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SAVE $160: As of April 9, Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV is on sale for $209.96 at Amazon. That’s a 43% discount from its usual $369.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-Series 4K UHD smart TV $209.96 at Amazon
$369.99 Save $160.03 Get Deal

I already own a TV. It turns on, plays things, and occasionally asks if I’m still watching like it’s judging me. So no, I don’t need another one. But then I saw Amazon’s 43-inch Fire TV 4-Series is on sale for $209.96, a full 43% off, and suddenly I’m wondering if my perfectly functional setup is really enough.

This is the kind of deal that makes you question your sense of restraint. The Fire TV 4-Series might not be the flashiest screen on the market, but for just over 200 bucks, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a 4K smart TV with HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Digital Plus. In plain English: you’ll get a sharp picture, decent sound, and you won’t have to squint at washed-out colors when you’re watching something dark and dramatic (which, let’s be honest, is half of Netflix).

SEE ALSO: Apple announces WWDC 2025 dates

The Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced lets you bark out commands instead of fumbling through menus. If you're the type who always loses remotes in couch cushions or under pets, that might actually be worth the price alone. Fire TV OS gives you access to basically every app in existence, and you don’t need a cable subscription to use it. That is ideal, because paying for cable in 2025 feels a bit like mailing a check.

• Price: $209.96 $369.99

• Retailer: Amazon

• Display: 43-inch 4K UHD with HDR10 and HLG

• Audio: Dolby Digital Plus

• Smart Features: Fire TV OS with Alexa Voice Remote (Enhanced)

• Streaming Access: 1.5 million+ titles, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+

• HDMI Ports: 4

• Return Policy: 30-day Amazon Device return window

• Warranty: 1-year limited

It also has four HDMI ports, which is a surprisingly generous offering for a TV in this price range. You can plug in your game console, soundbar, streaming stick, and still have room to pretend you’ll hook up that old DVD player.

I’m not saying you should buy a second TV just because it’s on sale. I’m just saying that if a very affordable 4K screen happened to show up at your door in two days with free shipping, I wouldn’t blame you.

On her first visit to Morocco’s largest city, a visitor swears off her phone, the internet and even printed guides. Her aim? To get lost, learn as she goes, and reclaim the serendipity of travel.

Apple's new iPad Air is here, but you wouldn't know it just by looking at it.

For this version, Apple decided to leave the tablet unchanged on the outside, save for the new (optional) Magic Keyboard. Inside, however, the Air has Apple's M3 chip, which means it supports Apple Intelligence, the company's AI assistant.

Once again, the iPad Air comes in two sizes, one with an 11-inch display, and the other with a 13-inch display. For my Apple iPad Air (M3) review, I tested the 13-inch version.

Apple iPad Air price and specs

The price and the vast majority of the specifications haven't changed from last year's model. The 11-inch variant of the new iPad Air starts at $599, while the 13-inch version starts at $799. As with other Apple products, you can often find them on sale at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

By far the biggest improvement is the new Apple M3 chip, which has an 8-core CPU, a 9-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. The new chip unlocks Apple Intelligence features, which won't work on some older models but are supported on the 2024 iPad Air.

It's supposedly purple. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

As for the other (unchanged) specs, here's a quick rundown:

• Memory: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage

• Cameras: 12-megapixel rear camera/12-megapixel selfie camera

• Audio: Stereo speakers, dual mics

• Ports: 1 USB-C port

• Display: Liquid Retina

The 11-inch version has a 2,360x1,640 pixel resolution and a 28.93 watt-hour battery, while the 13-inch version has a 2,732x2,048 pixel resolution and a 36.59 watt-hour battery.

Old design, new (Magic) Keyboard

While this is as minor an upgrade as they come, it's worth noting that the iPad Air got a bigger redesign last year, when the 13-inch version was introduced for the first time. For 2025, it makes sense for Apple to bring the Air up to speed with newer silicon and better support for AI while keeping the design and feature set largely the same.

Since the iPad Air is an uninterrupted slab of a screen with a uniform black border, it's hard to imagine a radical redesign. Apple could make the whole device a little thinner, lighter, and reduce the borders a little, but frankly, the Air looks pretty sweet as it is.

The Magic Keyboard has been improved in several ways, but it's still too expensive. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The display is still beautiful and pretty bright, but the refresh rate only goes to 60Hz. Displays that can do 120Hz — such as the one on the M4 iPad Pro — are just so much smoother and nicer to look at. Had Apple upgraded the display on the iPad Air to support 120Hz, the iPad Pro would become a very tough sell for most shoppers, which is probably why it didn't happen. Bummer.

As for the colors, they haven't changed either: You still get a choice between Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Gray. I've tested the Purple version, and like most Apple colors, it's very subtly purple.

Apple's optional Magic Keyboard, which is likely the first accessory most buyers consider, has received a more thorough upgrade. It's a lot better than the previous version, with a larger trackpad, a full row of function keys, and pass-through charging (meaning you can now charge your iPad Air by plugging the cable into the keyboard, while using its own port for something else, such as connecting an external display).

I have just one minor qualm about the new Magic Keyboard; it works great on hard, even surfaces, but place it (with the iPad Air inside) on something soft, like a couch, and it tends to lean back.

