementary headphones for quick, on-the-go trips....

And, sure, you could use your fingers to check your pulse, but how realistic—or reliable—is that when you’re on a bike or in the pool? Heart rate monitors offer ease of use and accuracy suited for high-intensity activity and environments. So if you’re trying to figure out a monitor for cycling, swimming, or running, whether an armband or a chest strap is better for you, read on. We’ve got our finger on the pulse of the best heart rate monitors....

Formulation: Look for moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter and beeswax, plus power-boosts like vitamin E or squalane for an even-more effective pick.Skin Type: If you have hyper-sensitive skin, be extra careful when it comes to selecting your lip balm. Avoid any perfumes or scented products, including essential oils, and select a lip balm that doesn’t contain any alcohol that could dry out your skin.Sun Protection: Whether you’re heading to the beach or running errands, SPF helps to protect your skin from aging and damage caused by UVA and UVB rays....

USB hubs not only give you more USB-C and A ports, but they often include HDMI outputs for running multimedia presentations or using a second monitor. They sometimes include Micro or standard SD card readers, and Ethernet ports for networking your machine. For laptops that also draw power through the USB port, many hubs provide powered pass-through connections, and some even have jacks dedicated to charging devices like phones, tablets, and wireless earbuds....

Another of the changes is the tires. After a half-century of using 13-inch wheels with balloon tires, F1 is going to 18-inch wheels with low-profile tires. These large wheels and slender-sidewall tires look and work more like the tires that Pirelli makes for high-performance sports cars. As the contracted sole supplier of tires to Formula 1 through 2024, Pirelli wants to be able to transfer know-how between its racing and production tires, and it wouldn’t mind if customers could look at the racing tires and see in them a glimpse of the rubber they could buy for their own cars....

If you want an iPad mini but can’t justify paying for its full price, then you are in luck. Right now you can get a refurbished gold Apple iPad mini 4, 128GB and accessories bundle for half of its retail price as a part of our Black Friday is Back promotion. Just be sure to hurry because these prices are only available from 12/12 through 12/19! This iPad mini comes equipped with a pre-installed iOS 9 and 1....

“I started to do research for myself,” Johnson told CNN this past February. “I realized, oh my gosh, we are in the midst of a maternal mortality crisis that isn’t just shameful for American standards. It is shameful on a global scale.” Shortly thereafter, Johnson and his mother met with Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois. After digging deep into the issue, Kelly says she was disturbed to learn that the US is the only developed country in the world with a rising maternal mortality rate....

Vaccines generally work by boosting the bodies own inherent immune responses to certain pathogens, but for certain kinds of infections this kind of vaccination has proven difficult. This has to do with the body’s so-called “memory” T cells. These antibodies deploy when a foreign pathogen is found within the body, and when they do battle with a given pathogen they do what any good soldier would do: They learn from their adversary....

Feedback screen With Cadillac’s CUE system, the driver controls the console’s central touchscreen as he would a smartphone—by sliding, tapping, and pinching. To let the driver feel what he’s doing, the capacitive screen delivers fingertip pulses when he presses a button or operates a slider. Meanwhile, natural-voice-recognition software makes it easy to give vocal commands. Helpful vibrations When the cameras and sensors mounted around the car detect that a driver is straying from his lane or veering toward an obstacle, motors in the seat-cushion vibrate on whichever side requires the driver’s attention....

California—which, if it were an independent country, would have the world’s fifth largest economy—is joinning Hawaii in going carbon-free by 2045 thanks to a landmark bill to ditch electricity from fossil fuels for renewable energy. On Monday, Governor Jerry Brown made this quest an official mandate by signing SB 100 into law. “California is committed to doing whatever is necessary to meet the existential threat of climate change,” Brown said....

Forests are critical to slowing climate change because they soak up huge amounts of heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Birds help keep forests healthy by eating insects that spread tree-killing diseases. Birds also scatter seeds that give rise to new trees. If birds leave, the forests could be in trouble. “Without birds, forests would be more vulnerable to disease, and it would be much harder for them to naturally regenerate after fires,” says Brett Furnas, senior environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife....

In a warehouse in Bologna, he switched on a strange contraption that looked like a leg of lamb wrapped in aluminum foil. He called it the “E-Cat,” short for “energy catalyzer.” It contained a pinch of powdered nickel, a puff of hydrogen gas, and a dash of a secret catalyst. When the mixture was heated with an electrical current, a mysterious reaction occurred, generating large amounts of excess heat—far more than any known chemical reaction could produce....

Seat covers are designed to slip over your car’s seats to protect the leather or fabric upholstery. They provide varying degrees of styles and features, they’re easy to clean, and they resist tears, scuffs, and other types of damage. Some car seats also provide extra breathability and padding to increase comfort for people who spend a lot of time behind the wheel. To protect your investment while riding in style, invest in car seat covers....