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A single mutation may explain why Zika suddenly erupted from obscurity to become the alarming re-emerging infectious disease it is today, researchers report in Nature. According to researchers from Texas and China, the mutation boosts Zika’s ability to hop into feasting mosquitoes that can then shuttle the virus to more victims. Based on archived viral strains, the mutation popped up sometime between the virus’ low-profile outbreaks in Southeastern Asia (which took place in 2007 and 2012) and Zika’s explosive emergence in the Americas beginning in 2015. “Our data offer a potential explanation for the recent re-emergence of ZIKV [Zika virus],” the authors conclude. And, they go on, the findings suggest that co-evolution between a virus and its vector—mosquitoes, in this case—is just as important for outbreak risk as co-evolution with its hosts—us. Further ReadingZika: Here’s what we know about the virus alarming health experts … [Read more...] about A single mutation may explain why Zika exploded in the Americas

Game details Developer: Nintendo Publisher : Nintendo Platform : Switch Release Date: Feb. 12, 2021 ESRB Rating: E for Everyone Price : $60 Links: Amazon | Nintendo eShop | Official Website Further Reading Hands-on: Super Mario 3D World scratches an all-too-familiar itch If you were one of the few million people who stuck with Nintendo through the Wii U years, the Switch era has likely created a lot of feelings of deja vu for you. For every full-fledged sequel like Super Mario Odyssey or Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch, you've had to face at least one warmed-over Wii U port like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker , or Hyrule Warriors Deluxe (to name just a few). Super Mario 3D World + Bowser ’ s Fury [Switch] $60 at Amazon (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs .) While it's nice that these underloved Wii U … [Read more...] about review: Everything old is new again

We finally have pricing and release dates for the first 4K and 8K TVs to be announced by Samsung in 2021, and it appears that the starting price of these Neo QLED sets is going to sit pretty close to their predecessors. At the top end, the Samsung QN900 8K QLED is starting at $4,999 for a 65-inch model (around £3,600 / $AU6,500), which is exactly what last year's Q900TS started at when it launched. The step-down QN800 model, meanwhile, is starting at $3,499 (around £2,500 / AU$4,500) for the same size, a small increase over the $3,199 starting price of last year's Q800TS . Both the QN900 and QN800 will be shipping to US customers by March 13 . We're yet to find out pricing or release info for outside of the US, though the conversions above should give a good sense of what you'll be paying in the UK and Australia. Best Samsung TV : amazing flatscreen TVs worth buying What are the best 8K TVs to buy? Best 120Hz 4K TVs : the best TVs for your Xbox Series X … [Read more...] about This year’s new Samsung 4K and 8K TVs finally get pricing and release dates

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more . Darth Chrome Following Windows and macOS, Chrome OS is finally getting a dark mode, and Chromebook owners can start using it right now. Ho Young Won 24 Oct 2020 0 Source: Android Police What you need to know Dark mode has been a feature that Chrome OS users have been demanding for quite some time. Chrome OS dark theme is available now through the Flags menu on the Canary channel. The feature is still in early development, so it's unclear when it'll come to the Stable channel. While Windows and macOS users have been enjoying their flavors of dark mode for quite some time now, Chrome OS users have sadly been missing out on the fun. However, thanks to a recent sighting by Android Police on the Chrome OS Canary channel, it looks like Chrome OS users can now join in on the dark mode hype train. We reported back in September that Google has been internally working … [Read more...] about Chrome OS finally has a dark mode, and you can try it right now

Sometimes it feels like PC makers develop products by adding adjectives. Why would you sell an all-in-one desktop when you could sell a gigantic, ultra-wide premium curved all-in-one desktop? That seems to be the design theory behind HP’s curved Envy desktop, a desk-devouring, 34-inch all-in-one. The Envy is in the same market as the Retina iMacs and, to a lesser extent, Microsoft’s artist-oriented Surface Studio. It’s a machine that makes an immediate impression, both for its size and for the number of features it offers. But how well does it work once that awe has worn off? Is it a practical machine? And is it worth the at-least-$1,700 you’ll pay for the privilege of using it? Configuration recommendations For the Envy’s starting price of $1,729.99, you get a quad-core Kaby Lake i5-7400T processor , 8GB of DDR4 RAM, a 1TB 5400RPM hard drive, an Nvidia GTX 950M dedicated GPU with 4GB of GDDR5, and Windows 10 Home. For a premium system like this one, we recommend a couple … [Read more...] about Huge, curved, fast, and loud: HP’s 34-inch Envy all-in-one reviewed