Mashable

Oura recently released a new feature for its popular sleep-tracking Gen3 ring: the ability to see trends in daytime stress.

Not long after, an intriguing thread popped up in a subreddit dedicated to the Oura ring. Some of its 40,000 members were perplexed by what the Oura app reported about their stress levels.

Much to their surprise, the commenters said it seemed that they were always stressed. Some wondered if the new feature was buggy. But others didn't like how the data made them feel, hinting at the unintended mental health implications of tracking.

"I'm stressed eight hours a day since this new feature has rolled out which is making me stressed," wrote one commenter. "How do I shut it off!"

The conversation pointed to a persistent tension undergirding efforts to track, or even surveil, your own health around the clock. Such data can empower the user, but it can also sew doubt and worry — perhaps where there wasn't any before.

SEE ALSO: 6 med tech innovations from 2023 that could improve our lives

Dr. Vaile Wright, a psychologist and senior director of health care innovation for the American Psychological Association, said these different outcomes depend on the person.

"For some, tracking provides a critical ability to recognize and identify triggers," Wright said. "For others, however, it could actually increase stress, distress, and hypervigilance."

The former group might have difficulty pinpointing what stresses them most or how they feel in that state. Cultivating a greater awareness of that can be useful, because it might encourage them to make proactive changes, like implementing meditation or exercise breaks when their stress spikes. But the latter group might constantly think about their stress, even ruminate on it, and inadvertently engage in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When a person thinks they're stressed all the time, they may expect that to be the case and then behave in ways that increase stress, like procrastinating, taking anger or frustration out on others, and staying constantly connected to digital devices, the news, and social media.

The challenge is that you may not know how you'll respond until you're staring at days of charts showing an elevated stress level.

The basics of tracking stress levels

Previously, the Oura app only gave users detailed data about how well they slept and recovered from the previous day's exertion.

Oura's head of science, Shyamal Patel, whose Ph.D. is in computer and electrical engineering, told Mashable the company wanted to launch a daytime stress function as a way to give users a "holistic" picture of their stress and recovery. Oura competitor Whoop released its own tracking feature, Stress Monitor, in spring 2023.

The Oura ring measures daytime stress by continuously tracking temperature, heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV). More variability in your heart rate can suggest resilience to stress, whereas less variation can indicate that the body's nervous system is struggling.

Certain factors impede reliable data collection. Cold hands or a poorly or loosely fitting ring can lead to gaps in tracking. Oura's algorithm excludes exercise or movement from its stress analysis so as not to confuse the physical demands of a workout, for example, with overall distress.

SEE ALSO: With Strava, no one runs alone anymore. That's the problem.

Importantly, the feature hasn't been independently clinically validated, though Patel said the company recently launched a study with this aim.

He's also aware that drawing attention to stress through tracking may have unintended consequences because the same thing has happened to people who began collecting data about their sleep. Patel points to orthosomnia, the new phenomenon of becoming so preoccupied with sleep tracker data that it leads to sleeplessness.

Patel said this is why the Oura app is meant to have an "empathetic" voice instead of using judgmental language oriented around failure when it's providing insights.

Understanding high-stress levels

The ring's sensor gathers data continuously, but the daytime stress chart reports back every 15 minutes. (Only members who pay a monthly $5.99 subscription fee can access the data.) You can watch as stress levels peak, crash, and plateau throughout the day.

The short interval can be informative. A screaming child or tense work meeting may coincide exactly with a stress peak, confirming what you already suspected was true. Or you might be stunned to see that the deep breathing you tried at the dentist's office seemed to make it a low-stress experience.

Yet the time frame can also amplify worry. You might wonder why a brief meditation break or leisurely meal — things you did because you hoped they'd reduce stress — didn't show up as restful or restorative but instead appeared as periods of stress or engagement, a state of being Oura places between stress and relaxation.

Again, the different responses come down to personality and circumstance, said Wright. The app's feedback may motivate one person to change their behavior while another person feels "paralysis" as a result.

