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"Queer Eye" is back for its ninth season, and this time around, they're changing lives in Las Vegas.

SAVE $15: As of Nov. 13, you can get the Crock-Pot 20-ounce electric lunch box at Amazon for $29.99, down from $44.99. That's 33% off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Crock-Pot Crock-Pot 20-ounce electric lunch box $29.99 at Amazon
$44.99 Save $15.00 Get Deal

It’s getting dark at 5:30 p.m., the air is getting crisp, and the leaves are changing color, so it’s officially soup season. What better way to enjoy the cozy comforts of autumn than with a warm, hearty meal simmered to perfection in a slow cooker? (I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Soup-zaa.)

Right now, you can snag the Crock-Pot 20-ounce electric lunch box for just $29.99 (down from $44.99). That's a $15 discount, or 33% off.

SEE ALSO: When do Black Friday sales start? Early holiday deals are already here.

This tiny slow cooker is ideal for leftovers or solo meals. It's the perfect size for a single serving of chili, stew, or oatmeal. (I actually own this little cooker and use it all the time!) Or, if you’re in charge of sides or dips for a potluck, this Crock-Pot is designed for travel.

It features a convenient carrying handle, is dishwasher-safe, and has a seal and store lid to prevent spills on the go. You can also get it in black, faded blue, moonshine green, or blush pink.

Get your hearty fall meals on with the Crock-Pot 20-ounce electric lunch box for just $29.99.

SAVE 20%: The Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker 2-pack is on sale at Amazon for $47.99 with the on-page coupon, down from the list price of $59.99. That's $12 off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Tile Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker (2-pack) $47.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $12.00 Get Deal

Now that Halloween is over and Black Friday sales are already cropping up, it's time to think about the upcoming holidays. Even with perfect planning and execution, they tend to be a chaotic time when it becomes incredibly easy to misplace pretty much anything. If you struggle with keeping your important items from getting lost, check out this deal on a two-pack of Bluetooth trackers.

As of Nov. 13, the Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker 2-pack is on sale for $47.99 at Amazon with the on-page coupon, down from the typical price of $59.99. That means you'll save $12, or 20%.

SEE ALSO: When do Black Friday sales start? Early holiday deals are already here.

If your holiday plans involve checking a bag on a flight, you'll want to include a Bluetooth tracker in your luggage. With the Tile app on your smartphone, you'll have constant access to the whereabouts of your bag. In Mashable's review of the best Bluetooth trackers, the Tile Pro earns the title of the best alternative to the popular AirTag, and it's a great option if you have an Android device since the AirTag is only compatible with iOS.

But the Tile Pro is useful for so much more than just luggage. Thanks to the tracker's design, you can attach it to your keyring, wallet, bag, or almost anything else you tend to misplace. If your lost item is within a range of 500 feet, you can follow the app's instructions to play a sound on the Tile Pro, giving you a way to follow the sound to your lost item.

This deal on the Tile Pro includes two trackers, one black and one white. Use both yourself to track two items or share with family members. They can also make great gifts if you have a forgetful friend.

Instead of paying the typical $59.99 for the 2-pack, save $12 at Amazon and get two Tile Pros for just $47.99 and remove a stress point from the holidays this year.

When Donald Trump was announced the winner of the U.S. presidential election, American women began posting about the 4B movement, a radical feminist movement that originated in South Korea. From one woman saying she broke up with her Republican boyfriend on election night to join 4B to another saying she's building her "dream body that no man will touch for the next four years," discussion of the movement has exploded online.

What is 4B?

4B stands for the "four nos," which translates to no dating, no sex, no marriage, and no child-rearing, as Hawon Jung, a journalist and author of Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement & What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide, wrote for the New York Times last year.

SEE ALSO: Crisis hotlines see huge increase before and after Trump win

Discussion about 4B has grown in Western online spaces in recent years. In 2023, The Cut published a widely-discussed explainer on 4B (that's since been updated in light of the election).

4B emerged in South Korea as a part of a wider feminist wave that swept the country from the late 2010s to early 2020s, Jung told Mashable over email. There were heated discussions on and offline about misogyny, patriarchy, gender violence, and gender discrimination. Korea has a steep gender pay gap and was also ranked last among 29 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries for women's working environment. 

