Wandering the echoing halls of a consumer goods trade show, you’re bombarded with demos and dubstep, startups and subwoofers. So one of the best ways for personal audio products to make noise is by … cancelling it. And that’s exactly what Shenzhen-based brand Baseus has brought to IFA 2025 in Berlin: the Inspire Series, three fresh headphones and earbuds co-developed with Sound by Bose. Yes, that Bose. The same sonic surgeons who’ve helped brands like Skullcandy punch above their price class now lend their name—and tuning chops—to Baseus’s burgeoning Bluetooth audio lineup.

Topping the trio is the Inspire XH1—an over-ear flagship. With Dolby Spatial Audio, LDAC, and Hi-Res Wireless certs, plus “CloudComfort” padding and a -48dB 4-layer adaptive ANC system that scans your sonic surroundings 38,400 times per second, it claims to offer up to 100 hours of widescreen playback or 65 with ANC on. Running out of juice after enjoying five-mic AI that keeps calls clear in chaos? You can claw back 12 hours of battery life from a 10-minute charge and continue to cut through that commute clatter.

Craving punchy peace and Dolby Spatial Audio, but need something lighter? The Inspire XP1 contoured TWS earbuds use a dual-layer diaphragm for SuperBass 3.0 thunder plus SuperBalance 3.0 detail, and offer umbrella-tip silicone comfort with -50dB adaptive ANC and 6-mic AI smarts—all in a pocket-sized, bass-forward but balanced package that plays 45 hours with the case. Rounding out the lineup is the Inspire XC1, the world’s first open-ear clip-ons with Sound by Bose. Pairing a 10.8mm dynamic driver and a Knowles balanced armature with LDAC and AI EQ tuning, they’re wrapping high-output playback in a flexible made-for-high-excursion body with an IP66 rating and wind-resistant up to 25km/h—designed for running, cycling, skateboarding, or quick calls on the street.

All three are shipping now—$129 to $149 depending on your pick—and we’re already listening. Look for impressions on the PopSci Gear channel and @popscigoods as we fit these (and other) affordable sonic upgrades into our noise-canceling and travel audio coverage (and recap more of what we saw in Germany). Because immersive doesn’t have to mean expensive. Sometimes it just means inspired.

The post Baseus launches new Inspire line of Sound by Bose headphones/earbuds at IFA 2025 appeared first on Popular Science.

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“Man’s best friend” is proving to be helpful for studying a deadly heart mutation. A team at North Carolina State University identified a genetic mutation that’s a telltale sign of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers. Although the disease itself is rare in dogs, the discovery may soon expand experts’ understanding of the life-threatening heart disease that’s far more common in other mammals—including pet owners.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects approximately one in 500 people and is the result of genomic mutations. HCM thickens the heart’s left ventricular muscle, resulting in a significant reduction in oxygenated blood circulation. Although up to half of all cases show no obvious clinical signs, its complications including irregular heart rhythms, blood clotting, and even heart failure can turn fatal very suddenly for a smaller subset of patients. 

HCM is even more dangerous to other animal species. Cats have a one-in-seven chance of harboring the disease, a likelihood that increases to one-in-four for pig and rhesus macaque nuclear families. While previously considered rare in dogs, the authors of a recent study published in the journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine have pinpointed a genomic marker for canines.

“This is the first genetic variant to explain HCM outside of humans and cats. And while it is specific to golden retrievers, it’s the first variant to be described in any dog breed,” study co-author and veterinarian Victor Rivas said in a statement.

The team focused on the whole genome sequences of three related golden retriever puppies under the age of two who all experienced sudden cardiac deaths. The data was then compared with relatives in their family tree, along with the sequences from over 2,500 unrelated canines across multiple breeds, as well as wolves and coyotes. Their analysis eventually highlighted a single variant present in the gene known as Cardiac Troponin-I, or TNNI3. And when it comes to humans, TNNI3 mutations are proven links between juvenile HCM and sudden death.

Further examinations revealed that the golden retriever TNNI3 mutation is autosomal recessive. This means that each parent must possess the same gene in order for the disease to present itself in offspring. Although the three puppies’ parents were cardiovascularly healthy, their copies of the mutation allowed it to manifest in the next generation.

Currently, the TNNI3 marker only applies to golden retrievers. However, the discovery is still a major moment in maintaining the popular breed’s overall health.

“The positive news is that by collaborating with the golden retriever community we may be able to ensure that HCM remains a very rare disease in dogs,” said Rivas.

Rivas also noted that the genomic variant overlap in humans and golden retrievers may lead to wider public health ramifications.

“The case similarities in humans and golden retrievers with these TNNI3 variants is remarkable and could lead to translational health studies that can shape our understanding of the disease mechanisms and ultimately benefit humans with similar mutations,” said Rivas.

The post Golden retrievers help scientists pinpoint a deadly heart mutation appeared first on Popular Science.

