We asked some futurists about one of the world's biggest questions: In what way is humanity most likely to become extinct?

Here's what they had to say.

SEE ALSO: 11 books that will help you make a change in your life

1. Mike Walsh

Mike Walsh, author of Futuretainment and The Dictionary Of Dangerous Ideas, is a leading authority on digital transformation and host of the weekly podcast, Between Worlds: 

“Humans in the 21st century are so connected and global that the most likely extinction event will be a viral assault that attacks the networks essential to our survival. Whether a weaponized virus or a gene-edited vector that targets our food and water supplies, the biggest risks to our future will be those threats that target our interdependence.”

Read more about epidemics, viruses and beyond in Pandemic by Sonia Shah.

2. Ufuk Tarhan

Ufuk Tarhan — futurist, economist, business designer:

We humans will be highly responsible for our own extinction. We’ve triggered and are hastening the elevating factors by hunting, changing the climate and the chemistry of all the oceans, and altering the surface of the planet. We deforested earth harshly. We planted mono-culture agriculture. We’re overfishing. The list goes on. These will be the major reasons for extinction, but not robots or creatures that we create.

Read more about the history of species extinction in in The Sixth Extinction by Pulitzer-prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert.

Garry Golden

Garry Golden is futurethink’s senior futurist and an expert on emerging trends and identifying change; he’s worked with organizations like McGraw-Hill, Reliant, and S&P:

Total annihilation of humanity is a difficult scenario to imagine. One possibility is profound levels of destruction by an asteroid strike that would generate enough heat to destroy the agricultural layer of the Earth. The other likely scenario is a biological contagion, natural or human-created, that decimates urban areas leading to a depopulation of the world’s largest cities and rural upheaval.

Read more about the hidden world of viruses in A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer.

• The Porsche Macan GTS is one of the six versions of the Macan compact SUVs available in the US.
• The GTS sits in the middle of the Macan line up. It slots in above the Macan, Macan S, and Macan Sport Edition but below the Macan Turbo and Turbo with Performance Package models.
• The base 2018 Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 while the top-spec Macan Turbo with Performance Package starts at $87,700. 
• The Macan GTS starts at $68,900. With options and fees, the as-tested price came to $81,310.
• The Macan GTS impressed with us with its traditional Porsche sporty demeanor and solid feature content.

The Porsche Macan is one of the great automotive success stories in recent memory. The Macan is Porsche's best selling model and accounted for 39% of the German brand's US sales last year. In fact, the only thing keeping the Macan's sales growth in check is the pace at which Porsche can churn the SUVs out at its factory in Leipzig, Germany.

At the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Porsche launched an updated version of its hot-selling SUV. However, that car won't appear in US showrooms until the middle of next year. In addition, the only variant of the "new" Macan we've seen is the base model with a turbocharged inline four-cylinder.

As a result, higher performance versions of the current Macan will remain on sale even after the new Macan debuts.

This brings us to the Macan GTS. It sits in the middle of the Macan line up in terms of price and performance. 

The Porsche Macan can be had in six different flavors. They range from the relatively tame four-cylinder base Macan to the top of the line Macan Turbo with Performance Package, which boasts a stout 440 horsepower.

In between, there's the Macan S, Macan Sport Edition, Macan GTS, and Macan Turbo.

Recently, Business Insider had the chance to experience the 2018 Macan GTS first-hand road trip from Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah, Georgia. 

The base Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 while the Macan Turbo with Performance Package starts at $87,700. Our Carrera White Metallic 2018 Porsche Macan GTS starts at $68,900. With options and fees, the as-tested price came to $81,310. 

Here's a closer look: 

SEE ALSO: We drove a $152,000 Porsche 911 GT3 to see if it's still the greatest sports car of all time — here's the verdict

SEE ALSO: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

The Macan is one of the most successful compact luxury crossovers on the market. Since its debut for the 2015 model year, the Macan has become Porsche's most popular model.

Recently we took a 2018 Porsche Macan GTS on a road trip from Jacksonville, Florida to Savannah, Georgia.

The road from Jacksonville to Savannah consisted mostly of highway driving. Although there were a few winding country roads to keep things interesting.

• A California company sells "luxury" ice cubes for $325 for 50 ice cubes.
• According to Glace Luxury Ice, their product is superior to regular ice because it's "purified of minerals, additives and other pollutants."
• Glace Ice claims that the design of their cubes — which come in cube or sphere shapes — provide minimum dilution, maximum cooling, and should be enjoyed with "premium spirits."

