NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Strange Rocks on Mars

Satellite observations had shown alternating stripes of light-colored and dark-colored rock in this area. In late March, Perseverance excavated one of the light-colored formations and collected a sample. In the process it discovered the strange rock—which has been named “St. Paul’s Bay.” A photo of the St. Paul’s Bay rock, the darker object on the…

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Best Battery Platforms for Power Tools

Consumer Reports tests battery power tools at our facility in Yonkers, N.Y., as well as in Florida (where there’s grass year-round). We don’t accept products for testing from manufacturers. Instead, we send out shoppers to purchase equipment in stores and pay the retail price, just as you would.  To come up with our ratings of…

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How to Use and Care for a Chef’s Knife

But just because a knife feels dull doesn’t mean it needs to be sharpened. After using a knife for a while, it can often remain essentially sharp but the cutting edge can be ever-so-slightly rolled over. That means it’s time to hone your blade to realign its edge. Honing, which involves running a knife over…

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Should You Lease Your Next Car?

In the situations that follow, buying—either financing or purchasing a vehicle outright—makes more sense. You drive a lot or put a lot of wear and tear on your car. Most leases cap how many miles you can drive—usually 10,000 to 15,000 per year—and will charge you 10 to 30 cents for every mile you go…

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Delivery Texts: Scam or Legit?

According to cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg, these scams aren’t new and persist because they work. “They’re great scams from the perspective of the scammer,” Steinberg says. “There are two things going on in the scammer’s favor. If I send out enough emails, especially during holiday time, I am essentially guaranteed that somebody who’s getting it…

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