Modern dogs come in all shapes and sizes. A new study finds they started evolving much of that physical diversity thousands of years ago.
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Modern dogs come in all shapes and sizes. A new study finds they started evolving much of that physical diversity thousands of years ago.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
You don’t have to walk by a dog park to know that domestic dogs come in all shapes and sizes. From two-pound Chihuahuas to 150-pound Newfoundlands, chunky Labradors to slender Vizlas, our canine companions are some of the most physically diverse mammals on the planet.
It’s commonly believed that this vast range in physical attributes is a product of the Victorian era, when kennel clubs started selectively breeding dogs to produce certain characteristics roughly 200 years ago.
A new analysis of hundreds of prehistoric canine skulls, spanning the last 50,000 years, shows it emerged much earlier.
“By about 10,000 years ago, half of the amount of diversity present in modern dogs was already present in the Neolithic,” said Carly Ameen, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Exeter and one of the lead authors on the new study. “So very early on in our relationship with dogs, we not only change them from wolves but they begin to change amongst themselves and generate a lot of diversity.”
To determine when those changes happened, Ameen and a team of international researchers created 3D models of 643 skulls of ancient and modern dogs and wolves. The models allowed them to discern subtle changes in the skulls’ shape over time.
The results, published in the journal Science, show that by nearly 11,000 years ago, just after the last ice age, dog skulls were already different from those of wolves. They were shorter and wider. But perhaps more surprising, Ameen said, is that the dog skulls were already different from each other, meaning that the switch from wolf to dog had to have happened much earlier.
“The relationship between wolves and dogs had to already have been ongoing,” she said. “It’s not an instantaneous change — the dog comes from the woods into your house and changes the shape of its skull.”
Those kinds of changes typically accumulate slowly, over many generations.
Scientists have long wondered when the domestication of dogs first started. Dogs are believed to be the first domesticated species — before cows, pigs, sheep, or plants like wheat.
The new study doesn’t answer the question but “it narrows the window,” Ameen said, and gives us insights into how humanity’s mutually beneficial relationship with dogs physically changed them over time.
That relationship was the focus of another new study, published in Science, that used ancient DNA from dogs to find that humans were traveling with — and even trading — domestic dogs in Eurasia for at least the last 10,000 years.
The study’s lead author, Minmin Ma, a researcher at Lanzhou University in China, said it makes sense that prehistoric hunter-gatherers were bringing dogs with them during migrations because they could assist with hunting.
But for prehistoric farming and pastoral societies that raised animals like cattle, sheep and horses, “dogs weren’t particularly essential in that economic sense,” she said. And yet, their study found that those groups made the effort to bring dogs with them during migrations too.
“Although the roles [dogs have] played varied across different periods, they have consistently been close companions to humans,” Ma said. “We should cherish this bond even more.”
David Cameron did his bit for fathers everywhere when he made the terrible error of leaving his daughter Nancy behind in a pub, when she was eight years old. No dad would want to do such a thing and his actions made people sympathise with him, while also making a mental note to be sure they didn’t do the same. Thankfully she was fine and now she still reportedly won’t let him forget the mistake he made 13 years ago. But hopefully Nancy will be proud of her dad and think he’s redeemed himself by speaking out about a very personal issue.
He has revealed that he had prostate cancer, and by doing so he has done his bit to help men everywhere realise it’s okay to get checked out if they are worried. Many men seem to be put off going to their GP to get their prostate checked as they hear horror stories about the doctor having to put their fingers into the patient’s rectum, to feel for lumps or hard spots.
But we live in the 21st century and this isn’t the only way to detect possible signs of prostate cancer. As Lord Cameron states in his interviews about his treatment, he had a blood test earlier this year to measure the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). He then had an MRI scan and a biopsy.
Thankfully it seems the treatment he received for the disease was a success, but sadly many men aren’t so lucky.
Prostate cancer is the second biggest cancer killer for men in the UK, after lung cancer, but there is no national screening programme to spot the signs early.
Speaking to The Times he said: “I want to, as it were, come out. I want to add my name to the long list of people calling for a targeted screening programme.
“I don’t particularly like discussing my personal intimate health issues, but I feel I ought to. Let’s be honest. Men are not very good at talking about their health. We tend to put things off.”
The UK National Screening Committee is set to announce in the coming weeks whether it believes current evidence supports the introduction of a screening programme.
There are said to be concerns about the accuracy of the PSA test and I say it’s good to be concerned, but the screening programme needs to happen.
I myself have incurable bowel cancer and two of the blood tests I have every fortnight are similar to the PSA test but detect antigens related to my bowels, rather than the prostate.
The tests are never treated as gospel and are just a guide about whether my tumours are stable or growing. And then every three months I have MRI and CT scans to give a definitive picture of what is going on inside my body.
There are three actions the NHS must now take when necessary. Just like the way it happened with David Cameron, the screening programme should start with the PSA test and if any issues are suspected, then an MRI test can be done and, if necessary, a biopsy.
These screenings won’t be cheap, but detecting and treating cancer early is far cheaper and better for the patient than not finding it until it has spread to other parts of the body.
And of course, the Daily Express’s Cancer Care campaign will fight for those men who are diagnosed to receive proper mental health care throughout their difficult journey.
TVLINE| I was struck by the choice to make COVID such a centerpiece of this episode. The pandemic has come up in conversation on the show before, but it was a main focus this time around. Tell me why you wanted to go there narratively. You know, it was not because we said, “Let’s do an episode about COVID.” Obviously, that was a very intense period for everyone, and a tipping point for many people, but it wasn’t like we set out to do that. How it began was, we wanted to have a story in the present that had to do with Jake and Amy, and whether they would get back together in the crucible of his grief over his father. We know that grief can be very clarifying for people. It shakes their priorities and makes them feel like they want to live for today, and that was the underlying idea for why to bring Jake’s father in and have him pass away — to have it be an impetus for [Jake and Amy] finally surrendering to what they both have been wanting.
We just thought it’d be a very cool counterpoint to contrast that with the beginning of their relationship — not their romantic relationship, but their relationship as colleagues. We did the math, and it timed out that that would have been at the beginning of COVID. It just seemed like a really great way to put them into a very intense situation together, where he would see how brilliant she was, and she would recognize his talents and grit and his own determination — start to see him as one of the few people who works under her that’s worthy of her respect. And then, of course, there ends up being a poignance to COVID and how it made our mundane days suddenly feel like life-or-death. Our futures were hanging in the balance, and we didn’t know what would happen with the rest of our lives. It just seemed like a perfect counterpoint to the present-day story.
TVLINE | We saw that Jake made the choice to stay at Westside after he went through this experience of diagnosing COVID with Amy, and he tells Rachel later that COVID was the only reason he decided to stay in Minnesota. Is he being honest with himself? Where does this love quadrangle — Jake, Amy, Michael, Rachel — go from here? Yeah, it’s interesting. Obviously, there’s an inherent chemistry between [Jake and Amy], but in our minds, Jake stayed because he realized how much he respected this woman who could help him become a better doctor. He watched her fight the administration and be willing to risk her own job and career, potentially, to do the right thing; she respected him enough to include him in the process and go to bat for him because she thought he was right. There’s much more emotional and intellectual connection at that point — mutual respect between two adults.
At that moment, Jake was still very much in love with his wife and had a new baby, and it was Rachel having a fling with a DJ in Cabo — [laughs] — that’s what wrecked them. In the aftermath of that, his friendship with Amy grew over time, and only began [getting romantic] about five months before Amy’s car accident, which was four years after this moment in COVID. In our minds, that’s how it grew. Now, is there chemistry and connection between people that’s kind of always there but is not acknowledged or romanticized? Probably.
