Starting 5: What's trending in the East and West  NBA.com

13 trending shoes to gift this year, from Nike, New Balance and Ugg  USA Today

Ten recruits Notre Dame is trending for following win over Miami  On3

Surprising Bruins trending toward being (cautious) buyers on trade market  Daily Faceoff

Four-star IOL Grayson Williams leaves Florida visit with Gators trending upward  247Sports

1. Microsoft confirms Windows security updates installation issues  BleepingComputer
2. Microsoft's Patch Tuesday can't break stuff if it won't install  The Register
3. Windows 11's November 2026 update is here: 4 reasons why you should download and install it right now  TechRadar
4. Microsoft fixes over 1,000 Windows flaws – and one is being exploited  ZDNET
5. Windows 11 USB Audio Bug Fully Fixed in November Update; 24H2 No Longer Covered  BigGo Finance

1. Intel’s Gonna Have a Hard Time Beating AMD’s Next-Gen Gaming CPUs  Gizmodo
2. AMD's 'Zen 6' Architecture Detailed: EPYC Data Center Chips Get Dibs, But Ryzens Might Benefit, Too  PCMag
3. AMD Zen 6 Technical Deep Dive  TechPowerUp
4. With Zen 6, AMD’s next great gaming CPU could have it all  PCWorld
5. Supermicro Begins Shipping New AMD-Powered AI Servers — Claims Up To 1.8x Higher AI Throughput  Yahoo Finance

1. Google’s Tabletop AI experiment lets you build custom collaboration apps  The Verge
2. Try Tabletop: Customizable, collaborative spaces for groups to plan, play and do more together.  blog.google
3. Google Labs’ new Tabletop feature lets you turn an AI canvas into a multiplayer experience  XDA
4. Google Introduces Tabletop for Building Collaborative AI Spaces  Unite.AI
5. Google Tabletop Uses AI to Simplify Group Planning  Nokiamob

1. Hands on with Home Assistant’s new ‘smart home multi-tool’  The Verge
2. My old speaker now plays in perfect sync with my Sonos through Home Assistant, and all it took was a $69 device  XDA
3. This tiny box gives your older tech smart home superpowers – and it’s only $69  ZDNET
4. Home Assistant Connect AUX-2 Wants To Smarten Up Your ‘Dumb’ Tech  Forbes
5. Home Assistant Connect AUX-2 gives your old speakers and TVs a second life for $69  Android Authority

1. GTA 6 preorders top $1 billion as Hollywood eyes record launch weekend  Mashable
2. ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Reaches $1 Billion In Sales Ahead Of Release, Report Says  Forbes
3. ‘GTA 6’ Presales ‘Far in Excess’ of Expectations Ahead of Next Week’s Launch, Take-Two CEO Says  Variety
4. How to Play GTA VI—Buy Take-Two Stock  Barron's
5. Take-Two Interactive Software Reports Lower Revenue Ahead of ‘GTA VI’ Launch  WSJ

Compared to ecosystems in many other parts of the world, the blanket bogs of the Flow Country in northern Scotland are unassuming—soggy, treeless landscapes dominated by hummocky mosses, grasses, and heathers. Yet, to ecologists, the seemingly desolate areas are nothing short of extraordinary.

The bogs store tremendous quantities of carbon. That’s because their soils are so waterlogged that microbes cannot fully break down dead plant material, a process that would otherwise release carbon dioxide. Instead, partially decayed plant matter accumulates into thick layers of spongy, crumbly, carbon-rich material called peat.

The unusual ecosystems, also called blanket mires and featherbed bogs, only occur in places with abundant rainfall, poor drainage, and low levels of evapotranspiration. These types of bogs cover just 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) globally, less than one-tenth of one percent of Earth’s land surface. The image above, captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8, is centered on blanket bogs in the Scottish Highlands, home to the largest such ecosystem in Europe. This peatland is also the first of its type to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The peat bogs of northern Scotland, home to more than 30 species of sphagnum moss, are spread across some 1,900 square kilometers (730 square miles) of the country’s Highlands region. In this image, boggy areas appear dark brown and are sprinkled with lakes. The light green area on the right side around Thurso is farmland. The darker green geometric patterns in the center are conifer plantations. The image was captured in the spring, the part of the year when the land surface is most waterlogged and peat bogs begin to accumulate large amounts of new biomass.

While forests store most of their carbon in living trees—which eventually release it back into the atmosphere when they burn or die—peat bogs often store carbon for many thousands of years. Some parts of the Flow Country have been accumulating peat for more than 9,000 years, building deposits exceeding eight meters thick, according to UNESCO. Overall, scientists estimate that all of the world’s peatlands cover just 3 percent of Earth’s land surface but store more than 600 gigatons of carbon—about twice as much as all the world’s forests combined.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

References & Resources

• Aitkenhead, M.J. (2016) Mapping peat in Scotland with remote sensing and site characteristics. European Journal of Soil Science, 68(1), 28-38.
• BBC (2020, August 3) Scotland’s 10,000-year-old wild heartland. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• The Flow Country Partnership, The Flow Country. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• Lindsay, R. & Anderson, R. (2016) Blanket Mires of Caithness and Sutherland, Scotland’s Great Flow Country (UK). The Wetland Book. (Springer: Dordrecht).
• Michigan Tech (2019) Peatlands cover 3 percent of land and store 30 percent of soil carbon. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• NatureScot (2024, July 26) Scotland’s The Flow Country secures World Heritage Site status. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• NatureScot (2026, August 27) Blanket bog. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• Warren, C. (2008) Birds, bogs and forestry’ revisited: The significance of the flow country controversy. Scottish Geographical Journal, 116(4), 315-337.

Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute

Earth planning date: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026

This week Curiosity has been completing its drill campaign at the “Nazca” drill hole. This is an area characterized by bedrock containing disk-shaped (or in a liberal interpretation, potato chip shaped … see linked image) crystal forms. A key objective has been to better characterize these chip-shaped features. Drill samples were delivered to the Sample Analysis for Mars (SAM) instrument. While the SAM analysis was on-going, Monday’s plan included a ChemCam LIBS observation of another crystal-form, “Ahi Veremos,” more Mastcam frames to fill out a mosaic of the Nazca near to mid-field, and environmental observations including a large dust devil survey, and horizon and atmospheric zenith movies.

Wednesday’s plan included two targeted science blocks with a LIBS depth profile of the “Colca” crystal-form and LIBS of the “Bermejo” target. A long distance Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) mosaic of rock clusters below the “Cordillera” ridge was also collected. Mastcam collected more frames of its Nazca mosaic, and more environmental observations were made.

Friday’s planning was for three sols with three targeted science blocks and a drive away from the Nazca drill site. A MAHLI mosaic of the side of the block that hosts the Nazca drill hole was planned. It was also planned to use MAHLI’s nighttime white-light and ultraviolet LED lamps for nighttime imaging of the crystal-forms. Mars’ moon, Phobos, was eclipsing the Sun and imaging of that event was prioritized. ChemCam LIBS observations were planned for each sol including a cluster of crystal forms, a resistant layer in the side of the Nazca block and a dark float rock. A long distance RMI mosaic of dark lenses beneath a planar surface on the “Mishe Mokwa” ridge was to be made. Another round of environmental observation was also planned. Finally, Friday’s drive was to take the rover back towards its southerly trending route where Curiosity would continue its trek of exploration and discovery.

Back-to-back extreme rain events inundated the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest in late October and early November 2026. The storms alleviated short-term drought conditions in the Southwest but caused river levels to spike to record or near-record levels in places, triggering damaging floods. 

One effect of the heavy rains detected by satellites was the rapid rise of water levels in Navajo Reservoir. The change is visible in the images above, acquired on September 20 (left) and November 7 (right) with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 9. In that time, the lake in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado rose by nearly 60 feet (18 meters), according to data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (Note that the Bureau of Reclamation decreased releases from Navajo Dam on September 16 and 17.)

On November 7, the reservoir stood at its highest level since August 2019 and at 108 percent of the average capacity for that date. That contrasts with September 20, when it held just 60 percent of its average capacity. Due to snow drought across the West in winter 2025-26, the lake saw relatively little growth in the spring, when snowmelt often raises water levels.

The San Juan, Piedra, and other rivers swelled with runoff amid the wet weather. Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a town along the San Juan River about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of the lake, was especially hard-hit by flooding. In the first round of rain, 5.05 inches (12.8 centimeters) fell in the town, and on October 23 the river reached major flood stage. After more rain, the river spiked again on November 1, this time nearly to the record level set in 1911 during a devastating flood. Officials issued evacuation orders, and responders rescued dozens of people, according to news reports, while water inundated streets and damaged property.

Heavy rain and flooding have been widespread across southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, northern Arizona, and northwest New Mexico in recent weeks. From early September through early November, precipitation totals were 2 to 4 times the average throughout the Four Corners region—an area beset by long-term drought that was exacerbated by snow drought and high temperatures in 2026.

Though the downpours posed hazards to communities along many rivers, they did provide drought relief throughout the region. Weekly U.S. Drought Monitor maps, derived from a suite of satellite data products and ground-based observations, have indicated improvements to drought conditions due to the fall storms. The group’s November 3 summary noted that “short-term drought has ended for the Southwest and Great Basin,” although long-term drought persists in places.

Wet weather in the Southwest is often associated with El Niño events, when the segment of the jet stream flowing eastward near the equatorial Pacific tends to strengthen. Experts noted that the low-pressure system delivering the heavy rainfall in autumn 2026 was at a low latitude for the time of year and drew energy from unusually high ocean temperatures. El Niño patterns—like the one currently underway—can increase the likelihood of moisture-laden storms being steered across the Southwest interior.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

References & Resources

• AP News (2026, November 3) Rain clears but flood risk remains high after destructive storms swamp normally arid US Southwest. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (2026, October 28) CW3E Event Summary: 21-23 October 2026. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• The Gazette (2026, October 24) Pagosa Springs experiencing once-a-century flooding. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• NOAA National Water Prediction Service (2026) River Gauge Observations & Forecasts. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2026) Navajo Reservoir. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• U.S. Drought Monitor (2026, November 5) West. Accessed November 10, 2026.
• Weather West (2026, October 30) As unusual low-latitude storm approaches SoCal and threatens serious Four Corners flood risk once again, record-warm and record-high ocean conditions persist along CA coast amid still-strengthening El Niño. Accessed November 10, 2026.

Nvidia has no succession plan and a CEO in hot water, so we’ve drafted a shortlist.

The affair could have ramifications for national security as the U.S. and China race to develop the most advanced AI infrastructure.

As soon as Wednesday evening, Nvidia's board could decide to remove its founder and CEO of 33 years.

Jensen Huang, who has come under fire for admitting to an affair with a woman accused of being a Chinese intelligence agent, has been accused of having a separate affair with an Nvidia subordinate.

The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there’s a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure […]