Monthly Archives: December 2020

Current-Gen Madden NFL 21 Owners Can Upgrade to PS5, Xbox Series Versions a Day Early

If you own an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 version of Madden NFL 21, you can upgrade to the next-gen versions right now with a new update. This update arrives just a day before next-gen versions are available for purchase, which means those that opted in for the current-gen versions will be able to play the Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5 versions early. There are some caveats though, namely that the PS5 version of the game can only be played offline at the moment. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20108153&captions=true"] "The PlayStation 5 version of the game is not yet connected to the servers as we're doing final testing on a problem for which we've submitted a solution," a post on the EA Madden forums from EA reads. "We will provide updates this evening on its deployment as we head into the launch, but the game can be played offline in the meantime." While it was previously stated by EA that physical copies of the game won't allow for upgrades to next-gen versions of the game on digital-only consoles like the PS5 Digital Edition and Series S, EA now says that "you will need to contact EA Help to validate your purchase using your account information to receive your free upgrade." Players trying to jump from a physical current-gen copy of the game will not be able to access next-gen versions on their digital-only consoles until the game's official launch on December 4. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/madden-nfl-21-next-gen-announcement-trailer"] You can head to EA's how-to post for a detailed breakdown of how to upgrade to the next-gen versions of Madden NFL 21, but it essentially boils down to the following: PS5 users will need to select the upgrade offer on the game's hub on their console's home menu and Xbox users will need to update the game. While waiting for the update to download, check out our thoughts on the latest entry in the franchise with our Madden NFL 21 review and then read about how EA wants the next-gen versions of the game to feel completely different. For any questions you might have about the game, head to IGN's official Madden NFL 21 wiki guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

Current-Gen Madden NFL 21 Owners Can Upgrade to PS5, Xbox Series Versions a Day Early

If you own an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 version of Madden NFL 21, you can upgrade to the next-gen versions right now with a new update. This update arrives just a day before next-gen versions of the game are available for purchase, which means those that opted in for the current-gen versions of the game will be able to play the Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5 versions of the game early. There are some caveats though, namely that the PS5 version of the game can only be played offline at the moment. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="legacyId=20108153&captions=true"] "The PlayStation 5 version of the game is not yet connected to the servers as we're doing final testing on a problem for which we've submitted a solution," a post on the EA Madden forums from EA reads. "We will provide updates this evening on its deployment as we head into the launch, but the game can be played offline in the meantime." While it was previously stated by EA that physical copies of the game won't allow for upgrades to next-gen versions of the game on digital-only consoles like the PS5 Digital Edition and Series S, EA now says that "you will need to contact EA Help to validate your purchase using your account information to receive your free upgrade." Players trying to jump from a physical current-gen copy of the game will not be able to access next-gen versions on their digital-only consoles until the game's official launch on December 4. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/madden-nfl-21-next-gen-announcement-trailer"] You can head to EA's how-to post for a detailed breakdown of how to upgrade to the next-gen versions of Madden NFL 21, but it essentially boils down to the following: PS5 users will need to select the upgrade offer on the game's hub on their console's home menu and Xbox users will need to update the game. While waiting for the update to download, check out our thoughts on the latest entry in the franchise with our Madden NFL 21 review and then read about how EA wants the next-gen versions of the game to feel completely different. For any questions you might have about the game, head to IGN's official Madden NFL 21 wiki guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

Fortnite: How to Find Razor Crest and The Mandalorian

Fortnite fans, rejoice. Chapter 2, Season 5 has been ushered in by the fall of Galactus. With his demise came some new goodies – bounties, boss battles, a dope Mandalorian skin, and several changes to the map. Your basic running and gunning will afford you a few new opportunities. But most of the best content is locked behind Season 5’s Battle Pass. Even then, there are extra goodies just waiting to be found. One of which is a piece of the Mandalorian’s Beskar armor. To help you find this first piece (and possibly battle Mando) we’ve compiled some viable information below.

How to Get Your First Beskar Armor Piece?