SEE ALSO: Should you put a ring on it? I tried the Oura 3 for one month to find out.

There are also things people cannot control. Certain medications, like asthma medicines, antibiotics, cold and congestion medicines, and antidepressants, can increase heart rate and potentially affect heart rate variability, which the app currently doesn't make clear to users. Someone searching for an answer to a sudden spike in stress might not realize it's due to starting a new medication.

Different but even more impactful sources of external stress are the invisible forces that influence well-being. The American Psychological Association's recent "Stress in America" survey found, for example, that the nation is still "recovering from collective trauma" following the worst phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though many respondents downplayed their stress, nearly a quarter of adults said their stress rated between eight and 10 on a scale of one to 10, with the upper end being a "great deal of stress." Respondents were feeling the pressure of financial strain and health challenges, but they were also particularly worried about mass shootings, violence and crime, the nation's future, and "social divisiveness."

In this sense, tracking stress has its limits. If a higher-paying job won't materialize because of economic trends, coping skills will only go so far.

"Yes, there are some things that we can do to help us maintain our emotional well-being that actually are in our control," said Wright, "but they're not sufficient to manage all of our stress in the world, because much of [what is] causing us stress we don't have control over, and there are not necessarily easy fixes for them either."

Are there risks to tracking your stress?

At the outset, Oura didn't offer stress management tools alongside its daytime stress feature. Now, the app suggests relaxation content from the meditation and wellness platform Headspace when Oura detects elevated levels of stress.

A "reflections" feature in beta testing lets users jot down notes about their daily experiences. Ideally, the tool will help users make connections between highs and lows in their daytime stress, shedding light on drivers of triggering, restful, and restorative moments.

Later this year, Oura plans to launch a "stress resilience" measure, which will assess users' ability to withstand physiological stress by tracking daytime stress and recovery, as well as recovery during sleep.

Patel notes that gleaning insight from wearable data is a relatively new practice. Until the recent past, a person's main source of health data was generated at their annual physical, he said. Now, they can collect continuous data about themselves, including their sleep, stress, heart rate, and menstrual cycle.

Patel said it's important to help people understand what's shaping their health trends, now that they have data about them in hand: "We need to close that gap."

Some Oura users, in a separate, more recent Reddit thread, wondered if their near-constant high-stress days meant they had anxiety. The reflection could be particularly useful when followed by a conversation with a health care or mental health provider.

But Wright urges consumers to be cautious with their health data, too. While Oura doesn't sell member data of any kind (even anonymized) to third parties, no company is immune from a security breach. Oura does partner with researchers who can access de-identified user data to conduct clinical studies but collects "relevant consent" from research participants in advance.

Wright said that, in general, wearables aren't required to be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that protects a wide range of health data. They also typically aren't subject to federal regulation, unless they're considered a medical device.

"Research technology moves faster than regulation and ethics," Wright said, adding that she's more worried about data privacy, security, and storage than whether wearables actually work.

Still, Wright knows that many people are eager to track their health metrics, including stress. She encourages them to take digital breaks periodically to see how it makes them feel and then reassess how much they want to engage with their device.

Keeping digital tabs on measurements of well-being may be a mood booster if things are going well, but Wright reiterated that such awareness might be potentially damaging when it leads to anxious thinking.

After all, sometimes the best way to stay even-keeled is to not know exactly how stressed you are.

Flying was never the most stress-free way to travel, but thanks to never-ending airline delays, unruly passengers, and the incredible shrinking airline seat, it's become a nightmare. If you've decided it's finally time to invest in a quality pair of noise-canceling headphones for flying, we've got you covered.

SEE ALSO: How to clean your AirPods the right way

The good news is that plenty of headphones, from over-ear headphones to wireless earbuds, offer active noise cancellation. And in 2024, it's not too hard to find ANC headphones cost under $100.

Even so, if you want to find the best noise-canceling headphones for airplanes, you should be prepared to pay closer $200 to $500 (exempting our budget pick from Anker Soundcore). Premium headphones offer improved active noise cancellation and transparency modes that allow you to hear those all-important gate announcements.

