Human space colonies may be further away than we think, unfortunately. Scientists have long been researching the health effects of space travel on humans, and new discoveries indicate the health effects can be detrimental. As explained by ScienceAlert, we've known that space travel is dangerous for a long time - after all, we've been doing it for over 50 years now. But, if our plan is to colonize Mars in the future, it's important we understand just what is at stake. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] According to discoveries made as part of NASA's Twin Study, extended time in space can affect blood flow to the brain, alter the ratio of bacteria in your gut microbiome, and cause temporary visual impairments, among other effects, due to the microgravity found outside Earth. The issues begin during liftoff when astronauts are subjected to G forces almost three times what we experience on Earth. After exiting our atmosphere, space radiation becomes an issue and something that scientists are still looking to understand. "Going forward, our goal is to get a better idea of underlying mechanisms, of what's going on during long-duration space flight in the human body, and how it varies between people," said Susan Bailey, a biologist from Colorado State University. "Not everybody responds the same way." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] A one-way trip to Mars can take roughly seven months, meaning a round trip leads to a minimum of well over a year in space – not counting any research time on the planet itself. While this may not seem like a long time, relatively speaking, it is just shy of the record for the longest duration in space by a single person. Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov spent 438 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station in 2016. This is just a singular case, however. In order to truly test the long-term health effects of space travel, we'll inevitably need a larger sample size. Currently, much of the data is pooled as part of NASA's GeneLab Project. This is a more cost-effective way for scientists to test samples and compare data. The results of one such test indicated a collective change in the subjects' mitochondria—tiny organelles within our cells that help to convert food into usable energy. "What we found over and over was that something is happening with the mitochondria regulation that throws everything out of whack," said Afshin Beheshti, a bioinformatician at NASA's Ames Research Center. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/08/21/the-martian-features-these-9-real-nasa-technologies-ign-news"] While the idea of living in space or on another planet is certainly appealing, we've clearly got a lot more to understand first. For more space news, read about NASA's discovery of water on the moon as well as possible signs of life on Venus. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Nintendo is now allowing players to view their Nintendo Switch Year In Review that shows what kind of player they are, how many hours were played, how many games they played, and what your most-played games are. If you want to know how many hours your spent in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, or Paper Mario: The Origami King, you can find your own Nintendo Switch Year In Review on Nintendo.com. Not only does it show you a bunch of stats from this year, it also compares them to 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/02/the-best-nintendo-gifts-holiday-gift-guide-2020"] Many players will undoubtedly see that their play time has increased year-over-year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that is making many spend more time at home. Despite Switch shortages this year, Nintendo's newest console has achieved a 24-month streak as being the best-selling hardware platform in terms of units sold. In November 2020, it even withstood the launch of both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. For more on Nintendo Switch, be sure to check out our list of the Top 25 Switch Games and our guide for the best gifts for Nintendo fans for some last-minute shopping this holiday season. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-switch-games-fall-2020-update&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Nintendo is now allowing players to view their Nintendo Switch Year In Review that shows what kind of player they are, how many hours were played, how many games they played, and what your most-played games are. If you want to know how many hours your spent in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, or Paper Mario: The Origami King, you can find your own Nintendo Switch Year In Review on Nintendo.com. Not only does it show you a bunch of stats from this year, it also compares them to 2019. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/02/the-best-nintendo-gifts-holiday-gift-guide-2020"] Many players will undoubtedly see that their play time has increased year-over-year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that is making many spend more time at home. Despite Switch shortages this year, Nintendo's newest console has achieved a 24-month streak as being the best-selling hardware platform in terms of units sold. In November 2020, it even withstood the launch of both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. For more on Nintendo Switch, be sure to check out our list of the Top 25 Switch Games and our guide for the best gifts for Nintendo fans for some last-minute shopping this holiday season. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-switch-games-fall-2020-update&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