Purchasing the Season 5 Battle Pass will unlock the Mandalorian skin. But like the Disney + show, fans will need to complete quests if they hope to obtain a full Beskar’Kandar – a type of armor comprised of Beskar pieces. The first piece of Beskar armor (to be placed on the right shoulder) can be found by completing the Razor quest. Fortnite gives you a hint by letting on that Mando’s ship, the Razor Crest, crash-landed somewhere on the battle royale map. It’s up to you to find it or you can check out the map we include below with the location marked.

Fortnite Razor Crest Location

The Mandalorian's ship can be found in a sand-covered area north of Lazy Lake. It’s right below a new area labeled as “???”. The best way to find it is to pull up the map while on the battle bus and mark its location; you don’t have to be exact considering the ship’s size. Once you dive out of the bus, head towards the marker. You’ll start to see the Razor Crest come into view as you get closer to that section of the map. The smoke and debris are a dead giveaway. Fornite Razer Location' Once you’ve landed on the beach, you’ll need to jump onto the ship to complete the quest. And since we’re in the area, we might as well battle Mando and steal his jetpack. It isn’t the most honorable thing to do. And we’ll probably be placed on the guild’s most wanted list. Still…it’s a jetpack…

How to Find and Fight The Mandalorian in Fortnite

The Mandalorian is one of Fortnite’s new boss characters. Roaming the area near his downed ship in the sand-covered area north Lazy Lake, he’s easy pickings. By that I mean, he isn’t hard to find at all. Battling him is another story. Not because of his Beskar armor, but because of other players; everyone wants that damn jetpack. If you happen to find the Mandalorian solo, go on and take him out. He doesn’t take many shots – I used a shotgun and a few pistol rounds – and his accuracy isn’t great. He can fly though, which can prolong the fight. Once defeated you’ll be able to take his jetpack and his Amban sniper rifle, which has to be one of the coolest guns in the game. Zooming in paints heat signatures, making it easy-ish to pick off faraway targets. Flying above players and sniping on decent is a “chef’s kiss” type of play. Fornite Mando fight

What is Beskar Armor?

The Mandalorian’s outfit is well recognized by Star Wars fans. What makes this particular character’s armor stand out though is the Beskar plating. Created by a near-indestructible ore found on the planet Mandalore, these metal plates could withstand direct blows from a lightsaber. Basically, it’s cool as hell and worth snagging to wear into battle – even though it doesn’t provide real protective armor in Fortnite.

Fortnite Bounties Explained

Since we’re on the subject of shooting and robbing NPC’s, one should know that not every nonplayable character is a boss. Some of them give missions called bounties. That is, unless you shoot them. A few stray shots are ok. Singled by a floating “?” above their heads, these NPC’s will wonder what’s wrong with you. A few more shots though and they’ll attack you. At that point, it’s kill or be killed. Instead, it’s better to calmly approach these individuals and ask about their bounties. These special missions require you to hunt down a rival player. Similar to Call of Duty: Warzone, a yellow circle on the map will indicate their last known position. It’s up to you to get to them before anyone else does (or the six-minute timer runs out), blast them to pieces, and then collect the reward – namely, a new currency made up of gold bars. Gold bars can be found in chests, on players, and gained by avoiding/dispatching the player who’s been hired to kill you. The best way to get bars is by completing bounties though. Rack up enough gold bars and you’ll be able to purchase weapons, consumables, and more from NPC’s. You’ll even be able to hire them to fight alongside you – as opposed to them hiring you to hunt down other players. Fun times!