Let's not forget that ANC on its own won't save the day — otherwise, we'd just direct you to our review of the best noise-canceling headphones. For long flights, comfort is also key. It won't matter if your headphones block sound if you only want to wear them for two out of five hours of your flight. A few extra features — like balanced sound and spatial audio — can't hurt either.

SEE ALSO: New Apple AirPods Max expected to launch next year — 2 new features to watch out for

With all that in mind, we've rounded up the best headphones for flying based on our extensive research and hands-on testing.

Because shopping for headphones shouldn't be as stressful as heading to the airport, we've answered every question you need to know before purchasing. Read on for essential info as well as the very best noise-canceling headphones for flying in 2024.

Does paying more really get me more noise cancellation?

Generally, yes. Many cheap headphones claim to offer "noise-canceling" features, but a $50 pair of over-ear headphones will never compare to Sony noise-canceling headphones. Typically, the more you pay and the better known and regarded the brand is, the better the noise cancellation. Brands like Bose and Sony offer multiple levels of noise cancellation so you can choose to be completely blocked off from the world or opt to allow some environmental noises to come in while flying. 

SEE ALSO: What to look for when shopping for the best headphones

Paying more can also get you some nice features to supplement your ANC, like voice assistant support, expansive battery life, advanced codec support for better-sounding music, or better call quality. If you're a frequent flyer, the cost is almost certainly worth it.

What are the best noise-canceling headphones for flying?

Noise-canceling headphones are at their most useful on airplanes. While flying, it's difficult to find a moment's peace when so much is going on around you. Frequent flyers may prefer to rest or work, and the best way to do this is by using the best noise-cancellation methods to block out the chaos. 

With that in mind, some headphones' ANC works best on blocking out people talking more than ambient engine sounds, and vice versa, and people will have different preference levels for how much ANC they actually like. In addition, for long-haul flights, you may also be interested in the best noise-canceling headphones for sleeping

With all that in mind, we've included the best ANC headphones for every traveler. So, read on to find the best noise-canceling headphones for airplanes in 2024 — all based on Mashable's in-depth research and hands-on headphones reviews.

TL;DR: Stream the 2024 Six Nations for free on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

It's going to be very difficult for 2024 to compete with 2023 when it comes to international rugby. Last year we were treated to an electric Six Nations, a long list of competitive international test matches, and of course, the Rugby World Cup. That's tough to beat.

This year is going to be very quiet in comparison, but don't be fooled into thinking the Six Nations is going to be any less competitive. The Six Nations is always fiery, and we're expecting a lot of intense battles between some of the best sides in the world.

If you want to watch the 2024 Six Nationsn for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Six Nations?

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international men's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. Each team plays every other team once, with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next.

The current champions are Ireland.

When is the 2024 Six Nations?

The 2024 Six Nations Championship is the 130th edition of the competition, but only the 25th since it expanded to become the Six Nations Championship in 2000. This year's competition will take place from Feb. 2 to March 16.

How to watch the 2024 Six Nations for free

You can watch every game from the Six Nations for free on the BBC or ITV. You can also live stream every fixture for free on BBC iPlayer or ITVX.

BBC iPlayer and ITVX are both geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone from around the world can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These popular tools can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in the UK. This quick and easy action makes it look like you're connecting from the UK, so you can stream on BBC iPlayer and ITVX from anywhere in the world.

Unblock BBC iPlayer and ITVX by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer or ITVX

5. Steam the 2024 Six Nations for free

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to BBC iPlayer or ITVX without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to stream most of the 2024 Six Nations before recovering your investment.

2024 Six Nations schedule

Once you have established access to the 2024 Six Nations for free, you'll want to make note of the fixture schedule and broadcasting partner for each game:

• Feb. 2 — France vs. Ireland (8 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• Feb. 3 — Italy vs. England (2:15 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• Feb. 3 — Wales vs. Scotland (4:45 p.m. GMT on BBC)

• Feb. 10 — Scotland vs. France (2:15 p.m. GMT on BBC)

• Feb. 10 — England vs. Wales (4:45 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• Feb. 11 — Ireland vs. Italy (3 p.m. GMT GMT on ITV)

• Feb. 24 — Ireland vs. Wales (2:15 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• Feb. 24 — Scotland vs. England (4:45 p.m. GMT on BBC)

• Feb. 25 — France vs. Italy (3 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• March 9 — Italy vs. Scotland (2:15 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• March 9 — England vs. Ireland (4:45 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• March 10 — Wales vs. France (3 p.m. GMT on BBC)

• March 16 — Wales vs. Italy (2:15 p.m. GMT on BBC)

• March 16 — Ireland vs. Scotland (4:45 p.m. GMT on ITV)

• March 16 — France vs. England (8 p.m. GMT on ITV)

Keep these dates in mind and clear your schedule. It's the only thing that really matters at this time of year.

What is the best VPN for streaming sport?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream sport for free, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 94 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to five simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the 2024 Six Nations for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: The 2023 Premium Python Programming Mega Certification Bundle is on sale for £36.11, saving you 76% on list price.

If you’re someone who enjoys all things tech-related and wants a deeper understanding of how we make the smart devices in our lives work, you may want to try your hand at computer coding. Fortunately for you, you don’t need to get an expensive degree to start your journey. Not when you can have lifetime access to this Python programming certification bundle, which gives you over 100 hours of instruction. And you can grab this online learning bundle for just £36.11.

Whether you have some computer programming experience already or you’re just starting out, this bundle is a good place to gain some new skills. Aspiring coders can learn the foundations in just three hours with the course, Python Programming for Beginners and Python Bootcamp In A Day, taught by instructor Paul Ashun, a leader in mobile, Internet TV, and web software projects and CEO of Pashun Consulting.

SEE ALSO: 12 of the best Python courses you can take online for free

This bundle gives you some of the easiest Python for beginners courses with lifetime access to 14 different courses taught by experts in Python programming language. You'll learn how to use problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to solve technical and mathematical problems. And if you're looking for something with a unique spin, you can even build your own text-based escape room to explore core techniques within a game.

Python is one of the top three most used programming languages in the world. It can be used for everything from accounting to game design, and this bundle teaches you how to implement these skills in both fields. Learn to create data visualisation web apps or even build a medical diagnosis bot with Python. 

Learn to code with Python 3 and go from beginner to advanced programmer at your own pace. Grab this Python programming certification bundle on sale for £36.11.

Opens in a new window Credit: Oak Academy 2023 Premium Python Programming Mega Certification Bundle £36.11 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for Jan. 14's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the Wordle answer for Jan. 12.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

We're getting jacked.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. What's the answer to Wordle today?

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #939 is...

BULKY.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for January 14's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Stressful finances

• Green: Swiper the Fox activities

• Blue: Animal nicknames

• Purple: Lower body clothing

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Things to Pay

• Green: Thieve

• Blue: Male Animals

• Purple: Legwear, In the Singular

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for December 28

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #217 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Things to Pay: BILL, CHECK, INVOICE, TAB

• Thieve: PINCH, ROB, STEAL, SWIPE

• Male Animals: BUCK, BULL, JACK, TOM

• Legwear, In the Singular: JEAN, PANT, SHORT, TIGHT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

The debut of the Rabbit R1 AI Assitant feels like a full-circle moment in tech. The existence of this palm-sized personal voice assistant comes from Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu's desire to go back to a time when using a phone was simple. And that belief is catching on, as according to Lyu, Rabbit's AI-pocket gadget has sold out of its initial 10,000 units.

What the Rabbit R1 is or does is a hard question to answer. It's not a smartphone (well, not exactly), and it's not just a voice assistant like Alexa (although it kinda is). That's why ahead of another round of preorders in the spring, we took a deep dive into exactly what the Rabbit R1 does, how it works, and whether it can replace our smartphones.