A major part of these discussions was about the uneven burden women face in terms of domestic labor and caregiving, oftentimes at the expense of personal aspirations, Jung said. Around this time, the term "no marriage" — roughly translated to "willfully unmarried" — began to become popular and widely used for women who chose not to marry. 

SEE ALSO: How to combat the invisible labor divide in your own home

"4B is at the extreme end of the whole spectrum of women in South Korea who choose to stay single and childless," Jung said. The arguments for 4B, according to the women involved that Jung spoke to, come down to being tired of the patriarchal culture ingrained in the institution of marriage, societal pressure to marry and have children, and intimate partner violence (IPV) and lack of protection for victims. These women choose to boycott marriage and even romantic relationships with men until society and men change how they treat women.

With South Korea's #MeToo movement, IPV, and digital sex crimes gaining public attention in the late 2010s — coupled with the "no marriage" precedent in the country — there was momentum for 4B to settle and become more popularized, said sociology Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, Meera Choi, who studies the 4B movement.

There aren't definite numbers of how many women are in the 4B movement in South Korea. Those who identify as feminists in Korea are subject to harassment, bullying, career setbacks, and even job loss and violence, Jung said. So some 4B followers don't share this publicly.

Both Jung and Choi said that there is a broader discontent about marriage and childbearing among South Korean women beyond those who identify as 4B. Also, some women are choosing to be childless and single and not identify as 4B because they don't see it as a political statement.

"The core message of the 4B movement is a far more condensed, intense, and outspoken version of the frustration and grievances many ordinary South Korean women feel about the institution of marriage or patriarchal family culture in general," Jung said. 

Why are American women talking about 4B?

Donald Trump's win spurred discussion about 4B in the U.S., as did misogynistic gloating in its wake — such as white nationalist Nick Fuentes claiming, "Your body, my choice."

On social media, discussions of voluntary celibacy and being "boy sober" have emerged among heterosexual women in the last year. This is largely because of frustrations over modern dating and dating apps, as well as dissatisfaction with casual sex. This is also a consequence of politics, particularly the overturning of Roe v. Wade and misogynistic ideals pushed by manosphere influencers.

4B has been lumped into these discussions. Choi said there are inherent differences between American and South Korean feminism, however. An example she gave was American feminism focuses on individual desire and freedom, which is a more optimistic outlook. Choi said pessimism is more prevalent in Korea, and there's a greater focus on what makes someone a "good" feminist. 

Who can participate in 4B?

A flurry of discourse among American women started around who can and can't be 4B. Women began asking if they could be in 4B if they have a boyfriend, husband, and/or children.

"if u have a boyfriend or a husband u cannot be apart of the 4b movement [sic]," said X user @lilmswinehouse3.

Tweet may have been deleted

"we will never be free," said X user @bambilith along with a screenshot of a woman asking if she can participate in 4B "but still love [her] boyfriend."

Tweet may have been deleted

Jung said similar arguments have sometimes appeared on South Korean social media and internet chatrooms since 4B emerged. "The arguments usually revolved around the question of whether a woman can be a true feminist if she is dating with a man, if she is married, thus 'selling out' to the patriarchal institution of marriage," Jung said. "And I think that this kind of debate inevitably happens when there is a social media-driven movement based on the deeply personal changes in a woman's everyday life."

SEE ALSO: I haven't had a boyfriend for a decade. Here's what I've learned.

Choi said that 4B has become almost an orthodox, separatist feminist movement in Korea. The question of who is the "better" feminist does come up. It's an insular group, with some 4B women only associating with each other because they are tired of discussions about men that their married friends might talk about, for example. 

"Among these women who adopt 4B as not just a practice, but almost an identity," Choi said. In her research, she has interviewed women who said they're not 4B because they don't follow the "rules," or they're not ready to not have relationships with men, or because they wear makeup and have long hair. The latter points refer to the "escape the corset" movement, where Korean women reject societal beauty ideals by cutting their hair and not wearing makeup in order to not look feminine.

Further, many 4B women in Korea are gender essentialists, meaning they believe men and women have intrinsic, biological differences. Many (but not all) are also trans-exclusionary. This seems to be in contrast with the swath of women who are talking about 4B in America, who appear to be primarily liberal (though some may be TERFS as well, trans-exclusionary radical feminists). 

