Netflix has added 8.5 million new paid memberships, bringing the streamers' total paid memberships past the 200 million marks in Q4. Netflix has seen a boom in subscribers as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep people at home. In its latest quarterly earnings report, Netflix announced that it has surpassed the 200 million paid memberships threshold. “For the full year, we added a record 37 [million] paid memberships, achieved $25 billion in annual revenue… and grew operating profit 76% to $4.6 billion.” At 200 million, Netflix has the largest subscriber base out of any streaming service, though competition in the streaming space is heating up. In December, Disney reported that it had 86 million subscribers for its Disney+ streaming service, alone. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=12-exciting-netflix-movies-coming-in-2021&captions=true"] Meanwhile, HBO Max is looking to make a big play this year by bringing highly-anticipated movies formerly scheduled for theater-only releases to HBO Max streaming on the same day. This includes titles like Godzilla vs. Kong, Dune, and The Suicide Squad. But at over double the subscriber count of its nearest competitor, Netflix is sitting pretty atop the streaming throne. The company recently announced that it will premiere a new original movie every week for the full 2021 calendar year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=army-of-the-dead-first-look&captions=true"] Looking forward to Netflix’s 2021, there will be new offerings like Zack Snyder’s zombie heist film Army of the Dead starring Dave Bautista; Thunder Force starring Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer; and Red Notice starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

It may be the shortest month of the year, but Netflix is still dropping plenty of new films and TV shows to its lineup for February 2021. To get things started, Netflix is releasing Malcolm & Marie on February 5, starring Tenet's John David Washington and Spider-Man: Far From Home's Zendaya. The film is a romantic drama where "filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) return home following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success. The evening suddenly takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the strength of their love," according to the synopsis. The streamer is also dropping a bonkers new sci-film, called Space Sweepers on February 5, which follows the crew of the spaceship Victory, who discover a potentially dangerous (and highly valuable) humanlike robot wanted by the authorities. And on the TV front, Netflix is debuting Firefly Lane on February 3, starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke. The series is based on the best-selling book of the same name, which tells the story of two friends and their complicated bond. Check out the slideshow gallery below for the highlights of Netflix's February offerings, followed by the full list (U.S. Netflix only): [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-february-2021&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

February 1

• The Bank Job (2008)
• Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
• Eat Pray Love (2010)
• Inception (2010)
• Love Daily: Season 1
• My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
• My Dead Ex: Season 1
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• The Patriot (2000)
• Rocks (2019)
• Shutter Island (2010)
• The Unsetting: Season 1
• Zac and Mia: Seasons 1-2
• Zathura (2005)

February 2

• Kid Cosmic -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Mighty Express: Season 2 -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready: Season 2 -- NETFLIX COMEDY SERIES

February 3

• All My Friends Are Dead -- NETFLIX FILM
• Black Beach -- NETFLIX FILM
• Firefly Lane -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 5

• Invisible City -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Last Paradiso -- NETFLIX FILM
• Little Big Women -- NETFLIX FILM
• Malcolm & Marie -- NETFLIX FILM
• Space Sweepers -- NETFLIX FILM
• Strip Down, Rise Up -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• The Yin-Yang Master: Dream Of Eternity -- NETFLIX FILM

February 6

• The Sinner: Jamie

February 8

• iCarly: Seasons 1-2
• War Dogs (2016)

February 10

• Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman -- NETFLIX FILM
• The World We Make (2019)

February 11

• Capitani -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Layla Majnun -- NETFLIX FILM
• Middle of Nowhere (2012)
• Red Dot -- NETFLIX FILM
• Squared Love -- NETFLIX FILM

February 12

• Buried by the Bernards -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Nadiya Bakes -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Hate by Dani Rovira -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
• To All The Boys: Always And Forever -- NETFLIX FILM
• Xico's Journey -- NETFLIX FAMILY

February 13

• Monsoon (2019)