But in our mythology — and this will probably come out at some point — if Jake was a doctor working at a hospital for a couple years during COVID, he probably didn’t see his wife very much, right? He would have been quarantining. That would have been a source of estrangement. Right now, Rachel’s being paranoid. “Oh, we stayed because of Amy.” But she’s just being paranoid. She’s the one that cheated on Jake. He did have a change of heart about Amy, because he hated her! [Laughs] But then suddenly, he respected her as a boss, and he felt like, “I could do a lot of good at this hospital, and this is probably not the best time to pick up and move when COVID’s coming and the world’s going to shut down.” It was all of those things — and those things will get unpacked as the season goes on.
Netflix is ramping up a major charm offensive with Warner Bros. Discovery and US regulators as it pursues the media giant’s streaming service and Hollywood studio – and rival bidders fret that it may be working, On The Money has learned.
The lobbying blitz by Netflix’s Chief Executive Ted Sarandos – which is looking to soothe antitrust concerns not only with the Trump administration but also members of Warner Bros. Discovery’s board – has begun to chip away at Paramount Skydance’s lead in the auction, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The emergence of Netflix as a serious contender comes as the bidding war enters its next stage. WBD is expected to hold a second round of bids in the coming days where players can up their offers or drop out of the process, sources close to the situation told The Post.
The lobbying blitz by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has begun to chip away at Paramount Skydance’s lead in the auction, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Alan West/Hogan Media/Shutterstock
As The Post reported, Paramount Skydance – run by Trump supporters David and Larry Ellison – has submitted a bid around $25 a share or around $60 billion for all of WBD. In addition to the top-rated Warner Bros. studio, WBD owns the HBO Max streaming service as well as cable properties such as CNN and HBO.
Cable giant Comcast has made a bid for the WBD studio and streaming service and Netflix has, too. Netflix has been considered more of a dark horse since it has traditionally shunned big acquisitions and its antitrust issues in this deal have been viewed as thorny.
Now, however, insiders say Netflix’s charm offensive is sowing doubts about the inevitability of Paramount Skydance’s bid from an antitrust standpoint – both at WBD and among the staffers at DOJ’s antitrust division, who will make a recommendation to their boss Gail Slater.
Netflix’s legal eagles appear to have made headway convincing the WBD board with an argument about something called “category ambiguity,” a theory that antitrust law doesn’t necessarily apply to streaming services because of the prevalence of content on YouTube and social media; it’s not something that can be cornered and price gauged in the traditional sense.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is looking to get top dollar from bidders Paramount Skydance, Netflix and Comcast. Getty Images
As a result normal antitrust concerns would not apply to the combination of Netflix, the No. 1 streamer in the world, with WBD’s No. 3 ranked HBO Max.
WBD’s board is increasingly skeptical that Netflix will face a serious antitrust challenge in its bid to buy just WBD’s streaming service, HBO Max, and its studio, as is being argued by Paramount Skydance’s legal advisers. DOJ staffers, meanwhile, are now discussing the antitrust implications of combining Paramount Skydance’s studio with Warner Brothers.
WBD’s board is increasingly skeptical that Netflix will face a serious antitrust challenge in its bid to buy just WBD’s streaming service, HBO Max, and its studio. CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA/Shutterstock
“It’s total horses–t from an antitrust standpoint that they’re selling to the Warner board but it’s working,” said one rival legal official on the deal. “They made this largely a two-horse race” between Paramount Skydance and the streaming giant.
A Netflix spokesman had no immediate comment. A rep for WBD CEO David Zaslav had no comment.
President Trump wants Larry and David Ellison to buy WBD for several reasons. Getty Images
With Trump publicly supporting the Ellisons’ various acquisition forays, the father-son duo seemed to have had the inside track on gaining approval for their planned purchase of WBD. And they still might: As The Post has reported, Trump wants them to buy WBD for several reasons including they will neutralize the anti-MAGA commentary on CNN.
Trump meanwhile, holds a particular animus for its CEO Brian Roberts for running the MAGA-hating cable channel MSNBC. Plus it too would be combining two major studios.
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But Netflix is said to be particularly appealing to members of the WBD board because it wants just the studio and streaming service at a time when WBD was in the middle of breaking into two companies.
Insiders say Zaslav’s breakup idea was to get top dollar for the streaming and studio, which would receive a lower valuation combined with old media cable properties like CNN, as Paramount Skydance is proposing in its offer.
Over the past month, shares of Netflix have fallen nearly 10%. Getty Images
One problem for Netflix, of course, is whether “category ambiguity” really does apply to streaming. Lawyers for Paramount Skydance have argued to the WBD board that the Trump DOJ will block a combination of two top streaming services combined with a major studio that might be downsized given Netflix’s streaming-centric business model.
Another issue involves Netflix investors who aren’t too happy with its acquisition plans. Over the past month, shares of Netflix have fallen nearly 10% when it became clear earlier in the month it was planning to bid on WBD.
Wow: New York’s Legislature actually passed a good legal reform, reining in the dirty “legal lending” industry — but before she signs it into law, Gov. Kathy Hochul should push for an amendment to make it even better.
The bill, A00804C, limits third-party lenders who finance a lawsuit to a maximum 25% share of what the plaintiff winds up winning, a step crucial to discouraging shady schemes where “investors” recruit clients who wind up with almost nothing while the lenders cash in big.
But Hochul should ask lawmakers to add a provision requiring full disclosure of the third-party lenders’ identities, sunlight that will further protect against profiteering.
Among many other abuses, these schemes allow the funders, especially in class-action suits, to dictate a legal strategy that maximizes the funder’s profit and pushes defendants to settle at amounts higher than the merits justify.
And it’s all gravy for ambulance-chasing trial lawyers.
Lawsuit abuse drives up insurance and other costs all across the New York economy; along with high taxes and heavy regulation, it drives away job-creating businesses.
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Signing this bill — after getting Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to agree to improve it with disclosure rules — is a great way for Hochul to proves she’s serious about improving the state’s business climate.
And, indeed, about making life in New York more affordable for honest citizens.
People’s online activity can offer clues about their interests and habits, and some tools attempt to interpret these patterns to provide a broader picture of someone’s public online presence. Social media often reflects only portions of who we are, sometimes in ways that feel incomplete or overly curated, and technology is now catching up. To create a frighteningly transparent profile, a behavioral matrix of the person behind the screen, some analytical tools, such as Socialprofiler, review publicly available online activity to generate summaries.
People use it to check dates, screen tutors, or understand who’s coming into their homes. The focus is on safety, trust, and curiosity. Before hiring someone to watch your children or considering a relationship, it is common to seek more than a profile picture and a few posts. This digital background check is shaping how people assess character online, with digital footprints now examined with greater scrutiny.
Why This Trend Is Catching On
The internet has made it easy to share who we are, but it’s also made it harder to hide. Every follow, like, and comment leaves a trace of what we care about. That’s why tools like Socialprofiler are taking off. They pull together the clues people leave online and organize them into patterns, interests, tone, and social circles that paint a bigger picture.
The appeal is obvious. Parents want to know who’s teaching their children. Homeowners want reassurance before hiring help. People who date online want to see if someone’s public persona matches their private conversations. Traditional background checks focus on official records, while social media analysis looks at publicly visible interests and activity, offering a different type of context.
This is a call for authenticity; don’t take it as paranoia. Public personas online are shifting, and people now tend to share more candidly than in the past. People increasingly look for more context before making decisions, and many prefer having a clearer sense of someone’s public activity.
How Socialprofiler Works
Socialprofiler analyzes public social media activity and builds a kind of behavioral map. A name, @handle, or even just a phone number might serve as the first digital breadcrumb. From there, the technology searches the extensive ecosystems of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X for profiles that match. The true in-depth analysis starts when a match is locked. It carefully identifies their online blueprint, including the subjects that interest them, the material that sparks conversation, and the people they connect with the most.