Actually, make that two qualms: The Magic Keyboard still costs $269 for the 11-inch iPad, and a whopping $319 for the 13-inch version, which is nearly half the price of the iPad itself.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Magic Keyboard: Keyboard and Case for iPad Air 11-inch $269 at Amazon
Shop Now A chip that does AI...just like the last one

Apple is positioning the new iPad Air with the M3 chip as the one that's built for Apple Intelligence, and yes, the new chip's Neural Engine does make AI tasks faster. But all iPads with an M1 chip or later support Apple Intelligence, meaning that last year's iPad Air will do AI tasks pretty well, too.

Current starting price of $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model. It could feel like a bargain if Trump's tariffs make future iPads more expensive. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

As for Apple's take on AI, it's going to be very different depending on how much you need these features, and how much you use other AI models that are out there. For example, I use Cursor for coding, and Apple's AI prowess is no help here. Likewise, some of Apple's AI tools, like image generation, lag far behind more advanced models such as Midjourney or ChatGPT.

SEE ALSO: What is Apple Intelligence?

But if you need to quickly erase an unwanted object from a photo, Apple's Clean Up tool will suit you well. Or if you need to create an image of yourself in an astronaut's helmet while wearing a scarf, Apple's Image Playground will do a decent job (and it will be snappier than on an iPhone).

Image Playground isn't perfect, but it's usable in a lot of situations. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

In terms of everyday performance, I have zero complaints. My daily driver is a MacBook with an M1 chip — meaning it lags two generations behind this iPad Air — and it's still plenty fast for me. The iPad Air, which I typically use for reading and gaming, feels overpowered.

For a slightly harder task, I played a variety of games including Hearthstone and PUBG Mobile (yes, on an iPad — sue me), but everything was snappy on the iPad Air.

Geekbench test results confirm this: With a 2,229 single-core score and a 10,498 multi-core score, it's roughly on par with an M1 MacBook Pro, which is plenty powerful for a tablet.

Of course, if you're intent on using the iPad Air as your main productivity machine, my verdict is the same as it is for the best iPads: Don't. The iPad is simply better suited for iPad tasks, which include light work, gaming, reading, and perhaps some light drawing and photo editing. Try to multitask, juggle around a word processor and some tables, create, edit, and move files... and you'll soon find that MacBook is vastly superior for such tasks.

Battery life: Slightly improved

The battery life on the new iPad Air is pretty great, though not dramatically improved compared to the last version. If I use it for reading and browsing, it lasts for days. If I play a graphics-intensive game, it'll only last a couple of hours. For a healthy mix of the two, this new iPad Air will last you a full day.

The new Magic Keyboard has pass-through charging, meaning you can charge it while using the iPad's USB-C port to connect an external display. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

To test it out, I ran Mashable's standard battery test (running a loop of a TikTok video at 50% brightness). I got 14 hours and 46 minutes of battery life, which is about an hour and a half better than last year's iPad Air. That's a tangible improvement, likely due to the M3 chip being more power efficient than its predecessor.

For pretty much everything else, we direct you to our review of last year's iPad Air, because it's all the same. That means the display, the cameras, the speakers, the ports (well, the singular USB-C port on the bottom) are all the same as before. Even the storage options remain unchanged.

Is the M3 iPad Air worth it?

If you already own the 2024 iPad Air with the M2 chip, then there's very little reason to upgrade. The new Air is slightly faster and has slightly better battery life...and that's pretty much it. However, if you're upgrading from an older Apple tablet, then the new iPad Air is still our "best buy" for most Apple shoppers.

Still the "best buy" iPad. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

For me, the iPad is not, and will likely never be, my primary workhorse (I use my MacBook Pro for the vast majority of my daily work). For this reason, the iPad Pro, while nice, is overkill. The iPad, which still has a phone-grade, A16 chip, is underpowered, so the iPad Air is the best choice for most buyers.

As for that Magic Keyboard...look, it's good, but it's too pricey to make sense. If you're shopping for an iPad Air, combining it with a more affordable, third-party option is probably the way to go.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Air (M3, 2025, 11-inches) $549 at Amazon
$599 Save $50 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Air (M3, 2025, 13-inches) $749 at Amazon
$799 Save $50 Get Deal

So, you want to post videos on TikTok but don't know where to start. Of course, first, you'll need an idea for a video. Then, you'll need some way to record it, and you'll need to ensure it has all the parts of a TikTok video that keep people watching, like a visual hook and an interesting topic.

But one thing sets a good TikTok video apart from a great one: the editing. It can be daunting to get started without previous knowledge of editing tools. However, some TikTok creators have opened the curtain behind how they edit their own videos using CapCut, a video editing app developed by ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.

Here are some helpful guides creators have put together to make editing your TikTok in CapCut a breeze:

Mia's 15-part series 'Confidently Create'

Mia, also known as @floofysocials, created a 15-part series showing her followers how she goes from idea to finished video.

The series spans everything from the importance of making sure all your electronics are fully charged to creating a shot list, filming b-roll, and, of course, editing. She edits using CapCut, which most creators seem to use for short-form video content. CapCut is free, and it's made by the same company as TikTok, so the editing can be pretty seamless within the app, especially in comparison to something like Adobe Premiere, which might allow you to do more but has a bit of a steeper learning curve.

How Meg edits

Meg, also known as @happywithmeg, is a creator mostly known for running content. Yet, she was getting a lot of comments about how she edits her videos, so she answered them in a series all about how she edits — including the art of audio, making a perfect voiceover, perspective, and more.

She also uses CapCut, but she pays for the Pro version and uses Adobe Lightroom Pro for photo editing.

Nat's editing guide

Nat, also known as @natiduplat, is known for her New York City vlogs and, of course, her editing. She uses CapCut and shows her followers how to do things that are a bit more advanced, like putting text behind you in a video, floating font, and animations.

'Editing 101' with Jeslyn

Jeslyn, also known as @jslynb, is mainly followed for her lifestyle content, but her editing prowess can't be denied. She uses CapCut to create most of her videos, and in a series called "Editing 101," she takes her followers through everything from keyframes to shot lists.

Saturn’s largest moon Titan may be among the most Earth-like worlds in the solar system, covered in lapping rivers and lakes, but new research suggests it likely couldn't support much life — if at all. 

Scientists are interested in Titan because it appears to have the organic ingredients for life — the kinds that humans know about, at least. Whether the moon harbors any microbial aliens has become a top exploration priority, helping to spur NASA's $3.35 billion Dragonfly mission. The helicopter-like robotic spacecraft is expected to visit the moon in the 2030s.

A new study led by the University of Arizona and Harvard University tried to answer that question without the 880 million-mile space trip. Their goal was to figure out how much energy life might be able to get from Titan’s environment.

What they found was unexpected: Titan’s underground ocean could probably only support a few pounds' worth of life, equal to about one small dog.

"Titan's uniquely rich organic inventory may not in fact be available to play the role in the moon's habitability to the extent one might intuitively think," said Antonin Affholder, who co-led the study, in a statement.

SEE ALSO: NASA scientists want to solve a mystery: Why did life "turn left?" A depiction of Saturn's moon Titan, the only other world in the solar system with active rivers, lakes, and oceans. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech illustration

The study, published in The Planetary Science Journal, focused on Titan’s hidden ocean. While those at its surface are made of liquid methane and ethane, the underground ocean, which lies beneath 60 to 120 miles of ice and could be 300 miles deep, is believed to be water.

The research relied on a computer simulation method known as bioenergetic modeling, a way of calculating how much energy living things would need and how much food is available. But rather than imagining some foreign form of biochemistry, the scientists based their model on fermentation, a simple and well-known metabolic process on Earth.  

Fermentation is how yeast helps bread rise and bacteria spoils food. Unlike respiration, which requires oxygen, fermentation only needs organic material. As Titan lacks atmospheric oxygen, the researchers reasoned fermentation makes a good candidate for alien life.

Then they looked closely at glycine, a building block for proteins that is also found in comets, asteroids, and other cosmic objects. Since Titan has similar ingredients, the researchers wondered if tiny microbes could survive on glycine as a food source.

But there's a pretty big obstacle. Most of Titan's organic material is at the surface, not in the underground ocean. Though this same team of researchers has previously suggested that meteorites slamming into the moon could create small pools of water that then sink through the ice carrying nutrients, the amount would be limited. 

All this is to say that, although Titan has lots of organic material, it doesn't necessarily mean it's full of life. And if it does have many living things, the chances of finding them could be like searching for a needle in a haystack. 

Granted, there were limitations to the study. The researchers only focused on glycine, and even primitive life may be able to metabolize a variety of other molecules. Plus, they only considered one potential habitable environment at Titan. Furthermore, there may be other forms of alien metabolisms that Earthlings don't even know about. 

Still, the purpose of the study was to argue for a more nuanced consideration of Titan's potential for life, Affholder said. 

"There has been this sense that because Titan has such abundant organics, there is no shortage of food sources that could sustain life," Affholder said. "Not all of these organic molecules may constitute food sources, the ocean is really big, and there's limited exchange between the ocean and the surface, where all those organics are."

The sci-fi fairytale of de-extinction may become a reality. Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences announced they have revived dire wolves from extinction, unveiling three canines it has genetically engineered to resemble the long-dead species.

On Tuesday, Colossal revealed that two genetically identical male "dire wolf" puppies named Romulus and Remus were born on Oct. 1 last year, with their sister Khaleesi following a few months later on Jan. 30. (Sansa or Arya may technically be more appropriate Game of Thrones-inspired names for a dire wolf, or even Lady or Nymeria, but you can't deny that "Khaleesi" is immediately recognizable.)

SEE ALSO: Scientists accidentally created the cutest mouse in the world

"They're beautiful, they're cute, they're incredible," said Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences told Mashable, sounding every bit the enthusiastic new dog parent. "We took a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull, and made puppies."

Created from edited grey wolf genomes, Colossal states that these three canines are proof that a "standardized toolkit for de-extinction" is possible. 

How did Colossal create its dire wolves? Colossal's dire wolf puppies Romulus and Remus at 15 days old. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Directly using dire wolf cells to clone a new animal isn't currently possible, as such material simply doesn't exist. Instead, Colossal used ancient DNA and comparative genomics, following a methodology similar to the one in its woolly mouse project. Revealed in March, Colossal's woolly mice were created by editing the genome of normal mice to display physical traits similar to those found in woolly mammoths — most significantly their long, fluffy fur.

For its dire wolf project, Colossal began with the aforementioned 13,000-year-old tooth from Ohio and 72,000-year-old inner ear bone from Idaho. Sampling these specimens and building on previous findings, Colossal's team extracted and sequenced dire wolf DNA, assembled genomes, then compared the results to that of living canines. This enabled them to pinpoint where dire wolves' genomes differ from that of other species. In doing so, they discovered that grey wolves share 99.5 percent of their DNA with dire wolves, making them the extinct animal's closest living relative.

Using this information, Colossal then employed a gene-editing method called CRISPR to edit the grey wolf's genome to more closely resemble that of a dire wolf. To do this, they made 20 strategic edits across 14 genes, with 15 of the edits recreating extinct gene variants. The nuclei were then removed from the resultant cells and transferred into donor egg cells, creating embryos that Colossal transplanted into surrogates. Leave it to bake, and soon you have a dire wolf pup.

It wasn't a simple process though, and just as in human fertilisation treatments, not every embryo resulted in a pregnancy. Colossal made multiple attempts in an effort to increase the odds of success, completing eight embryo transfers, involving between 30 to 45 specimens each. 

"There were a couple of times where a pregnancy was established early on, but was resorbed, and in the end we ended up with these three animals that are healthy," Colossal's chief science officer Beth Shapiro told Mashable. 

Creating dire wolves from blood A Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences' dire wolf at five months old. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Colossal also announced that it had developed a new, less invasive cloning method to create its dire wolves, using cells never previously used in such procedures. Specifically, its scientists used endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) gathered by drawing an animal's blood, as opposed to using other cells retrieved via a skin biopsy. 

EPCs aren't undifferentiated stem cells, but they haven't been entirely differentiated either, falling somewhere in between the two. Shapiro told Mashable that the cells Colossal's new blood draw method extracted were of a higher quality than other cells previously used in their research, being healthy and easily grown. 

"These progenitor cells will eventually become the cells that make up the lining of the blood vessels," said Shapiro. "Because they're not all the way down the path to having a very specific job as a cell, it's easier to reprogram them. And we've also found that it's easier to establish really healthy cell lines, so it's great for biobanking." (Biobanking is the collection and storage of biological samples for conservation or research purposes.)

Colossal also used the same method to clone four red wolves — one female and three males. A critically endangered species, it's estimated there are fewer than 20 red wolves currently in the wild. Shapiro said that though they only conducted two embryo transfers for the red wolves, both resulted in successful pregnancies.

"Normally when you're doing this, the reprogramming step is such that it takes many more tries than that to have a successful pregnancy from a cloned cell," said Shapiro. "So we're pretty confident that this is a really great technology that can be used for cloning animals in the future."

"We're pretty excited because we think that de-extinction and species preservation goes hand in hand," said Lamm.

What makes a wolf a dire wolf? Two-month-old dire wolf Khaleesi stretching open her mouth. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Whether or not Colossal's dire wolves are "real" dire wolves depends on how strictly one defines the species. Technically, Colossal doesn't have any viable material straight from a dire wolf to work with. The company didn't find this an insurmountable obstacle though, working with a grey wolf genome base as an acceptable substitute instead.

"We focus on what genes kind of drive — like, what makes a dire wolf a dire wolf, and then how do we engineer them into the grey wolf," said Lamm "Because they are 99.5 percent the same genetically."

Colossal discovered during its DNA sequencing that dire wolves would have had thick white coats. They were also around 25 percent larger than grey wolves, with wider heads and stronger jaws. Accordingly, Colossal's wolves have a distinctly more muscular build than the leaner grey wolf. They're also already over 80lbs (36kg) at six months old, which is a comparable weight to a fully grown grey wolf. As such, Lamm expects that the dire wolves may end up weighing around 140lbs (64kg) once they reach adulthood.

"When we talk about de-extinction, we're talking about bringing back the core features, the core traits that resemble — that are — the species that used to be alive," explained Shapiro. "There are many different ways that people can consider what a species is. But we're talking about this functional trait. So we're bringing back these functional [traits]. 

"We know that dire wolves were larger, more muscular, that they had this particularly interesting coat, thick coat. And so when we target the DNA that we're going to edit… those 20 edits brought back these dire wolf phenotypes, and the animals that are born are our dire wolves."

This isn't Jurassic Park A Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences' dire wolf. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Unsurprisingly, Colossal's de-extinction efforts have repeatedly drawn comparisons with the sci-fi film Jurassic Park. This association is only likely to continue now that their first de-extinction project has made a larger, stronger version of a charismatic carnivore. However, Lamm notes that there are important differences between Jurassic Park and Colossal's work, and that its real scientists have very different goals from the movie's fictional ones. 

"The three reasons why we built the dire wolves in the first place was: One, we were working with some Indigenous tribes here in the United States that actually asked us to bring back the dire wolves," said Lamm. "They said it was akin to the Great Wolf in their culture, they said it has ancestral knowledge and it's spiritually important to them. So I don't think they did that in Jurassic Park."

