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The third film in the Jurassic World series, and the sixth Jurassic Park film overall, Jurassic World: Dominion, wrapped its shoot on Saturday morning at Pinewood Studios after originally beginning pre-production 18 months ago. Having started production in the world prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Jurassic World: Dominion's production is being noted as an unprecedented feat after, per Deadline, "40,000 COVID tests, millions of dollars spent on protocols," and the cast and key crew isolating "in a bubble for months." Director Colin Trevorrow remarked, regarding the wrap, that "there are a lot of emotions." “I’m not sure I can put it into words,” Trevorrow added. “It has been remarkable. Our crew and our cast has been so resilient. All producers have worked around the clock to make it the best it can be. It has been inspiring.” Dominion, as the first major studio film to go back into production after the pandemic shut everything down, is notable for using a private medical facility called Your Doctor to "manage the entire production’s medical requirements" along with a "policed ‘Greenzone’ for the shooting cast and crew and all workers were temperature-tested every day" and "two walk-through temperature testing stations." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"] It's said the studio spent $6 to 8 million on all the COVID safety protocols, including smaller amenities such as information signs, hand sanitizer stations, and extra sinks. "I’ve never been as immersed in a filmmaking process,” Trevorrow continued. “Because of the protocols, the actors didn’t go far from set. The distance was stripped away. There were things that happened on this movie that I’d hope to be able to continue on future productions.” "This movie is about the need to co-exist and survive together. If this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that we need the different generations to protect each other. It was the right movie to be making at this moment.” Jurassic World: Dominion, which unites the casts of the Jurassic World and Jurassic Park films -- including Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Omar Sy, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill -- is scheduled for a June 10, 2022 release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/20/jurassic-world-may-feature-dinosaurs-in-the-snow-for-the-first-time"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

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The results of a new survey from the American Dental Association suggest that, earlier in the pandemic at least, dentists caught COVID-19 far less often than was expected. (Unsplash/)

By now, most of us know that one of the ways COVID-19 is spread is by aerosols: droplets both large and small hanging in the air from our exhalations. Because of this, earlier in the pandemic, public health professionals feared that dentists and dental staff, as well as their patients, would be particularly vulnerable to the virus’s spread.

The results of a new survey from the American Dental Association suggest that, earlier in the pandemic at least, this wasn’t the case–at least for the dentists themselves. Published in The Journal of the American Dental Association, the report found that fewer than one percent of the 2200 American dentists surveyed had contracted COVID-19.

In June, study authors sent out the survey to about 5500 ADA members in June. “Our response rate was about 40 percent, which for an email survey was very high,” says study author Cameron Estrich, who is a health research analyst in the American Dental Association’s Science Research Institute. She was expecting a response rate of about 20 percent, she says. “I think it speaks to the high level of concern dentists have about this subject.”

The almost 2200 respondents answered questions about their COVID-19 infection status. In order to help address the fact that getting COVID-19 tests is not always simple, the researchers also asked about whether the dentists' healthcare provider suspected they might have COVID-19 based on symptoms. The survey also asked about what kind of activities, including at work and outside of work, they were doing, and what kind of enhanced security they had put in place at work to prevent infection transmission.

When she wrote the survey, Estrich says, there was a lot of conjecture both good and bad about the likelihood of COVID-19 infection among dentists. On the one hand, she says, dentists were theoretically being exposed to more aerosols directly from patients' mouths; on the other hand, dentists were already used to using PPE in their practices and better equipped than many other healthcare-related businesses to set up enhanced sanitation measures. As a result, when the survey was sent out, Estrich says, “I had no idea what [infection rate] we were going to get.”

Of the approximately 2200 dentists who responded to the survey, just 20 (about 1%) reported contracting COVID-19. The report is a snapshot of American dentistry as it stood in June, during a period when dental practices were starting to see more patients. Ninety-nine percent of the respondents also reported using enhanced infection control measures like pre-screening patients and using extra disinfection measures.

Although these published results only offer a moment in time, Estrich says the survey is ongoing and infection rates have remained below one percent in the respondents. One limitation of the study, however, is that dentists are self-reporting and may not even know they have COVID-19 if they are asymptomatic. “It’s possible this is an underestimate,” she says. She hopes to have a more complete picture of infection rates after gathering six months of data. Still, if that number or even a similar one holds up for the entire population of American dentists, it would place their infection rates much lower than might be expected for healthcare workers.

“It’s a good study,” says JoAnn Gurenlian, a professor of dental hygiene at Idaho State University and chair of the American Dental Hygienists' Association’s COVID-19 task force on the return to work. “And it’s an interesting one, because this would have occurred about when dentists were returning to work.” However, Gurenlian says, she is eager to see the followup data.

She also says it’s worth surveying dental team members, such as hygienists, “to corroborate the information” gathered in the survey of dentists. The American Dental Hygienists Association is now collaborating with the ADA survey team to survey hygienists.

Based on the results of this report, says Gurenlian, “patients should have a high level of confidence in returning to the dentist.” It shows that dentists are demonstrating concern for their patients and using appropriate PPE, she says. What’s more, it shows that the level of infection among dentists is not as high as some feared it might be earlier in the pandemic.

But as we head into the first full winter of this pandemic, with attendant rises in infection rates in many places in the country, she says, dental professionals—and everyone—needs to remain concerned about COVID-19. “We need to be ever more vigilant as we go into the fall and winter season.”

This article has been updated to provide additional information about the potential risks dental patients might face.

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The wait is over, at long last. The Mandalorian's Season 2 premiere has arrived on Disney+, and that, of course, means more Baby Yoda. Be honest, we're all in this for GIFs of The Child. Of course, there's also the story of Mando (Pedro Pascal) traveling the galaxy in an attempt to return his young companion home and the shenanigans they get themselves into along the way.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of The Mandalorian, "Chapter 9: The Marshal."

In the new episode, Mando and The Child wind up back on Tatooine in search of another Mandalorian and wind up in the middle of a conflict between the citizens of a small settlement, the Tusken raiders they tend to war with, and the massive beast trying to eat them all. There are also a number of Easter eggs and references to all corners of Star Wars lore--from books to movies to video games--to find. However, there are so many--and some so obscure--that it wouldn't be surprising to miss out on a few.

GameSpot has combed through "The Marshal" to find as many as we possibly could. Take a look at all of the Easter eggs we found below, then sound off in the comments with the ones you were able to find. After that, check out our look at the episode's biggest surprise, plus the Baby Yoda-sized treat Twitter gifted fans with.

1. Gone but not forgotten--or forgiven

One of the first shots of Season 2 finds Mando and The Child walking through a city at night, past walls covered in graffiti. Among the images spray-painted are Stormtrooper helmets that have been crossed out. While the Empire was defeated in Return of the Jedi, there is still clearly no love lost.

2. Gor Koresh

Gor Koresh is the Abyssin Mando asks for information, played by guest star John Leguizamo. Abyssins are a species native to Byss, recognizable by having a single eye and green skin. The first appearance of an Abyssin was Myo, seen at the cantina in Mos Eisley in A New Hope when Luke and Obi-Wan first met Han and Chewie.

3. Those space wrestlers

Mando takes The Child to a space fight club to get information on where to find other Mandalorians. In the ring, two Gamorreans are duking it out. These green-skinned pig creatures first appeared in Return of the Jedi.

4. Speaking of space fight club

The bouncer outside of the fight venue was a Twi'lek. That species also first appeared in Return of the Jedi.

5. Mando and the Zabrak

In this scene, Mando fights a Zabrak. While that species first appeared in The Phantom Menace--Darth Maul was a Dathomirian Zabrak--we also saw a few in Season 1, working as bounty hunters and fighting against Cara Dune.

6. "I swear it by the Gotra"

This one, honestly, has us a bit confused. In Star Wars canon, the Droid Gotra were a group that fought for droid rights. They've been mentioned in a number of Star Wars books and made their first appearance in the 2018 young adult novel Most Wanted. We have no idea why John Leguizamo would swear by them.

7. Bantha sighting

It's easy to love a Bantha. The massive, hairy, horned species just looks cool. A number of them pop up in "Chapter 9," some meeting less than happy ends. They first appeared in A New Hope.

8. It's Boby Yoda's babysitter

Amy Sedaris reprises her role of Peli Motto, first seen in Chapter 5, "The Gunslinger." This comedic actress is best known for her role as Jerri Blank on Comedy Central's Strangers With Candy. Additionally, she's appeared on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and BoJack Horseman. Peli's droids are also back, including her DUM-series pit droids, an R5 astromech droid, and a GNK power droid.

9. Mos Espa

Mos Espa, which gets a quick mention, is a spaceport settlement that first appeared in The Phantom Menace. This is where we first met Anakin Skywalker as a child. The Boonta Eve Classic podrace that Anakin won took place at the Mos Espa Grand Arena.

10. Mos Pelgo

Mando's journey in this episode takes him to Mos Pelgo, a town on Tatooine that was first introduced in the Knights of the Eternal Throne expansion pack for the video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. This is the first time it's actually been seen, though, as the game simply gives a small amount of information about it.

11. Inspired casting

Once Mando gets to Mos Pelgo he meets Marshall Cobb Vanth, who also happens to be wearing some armor we'll discuss next. Vanth is the law in Mos Pelgo and is played by none other than Timothy Olyphant, who also played law enforcement officers in the western TV shows Deadwood and Justified. As for the character, Vanth was first introduced in the novel Aftermath, in which he was a sheriff on Tatooine.

12. About that armor

If the Mandalorian armor Vanth is wearing looks familiar, it's because it's Boba Fett's (the color scheme, chestplate insignia, and shoulder plates are the same). At least, that's our running theory, given what happens later in the episode. Boba Fett was last seen on Tatooine in Return of the Jedi, so it's definitely possible his armor--and maybe the cloned bounty hunter, himself--could still be there.

13. That's a big, scary monster

Krayt dragons are huge, carnivorous reptiles native to Tatooine, which are hunted for the pearls found inside their bodies, as we see in this episode. We glimpsed the skeleton of a much smaller one in A New Hope (pictured). Also in A New Hope, Obi-Wan does a Krayt dragon call to scare away some Tusken Raiders.

14. A camtono full of flashback

In a flashback, Cobb Vanth stole a camtono full of silicax crystals. In Season 1, the Client gave Mando a camtono of Beskar as payment. A camtono is a small safe--as seen carried by Willrow Hood, the guy running across Cloud City with what looks like an ice cream maker in Empire. In real life, the prop is a model of an ice cream maker. We also see patrons in a bar watching the Death Star be destroyed via hologram because holograms are a lot like CNN in space.

15. The Jawas are back

In the same flashback, Vanth is saved in the desert by a Sandcrawler full of Jawas, who give him water and save him from dehydration. They also trade him the camtono of silicax crystals for Boba Fett's old and rusted armor.

16. And there's the Tusken raiders

Thanks to Mando speaking fluent Tusken--which he does a lot in this episode--a peace is brokered between the people of Mos Pelgo and the Tusken Raiders with which they've been at odds for a long time. By the end of the episode, it looks like the peace will last too, given that they worked together to defeat the Krayt dragon.

17. Bye bye Sarlacc

We learn the fate of an important Star Wars antagonist in this episode: the infamous Sarlacc from the original trilogy. Apparently, the Krayt Dragon ate it. There's always a bigger fish, eh?

18. Dank Farrik

This isn't the first time the phrase (possible swear word?) "Dank Farrik" has come up on The Mandalorian. It was also said in the first episode of Season 1. No, we still don't know for certain what it means.

19. Dual suns of Tatooine

The episode's final shot lingers on one of Tatooine's most iconic features (beyond the multitude of sand and the hives of scum and villainy): its beautiful dual suns.

20. It's Boba Fett

Don't feel bad if you didn't connect this right away, since previously, we've never technically seen Boba Fett without his armor. However, this actor is Temuera Morrison, who played Jango Fett in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. He was previously rumored to be making an appearance in The Mandalorian Season 2. Since Jango Fett is dead--beheaded by Mace Windu--it's safe to assume that this is Boba Fett, who after all, was a clone of Jango in the first place.

This review contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2, episode 1, titled "Chapter 9 - The Marshal." To remind yourself where we left off, check out our Mandalorian Season 1 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Mandalorian has finally returned for Season 2, and while it's great to have new Star Wars to speculate over, it doesn't seem like our titular hero or the showrunners telling his story have learned much from Mando's first outing. While there's plenty of meaty world-building to be found in "The Marshal," the episode still falls into many of the same Sarlacc pits traps as Season 1, namely an over-reliance on easter eggs and familiar storytelling beats in place of actual plot momentum. The episode's opening is a promising departure from what we've seen previously, with Mando swaggering into a fight club located in refreshingly urban surroundings - a stark contrast to Season 1's desolate deserts and lush forest landscapes. He's there to grill an Abyssin crime lord named Gor Koresh (John Leguizamo) for information on the whereabouts of other Mandalorians, but in typical Mando fashion, things go south fast. Jon Favreau, who wrote and directed the episode, confidently choreographs Koresh's double-cross and the ensuing fight, showcasing our hero's hand-to-hand prowess in a brief but brutal smackdown that emphasizes how deadly and inventive he can be - skills that we didn't get to see enough of in Season 1. Check out all the celebrity cameos and characters in The Mandalorian so far: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-in-the-mandalorian&captions=true"] From there, though, it's back to Tatooine and more well-worn Western tropes, as well as echoes of past episodes. The plot is very reminiscent of Season 1's fourth episode, "Sanctuary" - with Mando teaming up with another enigmatic warrior with a painful past (Timothy Olyphant's Cobb Vanth, a character first introduced in Chuck Wendig's Aftermath novels) to protect a helpless town against a seemingly insurmountable threat - with a dash of Mando's Mudhorn quest from episode 3 thrown in. Olyphant - no stranger to playing stoic Western characters thanks to his roles in Deadwood and Justified - is a perfect fit for The Mandalorian's tone (far more so than Amy Sedaris), imbuing Cobb with just the right combination of grit and wit to be a perfect foil for Mando; here's hoping we see more of him as the show goes on. What keeps "The Marshal" from being a complete retread is mostly down to the nostalgia factor - for die-hard fans, the episode is brimming with clever nods to Star Wars lore, from the return of R5-D4 in Peli Motto's workshop; to the involvement of the Tusken Raiders and their fixation on the legendary krayt dragon pearl; to Cobb Vanth using a podracer engine (maybe even Anakin Skywalker's?) to power his swoop-bike; to Mando utilizing Obi-Wan's krayt dragon cry from A New Hope; to the seeming return of Boba Fett in the form of a scarred Temuera Morrison. (Boba Fett would be in his late thirties by this point in the Star Wars timeline, while Morrison is 59, so there's reason to be skeptical, especially with other surviving clones still out there - but bounty hunting and being eaten by a Sarlacc probably ages you, right?) The episode even seeks to redeem Boba Fett's glitchy jetpack after Mando gives it a whack and sends Cobb flying, perhaps offering a canonical excuse for Boba's ignominious ending in Return of the Jedi the same way the Season 1 finale tried to explain the Stormtroopers' iconically shoddy aim.  [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/26/the-mandalorian-season-1-timeline-recap"] There's enough nerdy goodness here to forgive the relative lack of actual plot development, and at 49 minutes, "The Marshal" is one of the longest Mandalorian episodes yet - hopefully a sign that further installments will also be beefier, given how short many of Season 1's episode lengths were. Likewise, the visuals remain impressive; while we're making comparisons to episode 4, it's great to see so many elaborate and gripping action sequences rendered in broad daylight and at such a grand scale, compared to the murky action of the showdown on Sorgan. It's also admittedly thrilling just to get to luxuriate in the Star Wars universe and get deeper context on its planets and inhabitants (like the fascinating culture of the Tusken Raiders) in a way that the movies just don't have the real estate for. But despite all the hype and secrecy surrounding Season 2 (which no doubt has plenty of big reveals in store later on), for a season premiere, it can't help but feel a little anticlimactic. If you subtract all the easter eggs and Mando and Cobb's deliciously dry banter, you're left with a fairly rote monster-hunting mission that, like many of Season 1's episodes, feels like a pastiche of other movies and pop culture touchstones rather than trying anything new. Obviously, Star Wars has a long history of being inspired by other tales, but George Lucas always found ways to pay subtle homage without repeating the same beats, and it would've been nice to see The Mandalorian's Season 2 premiere explore some new territory rather than returning to the well of Tatooine so soon, even if it was all in service of introducing Boba Fett to the world of The Mandalorian. Baby Yoda also doesn't get much to do beyond sitting in a bag, although the shot of him hiding in a giant pot is arguably worth the price of admission. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=b60185fe-b7cd-4ea1-b232-b75c6015e5e4"]

A giant metallic asteroid worth approximately $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 -- more than the entire Earth’s economy -- is orbiting around Mars and Jupiter, according to a new report from the Planetary Science Journal, as reported by CBS News.

[caption id="attachment_243254" align="alignnone" width="720"] The massive asteroid 16 Psyche is the subject of a new study by SwRI scientist Tracy Becker, who observed the object at ultraviolet wavelengths.[/caption]

Asteroid 16 Psyche, as it’s known, is thought to possibly be the remnant of a planet core that never properly formed into an actual planet. While most asteroids are made of rock or ice, the incredibly dense Psyche is made mostly of metal, and measures about 140 miles in diameter, making it the size of Massachusetts.

The Planetary Science Journal’s new study has found that Psyche may be composed of iron and nickel, which are typically found in the cores of planets.

“We’ve seen meteorites that are mostly metal, but Psyche could be unique in that it might be an asteroid that is totally made of iron and nickel,” lead study author Dr. Tracy Becker said in a statement. “Earth has a metal core, a mantle and crust. It’s possible that as a Psyche protoplanet was forming, it was struck by another object in our solar system and lost its mantle and crust.”

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NASA plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft in 2022, also named Psyche, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to reach the asteroid and study its composition and history. This will make it the first time NASA has ever reached a body composed entirely of metal. The spacecraft will reach Psyche in January 2026.

Back in 2017, researchers also told CBS News they would not be utilizing the asteroid’s $10,000 quadrillion metallic mass for any business gain.

“What makes Psyche and the other asteroids so interesting is that they're considered to be the building blocks of the solar system," Becker said. "To understand what really makes up a planet and to potentially see the inside of a planet is fascinating. Once we get to Psyche, we're really going to understand if that's the case, even if it doesn't turn out as we expect. Any time there's a surprise, it's always exciting."

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=nasa-black-hole-gallery&captions=true"]

If you like weird and wild science stories, check out IGN's science news hub. A rogue planet floating through the Milky Way was also recently discovered. Additionally, scientists discovered that the amusingly named "Black Widow Star" is the source of gamma radiation that gives Hulk his superpowers. Oh, and the Moon is wet. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/reporter/floating mass for IGN. Orbit him on Twitter.

Full spoilers follow for The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 1 -- "The Marshal." [poilib element="accentDivider"] As The Mandalorian returns to Disney+ for its second season with the episode "The Marshal," a creature we first heard about in the very first Star Wars movie finally made its live-action debut: The krayt dragon! Well, we should say it made its first living live-action debut in the show, as we have seen a quite dead krayt dragon before... but more on that in a bit. But what exactly is a krayt dragon, how does it differ from a sarlacc, and what was that pearl the Tusken Raiders pulled out of the poor thing's carcass? Let's, um, dig into it!

What Does The Mandalorian Want With the Krayt Dragon?

Well, how do we put this gently? He wants to, um, kill it. When Mando returns to Tatooine in search of other Mandalorians who might be able to help him return Baby Yoda to the child's people, he winds up in the small mining town of Mos Pelgo. There he encounters Cobb Vanth, a.k.a. The Marshal (played by Timothy Olyphant), who is wearing... wait for it... Boba Fett's armor! The Mandalorian winds up working with Vanth to kill the krayt dragon, which has been attacking not just Mos Pelgo but also the Tusken Raiders who live in the surrounding desert area. In the end, and with great effort, Mando, Vanth, the people of Mos Pelgo, and the Tusken Raiders band together and defeat the beast, but only after suffering a bunch of casualties. In payment for his help, Vanth returns Fett's armor to Mando. [caption id="attachment_2432665" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] C-3PO walks by a krayt dragon skeleton in A New Hope.[/caption]

What Is a Krayt Dragon?

Of course, the Legends (or Expanded Universe) has a bunch of info on krayt dragons (including in Knights of the Old Republic, which literally features a mission to lure a krayt dragon out of its lair and into some mines), but as far as canon sources go, we got our first idea about these creatures in A New Hope when a stranded C-3PO shuffles past the skeleton of one on Tatooine. Also in that film, Obi-Wan Kenobi imitates the call of a krayt dragon as he approaches Luke Skywalker's landspeeder in order to scare off the Tusken Raiders who have attacked Luke and Threepio. These creatures aren't technically dragons... but they are giant and, while they don't exactly shoot fire from their mouths, they are capable of expelling a venom which seems to essentially digest, or burn, whoever is unlucky enough to get hit by the icky substance. As we see in The Mandalorian episode, the dragons are able to burrow underground and travel that way, which makes them reminiscent of the graboids from Tremors. But they're also kaiju-sized beasts, or at least the one in "The Marshal" is. They also have a Dune sandworm feel, so Warner Bros. probably isn't too happy with Lucasfilm right about now. (Dune is also believed to have been an influence on George Lucas when he created Star Wars.) [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] As for how the krayt relates to the sarlacc, another creature found on the sand planet, it seems that the dragons are mighty enough to kill (and eat) sarlaccs and take up in their caves. That's what Mando implies happened with the krayt in the Mandalorian episode, but despite the apparent presence of Boba Fett at the end of the segment (as played by Temuera Morrison) -- or his armor, as worn by Vanth -- there's no reason to believe this is the same sarlacc pit from Return of the Jedi, where Fett had seemingly met his end (to be slowly digested over a thousand years) before the Morrison reveal here. Hey, there's more than one sarlacc pit on Tatooine, O.K.?

What Is the Krayt Pearl?

Late in "The Marshal," after the krayt has been killed, we see the Tusken Raiders harvesting the creature's body, apparently for meat (even Mando has a huge chunk that he wraps up in a Star Wars doggie bag). But then one of the sand people finds what they've been presumably really looking for -- a white globe about the size of a bowling ball. This is a krayt dragon pearl, and it's worth a bundle. It has been established in Star Wars media like the novels Heir to the Jedi and Aftermath: Empire's End that krayt dragons ingest stones, which over time and the course of digestion could eventually become a pearl. Their value comes from the fact that the ingested stone sometimes has a kyber crystal in it, which of course is what powers lightsabers. IGN's own Max Scoville reminds us that "in the old EU, one of Jabba's guards killed a krayt dragon, stole its pearls, and ran off with Yarna d'al' Gargan, Jabba's six-breasted dancer, and they used the pearls to buy her cubs out of slavery and to book passage off Tatooine. They lived happily ever after and Yarna later danced at the wedding of Han and Leia. So in conclusion, krayt dragon pearls are a big deal." And that's why the Tusken Raiders were so psyched to find the pearl. They basically just won the lottery! [caption id="attachment_2432645" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] The krayt dragon pearl in The Mandalorian.[/caption] For even more on The Mandalorian Season 2, check out the full list of celebrity guest stars who have appeared on the show, dig in on that Phantom Menace Easter egg from Episode 1, and consider whether or not the series used the plot of an unmade Star Wars movie.

Warning: This article contains full spoilers for The Mandalorian: Season 2, Episode 1! If you haven't already, be sure to read our review of the Season 2 premiere. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Mandalorian: Season 2 is in full swing, and the first episode answered some key questions about the series while raising plenty of others. What exactly are the rules of Mandalorian armor, and who's allowed to wear it? Is that really Boba Fett in the final scene of Episode 1? If so, how did he survive, and how old is he supposed to be now? Read on as we tackle some of the bigger questions surrounding the Season 2 premiere, as we explain what we know about Mandalorian armor and the status quo of Boba Fett as well as what's still up in the air. And be sure to also check out our review of The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"]

What Type of Metal Is Used to Forge Mandalorian Armor?

As the series regularly reminds us, Beskar metal is one of the most prized substances in the Star Wars universe. It's incredibly strong, especially when forged into armor by Mandalorian blacksmiths. It's capable of deflecting blaster bolts and blunt force impact that would otherwise kill the wearer. It's even resistant to lightsaber strikes - the main reason the Mandalorians were so successful in waging war on the Jedi in the early days of the Old Republic. The fact that Mandalore itself perhaps remains enslaved by a remnant of the Empire during this period and most of its warriors have gone into hiding has ensured Beskar is more elusive and valuable than ever. Unsurprisingly, Mandalorians are extremely protective of Beskar, even among their own culture. A Mandalorian warrior must earn their armor piece by piece, just as Din Djarin did over the course of Season 1. Being a true Mandalorian has little to do with being born into the right family. It's all about upholding the customs. That's why Mando is so upset at the sight of an outsider like Cobb Vanth wearing Beskar armor in "The Marshal." It's an affront to his culture and heritage to see a non-Mandalorian wearing Beskar. The fact that Cobb purchased the armor rather than winning it in battle makes it even worse. Mandalorian custom demands that Din reclaim the armor for his own people. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=A%20Mandalorian%20warrior%20must%20earn%20their%20armor%20piece%20by%20piece%2C%20just%20as%20Din%20Djarin%20did%20over%20the%20course%20of%20Season%201."]

Is Boba Fett a Mandalorian?

The fact that Cobb Vanth's armor is the same suit once worn by Boba Fett makes matters even more complicated. Even though Boba Fett was the first exposure Star Wars fans had to the culture and weapons of Mandalore, neither he nor his father Jango are actually Mandalorians. In fact, Jango Fett was officially disavowed by the Mandalorian people, who view him as nothing more than a mercenary who conned his way into wearing a Beskar suit. Given that he shares his father's blood (and is a clone of Jango) and inherited many of his tools and weapons, Boba Fett is also persona non grata to all true Mandalorians. Din is surely unaware of the history behind the armor he now safeguards, but it will be interesting to see how he reacts when and if he learns the full story of its owner. Will he allow Boba Fett to reclaim his property, or will Fett's status as a Mandalorian impostor put the two characters at odds? Given that Fett apparently discarded his armor after escaping the Sarlaac and never returned for it, we have to question whether he actually wants it back in the first place. That iconic suit may pass to another Star Wars character in Season 2 - someone willing to earn the Beskar in a way Jango and Boba never did. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/20/everything-you-need-to-know-about-mandalore"]

Is That Really Boba Fett?

"The Marshal" ends with a cameo we've all been expecting since news first broke that Temuera Morrison is returning to play Boba Fett. That appears to be Fett roaming the wastes of Tatooine, though dressed in what looks like the robes of a Tusken Raider rather than his familiar armor. He's even seen carrying the trademark gaffi stick and rifle of the Sand People, bringing to mind past depictions of Obi-Wan Kenobi's time as a Tatooine-bound nomad. While that's clearly Morrison in the final shot, we can't be 100% sure this is Boba Fett. After all, Fett once had millions of clone "uncles" who formed the backbone of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. It's not impossible that this could actually be Captain Rex or another ex-Clonetrooper who's managed to outlive the Empire. However, the physical characteristics of Morrison's character certainly suggest it's Boba Fett. We can see telltale facial scarring and a complete lack of hair and eyebrows, both of which are likely souvenirs of his time spent inside the Sarlacc's belly. Also, despite his many battle scars, this character appears to be firmly in middle-age territory. Boba Fett should be around 41 or 42 by this point in the Star Wars timeline. By comparison, if he were a clone this character would probably appear much older. The Clonetroopers were specifically engineered to age quickly and die out once they no longer served a purpose. Rex may have lived long enough to fight in the Battle of Endor, but he looked far older by that point than his physical age would suggest. It's still possible this scene is meant to be a red herring and we're seeing someone other than Boba Fett. It could be one of the more genetically distinct clones from squads like Bad Batch or the Republic Commandos, as they may not age as quickly as their brothers. But the simplest option is probably the most likely here. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=boba-fett-lives-how-the-bounty-hunters-story-continued-after-return-of-the-jedi&captions=true"]

Is Boba Fett a Friend or Foe?

Given his antagonistic role in the original trilogy and the animated Clone Wars series, it's easy to assume Boba Fett is meant to be a villain in Season 2. As we've already explored, his armor may wind up becoming a major point of contention, with Fett trying to reclaim his property and Mando refusing to hand it over to an outsider. Fett may also be after the bounty on The Child's head. He could be eager to reclaim his status as king of the mercenary hill following his embarrassing defeat in Return of the Jedi (which after all was only five years prior to The Mandalorian). That said, just as we can't be 100% sure Morrison is playing Boba Fett in that final scene, it's too early to say whether Boba Fett is meant to be an ally or enemy to Din Djarin in Season 2. He may have completely different reasons for being interested in his fellow bounty hunter. Maybe, despite his family being rejected by proper Mandalorians, Fett mourns the downfall of Mandalore and wants to lend a hand in reuniting its divided people. That armor may be the key to understanding Fett's place in the larger Mandalorian puzzle. Though Chapter 9 expands on a plot point from the Star Wars: Aftermath novels with its depiction of Cobb Vanth as the heir to Fett's armor, we still don't know the full story behind that transaction. How did that group of Jawas come into possession of the armor in the first place? Was Fett robbed after escaping the Sarlacc? Did he exchange the armor for supplies or passage off-world? Did he sell it with the hope of leaving his old life behind him? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/30/the-mandalorian-season-2-episode-1-review"] It's also worth remembering that we've potentially seen Boba Fett twice so far on the series (the other case being the post-credits stinger in Season 1, Episode 5). Both scenes take place on Tatooine, which could suggest Fett has permanently made the desert world his home. This may lend further fuel to the theory he's trying to leave his past behind and lead a simpler life. Even his outfit argues as much, suggesting he may live a nomadic existence among the Tusken Raiders. We don't know exactly what Boba Fett actually wants at this point in his life. We can't even say for sure he's specifically interested in Din Djarin or if their paths simply keep crossing thanks to the whims of the Force. For now, brush up on our Boba Fett Explained feature for more on how he survived his apparent death and what role he might play in the series, And for more on all things Mando, check out our breakdown of every character in the series so far and a look at what we know about Baby Yoda's species. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

From 007 to Henry Jones Sr., we look back at the best movies and greatest roles of the late Sean Connery.

Familiar names like IBM and Google were among the first to break ground in the field of commercial quantum computing, but Honeywell is claiming for itself today. After a few months of teasing, the company has finally shed more light on its new System...

XDA has been around since the dark ages of smartphones and has proven a fertile ground for mods – including CyanogenMod. Now the XDA team has decided to get in the driver’s seat and make a phone of its own. It partnered with F(x)tec to build the hardware so it can focus on the software. Fittingly, it chose LineageOS, the phoenix that rose from the Cyanogen ashes. But that’s not all, Ubuntu Touch OS is supported out of the box. The team managed to get HDMI out working (over USB-C), so you can hook up a large monitor and peripherals to turn the phone into a Linux desktop. Ubuntu can...

LG’s latest Tone Free wireless earphones have a more useful feature to go along with the bacteria-killing UV charging case: active noise cancellation. Each earbud has three microphones that monitor and cancel out sound waves from all directions, lett...

“Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote?” New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman to ever be elected to congress, asked out of the blue on Twitter. She added the parenthetical “I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun.”

Within seconds, Twitch’s top streamers filled the congresswoman’s mentions. “It would be an honor,” Pokimane, who has an audience of 5.9 million followers, tweeted. Illhan Omar, a Minnesota Representative closely associated with Ocasio-Cortez, also joined in. Several popular streamers and personalities came together to play the massively popular Among Us, a multiplayer murder mystery game that has taken Twitch by storm in recent months, in an effort to encourage voting efforts a few weeks before the U.S. election in November.

The stream aired last night to over half a million viewers combined, and, if you were simply watching and enjoying the antics, you may not have noticed the ground shifting beneath your feet. For the longest time, video games have been the target of politicians working to make a name for themselves in opposition to the medium as a whole. The 1993 congressional hearings on video games that birthed the ESRB ratings set a tone for how Washington D.C. and the government saw video games: equal parts frivolous wastes of time for children and mind-altering calls to destructiveness.