This data is then decoded by the analysis, aiming to show general interests, repeated topics, and areas that may warrant closer attention, and possible difficulty locations. Imagine a digital existence that is organized as follows: 10% for nightlife, 15% for political discussion, and 20% for exercise. In some cases, these tools highlight recurring themes or communities that appear frequently in someone’s public feed.
It’s always about the whole person, not just the labels we use. That said, checking a nanny’s online footprint for alignment with your family’s vibe is just smart vetting. Treat this framework as a helpful starting point, not the final judgment.
Real-World Uses: Dating, Parenting, and Everyday Safety
A common use for Socialprofiler is in dating. When meeting someone new online, their stated information may be limited. Running a social check offers additional insight into their interests and online behavior, helping identify inconsistencies at an early stage. The goal is safety and informed decision-making.
Parents are becoming astute as well, utilizing it to screen teachers, nannies, and, to be honest, anybody in the vicinity of their children. Their social media feed reveals their personality, but a professional background check reveals who they are. Before giving them the reins, you should know whether a prospective tutor has a string of red lights in their online life.
Parents are not the only ones. This approach is being used by small company owners and homeowners for new staff or contractors. It can be viewed as a support tool that helps users spot potential issues earlier by organizing publicly available information. Assessing your coworkers is not a sign of neuroticism; rather, it is a required prescription in a setting where security and integrity are critical.
The Challenges and Ethical Line
For all its benefits, digital screening has clear limitations. Socialprofiler can only analyse publicly available information. It cannot access private accounts or data hidden behind fake names. Furthermore, the tool is like an inquisitive neighbour that watches your clicks without understanding why you are doing them. You might not be loyal to a strange page; you might follow it for fun. Its rumours are frequently disjointed or just incorrect.
There’s also the matter of fairness. Unauthorized use of this instrument, particularly on business property, sets up a serious privacy alarm. Some people feel uneasy about how online information is interpreted, even when it falls within legal boundaries. The clever move? Treat this data as a clue, not a confession. And then there’s the human side. Online behavior is messy and sometimes misleading. People follow things out of curiosity, not conviction. While Socialprofiler can help you spot patterns, the final decision on how much to trust or how much to overlook should be yours, not an algorithm’s.
What Comes Next
Without a doubt, social screening is becoming more frequent. As AI develops, it will be able to identify risks, decipher our digital habits, and construct stories from disparate internet posts. Tools that can sense emotional subtext and anticipate behavioral shifts are almost here. Unquestionably, this algorithmic power forces a critical balance between openness and individual integrity.
If you choose to use this power, be careful. Start with only one question. Examine the information you have acquired and consider its actual potential. Consider these results as strong recommendations rather than absolutes. When used wisely, this digital advantage will magnify your decisions, making them safer, more calculated, and very perceptive.
The present era’s unedited confessionals are our internet feeds. Now that AI has sharpened this digital mirror, the real question is not whether we will perceive the truth, but rather how we will respond to the reflections we see.
Socialprofiler signals a new era in building trust. It’s not a replacement for instinct or conversation—it refines them. Checking someone’s social presence before meeting isn’t judgment; it’s understanding. Use it to spot early warnings, protect your family, or confirm your intuition. Make every connection intentional.
These technologies are just footnotes that explain the text in an era where everyone is subject to interpretation. Use them wisely to select the people in your social circle. The best introductions, after all, occur after you’ve read the digital dossier, enabling you to move forward with composure and purpose.
The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. Readers should not rely solely on the content of this article and are encouraged to seek professional advice tailored to their specific circumstances. We disclaim any liability for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information presented.
Brits in the Canary Islands are experiencing chaos at the airports following a major change that was rolled out. The EU’s new £1.1 billion Entry/Exit System (EES) is currently being tested for non-European travellers.
