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Hyundai is recalling thousands of standard and hybrid vehicles after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered a dangerous software glitch.

According to a May 19 safety recall report, software powering the vehicles' front cameras may inadvertently cause the forward collision-avoidance system to activate. In other words: The car could suddenly brake too early or without cause, leading to potentially serious crashes. The report documented 376 reports of unexpected braking between October 2024 and April 2026.

SEE ALSO: Someone drove a Tesla Cybertruck into a lake to test 'Wade Mode.' It didn't end well.

The software bug was found in more than 421,000 vehicles manufactured by the company since 2024, so Hyundai drivers who recently purchased a vehicle should see if their car is affected.

Which Hyundai cars are being recalled?

The recall applies to 2025-2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Tucson models, including both standard fuel and hybrid options. The list includes both the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid.

How do I know if my car has been recalled?

Owners of recalled vehicles will be notified by NHTSA mail by July 17. If you are uncertain if your vehicle is part of the recall, you can search the NHTSA recall database using your car's vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate.

Drivers can also take their vehicles to a Hyundai dealer to update their vehicle's software, the NHTSA says.

Are other vehicles affected?

The NHTSA issued 19 total recalls across Ford, Hyundai, Toyota, Tesla, Honda, and General Motors (as well as other manufacturers) for a variety of issues. Additional Hyundai models — including 2024-2026 Elantra Hybrid vehicles and Hyundai's 2025 Ioniq 5 and 2026 Ioniq 9 electric vehicles — also made the list.'

SAVE UP TO 20%: The Brick is on sale for $50.15, down from the normal price of $59. That's a 15% discount. Two Bricks are on sale for $94.40, down from $118, for a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Brick The Brick $50.15 at Brick
$59 Save $8.85   Get Deal

For those who are hoping to spend the summer outside with friends or indoors becoming an expert on a new hobby, spending hours scrolling on a phone isn't part of that plan. If you tend to spend hours unintentionally scrolling instead of doing the productive stuff, The Brick could help. Lucky for us, it's on sale for Memorial Day.

As of May 25, the Brick is on sale for $50.15, down from the normal price of $59. That's a 15% discount that takes $8.85 off the price. Save even more by buying two Bricks, which are on sale for $94.40, down from $118, for a 20% discount.

According to Mashable Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino, The Brick taught her how to be bored again. In her full review of the Brick, she said it's the only thing that's managed to cut her screen time in half.

SEE ALSO: Amazon's Memorial Day sale is live — score the best deals on TVs, Bose earbuds, Jackery power stations, and more

The Brick works via its app. From there, you select which phone apps to lock by tapping your phone against the Brick. Those apps then unlock when you tap your phone to the Brick again. Mangino puts her Brick on the refrigerator, locking her out of apps she doesn't want to use unless she walks to the fridge to unlock them.

"That small physical element makes a world of difference," explained Mangino. "When I'm lounging on the couch in the evening and want to scroll through Instagram, even though I'm already watching a show, knowing I'd have to get up to un-Brick my phone is enough to deter me from scrolling."

Unlike many app-blocking controls, Brick requires no subscription fees. Once you have the Brick in hand, you won't need to pay anything extra to gain access to its features. Plus, a single Brick can be used on as many devices as you'd like. Brick your own phone and tablet, but also share access with any housemates.

Since the Brick is on sale for at least 15% off, make the commitment to a summer of less screen time. Your friends, family, hobbies, and that giant stack of books will thank you.

SAVE $30: As of May 25, the JBL Sense Lite open earbuds are on sale at Amazon for just $119.95. That's 20% off their list price of $149.95 and their best price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Sense Lite open earbuds $119.95 at Amazon
$149.95 Save $30.00   Get Deal

Premium headphones and speakers brand JBL released five new pairs of open earbuds of all shapes and sizes earlier this year after debuting them at CES 2026. I find them all to be a little too expensive for my liking, TBH, so I've been eyeing them and waiting for a notable price drop. Finally, two months after their debut, the most affordable of the ear hook-style options, the Sense Lite, have their first ever discount.

As of Memorial Day on May 25, the JBL Sense Lite open earbuds are on sale for just $119.95 at Amazon. That's a $30 or 20% price drop from their $149.95 list price and the lowest price on record.