Some women in Korea are critical of 4B — even if they don't engage in heterosexual relationships themselves — for gender and sexuality reasons, said Choi. Similar feminist separatist movements in the U.S. have also been criticized for excluding trans women. Sex strikes, in general, have occurred elsewhere around the world. In 2019, actor Alyssa Milano called for a sex strike following abortion restrictions. The concept has been criticized for the assumption that sex is about pleasing men, not women's desire, and for excluding LGBTQ people.

SEE ALSO: What are cybersex crimes? Read an extract from 'The Pocket Guide to the Patriarchy' Will 4B spread in the U.S.?

It remains to be seen whether 4B or something similar will become widespread in the U.S. 

In the days since the election, it seems that the practices of 4B, but not the identity aspect of it, have spread on American social media. The context that some South Korean radical feminists hold gender essentialist beliefs may be lost stateside.

Aside from the lost context, Choi said it's difficult to say simplistically whether the movement gaining traction is a good thing or a bad thing. It's a reaction to the rising conservative thinking, but it could empower women to think about their lives beyond relationships with men. "I empathize and sympathize with these women's strategies and tactics," Choi said, and she's curious how it will unfold in the U.S.

"With Roe v. Wade gone and another Trump presidency on the horizon, the interest among American women in the 4B movement and what it stands for seems to indicate the growing sense of anger and hopelessness women feel about the patriarchal force in their society — a key factor that paved the way for the 4B movement in South Korea to begin with," Jung said. 

Despite cultural and political differences, the anger and frustration women feel in a patriarchal society are all too similar.

UPDATE: Nov. 13, 2024, 12:17 p.m. EST This article was updated to clarify Choi's comments.

SAVE $80: As of Nov. 13, you can get the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet for just $109.99, down from $189.99. That's an $80 discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro $109.99 at Amazon
$189.99 Save $80.00 Get Deal

Black Friday is still a couple of weeks away, but Amazon’s already offering some pretty sweet deals on tablets, TVs, and other tech.

As of Nov. 13, you can get our favorite kid-friendly tablet, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, for just $109.99. That’s $80 off the list price and the lowest price we’ve seen on this tablet.

SEE ALSO: Amazon's Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet is literally too cool for school

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro comes with a year-long Amazon Kids+ subscription, a sturdy case, and tons of parental controls like age filters and limited access to specific apps to keep your little one safe. After the first year, the subscription will auto-renew at $5.99 per month, or you can cancel it (but the subscription is really what makes this tablet so great for kids).

It has a 10.1-inch display, 32GB of storage, and a 13-hour battery life for long car rides or trips. Bonus: there’s a two-year worry-free guarantee, so if it gets damaged, Amazon will replace it, no questions asked.

Look, no car manufacturer is immune to recalls. Ford, in particular, recalls cars often, as does Chrysler.

But there's something particularly sad when a stainless steel truck, supposedly able to withstand all sorts of abuse, gets recalled again. And again. And again.

We're talking, of course, about Tesla's Cybertruck, which just got recalled due to an issue with the vehicle's inverter, which may cause losing the ability "to apply torque to the vehicle using the accelerator pedal resulting in a loss of propulsion, which may increase the risk of a collision."

SEE ALSO: Tesla recalls cybertrucks for dangerous rearview display issue

Vehicles affected are Cybertrucks produced from Nov. 6, 2023, to July 30, 2024, or those "equipped with metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET) in the drive inverter." In total, 2,431 Cybertrucks are affected.

By our count, this is the sixth time the Cybertruck has been recalled, which is a lot given that the vehicle has been on the market for about a year.

And this is not one of those recalls that can be fixed with a software update. This time, owners of affected vehicles will have to schedule a service appointment to get the recalled inverter replaced with an inverter equipped with a properly functioning MOSFET component, which should take "approximately three hours."

You can check out Tesla's official page with information about Tesla vehicle recalls.

He’s on the patio. He’s on the golf course. Everywhere Donald Trump looks, there is the world’s richest man.

Directed by Saturday Night Live's Kyle Mooney, "Y2K" envisions an actual millennium bug on the rampage. Trailer.