There were long queues and dense crowds at Tenerife South on Friday (November 21) due to testing, with frustrated passengers waiting for hours to complete the new biometric entry process. The rollout has already been difficult, with a system glitch knocking out six of the 10 biometric kiosks the day after opening, leading to huge queues of more than 1,000 holidaymakers. The EES collects the fingerprints, facial images, and passport information of non-EU citizens. As the scheme gradually rolls out, travellers will soon not need to have their passports stamped. The new system is being introduced to make border crossing quicker and more efficient. The EES will be fully rolled out by April of next year, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, meaning the automated checks will run alongside manual ones.
Despite this, as the scheme is still in its early stages, holidaymakers have been warned that they may face significant delays at the airport and to arrive earlier than normal.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “Make sure, where possible, you’re leaving yourself between three and four hours from the point of entry.
“If you’re not leaving yourself enough time and you unfortunately arrive at an airport where there is a bottleneck, which in a lot of places there are already, this is going to add another layer of frustration and delay.”
This comes after it was announced that EES checks for car passengers going through Dover have been delayed until 2026. It was meant to be introduced on November 1, already being in place for coach passengers.
In a statement on social media, the Port of Dover said it was looking to avoid “any significant changes for passengers just before the busy end-of-year period”.
The port has been working with the French authorities with “a shared determination to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the gradual ramp-up period”.
Bill Skarsgård leads an ensemble cast in the trailer for director Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire. The true-crime film also stars Al Pacino, Coleman Domingo, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, and Dacre Montgomery. Van Sant, the Academy Award-nominated director of Good Will Hunting, is at the helm of the movie, with a script from Austin Kolodney, who is making his feature writing debut.
Dead Man’s Wire is based on a true story that follows Skarsgård’s Tony Kiritsis, a man pushed to his limits, who takes a hostage in a desperate bid to be heard. The film’s official synopsis expands on the true story that inspired it, setting the stakes and leaving enough mystery to draw viewers in.
On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Richard Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a “dead man’s wire” from the trigger to Tony’s own neck.
The trailer highlights the cast, with Skarsgård as the driving force who loops in the other characters. Montgomery is the unfortunate hostage, who is strapped to the device that inspired the film’s title. Domingo also makes an impactful appearance throughout the trailer, proving to be a contemplative force who has Tony’s ear, with Pacino looking to talk some sense into him. Dead Man’s Wire also looks to feature dark humor, with several comedic moments peppered throughout, enticing potential audiences ahead of its January 2026 release.
‘Dead Man’s Wire’ Expands Bill Skarsgård’s Exceedingly Impressive Resume
Dead Man’s Wire embraces a film aesthetic of the era, locking into the 1970s feel. While it is based on a true story, some elements may be embellished or altered for cinematic appeal. Still, it captures elements reminiscent of Shane Black’s humorous crime films, like The Nice Guys, or even Derek Cianfrance’s recent Roofman. While general audiences have yet to lay eyes on the finished film, the true-crime story looks to be another lauded film for Van Sant and the star-studded cast.
Early reviews have heaped stellar praise on Van Sant’s film, with Rotten Tomatoes currently showing Dead Man’s Wire at 97% Fresh based on 34 reviews at the time of writing. MovieWeb’s review of the film states:
The film doesn’t obfuscate the terror Kiritsis wrought, nor does it condone his violence. But cleverly, it calls into question the double standards to which society holds people like Kiritsis and the corporations they target. Banks may not literally be strapping guns to people’s necks, the film argues, but their practices are no less violent and brutal. Those with power believe that they can mold the world into their image. But Van Sant has crafted a film that reminds us that as long as people like Tony Kiritsis live, there will always be a reckoning for such hubris.
Dead Man’s Wire is another unique role on Skarsgård’s resume, with the actor recently returning as Pennywise in It: Welcome to Derry. The star has made memorable appearances beyond his lauded and terrifying turn in Stephen King’s It adaptations, including Zach Cregger’s Barbarian and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, with a standout performance as Count Orlok. Skarsgård also played the villain in John Wick: Chapter 4, with other bold choices in Boy Kills World and the latest adaptation of The Crow. However, Dead Man’s Wire aims to adapt his unique adaptability into an unstable yet potentially sympathetic man who makes extreme and illegal choices.
PlayStation’s biggest game of the year is completely free to download and play, and you don’t even need PlayStation Plus to check it out. That’s a big win for any gamers looking for their next major time-sink.
It’s been a pretty amazing year for PlayStation, with Death Stranding 2and Ghost Of Yoteileading the charge. But the literal biggest open-world RPG released for PlayStation 5 this year is one you don’t need to hand over $70 to play.
PlayStation’s Latest RPG Is Huge, And Free
No PlayStation Plus required
You’ve almost certainly heard of Where Winds Meetby now. Developed by Everstone Studio, Where Winds Meet is described as “an epic Wuxia open-world action-adventure RPG set in ancient China during the tenth century.”
It’s a truly massive free-to-play open-world RPG, one that managed to pull in over 2 million players in its first 24 hours. As I write this, it’s the sixth most-played game on Steamdb.
It’s not as clear how many people are playing Where Winds Meet on PlayStation, but at the incredibly low price of nothing, it’s absolutely worth a look for any console gamers out there. Being a free-to-play title, PlayStation Plus isn’t required to play, so it really is free in every sense of the word.
How Big Is Where Winds Meet?
It ain’t small, so be prepared
While Ghost Of Yotei’s map size certainly isn’t to be sniffed at (and is filled with things to do), Where Winds Meet is even bigger. Now, I should stress that the size of an open-world should never be considered the only metric by which to judge its quality. But Where Winds Meet just so happens to be massive and packed with content.
At present, Where Winds Meet is roughly over 20 square kilometres, and there are plans to further expand the world in future updates. There are currently two major regions: Qinghe to the North, and Kaifeng and Kaifeng City to the South.
Within these regions there are dozens of points of interest, quests, and fun things to discover. Basically, it’s an absolute beast of a game, and one you could lose yourself in for hours at a time.
If you’ve yet to check out Where Winds Meet, you should definitely try and hop on over Christmas and see what all the fuss is about.
Systems
Released
November 14, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Use of Alcohol, Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
Warner Music Group on Tuesday announced a partnership with AI business Suno that will compensate music artists and songwriters, ending a legal battle between the two companies.
Suno allows users to write text prompts to create songs. Last year, music companies including WMG sued Suno, accusing it of using copyrighted songs to train AI models.
Under the partnership, Cambridge, Mass.-based Suno will make changes to its platform next year and launch new licensed models and place download restrictions. For example, users on the free tier will not be able to download songs they made. Paid users will have caps on downloads but can pay more to increase that amount.
WMG artists can choose to opt in to have their likenesses, voices, names and compositions used in AI-generated music, which will open up new revenue streams for them, Suno said in a blog post.
“This landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone,” said Robert Kyncl, WMG‘s chief executive, in a statement. “With Suno rapidly scaling, both in users and monetization, we’ve seized this opportunity to shape models that expand the revenue and deliver new fan experiences.”
WMG declined to comment on the financial terms of the settlement or which artists will be participating. A Suno representative referred The Times to the company’s blog post, which did not detail the financial terms.
Kyncl has said in a Nov. 20 blog post that his company will only make AI deals with partners who “commit to licensed models,” that the terms reflect the value of music and that artists and songwriters have a choice to opt in for the use of their name, image, likeness or voice in AI-generated songs.
Suno says it has nearly 100 million people who use its platform to make music. Last week, Suno closed on a $250-million fundraising round with investors including Menlo Ventures, giving the AI business a $2.45 billion valuation.
Suno CEO Mikey Shulman said the partnership with WMG “unlocks a bigger, richer Suno experience for music lovers.”
“Together, we can enhance how music is made, consumed, experienced and shared,” Shulman said in a statement.
Suno has also acquired the music and concert discovery platform Songkick from WMG. The financial terms were not disclosed.
Last week, WMG also reached an agreement with AI firm Udio, resolving its litigation with the company.