February 15

• The Crew -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 16

• Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Good Girls: Season 3

February 17

• Behind Her Eyes -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Hello, Me! -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• MeatEater: Season 9 Part 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 18

• Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan -- NETFLIX ANIME

February 19

• I Care A Lot -- NETFLIX FILM
• Tribes of Europa -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 20

• Classmates Minus -- NETFLIX FILM

February 21

• The Conjuring (2013)
• The Conjuring 2 (2016)

February 23

• Brian Regan: On The Rocks -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
• Pelé -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

February 24

• Canine Intervention -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Ginny & Georgia -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Two Sentence Horror Stories: Season 2

February 25

• Geez & Ann -- NETFLIX FILM
• High-Rise Invasion -- NETFLIX ANIME

February 26

• Bigfoot Family -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Captain Fantastic (2016)
• Caught by a Wave -- NETFLIX FILM
• Crazy About Her -- NETFLIX FILM
• No Escape (2015)
• Our Idiot Brother (2011)

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/anime-coming-to-netflix-in-2021"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

It may be the shortest month of the year, but Netflix is still dropping plenty of new films and TV shows to its lineup for February 2021. To get things started, Netflix is releasing Malcolm & Marie on February 5, starring Tenet's John David Washington and Spider-Man: Far From Home's Zendaya. The film is a romantic drama where "filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) return home following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success. The evening suddenly takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the strength of their love," according to the synopsis. The streamer is also dropping a bonkers new sci-film, called Space Sweepers on February 5, which follows the crew of the spaceship Victory, who discover a potentially dangerous (and highly valuable) humanlike robot wanted by the authorities. And on the TV front, Netflix is debuting Firefly Lane on February 3, starring Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke. The series is based on the best-selling book of the same name, which tells the story of two friends and their complicated bond. Check out the slideshow gallery below for the highlights of Netflix's February offerings, followed by the full list (U.S. Netflix only): [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-february-2021&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

February 1

• The Bank Job (2008)
• Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)
• Eat Pray Love (2010)
• Inception (2010)
• Love Daily: Season 1
• My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
• My Dead Ex: Season 1
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• The Patriot (2000)
• Rocks (2019)
• Shutter Island (2010)
• The Unsetting: Season 1
• Zac and Mia: Seasons 1-2
• Zathura (2005)

February 2

• Kid Cosmic -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Mighty Express: Season 2 -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready: Season 2 -- NETFLIX COMEDY SERIES

February 3

• All My Friends Are Dead -- NETFLIX FILM
• Black Beach -- NETFLIX FILM
• Firefly Lane -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 5

• Invisible City -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Last Paradiso -- NETFLIX FILM
• Little Big Women -- NETFLIX FILM
• Malcolm & Marie -- NETFLIX FILM
• Space Sweepers -- NETFLIX FILM
• Strip Down, Rise Up -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• The Yin-Yang Master: Dream Of Eternity -- NETFLIX FILM

February 6

• The Sinner: Jamie

February 8

• iCarly: Seasons 1-2
• War Dogs (2016)

February 10

• Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman -- NETFLIX FILM
• The World We Make (2019)

February 11

• Capitani -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Layla Majnun -- NETFLIX FILM
• Middle of Nowhere (2012)
• Red Dot -- NETFLIX FILM
• Squared Love -- NETFLIX FILM

February 12

• Buried by the Bernards -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Nadiya Bakes -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Hate by Dani Rovira -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
• To All The Boys: Always And Forever -- NETFLIX FILM
• Xico's Journey -- NETFLIX FAMILY

February 13

• Monsoon (2019)

February 15

• The Crew -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 16

• Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Good Girls: Season 3

February 17

• Behind Her Eyes -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Hello, Me! -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• MeatEater: Season 9 Part 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 18

• Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan -- NETFLIX ANIME

February 19

• I Care A Lot -- NETFLIX FILM
• Tribes of Europa -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

February 20

• Classmates Minus -- NETFLIX FILM

February 21

• The Conjuring (2013)
• The Conjuring 2 (2016)

February 23

• Brian Regan: On The Rocks -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
• Pelé -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

February 24

• Canine Intervention -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Ginny & Georgia -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Two Sentence Horror Stories: Season 2

February 25

• Geez & Ann -- NETFLIX FILM
• High-Rise Invasion -- NETFLIX ANIME

February 26

• Bigfoot Family -- NETFLIX FAMILY
• Captain Fantastic (2016)
• Caught by a Wave -- NETFLIX FILM
• Crazy About Her -- NETFLIX FILM
• No Escape (2015)
• Our Idiot Brother (2011)

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/anime-coming-to-netflix-in-2021"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Liam Neeson says Seth McFarlane has approached him to star in a reboot of The Naked Gun, which would mark the first time the two have worked together since 2014's A Million Ways to Die in the West. This news comes by way of an interview between Neeson and People, in which Neeson discussed how he plans to retire from action movies soon, opening up the door for other types of movie genres like comedy. His venture out of action could begin with a reboot of The Naked Gun series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-action-movies-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true"] "I've been approached by Seth McFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the Naked Gun films," Neeson told People. "It'll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don't know." The Naked Gun is a movie series consisting of three movies, From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Smell of Fear (1991), and The Final Insult (1994), based on a television series called Police Squad! that lasted just six episodes before it was cancelled. The original films were comedy crime movies that starred Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin who stops assassinations, kidnappings, and more. It's unclear if this reboot would feature Neeson in the role of Detective Frank Drebin or if he would play an entirely new character. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/29/top-10-action-movies-of-all-time-part-2-cinefix"] Neeson has quite the career behind him stretching as far back as the 1970s. His filmography covers many genres but after starring in 2008's Taken, where he played a very skilled agent tasked with rescuing his own daughter from kidnappers, Neeson found himself the star of many action movies like The A-Team, The Commuter, Non-Stop, and of course, Taken 2 and Taken 3. He told Entertainment Tonight in a different interview that he's nearing the end of his run as an action actor. "I'm 68 and a half," he told Entertainment Tonight. "Sixty-nine this year. There's a couple more I'm going to do this year — hopefully, COVID allowing us — there's a couple in the pipeline and then I think that will probably be it." One of those final action movies for the actor is The Marksman, which hits theaters on January 21. You can read IGN's thoughts on the movie in our review of The Marksman. Read this story where Neeson said he hasn't been approached to reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in any live-action Star Wars projects after that and then read about how he blames criticism for hurting the career of Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Liam Neeson says Seth McFarlane has approached him to star in a reboot of The Naked Gun, which would mark the first time the two have worked together since 2014's A Million Ways to Die in the West. This news comes by way of an interview between Neeson and People, in which Neeson discussed how he plans to retire from action movies soon, opening up the door for other types of movie genres like comedy. His venture out of action could begin with a reboot of The Naked Gun series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-action-movies-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true"] "I've been approached by Seth McFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the Naked Gun films," Neeson told People. "It'll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don't know." The Naked Gun is a movie series consisting of three movies, From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Smell of Fear (1991), and The Final Insult (1994), based on a television series called Police Squad! that lasted just six episodes before it was cancelled. The original films were comedy crime movies that starred Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin who stops assassinations, kidnappings, and more. It's unclear if this reboot would feature Neeson in the role of Detective Frank Drebin or if he would play an entirely new character. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/29/top-10-action-movies-of-all-time-part-2-cinefix"] Neeson has quite the career behind him stretching as far back as the 1970s. His filmography covers many genres but after starring in 2008's Taken, where he played a very skilled agent tasked with rescuing his own daughter from kidnappers, Neeson found himself the star of many action movies like The A-Team, The Commuter, Non-Stop, and of course, Taken 2 and Taken 3. He told Entertainment Tonight in a different interview that he's nearing the end of his run as an action actor. "I'm 68 and a half," he told Entertainment Tonight. "Sixty-nine this year. There's a couple more I'm going to do this year — hopefully, COVID allowing us — there's a couple in the pipeline and then I think that will probably be it." One of those final action movies for the actor is The Marksman, which hits theaters on January 21. You can read IGN's thoughts on the