CJ Abrams and Lane Thomas homered, rookie Jake Irvin struck out a career-high nine and the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Friday night

Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the new Meta Quest 3, just days ahead of the widely-expected launch of Apple’s own virtual reality headset. The new version of the Quest has higher resolution graphics, better performance and a slimmer and more comfortable design, Meta claimed. The new version of the headset will release later this year, Meta said, and much was left unannounced about the new headset, including the full details of the chip that will power it. Mr Zuckerberg suggested that more details about the new headset would be revealed at Meta’s “Connect” conference, on 27 September. While Meta and Mr Zuckerberg did not address the widespread rumours that Apple would launch its own headset, the reveal looks to have been scheduled to attempt to beat the reveal of that product. Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference event on Monday, during which it is expected to release its own headset to the world. Like the new Meta Quest 3, Apple’s headset is expected to focus on graphics and a comfortable design, aimed at uses in both gaming and social features. Meta has long been looking to position virtual and augmented reality as the future for years, even renaming the company from Facebook to Meta in an attempt to shift focus onto its work in what it calls the metaverse. But it said that the new headset was the first that could allow for both “cutting-edge VR and MR experiences in a single device”, meaning that users can both inhabit entirely virtual worlds as well as put virtual objects into the real world. ““Ultimately, our vision is to enable you to move through all realities in a way that’s intuitive and delightful, going beyond the rigid classifications of ‘virtual reality’ and ‘mixed reality’ to deliver truly next-gen experiences that let you effortlessly blend the physical and virtual worlds,” said Mark Rankin, Meta’s vice president of virtual reality. “Meta Reality gives you both the deep, immersive magic of VR and the freedom and delight of making your physical world more fun and useful with MR. We’re excited to see what developers and creators can build on the Quest Platform when the possibilities are limitless.” The Meta Quest 3 will cost $499.99 USD for the 128GB option, with the option to pay for more storage space. The Meta Quest 2 will also receive a reduction in price, and it and the Quest Pro will receive software updates that Meta said should improve the performance of that headset. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will stay in Meta’s line up, and will continue to get software updates, Meta said. “While Quest 3 sets a new standard for mixed reality, immersive gaming, and what a mainstream VR headset can be, Quest 2 remains our most affordable entry point to VR and Pro is optimized for work use cases, with face and eye tracking for more authentic self-expression in meetings,” it wrote in its announcement. Read More Meta Ireland to cut about 490 jobs AI chatbot taken down after it gives ‘harmful advice’ on eating disorders Famous torrent site RARBG shuts down with final parting message

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Two popular Spanish beaches were forced to close after “abnormal” levels of bacteria were detected in the water. Urbanova and San Gabriel beaches in Alicante were closed on Friday over the levels of enterococci in the sea, the General Directorate of Water and the Alicante City Council said. Authorities carried out tests in the water before the beaches were reopened on Saturday when bacteria levels in the water returned to a normal level, according to local media reports. Experts are said to have ruled out that the bacteria levels were caused by river discharge or from the treatment plant in the San Gabriel. It comes after the beaches of Medicalia, Puig Val, Old Fishermen’s Quarter and Els Plans were closed on July 22 after a thick, grainy, white substance was found on the shore. Swimmers were also told to avoid the coast of the holiday hotspot resort of El Puig, near Valencia, as authorities struggled to determine what the substance was. Samples have been taken and experts are still working to identify the substance, but the beaches have since reopened. Meanwhile, tourists were urged to stay vigilant on beaches in France and Spain earlier this month due to a surge of toxic algae, which experts warn could cause skin irritation, gastric disorders, nausea, vomiting, and flu-like symptoms. Climate change has led to warmer semi-tropical seas around Europe, causing higher levels of the poisonous Ostreopsis algae, according to Spain’s Institute of Marine Sciences. “The rising water temperature in the Mediterranean will cause the spread of toxic algae Ostreopsis, which will linger for longer and in greater quantities, possibly posing a threat to tourism in the future,” said Dr Elisa Berdalet, from the Institute of Marine Sciences. Read More Scorched beaches in France and Spain face surge in toxic algae caused by warmer climate Spain holidaymakers warned after 48 beaches hit with ‘Black Flag’ due to pollution and dog poo Headless ‘baby’ body found washed up on Spanish beach

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Areas with lower bird diversity appear to have a higher number of hospital admissions related to mental health conditions, research suggests. Experts analysed data from ebird – an online database of bird observations by citizen scientists – to estimate diversity across the US state of Michigan. The team then combined this with hospital admissions for anxiety and mood disorders in the state. The findings, published in the journal Geo: Geography And Environment, showed lower bird diversity to be a significant predictor of higher numbers of hospital admissions for mental health conditions, highlighting the complex relationship between the disorders and biodiversity crises. It is critical we take a holistic approach to our mental health and nature Dr Rachel Buxton The researchers said that while income and the presence of green spaces were the strongest predictors of anxiety and mood disorder-related admissions, there were also independent “significant associations” between mental health and bird diversity. Lead author Dr Rachel Buxton, assistant professor at the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences at Carleton University in Canada, said: “Often we consider nature as representing the amount of green space near homes or the distance to the nearest park, but the link between species diversity and health is underexplored. “Our study shows that if species diversity can affect mental health at the severe end of the spectrum (hospitalisations), it is possible that the decline in biodiversity across the globe may be intricately connected with our anxiety and mood on a day-to-day basis. “It is critical we take a holistic approach to our mental health and nature. “Investing in nature should not be viewed as a luxury, but a necessity, and evaluated in the context of the support for wellbeing it offers individuals and communities living in urban or nature-scarce environments. “Restoring and conserving diverse bird communities could be one avenue to improving mental health in cities and factored into urban restoration projects and public health policies.” Last year, researchers from King’s College London found that watching birds or listening to birdsong was linked to mental wellbeing, with effects lasting up to eight hours. The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) team said at that time that the links between birds and mental wellbeing were not explained by co-occurring environmental factors such as the presence of trees, plants or waterways.

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