Bumble has dropped its annual dating trends for 2025. Last year, the dating app predicted that singles would date based on values, emotional intimacy would be key, and daters would want to get off the self-improvement hamster wheel. According to Bumble's chief marketing officer Selby Drummond, "2025 is going to be a transitional year for dating and we can see this in how single people, especially women, are getting very clear about what they want and need, and what they are no longer willing to tolerate when it comes to dating and relationships."

Here's what could be in store for next year, according to more than 40,000 millennial and Gen Z Bumble users polled in September:

The return of romance

Earlier this year, Bumble identified the "Lover Girl" trend, where the majority of UK women surveyed by Bumble embrace romance and lovey-dovey gestures. This trend will continue into 2025, Bumble predicts, with 55 percent of women in the U.S. proclaiming themselves as romantics.

SEE ALSO: The best dating sites for geeks and nerds

A majority (88 percent) agree that how we show love and affection has changed and now includes "micro-mance" behaviors like sending memes, a playlist, sharing inside jokes, or taking a morning coffee walk. Nearly half (49 percent) of Gen Z singles say that geeking out on something together is a form of intimacy. Who says romance is dead?

Half of U.S. women said a lack of romance has had a negative impact on their dating lives — but 87 percent of people on Bumble experienced many positives of dating this year, including the excitement of meeting someone new, building their confidence, and exploring new attitudes about what they want.

Stability is in

With so many unknowns about what's to come, nearly all (95 percent) of singles say their worries about the future are impacting who and how they date.

Fifty-nine percent of women value stability more now, looking for a partner who is emotionally consistent, reliable, and who has clear life goals. One in three women (34 percent) are discussing topics like budgeting, housing, climate change, and job ambitions earlier than before.

Nearly three in four (72 percent) of Bumble users are looking for a long-term partner in the next year — perhaps someone to ride out all the uncertainties.

Love in the age of the internet

If your FYP is full of dating content, you're not alone. From courting dance trends to endless "theories," there are so many videos about how to find and keep a mate.

Bumble found that half of women in the U.S. are noticing more authentic dating and relationship content showing not only the highs but also the lows of dating like post-date debriefs. How authentic a TikTok can be is debatable, but at least we're past the Instagram aesthetic version of showing our lives online. And it's helping 46 percent of women who feel less self-conscious and lonely due to this content. Around the same amount of women (45 percent) say that realistic, positive dating content leads to optimism about their own love lives.

Evolving masculinity

From looking for a man in finance to a Timothée Chalamet lookalike, 34 percent of Bumble users agree that there have been more conversations than ever on male stereotypes in 2024. Thirty-one percent of U.S. men say these tropes make them uncomfortable because people make assumptions about their character and intentions.

Over half of women (53 percent) say that the conversation on masculinity needs to evolve to allow men to define what positive masculinity looks like for them.

At the same time, 2024 has led to the rise of the guy best friend. Thirty-one percent of single women say they're more open with their men friends than they used to be about their dating lives, and 22 percent ask them to filter potential dates. More than half, 57 percent, of women in the U.S. rely on the men in their lives to help explain men's dating behavior.

"These trends embody exactly what we are hearing and seeing from people on Bumble as they pertain to focusing on self-expression, being vocal about their future and expectations, and overall, carving their own path when it comes to dating," said Bumble sex and relationship expert Shan Boodram in the announcement.

A few days ago a rumor started going round that Stephen King had been booted off X (formerly Twitter) after joking that Elon Musk was Donald Trump's "first lady".

The horror master's X account still appeared to be live, though, and — although King does frequently go after Musk, and has been critical of his support for Trump – there was no "first lady" post about Musk.

SEE ALSO: Every single Stephen King movie adaptation, ranked

Finally, on Wednesday, the man himself took to X to clear things up.

"I see there's a rumor going around that I called the Musk-man Trump's new first lady. I didn't, but only because I didn't think of it," wrote King. "There's also a rumor going around that Muskie kicked me off Twitter. Yet here I am."

Tweet may have been deleted

So: No ban for King, and no plans from him to let up on his criticism of Musk.

