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Scientists working to revive the woolly mammoth have accidentally created the cutest mice in the world. Introducing: the Colossal Woolly Mouse. I need at least 10 of these toasted marshmallows in my pocket right now.

Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences announced today that it has created almost 100 living cotton balls by genetically engineering mice to display cold adaptation traits similar to those in woolly mammoths. Such traits include fur which has been significantly altered in colour, texture, and thickness, as evidenced from the prodigious amount of fluff on these squeaky powder puffs.

SEE ALSO: These animals went extinct in 2023

Yet as cute as these critters are, the Colossal Woolly Mouse's aggressive adorableness wasn't the end goal. These mice are just the latest development in Colossal's quest to "de-extinct" the woolly mammoth. Crucially, the biotechnology company isn't resurrecting a woolly mammoth from a preserved woolly mammoth cell. Instead, Colossal intends to alter genes from the closely related Asian elephant to create a representative, or proxy, species.

How Colossal created the cutest mice to ever exist Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

To create the woolly mice, Colossal began by analysing 121 mammoth and elephant genomes, including those for Asian and African elephants. Comparing the genomes, the scientists identified the core mammoth genes which they believed were responsible for cold-adaptation traits such as fat metabolism and fur.

Colossal then refined this list to just 10 related genes related to fur and metabolising fat which were also compatible with mice, and used gene editing to modify seven of them in the rodents.

"Since there is more than 200 million years of genetic divergents from woolly mammoths to mice, we decided to look for similar pathways and edits in similar genes to ensure that the edits we were going to make in our our woolly mice would be compatible with life while driving the core genotype to phenotype relationships we were looking for," Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, told Mashable.

Fat little fuzzballs The Colossal Woolly Mouse and a normal mouse, next to the Colossal logo. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

The woolly mouse's fluffy fur isn't the only alteration Colossal made. Genes associated with body weight and fat metabolism have also been edited in the mice to better mirror that in mammoths. These changes aren't as immediately observable as the satisfyingly spherical mice's fuzzy coats. Colossal's chief science officer Dr. Beth Shapiro told Mashable that they expect to have more information on the impact on the mice before the end of the year.

"We believe that these changes will impact fat metabolism in response to cold climates," said Shapiro. "These are experiments that will take some time, because we have to have age matched controls that we can feed different diets and explore behavioural responses to different temperatures."

Shapiro reports that all of the woolly mice are "happy and thriving," Colossal advising that the rotund clouds with feet are currently being cared for in a humane, secure facility. Lamm further noted that Colossal's gene editing hasn't had any unforeseen consequences on the mice thus far, "except for extreme cuteness which we did not intend for." 

Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

This reported clean bill of health extends to the woolly mice's reproductive systems, which Colossal says are fully intact and theoretically capable of creating even more of the fuzzballs. Even so, Colossal can't just allow these palm-sized pom poms to be fruitful and multiply — or at least not yet. The company is currently seeking approval to do so.

“[W]e have submitted to our external ethics panel a request for an amendment to our approved protocol so that we can allow them to breed, which will enable us to do the behavioural experiments to assess the impact of our edits in response to cold," said Lamm.

Even if Colossal does get approval, it's unlikely that any of us will ever have one of these tiny tribbles as a ridiculously cute pet. There's nothing stopping us from dreaming, though.

The mammoth task of de-extinction A diagram indicating that the creation of the Colossal Woolly Mouse involved editing genes related to a rough coat, curly hair, and lipid metabolism. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Genetically engineering miniature sheep for fairies wasn't Colossal Bioscience's main agenda. As adorable as the woolly mouse is, its creation is just a step in Colossal's larger goal of bringing back the woolly mammoth. 

Billing itself as "the world’s first and only de-extinction company," Colossal is working to modify existing animals to better resemble their extinct relatives, rather than attempt to clone long-gone species. In the case of the woolly mammoth, Colossal hopes to alter an Asian elephant's genome, as it is the pachyderm's closest living relative. 

The company aims to deliver its first woolly mammoth calf by the end of 2028, with Lamm stating that they're on track to have embryos ready in 2026 for a 22-month gestation period. Using mice allows Colossal to test its hypothesis and see the results of their experiments much more quickly, as the average gestation period of a mouse is around three weeks.

"The mouse is validation that our de-extinction pipeline — from genomic analysis, to mapping ancient DNA variants to physical traits, to engineering those genetic edits into an animal and observing the predicted changes — is successful," said Shapiro. 

Lamm notes that while Colossal is working on multiple parts of its woolly mammoth project in parallel, it's now mostly in the gene editing phase, having already successfully edited 25 genes in their Asian elephant cells.

"We currently expect to alter around 85 genes in the Asian elephant to de-extinct the core genes and cold-tolerant phenotypes but will know a better exact answer as we get closer to the completion of the project," said Lamm.

Skepticism about bringing back the woolly mammoth Two portrait images. On the left is a Colossal Woolly Mouse and a normal mouse being held in someone's gloved hands. On the right is a Colossal Woolly Mouse on someone's gloved hand. Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Despite his and Shapiro's enthusiasm, there has been significant doubt amongst the scientific community regarding whether Colossal's ambition to revive extinct species is realistic or beneficial. Ethical concerns have also been raised, including fears that genetic editing could have an unintended detrimental impact on the health of the resultant animals. In 2015, Shapiro herself told NPR that gene editing tools would be better used to save current species than attempt to revive extinct ones, and that she "[didn't] want to see mammoths come back." 

Now a decade later, Shapiro appears to have changed her view, and hopes the apparent success of Colossal's woolly mouse project assuages at least some other people's concerns as well.

"[W]e only chose genes to edit that we already knew were compatible with healthy mice based on previous work and research," said Shapiro. "We carefully assessed the efficiency of our editing process and whether there were unintended edits before using cells to make living mice. And we’re doing everything we can to understand the potential impacts of our edits before we move to working with elephants."

Though she acknowledged that "there are always concerns about technologies that are new or not fully understood," Shapiro believes that it's also risky to shun these tools, or refuse to assess they can be used to protect endangered species.

"[I]t is clear that we need to be thinking of new ways to combat the extinction crisis underway today," Shapiro continued. "As we work toward the goal of a woolly mammoth, we will discover tools that are immediately useful to protect other species from becoming extinct… We can predict the outcome if we continue along the current path, and that is not an outcome that I want to see."

Why is reviving the woolly mammoth important? Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences

Though reviving the woolly mammoth is a mammoth task, Lamm and Shapiro claim that success would have a wider beneficial impact beyond just creating a close-representative of an extinct species. Lamm asserts that Colossal's work to de-extinct the woolly mammoth has already garnered increased attention and funding for the biodiversity crisis, and that all the technology the company creates is provided to its conservation partners. 

Shapiro further noted that woolly mammoths aerated soil, spread seeds, and removed snow, invigorating tundra ecosystems and increasing biodiversity. Even so, this is an incredibly distant benefit that currently seems unlikely to materialise before climate change threatens or destroys such habitats. It will be many years before Colossal is able to create and breed enough woolly mammoths to make such an impact, assuming this goal is ever achieved at all.

Instead, the greatest potential benefit to reviving the woolly mammoth is likely to be the inspiring impact such an accomplishment would have.

"The mammoth de-extinction project also provides a kind of moonshot goal that inspires people to come together and solve the hard problems that we need to solve in order to save other large megafauna (and smaller animals!) from becoming extinct," said Shapiro. "It’s also an optimistic story about biodiversity loss, at a time when we really need optimism."

We're still far from seeing the first genetically modified woolly mammoth calf take its first steps, and reasonable concerns remain about the endeavour. Yet regardless of your views on Colossal's woolly mammoth project, the need for more positivity and hope in the world is a sentiment most people can agree with.

BOOK FLIGHTS FOR AS LOW AS $49 EACH WAY: The JetBlue Big Spring Sale has flights for as low as $49 each way, with travel dates between March 18 and June 11. Keep in mind some blackout dates apply. The sale ends on March 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Opens in a new window Credit: JetBlue JetBlue Big Spring Sale flights as low as $49 each way Get Deal

Pack your bags because we're just weeks away from spring break and summer travel. Head to a tropical beach, go see the sights of the city, or finally make it back home thanks to these great sale prices from JetBlue.

Until March 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET, book with JetBlue's Big Spring Sale to score flights for as low as $49 each way.

Browse the extensive JetBlue route map to find your ideal destination and set off for less this spring and summer. But keep in mind this deal comes with some fine print that's worth mentioning. To score the lowest fares possible, you'll want to avoid flying on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. JetBlue also has a blackout period from April 10 to April 29. Aside from that, you're free to move about the country.

SEE ALSO: Take up to 40% off on bicycles at REI and prep for summer rides

Some of the best deals included in this sale are $49 flights from New York (JFK) to Pam Beach (PBI), and $59 flights from Boston (BOS) to Tampa (TPA). If you live in Portland (PDX), you can snag one-way flights to Boston (BOS) for just $89 and those in San Francisco (SFO) can head to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) for just $94 each way.

Since the price of basically everything has been rising lately, this sale is a great chance to take a vacation or a long weekend away without spending a fortune. Since these deals extend into June, you can even head off on an early summer adventure for just under $100 roundtrip. But you'll want to book quickly since the JetBlue Big Spring Sale ends on Thursday.

SAVE UP TO 40%: As of March 4, all sizes of the Samsung Frame TV are on sale with savings up to 40% off at Samsung.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung The Frame TV Save up to 40% on Frame TVs Get Deal

The Samsung Frame TV is all about elegance, built as much with still images in mind as traditional television or films, the Samsung Frame TV brings a picture frame aesthetic to a high-end contemporary TV. But don't fear, the Frame has everything you'd expect from a regular TV as well.

As of March 4, the Samsung Frame TV is on sale for up to 40% off during Samsung's Spring Sale event. Samsung has posted different sale prices for different sizes, with the best savings on the 55-inch version, which is on sale for $899.99, or $600 off. If you've been thinking about investing, this might be the last opportunity to score a sale price this good for months.

SEE ALSO: Samsung has phone concepts that bend, stretch and fold in every possible way

The Frame is so popular that it sparked copycat designs all across the market, but the original is still remarkably elegant. The TV's Art Mode is designed to cycle through fine art collections like the MOMA's, or display your own library of imagery. With a matte screen, the TV creates a more life-like illusion. Pantone validated, it has high color accuracy and a 4K image with upscaling.

Sub out the bezels to create the right aesthetic for your home. Numerous bezel tones are available. These snap on and off magnetically. Designed to pair with Samsung's Q-series sound bar, the Frame TV will play in tandem, creating remarkable sonic depth.

Hung flush against your wall, this TV is more than a home theater, it's a visual library display.

SAVE $50: As of March 4, get the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus for $199.99, down from its usual price of $249.99. That's a discount of 20%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus $199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

If you're the type of person who enjoys hanging out at home, checking out your favorite movies and TV shows, you've got to make sure you have good sound with it all. Booming explosions, bright and crisp music, and clear dialogue can make for a much more theatrical experience even if you're watching a talk show. An easy way to achieve all that is through a soundbar. And you can get one today for a great price at Amazon.

As of March 4, get the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus for $199.99, down from its usual price of $249.99. That's $50 off and a discount of 20%.

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is an easy to install soundbar that comes with built-in subwoofer and 3.1-channel, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. It offers crystal clear audio with a dedicated center dialogue channel so you can stop reaching for the remote when anyone speaks, as well as 3D sound with Dolby Atmos so you really feel like you're part of the action. Plus, it has optimized audio with Movie, Music, Sports, and Night modes you can choose from depending on what you're watching.

You can connect it to your Fire TV and use the same remote for a seamless experience and tweak your audio settings further with the Fire TV app. All you need to do is use one HDMI cable to connect to your HDMI eARC/ARC port and you're good to go, no additional speakers or setup required. You can just have a quick soundbar pop up in your living room, with better sound awaiting. Easy and quick. And you can get some cash off the soundbar today too, so might as well grab it while it's still available.

Apple just dropped a new iPad Air with an M3 chip, and yes, it has Apple Intelligence.

The M3 iPad Air is twice as fast as the M1 iPad Air which was released in 2022, according to the announcement. The M3 chip also gives the iPad Air faster graphics performance and the same dynamic caching support that comes in other M3 models, which boosts performance and response time.

SEE ALSO: 'There's something in the air:' Apple's Tim Cook teases new Air product drop this week

The M3 iPad Air comes with iPadOS 18, which supports Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools with ChatGPT integration, type to Siri, Image Playground, and Genmoji creation. Apple Intelligence for iPad also has photo and graphics editing tools like the Clean Up tool in Photos and Image Wand in the Notes app that works with the Apple Pencil.

In addition to the M3 iPad Air, Apple also unveiled a new Magic Keyboard that has a larger trackpad, a new 14-key function row, a USB-C port for charging, and connects to the iPad without Bluetooth with Apple's Smart Connector feature.

SEE ALSO: Best of MWC 2025: The age of ultra-thin phones is upon us

The product drop was teased by Apple CEO Tim Cook yesterday with an X post that said "there's something in the air." Many Apple insiders believed the MacBook Air with an M4 chip would be announced before the new iPad Air, although the iPad Air was also predicted to be coming soon. And hey, the week's not over, so we might still see the M4 MacBook Air in a few days.

Apple also updated the iPad 11 with an A16 chip which starts at 128GB of storage, double the amount of the iPad 10's starting storage.

New iPad Air sizes, prices, release date

The new generation of iPad Air comes in 11-inch and 13-inch versions and and metallic blue, pink, yellow, and silver colorways. The 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air with WiFi only start at $599 and $799 respectively and come with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB data options. For WiFi plus cellular, the 11-inch and 13-inch bump up to $799 and $949.

The new Magic Keyboard starts at $269 for the 11-inch model and $319 for the 13-inch model.

The updated A16 iPad starts at $349 for WiFi and $499 for WiFi and cellular.

Pre-orders start today, with availability on March 12.

SAVE $200: As of March 4, Breville Espresso Makers are up to $200 off at Amazon. Shop the Breville Barista Express for 27% off, bringing it down to $549.95. Or get the Breville Barista Touch, which is down to $799.95 for 20% off.

Breville Espresso Machine Deals Best Breville deal Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine $549.95 at Amazon (Save $200) Get Deal Another great deal Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine $799.95 at Amazon (Save $200) Get Deal

I won't lie, I've been heavily influenced by the trend of turning your home into a coffee shop. Rather than hosting dinner parties, you'll find hundreds of videos on TikTok of people transforming their home into a coffee shop, baking sweet treats and serving up lattes to friends. If you're also ready to trade in late night hangs for early morning ones, then you probably need to make your first investment: an espresso machine.

Breville is the leader in at-home espresso makers. Their devices are for novices and professionals alike who have one common goal: make a really great cup of coffee at home. And luckily, as of March 4, you can shop Breville Espresso Machines for $200 off. Here are the best deals to shop now.

Best Breville deal Opens in a new window Credit: Breville Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine $549.95 at Amazon
$749.95 Save $200.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Breville Barista Express puts the power of great espresso in your hands. You can control everything, including grind size and volume to get the perfect shot of espresso. It includes a burr grinder and steam wand, so you don't need any extraneous appliances for your latte.

You can find the Breville Barista Express for just $549.95, from its usual price $749.95. That saves you $200 for 27% off.

Breville Barista Touch deal Opens in a new window Credit: Breville Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine $799.95 at Amazon
$999.95 Save $200.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you don't want to deal with pressure gages, you just want to hit a button and have a perfect latte, then go for the Barista Touch. It features an easy-to-use touch screen, providing you with plenty of drink settings to swipe through. It also features a built-in grinder and steam wand for the full experience.

While it's not quite as good of a deal as the Breville Barista Express, it's still some great savings. The Barista Touch is down to $799.95 from $999.95. That's 20% savings for $200 off this luxe machine.

SAVE $110: A refurbished Ninja Slushi machine is on sale at Woot for just $239.99. The current Ninja Slushi model sells for $349.99. While the refurbished model is slightly smaller and has fewer pre-set functions, the Woot sale saves you $110 compared to the new model, working out to a 31% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Slushi (FS300, refurbished) $239.99 at Woot
$349.99 Save $110.00 Get Deal

One of the perks of summer is staying hydrated with refreshing fruity beverages. Of course, this means indulging in frozen, slushy drinks whenever we feel like it simply because it's summer. If you already have 7-11's free Slurpee day in your calendar, consider making them at home thanks to this deal.

As of March 4, a refurbished Ninja Slushi machine is on sale at Woot for just $239.99. This is an older, slightly smaller model compared to the current version Ninja sells which retails for $349.99. Compared to the new model, grabbing the older, refurbished model from Woot saves you $110. Since we've seen inventory issues with the Ninja Slushi, finding this refurbished model at a nice sale price is certainly a treat.

Make no mistake, the refurbished Ninja Slushi is here to serve your every frozen drink desire. It comes with a 72-ounce capacity (compared to the new model which holds 88 ounces) and three pre-set function modes — slush, spiked slush, and milkshake.

Without requiring ice, the Ninja Slushi transforms your standard liquids into a frozen treat including wine, coffee, soda, juice, chocolate milk, and more. Depending on the ingredients, the transformation process can take up to an hour, but some only take 15 minutes. You can also set your desired thick or thinness level.

SEE ALSO: Take up to 40% off on bicycles at REI and prep for summer rides

Once your drink is ready, the Ninja Slushi will keep it chilled and at the ideal texture for 12 hours.

Mashable Senior Shopping Reporter Leah Stodart tested the Ninja Slushi and found it very user friendly, not to mention quiet while running. In terms of overall feeling about the Slushi, Stodart's review says, "If you're someone who needs to have three drinks within reach at any given moment, surely the two that aren't plain water could be slushed, and doesn't that just open up a world of possibilities? Plus, anyone who struggles with getting their fruits or veggies or protein might stay on top of it more with a drink more appetizing than a room-temperature chalky mixture."

She also points out the Slushi is a pretty great way to get kids consuming healthy fruit juice if they prefer hydration that feels more like a treat.

If you're feeling like this is the summer for homemade treats, consider the versatility and convenience of a Ninja Slushi. With it, you'll be able to slushify your favorite drinks, and since that adds to hydration, maybe this is a wellness boost. Thanks to today's deal at Woot, a refurbished model is selling for just $239.99 which is a pretty sweet savings compared to the new model which costs $349.99.

GET $90 OFF: As of March 4th, the Jackery Explorer 300 Portable Power Station is on sale for $169, saving you 35%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Jackery Jackery Explorer 300 Portable Power Station $169.00 at Amazon
$259.00 Save $90.00 Get Deal

It can be a huge pain to be without power when you're on the road, let alone when you most need it during a storm or natural disaster. The Jackery Explorer 300 is a portable power station that will follow you into the campsite or connect to a solar bank to ensure you can charge up, even when the grid goes down — and it's on sale today.

As of March 4, the Jackery Explorer 300 Portable Power Station is currently on sale for $169.00. Get it now for 35% off and save $90.

SEE ALSO: The best weatherproof and wireless outdoor speakers in 2025

With numerous plugs and ports, the Jackery is built to connect to a range of devices. USB-A and -C ports attend to small tech devices, while two AC 110V 330W tri-plugs ensure you can connect general-use, wall-plug equipped devices. It also has one DC car port.

With a quick-charging battery inside, the Jackery needs only two hours plugged into the wall to recharge 80%.

Connect this battery bank to a Jackery solar panel to charge phones and laptops indefinitely, or plug in your coffee maker for fresh campsite brew. We all like a hot beverage in the morning.

Ever wanted your phone to have everything? Like a battery that's big enough to accomodate six regular phones? Or a massive loudspeaker? Or an actual projector? Or another friggin' phone built into the back of the first phone?

Ulefone's got all of that covered. The company specialized in rugged phones which also come with additional functionality.

At MWC Barcelona, Ulefone brought a couple of new phones, including the Armor 33 Pro and the Armor 34 Pro.

SEE ALSO: Samsung has phone concepts that bend, stretch and fold in every possible way

The Armor 33 Pro is an absolute beast of a phone, with a 6.95-inch display, a Dimensity 7300X 5G chip, 12GB RAM, 512GB, and a 50/50/64-megapixel camera trio on the back, with that 64-megapixel sensor having night vision capabilities.

Got space on the back? Let's slap another, smaller phone on there. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

These specs don't actually mean anything until you've seen the phone. It's about as thick as three regular phones, as it packs an absolutely monstrous 25,500mAh battery. It also has a huge loudspeaker in the back, and an additional display (for some reason) that makes this thing feel like an odd two-phones-in-one combo.

A projector on top, and a very bright LED flash on the back. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Then there's the Armor 34 Pro. It has the same specs (including the big battery), but instead of the extra display and loudspeaker it packs an actual 150lm projector built into the top of the phone.

Via Giphy

There's also a 1,200lm LED flash on the back, probably bright enough to scare several bears away should you encounter them in the forest (do not ever try this, the author of this story is joking and knows nothing about bears).

SEE ALSO: Best of MWC 2025: The age of ultra-thin phones is upon us

Ulefone didn't say how much these phones weigh, but my estimate is at least half a kilogram; in other words, these aren't your regular, pocketable phones, even if you're used to big, rugged devices. They are specialty equipment that also happen to have a phone inside. Or two.

These phones can withstand a lot of punishment. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

If you have to ask, these phones should also be near-indestructible, up to IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H specs. This pretty much means you can use a high-pressure water jet washer to clean these phones, and that's after you've dropped them into the mud from a 5 foot height.

Software is based on Android 14 for both devices, and it might require some polishing as it wasn't very responsive when I tried it, but hopefully it can get ironed out until these phones hit the market.

There's no word on pricing, and exact date of availability is a mystery, though these phones should launch in China soon.

The prospect of using taxpayer money to stockpile cryptocurrencies in a national reserve has drawn criticism from lawmakers and investors.

Look, With Love, Meghan will not be everyone's show. If it's not yours, you can watch something else. But for people who feel empathetically tired for the Duchess of Sussex, enjoy watching one of the most vilified women on the planet find personal happiness and empowerment, and regularly binge-watch TikTok videos about hosting guests that you'll probably never actually implement yourself, this show is for you.

Produced by Netflix with Meghan and Harry's Archewell Productions, With Love, Meghan is a relentlessly positive DIY tips show with Meghan sharing various kitchen and home tricks that have been tastefully filmed for you to either actually try or remain purely aspirational about. If you thrive on lifestyle shows or TikTok videos about hosting guests or making-your-own-anything at home, you might like this.

SEE ALSO: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, gets her own lifestyle show in Netflix's 'With Love, Meghan'

No, I'm not regularly making my own fried chicken brine at home with chef Roy Choi or making ice cubes laden with edible flowers for brunch, but I'll watch someone else do it. It's like watching Queer Eye; I know I could implement these Emmy-winning tips into my own life, but I probably won't. That doesn't make the show less worth watching.

Mindy Kaling comes to tea. Credit: Justin Coit / Netflix

Shot at a textbook "quiet luxury" estate in Montecito, California (not at Meghan and Harry's actual house y'creeps), each episode sees Meghan joining the ranks of celebrities grounding themselves as Just Like Us. Throughout the show, Meghan's friends — including Mindy Kaling, Roy Choi, Alice Waters, Vicky Tsai, Daniel Martin, and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer — stop by for chats about her career and life while she's making various dishes and decorations. But there's some actually usable knowledge here, and aesthetically, it's all fresh, pretty, and illuminated — a far cry from the shows I usually watch, drenched in dread and despair. In a bright, white kitchen, Meghan instructs you how to make stuff that seems simultaneously somewhat achievable and pure fantasy — from prepping a guest room (a what!?) with homemade bath salts to harvesting fresh honey and beeswax from your backyard beehive (you don't have one!?). I personally don't have any of these things like Le Creuset cookware or truffle oil on tap, because The Economy, but I enjoy watching others make Nice Things.

Respect for cooking in beige. Credit: Jenna Peffley / Netflix

While not everyone has the time or money to do this, With Love, Meghan attempts to give you hacks to make you look like you do — she dresses up store-bought foods with simple additions that could genuinely make me look more capable to my friends (I will be chucking sprigs of mint around Greggs pastries on a platter). However, the show requires more effort of me than I have to give; Meghan makes jars of homemade preserves with an array of fruits to send her friends home with; I will never do this for my friends (I know myself and I'm sorry). The kids' party bags Meghan makes in episode 2 are deeply thoughtful and I will not be making such wholesome treats. And to her credit, the Duchess of Sussex does recognise the privilege of wealth when it comes to fresh ingredients right outside your French doors.

"What you're trying to do is share what you have," says Meghan in episode 7, "Elevating the Everyday." "We don't all have a garden like this. I fully recognise that. I didn't grow up with a garden like this. But if you have a farmer's market, then you can definitely find something that if you have a bite of it and you go, 'I wish they could try it,' then share it with them so they can."