If you're drinking top-shelf liquor, you'd better be enjoying it with top-shelf ice.

That's the idea behind a California company that sells "luxury" ice cubes for $325 per order of 50 ice cubes. That's $6.50 per ice cube.

Glace Luxury Ice says that its ice is of higher quality than regular ice, which is made with local tap water and may contain impurities and carcinogens, resulting in poor tasting and potentially unhealthy ice, according to the company's website.

Glace Ice, on the other hand, is purified and protected in a resealable package, which ensures its purity, according to the company.

"Our elegant design provides minimum dilution and maximum cooling, greatly enhancing enjoyment at the point of consumption," the website reads. "Glace Luxury Ice provides consumers with a top-shelf choice for ice that matches their premium spirit selection."

SEE ALSO: This is how different types of alcohol alter your mood, according to science

Glace Luxury Ice sells two different types of ice cubes: G-Cubed, which is cube-shaped, with each piece individually carved ...

Source: Glace Luxury Ice

... and the Mariko Sphere. The sphere is "the most efficient shape in nature" and "the most mathematically efficient way to cool your drink," according to the company's website.

Source: Glace Luxury Ice

The ice cubes are sold in orders of 50 ice cubes that come in 10 pouches of five cubes each. The cubes are shipped priority over-night and already frozen packaged in dry-ice, a representative for the company told Business Insider.

Source: Glace Luxury Ice

• Instacart is a delivery company that pairs customers with personal shoppers who deliver groceries to their homes. 
• In 2016, it signed a five-year contract with Whole Foods to become its exclusive delivery partner. In 2017, Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon.
• Instacart now goes head-to-head with Amazon's own Whole Foods delivery services, including Amazon Prime Now.
• We put the two competitors to the test. 

Up until last year, there was only one way to have Whole Foods produce delivered to your door: via Instacart, a delivery company that pairs customers with personal shoppers who pick groceries in the store and deliver them directly to people's homes.

This changed in June 2017, when Amazon announced that it would be buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. The announcement sent shockwaves through the market and put Instacart, which had exclusive rights to Whole Foods' delivery, in a sticky situation. 

In a recent interview at Recode's Code Commerce conference, Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta explained how Whole Foods' CEO, John Mackey, called to personally inform him about the deal when it happened. 

"It was probably a one-minute call," Mehta told Recode journalist Jason del Rey. "He wanted me to be one of the first people to know."

In the months that followed, Instacart signed deals with several major US retailers including Sam's Club, Costco, CVS, Albertsons, and Kroger, but industry experts were left wondering what would happen to the five-year contract that it had signed with Whole Foods in early 2016 and was only a year and a half in to.

"I don't think anyone expected Amazon to buy Whole Foods, and the contract was obviously written with that expectation," Mehta said.

Whole Foods was Instacart's first national delivery partnership. Instacart continues to deliver for Whole Foods along with Amazon's own delivery services, but experts say it likely won't be long before it's muscled out. 

I decided to put Amazon Prime Now and Instacart to the test to see how they compare. Find out what happened below:

SEE ALSO: Instacart's CEO describes the moment he discovered Amazon was stealing its Whole Foods business

I started by ordering from Instacart's website. As this was the first time I used the service, I was asked to enter my zip code and set up an account.

It's easy to register, and you can log in directly using a Google account without having to register any details, which is definitely a bonus. 

Once I logged in, Instacart went straight to selling me a membership.

Instacart Express works in a similar way to an Amazon Prime membership. You pay $149 a year and are able to get free shipping when you spend over $35. However, given that the selection on Instacart is limited to groceries, pet supplies, and drug stores, you are getting far less for your money than with an Amazon Prime membership.

Prime costs $119 a year and includes free shipping of almost anything you can think of on Amazon.com as well as access to a ton of perks such as Prime Video and Prime Music. 

When it comes to shopping for groceries alone, Instacart is the leading player. On here, you can shop from 300 different chains.

The Russian Defense Ministry recently announced that its elite Spetsnaz forces would receive "several dozen" new 2B25 "silent" 82mm mortar systems.

The 2B25's noise level reportedly "does not exceed that of a Kalashnikov AKMB assault rifle fitted with the PBS-1 silencer," while the system itself "produces almost no muzzle flash or smoke."

Spetsnaz special operators have a long history going back to the Red Bolshevik Guard, but little is known about them because of the unit's secretive nature. 

The Spetsnaz are organized differently than US special operations forces in that they have units in multiple military branches, all with their own specialized training. 

Numbering around 15,000-17,000, most Spetsnaz are comparable to US Army Rangers, but about 1,000 of them are on par with the US Army's Delta Force or Navy SEALs, according to the book "Spetsnaz: Russia's Special Forces" by Mark Galeotti.

It also makes sense that Spetsnaz forces received the new mortar system first, given that they usually "get the first pick of new types [of weapons], and also enjoy much greater freedom to customize and "mix and match"" Galeotti wrote.

Below are 11 of the most commonly used Spetsnaz weapons, according to Galeotti. 

SEE ALSO: Russia just released this video of its elite Spetsnaz taking over a cargo ship

SEE ALSO: The Russian maker of the AK-47 just unveiled a new AK-308 rifle with a large 7.62 mm NATO round

The standard Spetsnaz weapon, according to Galeotti, is some version of the 5.45mm AK-74 rifle. Seen here is the AK-74M, which is also the standard issue for much of the Russian Army. It weighs about 8 pounds and has a 30 round magazine capacity.

In May, Moscow announced that it would replace the AK-74M with the AK-12 and AK-15. As such, it's possible that Spetsnaz operators have already gotten their hands on the rifles.  

Another AK-74 model that the Spetsnaz use is the short-barreled AKS-74U carbine. Also known as the "Krink", it was originally developed for the Spetsnaz in the mid-1970s and has a nifty side-folding stock, according to The Firearm Blog.

Some Spetsnaz operators sport a slightly different AKM fitted with a GP-25 grenade launcher. The AKM, which is a modernized version of the AK-47, fires 7.62 mm rounds up to 383 yards.

• McDonald's operates more than 36,000 restaurants around the world.
• The menu varies to reflect the local cuisine of the country where it's located. 
• The stores themselves vary in appearance, too. Though many international McDonald's locations look similar to its US stores, some locations are completely unique.
• See what McDonald's restaurants look like around the world.  

McDonald's operates more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries around the world. 

Many of the McDonald's restaurants around the world look similar to the ones we see in the US, but the menus vary to reflect the local cuisine of the country the restaurant is in. 

But some McDonald's locations stand out from the rest. Around the world, there are high-end McDonald's with marble walls and chandeliers, McDonald's in historic buildings, and even a McDonald's on a ski slope. 

In countries like Spain and Italy, McDonald's serves pastries like macarons. And in Rome, McDonald's has a gelato bar. 

See what other McDonald's restaurants are like around the world:

SEE ALSO: We compared the best vegan options from 7 fast-food chains — and the winner was clear

DON'T MISS: Bizarre food items that disappeared from McDonald's menu

This McDonald's restaurant in Bergen, Norway, is located in one of the oldest traditional Norwegian wooden buildings in the area.

Source: MSN

The exterior is white wood paneling, and the golden arches are a bit more subtle than at McDonald's restaurants in the US ...

... but the inside is pretty similar to what McDonald's looks like in the US.

• Consumer aviation website Skytrax recently released their ranking of the best airlines in the world.
  
• Asian and European airlines dominate the top of the rankings.
• Airlines for North America once again struggled in the Skytrax rankings.
• No airline from North America cracked the top 25 while no US airline managed to crack the top 35.
• For the second year in a row, Air Canada was named the best airline in North America by Skytrax. 
• Delta finished as the highest ranked US airline.

Consumer aviation website Skytrax has released updated rankings of the best airlines in the world. For 2018, airlines from Asia and Europe such as Singapore, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, and Lufthansa once again dominate the upper echelons of the list.

Airlines from those two continents have taken the top spot every year since 2001.

Unfortunately, North American airlines once against struggled to keep up with the pack. In fact, no airline from the US, Canada, and Mexico managed to crack the top 25. 

The highest ranked North American airline doesn't appear on the list until Air Canada in 30th place. 

"We are very pleased that Air Canada has again been recognized as the Best Airline in North America by the highly respected Skytrax World Airline Awards," Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu said in a statement. "This is the seventh time in nine years Air Canada has been honored with this award, demonstrating our successful transformation into a leading global carrier."

No US airline cracked the top 35. Delta got the closest with a 37th place finish.