SEE ALSO: 24 gadgets from CES 2024 that you can buy already What is the Rabbit R1 AI Assistant?

Unveiled at CES 2024, Rabbit R1 is a $200 handheld AI assistant with a 2.88-inch touchscreen. The device, co-designed with Teenage Engineering, resembles a walkie-talkie with its square design and eye-popping orange — adding to its retro feel. It includes features like a camera, a control wheel, speakers, and microphones. Additionally, it has 4GB of memory, 128GB of storage, and runs on a 2.3GHz MediaTek processor.

It's surprisingly light and only half the size of an iPhone 15. However, unlike the iPhone 15, Rabbit R1 doesn't have apps; instead, you can connect to the apps on your phone. Operating on Rabbit OS, the R1 runs on a Large Action Model (LAM), an AI model that can navigate app interfaces to perform tasks. It responds to voice commands and is capable of activities like booking rides, managing household tasks, and answering queries.

While it's not so different from what we already do with our smartphones, the purpose, according to Lyu, is to offer a more focused and less intrusive digital experience. Plus, what's cool is that, with its dedicated training mode, you can teach the R1 how to interact with certain commands, and it will do that going forward.

This is all because of R1's LAM, which is designed to be adaptable, allowing it to learn and interact with new applications. This feature means that the device's capabilities can be expanded beyond pre-installed apps, adapting to various user interfaces and functionalities. This training aspect enhances the R1's utility, making it a versatile tool for a range of tasks and interactions.

As The Verge notes in their hands-on with the device, how this will work in practice is unclear as the only working model that exists at this moment is the one Lyu owns. Despite its adaptability in what it can work with, at the end of the day, the R1 is still a glorified Google Assistant. But cute and orange.

Why is it so popular and how do I get one?

As of right now, you can't. As noted earlier, Rabbit announced that its initial order of 10,000 units has sold out. There was even a second batch scheduled for March that is now sold out as well.

Part of its swift and sudden popularity is that, in theory, the R1 is designed to fundamentally change how humans interact with technology. One of the big recurring themes at CES 2024 was the Internet of Things (IoT), with many companies focusing on integrating with existing operating systems like iOS or Android. Every startup and big company wants your phone connected to a suite of tech inside your house, so the nostalgic simplicity of the R1 has been an instant hook.

Just look at this tweet calling Lyu's announcement the "iPhone moment for the AI era."

Tweet may have been deleted

Or you can save your $200, seeing that tech wizards on X (formerly Twitter) have already rebuilt the Rabbit AI inside of a smartphone.

Tweet may have been deleted

See what I mean about things coming full circle?

When SpaceX rolls Starship to the launchpad this year for its third trial, the company will begin testing the spacecraft's ability to transfer super-chilled rocket fuel in space.

NASA is depending on billionaire Elon Musk's rocket company to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface for the Artemis III and IV moon missions under a $4.2 billion contract. To do that, SpaceX first has to master how to refuel a Starship in low-Earth orbit, after it has already blasted off the planet. The tricky concept is known as "cryogenic propellant transfer" — something never done before in microgravity.

NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon for the first time in a half-century involves its own Orion spacecraft, but also SpaceX's Starship. In a sort of space relay, Orion would fly the crew to lunar orbit, and Starship would complete the final leg of the journey by meeting up with the astronauts in space and landing them on the surface. The "baton" could be passed at a yet-to-be-built moon-orbiting space station, or directly from one spacecraft to another.

The U.S. space agency has promised Artemis III will put a woman and person of color on the moon for the first time. But given that Starship has attempted spaceflight twice so far, each time ending minutes after liftoff with an explosion, it's perhaps unsurprising NASA just announced the moon-landing mission will be delayed at least a year to 2026.

SEE ALSO: Astronauts test SpaceX's crucial moon elevator

"They're making tremendous progress in Boca Chica with their test flights," said Amit Kshatriya, NASA's Moon to Mars deputy associate administrator, referring to SpaceX's private spaceport in South Texas. "But it's extremely challenging to some of the propellant transfer and other goals that they have in order to make that Earth departure sequence work for us."

