Early hominins in Europe were creating tools from raw materials hundreds of thousands of years before Homo sapiens arrived there, two new studies indicate, pushing back the established time for such activity. From a report: The evidence includes a 500,000-year-old hammer made of elephant or mammoth bone, excavated in southern England, and 430,000-year-old wooden tools found in southern Greece — the earliest wooden tools on record.

The findings suggest that early humans possessed sophisticated technological skills, the researchers said. Katerina Harvati, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Tubingen in Germany and a lead author of the wooden-tool paper, which was published on Monday in the journal PNAS, said the discoveries provided insight into the prehistoric origins of human intelligence. Silvia Bello, a paleoanthropologist at London’s Natural History Museum and an author on the elephant-bone study, which was published last week in Science Advances, concurred.

The artifacts in both studies, recovered from coal-mine sites, were probably produced by early Neanderthals or a preceding species, Homo heidelbergensis. Homo sapiens emerged in Africa more than 300,000 years ago, and the oldest evidence of them in Europe is a 210,000-year-old fossil unearthed in Greece. By the time Homo sapiens established themselves in Britain 40,000 years ago, other hominins had already lived there for nearly a million years.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Fans of co-op beat-‘em-ups and fictional bass players who kind of suck as human beings might want to mark March 3 on their calendars. That’s when Scott Pilgrim EX is set to hit PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Steam. 

Developer and publisher Tribute Games announced the release date in a new trailer, which also revealed two more playable characters: Matthew Patel (a member of the League of Evil Exes) and Robot-01, a creation of the Katayanagi Twins. One more fighter will be unveiled in the coming weeks. 

Tribute worked with Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley on an original storyline for the game. After Scott’s bandmates in Sex Bob-omb are kidnapped and demons descend on Toronto, Scott and Ramona Flowers set out to save the day with some unexpected allies. Anamanaguchi are making new music for the game, after providing the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game way back when. 

I’m a fan of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and I dug Tribute’s last two games, Marvel Cosmic Invasion and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. So it’s safe to say I’ll be trying out Scott Pilgrim EX in a few weeks. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/scott-pilgrim-ex-will-hit-pc-and-consoles-on-march-3-160427832.html?src=rss

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

At $249.99 for a three-pack, the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro Tri-Band Mesh System is sitting $150 below its usual $399.99 price, and price-trackers show this is the lowest it has gone so far. That discount matters because this is not an entry-level mesh kit. It’s built around Wi-Fi 6E, which adds access to the cleaner 6GHz band alongside the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. In practice, that means less congestion if you have newer devices that support 6E, and more consistent speeds across a larger home. The three cylindrical nodes are understated and easy to place, each covering a chunk of space so the full kit can handle homes up to roughly 7,200 square feet. Setup happens through the Deco app and is largely painless, even if you are not used to managing network gear.

TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh System (3-Pack)

$249.99
at Amazon

$399.99
Save $150.00

$249.99
at Amazon

$399.99
Save $150.00

Each node includes a 2.5GbE WAN port, which is useful if your internet plan is already pushing past standard gigabit speeds. You also get two additional 1GbE LAN ports per node, plus support for wired backhaul if you want to connect the units with Ethernet instead of relying on wireless links. Internally, TP-Link uses a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and multiple internal antennas to keep traffic moving smoothly. What you do not get are USB ports, so there’s no option to plug in a drive or printer directly. That omission may not matter for most people, but it is worth noting at this price.

As for its performance, PCMag’s testing showed reliable throughput across bands, and the publication gave the system an “excellent” rating in its review, calling it easy to manage and a solid value for large spaces. Management leans heavily on the mobile app, which is simpler than the web interface and good enough for everyday use. TP-Link includes its HomeShield tools for basic parental controls and security scanning, but some of the more detailed features sit behind a paid subscription. That may be a drawback if you want everything included upfront. Still, for homes with many devices, fast internet, and a need for wide coverage, this deal makes the Deco XE75 Pro a much more reasonable buy than it is at full price.

The big game is one of the few instances now in the US where most people gather around the TV to watch the live event together. While the teams playing in Super Bowl 2026 are the true stars of the show (and Bad Bunny, of course), your TV is a pretty important part of the puzzle of putting together an excellent Super Bowl party. Maybe you’ve been thinking about replacing an aging set, or you’re itching for a full refresh of your home theater setup — either way, you’ll want to try to get a good deal on a new TV. Thankfully, the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl can be a great time to shop for a new TV.