In fact, major players like United Airlines and Aeromexico both missed out on a top 10 finish in the Skytrax rankings for the best airlines in North America. 

The Skytrax rankings are based on the impressions of 20.36 million travelers from more than 100 different countries. The unpaid survey, which covered more than 335 airlines, measured 49 parameters ranging from boarding procedures to seat comfort to the quality of service.

Here are the 10 best airlines in North America, according to the results of the Skytrax survey:

SEE ALSO: 10 airports in America that passengers love flying into the most

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10. Hawaiian Airlines

Overall rank: 77

Why it's awesome: Hawaiian Airlines is a bit of a niche player as far as its position in the market goes. Even though it's among the most prominent airline brands in the US, it's dedicated to connecting the Hawaiian islands with the rest of the world. 

Hawaiian Airlines currently operates a fleet of new Airbus A321neo and Airbus A330 airliners. It's also phasing out its fleet of Boeing 767 airlines with new 787 Dreamliners on the way. 

See additional airline information at Skytrax.

9. American Airlines

Overall rank: 71

Why it's awesome: American Airlines is the world's largest airline. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier was formed following the 2015 merger of US Airways and American Airlines. 

American Airlines operates a fleet of around 950 mainline jets. 

See additional airline information at Skytrax.

8. Air Transat

Overall rank: 68

Why it's awesome:  Air Transat is a Montreal-based leisure airline. Founded in 1987, Air Transat's business is built around package vacation deals to 60 destinations across, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. 

For 2018, Air Transat was named World's Best Leisure Airline. 

See additional airline information at Skytrax.

• In March I left New York to travel around the world as Business Insider's international correspondent. Over the course of more than six months, I have so far visited 12 countries.
• While I've had some epic adventures, not everything lived up to the hype. Some bucket-list attractions were overpriced, uninspiring, overcrowded, or just plain boring.
• Among the offending attractions: the "most dangerous hike in the world" in China, the Marina Bay Sands mega-hotel featured in "Crazy Rich Asians," and the Greek isle of Mykonos.
• I thought it might be helpful to share which of my recent adventures weren't worth the trouble.
• If you're looking for the things you should do, I have a list of those too.

Let's be honest, some things simply don't live up to the hype.

There's a temptation when going on a big trip abroad to come back singing the praises of everything you did and saw, whether it's a mediocre, all-inclusive island resort or an adrenaline-pumping off-road trip through the desert.

But that muddies the waters. Sometimes, you get to a place, attraction, or activity only to find it overpriced, uninspiring, overcrowded, or just plain boring. If you don't call that out, how do you know some experience you've had really was life-altering?

When I left to travel as Business Insider's international correspondent in March, I knew there would be amazing adventures along the way. I also knew there would be more than a few duds. Among them: the "most dangerous hike in the world" in China, the Marina Bay Sands mega-hotel featured in "Crazy Rich Asians," and the Greek isle of Mykonos.

With 12 countries and six months checked off on the trip so far, I decided it was time to pinpoint my least favorite adventures. Perhaps it'll help you reevaluate an upcoming trip, adjust your expectations for a bucket-list location, or feel less pressure to go see or do that thing that everyone is telling you that you must do.

Here's they are:

SEE ALSO: From off-roading in China to 22 hours of sunlight in Moscow: the one thing you have to do in 12 countries around the world

In China, I headed to Mount Hua, or Huashan, considered to be one of China's five sacred mountains and one of the most popular tourist attractions and pilgrimage sites for Chinese people. The mountain actually has five main peaks — a North, South, East, West, and Center.

While breathtaking, it's considered to be one of the world's most dangerous places to hike, due in large part to the infamous plank walk located on the mountain's highest peak, South, which has a height of 7,070 feet.

Unfortunately, I never got to the plank walk. The easiest way to get to the mountain's peaks is by cable car. The line was insanely long. You can't even see the cable car in this picture.

The former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, one of the finest fighters of the past 25 years, has long been heralded as the pay-per-view king.

An unmissable attraction at the gate and a box office sensation, Mayweather hung up his boxing gloves after his tenth round stoppage win over Conor McGregor in 2017.

Now, a new fighter may be stealing Mayweather's crown.

This is because McGregor has turned into a pay-per-view star in his own right.

The Irish striker returned to the UFC after almost two years away from the cage, to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Russian wrestler's UFC lightweight championship title.

Nurmagomedov stole the show with a fourth round submission win over McGregor, but the rivalry between the two fighters reportedly attracted a massive amount of pay-per-view buys.

McGregor is now a staple in the best-selling events in box office history.

Keep scrolling to see the 54 best-selling box office events ever, ranked in ascending order.

54: Georges St-Pierre v Nick Diaz — 950,000 PPV buys

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Event: UFC 158.

Date and venue: March 16, 2013, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

Memorable moments: Nick Diaz, one of the biggest trash-talkers in combat sports, got silenced by Georges St-Pierre. Every time Diaz tried to verbally assault St-Pierre in the Octagon, GSP would throw a Superman jab in his face. GSP won a 5-round decision on points.

53: Wrestlemania 22 — 975,000 PPV buys

Sport: Professional wrestling / Sports entertainment.

Event: Wrestlemania 22.

Date and venue: April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.

Memorable moment: Mexican luchador Rey Mysterio won the World Heavyweight Championship in the Triple Threat match against Kurt Angle and Randy Orton.

=48: Forrest Griffin v Rashad Evans — 1 million PPV buys

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Event: UFC 92.

Date and venue: December 27, 2008, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Memorable moment: The light heavyweight championship title changed hands as Rashad Evans beat Forrest Griffin by third round knockout in a 'Fight of the Night' spectacle.

• IKEA just added a vegan hot dog to its food-court menu.
• The veggie dog is meant to be a more sustainable alternative to the hot dog and is made from kale, red lentils, quinoa, onion, and carrots. It's topped with pickled red cabbage and roasted onions. 
• IKEA is the latest of many mainstream retailers to start offering more vegan alternatives. Costco recently removed the Polish hot dog from its food-court menu to make room for several vegan options, including a new al pastor salad and an acai bowl.
• We tried IKEA's new veggie dog ourselves, and we were surprised by how delicious it was.

IKEA is following in Costco's footsteps and adding a new vegan option to its food-court menu.

The veggie dog, which launched in IKEA's European locations in August, officially launched in the bistros in the furniture retailer's US stores at the end of September. IKEA began developing the veggie dog as a more sustainable alternative to its hot dog back in February. 

According to Fast Company, IKEA sold one million veggie dogs in Europe in the first two months that they were available. The veggie dog has only been in American IKEA stores since late September, but in its first two weeks, one out of every 10 customers who bought a hot dog in-store opted for the vegan version, Merlijn Crébolder, IKEA food manager in the US, told Fast Company.

The veggie dog is made from kale, red lentils, quinoa, onion, carrots, and spices like ginger and turmeric. It's topped with pickled red cabbage, spicy mustard, and roasted onions. It costs $0.75 and is 226 calories. While the veggie dog itself is vegan, the bun isn't because it contains egg. 

It isn't IKEA's first venture into vegan food, and it won't be its last. The furniture store's restaurant serves vegan meatballs and has announced plans to introduce a vegan ice cream to the menu in summer 2019.

IKEA is the latest among several mainstream brands to start adding vegan options to meet increased demand. Costco recently removed the Polish hot dog from its food-court menu to make room for several vegan options, including a new al pastor salad and an acai bowl. Nestle acquired the vegan-meat supplier Sweet Earth in September. Campbell's recently acquired Pacific Foods, which makes nondairy milks. And White Castle added the plant-based Impossible Burger to its menu.

We went to the IKEA store in Brooklyn, New York, to try the veggie dog for ourselves — here's the verdict: 

SEE ALSO: Costco replaced a beloved food-court menu item with new vegan options. Here's how they taste.

The veggie dogs are available at IKEA's bistro, which is separate from its restaurant. The line was long — I waited almost 20 minutes to order. The veggie dogs cost $0.75 each, so I got two for $1.50.

IKEA's bistro's veggie hot dog is entirely vegan, except for the bun, which contains egg. The menu says that the veggie dogs have 226 calories each.

The veggie dog itself is made from kale, red lentils, quinoa, onion, carrots, and spices like ginger and turmeric.

• The US economy is the sum of the economies of the 50 states and Washington, DC.
• Using six measures of labor-market and general economic health, we ranked all of those component economies from worst to best.

The US is a massive, complex economy, and so too are the component economies of the 50 states and Washington, DC, that make up the whole.