It was not even three years ago that the White House put together and released a reel of video game violence, invoking the congressional hearings from 25 years prior. With the same tone and tenor of contempt clearly still prevalent among D.C.’s political class, it felt that not much had changed for video games in the government’s eyes through those decades. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%20was%20not%20even%20three%20years%20ago%20that%20the%20White%20House%20put%20together%20and%20released%20a%20reel%20of%20video%20game%20violence."]

Representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Omar, regardless of political affiliation, have cracked that wall slightly. ‘Get out the vote’ efforts - aimed at increasing voter turnout - traditionally have been funneled through events and gatherings, but of course, that is commonly considered unsafe in 2020 due to COVID concerns. Reaching younger eligible voters through Twitch on one of its most popular multiplayer games alongside its most popular streamers is not only a smart way to work around quarantine practices, but recognizes video games as a logical medium in which to do that. In sharp contrast to other attempts to contextualize video games in American political confines like the 1993 hearings or recent video reel, this just felt like genuine enthusiasm for a fun activity.

The ever-evolving industry has passed a number of modern lawmakers by over the years - games only became a mainstream form of home entertainment in the 1980s -  but that gap is starting to narrow. Ocasio-Cortez, who is 31, approached video games the way most people do, with curiosity, excitement, and earnestness, spotlighting a generational divide with the older politicians she serves alongside. That divide is only going to continue to narrow as younger politicians rise up in the ranks. Ultimately, we are getting closer and closer to an electorate that has never lived without video games and a representational government made up of those same people. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=The%20ever-evolving%20industry%20has%20passed%20a%20number%20of%20modern%20lawmakers%20by%20over%20the%20years...but%20that%20gap%20is%20starting%20to%20narrow."]

This is not to say that Congress will be taking breaks for friendlies in Super Smash Bros. or rushing to get their daily logins in whatever mobile gacha game happened to hit it big that month. It would, however, be crazy to ignore how important it is to meet new generations of people on their own turf and reach out to them with authenticity on normally untrodden grounds. There are more important issues out there than just video games, but it does not hurt to use video games to bring those important issues to the forefront.

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It is hard to say where things go from here. While this stream represented a change in direction that people can look forward to, it is also just one stream. It seems unlikely that our leaders will be meeting us in Apex Legends or building towns in Animal Crossing with any regularity outside of campaign seasons, but ultimately, they may not have to do any of that. Understanding that there is more to video games as unique experiences and social events in their own rights speaks volumes on its own, particularly after so many years of gamers being told that video games are evil by those in charge.

It is easy to look at all of this as cynical, as politics traditionally are. Depending on your views on the politicians in question, the whole thing could rub you the wrong way and have the opposite intended effect. But watching that in that Twitch stream, with the multiple streamers and personalities involved, it was difficult to hold on to that pessimism. It was a group of people having fun with a medium that has largely felt disconnected from our civil process except for bad reasons. It was also hundreds and thousands of people watching and enjoying it. It felt new, vital, and impossible to write off as politics as usual.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Imran Khan is a San Francisco-based writer and occasional cohost at Kinda Funny. You can find his other musings on Twitter.

Google is in a legal bind with the Unites Stated Antitrust Department for allegedly denying other search service companies a chance to compete with the search engine giant. The lawsuit, published on Tuesday, outlines all the tactics that Google uses to deny other search engines a chance to compete fairly in search. The lawsuit was brought forth by Republican Attorneys General of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas to stop Google’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition. Google Search is...

During a press conference this morning, Impossible Foods announced that it’s branching out from just faux meats and is planning on producing a plant-based milk alternative called Impossible Milk. According to the company, it is not designed to be jus...

Some scientists believe that there's a 50-50 chance we really are living in a simulation, and now we have to wonder if The Matrix is looking more like a documentary than science fiction. In a report from Popular Mechanics (via Scientific American), some scientists believe that the odds that life as we know it is a simulation could be as simple as a coin toss. This 50-50 coin toss approximation comes from the Scientific American-cited odds of 50.22222 to 49.77778 when determining whether or not life is a simulation. Scientific American, and subsequently Popular Mechanics, cite philosopher Nick Bostrom's 2003 paper, "Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?" to explain where odds like the ones above come from. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] "I argue that at least one of the following propositions is true," Bostrom says in his paper. "(1): the human species is very likely to become extinct before reaching 'posthuman' stage; (2): any posthuman civilization is extremely unlikely to run a significant number of simulations of its evolutionary history (or variations thereof); (3): we are almost certainly living in a computer simulation. It follows that the belief that there is a significant chance that we shall one day become posthumans who run ancestor-simulations is false, unless we are currently living in a simulation." Bostrom's simulation theory focuses on computing power, much like The Matrix and its sequels did when discussing the idea of humankind simulation. It might be hard to believe there exists a computer powerful enough to simulate our entire existence but, if such a computer did exist, we would never be able to recognize it to begin with as we'd be inside of it, or rather, a part of its simulation. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/21/scientists-claim-evidence-of-parallel-backward-universe-ign-now"] Bostrom's theory of simulation sees the odds at nearly 50-50 and Columbia University astronomer David Kipping used Bostrom's theory as a guide for arriving to his own odds. Kipping's theory dictates that simulations cannot spawn their own additional simulations. "That is because as simulations spawn more simulations, the computer resources available to each subsequent generation dwindles to the point where the vast majority of realities will be those that do not have the computing power necessary to simulate offspring realties that are capable of hosting conscious beings." As Popular Mechanics points out, think of Russian nesting dolls. Each subsequent doll after the first doll must fit into the doll that came before it. As a result, each doll grows smaller and smaller in size and scale as you go deeper into the nest of dolls. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/20/keanu-reeves-and-carrie-anne-moss-join-matrix-4-ign-now"] Basically, we are either in a simulation or we are not in a simulation. If humankind never creates its own simulation using conscious beings, then the odds of us living in a simulation tip further toward "yes," because if we are in a simulation, then we likely wouldn't be able to create one. If humankind does create a simulation of its own using conscious beings, then Kipping and Bostrom's theory about computing power are closer to being proven wrong and the odds of us living in a simulation shift more towards "no." Regardless, it's probably not a bad idea to let Keanu Reeves know now just in case. For more science, read about how some scientists claim evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backward and then read about how this simulation might not matter because various species on Earth keep evolving into crabs. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who became increasingly more existential while writing this story. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

After years of teasing, LG is finally selling a rollable OLED TV. The RX-branded Signature OLED R launched in South Korea today, offering a 65-inch 4K display that tucks away into its base at the press of a button. Besides being able to hide complete...

Amazon has launched a new palm-reading device, but don’t worry, the domineering company isn’t trying to corner the market on predicting your future.

The contactless Amazon One reader is being trialled in its Amazon Go grocery stores in the US and enables users to pay for their goods. The firm says the device will create a “unique palm signature” for each person and says it is designed to be highly secure.

While Amazon is trialing the reader at its own brick and mortar stores, it has big plans for the future of the device, which works simply by hovering a hand above the sensor.

The company says the palm signature could be used as a ticket for a sporting event, to enter a work place, or as a retailer’s loyalty card. Given the need for contactless solutions in the era of COVID-19, there’s a great chance the palm reader could replace other biometric solutions like fingerprint sensors in many locations.

Related: Amazon Prime Day 2020

In recent years contactless tech has focused on using NFC-powered devices, payment cards and readers in order to limit physical contact. It’s hard to imagine a palm sensor being faster than this, but using the hand would reduce the need to actually take out the payment device.

In a blog post announcing Amazon One, the company said: “We built Amazon One to offer … a quick, reliable, and secure way for people to identify themselves or authorise a transaction while moving seamlessly through their day.

“We selected palm recognition for a few important reasons. One reason was that palm recognition is considered more private than some biometric alternatives because you can’t determine a person’s identity by looking at an image of their palm. It also requires someone to make an intentional gesture by holding their palm over the device to use. And it’s contactless, which we think customers will appreciate, especially in current times. Ultimately, using a palm as a biometric identifier puts customers in control of when and where they use the service.”

The post Amazon One turns your palm into a contactless payment method appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

While Star Trek found a new lease of life on the big screen in 2009, it had been more than a decade since the last TV show in the long-running sci-fi franchise when Star Trek: Discovery premiered in September 2017. The show's producers faced the difficult task of making a show that appealed to modern audiences and new fans, as well as satisfying die-hard, long-term Trek devotees.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 followed in 2018, and embraced a darker, more emotionally complex approach to the series. But while the first two seasons of Discovery took the story and characters in some surprising directions, the show has remained very aware of its past. Every episode contained multiple references and callbacks to something from the grand 55-year history of Star Trek, which you can check out in our Season 1 and Season 2 Easter Egg galleries. Sometimes these are sly jokes that only the most dedicated fan would spot, and sometimes they are crucial plot-points and familiar characters.

