/Top Stories/ Last Updated: Sat, Apr 5th, 2025 @ 6:51am EDT

Mashable

A star factory at the heart of our galaxy is mysterious and important

About 200 light-years from the black hole at the center of the Milky Way lies a region that isn't as fertile as scientists would think. 

This star-forming cloud of gas and dust, Sagittarius C, is brimming with all of the material to make star babies, yet its yield of new stars remains relatively low, despite the fact that it has likely birthed thousands of stars already. Scientists pointed the James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration of NASA and its European and Canadian space...

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A great and powerful Martian dust devil swallows another in new video

Something about this time of year on Mars is reminiscent of 1939's The Wizard of Oz. 

Maybe it's the ruddiness of the planet that gives off its own natural sepia tone like we see in Victor Fleming's film adaptation. Maybe it's the tornadoes, sometimes so tall they seem like they could lift more than a few farmhouses. 

But one thing's for sure about these freakish alien dust devils: You're definitely not in Kansas if you see them. More like 140 million miles over the rainbow in space. 

Though...

Mashable

Unheard of Apple pricing: MacBook Air for $199.97

TL;DR: This MacBook Air has all the bells and whistles, is grade A/B refurbished, and has a sub-$200 price tag.

Scratch that new laptop itch with a new-to-you MacBook Air under $200. With this price drop, you can get a quality refurbished MacBook for just $199.97 and take advantage of the classic design and tools without the classic $999 price.

The 13.3 inch MacBook Air with Intel Core i5

The MacBook Air 13.3-inch (2017) is still popular for a reason. It boasts an excellent up-to 12-hour...

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A razor-thin AirTag alternative just went on sale for $24

TL;DR: The MagTag Ultra Slim Tracker Card looks like a credit card, works like an AirTag, and is only $23.97 (reg. $42) through April 27.

Bluetooth trackers can be lifesavers, until they’re not. A lot of Bluetooth trackers are bulky, easy to knock loose, and obvious enough for thieves to toss. The MagTag Ultra Slim Tracker Card is a sleek, discreet alternative to AirTags, and it's cheaper, too. This razor-thin tracker syncs with Apple’s Find My network just like an AirTag but slips...

Mashable

Replace your Microsoft 365 subscription with a lifetime license

TL;DR: Replace your Microsoft 365 subscription with a Microsoft Office 2024 Lifetime License on sale for $159.97 (reg. $249) through April 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

A few years ago, Microsoft switched a lot of their most popular apps to a subscription model. It seems cheaper at first, but the value kept disappearing. The price for a Microsoft 365 subscription just went up to (at minimum) $99.99 per year. 

If you want an alternative to the subscription, there's finally a lifetime license you can...

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Scan anything anywhere with your phone for just $42 for life

TL;DR: You can create high-quality, editable scans with your phone when you nab this $41.99 lifetime subscription for SwiftScan with code TAKE30.

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Mashable

Microsoft bundle deal: MS Office and Windows 11 for $54.97

TL;DR: Add the new OS and Office programs your PC needs with discounted $54.97 bundle of Office 2021 and Windows 11.

Buying a new computer is expensive, even if inflation has slowed. Just add Microsoft Office Professional 2021 and upgrade your Windows 11 Pro license to speed things up and get the most out of your current hardware. You can bundle Office 2021 and Windows 11 to get a PC makeover for just $54.97 (reg. $418).

Microsoft Office Professional 2021: What's included

When you add a...

Mashable

I tested sleep earbuds for over a month: Here are the 3 best pairs

Getting proper sleep can help improve nearly every aspect of your health, but over a third of adults in the United States don't get enough of it, according to the CDC.

If a noisy environment is what's keeping you up at night, you've likely considered foam earplugs, but those are no longer the only option available on the market — reusable earplugs and sleep earbuds offer a more convenient alternative.

I spent the past month and a half trying out earplugs and earbuds ranging from $50 to $300...

Mashable

Hubble captures a stunning cradle of stars in neighboring galaxy

A new snapshot of a busy star cluster from the Hubble Space Telescope proves the legendary observatory's still got it, even in the golden age of the James Webb Space Telescope. 

The image shows the most detailed view of NGC 346 yet, a stellar nursery within the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way some 210,000 light-years away in the constellation Tucana. Though the cluster has been observed in the past, this is the first time data from all three light wavelengths...

Fast Company

Adele Peters

‘He has never done a hot second of economic analysis’: Senator Chris Murphy on how Trump is using tariffs as a political weapon

Murphy talked to ‘Fast Company’ about what he believes is Trump’s real motivation: a tool to force businesses to ‘bend the knee’ to him.

When Trump unveiled his sweeping tariffs last week, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut made the case that they weren’t about economic policy. Instead, he says, they’re a tool to force businesses (and countries) to pledge loyalty to Trump. We talked to Murphy about Trump’s motivations, what Congress should be doing in this...

Fast Company

Shannon Cudd

How to watch March Madness men’s Final Four

Four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four, which has happened only once before in tournament history.

March might be over but the madness continues into April. The NCAA’s 68 Division I men’s college basketball teams have battled it out on the courts in single-elimination play, leaving four teams standing. This year the Final Four have something in common: They all were granted No. 1 seeds on Selection Sunday. Duke, Florida, Auburn, and Houston were all safe bets when filling out a...

Fast Company

Jesus Diaz

He played football at MIT. Now he’s designing a lighter, safer helmet

Hard and heavy is not actually better to avoid traumatic brain injury playing football. The Apache helmet shows why.

Kodiak Brush doesn’t mince words when it comes to the state of football helmet design. “Most helmets today are designed to win lab tests, not protect players on the field,” he tells me over email. Brush, an MIT-trained mechanical engineer and former middle linebacker, is a production engineering manager who leads helmet design at Carlsbad, California-based Light...

Fast Company

Emily Guy Birken

How DOGE may wreak havoc on the Social Security system

What can the 71.6 million current Social Security beneficiaries expect now that the SSA is in the path of the DOGE chainsaw?

I’ve written before about my love for the Social Security Administration–from its origin as a response to senior poverty during the Great Depression, to its elegant design as a direct transfer from current workers to current beneficiaries, to its regular adjustments that have preserved its future.

NYT > Home Page

Kevin Williams, Carly Gist, Amy Graff and Rick Rojas

Boy Swept Away by Raging Waters in Kentucky as Rain Soaks Central U.S.

Waters continued to rise in communities from Arkansas to Michigan as the storm, which has killed at least eight, drenched the region. More tornadoes were also possible.

NYT > Home Page

Liam Stack

Vandalism of Muslim Prayer Room at N.Y.U. Is Investigated as Hate Crime

Graffiti was etched onto walls of the room, at a university library, and prayer mats kept there had been soaked in urine.

NYT > Home Page

Aie Balagtas See

Detained in The Hague, Duterte Pursues a Political Comeback at Home

Rodrigo Duterte, the former Philippine president who is facing charges of crimes against humanity, is running for mayor in a race analysts say he could win.

NYT > Home Page

Elian Peltier

She Accused the Senate President of Harassment. The Backlash Was Swift.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan said Nigeria’s third most powerful politician punished her for not heeding his advances, but that she won’t be stopped.

NYT > Home Page

Melissa Kirsch

Works of Art

Creating rules around the content we consume can help calm our overtaxed brains and manage our moods.

NYT > Home Page

Jeffrey Flier

What’s at Risk for Medicine at Harvard

The task before higher education is immense.

NYT > Home Page

Justin Wolfers

Trump’s Tariffs Will Change Your Life

Justin Wolfers on how the tariffs will radically change our daily lives.

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