Instagram will push Amber Alerts to users’ feeds

Instagram will start pushing Amber Alerts to users’ feeds to notify them about missing children in their area. The company says the feature will start rolling out tomorrow and it will be live in 25 countries over “the next couple of weeks.” 

Even so, Instagram users shouldn’t expect to see them very often. The company notes that the alerts are meant to be “rare and specific to the search area.” Instagram will use factors like IP addresses and location data (if enabled) in order to determine which accounts to push the notices too.

When they do appear, the alerts will crop up in users feeds, not as in-app notifications. Unlike the mobile notifications that are often pushed via wireless carriers for Amber Alerts, Instagram’s version will include a photo and description of the missing child, as well other relevant details, like where they were last seen. There will also be a phone number to report sightings or other tips to law enforcement.

While not the first time Meta has added Amber Alerts — Facebook started surfacing them to users in 2015 — the company notes Instagram could be particularly impactful as it’s a “visual-first” platform that is already widely used by teens.

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 offers more speed and storage capacity

After a leak yesterday spoiled the surprise, Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Laptop Go 2, a $600 starter laptop with premium looks. It looks very much like the original, has an near-identical 12.4-inch 1,536 x 1,024 touch display, anodized aluminum …

Eero 6 mesh WiFi systems drop back down to record-low prices

Those looking to upgrade their home WiFi can often do so by investing in a more capable router. Now, you can pick up Amazon’s Eero 6 mesh WiFi system at some of the best prices we’ve seen. A single Eero 6 router costs $71 at the moment, which is 20 percent off and the cheapest we’ve seen it. A pack with one router and two extenders will set you back $159, while a bundle of three Eero 6 routers is down to $199.

Buy Eero 6 router at Amazon – $71Buy Eero 6 (router + 2 extenders) at Amazon – $159Buy Eero 6 (3 routers) at Amazon – $199

As the name suggests, this system supports WiFi 6 and one Eero 6 router will cover up to 1,500 square feet. That’s enough to cover a decently sized apartment, and you can spring for one of the multipacks if you live in a larger home. The dual-band system supports speeds up to 900Mbps and more than 75 connected devices. If you absolutely must have a Gigabit-capable router, you’ll have to opt for the more expensive Eero Pro 6 system instead.

You’ll also get a built-in Zigbee smart home hub with the Eero 6 system, which means you can skip buying a dedicated hub and connect IoT devices like smart lights, plus, locks and more directly to the router. You’ll be able to more easily control the smart home devices you already have (especially the ones that support Alexa voice commands) and it’ll be much easier for those who don’t have a smart home ecosystem yet to build theirs from scratch thanks to the built-in home hub.

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Apple’s AirPods Pro are just $180 right now

If you’ve been keeping an eye out for discounts on the Apple AirPods Pro, now’s your chance to grab a pair. The wireless earbuds are currently listed for $180 at Amazon — not quite an all-time low, but still $69 less than its usual retail price of $249. Unlike the basic AirPods, the AirPods Pro come with silicon tips that enable a more comfortable fit and give them the seal necessary for effective noise cancellation. We gave the earbuds a score of 87 in our review, praising them for having better audio than previous models due to their built-in amplifiers and the ability to automatically tune low- and mid-range frequencies to each user’s ear. In addition, we praised the earbuds for giving users hands-free access to Siri voice assistant and having IPX4 water resistance.

Buy Apple AirPods Pro at Amazon – $180

That said, Apple’s second-gen AirPods are also on sale for $100 right now. In case you’re looking for something cheaper and don’t mind that the model doesn’t have silicon tips, you can still get a pair for $100 or $59 off its retail price of $159. They aren’t quite that different from the first iteration of the earbuds, but they’re better at seamlessly connecting with your devices, thanks to the H1 wireless chipset.

But if you’re on the lookout for over-ear headsets, then head over to Amazon to see the website’s deal on the Apple AirPods Max. You can get the AirPods Max in Space Gray or Silver for $450, or $99 off its retail price. In our review, we discussed how the headphones have an excellent balanced sound quality, solid active noice cancellation and a lengthy battery life.

Buy Apple AirPods Max at Amazon – $450

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The Morning After: The French government bans English gaming terms, including ‘eSports’

Not satisfied with trying to replace “WiFi” with “l’access sans fil à internet” (which didn’t work), l’Académie française set its sights on gaming terms in 2017. It’s now gained traction with the government, and France’s Ministry of Culture has an…

The largest plant in the world is an ancient self-cloning sea grass

Shark Bay, an Australian World Heritage Area, serves as home to various animals that feed on its thriving sea grass. Turns out that sea grass called Poseidon’s ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, is a single ancient plant that’s been cloning itself for the past 4,500 years. Researchers from The University of Western Australia and Flinders University studied samples of the organism taken from across the bay and generated a DNA fingerprint with 18,000 genetic markers. What they found was that the sea grass stretching across 180 kilometers (112 miles) — the size of Cincinnati, as The New York Times notes — of Shark Bay is just a single plant. 

Senior author Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair said they’re often asked how many plants grow in sea grass meadows. For Shark Bay, lead author and UWA student Jane Edgeloe said: “The answer blew us away — there was just one! That’s it, just one plant has expanded over 180km in Shark Bay, making it the largest known plant on Earth.”

The Posidonia apparently clones itself by producing new shoots growing out of its root system. It doesn’t reproduce sexually, because it’s most likely unable to: The organism has a condition called polyploidy, which means it inherited 100 percent of each parent’s genome instead of just 50 percent from each. Since polyploidy often results in sterility, cloning might be the only way for the Shark Bay Posidonia to proliferate. 

Sinclair said its polyploidy might have also made it more resilient than usual, though. It could have given the organism the “ability to cope with a broad range of conditions, which is a great thing in climate change.” It remains to be seen whether the Shark Bay Posidonia will continue to thrive in the face of modern climate change, but the researchers may find out soon enough. They’ve set up a set of experiments to figure out how it survives in environments with variable conditions that include a wide range of temperatures and salinities, as well as extreme brightness and darkness.

You can read the group’s paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.