movie in our review of The Marksman. Read this story where Neeson said he hasn't been approached to reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in any live-action Star Wars projects after that and then read about how he blames criticism for hurting the career of Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Hacker Mike Choi, who you might know as the engineer and co-designer of the Nintendo Flip Grip, revealed his latest unofficial Nintendo peripheral last week, complete with its own Nintendo Direct-style reveal. It’s called the Labo Fit Adventure Kart. The Labo Fit Adventure Kart is a multi-part invention that combines the Ring Fit Adventure Ring-Con, Nintendo Labo-inspired cutouts, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and an exercise bike, into a single workout game hybrid. The basic mechanic of the Labo Fit Adventure Kart is that the pedaling on the exercise bike will accelerate your kart in-game, while items and directional controls are handled by squeezing and turning the Ring-Con. The engine that pulls all these elements together is a home-brewed robot that Choi calls TAPBO, which is responsible for making the whole thing playable. Check out a brief video overview below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/19/hacker-creates-nintendo-labo-ring-fit-exercise-bike-game"] IGN spoke with Choi on the origins and design process of the Labo Fit Adventure Kart which Choi says was an idea he came up with while playing Tetris 99 a year ago. “I’m not a very fitness-oriented person,” Choi tells IGN. “I don’t exercise regularly and I ate an entire Costco-size box of Oreos this past week. So I decided to set a challenge for myself: to pedal on an exercise bike during the entire duration of a Tetris 99 game.” Choi says a game of Tetris 99, for him at least, felt like a good length for a cardio workout. But the idea came to him to take the concept even further. “What if I connected the exercise bike to the game somehow?” Choi wondered. Enter the Labo Fit Adventure Kart and TAPBO robot. The TAPBO robot, which Choi explains in-depth in his full Nintendo Direct-style video here, is how the entire Labo Fit Adventure Kart concept works. Essentially, the robot is connected to motion sensors in the exercise bike. When the pedals reach a certain speed threshold, the TAPBO will mechanically press the “A” button on the Joy-Con and accelerate your character in Mario Kart 8. Meanwhile, pushing in on the Ring-Con will cause TAPBO to press the trigger button on the Joy-Con for items. “I knew from the get-go that there would be at least two components: a module to press buttons on the Joy-Con and a bike that could detect your pedaling,” Choi says when asked about his early design ideas. “Early in development I realized it would be a ton of fun to steer and shoot items with the Ring-Con, so I decided to implement that as well.” What makes TAPBO unique is that it is a feat of mechanical engineering, not a software hack, though we asked Choi why he opted to create a mini robot instead of some kind of home-brewed software to make his idea come to life. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=labo-fit-adventure-kart-design-gallery&captions=true"] “It’s no secret that Nintendo isn’t the biggest fan of people messing with their software, and the Bike-Con solution circumvents needing to emulate or modify any Joy-Con software or hardware,” Choi says. “It’s definitely possible to create a setup that doesn’t require a robot to press buttons; creators like Super Louis 64 have done exactly this to create Ring Fit mashups with [The Legend of Zelda] Breath of the Wild and even Mario Kart,” Choi adds. But Choi’s passions lie with robots and he says the device serves as an homage to Nintendo’s own robot, R.O.B. Choi even 3D printed a custom TAPBO amiibo. As for the future, Choi has some more fitness-focused ideas for TAPBO like creating a version that can hug the Switch console itself and force it to turn off if you stop pedaling on an exercise bike; or a rowing machine game to work with Super Mario Party. But the TAPBO can also be used for non-fitness games and Choi says people have suggested re-tooling the robot for the upcoming Pokemon Snap game on Switch. “The possibilities are really endless, and I hope Nintendo continues experimenting with how to use Ring Fit and Labo accessories in more games." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Hacker Mike Choi, who you might know as the engineer and co-designer of the Nintendo Flip Grip, revealed his latest unofficial Nintendo peripheral last week, complete with its own Nintendo Direct-style reveal. It’s called the Labo Fit Adventure Kart. The Labo Fit Adventure Kart is a multi-part invention that combines the Ring Fit Adventure Ring-Con, Nintendo Labo-inspired cutouts, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and an exercise bike, into a single workout game hybrid. The basic mechanic of the Labo Fit Adventure Kart is that the pedaling on the exercise bike will accelerate your kart in-game, while items and directional controls are handled by squeezing and turning the Ring-Con. The engine that pulls all these elements together is a home-brewed robot that Choi calls TAPBO, which is responsible for making the whole thing playable. Check out a brief video overview below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/19/hacker-creates-nintendo-labo-ring-fit-exercise-bike-game"] IGN spoke with Choi on the origins and design process of the Labo Fit Adventure Kart which Choi says was an idea he came up with while playing Tetris 99 a year ago. “I’m not a very fitness-oriented person,” Choi tells IGN. “I don’t exercise regularly and I ate an entire Costco-size box of Oreos this past week. So I decided to set a challenge for myself: to pedal on an exercise bike during the