Why does NASA want a propellant depot in space?

NASA and commercial partners are interested in space fuel stations because they could allow spacecraft to travel longer and farther into the solar system. Future missions could use ice on the moon to make propellant by splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. If engineers can figure out how to store super-cold liquids in space, whether they are launched from Earth or produced somewhere else, it could make a long-term stay on the moon possible and even support distant missions to Mars.

NASA has invested $370 million in over a dozen U.S. companies to develop the technology needed to store and transfer rocket fuel in space. That funding includes $53 million for SpaceX to demonstrate a propellant transfer, from tanker to ship, in orbit.

The U.S. space agency has chosen to use private vendors for moon landers to buy down the technical risks and costs of the Artemis program, which seeks to use the moon as a springboard for eventual missions to Mars. SpaceX was the first selected, and Blue Origin, billionaire Jeff Bezos' rival space company, was awarded the contract for Artemis V, a crewed mission slated for no earlier than 2029.

In a sort of space relay, Orion would fly the crew to lunar orbit, and Starship would complete the final leg of the journey by meeting up with the astronauts in space and landing them on the surface. Credit: NASA

SpaceX's 400-foot-tall rocket and spacecraft, known collectively as Starship, are designed to carry immense cargo and numerous people into deep space. Starship runs on 10 million pounds of liquid methane and oxygen, but the rocket consumes much of that fuel just to escape the firm grasp of Earth's gravity.

How would propellant transfer in orbit work?

To make the rest of the quarter-million-mile journey to the moon, Starship would need to top off its tank. The plan is for SpaceX to send up tanker versions of Starship into low-Earth orbit, establishing a fueling depot in space. A passenger version of Starship would dock at a tanker, fill up, and then complete the rest of the moonbound flight.

Blue Origin will also rely on orbital refueling.

"Propellant transfer in orbit sounds complex and scary — it seems like this big, nebulous thing — but when you really break it down into the various pieces, we've actually achieved almost all of the complex parts already on our operational programs now," said Jessica Jensen, SpaceX's vice president of customer operations and integration.

NASA astronauts test a docking hatch on an Orion spaceship prototype. Credit: NASA / Radislav Sinyak Starship's third orbital test flight

NASA, on the other hand, seems more daunted by the obstacles that lie ahead. Getting the choreography down for a dual launch campaign of Orion and Starship will be a "significant coordination challenge," Kshatriya said.

SpaceX plans to conduct a preliminary test in orbit this February, attempting to transfer 11 tons, or 10 metric tons, of liquid oxygen between tanks contained within Starship. It's a first step toward the eventual goal of transferring propellant between two separate ships in space.

But part of what has made orbital refueling seem hazy to outsiders is the mystery surrounding just how many launches will be needed to transport the propellant to a space tanker. Competitor Blue Origin suggested SpaceX's proposal would require 16 consecutive launches. Musk told a Washington Post reporter on X, then known as Twitter, that figure was "extremely unlikely," and it would probably fall somewhere between four and eight launches.

During an Artemis teleconference with reporters this week, Jensen estimated "10-ish," after NASA administrator Bill Nelson pressed her to provide a number.

SpaceX confidence in rapid refueling

Regardless of how many successive launches are necessary for the operation, SpaceX officials feel confident based on their track record. Though rapid refueling may "seem very intimidating," SpaceX has already proven it can handle several launches within hours of each other for its Falcon 9, the workhorse rocket that regularly lifts satellites to orbit.

The company has even proven it can turn around and launch from the same launchpad within a matter of days.

The Orion spaceship flies away from the moon and back toward Earth during the Artemis I maiden voyage. Credit: NASA

Furthermore, Jensen assured that SpaceX has experience with many of the steps involved in propellant transfer, such as rendezvous and docking maneuvers. Its Dragon spacecraft has docked more than 30 times at the International Space Station, flying 250 miles above Earth.