As if all the geeky cameos and guest appearances in The Mandalorian: Season 2 weren't enough, Disney may be planning to bring another iconic Star Wars character back into the fold. The official Star Wars Instagram account wished actor Samuel L. Jackson a happy birthday, while strongly hinting Jackson may be reprising the role of Jedi Master Mace Windu. The message reads, "The party isn’t over, it’s just beginning! Sending a very happy birthday to Samuel L. Jackson." The message is clearly referencing Mace's iconic line from Attack of the Clones, where he confronts Count Dooku and Jango Fett and declares, "This party is over!" However, the wording of the message definitely seems to imply Jackson is returning to the role in some capacity, presumably in an upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+. If so, it's unclear whether Jackson would star in his own, unannounced project or play a supporting role in another series. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems one likely possibility. That series is set ten years after the events of Episode III (roughly the same time period as Solo: A Star Wars Story) and sheds light on Obi-Wan's struggles in that lost period during his exile on Tatooine. We've already learned Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader in that series, so bringing back Jackson's Mace Windu would be icing on the cake for prequel fans. Assuming Mace does return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's unclear whether the character would appear in the main story or via a Clone Wars-era flashback. Fans have long speculated that Mace survived his seemingly fatal clash with Darth Sidious in Episode III, so it's not unrealistic to expect an older, one-armed Master Windu aiding Obi-Wan in his quest. Or will he appear further down the Star Wars timeline, possibly giving Boba Fett a chance at vengeance for his slain father? [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] Should Jackson return, he would join a growing list of actors reprising their iconic Star Wars role on Disney+. The Mandalorian also brought back Katee Sackhoff in her first live-action performance as Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison's Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand will now star in the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, which will premiere in December 2021. Plus, there was that pretty huge cameo in the Season 2 finale... Do you want to see more Mace Windu? Where do you think the master swordsman will appear next? Vote in the poll below and et us know what you think in the comments: [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=d0d2e136-f3a0-4a08-b6c9-25bd8993f33a"] [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.

As if all the geeky cameos and guest appearances in The Mandalorian: Season 2 weren't enough, Disney may be planning to bring another iconic Star Wars character back into the fold. The official Star Wars Instagram account wished actor Samuel L. Jackson a happy birthday, while strongly hinting Jackson may be reprising the role of Jedi Master Mace Windu. The message reads, "The party isn’t over, it’s just beginning! Sending a very happy birthday to Samuel L. Jackson." The message is clearly referencing Mace's iconic line from Attack of the Clones, where he confronts Count Dooku and Jango Fett and declares, "This party is over!" However, the wording of the message definitely seems to imply Jackson is returning to the role in some capacity, presumably in an upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+. If so, it's unclear whether Jackson would star in his own, unannounced project or play a supporting role in another series. The upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems one likely possibility. That series is set ten years after the events of Episode III (roughly the same time period as Solo: A Star Wars Story) and sheds light on Obi-Wan's struggles in that lost period during his exile on Tatooine. We've already learned Hayden Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader in that series, so bringing back Jackson's Mace Windu would be icing on the cake for prequel fans. Assuming Mace does return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, it's unclear whether the character would appear in the main story or via a Clone Wars-era flashback. Fans have long speculated that Mace survived his seemingly fatal clash with Darth Sidious in Episode III, so it's not unrealistic to expect an older, one-armed Master Windu aiding Obi-Wan in his quest. Or will he appear further down the Star Wars timeline, possibly giving Boba Fett a chance at vengeance for his slain father? [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] Should Jackson return, he would join a growing list of actors reprising their iconic Star Wars role on Disney+. The Mandalorian also brought back Katee Sackhoff in her first live-action performance as Bo-Katan Kryze, as well as Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett. Morrison's Fett and Ming-Na Wen's Fennec Shand will now star in the spinoff series The Book of Boba Fett, which will premiere in December 2021. Plus, there was that pretty huge cameo in the Season 2 finale... Do you want to see more Mace Windu? Where do you think the master swordsman will appear next? Vote in the poll below and et us know what you think in the comments: [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=d0d2e136-f3a0-4a08-b6c9-25bd8993f33a"] [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.

A new study suggests that alien civilizations destroyed themselves through progress, meaning our galaxy could be full of dead alien civilizations. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology researchers believe that the galaxy might be home to alien civilizations that destroyed themselves through technological advances that eventually "lead to complete destruction and biological degeneration," as reported by the NY Post. This theory posits that any intelligent life that lived in the Milky Way before us has likely already killed itself off. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "If intelligent life is likely to destroy themselves, it is not surprising that there is little or no intelligent life elsewhere," the researchers state in a paper detailing their theory. If you're wondering why we might still be alive, it's because humans are billions of years behind these now-dead civilizations. The aliens in question probably saw life form around 8 billion years after the formation of the Milky Way whereas we didn't arrive until 13.5 billion years after its formation, meaning we are about 5.5 billion years behind. "Since Carl Sagan's time, there's been lots of research," NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist, Jonathan H. Jiang, said, as reported by LiveScience. "Especially since the Hubble Space Telescope and Kepler Space Telescope, we have lots of knowledge about the densities in the Milky Way galaxy and star formation rates and exoplanet formation...and the occurrence rate of supernova explosions. We actually know some of the numbers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/27/pentagon-officially-declassifies-and-releases-3-navy-videos-purportedly-showing-ufos"] The numbers Jiang is referring to is the mystery variables Sagan referred to in his Cosmos miniseries where he discussed the Drake equation. This equation comes from Frank Drake in 1961 and is an equation used to estimate the number of active alien civilizations in the Milky Way. Due to the limitations of their time, Drake and Sagan had to include variables that couldn't be identified more precisely. Jiang and the team of researchers they worked with have learned some of those numbers that Sagan and Drake couldn't identify. No single factor is more important than the idea that intelligent creatures generally have a tendency that leans toward self-annihilation, according to LiveScience. The theory also includes factors like the prevalence of sun-like stars harboring Earth-like plants, the number of deadly supernovas near the alien civilizations, the probability of intelligent life evolving, and the tendency of advanced civilizations to destroy themselves through progress. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] All of these factors and more come together to lead Jiang and the other researchers to believe that advanced alien civilizations did exist at one point, but likely lead themselves to destruction by way of progress. We might not be the sole civilization that exists as living in the galaxy though, as a some scientists theorize there might be 36 extraterrestrial races among the stars, as reported by SyFy Wire. This isn't the first time researchers have theorized that our galaxy might be home to the remains of now-dead alien civilizations. Back in 2018, researchers arrived to this same theory, but it wasn't progress that lead to their civilization-wide annihilation — it was climate change, according to this report from Forbes. Regardless of the reasoning, Earth and the human race sound about 5.5 billion years late to the party of progress-related annihilation, but if it turns out climate change is the reason, we might be closer to our end than 5.5 billion years. While waiting to find out what our fate is, read about possible signs of life detected on Venus and then read about how according to a former Israeli government official, the United States and Israel are in contact with a galactic federation of aliens. [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. 

A new study suggests that alien civilizations destroyed themselves through progress, meaning our galaxy could be full of dead alien civilizations. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology researchers believe that the galaxy might be home to alien civilizations that destroyed themselves through technological advances that eventually "lead to complete destruction and biological degeneration," as reported by the NY Post. This theory posits that any intelligent life that lived in the Milky Way before us has likely already killed itself off. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "If intelligent life is likely to destroy themselves, it is not surprising that there is little or no intelligent life elsewhere," the researchers state in a paper detailing their theory. If you're wondering why we might still be alive, it's because humans are billions of years behind these now-dead civilizations. The aliens in question probably saw life form around 8 billion years after the formation of the Milky Way whereas we didn't arrive until 13.5 billion years after its formation, meaning we are about 5.5 billion years behind. "Since Carl Sagan's time, there's been lots of research," NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist, Jonathan H. Jiang, said, as reported by LiveScience. "Especially since the Hubble Space Telescope and Kepler Space Telescope, we have lots of knowledge about the densities in the Milky Way galaxy and star formation rates and exoplanet formation...and the occurrence rate of supernova explosions. We actually know some of the numbers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/27/pentagon-officially-declassifies-and-releases-3-navy-videos-purportedly-showing-ufos"] The numbers Jiang is referring to is the mystery variables Sagan referred to in his Cosmos miniseries where he discussed the Drake equation. This equation comes from Frank Drake in 1961 and is an equation used to estimate the number of active alien civilizations in the Milky Way. Due to the limitations of their time, Drake and Sagan had to include variables that couldn't be identified more precisely. Jiang and the team of researchers they worked with have learned some of those numbers that Sagan and Drake couldn't identify. No single factor is more important than the idea that intelligent creatures generally have a tendency that leans toward self-annihilation, according to LiveScience. The theory also includes factors like the prevalence of sun-like stars harboring Earth-like plants, the number of deadly supernovas near the alien civilizations, the probability of intelligent life evolving, and the tendency of advanced civilizations to destroy themselves through progress. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] All of these factors and more come together to lead Jiang and the other researchers to believe that advanced alien civilizations did exist at one point, but likely lead themselves to destruction by way of progress. We might not be the sole civilization that exists as living in the galaxy though, as a some scientists theorize there might be 36 extraterrestrial races among the stars, as reported by SyFy Wire. This isn't the first time researchers have theorized that our galaxy might be home to the remains of now-dead alien civilizations. Back in 2018, researchers arrived to this same theory, but it wasn't progress that lead to their civilization-wide annihilation — it was climate change, according to this report from Forbes. Regardless of the reasoning, Earth and the human race sound about 5.5 billion years late to the party of progress-related annihilation, but if it turns out climate change is the reason, we might be closer to our end than 5.5 billion years. While waiting to find out what our fate is, read about possible signs of life detected on Venus and then read about how according to a former Israeli government official, the United States and Israel are in contact with a galactic federation of aliens. [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. 

Among Us was allegedly played by roughly half a billion players in November, making it "by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players." As reported by SuperData, Among Us' earnings figures are comparatively smaller than other titles with as a similar amount of active players considering it isn't heavily monetized. The PC version, which costs $5 USD, was responsible for 64% of the revenue from August to November despite only accounting for 3% of the player base. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/22/among-us-review"] SuperData also revealed that the launch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands led to the highest monthly revenue for the MMO since 2008 and highest player count since 2010. Additionally, Assassin's Creed Valhalla sold 1.7 million units digitally and performed 50% better than Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Even though Among Us was originally released in 2018, 2020 is the year it found incredible success and popularity thanks to top streamers around the world playing it. U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even played Among Us on Twitch to encourage voting and drew in over 430,000 viewers. In our Among Us review, we said it "lives up to the hype created by its delayed explosion in popularity, for the most part. It's a style of intense, refreshing multiplayer experience that simply didn't catch on digitally before recently. Its well-earned following speaks to just how enticing murdering and deceiving your friends can be, as well as Innersloth's endearing art, approachability, and clever minigame design." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/among-us-toppat-airship-map-reveal-trailer"] For more on Among us, which is now available on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass for PC, check out its upcoming map called The Airship and our look at how Among Us came back from the brink of obscurity. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Among Us was allegedly played by roughly half a billion players in November, making it "by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players." As reported by SuperData, Among Us' earnings figures are comparatively smaller than other titles with as a similar amount of active players considering it isn't heavily monetized. The PC version, which costs $5 USD, was responsible for 64% of the revenue from August to November despite only accounting for 3% of the player base. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/22/among-us-review"] SuperData also revealed that the launch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands led to the highest monthly revenue for the MMO since 2008 and highest player count since 2010. Additionally, Assassin's Creed Valhalla sold 1.7 million units digitally and performed 50% better than Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Even though Among Us was originally released in 2018, 2020 is the year it found incredible success and popularity thanks to top streamers around the world playing it. U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even played Among Us on Twitch to encourage voting and drew in over 430,000 viewers. In our Among Us review, we said it "lives up to the hype created by its delayed explosion in popularity, for the most part. It's a style of intense, refreshing multiplayer experience that simply didn't catch on digitally before recently. Its well-earned following speaks to just how enticing murdering and deceiving your friends can be, as well as Innersloth's endearing art, approachability, and clever minigame design." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/among-us-toppat-airship-map-reveal-trailer"] For more on Among us, which is now available on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass for PC, check out its upcoming map called The Airship and our look at how Among Us came back from the brink of obscurity. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Archaeologists have discovered that a 3,300-year-old baboon skull may tease a fabled land said to have been visited often by Egyptians, according to a report from ScienceMag. This fabled land is known as Punt, or "God's Land," and according to hieroglyphics, is a land first visited by Egyptians 4500 years ago. Egyptians continued to visit Punt for more than 1000 years, bringing back goods like hardwoods, metals, resins, and exotic animals — like baboons — but until now, archaeologists didn't have evidence that these goods ever made their way back to Egypt. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/24/the-history-behind-assassins-creed-origins"] "It's an extremely important step in better understanding this mysterious land that we still don't fully grasp," American Center of Oriental Research archaeologist, Pearce Paul Creasman, said. The skull in question belongs to that of a hamadryas baboon and dates back to 3,300 years ago. It was discovered by archaeologists in the 19th century in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, according to Science Mag, and it was stored away in the British Museum. Dartmouth College primatologist, Nathaniel Dominy, recently discovered this skull archived at the museum and it might be the hard evidence archaeologists have been looking for to prove the existence of Punt. Egyptians saw hamadryas baboons as the embodiment of Thoth, a god of wisdom, and connected the baboons to Amun-Ra, which is the Egyptian sun god. One of the reasons scientists believe this baboon skull to be from Punt is because the hamadryas baboon is not native to Egypt, meaning whoever had the skull in Thebes 3,300 years ago obtained the primate, or at least its skull, from somewhere else. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-shows-potential-trex-fight"] Dominy and his team studied chemical isotopes in the skull's tooth enamel for clues of the baboon's birthplace because a region's soil and water has a distinct ratio of strontium isotopes, which are locked into the enamel in the first few years of a baboon's life. This is key because even if an animal like the baboon in question was moved from its birthplace, the isotope signature of its birthplace would still be present in the tooth enamel. The strontium ratio in the skull's enamel confirms that the baboon was not born in Egypt and instead provides evidence for somewhere in modern-day Eritrea, Ethiopia, or northwest Somalia, as the birthplace of this primate, according to Dominy and his team's report on eLife. That region of the world is where most archaeologists think Punt was located, according to ScienceMag, and this skull implies that this baboon is one of the exotic animals Egyptian hieroglyphics talk about coming from Punt. Boston University archaeologist, Kathryn Bard, told ScienceMag that she believes Punt's ports were probably in Eritrea or along the coast of eastern Sudan. Bard believes this because she and late archaeologist, Rodolfo Fattovich, excavated a site on Egypt's Red Sea coast from 2001 to 2011 and discovered a 2,800-year-old stone inscription documenting a voyage to Punt. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/10/26/the-first-18-minutes-of-assassins-creed-origins-in-4k"] They also discovered pottery fragments similar to those found in the Sudanese-Eritrean lowlands, presumably from Punt, ScienceMag says. Bard says this 3,300-year-old baboon skull provides "another piece of evidence on where Punt was located," although she says it's not the first Puntite treasure as her excavation with Fattovich uncovered obsidian and ebony she believes to be from Punt. Dominy argues that might not be the case due to the wide distribution of ebony across Africa in the continent's history. Someone should ask famed assassin, Bayek of Siwa, if he knows anything of Punt in the meantime. If you're looking for a way to explore ancient Egypt, check out Assassin's Creed Origins, which features Bayek, and is a game IGN called amazing in its 9 out of 10 review. For more science, read about how Punt, baboon skulls, and Assassin's Creed might not even matter because some scientists believe there's a 50-50 chance we live in a simulation. Check out this story about how we all might evolve into crabs one day after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who believes Assassin's Creed Origins to be one of the best in the series. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.