I'm not going to do this in my own home, but some might. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Granted, with all that undeniably cheeseball music, the DIY moments in the series often feel like daytime TV segments — it's giving BBC's Morning Live but more cinematically filmed. In episode 2, Meghan creates a whole whimsical garden tea party for her kids with Mindy Kaling's help. Yes, this episode is slightly projecting Flawless Parenting, especially given the fact that Meghan cooks almost exclusively in white and cream, but there's also some decent tips in here for making little magic moments for your loved ones. I'm not a parent, or a homemaker, but I find this level of detail extremely commendable. Styling vegetable sticks and store-bought hummus as fancy crudités? I've watched a thousand TikToks on charcuterie boards and butter boards and whatever boards I'm never going to make, and I will also watch this.

If you're looking for a gentle, vaguely motivating watch with one of the most famous people on the planet, this ain't bad. Don't overthink it.

With Love, Meghan is now streaming on Netflix.

SAVE $15: As of March 4, the Kindle essentials bundle — which comes with a 2024 matcha colored Kindle, a matcha colored fabric cover, and a power adapter — is on sale at Amazon for under $150.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Kindle Essentials Bundle $146.97 at Amazon
$161.97 Save $15.00 Get Deal

If you're on the hunt for an e-reader to hold your digital library, a Kindle is worth every cent. As someone who owns the latest Kindle that released last year, I absolutely love it. Its compact design is perfect for taking on the go and it has plenty of space to hold all of my favorite novels. We consider it the best Kindle on a budget in our roundup of the best Kindles, but what's even better is you can score it in a discounted Kindle essentials bundle right now at Amazon.

With this Kindle essentials bundle, you'll get the 2024 Kindle in the color matcha, a matcha colored fabric cover, and a power adapter for $146.97. This saves you $15 off what you'd pay to purchase them all separately. The deal doesn't just apply to the matcha colored model, either. If you'd prefer to have the kindle in black, that model is also discounted with the essential bundle.

SEE ALSO: The best Kindle for every type of reader (tested by an avid reader)

We had a lot of praise for this Kindle model in our review. Mashable's Samantha Mangino said, "The Amazon Kindle is a phenomenal value. If you're looking to spend about $100 on an e-reader, the Kindle will deliver quick page turns and 16GB of storage to hold thousands and thousands of books." It also boasts a glare-free display so you can read it under any sort of lighting.

You'll be all set with a cover and power adapter with this bundle. These are great to have to just keep your Kindle protected and have a dedicated charger for it. Though you won't need to worry very much about the latter as it offers up to six weeks of battery life, giving you plenty of time to read without worry of losing power too often.

I believe the Kindle essentials bundle is a worthy investment if you're an avid reader. Don't miss out on this Kindle essentials bundle deal at Amazon. And if you want to get started with some books right away, you can take advantage of some Stuff Your Kindle Day free books today. At the moment, Alpharoll is offering open door romance books and closed door romance books.

It is as I always suspected: Samsung has the tech to make our phones even more foldable, they just don't want to share it with us.

At its booth at MWC Barcelona, Samsung Display brought a bunch of foldable, stretchable, and bendable phone and tablet concepts to show just how far OLED display tech has come.

Via Giphy

One cool example was the vertically tri-folding phone that leaves a little stretch of display uncovered when folded, and then uses it as a sort of a status display, with essential information like time, date, and battery life. Perhaps not as practical as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, but definitely cooler.

OK, we've seen similar things before. But this one is from Samsung. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The company also showcased several larger, tri-folding or tri-bending prototypes which transform from phone to phablet to tablet and vice versa.

It stretches! Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Perhaps the most impressive was the stretchy display which had to be seen from the side to be appreciated. The display literally protrudes outwards when needed, adding a 3D effect to the image.

SEE ALSO: Best of MWC 2025: The age of ultra-thin phones is upon us

None of these are actual devices that you can buy, and they probably never will be, but the tech will surely trickle out into real products down the line.

Another year, another array of inventive tequila smuggling devices from Guillermo on the Oscars red carpet.

In the clip above, Jimmy Kimmel's co-host takes shots with everyone from Elle Fanning to Bowen Yang, before producing a bucket of unexpected questions to ask the likes of Edward Norton and Amy Poehler.

Between Guillermo and Chicken Shop Date's Amelia Dimoldenberg, stars must have had a strange run of interviews this year.

Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg has swapped the familiar delights of the chicken shop for the glamour of Hollywood this week, taking to the Oscars red carpet to make her usual brand of awkward small talk with everyone from Timothée Chalamet to Margaret Qualley.

Highlights from the clip above include a discussion about basketball with Ben Stiller, the planning of a potential future movie with Willem Dafoe, and Kieran Culkin's unimpressed response to a pun-filled question about A Real Pain.

Once you've finished that, please also enjoy her accent-filled brunch with Oscar winner Mikey Madison.

The voice of Lumon in the Severance Season 2 training video belongs to Keanu Reeves — but as Ben Stiller explains in the Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview above, former president Barack Obama was asked first — and he said no.