Specifically, Lamm noted that the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) was Colossal's biggest partner on its dire wolf project. They also partnered with the Nez Perce Tribe, the Karankawa Tribe of Texas, INDIGENOUS LED, and the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative.

"Number two, we were working on building technologies for conservation of wolves, and to specifically save the red wolves from the brink of extinction that it's on," Lamm continued, referring back to Colossal's cloning of the endangered species. "Unless there was a subplot I missed in Jurassic Park, I don't think that they were focused on the conservation aspects. 

"And then the third thing is… we do want to inspire the next generation, get kids excited about the science and whatnot," said Lamm. "Maybe Jurassic Park tried to do that in their 'theme parks.' But it's definitely a very different set of goals."

What happens to Colossal's dire wolves now?

Colossal's dire wolves won't simply be released into the wild to repopulate. They're currently being kept on an enclosed, protected preserve measuring over 2,000 acres, with potential plans to eventually move them to a larger such space on Indigenous land. The company further noted that the preserve is certified by the American Humane Society, and registered with the United States Department of Agriculture.

The wolves further have a 10-person team looking after them, and are constantly monitored with cameras and drones like a dire wolf Truman Show. This team manages factors down to the wolves' social dynamics and moves them through feeding cycles.

"They have 24-hour veterinary care," said Shapiro. "These animals can't get a splinter without us knowing about it. So they're not exactly living like wild wolves. They're living the luxury style of life for wild wolves."

One of Colossal's dire wolf pups being handfed with a bottle at 15 days old. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

They're also being hand-raised by humans. While Romulus, Remus, and Khalissi were initially cared for by their surrogate mothers, Colossal eventually separated them due to concern the dog parents weren't up to the task of caring for their large dire wolf pups.

"The mother was getting a little overzealous, she was like over-cleaning them, moving them away," said Lamm.

There were also issues with the surrogate mothers disturbing the puppies' sleep by continually waking them to feed, as well as concerns regarding the amount of nutrition the mothers' milk could realistically provide.

"[The dire wolf puppies] were larger than a standard grey wolf, and we wanted to make sure that they were getting enough food," said Shapiro. "The surrogates were large hound domestic dogs, so… they might not have produced as much nutrition as a large wolf would have needed. So we were just being overly careful [by separating them]." 

A three-month-old dire wolf holding a stick in the snow. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

There is the issue of how the dire wolves will learn to be dire wolves, considering that there aren't any animals of the same species to teach them how. The wolves' human parents can't very well pass on skills such as how to take down a deer. However, Shapiro told Mashable that the dire wolves are already displaying innate behavior similar to that seen in wild wolves or those raised in captive or semi-captive environments.

"A lot of what we see is behavior that we predicted to see in these wolves," said Shapiro. "That's another thing that's really great about this group as our first de-extinction project, because we can watch these animals sort of interact with their habitat and see how they learn from each other, what they pick up from each other and from other animals with which they interact in their habitat, and we will gradually make their experience in life more and more similar to the wild. 

"But mostly what we're focused on right now is making sure that they're healthy. We want to make sure that they are growing the way they should grow. We want to keep tabs on this because we really want to understand the impact of the edits that we made on their growth patterns and their physiology and their behavior."

This includes the dire wolves' social dynamics. Though Khaleesi is currently being kept separate from her brothers, Shapiro told Mashable that she's getting old enough to be introduced to them soon.

A dire wolf puppy at one month old. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Colossal is also being cautious to avoid unintended dire wolf puppies. Having the dire wolves reproduce au naturel would no doubt be exciting in theory, and the company is indeed planning on creating three to five more of them to build the pack dynamics it wants. However, any such additions must be carefully planned and monitored.

As such, in addition to tracking the animals' reproductive cycles and keeping them strategically separated, Colossal has also administered wolf birth control in the form of subdermal hormonal contraception.

"We really need to manage the population, study them, decide what the long term plan is with rewilding, [and] on what size area," said Lamm. "Potentially on Indigenous land, on MHA Nation, for example. And then we'll go from there."

A three-month-old dire wolf in the snow. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

In the meantime, Romulus, Remus, and Khalissi are apparently living relatively pampered lives by wolf standards. Lamm told Mashable that the wolves initially ate colostrum and milk, first from their mothers and then synthetic versions. Now they're eating a combination of horse, bison, and elk meat, as well as some dry food. Colossal is also planning to introduce carcasses soon to enable the dire wolves to figure out socialisation and behavior surrounding mealtimes.

While the dire wolves haven't hunted for themselves yet, Lamm stated that their future diet would likely be a combination of hunted and supplied meals. Though technically, all of the meals would be supplied.

"It's not like we're going to let them out to compete with grey wolves," said Shapiro. "They're on a protected reserve, so if they are introduced to hunting it will have to be because we've put animals or the trainers or the handlers have put animals there."

"They're starting to exhibit hunting-like behaviors," said Lamm. "So they're starting to act more and more wolf-like by the minute."

Though it may be beneficial for the dire wolves to learn to hunt from a development perspective, they're unlikely to ever genuinely need the skill, living out their days under researchers' watchful care. Colossal doesn't have a definitive idea of its dire wolves' life expectancies, however Lamm noted that regular wolves can live for 10 to 15 years. 

It's a fair estimate. Even so, exactly how long genetically engineered dire wolves live is something we'll only find out through lengthy observation. These are the first ones, after all.

TL;DR: Be the resident DJ this summer with the Skullcandy Terrain Mini Portable Wireless Speaker, now just $34.99 (reg. $39).

Summer get-togethers are right around the corner, but are you ready to be the resident DJ? This Skullcandy Terrain Mini Portable Wireless Speaker lets you keep the tunes bumping at every barbecue, picnic, beach bonfire, and beyond.

Just in time for the warmer weather, you can score this Skullcandy Terrain Wireless Speaker for just $34.99 (reg. $39) right here for a limited time. 

Bring the party anywhere with this mini portable wireless speaker

The Skullcandy Terrain Mini Portable Wireless Speaker is ready to provide the soundtrack to all of your summer adventures, from the beach to camping trips to the backyard and everywhere in between. 

It's equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, so you can enjoy a seamless, reliable connection wherever you are. Its IPX7 waterproof rating makes it perfect for bringing along to the beach or pool without having to worry about splashes or rain. 

Want bigger sound? The Skullcandy Multi-Link feature lets you connect multiple Terrain mini speakers for a serious stereo experience.  

The impressive 14-hour battery life means you don't have to miss a beat all day. And when the juice runs out, it includes easy USB-C charging that powers back up within two to two and a half hours. 

Bring this Skullcandy Terrain Mini Portable Wireless Speaker anywhere easily — it weighs just under 13 ounces and includes a hands-free nylon wrist strap for easy carrying. 

Provide the soundtrack of summer and beyond with this Skullcandy Terrain Wireless Speaker, now just $34.99 (reg. $39) right here for a limited time. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Skullcandy Skullcandy Terrain™ Mini Portable Wireless Speaker (Navy) $34.99
$39.99 Save $5 Get Deal

TL;DR: Tackle spring cleaning with this powerful Proscenic P12 Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, now just $79.99 (reg. $199.99).

If you've been putting off your spring cleaning, consider this your sign that it's time. This Proscenic P12 Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is ready to help you tackle dust, dirt, hair, and more messes, and right now, it's just $79.99 (reg. $199.99). 

Consider this cordless vacuum your spring cleaning ally

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Tidy up with help from the Proscenic P12 Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, now just $79.99 (reg. $199.99). 

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Opens in a new window Credit: Proscenic Proscenic P12 Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner $79.99
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TL;DR: A powerful and portable refurbished Apple MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) can be yours for just $199.97 (reg. $999) through April 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished Apple MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $199.97
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In the market for a laptop you can truly take along anywhere? Not all laptops are created equal when it comes to lugging them around, but the MacBook Air provides a great balance between power and portability.

Though they usually retail for $999, right now you can bring a refurbished Apple MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) home for just $199.97 (reg. $999). But you'll want to act fast: this deal only runs through April 27 and will likely sell out. 

This MacBook Air offers serious portability and power

Weighing in at an impressive 2.96 pounds, you won't mind bringing this MacBook Air along everywhere you go. But don't confuse its portability with a lack of power — it's still equipped with all the bells and whistles you love from Apple. 

This model has a powerful 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor that offers speedy performance for multitasking and tackling your entire to-do list. And the 13.3-inch widescreen display features Intel HD Graphics 6000, so you can tackle it all with stunning visuals and smooth streaming quality. 

Hoping to save important data right on your device? This MacBook Air may be thin, but it offers an impressive 128GB of storage. It also offers WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities for easy connectivity. 

This MacBook Air boasts a 12-hour battery life on a single charge, so you won't have to worry about hunting down an electrical outlet during the day. 

Curious why this device is deeply discounted? It's quality refurbished and comes with a grade A or B rating, which means it will arrive in near-mint condition or with light scuffing or scratches, allowing you to secure this incredibly low price. 

Grab a refurbished MacBook Air for just $199.97 (reg. $999) now through April 27, while supplies last. 

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TL;DR: Give your car an upgrade just in time for road-tripping season with the ESSGOO Portable Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto car display, now $64.99 (reg. $89), with free shipping.

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Make sure your car is the go-to ride with help from the ESSGOO Portable Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto Car Display, now just $64.99 (reg. $89), with free shipping.

Give your front seat an upgrade

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This car display easily mounts to the dash or the windshield, depending on your preference, with no professional tools required. Once you finish the hassle-free installation, you can start enjoying the large 2.5D 10.26-inch HD touchscreen.

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An intelligent brightness adjustment makes sure the screen remains visible. And if your car has a reversing image, that will be displayed on the screen.