Part of JBL's new audio-first OpenSound Series, the Sense Lite are designed to maintain high-quality audio without obstructing the ear canal. They offer a more simplified design than the more advanced Sense Pro, but they'll also cost you $50 less. You'll get an Adaptive Bass Boost feature for powerful sound, a sleek and comfortable ear hook design, four mics for crisp calls, and customizable touch controls and 10-band EQ. They deliver eight hours of battery life, plus an extra 24 in the charging case.

While I haven't tested the Sense Lite earbuds myself, I can definitely vouch for JBL as a brand. I've owned the JBL Endurance Peak earhook-style earbuds for a few years now (as well as the JBL Clip and Flip speakers) and they're still going strong. If you've been curious about open earbuds or are simply looking for a new pair of earbuds for working out or commuting, give the JBL Sense Lite open earbuds a shot. At just $119.95, they're a pretty great value compared to other popular options.

Corporate execs are prepped and ready to cut their workforces down due to AI in the next two years, according to a new corporate survey of the job market.

Conducted by the Mercer consulting firm, the global report surveyed 12,000 respondents across upper-level management, human resources, and lower-level employees.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creator today!

SEE ALSO: 3 key takeaways from Pope Leo's 42,000-word AI encyclical

More than 99 percent of executives surveyed for the report said they expect AI "to lead to at least some headcount reduction in the next two years." In addition, fully 98 percent of executives said they were "planning organization design changes in the next two years." And, when compared to other employees, C-Suite-level execs were much more focused on figuring out how to incorporate AI and automation.

So far this year, Amazon, Atlassian, Block, Fiverr, Pinterest, and Snap have announced layoffs related to AI, and an estimated 50,000 AI layoffs occurred in 2025.

Not every exec believes the shifting job market is cause for alarm. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon recently penned a New York Times opinion piece calling the "AI job apocalypse" overblown. "The United States has a long track record of creating new jobs in response to disruption," Solomon wrote. "The historical pattern is clear: The U.S. economy can and will adapt to major advances in technology."

A recent study conducted by the Harvard Business School found that generative AI is actually increasing demand for jobs in "augmentation-prone" roles in the short term, and that workforce reductions are primarily hitting finance and tech sectors.

But only a third of execs told the consulting firm they believe human and machine capabilities can be effectively combined in workforces at large. Employee satisfaction is still a concern, as well. Amid worsening workforce and economic anxiety, more than a third of employees said they would consider leaving their jobs if they felt disadvantaged when it came to AI, according to the trend report.

According to a September Pew Research Center survey, 21 percent of Americans said their work is partially done with AI. While the larger majority of American workers (65 percent) still say AI hasn't encroached on their jobs, AI integration is increasingly affecting younger, early-career employees and college graduates.

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Best Memorial Day Dyson deals at a glance: Best hair care deal Dyson Airwrap i.d. $499.99 (save $150) Get Deal Best air purifier deal Dyson Hushjet $297.48 (save $52.51) Get Deal Best vacuum deal Dyson PencilVac $449.99 (save $150) Get Deal Best heavy-duty vacuum deal Dyson Gen5outsize $899.99 (save $250) Get Deal Best handheld vacuum deal Dyson Car+Boat Handheld Vacuum $229 (save $70.99) Get Deal

Now that we're wrapping up the long Memorial Day weekend, it's time to do some scrolling. If you're not in the mood to doomscroll, consider scrolling some deals. Memorial Day has proven to be a great time to score some savings across categories like tech, portable power stations, robot lawn mowers, and even mattresses.

If you're a fan of Dyson or have been shopping for a new vacuum or hair dryer, you're in luck. Dyson has some incredible deals on offer to finish out the long weekend. Check out some of our favorites below.

Best Dyson vacuum deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson PencilVac $449.99 at Dyson
$599.99 Save $150   Get Deal Why we like it

Mashable's resident vacuum tester and Senior Shopping Reporter Leah Stodart hasn't been this excited about a Dyson vacuum in years. In her initial review of the Dyson PencilVac, she notes it weighs under four pounds and measures less than 1.5 inches around, which is impressive considering the battery, motor, and dust bin are all housed in the wand. Its weight and size make it excellent for vacuuming awkward places like the corners of the ceiling where cobwebs love to accumulate.

"The PencilVac also has two of my favorite Dyson feature ever, the dust-illuminating laser: One that lights the cleaning path ahead and one that lights the trail directly behind the cleaning head," wrote Stodart.

For those looking to make summer floor cleaning easier, consider today's sale price on the Dyson PencilVac. It's down to $449.99 at Dyson and Amazon.

More Dyson deals

• Dyson V8 Absolute — $299.95 $589.99 (save $290)

• Dyson Supersonic Nural — $349 $449.99 (save $100.99)

• Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra — $399.98 $549.99 (save $150.01)

• Dyson Purifier Cool PC1 — $449.99 $549.99 (save $100)

SAVE $200: As of May 25, the 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is down to $899.99 at Amazon. That's 18% off its list price and the first time it's dropped below the $900 mark.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $899.99 at Amazon
$1,099.99 Save $200   Get Deal

Just a few days ago, we were cheering about the Apple M5 MacBook Air dropping to $949 for Memorial Day Weekend. Now we're practically shouting because the almost perfect machine (according to Mashable's tech editor) just dipped below the $900 price barrier for the first time on Memorial Day itself.

As of May 25, the base model Apple M5 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state storage is on sale for just $899.99. That's 18% off its list price and its best price ever.

"There's no denying that this laptop justifies its price," Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Werth writes in his review of the latest MacBook Air, noting its impressive performance and speed, sizable storage, and support for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6 technology. Still, he suggested waiting for it to go on sale for $899 to pull the trigger, calling it "irresistible" at that price.

The starting price for the M5 Air is technically higher than its predecessor, though you're getting more starting storage. So, when you do the math, you'll actually be saving even more by grabbing this deal. Not to mention, this discount puts the M5 Air within a $200 striking distance of Apple's budget laptop with the same amount of storage.

Aside from the speedier processor, more base storage, and new wireless chip, it's worth noting that the M5 Air is pretty dang similar to the M4 Air. So if you're already rocking an M4 or even an M3 model, it's not an essential upgrade. For those with older MacBooks or just joining the Apple world, however, this is the MacBook to get.

Pope Leo XIV has issued his first official piece of religious guidance to billions of Catholics. And it's all about AI.

It came in the form of a 42,300-word papal encyclical titled "Magnifica Humanitas" ("Magnificent Humanity"). Encyclicals aren't papal law, exactly, but act as authoritative guidance on social and moral issues for members of the Catholic Church. This one, the first since Leo was chosen, came with even more pomp and circumstance than usual, with the leader himself attending its presentation alongside Anthropic founder Chris Olah.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creator today!

SEE ALSO: AI's new cottage industry: Lawyers defending students accused of cheating

The Pope has spoken previously about regulating AI, imploring industry leaders to more carefully consider the ethical implications of AI in their work. Last May, when explaining why he chose the name Leo, the pope specifically cited AI as one of his primary reasons.

"There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour."

The encyclical goes further, diving into AI's impact on jobs, education, and child safety in a message to leaders around the world.

"We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend," Olah said. "Today is just the beginning — the start of a long collaboration between those of us who are building this and those who can see what we, from the inside, cannot."

Here are the main takeaways from the Holy See:

AI is a threat to workers

The Catholic Church is worried about AI taking over jobs, too. Tying "Magnifica Humanitas" to other labor-related encyclicals throughout the Church's history, Pope Leo calls the automation of jobs a threat to workers, citing widespread deskilling and greater labor surveillance with AI systems in place.

"Today, the convergence of automation, robotics and AI is rapidly transforming the very structure of work. It is said that this will bring great improvements for everyone. In reality, however, the 'new ways' of working are not necessarily better."

Don't believe the AI hype

The leader warned that current AI hype is akin to a modern Tower of Babel, comparing the pursuit of advanced technology to the biblical story of a group of humans trying to reach heaven. He called on leaders to temper their ambition and recenter humanity.

He also joined a growing number of child safety advocates and regulators who want to address screen time and its effect on children: "Psychological and psychiatric literature has documented with growing insistence how early and unsupervised exposure to digital devices and social media can negatively impact sleep, attention span, control of emotions and relationships, especially during the most vulnerable stages of life, at times with tragic consequences."

In addition, Leo called out AI's role in exacerbating misinformation and devaluing critical thinking, especially in schools, saying the technology has a dehumanizing force in the classroom.

Big Tech has created a "new form of slavery"

While simultaneously issuing the first formal condemnation of the transatlantic slave trade, Pope Leo called exploitative tech manufacturing processes and global AI training a "new form of slavery."

"In some regions of the world, children and adolescents work in dangerous conditions, crushing the materials from which rare earth elements are extracted...The bodies of these people are scarred, injured and worn down so that computational flow may continue uninterruptedly," he said. "This reality ​deeply challenges the moral conscience of our time."