entire duration of a Tetris 99 game.” Choi says a game of Tetris 99, for him at least, felt like a good length for a cardio workout. But the idea came to him to take the concept even further. “What if I connected the exercise bike to the game somehow?” Choi wondered. Enter the Labo Fit Adventure Kart and TAPBO robot. The TAPBO robot, which Choi explains in-depth in his full Nintendo Direct-style video here, is how the entire Labo Fit Adventure Kart concept works. Essentially, the robot is connected to motion sensors in the exercise bike. When the pedals reach a certain speed threshold, the TAPBO will mechanically press the “A” button on the Joy-Con and accelerate your character in Mario Kart 8. Meanwhile, pushing in on the Ring-Con will cause TAPBO to press the trigger button on the Joy-Con for items. “I knew from the get-go that there would be at least two components: a module to press buttons on the Joy-Con and a bike that could detect your pedaling,” Choi says when asked about his early design ideas. “Early in development I realized it would be a ton of fun to steer and shoot items with the Ring-Con, so I decided to implement that as well.” What makes TAPBO unique is that it is a feat of mechanical engineering, not a software hack, though we asked Choi why he opted to create a mini robot instead of some kind of home-brewed software to make his idea come to life. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=labo-fit-adventure-kart-design-gallery&captions=true"] “It’s no secret that Nintendo isn’t the biggest fan of people messing with their software, and the Bike-Con solution circumvents needing to emulate or modify any Joy-Con software or hardware,” Choi says. “It’s definitely possible to create a setup that doesn’t require a robot to press buttons; creators like Super Louis 64 have done exactly this to create Ring Fit mashups with [The Legend of Zelda] Breath of the Wild and even Mario Kart,” Choi adds. But Choi’s passions lie with robots and he says the device serves as an homage to Nintendo’s own robot, R.O.B. Choi even 3D printed a custom TAPBO amiibo. As for the future, Choi has some more fitness-focused ideas for TAPBO like creating a version that can hug the Switch console itself and force it to turn off if you stop pedaling on an exercise bike; or a rowing machine game to work with Super Mario Party. But the TAPBO can also be used for non-fitness games and Choi says people have suggested re-tooling the robot for the upcoming Pokemon Snap game on Switch. “The possibilities are really endless, and I hope Nintendo continues experimenting with how to use Ring Fit and Labo accessories in more games." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Astronomers have discovered a new Super-Earth planet that's nearly as old as the universe itself, but despite what the name might indicate, the words "Super Earth" only speak to the exoplanet's size as this new planet doesn't have many similarities to Earth. This new Super Earth is called TOI-561b and it's 50% larger than Earth, according to UC Riverside News. It orbits its star in less than half a day though, despite how much larger it is than Earth, which orbits its star, the Sun, every 365 days. TOI-561b is, all things considered, quite different from Earth, but the reason it's called a Super Earth is almost exclusively because of its size. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=gorgeous-photos-of-earth-from-space&captions=true"] "Super-Earths — a class of planets unlike any in our solar system — are more massive than Earth yet lighter than ice giants like Neptune and Uranus, and can be made of gas, rock, or a combination of both," according to NASA's official definition of a Super Earth. "They are between twice the size of Earth and up to 10 times its mass. Super-Earth is a reference only to an exoplanet's size — larger than Earth and smaller than Neptune — but not suggesting they are necessarily similar to our home planet." UC Riverside planetary astrophysicist, Stephen Kane, said that for every day we spend on Earth, TOI-561b orbits its star twice. The reason for this quick orbit is due to the heat created by the planet's close proximity to the star it orbits. TOI-561b's temperature is over 2000 degrees Kelvin, which is obviously too hot for life as we know it to exist on the planet. The other reason for the speedy orbit is due to the planet's density, which is roughly the same as Earth's. "This is surprising because you'd expect the density to be higher," Kane said. "This is consistent with the notion that the planet is extremely old." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/08/scientist-says-object-that-flew-by-earth-could-have-been-made-by-aliens-ign-news"] The older a planet is, the less dense it generally is and that's because the materials that make a planet dense simply weren't as abundant the farther back in time you go. The materials that eventually form dense planets are heavy elements that are produced by fusion reactions in stars as they age, according to UC Riverside News. When stars explode, the elements are scattered outward and those elements form new stars and new planets. Because TOI-561b is not nearly as dense as expected, the astronomers that discovered the Super Earth believe it to be as old as the universe itself as at that point in time, heavy elements to create a more dense planet would not have been as readily available as less stars were exploding since they weren't as old. For more science, read about how the Earth is spinning faster than it has in 50 years and then check out this story about how the Moon is rusting. Read about how a space object that passed by Earth was likely from aliens after that, and then read this story about how researchers are trying to turn Mars green. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

