Technologies

NASA Sent 3 Drones to Death Valley to Prepare for Travel to Mars

Teams were subject to Death Valley’s extreme heat, with temperatures reaching to over 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

NASA hit a snag last year when the Ingenuity Mars helicopter crashed on the Red Planet. The space agency concluded that the crash was caused by the vehicle’s inability to discern flat ground from featureless sand dunes. To avoid such a hiccup in the future, a team of NASA scientists recently descended upon Death Valley, California, to brave the heat and test a team of research drones over similar featureless areas.

«Ingenuity was designed to fly over well-textured terrain, estimating its motion by looking at visual features on the ground,» said Roland Brockers, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory drone pilot and researcher. «But eventually it had to cross over blander areas where this became hard. We want future vehicles to be more versatile and not have to worry about flying over challenging areas like these sand dunes.»

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

It’s not the first time NASA has taken a field trip to the hottest place on Earth. The agency has used Death Valley since the 1970s to test various technologies in preparation for journeys to Mars. This time around, the team was testing Extended Robust Aerial Autonomy software, an autonomous flight system designed to handle a greater range of terrains on Mars. This would prevent another Ingenuity-style incident involving future explorers.

The team had to endure temperatures that reached a maximum of around 113 degrees Fahrenheit, with only a small pop-up tent to shield them from the intense sun and heat. While NASA has used Death Valley for testing for decades, the JPL team that went in 2025 was only the third team ever to obtain a license to fly research drones at Death Valley.

Death Valley officials were only too happy to accommodate the researchers.

«It’s a powerful reminder that the park is protected not just for its scenic beauty, but as a living laboratory that actively helps us understand desert environments,» said Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds.

Useful findings

All of this testing took place in April and September, so NASA has had some time to review the data and determine what worked. According to the agency, the findings showed that different camera filters were effective for various types of terrain, and the improved algorithms enabled drones to descend and land more safely.

In addition to Death Valley, the team also took their drones to the Dumont Dunes area of the Mojave Desert, renowned for its massive sand dunes, which are a popular spot for off-road recreational vehicles, sandboarding and sand sledding. It’s also noted for its variety of dune formations, providing NASA’s JPL team with more data to test against.

There are currently no named missions that are set to send a helicopter back to Mars, but NASA and the European Space Agency are developing two mini-Ingenuity helicopters that may one day help return all the samples dutifully collected by the Perseverance Mars rover on its journeys across Mars. Those helicopters will undoubtedly utilize the technology that was tested and improved during NASA’s field trip to Death Valley.

Technologies

Thousands of Cases of Shredded Cheese Recalled Due to Possible Metal Fragments

The cheeses were recalled from Aldi, Target, Walmart and more by Great Lakes Cheese.

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced an extensive recall of shredded cheese due to the possibility that it contains metal fragments. According to the report, the cheeses were distributed in 31 states and Puerto Rico, with many of them being sold at popular retailers such as Aldi, Target, Walmart and others.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The reason listed for the recall is «potential metal fragments from supplier raw material,» and Great Lakes Cheese from Hiram, Ohio, is the company behind the recall. The bulk of the recalled cheeses — which includes 235,789 cases — are low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella shredded cheese packaged in individually plastic bags. Those recalled cheeses are:

Always Save — Shredded, 5 lb., UPC 7003865782, 4/case
Borden — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 5300007162 6 or 12/case
Borden — Thick Cut, 8 oz., UPC 5300007170, 6/case 3
Brookshire’s — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 9282510119, 12/case
Brookshire’s — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 9282510120, 12/case
Brookshire’s — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 9282510130, 6/case
Brookshire’s — Thick Cut, 8 oz., UPC 9282592197, 12/case 4
Cache Valley Creamery — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 7495802553, 6 or 12/case
Chestnut Hill — Fancy Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 3225116742, 6/case
Coburn Farms — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 5193331657, 12/case
Coburn Farms — Shredded, 12 oz., UPC 5193321820, 18/case
Coburn Farms — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 5193334257, 6/case
Econo — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 893800294, 12/case
Food Club — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 3680045573, 12/case
Food Club — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 3680005117, 12/case
Food Club — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 3680005144, 12/case
Food Club — Shredded, 32 oz., tube-style bag, UPC 3680012914, 6/case, case UPC 3680041215
Food Club — Shredded, 32 oz., square-style bag, UPC 3680038305, 6/case
Food Lion — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 3582609008, 12/case
Gold Rush Creamery — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 1401401014, 12/case
Gold Rush Creamery — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 1401401030, 6/case
Good & Gather — Fine Cut, 8 oz., UPC 8523903860, 12/case
Good & Gather — Classic, 8 oz., UPC 8523903849, 12/case
Good & Gather — Classic, 32 oz., UPC 8523903852, 6/case
Great Lakes Cheese — Shredded, 5 lb., UPC 3651415034, 4/case
Great Value — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 7874237425, 6/case
Great Value — Finely Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 7874204492, 5/case
Great Value — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 7874235317, 6/case
Great Value — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 7874235321, 5/case
Great Value — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 7874237475, 6/case
Great Value — Shredded, 5 lb., UPC 7874204980, 4/case
Happy Farms by Aldi — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 4061463330864, 12/case
Happy Farms by Aldi — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 4061463369413, 8/case
H-E-B — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 4122022272, 12/case
H-E-B — Thick, 8 oz., UPC 4122061295, 12/case
H-E-B — Shredded/Fancy Finamente Rallado, 8 oz., UPC 4122006759, 12/case (distributed for sale in Mexico only)
Hill Country Fare — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 4122018977
Hill Country Fare — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 4122016234
Hill Country Fare — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 4122042334
Hill Country Fare — Shredded, 5 lb., UPC 4122082998
Hill Country Fare — Shredded/Rallado, 8 oz., UPC 4122024512 (distributed for sale in Mexico only)
Know & Love — Fine Cut, 8 oz., UPC 788030650
Know & Love — Fine Cut, 16 oz., UPC 788030657
Know & Love — Classic Cut, 8 oz., UPC 788030659
Know & Love — Classic Cut, 32 oz., UPC 788030658
Know & Love — Thick Cut, 8 oz., UPC 788030678
Laura Lynn — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 8685401031
Laura Lynn — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 8685400824
Laura Lynn — Shredded, 12 oz., UPC 8685400815
Laura Lynn — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 8685406528
Laura Lynn — Thick Cut Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 8685407109
Lucerne Dairy Farms — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 2113004867
Lucerne Dairy Farms — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 2113004259
Lucerne Dairy Farms — Shredded Family Size, 32 oz., UPC 2113004741
Lucerne Dairy Farms — Rustic Cut, 8 oz., UPC 2113004944, 12/case
Lucerne Dairy Farms — Rustic Cut Family Size, 32 oz., UPC 2113004949
Nu Farm — Fancy Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 3104100151
Publix — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 4141511665
Publix — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 4141523365
Schnuck’s — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 4131858010
Simply Go — Classic Cut Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 1015983021
Simply Go — Classic Cut Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 1015983020
Simply Go — Rustic Cut Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 1015983040
Sprouts Farmers Market — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 4667052284
Sprouts Farmers Market — Shredded Value Pack, 32 oz., UPC 4667052279
Stater Bros. Markets — Finely Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 7417546413
Stater Bros. Markets — Shredded, 8 oz., UPC 7417546402
Stater Bros. Markets — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 7417546435
Sunnyside Farms — Shredded, 16 oz., UPC 1754450204
Sunnyside Farms — Shredded, 32 oz., UPC 1754450057

Other recalled cheeses, which include Italian-style shredded cheese blends, pizza-style shredded cheese, mozzarella and provolone blends and a mozzarella and parmesan blend, can be found in the FDA announcement.

Where was the cheese sold?

The states where the recalled cheeses were distributed include Alabama, Arkansa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.

What to do if you have cheese that has been recalled?

You can return recalled cheeses to the retailer you bought them from to receive a refund. CNET has reached out to Great Lakes Cheese for comment but has not heard back.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 4, #907

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Dec. 4, #907.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is a fun one. Some of the phrases are just too odd to mean anything but what you think they mean, so finding connections isn’t tricky. If you need help sorting them into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Snuggle time.

Green group hint: Cheers!

Blue group hint: Put it together.

Purple group hint: Mammal noses.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Cuddle.

Green group: Imbibe.

Blue group: Things you assemble.

Purple group: Snouts.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is cuddle. The four answers are draw close, hold tight, nuzzle and spoon.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is imbibe. The four answers are guzzle, knock back, pound down and swill.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is things you assemble. The four answers are Ikea furniture, Lego set, model and puzzle.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is snouts. The four answers are beak, muzzle, proboscis and rostrum.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 4 #641

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Dec. 4, No. 641.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is kind of a challenge. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: In the driver’s seat.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: You rule!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

LITE, LOST, LOSE, LOSES, REST, BASE, CURE, KITE, ASSURE, BORE, LIKE, SIRE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: