Technologies
See Mercury up close as BepiColombo space mission beams back sweet image
The shot was taken Friday about 1,500 miles from Mercury, during the first of six scheduled flybys of the planet.

If Mars has gotten too crowded for you, what with all the rovers (and helicopters) buzzing about, why not take your vacation on Mercury? Or at least dream about it.
A new image of the planet, beamed back by the joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission, lets you fantasize about listening to some sweet tunes while strolling across Mercury’s Rudaki Plains or kicking back with a good book while chilling on the rim of the Lermontov crater.
«The region shown is part of Mercury’s northern hemisphere including Sihtu Planitia that has been flooded by lavas,» the European Space Agency said Saturday on its site. «A round area smoother and brighter than its surroundings characterizes the plains around the Calvino crater, which are called the Rudaki Plains. The 166 km-wide Lermontov crater is also seen, which looks bright because it contains features unique to Mercury called ‘hollows’ where volatile elements are escaping to space. It also contains a vent where volcanic explosions have occurred.»
A joint project of the ESA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, the BepiColombo mission is looking to learn more about how the closest planet to the sun formed, what it’s made of and what it tells us about the birth of our solar system.
Read more: Why BepiColombo is going to explore our smallest, wrinkliest planet
It’s only the third mission to set its sights on Mercury. NASA’s Mariner 10 mission launched in 1973, and its Messenger mission took off in 2004.
The new shot of Mercury was taken by the ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module on Friday about 1,500 miles from the planet, during the first of six scheduled flybys of Mercury. Earlier, the spacecraft had gotten within about 125 miles of the planet, according to the ESA.
The mission consists of two orbiters, the ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, which are traveling together via the Mercury Transfer Module. The pair of orbiters are scheduled to enter orbit around Mercury in December of 2025, when they’ll separate to study and map the planet in greater detail than ever before.
Previously on its long journey, the mission has sent back shots of Venus and the Earth. Oh, and of course some selfies.
You can learn more about the BepiColombo mission in this rundown by CNET’s Claire Reilly.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, May 21
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 21.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is a bit of a tough one. 6-Across and 2-Down want you to come up with words that match up with another word that starts with the same two letters. 2-Down was easy, but 6-Across stumped me until my other answers filled it in. (Hint: It’s not green grass…) Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Either role played by Michael B. Jordan in 2025’s «Sinners»
Answer: TWIN
5A clue: «Wow, wow, wow!»
Answer: OHMY
6A clue: Gr-» word that follows «green»
Answer: GRAPE
7A clue: Bit of land in the ocean
Answer: ISLE
8A clue: Père ___, name for Santa Claus in France
Answer: NOEL
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Trunk of the body
Answer: TORSO
2D clue: «Wh-» word that follows «white»
Answer: WHALE
3D clue: Urge forward
Answer: IMPEL
4D clue: Bill ___ the Science Guy
Answer: NYE
6D clue: Alcohol paired with tonic
Answer: GIN
How to play more Mini Crosswords
The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
Technologies
I Took Google’s New Try On Feature for a Spin — It Was Fascinating (and Hilarious)
Commentary: I used AI to see how different outfits would look on me, and the results were revealing.

Online shopping often feels like a shot in the dark. It’s hard to predict how an outfit a model is wearing will fit me. But at Google I/O on Tuesday, I demoed a new feature called Try On that uses AI to show you how a dress, shirt, skirt or pants will actually look on you. I was surprised, and also incredibly amused.
After posing for a quick photo, a Google employee showed me different clothing options in the Shopping tab. I settled on a cute long-sleeved denim jumpsuit, tapped it and uploaded my photo. After about 30 seconds, my real-life floral jumpsuit was replaced by the denim one. The generated image looked impressively real: the sleeves were perfectly tailored, the collar was popped and my pink headscarf (which I was wearing in real life and Gemini thankfully kept on) was neatly tucked in.
«It actually looks like I’m wearing it,» I said in amazement. «I’m quite impressed.» It even added a purse in my right hand, which was a funny touch.
Try On is powered by Google’s custom image generation model, which can demonstrate how materials drape, fold and stretch on different body types. It’s available now in Search Labs, which lets people try out Google Search features before they roll out to the masses.
After opting into the feature, you’ll see an icon that says «try it on» when browsing for clothes in Google. Upload a full-length photo of yourself (ideally with good lighting and fitted clothing), and watch in wonder as that dress or shirt miraculously appears on you. You can also save the generated image and share it with friends.
Of course, I had to have some fun with Try On. As someone who wears hijab, I only wear long sleeves and long pants when I’m out and about. So I decided to test the feature and see what it would do if I picked a pink sleeveless dress. The result was hilarious.
It did in fact expose my arms (or what it thinks they look like), and also added some random bracelets and a watch that I was definitely not wearing in real life. Thankfully, it kept my headscarf on (which perfectly matched the pink dress), but that only made for a more hilarious juxtaposition with my exposed AI skin. Well, at least it maintained the dress’s accuracy.
If you’re worried about privacy concerns, my colleague Katelyn Chedraoui reached out to Google to ask about Try On’s privacy policies. In response, a Google spokesperson said: «Your uploaded photo is never used beyond trying things on virtually, nor is your photo used for training purposes. It is not shared with other Google products, services or third parties, and you can delete or replace it at any time.»
So, if you’re keen to see how that outfit you would totally wear — or totally wouldn’t — looks on you, look no further than your phone; no fitting room required. Personally, I look forward to trying on more outfits, both appealing and ridiculous, just for the heck of it.
Technologies
McDonald’s Snack Wrap: Is the Viral Food Favorite Returning on July 14?
July 14 could be the release date for the much-longed-for chicken Snack Wraps, but Ronald and crew aren’t talking.

McDonald’s is riding a viral wave. The fast-food chain’s Minecraft Happy Meals and adult Minecraft Meals hit restaurants on April 1 and sold out quickly. Diners ordering a Happy Meal these days will find a Squishmallow theme meal instead. But there’s more viral buzz about another McDonald’s product online. People are eagerly awaiting the return of Snack Wraps, a chicken-tortilla entree that’s been missing from US locations of the Golden Arches since 2020.
Read more: Review: McDonald’s Minecraft Meals Feature The Hottest Nugget Sauce Ever
On April 15, McDonald’s tweeted «snack wraps 0x.14.2025,» hinting the wraps would return on the 14th of an upcoming month. This leaves fans having to check their McDonald’s mobile app or local restaurant menus on the 14th of every month, hoping the wraps will make an appearance. The wraps didn’t appear in restaurants on May 14, so now fans must check again in June, and again in July if the June date does not pan out.
At least one Reddit users seems to think the McDonald’s Snack Wraps could return on July 14. One user wrote, «It’s July, I work for McDonald’s,they revealed the date on the employee app.»
But another person posted, «It’s not July. I work at McDonald’s corporate and can confirm.»
Neither of those posts can be confirmed.
June 14 is a Saturday, while July 14 is a Monday. Some suggest that McDonald’s would be more likely to launch a new product on a Monday than on a weekend, so if that’s true, July 14 could be the day.
A representative for McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
snack wraps 0x.14.2025
— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) April 15, 2025
Snack Wrap fever
Snack Wraps first came out in 2006, and were meant to be a chicken item that would appeal to drive-thru customers. There are different versions, but the basic one includes white-meat chicken strips known as McCrispy Strips wrapped in a flour tortilla with cheese and lettuce with either ranch, honey mustard or salsa. McCrispy Strips are a reworked version of a chicken item formerly known as Chicken Selects.
Zach Ciampa, who regularly covers new food releases under the social-media handle Snach With Zach, said there’s been an intense fanbase out there for the wraps. «Regarding McDonald’s Snack Wrap, it’s by far the most requested item I’ve ever seen my audience ask or demand to come back,» he told CNET. «Not just the most requested in recent memory, but the most requested of all time. And that’s not limited to McDonald’s.» Ciampa said the only similar fast-food items that come close to the same level of interest are Dairy Queen’s S’mores Blizzard and Taco Bell’s Caramel Apple Empanada, both of which also made recent returns.
«I’ve been covering food releases for years, and in that time, I’ve seen countless comments to the tune of ‘We don’t want this. We want the Snack Wrap,’ and, ‘Can you tell us when the Snack Wrap is coming back?'» he said. «A couple years ago, the chances of its return were pretty bleak. However, things escalated pretty quickly in late 2023 when McDonald’s did indeed announce that the Snack Wrap would return in a new form. Since then, details have slowly but surely trickled out, and the hype has steadily grown.»
While Snack Wraps left McDonald’s locations in the US back in 2020, they remained available at Canadian and UK restaurants. The current online McDonald’s Canada menu includes several tortilla-wrapped items, including ones with crispy chicken, grilled chicken, buffalo chicken and chicken with a sweet chili sauce.
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