Other Fortnite Mandalorian Challenges

The get the complete set of Beskar armor in Fortnite, you'll need to complete the rest of the Mandalorian's challenges. These challenges and rewards include:
  • Complete a bounty (helmet)
  • Earn weapon specialist accolades (left shoulder armor)
  • Complete a legendary quest (torso armor)
  • Find Beskar steel deep in the belly of the shark (left thigh armor)
  • Collect bars (right thigh armor)
  • Find Beskar steel where the earth meets the sky (left arm armor)
  • Defeat Ruckus (right arm armor)
If you're having any difficulty with the rest of these challenges, let us know and we'll make a guide for it! [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Fortnite: How to Find Razor Crest and The Mandalorian

Fortnite fans, rejoice. Chapter 2, Season 5 has been ushered in by the fall of Galactus. With his demise came some new goodies – bounties, boss battles, a dope Mandalorian skin, and several changes to the map. Your basic running and gunning will afford you a few new opportunities. But most of the best content is locked behind Season 5’s Battle Pass. Even then, there are extra goodies just waiting to be found. One of which is a piece of the Mandalorian’s Beskar armor. To help you find this first piece (and possibly battle Mando) we’ve compiled some viable information below.

How to Get Your First Beskar Armor Piece?

Purchasing the Season 5 Battle Pass will unlock the Mandalorian skin. But like the Disney + show, fans will need to complete quests if they hope to obtain a full Beskar’Kandar – a type of armor comprised of Beskar pieces. The first piece of Beskar armor (to be placed on the right shoulder) can be found by completing the Razor quest. Fortnite gives you a hint by letting on that Mando’s ship, the Razor Crest, crash-landed somewhere on the battle royale map. It’s up to you to find it or you can check out the map we include below with the location marked.

Fortnite Razor Crest Location

The Mandalorian's ship can be found in a sand-covered area north of Lazy Lake. It’s right below a new area labeled as “???”. The best way to find it is to pull up the map while on the battle bus and mark its location; you don’t have to be exact considering the ship’s size. Once you dive out of the bus, head towards the marker. You’ll start to see the Razor Crest come into view as you get closer to that section of the map. The smoke and debris are a dead giveaway. Fornite Razer Location' Once you’ve landed on the beach, you’ll need to jump onto the ship to complete the quest. And since we’re in the area, we might as well battle Mando and steal his jetpack. It isn’t the most honorable thing to do. And we’ll probably be placed on the guild’s most wanted list. Still…it’s a jetpack…

How to Find and Fight The Mandalorian in Fortnite

The Mandalorian is one of Fortnite’s new boss characters. Roaming the area near his downed ship in the sand-covered area north Lazy Lake, he’s easy pickings. By that I mean, he isn’t hard to find at all. Battling him is another story. Not because of his Beskar armor, but because of other players; everyone wants that damn jetpack. If you happen to find the Mandalorian solo, go on and take him out. He doesn’t take many shots – I used a shotgun and a few pistol rounds – and his accuracy isn’t great. He can fly though, which can prolong the fight. Once defeated you’ll be able to take his jetpack and his Amban sniper rifle, which has to be one of the coolest guns in the game. Zooming in paints heat signatures, making it easy-ish to pick off faraway targets. Flying above players and sniping on decent is a “chef’s kiss” type of play. Fornite Mando fight

What is Beskar Armor?

The Mandalorian’s outfit is well recognized by Star Wars fans. What makes this particular character’s armor stand out though is the Beskar plating. Created by a near-indestructible ore found on the planet Mandalore, these metal plates could withstand direct blows from a lightsaber. Basically, it’s cool as hell and worth snagging to wear into battle – even though it doesn’t provide real protective armor in Fortnite.

Fortnite Bounties Explained

Since we’re on the subject of shooting and robbing NPC’s, one should know that not every nonplayable character is a boss. Some of them give missions called bounties. That is, unless you shoot them. A few stray shots are ok. Singled by a floating “?” above their heads, these NPC’s will wonder what’s wrong with you. A few more shots though and they’ll attack you. At that point, it’s kill or be killed. Instead, it’s better to calmly approach these individuals and ask about their bounties. These special missions require you to hunt down a rival player. Similar to Call of Duty: Warzone, a yellow circle on the map will indicate their last known position. It’s up to you to get to them before anyone else does (or the six-minute timer runs out), blast them to pieces, and then collect the reward – namely, a new currency made up of gold bars. Gold bars can be found in chests, on players, and gained by avoiding/dispatching the player who’s been hired to kill you. The best way to get bars is by completing bounties though. Rack up enough gold bars and you’ll be able to purchase weapons, consumables, and more from NPC’s. You’ll even be able to hire them to fight alongside you – as opposed to them hiring you to hunt down other players. Fun times!

Other Fortnite Mandalorian Challenges

The get the complete set of Beskar armor in Fortnite, you'll need to complete the rest of the Mandalorian's challenges. These challenges and rewards include:
  • Complete a bounty (helmet)
  • Earn weapon specialist accolades (left shoulder armor)
  • Complete a legendary quest (torso armor)
  • Find Beskar steel deep in the belly of the shark (left thigh armor)
  • Collect bars (right thigh armor)
  • Find Beskar steel where the earth meets the sky (left arm armor)
  • Defeat Ruckus (right arm armor)
If you're having any difficulty with the rest of these challenges, let us know and we'll make a guide for it! [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Fortnite: How to Find Razor Crest and The Mandalorian

Fortnite fans, rejoice. Chapter 2, Season 5 has been ushered in by the fall of Galactus. With his demise came some new goodies – bounties, boss battles, a dope Mandalorian skin, and several changes to the map. Your basic running and gunning will afford you a few new opportunities. But most of the best content is locked behind Season 5’s Battle Pass. Even then, there are extra goodies just waiting to be found. One of which is a piece of the Mandalorian’s Beskar armor. To help you find this first piece (and possibly battle Mando) we’ve compiled some viable information below.

How to Get Your First Beskar Armor Piece?

Purchasing the Season 5 Battle Pass will unlock the Mandalorian skin. But like the Disney + show, fans will need to complete quests if they hope to obtain a full Beskar’Kandar – a type of armor comprised of Beskar pieces. The first piece of Beskar armor (to be placed on the right shoulder) can be found by completing the Razor quest. Fortnite gives you a hint by letting on that Mando’s ship, the Razor Crest, crash-landed somewhere on the battle royale map. It’s up to you to find it or you can check out the map we include below with the location marked.

Fortnite Razor Crest Location

The Mandalorian's ship can be found in a sand-covered area north of Lazy Lake. It’s right below a new area labeled as “???”. The best way to find it is to pull up the map while on the battle bus and mark its location; you don’t have to be exact considering the ship’s size. Once you dive out of the bus, head towards the marker. You’ll start to see the Razor Crest come into view as you get closer to that section of the map. The smoke and debris are a dead giveaway. Fornite Razer Location' Once you’ve landed on the beach, you’ll need to jump onto the ship to complete the quest. And since we’re in the area, we might as well battle Mando and steal his jetpack. It isn’t the most honorable thing to do. And we’ll probably be placed on the guild’s most wanted list. Still…it’s a jetpack…

How to Find and Fight The Mandalorian in Fortnite

The Mandalorian is one of Fortnite’s new boss characters. Roaming the area near his downed ship in the sand-covered area north Lazy Lake, he’s easy pickings. By that I mean, he isn’t hard to find at all. Battling him is another story. Not because of his Beskar armor, but because of other players; everyone wants that damn jetpack. If you happen to find the Mandalorian solo, go on and take him out. He doesn’t take many shots – I used a shotgun and a few pistol rounds – and his accuracy isn’t great. He can fly though, which can prolong the fight. Once defeated you’ll be able to take his jetpack and his Amban sniper rifle, which has to be one of the coolest guns in the game. Zooming in paints heat signatures, making it easy-ish to pick off faraway targets. Flying above players and sniping on decent is a “chef’s kiss” type of play. Fornite Mando fight

What is Beskar Armor?

The Mandalorian’s outfit is well recognized by Star Wars fans. What makes this particular character’s armor stand out though is the Beskar plating. Created by a near-indestructible ore found on the planet Mandalore, these metal plates could withstand direct blows from a lightsaber. Basically, it’s cool as hell and worth snagging to wear into battle – even though it doesn’t provide real protective armor in Fortnite.

Fortnite Bounties Explained

Since we’re on the subject of shooting and robbing NPC’s, one should know that not every nonplayable character is a boss. Some of them give missions called bounties. That is, unless you shoot them. A few stray shots are ok. Singled by a floating “?” above their heads, these NPC’s will wonder what’s wrong with you. A few more shots though and they’ll attack you. At that point, it’s kill or be killed. Instead, it’s better to calmly approach these individuals and ask about their bounties. These special missions require you to hunt down a rival player. Similar to Call of Duty: Warzone, a yellow circle on the map will indicate their last known position. It’s up to you to get to them before anyone else does (or the six-minute timer runs out), blast them to pieces, and then collect the reward – namely, a new currency made up of gold bars. Gold bars can be found in chests, on players, and gained by avoiding/dispatching the player who’s been hired to kill you. The best way to get bars is by completing bounties though. Rack up enough gold bars and you’ll be able to purchase weapons, consumables, and more from NPC’s. You’ll even be able to hire them to fight alongside you – as opposed to them hiring you to hunt down other players. Fun times!

Other Fortnite Mandalorian Challenges

The get the complete set of Beskar armor in Fortnite, you'll need to complete the rest of the Mandalorian's challenges. These challenges and rewards include:
  • Complete a bounty (helmet)
  • Earn weapon specialist accolades (left shoulder armor)
  • Complete a legendary quest (torso armor)
  • Find Beskar steel deep in the belly of the shark (left thigh armor)
  • Collect bars (right thigh armor)
  • Find Beskar steel where the earth meets the sky (left arm armor)
  • Defeat Ruckus (right arm armor)
If you're having any difficulty with the rest of these challenges, let us know and we'll make a guide for it! [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Fortnite: How to Find Razor Crest and The Mandalorian

Fortnite fans, rejoice. Chapter 2, Season 5 has been ushered in by the fall of Galactus. With his demise came some new goodies – bounties, boss battles, a dope Mandalorian skin, and several changes to the map. Your basic running and gunning will afford you a few new opportunities. But most of the best content is locked behind Season 5’s Battle Pass. Even then, there are extra goodies just waiting to be found. One of which is a piece of the Mandalorian’s Beskar armor. To help you find this first piece (and possibly battle Mando) we’ve compiled some viable information below.

How to Get Your First Beskar Armor Piece?

Purchasing the Season 5 Battle Pass will unlock the Mandalorian skin. But like the Disney + show, fans will need to complete quests if they hope to obtain a full Beskar’Kandar – a type of armor comprised of Beskar pieces. The first piece of Beskar armor (to be placed on the right shoulder) can be found by completing the Razor quest. Fortnite gives you a hint by letting on that Mando’s ship, the Razor Crest, crash-landed somewhere on the battle royale map. It’s up to you to find it or you can check out the map we include below with the location marked.

Fortnite Razor Crest Location

The Mandalorian's ship can be found in a sand-covered area north of Lazy Lake. It’s right below a new area labeled as “???”. The best way to find it is to pull up the map while on the battle bus and mark its location; you don’t have to be exact considering the ship’s size. Once you dive out of the bus, head towards the marker. You’ll start to see the Razor Crest come into view as you get closer to that section of the map. The smoke and debris are a dead giveaway. Fornite Razer Location' Once you’ve landed on the beach, you’ll need to jump onto the ship to complete the quest. And since we’re in the area, we might as well battle Mando and steal his jetpack. It isn’t the most honorable thing to do. And we’ll probably be placed on the guild’s most wanted list. Still…it’s a jetpack…

How to Find and Fight The Mandalorian in Fortnite

The Mandalorian is one of Fortnite’s new boss characters. Roaming the area near his downed ship in the sand-covered area north Lazy Lake, he’s easy pickings. By that I mean, he isn’t hard to find at all. Battling him is another story. Not because of his Beskar armor, but because of other players; everyone wants that damn jetpack. If you happen to find the Mandalorian solo, go on and take him out. He doesn’t take many shots – I used a shotgun and a few pistol rounds – and his accuracy isn’t great. He can fly though, which can prolong the fight. Once defeated you’ll be able to take his jetpack and his Amban sniper rifle, which has to be one of the coolest guns in the game. Zooming in paints heat signatures, making it easy-ish to pick off faraway targets. Flying above players and sniping on decent is a “chef’s kiss” type of play. Fornite Mando fight

What is Beskar Armor?

The Mandalorian’s outfit is well recognized by Star Wars fans. What makes this particular character’s armor stand out though is the Beskar plating. Created by a near-indestructible ore found on the planet Mandalore, these metal plates could withstand direct blows from a lightsaber. Basically, it’s cool as hell and worth snagging to wear into battle – even though it doesn’t provide real protective armor in Fortnite.

Fortnite Bounties Explained

Since we’re on the subject of shooting and robbing NPC’s, one should know that not every nonplayable character is a boss. Some of them give missions called bounties. That is, unless you shoot them. A few stray shots are ok. Singled by a floating “?” above their heads, these NPC’s will wonder what’s wrong with you. A few more shots though and they’ll attack you. At that point, it’s kill or be killed. Instead, it’s better to calmly approach these individuals and ask about their bounties. These special missions require you to hunt down a rival player. Similar to Call of Duty: Warzone, a yellow circle on the map will indicate their last known position. It’s up to you to get to them before anyone else does (or the six-minute timer runs out), blast them to pieces, and then collect the reward – namely, a new currency made up of gold bars. Gold bars can be found in chests, on players, and gained by avoiding/dispatching the player who’s been hired to kill you. The best way to get bars is by completing bounties though. Rack up enough gold bars and you’ll be able to purchase weapons, consumables, and more from NPC’s. You’ll even be able to hire them to fight alongside you – as opposed to them hiring you to hunt down other players. Fun times!

Other Fortnite Mandalorian Challenges

The get the complete set of Beskar armor in Fortnite, you'll need to complete the rest of the Mandalorian's challenges. These challenges and rewards include:
  • Complete a bounty (helmet)
  • Earn weapon specialist accolades (left shoulder armor)
  • Complete a legendary quest (torso armor)
  • Find Beskar steel deep in the belly of the shark (left thigh armor)
  • Collect bars (right thigh armor)
  • Find Beskar steel where the earth meets the sky (left arm armor)
  • Defeat Ruckus (right arm armor)
If you're having any difficulty with the rest of these challenges, let us know and we'll make a guide for it! [poilib element="accentDivider"]

How Experts Hunted Down Murder Hornets and Destroyed Their Nest

Any comic book character named after the murder hornet would have to be a villain. That's just what it is.

At about two inches long when fully grown, the Asian giant hornets have striped bodies encased in a protective shell. Their bodies are black and orange-yellow. Their heads are dominated by large eyes and fearsome looking mandibles, which look like pliers that would hurt like heck if your finger got caught between them.

At the other end of the body is a quarter-inch stinger. It doesn’t detach, as with some bees, so the hornets can sting over and over. It’s like being, “stabbed by a red-hot needle,” Shunichi Makino, a researcher at Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute told National Geographic.

Usually, the sting is merely painful – but it can be fatal. In Japan, an estimated 30 to 50 people die from the hornets’ stings annually, from anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, or multiple organ failure. The hornets use their oral appendages to massacre honeybees, which are already under threat from pesticides, habitat destruction, and diseases. During the “slaughter phase,” as it's called, murder hornets lay waste to entire beehives, decapitating the residents and harvesting the pupae for food. It's grim, to say the least.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]

Murder Hornets in North America

In Washington State, honeybees pollinate raspberries, blueberries, and other crops. That’s why experts were worried when the Asian giant hornets were spotted in the northern part of the state earlier this year. The species was first found in North America in Canada in 2019. It’s not clear how they made their way to the continent.

“It’s impossible for them to fly over from Asia,” entomologist Takatoshi Ueno, of Kyushu University, told The New York Times. One theory is that they found their way via a shipping container.

However they got here, local experts don’t want them to start multiplying. Washington entomologists went to extraordinary lengths to hunt down a hornet nest in Blaine, near the Canadian border.

Tracking and Destroying the Murder Hornets

Over the summer, entomologists lay traps to start catching the hornets. They filled plastic bottles with orange juice and other sweet-smelling liquids. A couple of the insects were found drowned. Next, the scientists put out screened traps, to catch live hornets. Washington State entomologist Chris Looney finally managed to capture a living hornet, and the team was able to glue a tracking device onto it.

In late October, Looney and his colleagues followed the tracker’s signal to the hornet nest. To ensure no insects escaped, they wrapped the entire tree in cellophane. The hornets’ long stingers meant regular beekeeping suits wouldn’t work. Instead, Looney and rest wore special foam suits. They also had goggles on.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"]

“I was more worried about getting permanent nerve damage in the eye from the squirted venom than being stung,” Looney told The Guardian. “They are pretty intimidating, even for an inch-and-a-half insect. They are big and loud and I know it would hurt very badly if I get stung. They give me the willies.”

This was the first removal of an Asian giant hornet nest in the U.S., but it probably won’t be the last. Scientists are modeling how the insects may spread. As large and unpleasant as the hornets are for humans, entomologists are more worried about their effect on the bees and other pollinators.

“It’s hard to say how they will behave here compared to their native range, but the fear is that there are large apiaries of bees that could be sitting ducks, while as the hornets move south to warmer weather their colonies could grow larger,” Looney said.

For more science news relating to insects, read about DNA being extracted from insects preserved in Amber and how a fossil found in Brasil uncovered the oldest meat-eating dinosaur in history.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

How Experts Hunted Down Murder Hornets and Destroyed Their Nest

Any comic book character named after the murder hornet would have to be a villain. That's just what it is.

At about two inches long when fully grown, the Asian giant hornets have striped bodies encased in a protective shell. Their bodies are black and orange-yellow. Their heads are dominated by large eyes and fearsome looking mandibles, which look like pliers that would hurt like heck if your finger got caught between them.

At the other end of the body is a quarter-inch stinger. It doesn’t detach, as with some bees, so the hornets can sting over and over. It’s like being, “stabbed by a red-hot needle,” Shunichi Makino, a researcher at Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute told National Geographic.

Usually, the sting is merely painful – but it can be fatal. In Japan, an estimated 30 to 50 people die from the hornets’ stings annually, from anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, or multiple organ failure. The hornets use their oral appendages to massacre honeybees, which are already under threat from pesticides, habitat destruction, and diseases. During the “slaughter phase,” as it's called, murder hornets lay waste to entire beehives, decapitating the residents and harvesting the pupae for food. It's grim, to say the least.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"]

Murder Hornets in North America

In Washington State, honeybees pollinate raspberries, blueberries, and other crops. That’s why experts were worried when the Asian giant hornets were spotted in the northern part of the state earlier this year. The species was first found in North America in Canada in 2019. It’s not clear how they made their way to the continent.

“It’s impossible for them to fly over from Asia,” entomologist Takatoshi Ueno, of Kyushu University, told The New York Times. One theory is that they found their way via a shipping container.

However they got here, local experts don’t want them to start multiplying. Washington entomologists went to extraordinary lengths to hunt down a hornet nest in Blaine, near the Canadian border.

Tracking and Destroying the Murder Hornets

Over the summer, entomologists lay traps to start catching the hornets. They filled plastic bottles with orange juice and other sweet-smelling liquids. A couple of the insects were found drowned. Next, the scientists put out screened traps, to catch live hornets. Washington State entomologist Chris Looney finally managed to capture a living hornet, and the team was able to glue a tracking device onto it.