Generally, TV prices steadily decrease after a new model comes out. Some 2026 TV models were announced at CES and are forthcoming things year, making now a good time to look for discounts on 2025 sets. Aside from the holiday shopping season, now is one of the best times of the year to save on a TV. Here, we’ve curated the best Super Bowl TV deals we could find this year, from already affordable sets discounted even further to high-end OLEDs that are hundreds of dollars off.

Super Bowl 2026 TV deals for less than $500

You can easily find solid 1080p and 4K TV sets within this budget-friendly price range. What you’ll be more limited in is size — most TV deals under $500 we’re seeing right now are on sets up to 55 inches. There are a few 65- and 75-inch models in there, but the pickings are slim.

Hisense 32-inch Class A4 1080 FHD smart TV for $98 (18 percent off)

Roku 24-inch 720p smart TV for $100 (18 percent off)

Roku 55-inch 4K smart TV for $248 (29 percent off)

Roku 55-inch Mini LED 4K smart TV for $348 (30 percent off)

TCL 75-inch Class S5 4K smart TV for $480 (26 percent off)

OLED TV deals

This is where you want to look if you want your new TV to have the richest colors, deepest blacks and excellent contrast performance. Of course, that all comes at steeper prices — it can be difficult to find a good OLED set for less than $1,000, even on sale.

LG 55-inch B5 OLED 4K smart TV for $847 ($50 off)

Samsung 65-inch Class OLED S95F 4K smart TV for $2,298 (23 percent off)

Sony 77-inch Bravia XR A95L OLED 4K smart TV for $3,498 (30 percent off)

Super Bowl 2026 TV deals for $500 and up

This will likely be the sweet spot for many people when it comes to TV features, performance and price. Good 4K sets are common in this price range, and you’ll also find some Mini LED sets available here as well.

TCL 65-inch Class T7 4K smart TV for $500 (29 percent off)

Hisense 65-inch Class U6 Mini LED 4K smart TV for $550 (35 percent off)

Amazon 65-inch Fire TV Omni Mini LED 4K smart TV for $920 (16 percent off)

TCL 65-inch Class QM8K Mini LED 4K smart TV for $998 (33 percent off)

Streaming and home entertainment deals

A good TV is key, but having the right peripherals and accessories to go along with it will complete your home theater setup. Deals we’re tracking right now include discounts on streaming devices, soundbars and projectors.

Roku Ultra streamer for $78 (22 percent off)

Vizio 2.0 SV200M-08 soundbar for $78 (22 percent off)

Samsung HW B400F soundbar with built-in subwoofer for $100 (29 percent off)

Anker Nebula Capsule 3 projector for $540 (28 percent off)

Valerion VisionMaster Max 4K projector for $3,999 (20 percent off)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/super-bowl-2026-tv-deals-the-best-sales-ahead-of-kickoff-160000725.html?src=rss

Something you don’t see every day: a sports tech company actually giving away premium features for free. Suunto’s route-planning tool lets you create and download GPX files without even creating an account. No paywall, no trial period—just open the page and start planning routes. And the tool itself works great.

What you can do with the Suunto Routeplanner

The tool packs in everything you’d expect from a paid service, and then some:

• Route creation that uses different map types (outdoor, satellite, even specialized ones for winter and avalanche terrain)

• Routing that optimizes for your activity (running, hiking, cycling, mountaineering, roller skating, and more), using actual heat map data from real athletes

• Heat map overlays for about a dozen different sports so you can see where people actually go

• Elevation profiles with ascent and descent numbers (crucial for not dying on climbs you didn’t see coming)

• Export routes as GPX files that work with basically any GPS device

• Shareable link generation (good for six months) so you can send routes to friends without making them create accounts either

• Ability to import and modify existing GPX or FIT files from other platforms

• Optional account sync if you own Suunto or Hammerhead gear

You don’t even need to be in Suunto’s ecosystem to use this. I was able to export a map to my Garmin watch with no problem. If you do have a Suunto or Hammerhead device, you can link your account and routes will sync automatically.

How to use the Suunto Routeplanner

Go to routeplanner.suunto.com. From there, creating a route is pretty straightforward. If you let your browser share your location, it’ll center on where you are. If not, just search for wherever you want to start.

The controls on the right side let you switch between map types. The usual suspects are there: outdoor, satellite, light, dark. But then it gets weird in the best ways with a winter map, an avalanche terrain map for backcountry stuff, and, in a show of national pride, a dedicated Finland Terrain map. Respect.

To actually connect points on the map, you have the following options:

• Free drawing (no automatic routing)

• Any road or path (ideal for activities by foot)

• All road types—avoiding hills (ideal for bikes)

• All road types (still ideal for bikes)

• Paved roads (ideal for road cycling)

After you create your route, you simply download the GPX file and throw it on whatever GPS device you own.

The six-month shareable links are a nice touch too. You can plan a route for a group ride or run, send everyone the link, and they can grab it without jumping through hoops. It’s the kind of friction-free sharing that should be standard but somehow isn’t.

Why you should try the Suunto Routeplanner

Strava and Komoot have trained users to expect paywalls for route planning. Of course, this could be strategic on Suunto’s part, to give away the software in the hopes of selling the hardware. Or maybe it’s just goodwill after years of user complaints about Suunto closing their tracking system Movescount. Either way, users win. You get a legitimately useful tool without opening your wallet or handing over your email address.

If you’re already paying for route planning elsewhere, try this first. Worst case, you waste five minutes. Best case, you cancel a subscription and pocket the savings. Even if you’e not looking to save money, having another route planning option in your toolkit doesn’t hurt.

UPS said today it plans to eliminate an additional 30,000 operational jobs this year as the shipping giant continues to wind down its partnership with Amazon — previously its largest customer — and push forward a broader turnaround strategy under CEO Carol Tome.

CFO Brian Dykes said on an earnings call that the cuts will be accomplished through attrition and a voluntary separation program for full-time drivers. The company also plans to further deploy automation across its network. UPS has identified 24 buildings for closure in the first half of 2026 and expects to reduce operational hours by approximately 25 million as the Amazon relationship unwinds.

Last year, UPS eliminated 48,000 jobs — 34,000 operational and 14,000 management — and closed 93 buildings. The company expects $3 billion in total savings from the Amazon unwind.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The launch of the Google TV Streamer marked a significant shift for the company’s streaming lineup, moving away from the behind-the-TV Chromecast dongles it popularized and introducing a pill-shaped set-top box that blends in nicely on a shelf of tchotchkes. It’s hiding a worthy processor, double the memory you’d get from a streaming stick, and enough storage to download what you need to run all of your apps. It even acts as a smart hub, with Matter and Thread built in.

It’s taken me a long time to do anything with the Google TV Streamer. I reluctantly brought it into my home after realizing something more robust, but dated, like the Nvidia Shield, would be too much to manage alongside maintaining a home server. But since then, I’ve tweaked several things on the set-top box and enabled features I hadn’t been using, turning it into a helpful hub in my living room.

Enable “Find my remote” to never lose your Google TV Streamer remote again

This sounds like an obvious tip, but I’ve had the Google TV Streamer since it debuted in 2024, and it wasn’t until this week, while writing this piece, that I finally enabled the remote finder. I had skipped it during the initial setup. The option is available in Settings > Remotes & Accessories. You’ll see the Find my remote option in there.

Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

The Google TV Streamer has a physical button on the back of the device that lets you locate your remote if it’s stuck somewhere on the couch. But what if you can’t reach the streamer behind the TV? Try one of your Google-enabled voice devices instead. If you have a Nest speaker or a Pixel phone nearby, say “Hey Google, find my remote.” The remote should start chirping if you’ve set it up.

Set up the Google TV Streamer remote shortcut

The remotes that come with the Google TV Streamer feature a tiny, unregistered button with a star icon right next to the power button. By default, this shortcut does nothing! But you can change that in the device’s system preferences.

Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

In Settings > Remotes & Accessories > Set up remote buttons, select one of three options for customizing the shortcut button. I set it up as my Google Home shortcut so I can easily turn the lights on and off from the couch. You can also set it up as a launcher for another app installed on the set-top box. Or create a shortcut to cycle through device inputs—this button is on legacy Chromecast devices with an included remote. It was removed from this generation of streaming devices, so if you miss it, you can spoof it back.

For serious power users, map the shortcut to an app like Projectivity Launcher to make it a more powerful launcher button.

Remap other buttons on your Google TV Streamer remote to be more useful

What Button Mapper looks like running on Google TV.
Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

Don’t care for the default YouTube or Netflix buttons included on the Google TV Streamer remote? You can remap them with a third-party app, then affix a small sticker to indicate what it does. Install an app like Button Mapper or tvQuickActions. Then go to Google TV Settings > System > Accessibility, and turn on the service. After that, you can head back into the app to adjust what those physical buttons do. You can set them as shortcuts to other apps, or even something cheekier for others to discover when they press the button.

Remove the clutter from the Google TV Streamer home screen

Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

Can’t stand all the recommendations and sponsored content Google TV suggests in the main carousel? You can effectively shut off some of the clutter so it doesn’t visually overwhelm you. Go to Settings > Accounts & Sign-In > Your Account. and toggle on Apps only mode.