SAVE $90: As of Nov. 13, the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet has dropped from $229.99 to $139.99. That's a 39% discount on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet $139.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $90.00 Get Deal

Ahead of the Black Friday shopping event, Amazon has been dropping quite a few deals that are worth checking out. One that immediately caught our eye was on the Fire Max 11 tablet — our pick for the best budget tablet — which has returned to its lowest-ever price for a limited time.

Amazon's Fire Max 11 tablet is currently on sale for $139.99, 39% off its list price of $229.99. According to price tracker camelcamelcamel, this also marks a return to its lowest-ever price. Amazon has this tablet listed as a 'limited-time deal', so you'll want to act fast to pick one up at a reduced rate.

SEE ALSO: Score $320 off a curved gaming monitor in Walmart's early Black Friday sale

We sang the praises of this tablet in our Fire Max 11 tablet review, with writer SaVanna Shoemaker saying that it's "the sleekest and largest Fire tablet available, and it packs some impressive specs behind the moderate price tag we’ve all come to expect." We've also ranked it among our list of the best tablets as our favorite budget pick.

Whether you want a tablet for work or play, the Fire Max 11 is here to assist. As the review stated, its got the specs that make it worth the price tag, too. Packed with 64GB of storage, an octa-core processor, and a 14-hour battery life, it'll keep you busy. Not to mention, all of this is packed into a sleek design with a large 11-inch display.

This limited-time deal won't last long, so grab this discount on the Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet before it's gone.

Amazon will have even more in store once Black Friday sales officially kick off. If you're looking to pick up some more early deals, though, it's worth having a look at our breakdowns of Walmart, Best Buy, and Target's Black Friday sales. These retailers have been offering some nice early discounts for shoppers ahead of the big sale event that are worth checking out.

Amber Ruffin wrote an "Amber Says What" segment for "Late Night with Seth Meyers" before the election. Now, she's leaning on "inspirational Instagram quotes" to get through it.

SAVE $50: As of Nov. 13, Beats Studio Buds are on sale at Target for $99.99, 33% off their list price of $149.99. That saves you $50.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Studio Buds $99.99 at Target
$149.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

With Black Friday right around the corner, several retailers are dropping some great deals ahead of time for shoppers to take up. If you've been looking to get new earbuds to listen to your favorite music, podcasts, or audiobooks, look no further than Target where you can scoop up Beats Studio Buds at a fantastic low price.

The noise-canceling Beats Studio Buds are currently enjoying a $50 discount at Target, dropping their price to $99.99 from their list price of $149.99. That's a discount of 33% and worth jumping on given their fancy features.

SEE ALSO: Score $320 off a curved gaming monitor in Walmart's early Black Friday sale

These earbuds offer Active Noise Canceling and Transparency modes, which are an absolute game-changer when it comes to your personal listening. Having the ability to tune in or out of your surroundings makes a huge difference, whether you're listening on the go or in the quiet of your home. On top of that, Beats also offer excellent sound quality. In our Beats Studio Buds review, writer Alex Perry said they "deliver punchy bass to go along with crystal-clear sound in all other circumstances."

Noise-canceling earbuds like these ones are worth every cent, so don't miss out on this deal for the Beats Studio Buds at Target.

If you're looking for some early Black Friday deals, Target has more to check out through its "Deal of the Day" program that runs until Dec. 24, alongside the official sale event that starts online on Nov. 28 at the retailer. Walmart and Best Buy have also dropped some early deals that are worth having a look at, and more retailers are sure to jump in on the seasonal sale fun in the next couple weeks, too.

"Daily Show" host Jordan Klepper roasted Trump's new cabinet picks during Tuesday's monologue.

SAVE OVER $300: As of Nov. 13, the 34-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 Curved Gaming Monitor has dropped from its list price of $549.99 to $229 as part of Walmart's early Black Friday sale.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung 34-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 Curved Gaming Monitor $229.00 at Walmart
$549.99 Save $320.99 Get Deal

Quite a few retailers are starting up the Black Friday season early with some excellent discounts. In particular, Walmart has a wide variety of offers available in its early Black Friday sale, whether you're looking for some new items for your home or to upgrade your favorite bits of tech. In terms of the latter, this deal on the curved Samsung Odyssey G5 is one you definitely don't want to miss if you've been hoping to pick up a new monitor.