In late October, Looney and his colleagues followed the tracker’s signal to the hornet nest. To ensure no insects escaped, they wrapped the entire tree in cellophane. The hornets’ long stingers meant regular beekeeping suits wouldn’t work. Instead, Looney and rest wore special foam suits. They also had goggles on.

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“I was more worried about getting permanent nerve damage in the eye from the squirted venom than being stung,” Looney told The Guardian. “They are pretty intimidating, even for an inch-and-a-half insect. They are big and loud and I know it would hurt very badly if I get stung. They give me the willies.”

This was the first removal of an Asian giant hornet nest in the U.S., but it probably won’t be the last. Scientists are modeling how the insects may spread. As large and unpleasant as the hornets are for humans, entomologists are more worried about their effect on the bees and other pollinators.

“It’s hard to say how they will behave here compared to their native range, but the fear is that there are large apiaries of bees that could be sitting ducks, while as the hornets move south to warmer weather their colonies could grow larger,” Looney said.

For more science news relating to insects, read about DNA being extracted from insects preserved in Amber and how a fossil found in Brasil uncovered the oldest meat-eating dinosaur in history.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Party to be Hosted Digitally on Twitter

Twitter will host a digital launch party for Cyberpunk 2077 on December 9. This includes a Q&A with Cyberpunk 2077 developers Miles Tost and Patrick Mills ahead of the official launch. This will likely be one of the last interviews with the devs before the December 10 release date. The celebration kicks off at 6pm EST on December 9 with a Q&A hosted by Parris Lilly. Though not a traditional launch party, the event will celebrate the long road to Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, which has been delayed multiple times due to various factors. Twitter will roll out a custom #CyberNight hashmoji (the fun little images that appear after special hashtags) and are promising some surprise elements for fans who attend the digital event.

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Tost and Mills are CD Projekt Red’s seniors level designer and quest designer, respectively, and they have been fairly prominent on social media during the final months of Cyberpunk 2077’s development. They will hopefully be able to share some new and final information about the RPG hours before launch. All of it will culminate in the worldwide launch of Cyberpunk 2077, where it will finally get into the hands of players who have waited months and then weeks for the RPG to be released following two, high-profile delays. In the meantime, CD Projekt Red is urging caution as there appear to be some spoilers around the internet. The studio has said that it will shut down any streams featuring Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay before December 9. So be careful when browsing around for different Cyberpunk 2077 information. Check out IGN’s final Cyberpunk 2077 preview for our take on nearly four hours of gameplay. And check back on December 10 when Cyberpunk 2077 is finally released. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Party to be Hosted Digitally on Twitter

Twitter will host a digital launch party for Cyberpunk 2077 on December 9. This includes a Q&A with Cyberpunk 2077 developers Miles Tost and Patrick Mills ahead of the official launch. This will likely be one of the last interviews with the devs before the December 10 release date. The celebration kicks off at 6pm EST on December 9 with a Q&A hosted by Parris Lilly. Though not a traditional launch party, the event will celebrate the long road to Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, which has been delayed multiple times due to various factors. Twitter will roll out a custom #CyberNight hashmoji (the fun little images that appear after special hashtags) and are promising some surprise elements for fans who attend the digital event.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=new-cyberpunk-2077-gameplay-screenshots&captions=true"]

Tost and Mills are CD Projekt Red’s seniors level designer and quest designer, respectively, and they have been fairly prominent on social media during the final months of Cyberpunk 2077’s development. They will hopefully be able to share some new and final information about the RPG hours before launch. All of it will culminate in the worldwide launch of Cyberpunk 2077, where it will finally get into the hands of players who have waited months and then weeks for the RPG to be released following two, high-profile delays. In the meantime, CD Projekt Red is urging caution as there appear to be some spoilers around the internet. The studio has said that it will shut down any streams featuring Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay before December 9. So be careful when browsing around for different Cyberpunk 2077 information. Check out IGN’s final Cyberpunk 2077 preview for our take on nearly four hours of gameplay. And check back on December 10 when Cyberpunk 2077 is finally released. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.