This clears the clutter and “sponsored” content, leaving you with just app icons. Keep in mind that this turns off the “Watchlist” feature that’s tied to your account and some Gemini voice search capabilities for specific content.

Enable Google TV Streamer “Developer options” for more customization

Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

You’ll need to enable developer options to enable features like faster animations and side-loading apps. It’s easy to set up, and it’s just like on an Android smartphone. Head into Settings > System > About, then tap Android TV OS Build 7 times.

You’ll see a little dialog pop up to let you know you’ve got developer access. Once enabled, a new menu will appear under Settings > System > Developer options.

Limit animations to make navigation faster

The Google TV interface is organized and functional, but its animations can slow down menu navigation. You can eliminate these animations and tweak other visual elements to speed things up deep within the developer settings.

Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

In Developer Options, scroll down to Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Change one of these, or all three, from 1x to Animation off to turn off animations completely. You can also go the other way and effectively “overclock” the animations to speed them up, making them appear smoother.

Side-load apps or an alternative launcher

With developer options turned on, you can enable USB and wireless debugging to use apps like Send Files to TV and atvTools to sideload APKs. But first, enable the “Allow installs from unknown sources” option in the Developer Options under Security settings. This allows APKs you’ve transferred over to the device to run on the streamer.

Why would you want to go through the fuss of connecting to the Google TV Streamer this way? Because then you could access alternative streaming apps not available in the Play Store, or even an alternative launcher, like LeanbackLauncher.

Pair headphones to your Google TV Streamer for private listening

Credit: Florence Ion/Lifehacker

This is one of my favorite little hacks that comes especially in handy when living in a house occupied by other people. When I do my workouts in the living room, I use a set of Bluetooth earbuds connected to the Google TV Streamer so I can hear the instructor’s directions even when I’m face down in a plank and my kid is screaming in the background.

The ability is available in the same submenu where you set up your remote. In Settings > Remote & Accessories > Pair Remote/Accessory, put your audio device into Bluetooth pairing mode, then watch it come up on the screen as an option. If you’re successful, you can now pop on the buds when you need to. Be aware that audio latency can occur, and you might need to restart the connection—it is Bluetooth, after all.  

Force your Google TV Streamer to choose the best resolution, regardless of bandwidth

If you don’t care about your bandwidth and want full-resolution streaming at all times, you can set the best resolution to display as the default in your Google TV Streamer preferences. Go to Settings > Display & Sound > Resolution. Switch the Resolution from “Automatic” to 4K 60Hz, or whatever your TV’s peak is. Once this is enabled, the Google TV Streamer won’t downscale to 1080p. If you’re a sucker for HDR, this is the same menu where you can turn it on so that it’s always in high definition.

Use the USB-C port to add accessories and turn your Google TV Streamer into an all-in-one media center

The USB-C port can do more than charge up the Google TV Streamer. You can plug in a power delivery hub with extra ports to add components like external storage and effectively run your own all-in-one home media center. Those power delivery hubs usually include extra USB ports for peripherals, so you can hook up things like keyboards and game controllers for extra fun.

When King Charles VIII of France occupied Naples in 1495, his army of nearly 20,000 mercenaries became the ground zero of the “Great Pox,” the first massive venereal syphilis pandemic in Europe, which went on to cause up to 5 million deaths. For a long time, the siege of Naples was considered the first time syphilis entered European accounts and culture. “But the evolutionary history of Treponema pallidum, the lineage of bacteria including the one that causes syphilis, goes way deeper in time,” says Elizabeth Nelson, an anthropologist at the Southern Methodist University.

Nelson and her colleagues found a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum genome in an individual excavated from a rock shelter in Colombia—a discovery that shows pathogens causing treponemal diseases like syphilis, bejel, or yaws are several millennia older than we thought. And this means we might have been thinking about the origins of syphilis in an entirely wrong way.

The blame game

While the French occupation of Naples did not introduce syphilis to this world, it created the perfect storm that shaped the perception of this disease and its origins for centuries to come. The first ingredient of this storm was the French army and its leader. Charles VIII invaded Naples with a vast melting pot of brigands and mercenaries from all over Europe, including the French, Swiss, Poles, and Spaniards. The king himself wasn’t exactly the epitome of morality. Chroniclers like Johannes Burckard noted his “fondness of copulation” and reported that, once he’d been with a woman, he “cared no more about her” and immediately sought another partner—a behavior eagerly mirrored by his soldiers.

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