The Hearthstone team today revealed the game’s first “mini-set” – The Darkmoon Races, which is a collection of 35 brand new cards that will be hitting the game on January 21 in NA (January 22 in Asia Pacific). Typically, the Hearthstone team releases three large sets of cards each year, with balance adjustments and special events in-between to help keep the game feeling fresh, so this mid-meta card injection represents a fresh approach. The cards feature mechanics from all three sets released during the Year of the Phoenix - Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire – so that means more dual-class cards, dormant minions, spellburst effects and cards that can be corrupted. The set as a whole contains four legendaries, one epic, 14 rare and 16 common cards and you can see them all below. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hearthstones-darkmoon-races-full-set&captions=true"] Once the set has been released, the cards will start showing up in Madness at the Darkmoon Faire card packs. Players can also, however, simply purchase the entire set as it will be available as a bundle for either $14.99 USD ($19.95 AUD) or 2000 gold. This will contain 66 cards in total - two copies of each common, rare and epic card, as well as one copy of each legendary card. The bundle will be in the Hearthstone shop until May 11. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/24/hearthstone-madness-at-the-darkmoon-faire-cinematic-trailer"] Elsewhere in the world of Blizzard, the Battle.net client has had its first major overhaul in eight years, and we had a hell of a good time with the Diablo Immortal technical alpha. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Cam Shea is IGN's AU Studio Lead and has a serious soft spot for rave era breakbeat . He also played more Breath of the Wild than any other game last year. Catch him on Twitter. Maybe.

This week in Red Dead Online, claim special Moonshiner and Naturalist bonuses, as well as free bonuses for logging in.