The Pope also connected the rise of artificial intelligence to ongoing global warfare, calling out private incentives and warning against entrusting AI systems with "lethal decisions." He called for placing "the most rigorous ethical constraints" on weapons developed using AI.

"A subtle temptation may emerge, namely the thought that the problems are too big and we are too small, and that ​our choices, therefore, cannot make a difference," the Pope wrote. "Certainly, not everyone has the same power to make a difference. Yet, no one is without responsibility. We all have our own areas for action."

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The American pope wants to take artificial intelligence down a notch. Is he challenging the tech companies, or will tech take over the papacy?

A new report in Security Week warns about a cyberattack that infected 5,561 GitHub open-source repositories with malware.

Cybersecurity researchers at SafeDep detailed how the May 18 supply chain attack, dubbed Megalodon, took advantage of GitHub Actions workflows to ultimately harvest user credentials and other data. A full list of the compromised GitHub repositories is available in the SafeDep security report.

The report also details how the hackers pulled off the attack:

On May 18, 2026, an automated campaign codenamed megalodon pushed 5,718 malicious commits to 5,561 GitHub repositories in a six-hour window. Using throwaway accounts and forged author identities (build-bot, auto-ci, ci-bot, pipeline-bot), the attacker injected GitHub Actions workflows containing base64-encoded bash payloads that exfiltrate CI secrets, cloud credentials, SSH keys, OIDC tokens, and source code secrets to a C2 server at 216.126.225.129:8443.

A blog post at StepSecurity also documented the details of the attack.

"Megalodon is a textbook direct Poisoned Pipeline Execution (d-PPE) attack, a class of CI/CD attack where an adversary with write access to a repository injects malicious code directly into workflow definition files, causing the CI system to execute attacker-controlled commands on the next pipeline run," the blog post reads. (Emphasis in original.)

SafeDep researchers warned GitHub users affected by the attack to revert their repositories and audit all workflow files.

On May 20, GitHub published a blog post about unauthorized access to GitHub-owned repositories via a compromised employee device, but the company hasn't said anything about the alleged Megalodon attack.

However, on April 1, the company published a blog post detailing a new trend of cyberattacks on the open-source supply chain, which often begin by compromising GitHub Actions workflows, as in the Megalodon attack. The blog post includes tips for open-source projects on how "to secure your GitHub Actions workflows" to prevent exactly these types of attacks in the future.

Krispy Kreme employees affected by a Nov. 2024 company data breach can still claim their portion of a $1.6 million pie.

SEE ALSO: AI's new cottage industry: Lawyers defending students accused of cheating

The class action lawsuit was brought forth by impacted individuals after their personal information — including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, biometric data, and financial account credentials — was exposed in a 2024 cyberattack targeting the company's employee data. Krispy Kreme disclosed the breach in December 2024 and settled the class action case in March.

But the June deadline to claim your money is fast approaching.

Who is eligible?

The data breach impacted 161,000 current and former Krispy Kreme employees; individuals whose information was exposed should have received a notice from the company via email.

If you believe you were affected but didn't receive an alert, you can contact the settlement administrator at (877) 239-1879.

How do I claim my money?

The deadline to file a claim online or by mail is June 22.

Settlement class members can either submit an itemized claim form for up to $3,500 in losses, or accept a $75 single time payment. If you want to opt out of the settlement, you have until June 6 to decline either online or by mail.

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ITER is the world’s largest fusion reactor project, bringing together scientists from around the globe to pursue clean fusion energy. The goal is to recreate the same process that powers the sun and turn it into a usable energy source on Earth. Here’s a closer look inside one of the most ambitious scientific projects ever attempted.

Demand for security engineers has surged as artificial intelligence generates a glut of new code and models like Anthropic’s Mythos create new concerns.

SpaceX launched Flight Test 12 of its reusable Starship Version 3 rocket from Starbase in South Texas. The mission included deploying 22 Starlink satellite dummies, including one carrying a camera that captured views of Starship’s heat shield during flight. The test ended dramatically as SpaceX continued pushing development of the massive rocket system.

Following Memorial Day weekend, Focus Features is releasing Pressure, a World War II movie about a lesser-known — but nonetheless fascinating — hero of D-Day.

Andrew Scott stars as James Stagg, a "genius" meteorologist from Scotland, who became a crucial adviser to American General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser) ahead of the Allies' pivotal invasion against the Axis powers.

Now, this premise may sound a bit stiff, focusing on World War II and the weather. However, Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko found the film had surprising similarities to Focus's crackling Vatican thriller Conclave in its humor, and to HBO's The Pitt in terms of competency porn.