To the untrailed eye, a rock on the side of the road is just that: a lowly rock. To geologists, they are time capsules chock full of data from some of our planet’s most turbulent days. Now, scientists are unraveling a dramatic story secreted away in rare, roughly 800 million-year-old volcanic rocks called carbonatites. Uncovered deep within central Australia, these seemingly unremarkable rocks are telling geologists about a time when continents ripped violently apart. 

Core samples and isotope-dating of the metal-rich carbonatites recently discovered in Australia’s Northern Territory indicate that the rocks traveled near the Earth’s surface between 830 and 820 million years ago. During this time, the ancient supercontinent Rodinia was breaking apart. Rodinia incorporated almost all of Earth’s landmasses for about 450 million years during the Proterozoic Eon (2.5 billion to 541 million years ago), over a billion years before the last supercontinent, Pangaea, formed.

As tectonic plates ripped apart Rodinia about one billion years ago, magma rose up from the Earth’s shifting mantle. Eventually, that magma cooled, crystalized, and solidified creating these rare Australian carbonatites.

“This tectonic setting allowed carbonatite magma to rise through fault zones that had remained open and active for hundreds of millions of years, delivering metal-rich melts from deep in the mantle up into the crust,” study University of Göttingen geochemist Maximilian Dröllner explained in a statement. In other words, these rocks are likely straight from the Earth’s deep middle layer. Dröllner is also the co-author of a recent study published in the journal Geological Magazine that describes the rocks. 

Magma or lava-made rocks, known as igneous rocks, are common across the world. But carbonites like these are few and far between. 

“Carbonatites are rare igneous rocks known to host major global deposits of critical metals such as niobium and rare earth elements,” added study co-author and geologist Chris Kirkland. “But determining when and how they formed has historically been difficult due to their complex geological histories.”

To unlock their stories, the team used high-resolution imaging to reconstruct over 500 million years of geological events that the rocks experienced. With this approach, the team pinpointed that the carbonatites formed 830 and 820 million years ago. The imaging and isotope analysis also helped the team separate when the rocks went through more subtle changes versus the more dramatic events, such as when Rodina was tearing apart and magma shot up to the Earth’s surface. 

These carbonatites also contain one of the world’s oldest deposits of an important metal called niobium. Nobium is a silvery metal that is highly resistant to both heat and corrosion. As such, it is useful for producing high-strength steel and clean energy technologies. 

“These carbonatites are unlike anything previously known in the region and contain important concentrations of niobium, a strategic metal used to make lighter, stronger steel for aircraft, pipelines, and EVs, and a key component in some next-generation battery and superconducting technologies,” said Dröllner.

The team’s research sheds new light on how these rare, metal-rich magmas can reach Earth’s surface. Even though this carbonatite deposit is billions of years old, it could still play a role in protecting our planet’s future for hundreds of years to come. 

The post How a fracturing supercontinent forged rare volcanic rocks appeared first on Popular Science.

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A growing trend in affordable housing is transforming often-vacant ground-floor spaces into community hubs by prioritizing nonprofit tenants. Saul Ettlin of Community Vision outlines how these partnerships benefit developers, residents, and neighborhoods alike.

Nonprofits gain long-term affordable leases and visibility, while developers secure stable tenants, community buy-in, and sometimes additional funding opportunities. Residents and neighbors benefit from active street-level uses such as child care centers, health clinics, arts programs, and culturally responsive services. This “placekeeping” approach helps preserve community identity and prevents cultural displacement.

The article shares lessons the author learned from working on 11 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects in California, offering best practices for developers, nonprofits, and local governments. Early collaboration and long-term leases are key to success. With intention and trust, these partnerships turn underutilized commercial space into vibrant assets that reinforce equitable development.

• Affordable Housing
• Nonprofits
• Community Development

A new law in New York City acknowledges the need for many seniors to live with caretakers, mandating that 20 percent of affordable housing built for seniors have a second bedroom.

As Miriam Musa explains in Rolling Out, “This groundbreaking policy shift acknowledges that nearly one-third of the city’s seniors live with adult children and need larger living spaces to maintain family connections while aging in place.”

The city’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program will require developers who use the program to get low-interest loans to designate at least 20 percent of units as two-bedrooms, specifically targeting areas where affordable housing is hardest to come by. “This geographic focus helps address displacement concerns while keeping seniors connected to their established communities and support networks,” Musa adds.

The change marks a shift in affordable housing policies that previously focused on age-segregated senior housing with small studio or one-bedroom units. “The policy changes reflect a broader philosophy about aging that prioritizes community connection and personal dignity over institutional efficiency. By enabling seniors to live with family members, aides or chosen family, the new requirements support diverse approaches to aging that maintain autonomy while providing necessary support.”

• New York City
• Senior Housing
• seniors
• Affordable Housing
• Senior Affordable Rental Apartments
• Multigenerational Households
• Multigenerational Housing