Season 3 of Discovery is now here. This season is set 900 years after the events of Season 2, so we're perhaps less likely to see familiar characters such as Pike and Spock, both of whom were main protagonists in the previous season. But the show is already delivering plenty of Easter Eggs, callbacks, in-jokes and references, so let's take a look at them so far...

1. The Gorn (Episode 1)

Book tells Burnham "the Gorn destroyed two light-years worth of subspace." The Gorn are a humanoid reptilian species that first appeared in The Original Series episode "Arena." There's also a reference to them in Season 2 when Section 31 boss Leland jokingly talks about "alligators" on the Gorn planet Cestus III.

2. Andorians and the Orions (Episode 1)

Burnham is surprised to learn that Andorians and the Orions are working together. Blue skinned Andorians first appeared in the Original Series episode "Journey to Babel," and were used as recurring characters on Star Trek: Enterprise. Orions are green-skinned and first featured in the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage." Most recently, the animated show Star Trek: Lower Decks features an Orion character named Ensign D'Vana Tendi.

3. Subspace Amplifier (Episode 1)

Burnham notices that Book's ship has a Subspace Amplifier. These devices are used for subspace communication, and were previously used in various episodes of Enterprise to allow the ship to communicate with the Earth and Starfleet Command.

4. Dylithian Recrystalizer (Episode 1)

Book asks Burnham to "whip up a new dylithian recrystalizer." This technology was invented by Queen Po back in Season 2, when she helped the Discovery recharge the time crystal. 900 years in the future, it is clearly used widely.

5. Benamite and the Quantum Slipstream (Episode 1)

Book also mentions needing "Benamite" to "fly Quantum Slipstream." Benamite is the extremely rare crystal that the USS Voyager used to construct a quantum slipstream drive in the Voyager episode "Timeless."

6. Tachyon Solar Sails (Episode 1)

Another of Book's tech references is to tachyon solar sails, which are "slow as s***." In the Deep Space 9 episode "Explorers," tachyons are used to power an ancient solar sailing ship to warp speed.

7. The Temporal Cold War (Episode 1)

Book tells Burnham that all time travel technology was destroyed after the Temporal Wars. This was a conflict fought across different points in time, involving a variety of factions who wanted to manipulate history. These factions included a mysterious benefactor of the Suliban Cabal, the Na'kuhl, the Sphere-Builders, and the Federation. The Temporal Cold War featured as a main plot point in several episodes of Enterprise, in which Captain Jonathan Archer helps to end the conflict.

Dexter, Showtime's serial killer drama that ended disastrously in 2013, is coming back for a limited series revival. The new series will be handled by showrunner Clyde Phillips, who served as showrunner for the original first four seasons, and who has now opened up about how the revival will treat that infamous last season.

In the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter's TV Top 5 podcast, as reported by Vulture, Phillips has talked about what to expect from the show--and said that he won't undo or overwrite the original ending of the series, no matter how much you hated it.

"We basically do get to start from scratch," Phillips said. "We want this to not be Dexter Season 9." The series will pick up close to ten years after that finale, and will "have no resemblance to how that original finale was." However, everything we saw still happened in-universe. "We’re not going to betray the audience and say, 'Whoops, that was all a dream.' What happened in the first eight years happened in the first eight years."

Continue Reading at GameSpot

America's favorite meticulous serial killer Dexter Morgan is making his return in 2021 with a limited series of 10 episodes on Showtime. Michael C. Hall returns to reprise his (in)famous role. Hall joins original series showrunner Clyde Phillips, who steered the show for Dexter's first four seasons before stepping down, with Chip Johannessen (24) taking over showrunner duties in Season 5, before being replaced by Scott Buck (Iron Fist) for Seasons 6 through 8. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/10/07/dexter-michael-c-hall-talks-dexters-finale-and-future] Nothing has been mentioned about the plot, but there has been discussion of a potential Dexter reboot as far back as 2014. At the time, Showtime's president David Nevins said, "If I were to do something, I would want to do Dexter in a new concept and configuration. I want it to feel different – not just a continuation of the old show.” Dexter's final seasons left a sour taste in fans' mouths with its poorly received final episode and many have clamored for a revival since then. Fans even went so far as circulating a fake poster for season 9 that featured Hall and his killer co-star Yvonne Strahovski that was quickly debunked by Showtime. Michael C. Hall was even displeased with how Dexter ended, saying he would've rather had Dexter die in the end instead of the controversial finale's ending. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-and-worst-tv-revivals&captions=true"] In a press release for the upcoming revival, Showtime president of entertainment Gary Levine said, "We would only revisit this unique character if we could find a creative take that was truly worthy of the brilliant, original series. Well, I am happy to report that Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall have found it, and we can’t wait to shoot it and show it to the world!” Here's to hoping Showtime can redeem Dexter and deliver the season that fans have been wanting for over a decade. For more Dexter, check out our rankings of all 8 seasons and our look at the worst episodes of great TV shows. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=4e46d174-5e2a-4563-9245-b4b0fb0c0cef"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Review writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Most people learn about the phenomena of evolution in their middle school and high school science classes, but researchers have recently discovered evidence of “microevolution” with noticeable differences between generations of human beings.

According to September’s Journal of Anatomy, via Sky News, more babies are being born without wisdom teeth, with an extra artery in their arm, or with smaller jaws and shorter faces as a result of microevolution.

"A lot of people thought humans have stopped evolving. But our study shows we are still evolving - faster than at any point in the past 250 years," Dr. Teghan Lucas of Flinders University said.

The reasoning behind fewer teeth in human mouths can be attributed to human faces getting shorter and mouths getting smaller, leaving less room for teeth to develop. Natural selection and humans' increased ability to chew food has resulted in fewer humans developing wisdom teeth.

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An additional artery in the human arm goes as far back as the 19th century. The “median artery” previously used to form in babies during pregnancy, and would normally disappear after birth while radial and ulna arteries had grown.

One in three people now keep their median artery for their entire life. Thankfully, this poses no known health issues and actually increases blood flow to the hands.

"The median artery is a perfect example of how we are still evolving because people born more recently have a higher prevalence of this artery when compared to humans from previous generations,” author Professor Maciej Henneberg said.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/12/new-tyrannosaur-species-discovered-dubbed-reaper-of-death"]

Researchers determined their findings by both tracking how many subjects retained different body parts throughout the generations, as well as dissecting preserved corpses of people born throughout the 20th century.

The study also predicts that people born 80 years from now (so 2100) will all possess a median artery if the trend continues. For more historical discoveries, check out the theory on why Megalodons were so massive (hint: it's because of cannibalism in the womb).

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and his jaw is clenched.

If you, like us, spent your time with The Boys Season 2 over the past two months wondering and theorizing about who was popping people's heads like bubble gum, you were probably happy to finally get an answer at the very end of the Season 2 finale, Episode 8, "What I Know." That said, you may not have been thrilled about what that answer actually was.

Warning: This article contains massive spoilers for The Boys Season 2. You've been warned.

As Congresswoman Victoria Neuman's presence grew throughout The Boys Season 2, it became more and more clear that the anti-Vought politician would have a large role to play. Her resemblance to real-life progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) helped endear her to viewers whose politics align with the show's progressive stance, and by the end, many fans no doubt found themselves clinging to Neuman as the last hope to curtail Vought's power going forward. Unfortunately, as the finale's final scenes revealed, Neuman has actually been working for Vought all along. Not only is she a supe herself, but she's been responsible for the head-exploding murders throughout Season 2, from CIA Deputy Director Raynor in the Season 2 premiere to the bloodbath at the hearing in Episode 7.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Boys Season 2 has reached its bloody conclusion, but our journey isn't over.

The Boys Season 2 was a nightmare, in all the best ways possible. It held up a mirror to society and forced us to face our current dilemma head-on, by showing exactly how Americans--ordinary and super alike--can be so easily seduced by racists and nazis. It told a gripping story about corruption, hatred, unfettered corporate power, and how desperate the fight against those forces can feel.