When she sat down with Scott and Fraser for an interview, she spoke with them about these similarities, how the actors approached this engaging movie adaptation of David Haig's play, and who they consider a genius.

Pressure opens in theaters on May 29.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 25, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 25, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 25 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 25 Pips

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 2-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 25 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 4-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically.

Less Than (5): Everything in this space must be less than 5. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

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

A one‑legged robot that jumps instead of rolls could help scientists explore the icy geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus, sampling material from a hidden ocean that may be friendly to life.

The early mission concept, known as LEAP — short for Legged Exploration Across the Plain — imagines a robot about one-foot tall and weighing roughly 2 pounds. Rather than driving like a Mars rover, LEAP would use a spring‑driven leg, a pair of wheels, and internal spinning "reaction wheels" to roll, tip itself upright, and launch into long, arcing hops.

Funded by NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, the LEAP project builds on a real-world prototype, called SALTO. Though it looks like a little pogo stick — or Pixar's boinging lamp — its jumping action actually takes inspiration from squirrels. (If that's not cute enough, imagine scientists collecting data from squirrels with high-speed cameras while the critters traverse a homemade parkour course.) The researchers published their results in Science Robotics last year.

Whether the hopping robot ever reaches Saturn will depend on mission choices still years away. But you can watch the little robot do its thing in a new video just released by NASA further down in this story. 

Enceladus has become a prime target in the search for life beyond Earth. Beneath its bright ice crust lies a global ocean. Near the south pole, deep fractures nicknamed "tiger stripes" vent that water into space as plumes of ice grains and gas. Those jets give scientists a rare advantage in the outer solar system: They can sample ocean material without drilling through miles of ice.

SEE ALSO: This NASA gear may be the first to survive the brutal lunar night

Reaching those jets is not straightforward. The region around them looks fractured and uneven, with steep ridges, broken ice fields, and powdery material. Other options, like aircraft, have limits as well, said Justin Yim, a mechanical science and engineering assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Conventional rovers may struggle to navigate this rugged terrain. Flying poses its own challenges," said Yim at the 2025 NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts symposium. "Enceladus has no atmosphere, and the use of rocket-based propulsion [would risk] contaminating samples. It is in this context that we find jumping to be uniquely promising."

Because Enceladus has extremely weak gravity — about one-eightieth of Earth's — a relatively small push can send an object traveling far. Researchers estimate LEAP could travel roughly 560 feet — close to the length of two American football fields — in a single hop and rise about 300 feet into the air.

Each jump would play out in slow motion compared with Earth. That long airtime is central to the design. It would allow the robot to pass directly through a plume while in flight. A single hop could last close to a minute, with several seconds spent inside the icy spray.

During that time, onboard instruments could analyze ice particles, measure composition, and capture data on how the plume behaves. Contrary to popular belief, more legs wouldn't necessarily improve its jumping performance, Yim says.  

"One is a great number for jumping, particularly because it has this great advantage of allowing you to concentrate your actuation in one very powerful and simpler design," he said at the symposium last year. "Multiple legs give you a lot of benefits for doing things like sitting or standing on the ground, but you could do those equally well with wheels."

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LEAP's two wheels and one leg give it three points of contact, which makes the robot stable in that position as well, he said.

The robot would likely ride to Enceladus aboard a larger spacecraft that first orbits the moon and then lands, a setup often described as an Orbilander. From that base, LEAP could deploy, make repeated jumps between vents, and go beyond the landing zone.

But before any mission becomes real, engineers still need to demonstrate that the system can survive Enceladus' extreme cold, which reaches about minus -330 degrees Fahrenheit, and test how its foot behaves on unfamiliar ice. Most development will have to happen through simulations and lab testing.

"It's going to be difficult to get the same type of conditions we'll have on Enceladus," Yim said. "It's extremely, extremely cold, and the type of ice particles we'll encounter there are probably very different from what we'd see in natural environments on Earth."

You've done it! You've braved the tunnels and laboratories of The Boroughs, met Mother (Nancy Daly) and her spidery "kids," and watched Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) and his friends free them in a daring escape.

SEE ALSO: 'The Boroughs' review: Stop what you're doing and watch retirees fight monsters in this fantastic sci-fi series

It's a happy ending for almost everyone involved. Sorry to the villainous Blaine (Seth Numrich) and Anneliese (Alice Kremelberg), but they had it coming. However, there are still some major revelations to unpack, and a few more questions the show has yet to answer. Let's break it down.