"Everything we've learned, from the sensors we use, the algorithm we use for the rendezvous, from pulling back — we're going to leverage all of that in having two Starships dock together," she said.

Two little screws almost ruined the ending of NASA's seven-year space journey to asteroid Bennu and back.

But after more than three months of trying to pry the lid off a can containing the bulk of rocks and dust from the asteroid, engineers have finally done it. To remove the stuck top, they made and tested new tools that could safely unscrew the fasteners without damaging the precious sample.

So far the science team has only seen grainy cell phone pictures of the sample, said Andrew Ryan, a co-investigator on the NASA mission, but better photos are expected next week.

"We are all delighted by what we’ve seen inside," Ryan told Mashable.

SEE ALSO: NASA needed help with a mission. The Vatican came to the rescue. Tweet may have been deleted

NASA's $800 million OSIRIS-Rex mission, short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security Regolith Explorer, launched a robotic spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2016. It completed its 4-billion-mile flight when it dropped from 63,000 miles above Earth onto a patch of isolated Utah desert on Sept. 24, 2023.

OSIRIS-Rex is the first U.S. mission to retrieve a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth. Not since the Apollo moon rocks, collected between 1969 and 1972, has NASA brought back space souvenirs of this magnitude.

Bennu was selected for the mission because it is chock-full of carbon, meaning it could contain the chemical origins of life. It also has a very remote chance of hitting Earth in the next century. Learning about the asteroid could be helpful in future efforts to deflect it, should that become necessary. Bennu was also considered a convenient asteroid destination because every few years it crosses Earth's orbit around the sun, making it easier to reach than some other asteroids.

Asteroid bits coat the base of the OSIRIS-Rex sample canister. Credit: NASA / Erika Blumenfeld / Joseph Aebers

Through the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft, the team saw so-called "hydrothermal mineral deposits" on Bennu they believe may have occurred early in solar system history.

These long veins of salty material could suggest a hydrothermal system similar to what exists at Earth's mid-ocean ridge. It's an intriguing environment where geologists think origin-of-life chemistry may have begun for our own planet. This kind of material hasn't shown up in Japan's Ryugu asteroid sample, which flew back to Earth in 2020, or any meteorites found on Earth.

That's why Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, meant his words literally when he said in September: "This is the rarest stuff we've ever had on Earth."

Scientists paused their efforts to open the sample container in mid-October after they realized two of the 35 fasteners could not be removed with the tools approved for use inside the OSIRIS-Rex glovebox.

To prevent contamination of the sample, NASA's curation team had set stringent rules about what could go inside the glovebox. Only about 15 materials were approved, such as stainless steel, aluminum, and glass. Motors, computers, and circuitry were strictly prohibited.

"This is the rarest stuff we've ever had on Earth." On the right side of this image, pieces of asteroid Bennu are visible atop the sample collector. Credit: NASA / Erika Blumenfeld / Joseph Aebersold

Immediately after encountering the problem, NASA started making new tools. Two were developed with a specific grade of surgical, non-magnetic stainless steel — the hardest metal approved for use in the pristine curation glovebox.

"These new tools also needed to function within the tightly-confined space of the glovebox, limiting their height, weight, and potential arc movement," said Nicole Lunning, OSIRIS-Rex curator, in a statement. "The curation team showed impressive resilience and did incredible work to get these stubborn fasteners off."

Scientists already swept up some of the dust and rocky bits that leaked into the external container for analysis, almost 2.5 ounces' worth, which exceeded NASA's goal. Portions were shipped off to institutions around the world for studies.

Soon they'll know the total amount of Bennu material they captured by weighing the rest of the contents.

This cold and flu season, the internet agrees on one thing – lots of us have a cough that won't go away.

British author Essie Fox posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Has anyone else had this cough that just won't go away and makes you feel wretched and exhausted?" It seems like "at least fifty percent of the people that you know have this hacking cough that has been going on for weeks," said TikToker Bethany Veach in one viral video.

