Two Titanic Structures Hidden Deep Within the Earth Have Altered the Magnetic Field for Millions of Years

A team of geologists has found for the first time evidence that two ancient, continent-sized, ultrahot structures hidden beneath the Earth have shaped the planet’s magnetic field for the past 265 million years. These two masses, known as large low-shear-velocity provinces (LLSVPs), are part of the catalog of the planet’s most enormous and enigmatic objects….

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Loyalty Is Dead in Silicon Valley

Since the middle of last year, there have been at least three major AI “acqui-hires” in Silicon Valley. Meta invested more than $14 billion in Scale AI and brought on its CEO, Alexandr Wang; Google spent a cool $2.4 billion to license Windsurf’s technology and fold its cofounders and research teams into DeepMind; and Nvidia…

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Talking Carts 8: Buy a Car Like a Pro

Main theme: Consumer Reports has been the destination for unbiased car reviews since 1936. But did you know that we anonymously buy every vehicle we test—some 50 cars, trucks, and SUVs each year?  In this episode, hosts Tanya Christian and Brian Vines get a crash course in car buying from our senior autos reporter, Keith…

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The Best Super Bowl TV Deals (2026)

If you’re using this as an excuse to upgrade to an more premium panel, we recommend the LG C4 OLED. It’s an impressive screen, with sky-high brightness and vivid colors, plus full support for Dolby Vision. It’s just as good for playing games as it is for watching them, with up to 144-Hz refresh at…

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Should You Buy a WiFi Extender?

There are currently 12 WiFi extenders in our ratings, all of which you simply plug into an outlet and set up using either a mobile app or a web-based wizard. We use a professional wireless performance software suite to test each model’s capabilities. This software measures the throughput of the extender directly from a nearby…

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Talking Cars 492: 10 Top Picks of 2026

Main theme: In this episode of the “Talking Cars” video podcast, we discuss the models that make up the best and brightest cars and trucks that we’ve tested. The panel says that, for the first time, every CR Top Pick is either a hybrid (or available as one) or an electric vehicle. We talk about…

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An ‘Intimacy Crisis’ Is Driving the Dating Divide

In the US, nearly half of adults are single. A quarter of men suffer from loneliness. Rates of depression are on the rise. And one in four Gen Z adults—the so-called kinkiest generation, according to one study—have never had partnered sex. In an age of endless connection, where hooking up happens with the ease of…

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Most and Least Reliable Toaster Oven Brands

Our latest survey is based on the track record of 30,619 toaster ovens owned by CR members who purchased them new between 2016 and 2024. We examined that data to produce a rating for predicted reliability, which estimates the likelihood that newly purchased toaster ovens from a given brand will develop problems or break within…

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