What are the monsters in The Boroughs? Credit: Netflix

The origin of the spider-like nightmares who lurk in the tunnels beneath the Boroughs is tied to the founding of the retirement community itself.

In 1949, Boroughs founder Marcus Shaw found an egg in a mine. It hatched a creature he called Mother. Drinking her blood holds your body in time. You won't age, get sick, or die, as long as you keep drinking the blood. Marcus has been drinking her blood for decades, but in order to keep his immortality a secret, he changed his name to Blaine and posed as Marcus' grandson.

SEE ALSO: 2026 Summer TV preview: Every TV show you need to know about now

While Blaine, Anneliese, and their co-conspirators feed on Mother's blood, she needs to feed on cerebrospinal fluid. To obtain it, Blaine sics Mother's kids on the Boroughs' inhabitants at night. They feed the fluid back to Mother, thus creating the golden, goopy lifeblood that keeps Blaine and Anneliese looking young.

Draining so much cerebrospinal fluid can lead to rare neurological diseases, like Maxwell's, which impacts Edward (Ed Begley Jr.). Maxwell's is fictional, likely a cover-up Blaine and his staff use to explain their residents' decline as a result of all the brain fluid siphoning. In trying to buy more time for themselves, they're robbing time from others. It's a sick, exploitative cycle, but not one the monster kids seem aware of beyond simply needing to feed.

Why does Mother look like a human in The Boroughs?

While the kids have spider-like legs and human-like torsos, Mother is extremely human in appearance. (Aside from the occasional extra limb and a large protuberance on her back, of course.) Why does she look so different?

In episode 7, Wally (Denis O'Hare) posits that Mother looks human because she's been eating a steady diet of human brain fluid. Yummy. It's a very literal interpretation of "You are what you eat," and it appears to go both ways. Just as Mother looks human after eating so much human brain fluid, so too can Blaine and Anneliese shift into monsters after drinking so much of her blood. The kids have their fair share of human characteristics as well, likely also because of all the brain fluid changing their bodily makeup. That raises the question: If these creatures are fundamentally altered by what they eat, then what do they look like before they eat anything? How did Mother look when she first hatched?

How could Mother communicate with Sam in The Boroughs? Alfred Molina in "The Boroughs." Credit: Netflix

All throughout The Boroughs, Sam experienced traumatic flashbacks to the day his wife Lilly (Jane Kaczmarek) passed away. At first, they seemed like straightforward memories stirred up by external sensory triggers. As the season went on, though, they became stranger. Lilly would appear in the Boroughs, glitching like the monsters do in video footage and begging Sam for help.

Turns out, these weren't just memories. They were Mother trying to communicate.

As the oracular Manor resident known simply as the Duchess (Mary Mcdonnell) tells Sam in episode 7, Mother doesn't experience time in a linear fashion. Because of this, she communicates with people by looking like someone from their past. She mostly makes contact with the Manor's dementia patients, who are similarly unmoored in time. Sam is an exception. He's still grieving Lilly, and according to the Duchess, that loss "split" his mind.

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"You've got one foot stuck with us now, and the other on the day she died," she reveals.

That connection allows Sam to find and rescue Mother with the help of the rest of his friends. He returns her to a cave in the old mine shaft, where she chooses to die in a glowing explosion alongside her kids (and Blaine).

Contrast Mother's embrace of death with Blaine's abject fear at the thought of aging and dying. No matter how long he tried to put it off (killing who knows how many Boroughs residents in the process), even he has to face the truth that everybody dies. As Sam puts it, "Join the club."

To thank Sam, Mother offers him the gift of a small bit of time with Lilly: not as a memory, but as herself. The two share a sweet dance, one that offers closure on Season 1's thoughtful examination of just how overwhelming grief can be. Have the tissues handy.

What was the deal with the cave and peach tree in The Boroughs? Clarke Peters in "The Boroughs." Credit: Netflix

The cave where Mother dies is the same cave where Art (Clarke Peters) discovered the peach that briefly restored his health. Mother's kids had been preparing it for her eventual death, explaining why the tree was adorned with beautiful glass ornaments.

The peach gets less of an explanation, though. How did it have the same healing powers as Mother's blood if Mother was all the way in the Boroughs? And why did the tree immediately wither after Art picked it? Perhaps it all goes back to Mother's birth. Did the presence of her egg or the act of her hatching impact the tree's growth and any fruit it might produce?