At the same time, The Boys has some of the most complex characters around, with villains who have a soft side and heroes who are sometimes difficult to root for. It wasn't all grim--with the gore turned up to 11, The Boys Season 2 often cut through the tension with well-placed laughs, even as we cried at the injustice of it all. Frankly, we just loved spending time with these characters. The Boys Season 2 cemented this as one of our favorite shows ever.

And with Episode 8, "What I Know," the season finale was a hell of a note to go out on. Butcher and The Boys rescued Ryan and--with some much-needed help from a few other supes--defeated Stormfront, though at a heavy cost. And we finally got an answer to a 10-episode-long mystery: It was Congresswoman Neuman, who appears to be secretly working directly for Vought, who's been exploding victims' heads. Who saw that coming? Definitely not us.

And those are just the obvious beats. We scoured the whole episode looking for every tiny tidbit and hidden reference that was easy to miss. Read on to discover what we found.

1. What I Know

The episode title is taken from Issue 39 of the comics, in which Butcher discovers that Hughie has been unknowingly dating a member of The Seven.

2. How to survive a supervillain attack

This PSA was designed to resemble the school shooting PSAs that schoolchildren must now watch in real life.

3. ICE is next in line

We learn in the second scene that Compound V is going to be distributed widely among police and first responders. The Pentagon has a big order in, and ICE is "next in line." ICE, of course, is the US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. ICE has reportedly committed serious atrocities, among many other questionable acts and methods, and they're probably the last people in the world who should be given superpowers.

4. A plum gig at Fox

It's interesting to learn that Fox News exists in the world of The Boys, since Vought News was clearly meant to be a parody of it. Guess there's room for two right-wing propaganda networks in this fictional universe.

5. Epinephrine

While preparing to deal with the different supes, Mother's Milk touts Epinephrine as A-Train's kryptonite. Simply put, Epinephrine is a fancy name for adrenaline. With A-Train's already stressed heart, it would likely do the trick, were it to come to that.

6. Wile E. Coyote

Frenchie compares Hughie to Wile E. Coyote, "always chasing Road Runner." This is a reference to the classic cartoon characters, who were first created for Warner Bros. in 1948. In the cartoon, Wile E. Coyote always chases Road Runner, usually with elaborate plans and faulty gadgets, but never quite catches him.

7. Kill 'em all, let God sort them out

This common phrase is generally attributed to 12th-century Catholic crusader Arnaud Amalric. Supposedly, during the sacking of Béziers, a massacre that saw 20,000 people executed and began the Albigensian Crusade, Amalric said, "Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius," which translates to "Kill them. For the Lord knows who are His."

8. Comics Maeve

Queen Maeve in the show has never resembled her comics character--jaded, cynical, and drunk--more than she does in this scene.

9. Ashley's hair

If you've been paying attention this season, you've no doubt noticed Ashley slowly losing massive clumps of hair due to stress. Finally, someone else has noticed as well.

10. Vought: Tournament of Heroes

Homelander asks Ryan if he wants to play Vought: Tournament of Heroes, an apparent video game in which Homelander himself is the main character. But it sounds to us like the kind of crappy licensed cash-in game you find in bargain bins two weeks after it's released.

11. West Elm Death Star

Stormfront refers to Vought Tower (and this room in particular) as a "West Elm Death Star." West Elm is a furniture store that sells expensive, trendy furniture, often found in malls. The Death Star, of course, is the planet-killing superweapon from Star Wars, which is a funny reference for Stormfront to make, since she dresses like a Sith.

12. Planet Vought

The restaurant Planet Vought is a parody of Planet Hollywood, a cheesy themed restaurant chain.

13. Brave Maeve rainbow veggie burger

If you've been paying attention this season, you'll have noticed that Vought has launched a line of vegetarian pride-themed food products tied to Maeve. The latest to emerge is Planet Vought's new "Brave Maeve" rainbow veggie burger. No wonder Ashley was so stressed out when she walked in on Maeve in bed with two men.

14. Duane Reade

Starlight remarks that she thinks her mom got her new crucifix necklace at Duane Reade, a pharmacy and convenience store chain founded in Manhattan in 1960. The stores are mainly located in New York. In 2010, they were bought by Walgreen.

15. VNN

Starlight and Hughie send the Stormfront materials to "Breaking News VNN," or Vought News Network. It probably wasn't smart to send this damning evidence to the propaganda network owned by Vought itself. Later, though, the story breaks on NNC, a CNN parody, so clearly they sent it to more than one outlet.

16. Fort Bragg

Becca remarks that she and Butcher used to shoot guns at the range at Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is a US Army installation in North Carolina. We know Butcher was a member of the SAS, a British Army special forces unit, but we don't know why he might have been stationed at Fort Bragg.

17. White genocide

The concept of "white genocide" that Stormfront lays out for Ryan is a white supremacist conspiracy theory and propaganda tool. It is not a real thing. Even Homelander seems skeptical.

18. Jeffrey Epstein's death

If you look closely at the news chyron when Stormfront's Nazi ties break, you can see that the NYPD has a "credible lead" tying Stormfront to Jeffrey Epstein's death. In real life, Epstein died in his prison cell on August 8, 2020 under suspicious circumstances while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

19. Goebbels and Göring

In addition to Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, the news program identifies Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, in photographs with Stormfront.

20. Vought Sonic

The speakers that The Boys use to distract Homelander are, ironically, Vought-branded technology.

21. Deepfakes

Stormfront claims the pictures of her in Nazi Germany are "deepfakes." The term is a portmanteau of "deep learning" and "fake." It describes videos that use an algorithm to make one person look like someone else, often quite convincingly. The implications of this very real technology are frightening, and various forces have taken notice.

22. Kimiko's healing

You might have been alarmed by Stormfront cracking Kimiko's neck during this fight--but only if you forgot that Kimiko has powerful healing capabilities. This isn't the first time she's come back from the dead; she was mortally wounded by Black Noir in Season 1, but quickly recovered.

23. Girls do get it done

It's a credit to just how good this show is that it can repeatedly make fun of cheesy moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when all the female heroes in a given fight find themselves coincidentally battling alongside one another--usually with a swell of inspirational music--while also pulling off exactly that in this scene. Girls get it done!

24. The crowbar

The crowbar is one of Billy's signature weapons from the comics. He uses it for a very specific purpose late in the books (don't worry, I won't spoil it).

25. Stormfront's German

Stormfront's German is hard to make out here, even if you run it through Google's translation service and ask several co-workers who speak a little German. But she mentions having her "arm out a car window" and finding "a perfect spot under an apple tree." Based on what we know about Stormfront, she's likely experiencing flashbacks to her youth in Germany, and possibly her courtship with Frederick Vought, as her body shuts down following Ryan's attack. In other words, her life is flashing before her eyes.

26. Maniacal Homelander

Homelander grinning maniacally while drenched in blood is one of those images that just sticks with you if you read the books on which the show is based.

27. Space spores

The Deep references part of the Church of the Collective's beliefs during his rant to Alistair, relating to humanity being born from "space spores." This is a reference to Scientology's core belief tenets, which involve aliens and are pretty far out.

28. Saint Christopher

Butcher gives Ryan Becca's pendant of Saint Christopher. Saint Christopher is viewed as the patron saint of travelers due to a legend about him carrying Jesus across a river as a child--not unlike Butcher carrying Ryan away from Homelander.

29. Neuman!

It turns out Congresswoman Victoria Neuman is the supe who's been popping heads all season. Don't worry if you didn't see this twist coming, because there were virtually no clues all season. However, if you return to the previous episode and watch the hearing scene again, you can clearly see her look directly at several people right before they explode.

30. Only the Good Die Young

The credits song this week is "Only the Good Die Young," from Billy Joel's album. It also played earlier in the episode, when Hughie and Starlight were in the car.

In the Season 2 finale, The Boys and Starlight prepare to take on Stormfront and Homelander. Dave and Mike break down "What I Know".

Here are all the comics references and other hidden Easter eggs that we were able to find in Season 2, Episode 8, "What I Know".