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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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 Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Go for gold in the summer

• Green: Important when attending a sporting event

• Blue: Host golf tournaments

• Purple: Locations for the same conference

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

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

• Yellow: Summer Olympic sports

• Green: Information on a ticket

• Blue: First words of notable golf courses

• Purple: Big 12 school locations

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

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 today's Connections Sports Edition #198 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Summer Olympic sports - ARCHERY, EQUESTRIAN, JUDO, SPORT CLIMBING

• Information on a ticket - DATE, ROW, SEAT NUMBER, SECTION

• First words of notable golf courses - AUGUSTA, BETHPAGE, PEBBLE, TORREY

• Big 12 school locations - AMES, BOULDER, MANHATTAN, STILLWATER

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, April 9, 2025:

AcrossWord after "cheap as" or "old as"

• The answer is Dirt.

Sean ___, director who won four Oscars for "Anora"

• The answer is Baker.

"It's the Hard-Knock Life" musical

• The answer is Annie.

Pastry at a tea shop

• The answer is Scone.

Works on a quilt, perhaps

• The answer is Sews.

Down"Never give a sword to a man who can't ___": Confucius

• The answer is Dance.

"You don't need to tell me!"

• The answer is IKnow.

Straps for a horseback rider

• The answer is Reins.

One might be shady

• The answer is Tree.

Big Mouth Billy ___ (singing animatronic fish)

• The answer is Bass.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 9 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 9 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: That's quite a (tasty) mouthful

The words are things you eat.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are foods with long names.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is FourSyllables.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for April 9

• Watermelon

• Avocado

• Cauliflower

• Arugula

• FourSyllables

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

The White Lotus has so far taken place in Hawaii, Italy, and most recently Thailand — but where might be a good spot for Season 4?

Speaking to Howard Stern following the Season 3 finale, creator Mike White revealed that he's about to set off for Colombia to get out of LA.

"Are you thinking maybe the next season will take place in Colombia, so you're going to do research?" asks Stern.

"I don't think we're gonna go South America, I think probably not," responds White. "But I've never been there. Maybe one day we could do it there."

And as for when he'll start writing the next season? "I'll be working on it this summer, I'm sure."

TL;DR: Replace your AI subscriptions with DeskSense while a lifetime subscription is only $38 (reg. $179). 

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AI has practically become an essential part of the professional world almost overnight. Though many people have settled into using AI all the time, one thing that hasn't quite become sustainable is AI pricing. All those subscriptions are seriously expensive. It's a good thing you don't have to pay for all of them, even if you rely on them every day. 

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

What cops wear.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

BADGE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To toss.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 9, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

PITCH

Hurdle Word 3 hint

The third month.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 9 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 9, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

MARCH

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Where you can watch The Real Housewives franchise.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 9 Hurdle Word 4 answer

BRAVO

Final Hurdle hint

How a diamond is weighed.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

CARAT

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games 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 today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable 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.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 9 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: They share the same shape

• Green: To strike

• Blue: Mentioned in a popular Shakespeare play

• Purple: The second half of the word is the same

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: Round three-dimensional objects

• Green: Punch

• Blue: Animals in the witches' brew in "Macbeth"

• Purple: Fox___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

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 today's Connections #668 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Round three-dimensional objects: BALL, GLOBE, ORB, SPHERE

• Punch: POP, POUND, SLUG, SOCK

• Animals in the witches' brew in "Macbeth": BAT, DOG, FROG, NEWT

• Fox___: GLOVE, HOLE, HOUND, TROT

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 9

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

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 today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for April 9 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.

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 was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for April 9, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A grain.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter W.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

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 today's Wordle is...

WHEAT.

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 9

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

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

Each season, Max's popular series The White Lotus gives itself the ambitious task of telling essentially the same story about greed and lust but featuring different wealthy characters enjoying a new exotic locale. The just-concluded third season brought the concept to an imagined luxury White Lotus hotel in Thailand. 

Despite its aspirations, the show's latest installment strained under the weight of a sluggish plot, overly familiar character types, tired narrative arcs, and unsurprising twists — and at least one bafflingly offensive monologue. 

If you watched the show, you've probably catalogued these shortcomings, and maybe a few others. But these predictable creative problems aren't what made the season a disaster. 

SEE ALSO: 'The White Lotus' Season 3 ending explained: Who died?

Instead, the show's sensationalist handling of two plots involving suicide and incestuous sexual assault sent White Lotus hurtling into new territory — exploiting some of the most painful common human experiences for shock value in ways that could be harmful to viewers themselves. 

That take might seem laughable given how White Lotus embraces outrageous scandal as a matter of practice. 

The second season discarded the beloved Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) in a twisted plot that basically ended shortly after she pleaded for help from a bystander, saying, "These gays, they're trying to murder me!" 

The first season's death transpired after the victim, a hotel manager, defecated in the belongings of a guest with whom he'd been feuding, and hid in his closet, only to be discovered and stabbed by his nemesis with a pineapple carving knife. Clearly nothing is too absurd, or off the table, for series creator and sole writer Mike White.  

Yet bizarre murders to which almost no one can relate are one thing. Suicide, incest, and sexual assault are common experiences which have, given their prevalence, likely affected a number of White Lotus viewers. They, or someone they know, has struggled with suicidal thoughts or behavior, or have been a victim of incest or sexual assault. 

A cul-de-sac of dread

In this season, wealthy businessman Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) arrives in Thailand on vacation with his three children and wife only to discover that he's under federal investigation for financial crimes. Distraught over what this means for his livelihood and family, Tim spends most of the season in the throes of intense, graphic suicidal ideation. 