SEE ALSO: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' review: If this is the future of Star Wars, I don't want it Why was Sam glitching at the end of The Boroughs?

While Mother and her kids are gone by the end of The Boroughs, their supernatural impacts linger.

In the season's final scene, Sam goes to the bathroom to apply a new bandage to his head wound. As he does so, his reflection glitches in the mirror, similarly to how Mother's kids glitched in video footage. What's happened to Sam?

The Boroughs leaves that question open-ended. However, it's clear that his time with Mother left a supernatural mark on him. Perhaps this alteration stems from the time Mother gifted him with Lilly. (Sweet!) Or maybe he got a little Mother blood in his mouth when she exploded. (Gross, but I'm not ruling it out.) Mother was also adamant that only Sam accompany her to the cave, so she may have known he would be changed by her death. Whatever the case, Sam is still linked to these creatures, leaving the door open for more adventure.

Are The Boroughs' monsters aliens?

We've witnessed Mother's death, but The Boroughs doesn't really give us clarity on her origins. Sure, we know she hatched from an egg, but how did that egg get in the mines in the first place? Who is Mother's Mother?

My guess? There are some alien shenanigans afoot. The Boroughs draws serious inspiration from E.T., even casting star Dee Wallace as Grace in its opening scene. Could those references go beyond homage and hint at the series going beyond Earth? The show's setting of New Mexico, home to Roswell and its theorized UFO crash site, also feels intentional.

But the most compelling argument for alien involvement is the show's very last shot, which pans from the rooftops of the Boroughs up to the stars. Between that shot and John Paesano's swelling score, The Boroughs suggests that further adventures await in space. Could Mother and her kids' people be living out there, looking down on the Boroughs?

Is there going to be The Boroughs Season 2? Alfred Molina and Denis O'Hare in "The Boroughs." Credit: Netflix

Between Sam's glitching and the very pointed look to the stars, The Boroughs has set up some juicy story threads to follow in a potential Season 2. As yet, Netflix has yet to renew the show for a second outing.

The Boroughs is now streaming on Netflix.

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Two's company, three's a crowd. And in this case, the third wheel in your relationship happens to be lurking in your back pocket. Yep, it's your phone.

We spend a great deal of time thinking about our relationship with our smartphones — our shame-inducing screen time, our inability to watch our favourite TV shows without second-screening, our over-reliance on AI to complete everyday tasks.

But, what about the role our phone plays in our relationships? Is your iPhone inadvertently creating friction in your once-harmonious union? Does your significant other secretly resent just how often you look at your phone when they're talking to you? Does your partner annoy you intensely when they lie in bed and scroll on their phone next to you?

It's no secret that we spend a lot of time on our phones. Research shows that couples spend over a quarter (27 percent) of their time together using their smartphones. Not only that: in the same study, researchers also found that when partners choose to interact with their phone instead of their significant other, it can decrease relationship satisfaction and wellbeing.

SEE ALSO: Dating apps feel broken. But these couples found love anyway.

The impact of tech on our relationships is something we shouldn't ignore. 35 percent of people say that being on their phone makes them feel less willing to be intimate with a partner, according to research by sex toy brand Lovehoney. For millennials, that figure is even higher — 45 percent of whom feel this way.

I spoke to psychotherapists and couples counsellors to find out which of our phone habits could be damaging our relationships.

Reaching for your phone after sex

Reader: it happened to me. I was lying in bed with a man after getting intimate. We were both naked, our legs entwined. Usually, this is a time for deep chats, laughter, and softness. But, instead of enjoying this moment of tenderness, he reached for his phone and began scrolling. Any closeness that I'd felt in that moment immediately evaporated. The moment was gone.

My experience is not unique — 25 percent of people are reaching for their phone straight after sex, according to Lovehoney research.

Matthew Bernarda, licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) at Twelve South Recovery, advises against using your phone after intimacy. "This is the moment of greatest vulnerability between two partners. When one of them immediately reaches for the phone that moment does not end naturally," says Bernarda. "It is abruptly interrupted. The partner without the phone feels ignored and feels like that moment was less important than the notification that just arrived. Unfortunately, what I see in practice is that that feeling is remembered for a very long time."

"This is the moment of greatest vulnerability between two partners."

Bernarda adds: "The most expensive thing you can give your partner costs nothing. It is your full presence. And ironically the thing that is stealing it fits in your pocket."

Phubbing

The term "phubbing" is a portmanteau of the words phone and snubbing and it refers to the act of ignoring your partner to scroll on your phone instead. Phubbing can show up in various forms: answering phone calls or scrolling on one's phone during a conversation, texting others while you're in the middle of quality time together, or checking social media. You might not even realise you're doing it, but it can leave your partner feeling unimportant, ignored, disconnected and even disrespected.

"Even the smallest distractions from communication can make another person feel ignored," says Bonnie Lambert, LMFT at Crestview Recovery.

Lambert says "partial attention" in relationships can cause problems even if it's unintentional. "It is possible to be physically in one place, but mentally somewhere else, which can slowly erode the emotional bond between people," she says.

Natasha Davalt, licensed associate marriage and family therapist, says "micro-disconnection" is a big problem in relationships. "It is not about a single event, but rather an ongoing one, where a person keeps checking the phone in the middle of a conversation, does not really listen, and responds slowly," says Davalt. "After a while, this will signal to the other person a competition for their attention, thus losing connection."

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Trust is foundational in relationships. Bernarda says reading your partner's messages without permission is the digital version of going through their pockets.

"It ruins trust in a relationship and it shows that the person going through the phone is looking for proof that everything is okay," he says. "But here is the thing. The act of going through the phone is proof itself that something is wrong. And that something has nothing to do with the phone."

Repeated monitoring of a person's online communication is a coercive control behaviour. If you feel unsafe and have been experiencing coercive control, call the National Domestic Violence Helpline (U.S.) 800.799.SAFE (7233). If you're based in the UK, call 0808 2000 247.

Parallel scrolling for hours on end

I happen to be a fan of spending time in companionable silence — that delicious shared quiet where neither person feels the need to talk because you're so comfortable with one another. And sometimes, that harmonious comfort can take the form of parallel scrolling, both of you dissociating as you have a bit of time on TikTok or Insta. In short bursts, it can be lovely.

"...the illusion of closeness..."

But clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Glazer, co-founder of U.S. Therapy Rooms, advises against parallel scrolling for hours on end.

"The majority of couples I have worked with as a clinical psychologist did not start out with phone usage as an issue within their relationship; however, it is how many couples will allow themselves to use their phones that may ultimately be the downfall of their relationship," he says.

If parallel scrolling goes on for too long, it allows both individuals to "into separate digital world for hours."

"In psychological terms, parallel scrolling allows the partners to create the illusion of closeness while at the same time decreasing the emotional connection between them," he says. "Over time, many couples begin to stop sharing random thoughts, laughter, or brief periods of intimacy due to the lack of spontaneity created by digital distractions."

Using your phone to avoid conflict

It's not fun having difficult conversations. And for the conflict-avoidants in the room (hi!), our phones can become a crutch; a means to avoid getting into the nitty gritty of it all.

"The phone has also become a shield," says Kendall Maloof, who holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is clinical director at Eagle Creek Recovery. "When partners need to have an uncomfortable conversation, in most cases, one of them reaches for the phone."

Using your phone like this means you're physically present but emotionally unavailable. "What I find interesting as a therapist is that in most cases, the partner who does this is not even aware that they are doing it. It is simply a learned defense mechanism that activates every time the situation becomes uncomfortable," says Maloof.

What to do instead

Now that I've told you what NOT to do, with therapists' advice, it would only be fair to give you some alternatives. Here are a few small, achievable tweaks that can make all the difference in your relationship.

• If you and your partner enjoy parallel scrolling, consider giving yourself a finite window of time before stopping and doing something else.

• Lambert says "one of the healthiest things a couple could do is to find ways to set apart time each day without their phones." You could try not using phones at mealtimes, keeping phones out of the bedroom, or scheduling dedicated quality time sans phones. Davalt echoes this, recommending setting up phone-free periods, even if they're just short breaks.

• After sex, avoid reaching for the phone. Enjoy the closeness between you and your partner.

• If you notice that you've been on your phone a lot, don't beat yourself up. Instead: turn to your partner and ask them a question about your day.

• "When your partner talks to you, physically put your phone down, turn towards them and make eye contact," says Ruta Drungilaite, founder of A Twist of Date, which specialises in creative date night ideas.

• When your partner enters a room or returns home, acknowledge them or greet them instead of continuing to look at your screen, suggests Drungilaite.

• "Say good morning to your partner before you check your phone," Drungilaite adds.

JLo once sang "my love don't cost a thing" (banger). And she was right. Some of the most valuable things in a relationship are time and attention. Give them to your partner, not your phone.