Amazon just wrapped up the second season of The Boys, and the series ended on a bombshell almost as big as Season 1's reveal that Homelander has a son. The dust of battle has settled and victory has been achieved, albeit with some very disturbing implications for the future of this demented superhero universe. And in the process, we finally learned the identity of that mysterious, head-exploding assassin. Read on for a full breakdown of the ending and what it all means for the recently greenlit Season 3, but beware of full spoilers for the Season 2 finale of The Boys ahead! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/10/the-boys-season-ending-explained"]

The Head Popper Revealed

Season 2 introduced a recurring subplot involving a mysterious assassin with the power to make their victims' heads explode. The finale finally revealed the identity of that assassin, and it's probably the last character anyone would have guessed - crusading politician Victoria Neuman. That reveal comes at the very end of the episode, as Neuman cuts a deal with the slick, slimy cult leader Alastair Adana, only to appear outside his mansion with a literally mind-blowing parting gift. It's certainly a shocking reveal, particularly because Victoria had been depicted as one of the few genuinely good and well-meaning characters on the show. The Boys’ version of the character is reminiscent of actual Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, though clearly that resemblance only runs surface deep. That said, Season 2 has been leaving clues as to the killer's identity. As showrunner Eric Kripke told IGN, the premiere episode basically spelled it out for us, even if that clue is only obvious in hindsight. "Look at the first time she’s introduced," said Kripke. "We tell the audience as she’s being introduced that she’s the head popper. Right after [Susan] Rayner’s head explodes, [Marvin’s line to Frenchie] is, ‘Who do you know who can do this!’ And we cut to Victoria. And it’s the first time you see her. So the very first introduction was us hinting who she really was. We definitely tracked through and made sure we were correct with all of our motivations. Especially knowing where she’s going, and made sure it all lined up.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-boys-season-2-gallery&captions=true"] That initial head-popping scene set a precedent for the rest of the season. Whenever the assassin strikes, Neuman is somewhere in the vicinity. Though Kripke says Neuman can "pretty much pop any head that she wants, which gives her an incredible amount of power," it seems her one limitation is the need to have her victims in her line of sight. That's why Episode 7's bloodbath unfolds with Victoria right in the middle of a packed courtroom. She's picking her targets and assassinating them, even as she feigns horror. Episode 6 was also designed to throw viewers off the scent, as the asylum breakout featured another character with similar head-popping abilities. Despite the fact that the writers were teasing this reveal from the beginning, actress Claudia Doumit wasn't in on the secret until the tail-end of production. “I had no idea," she told IGN. "I thought I was coming into the show as this congresswoman, and that was it. I had no idea I had any powers, so I’m just as surprised as the audience. I didn’t find out until Episode 7." Keeping Doumit in the dark seems to have had the desired effect in terms of making her character's expressions of shock and innocence seem genuine. However, with Episode 7's gruesome courtroom scene, Kripke and his team specifically filmed multiple versions of Doumit's material, with the goal being to have one version where Neuman is visibly horrified by the violence around her and another where she's calmer and more collected. "We did a couple of different reactions for her," Doumit said. "We did the one that made it, where she’s shocked and she’s seeing this all play out as if, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s happening? Oh no, who could it be?’ And then we did a couple where it was more toned down and she was more in control and just looking at it happen rather than reacting in the way that she does on screen. But I think that’s the direction we went because you don’t want to suspect her, you don’t want to think it’s her doing anything, she’s in this mess just like everyone else.”

Is Victoria Neuman In The Boys Comic?

Like most of the characters on the show, Victoria Neuman is based on an existing character from The Boys comic book. But as with Shawn Ashmore's Lamplighter, she's a case where quite a few liberties have been taken in the transition from page to screen. In the comic, the character is Victor K. Neuman, former CEO of Vought and current Vice President of the United States. That version of Neuman, nicknamed "Vic the Veep," is basically a parody of George W. Bush and is depicted as a bumbling idiot whom Vought is able to easily manipulate to their advantage. Also unlike the TV version, he has no superhuman powers. That said, Vic the Veep's political trajectory may give us some idea of how Victoria Neuman fits into the larger road map of the TV series. [caption id="attachment_2420821" align="aligncenter" width="1278"] Victoria Neuman doesn't share much in common with her comic book counterpart. Art by Darick Robertson. (Image Credit: Dynamite Entertainment)[/caption] “One thing I love about The Boys is all the real-life, grimy worlds it gets involved in," Kripke told IGN. "And through Victor Neuman they delved into politics rising as high as the White House. I wanted to hint to the audience that as the show proceeds, we’re going to get into the political sphere as well, and as a congresswoman she’s going to be our way in." Kripke continued, "She’s not just going to be Vic, who was kind of an idiot in Vought’s pocket -- I think [The Boys comic creator/writer] Garth [Ennis] was trying to make a satire on George W. Bush at the time. But she is going to be someone who is rising in government but has ulterior motives that are dangerous. In that way, we try to take the spirit of the character from the comics and update them in a modern way.”

Is Stormfront Still Alive?

Victoria Neuman's rise in the Season 2 finale coincides with the fall of Stormfront. After enduring a savage beatdown courtesy of Starlight, Queen Maeve and Kimiko, Stormfront ultimately meets her defeat when she pushes Homelander's son Ryan over the edge and is dismembered by his heat vision. When last we see her, Stormfront is burnt to a crisp, missing several limbs and muttering in German. At this point it's unclear whether Stormfront's injuries were fatal or if she's still clinging to life in a Vought laboratory somewhere. Her... rather physical approach to foreplay with Homelander certainly suggests Stormfront has healing abilities, but that may or may not extend to regenerating missing limbs and eyeballs. And in any case, whether Stormfront is alive or dead may be beside the point. With her past as a Nazi test subject exposed, Stormfront has outlived her usefulness as a public-facing member of the Seven. If she serves any purpose going forward, it's more likely as genetic fodder for Vought's other superhuman experiments. In other words, don't expect Aya Cash to reprise the role in Season 3 unless Stormfront returns via flashback. Which could actually be a possibility, as we'll touch on in a moment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/the-boys-creator-breaks-down-that-insane-whale-clip-from-season-2"]

Have the Boys Disbanded?

Season 2 ends on a far happier note for most of our heroes. While Billy Butcher was forced to watch his wife die and send her son into protective custody with the CIA, he and his team scored a big victory against Homelander and Vought. Their criminal records have been cleared, and they're now free to go back to being ordinary civilians if they so choose. For some characters, like Hughie and Mother's Milk, Season 2 ends on a downright happy note. But it doesn't take a superhuman psychic to know things won't stay that way when Season 3 rolls around. "There’s no question that they begin in a place of feeling safe," said Kripke. "The Boys are not totally disbanded. The Boys we will find at the top of Season 3 will actually be very recognizable to the ones in the comic book: officially backed by the CIA now, offices in the Flatiron building. You know, it’s going to be kind of classic Boys but with a couple twists and turns, like Hughie won’t be with them for instance. He’s working with the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. But drama being drama, the world of safety they think they’re living in explodes pretty quickly and they find themselves with a big new problem." Certainly, the rise of Victoria Neuman complicates the ongoing war between Vought and The Boys. Kripke describes her as "the wild card" in Season 3, one whose motives may or may not align with either faction. And the fact that Hughie is now working directly for Neuman will cause problems of its own. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/24/amazons-the-boys-season-2-review"] "I think she sees opportunity there," teased Doumit. "And I think [Victoria] latches onto that, I think she’s all about maneuvering and opportunity. I think she’s very calculated in her approach. So I think she’s just been handed a lovely little gift with Hughie walking in. So she’s probably seeing how that can play out in her favor moving forward." We also know Supernatural star Jensen Ackles has been cast as patriotic hero Soldier Boy for Season 3. Kripke told us Soldier Boy will shake up the status quo in a big way, perhaps as much as Stormfront's debut did for Season 2. In the process, Soldier Boy will help shine a brighter light on Vought's sinister past and the origins of their superhero creations. “The big season-wide mythology will be about Soldier Boy," said Kripke. "What’s interesting about Soldier Boy is that he’s been around for decades. He was Homelander before Homelander. So it really gives us an opportunity to not just get into new corners of the story in the present day, but to really explore the past of Vought in the last ’60 to ’70 years and how they became who they became.” For more on The Boys, check out IGN's review of the Season 2 finale and find out more about the show's upcoming superhero college-themed spinoff and why we never see Black Noir's face. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.