Exploring how financial crisis can contribute to suicidal thinking is a worthy effort given how money problems are a key risk factor for attempting suicide. 

But White draws out Tim's suicidal thinking partly as a cheap ploy. With each passing episode, the viewer is left wondering whether Tim, who descends deeper and deeper into despair, will be the culprit who takes another character's life, or his own. This will-he-or-won't-he means Tim's fantasies of death and family annihilation make regular, vivid appearances, but to what end? 

Even if White nobly intended to shed light on suicide, scientific research tells us that detail-driven media coverage and storytelling that focuses on hopelessness and a specific method of death can actually increase risk for people who are already vulnerable to suicidal thinking or behavior. Both elements are on full display in several episodes. 

At the very least, White Lotus could've adopted the recommended tactic of including a pre-credits prompt sharing suicide crisis resources with viewers, given the severity and intensity of Tim's suicidal behavior and thinking.

It's possible that some at-risk viewers realized what was coming and opted out of White Lotus' third season, aware that continuing to watch the show wouldn't be worth filling their mind with suicidal thoughts or images. Others still may have known the risk and accepted it, as is every viewer's right. 

It would be a mistake, however, to assume that the graphic depictions of suicide and murder-suicide somehow strengthened the season. 

While Tim's journey through suicidal impulses may reflect what many have endured, the repetitive scenes of death did little except keep the character and the viewer stuck in a cul-de-sac of existential dread and terror. This is arguably the most boring place to be for an audience — and it has the potential to harm. 

This isn't a new debate in film and television. In 2017, the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why generated great concern — and backlash — when it aired the graphic suicide death of a teenage character. Some research conducted in the aftermath suggested an association between the show and an increase in youth suicide. 

Since then, Hollywood has demonstrated notable progress toward responsible yet narratively effective portrayals of suicide (see The Bear and Ted Lasso as prime examples). 

In the end, Tim decides against killing his family and himself, though he accidentally poisons his youngest son in the wake of that choice. The season-finale twist seems to buttress Tim's belief that his family can weather the investigation that will unravel their lives. 

It would've been powerful to show how Tim came to fully embrace his shifting fortunes. But that last-minute development unfolds at the plot's unscrupulous convenience, in the season's dwindling moments, after the real killers are revealed. 

"Satire without substance" 

While Tim is trapped by the fear of losing his wealth, and quite possibly his family's love and loyalty, his two sons are trapped in a separate hell of White's making. 

In a pivotal episode, Tim's sons, Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), spend an inebriated, drug-addled night on a luxury yacht with two women, Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), expecting a sexual adventure. What happens instead is incestuous sexual assault, with Lochlan physically bringing his unaware brother to climax while simultaneously having sex with Chloe. 

Except White Lotus never fully acknowledges that Lochlan sexually abused Saxon, who wasn't coherent or sober enough to consent, not that Lochlan ever asked permission. 

"It’s essential to call this scene what it is: sexual assault," Dr. Tanya Rawal, director of consulting for the the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), told Mashable in an email. 

"It’s essential to call this scene what it is: sexual assault." - Dr. Tanya Rawal, RAINN

When Saxon encounters both women the day after, Chloe considers her sexual encounter with both brothers as a "threesome." Stunned by this description, Saxon admits he'd blacked out and didn't recall what happened. She brushes it off as a peccadillo. "Everyone has their thing," Chloe says. 

White has spoken about his interest in portraying sexual deviance, especially amongst gay men. But nonconsensual incest is not transgressive — it's sexual assault. No edgy rationale would have justified a similar act of abuse had it been carried out by Saxon against his younger sister, Piper. 

Rawal says there's a "harmful stereotype that men are always willing participants in sex, that they cannot be victims." While Saxon may see himself as a victim toward the season's end, he doesn't articulate that sentiment, nor does any other character. 

The bias against male sexual assault victims can affect how media, critics, and viewers talk about what happened to Saxon, Rawal says. They may default to framing it as provocative rather than recognizing it as traumatic.

Indeed, some of the media coverage and public commentary about the assault saw it not as a fundamental violation of Saxon's body and familial trust, but as "brother-on-brother action" and a "wild incestuous hookup."

Such interpretations and characterizations matter. Rawal says that assault presented as ambiguous, or even normalized, can harm survivors while simultaneously "reinforcing the broader social dynamics that allow such violations to continue unchecked." 

Some creatives believe that tackling taboos — which White has publicly discussed — means taking the story to the extreme. This approach gets a thrill out of putting our collective discomfort on display, as if doing so is both an act of brilliance and a revelation. 

But even for a satire of wealth and privilege like White Lotus, this strategy has limits not born of prudishness or conservatism. 

If something felt deeply amiss with this season of White Lotus, beyond the narrative missteps and annoyances, it may have been the emptiness of mining taboo for shock value with little else to offer. 

Or as Rawal put it, "satire without substance risks reinforcing the very harm it seeks to critique."

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988; the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860; or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.

If you have experienced sexual assault, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

In over a dozen books, he explored the failures of journalism and the internet, blaming capitalism and calling for the nationalization of Facebook and Google.