EXPLAINER: What is a derecho?
Multiple tornadoes and thunderstorms that struck the Great Plains and upper Midwest on Dec. 15 were the result of a rare event called a derecho, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. It was the first on record in Decem.....»»
"Dune: Part Two" ending explained: What comes next for Paul and Chani?
"Dune: Part Two" ends on a somber note of holy war, oncoming oppression, and a tragic split between Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). Explainer. After the tremendous three hours of spice, sandworms, and Sardaukar that is Dune: Part.....»»
Everything you ever wanted to know about TV brightness, nits, and tone mapping
Are nits the be-all and end-all of television specs? Or is it just one more overused selling point? We break it down in a full explainer of TV brightness......»»
"True Detective: Night Country" finale: Was time travel involved?
Did the finale of "True Detective: Night Country" hint at actual time travel? An explainer. True Detective: Night Country has been a season packed full of mysteries, and the finale finally got to the heart of some of our most burning questions......»»
Space station astronaut marks World Toilet Day with an explainer
To mark World Toilet Day, an ISS crewmember has answered one of the most common questions that astronauts get asked: How do you use the bathroom in space?.....»»
Researchers hunt for hard-to-spot genetic links to improve crop and livestock breeding
When a hurricane-like derecho knocked down corn plants across Iowa in August 2020, it was devastating for farmers. But it also presented a natural experiment for an Iowa State University research team, which fanned out across flattened fields in the.....»»
"V/H/S85" uses this obscure song to give you nightmares
In the "V/H/S85" segment "Dreamkill," Scott Derrickson uses the impressively obscure Throbbing Gristle song "Hamburger Lady" to give you nightmares. Explainer. Scott Derrickson is known for his terrifying mainstream horror films, from his featu.....»»
"Fall of the House of Usher": Mike Flanagan tweets tiny detail you may have missed
"The Fall of the House of Usher" creator Mike Flanagan has tweeted an explainer of Episode 4, "The Black Cat". The Fall of the House of Usher is full of WTF moments, but one of the most memorable has to be Leo Usher (Rahul Kohli) blinding his n.....»»
What is Roku? The streaming platform explained
What is Roku? Is it a device or software or a streaming service? And what does it cost? Our full explainer will make you a streaming media expert in minutes......»»
The IBM mainframe: How it runs and why it survives
In this deep-dive explainer, we look at a big-business mainstay. Enlarge / A Z16 Mainframe. Mainframe computers are often seen as ancient machines—practically dinosaurs. But mainframes, which are purpose-built to proc.....»»
Inflation Reduction Act"s EV tax credits explained
The Inflation Reduction Act has three incentive programs for electric vehicle purchases. Here's a brief explainer on the eligibility requirements and how each credit works......»»
ChatGPT explained: everything you need to know about the AI chatbot
What is ChatGPT and how does the viral AI chatbot work? We're crunched down all of the basics in this handy explainer......»»
Windstorm was likely a derecho. What is that?
A long line of quick-moving thunderstorms that produced a swath of damaging wind gusts across northern Texas and Oklahoma late Sunday likely qualified the event as a derecho, although that's not an official designation, said Nolan Meister, a meteorol.....»»
EXPLAINER: How much will the rain help California"s drought?
California has experienced a devastating, multi-year drought that's depleted reservoirs, forced officials to plead with residents to conserve water and constrained supplies to vital farmland......»»
EXPLAINER: Arctic blast sweeps US, bomb cyclone possible
An arctic blast is bringing extreme cold, heavy snow and intense wind across much of the U.S. this week—just in time for the holidays......»»
EXPLAINER: Where will Hawaii"s biggest volcano erupt from?
The ground is shaking and swelling at Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world, indicating that it could erupt. Scientists say they don't expect that to happen right away but officials on the Big Island of Hawaii are telling residents to be.....»»
God of War plot explainer: The story so far
There are a lot of older games, though, which can make it a big investment, so the next best thing is our summary of the entire story of God of War so far......»»
What does a 120Hz refresh rate do? Smartphone refresh rates explained
What is a refresh rate, and how does it affect your smartphone? Here's an explainer of what a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate on a smartphone actually is......»»
IoT harmony? What Matter and Thread really mean for your smart home
An explainer on how Matter and Thread work and how they might actually help. Enlarge / Matter promises to make smart home devices work with any control system you want to use, securely. This marketing image also seems to promise an int.....»»
Explainer: Why a NASA spacecraft will crash into an asteroid
In the first-of-its kind, save-the-world experiment, NASA is about to clobber a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away......»»
What is an audio codec? A jargon-free explainer
Ever heard or read a reference to audio codecs and wondered what the heck they are? Give us five minutes and we'll bring you up to speed, with no geek-speak......»»