While your cough amid this potent cold, COVID, and flu season might be nothing to worry about, a lingering cough can also be a sign of something more serious. Here's what you need to know about that cough you can’t kick.

SEE ALSO: 5 big COVID vaccine myths, debunked Tweet may have been deleted What's causing my cough?

Unfortunately, it's hard to say for sure.

"I think that the biggest thing is that we're seeing multiple respiratory viruses," Danielle Sebbens, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Arizona State University, told Mashable. A year ago, a "tripledemic" of COVID-19, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) made headlines, and the three viruses are again circulating. And of course, the various viruses that cause the common cold are going around. All of these can cause a cough – and a number of them are different coronaviruses (that have infected humans for ages).

Out of the three well-known viruses circulating, RSV might be the most likely culprit behind your gross cough, said Dr. Janet O’Mahony, an internal medicine doctor in Baltimore at Mercy Personal Physicians. In an email to Mashable, she wrote that she saw many patients with a "junky cough" around Thanksgiving, when there were many cases of RSV in her area. Cases of the virus have since gone down near her, she said.

Regardless of what specifically caused it, a lingering cough with no other remaining symptoms is probably caused by some type of virus, said Sebbens. If the infection were bacterial, you would usually have other symptoms that linger, like fever and fatigue.

Tweet may have been deleted Why won't my cough go away?

Coughing when you’re sick (and in general) is a reflex to expel mucus, germs, and other sources of irritation from your lungs. Likely the most common reason for a persistent cough is lingering inflammation in your lungs and windpipe, even after the infection itself has cleared, Dr. Maureen Tierney, the chair and associate dean for clinical research and public health at Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska, told Mashable.

It’s also possible you managed to get multiple infections. Along with lowering your overall immunity, fighting a respiratory illness can damage tiny hair-like structures in your lungs called cilia, Tierney explained. These cilia help keep infections out of your body, so a respiratory infection might make you vulnerable to other viral and bacterial infections.

"It's not normal to have a cough that persists for more than three to four weeks."

A more serious cause of a persistent cough is developing a complication of respiratory illness, said Tierney, like pneumonia. For this and other reasons, she recommends that anyone who has had a cough for more than a few weeks seek medical care.

"It's not normal to have a cough that persists for more than three to four weeks," she said.

Why is this non-COVID illness happening now?

It might be that our immune systems are still recovering from years of extra protection during the COVID-19 pandemic. As some people leave masking and social distancing behind, their immune systems might have a hard time adjusting to the change.

"We didn't get the same immune system development that we get from year to year" during the pandemic, said Sebbens. "Our immune system is just not prepared for this influx of viruses."

Tierney thinks our immunity is up to speed, but is currently contending with a large number of viruses.

"I think that we pretty much caught up with immunity over the past two years," she said. Tierney attributes the ubiquitous cough and other symptoms to widespread circulation of many different viruses, something that the addition of COVID-19 can only increase.

Tweet may have been deleted How do I make the cough stop?

If it's been over three weeks, you should seek out medical care, or if you have symptoms like coughing up blood, cough so violently you throw up, or have other symptoms, like fever and fatigue that won’t go away. If it turns out you have a bacterial infection, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics.

You can also test yourself for COVID, and a medical professional can test you for the flu. Both viruses have effective antiviral treatments – Paxlovid for COVID-19, and Tamiflu for influenza (both these treatments must start relatively soon after symptoms begin). If your cough is caused by lingering inflammation, Tierney says your doctor might prescribe an inhaler, which can sometimes help.

"It’s not too late to get vaccinated."

Unfortunately, some viruses like COVID are just going to make you cough. O’Mahony recommends people use over-the-counter medication like Tylenol, Claritin, and Mucinex to treat their symptoms. There’s even some research to suggest that honey might help.

Though it won’t help you if you already have a cough, you can also get vaccinated. Many people haven’t yet gotten updated COVID and flu shots, and there is also a new RSV shot if you are 60 or older or have other risk factors for severe illness.

"It’s not too late to get vaccinated," said Tierney.