As part of its first wave of Black Friday sales, Walmart's slashed the price on this massive 34-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 curved gaming monitor to $229, $320.99 off its list price of $549.99. That's an incredible discount on such a large monitor, and a great investment if you've been looking for a bigger screen to feel absorbed in the games you play.

SEE ALSO: Save over $300 on this impressive robot vacuum ahead of Black Friday

The beauty of this monitor is its curved display which not only gives you more screen space to work with, but can help you feel a bit more immersed in the games you like to play. It also offers a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time for smooth gameplay alongside AMD FreeSync Premium. Not only that, but you're getting a 3440x1440 resolution to boot.

If you've been looking to set yourself up with a new monitor for your PC setup, don't miss out on this fantastic 34-inch Samsung Odyssey G5 curved gaming monitor deal at Walmart.

Walmart is not the only shop with some early Black Friday deals worth checking out. Both Target and Best Buy are also dropping discounts in the weeks leading up to the big day that are worth having a look at. Plenty more retailers are sure to follow in the coming weeks, and we'll make sure to keep you updated on more Black Friday news as it appears.

ChatGPT saved someone's life according to a viral Reddit post that made the rounds last week. It correctly identified that the user was experiencing early symptoms of a heart attack, prompting the user to go to the emergency room and get help.

The only problem is that never happened. The Reddit post was written by ChatGPT.

Reddit

Shortly after the original post was published, Redditor, u/sinebiryan admitted to the hoax, saying they "asked ChatGPT to write like a reddit post and the post is about a story about how ChatGPT saved my life." But not before the post received 50,000 upvotes and 2,000 comments.

Reddit

For a subreddit dedicated to ChatGPT, it's not surprising that this post got so much attention. It's also not surprising that so many ChatGPT enthusiasts were eager to believe in its life-saving capabilities. Regardless, it's a good reminder to not believe everything you read on the internet. Especially now that AI-generated text has become so difficult to identify.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI's Sam Altman had an AMA on Reddit: 5 takeaways about ChatGPT and more

The post, which was published in the ChatGPT subreddit, duped many. Users commented with their own experiences using ChatGPT, sharing how they use it as a therapist, for relationship advice, and dealing with toxic family members. "As a nurse who specialises in cardiac emergency, yes you were saved by your curiosity and chatgpt," said one user. "This is the power of ai and it’s increasingly showing its true potential."

But others weren't so convinced. Many users quickly speculated that the post was AI-generated, claiming that there are telltale signs, like the frequent use of hyphens, long prose, and a gut instinct that "something felt fishy." One user even compared the writing style of the post with the user's other post and concluded that the "[original poster's] style of writing in other posts does not match at all."

Despite many Redditors glorifying its life-saving uses, some simply refused to give ChatGPT that much credit even before finding out the post was a hoax. "You listened to your intuition here too, which also saved you," said one user. Others pointed out that the original poster also could've just googled the symptoms and received the same answer.

Astronomers have found a world outside the solar system that could be a stink bomb, with air that smells of rotten eggs and burnt matches. 

The exoplanet would owe its signature fragrance to sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, colorless gasses known for their stenches, according to a new study. Those chemicals in the planet's atmosphere could hint at the planet having a molten or volcanic surface. 

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, an international cooperation of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, a team of scientists peered at L 98-59 d, a so-called super Earth that's a bit larger and heavier than Earth. This potentially rocky world orbits a red dwarf star about 35 light-years away in the constellation Volans. 

If the team's findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on Nov. 1, can be confirmed in follow-up studies, it will hold the record as the smallest-known exoplanet with an atmosphere.

"This discovery was surprising, as it stands out in stark contrast to the atmospheres of rocky planets in our own solar system, where water vapor and carbon dioxide are much more prevalent," said Agnibha Banerjee, lead author of the study, in The Conversation, a nonprofit news site written by scholars and researchers. 

SEE ALSO: Scientists haven't found a rocky exoplanet with air. But now they have a plan. Scientists are using the James Webb Space Telescope to learn whether rocky worlds orbiting closely to red dwarf stars can retain atmospheres. Credit: NASA GSFC / CIL / Adriana Manrique Gutierrez illustration

Red dwarfs, sometimes referred to as M-type, are the most common stars within the Milky Way, yet nobody knows whether planets closely orbiting them can hold onto atmospheres, Néstor Espinoza, a co-author of the paper, previously told Mashable. Though the host stars aren't as hot as the sun, nearby circling worlds, such as L 98-59 d, would be subjected to episodes of violent stellar radiation.

But the new exoplanet findings are tenuous at best. The team used transmission spectroscopy to collect data for the study. This technique uses starlight from the host star that has filtered through a planet's atmosphere. Molecules within the atmosphere absorb certain light wavelengths, or colors, so by splitting the light into its basic parts — like a rainbow — astronomers can detect what light segments are missing to discern the molecular makeup of an atmosphere.

So far the team has only had the chance to analyze the planet's atmosphere once, from a single time it crossed in front of the star. The team "only slightly prefers the atmosphere" explanation over the possibility that the data was contaminated by stellar spots, Banerjee said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Scientists seek to learn more about the habitability of worlds orbiting red dwarf stars. Credit: NASA / JPL / Ames Research Center / Daniel Rutter illustration

Most astronomers agree that detecting atmospheres is crucial in the search for habitable worlds. NASA has playfully called Earth's own atmosphere its "security blanket": Without it, the type of life flourishing here wouldn't exist. This cocoon holds oxygen in the air and filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, all while keeping the world warm. Furthermore, it creates pressure that allows liquid water to pool on the surface.

Earth's atmosphere is filled with nitrogen, oxygen, and traces of water vapor. Venus has a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, and Mars has a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Based on the terrestrial worlds humans are familiar with, no one expected to find a similar type of planet with a sulfur-rich atmosphere. 

If the team's results are confirmed, the exoplanet wouldn't seem to be a good fit for life. But astronomers say its potential volcanic activity is intriguing. One idea posited is that the exoplanet is similar to Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanic world in the solar system. Jupiter's gravity squeezes Io's core as the moon moves closer, then slackens as it moves farther away. This swelling and contracting causes Io's interior to heat up, triggering tidal volcanism. 

The plumes seen here along Io's surface are either blasting out of two vents from one enormous volcano or two separate-but-snug volcanoes. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Andrea Luck

Espinoza is heading up the implementation of a massive Webb telescope study of rocky worlds outside the solar system, specifically to discover if planets orbiting closely to small cool stars could have air. The campaign, first reported by Mashable, will take a closer look at a dozen nearby-ish planets over the next two years.

As for L 98-59 d, the Webb data so far implies large amounts of hydrogen sulfide in the planet's atmosphere. 

"So large that in an atmosphere like ours, it could give rise to you even losing your sense of smell!" Espinoza said in an email. "So probably not nice."

As Bitcoin soars to record highs, cryptocurrency executives are maneuvering to influence Donald J. Trump’s transition and secure their policy goals.

Artificial intelligence has become a subject for people in the art and theater worlds who are worried about being replaced by it.

The Daily Mini Crossword is one of the many popular daily word games available on Mashable. Powered by Arkadium, the mini crossword offers a speed round of puzzle fun with clues that are sure to challenge experienced crossword enthusiasts.

But there's no need to let the challenge get in the way of your enjoyment! If moments are turning to minutes after getting stuck on a clue, find the answers you need to progress right here.

And when you're done, check out the many other word games you can play on Mashable, including a full-size crossword.

Also, if you get stuck on any other daily word games, such as Wordle, Connections, or Strands — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for November 13 SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to Daily Mini Crossword for Wednesday, November 13, 2024:

AcrossBe in debt

• The answer is Owe.

The basis of life

• The answer is Carbon.

Weak or delicate

• The answer is Frails.

Avatar, Titanic, and The Matrix use it

• The answer is CGI.

Contend for

• The answer is Vie.

Too

• The answer is Aswell.

Granted property for rent

• The answer is Leased.

Shows yourself

• The answer is IDs.

Down____-Wan Kenobi

• The answer is Obi.

Ridley Scott parents

• The answer is Wolves.

Store on a farm

• The answer is Ensile.

Chlorofluorocarbon

• The answer is CFC.

Mountain sheep

• The answer is Argali.

Reared

• The answer is Raised.

Antiquity, in antiquity

• The answer is Eld.

Used to be

• The answer is Was.

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.