"I didn't ask him in person. I knew someone that knew his lawyer, and his lawyer said 'I can relay the request if you write an email,' so I wrote an email to him," says Stiller in the clip above. "Like two days later I get an email back from president Barack Obama saying, 'Hey Ben, big fan of the show, love Season 1, can't wait for Season 2...don't think I have time in my schedule to make this happen.' And like, come on, what's more important than doing the voiceover for the animated building in Severance? But it was pretty cool that he responded."

It would have been a glorious cameo, but at least Reeves makes an undeniably excellent backup.

FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on March 4. You can choose from a selection of closed door and fade to black romance novels for free.

If you're looking to spice up your e-book library, Alpharoll is offering a wide variety of closed door and fade to black romance books for free on the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day. There's no better time than now to fill up your library with some free titles.

If this is the first time you've heard of Stuff Your Kindle Day, it's worth keeping these events on your radar. Stuff Your Kindle Day gives e-book readers the opportunity to download hundreds of e-books at no cost. That's right, all for free. The bonus is that once you've downloaded an e-book, it's yours to keep forever in your library.

SEE ALSO: The best Kindles in 2025

If you've been wanting to pick up something new, here are some of the best closed door and fade to black romance books available on Stuff Your Kindle Day.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Stuff Your Kindle Day took place on Feb. 10, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, and Feb. 28 last month, offering everything from monster romance to indie titles for free. And now on March 4, you can pick up free closed door and fade to black romance novels thanks to Alpharoll.

Here are just a few of the closed door and fade to black romance e-books you can download for free.

Best closed door and fade to black romance books to shop on Stuff Your Kindle Day

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• Friend Zone by Camilla Isley — $0 $3.99

• Crushing on You by Sara Breaker — $0 $4.99

• Just Write For Me by Amy Edsanders — $0 $2.99

• The Sweetest Match by Abby Tyler — $0 $3.99

• Silver Spells by Kate Moseman — $0 $4.99

• The Werewolf's Mask by K. S. Gerlt — $0 $3.99

• Soy Into You by Tracy Broemmer — $0 $3.99

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Anyone can participate in Stuff Your Kindle Day. You don't need to own a Kindle to get involved.

Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these books for free. You can even download these books on your preferred app and read them straight from your phone, as you can also find these free titles on the Google Play and Apple Books apps.

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These popular e-readers allow you to take hundreds of books on the go. They're made all the better by their extra-long battery life that can keep you reading for longer between charges, and it also boasts an anti-glare display, so you can read anywhere and in all brightness with the Kindle. They start at $109.99, a great price for those on a budget, but if you want to save even more, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited completely free during Stuff Your Kindle Day.

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Elon Musk has been sending some mixed messages about appearing on The Daily Show for an interview. First the tech billionaire and "special government employee" said he'll do it if the show airs unedited, but then later posted that "Jon Stewart is much more propagandist than it would seem."

On Monday, Stewart responded directly to Musk — and he made his feelings as clear as ever.

"The guy who custom made his own dark MAGA hat, that he wears to opine in the Oval Office with the president that he spent $270 million to elect, thinks I'm just too partisan," says Stewart in the clip above. "Look, Elon, I do have some criticisms about DOGE, I support in general the idea of efficiency and delivering better services to the American public in cheaper and more efficient ways. And if you want to come on and talk about it on the show, great. If you don't want to, sure. But can we just drop the pretence that you won't do it because I don't measure up to the standards of neutral discord that you demand and display at all times? Because quite frankly, that's bullshit."

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that it's impossible to judge how interesting the Mobile World Congress will be based on pre-announcements and teasers.

Yeah, we knew the Nothing phones are coming, and Xiaomi's new phones weren't exactly a secret, either. But at the show floor, we've also found some extremely thin phones, some wonderfully weird (but useful!) phone accessories, and we even got the first real-life glimpse of Xiaomi's new supercar.

Here's a list of the best and the most interesting stuff we've seen this year.

Best phone that's also a camera: Xiaomi 15 Ultra Everything is "Ultra" with Xiaomi, isn't it? Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Xiaomi never fails to amaze with the amount of camera tech it stuffs into its Ultra series of phones. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is, by all accounts, a very powerful phone, but that camera system on the back is something else. Just one detail: The phone has not one but two telephoto cameras, enabling you to take lossless photos at up to 8.6x magnification.

The company also sells a Photography Kit that drops all pretense that this is a phone and lets you use it as a pocketable (well, sort of) camera.

Best weird laptop: Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC Concept They just had to stuff "AI" in that name, didn't they. Credit: Christian de Looper/Mashable

Need more screen real estate on your laptop? How about a laptop with a folding display that has an 18.1 inch diagonal when fully unfolded? Lenovo's got you covered.

Like most weird Lenovo things, the Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC Concept is just a concept for now, but the company does tend to eventually release some of its weirder tech to the masses, so we wouldn't be too surprised if you could buy something like this in a year or two.

Best supercar that doesn't cost like a supercar: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Looks like a supercar, costs like a premium family sedan. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Xiaomi's gotta be saving some costs on the SU7 Ultra, but we're not sure where. Generously adorned with carbon fiber, fitted with massive ceramic brake discs, lined with Alcantara fabric on the inside, and equipped with three motors pushing the car from 0-100km/h under two seconds, you'd say the SU7 Ultra has to cost hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars. But Xiaomi is selling it now (in China), for $72,750. Go figure.

Thinnest phone: Tecno Spark Slim Can you even see the phone? Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Yeah, it's not the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, even though Samsung did bring the phone to the show. The problem is, the company wouldn't share any of the specs, or let us get close enough with measuring tape.

To be fair, Tecno's Spark Slim, which is just 5.75mm thin, isn't exactly finished either; it's just a concept, and we have no idea when or where it'll become available. But the company let us touch it, and it is, indeed, extremely thin. Do we need phones this thin? This is not a question we should be asking now, because we're definitely getting them.

Thinnest foldable phone that folds two times: Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2 OK, this is impressive. Credit: Christian de Looper/Mashable

Not content with bringing an extremely thin candy bar phone, Tecno also brought what is probably the world's thinnest tri-folding phone, the Tecno Phantom Ultimate 2. This one is also just a concept, but boy, this thing is impressive to look at. It's even thinner than the 12.1mm Galaxy Z Fold 6, and that one only folds once.

Best phone accessory that's also a pair of earbuds: HMD Amped Buds It even works with an iPhone! Credit: HMD Global

All the earbuds these days come with a charging case. And that charging case is, well, a battery. So why not make it so that you can stick the earbuds case onto your phone — MagSafe style — and have it wirelessly charge your phone if needed?

HMD did exactly that with its HMD Amped Buds, whose case has a 1,600mAh battery, and even made the case thin enough to be (sort of) practical. We applaud the ingenuity of this one.

In a world where all the phones look pretty much the same, we're grateful to have Nothing.

On Tuesday, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nothing launched two new phones and keeping true to the company's aesthetic, they're both instant eye-grabbers. The phones both sport that semi-transparent look with oddly arranged Glyph LEDs on the back, but since no one else is doing anything of the sort, it still feels fresh.

I'm particularly pleased that the Nothing Phone 3a — and its more powerful sibling, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro — aren't just minimally altered variants of each other. Instead, each phone has its own thing going on, with the Pro version being a tad more radical, with a semi-circular camera array on the back, as opposed to the Phone 3a's horizontally aligned cameras.

Even the boxes look cool. Credit: Diana Ribaric Sredl/Mashable

Having seen them in the flesh, I can say this: They both look really cool and if you get one, people unfamiliar with the brand will want to know where you got this phone.

It's nice of Nothing to offer some colors, too. The Phone 3a Pro will be available in Grey and Black, while the Phone 3a comes in Black, White, and Blue (that last color won't be available in the U.S., though).

Inside, the phones aren't all that different. They both have a 6.77 AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive fresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7S Gen 3 chip, 8/12GB of RAM, and 128/256GB of storage (availability varies by region, though).

Both phones also have a hefty, 5,000mAh battery with 50W charging, though wireless charging is sadly missing. Also notable is dust and water resistance, which is present but only up to IP64 standard, meaning a little splash will be ok, but you should not be immersing these phones underwater.

Love taking notes? Nothing's new phones make it very easy to do so. Credit: Nothing

Of course, a Nothing specialty is the Glyph interface, which is like a (very) rudimentary display on the back of the device, with LEDs flashing in different patterns to visual music, do camera countdowns, and indicate volume.

The only big difference between the two devices, aside from the design, are the cameras. Both phones have a 50-megapixel main camera with f/1.88 aperture and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide with f/2.2 aperture. But where the Nothing Phone 3a has a 50-megapixel telephoto camera capable of 2x optical zoom, the Phone 3a Pro has a 40-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

On the front, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro has a 50-megapixel selfie camera, while the Nothing Phone 3a has a slightly less generous 32-megapixel camera.

The Essential Key is another Nothing-specific feature. Credit: Diana Ribaric Sredl/Mashable

On the software side, it's Android 15 with Nothing OS 3.1 on top. The UI has a distinctive design that matches the phone's exterior and offers some special features such as Essential Space, which is an AI-powered note-taking option. Nothing likes it so much that it puts a dedicated button on the phone, and calls it Essential Key; it allows you to quickly capture and send content to Essential Space, as well as take voice notes or open the content you've saved so far.

Nothing says that Essential Space will launch as an "Early Access" feature, with more stuff coming soon "in the coming months."

Nothing Phone 3a will be available on March 11, while the Nothing Phone 3a Pro will be available on March 25, both through nothing.tech. However, there will be limited availability for both phones in the Nothing Store Soho in London at 11am GMT on March 8.

As for U.S. availability, these new Nothing phones will only be available through Nothing's U.S. Beta program, which is a bit of a bummer.

SEE ALSO: What to expect at MWC 2025 from Samsung, TCL, and more

The pricing for these phones is...a little complicated because not all the variants are available everywhere. Nothing Phone 3a with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage starts at 329 pounds or euros, depending on where you are. The version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage starts at 379 pounds, euros, or dollars, as that's the version that will be available in the U.S.

The Nothing Phone 3a Pro with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of memory will cost £449 in the UK, $459 in the U.S., and €459 in Europe.

The phones will also be available in India, starting at ₹24,999 and ₹29,999, respectively.