Business Insider combined six measures of labor-market and general economic health for all the states and the District of Columbia. They are the unemployment rate, job growth, per-capita GDP, GDP growth, average weekly wages, and wage growth. By putting all those on a common scale and combining them, we came up with an overall score for each state's economy.

Click here to see our detailed sources and methods.

While the top of the list remains similar to our most recent ranking last quarter, with Washington, DC coming in first place, several states saw their fortunes rise or fall. South Dakota moved up from last place to 12th best overall, while Georgia fell from 11th to 35th.

Here's how the economy of each state and DC is doing right now:

SEE ALSO: Here are the most common ancestries in every US state

51. Mississippi

Mississippi's Q1 2018 per capita GDP of $38,313, August 2018 average weekly earnings of $697, and 2.2% decline in wages between August 2017 and August 2018 were all the lowest among the 50 states and DC.

50. Alaska

Alaska's August 2018 unemployment rate of 6.7% was the highest in the country, and its 0.9% decline in the number of non-farm payroll jobs between August 2017 and August 2018 was the worst among the 50 states and DC.

49. Arkansas

Arkansas Q1 2018 per capita GDP of $42,282 and GDP growth rate of 0.0% were both the second-lowest among the 50 states and DC, as was the state's August 2018 average weekly earnings of $734.

After China's J-31 stealth fighter made its first full-scale public appearance in 2014, observers noted its striking resemblance to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. 

And many weren't surprised: China was thought to have stolen unclassified F-35 design information five years earlier. 

But recently, there's been little reporting and discussion about the J-31. 

"Part of that, to my knowledge, is that the [PLA] Air Force still hasn't bought any of them," Matthew P. Funaiole, a fellow with the China Power Project at CSIS, told Business Insider. 

"It was supposed to be introduced in 2018 [or] 2019 ... but there hasn't been much chatter on it," Funaiole added. 

Here's how the J-31 stacks up against the F-35, and what China might do with the new fighter. 

SEE ALSO: 11 photos of the J-20, China's first stealth fighter jet that 'could soon surpass' the F-22 Raptor

SEE ALSO: Russia rips China's J-15 fighter jet, which Beijing stole from Moscow

The J-31 had already resembled the F-35 — both are multirole strike fighters — when a scaled model of it was unveiled in 2012.

Although the J-31's full specifications are not yet known, the J-31 and F-35 have roughly the same weight, height and wingspan.

Source: Popular Science

But the J-31 has a maximum takeoff weight of 56,000 pounds and a maximum range of 775 miles, making it lighter than the 70,000-pound F-35, and with roughly half the range.

Source: Popular Science

A maintenance worker accidentally fired a 20mm Vulcan cannon from an F-16 jet he was working on at Belgium’s Florennes Air Force Base earlier this week, destroying another F-16 while damaging another aircraft nearby, according to multiple media reports.

A worker apparently opened fire across the flight line while performing maintenance on Oct. 11, according to Avio News. The F-16 that was racked by cannon fire quickly caught fire and exploded, since it was loaded with fuel and being readied for an afternoon sortie, according to Scramble Magazine.

The Belgian Air Force confirmed a fire broke out on the base during maintenance work, causing one plane to burn while causing collateral damage in a second, without mentioning cannon fire as being the cause.

Belgium’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that two technicians suffered hearing injuries and were treated on the spot.

The Belgian Air Force did not respond to a request for comment from Task & Purpose.

Here are photos from the incident, courtesy of Scramble Magazine:

SEE ALSO: 9 photos of the J-31, China's copycat version of the F-35 stealth fighter — here's how it stacks up

The mechanic accidentally fired the cannon from an F-16 which he was working on in a hangar.

One F-16 caught fire and exploded, while another was damaged.

“You can’t help thinking of what a disaster this could have been,” Col. Didier Polome, the base commander, told a Belgian television news station.

A year after Amazon introduced its first smart display, the Echo Show, Google has responded with its own version: the Google Home Hub. 

It's good timing, since the 2018 version of the Echo Show ships out to customers on Thursday. 

These smart displays are still relatively new, but what they can do goes way beyond the first iterations of virtual voice-assistants, which more than 60 million people already have in their homes.

So whether you're one of those people and are considering an upgrade, or are looking to buy your first smart display, here's how the Amazon Echo Show compares to the Google Home Hub.

SEE ALSO: Apple's original TV shows and movies could be free for all iPhone and iPad owners with the launch of its new video streaming service

There are a few key differences between the two devices. The Amazon Echo Show is a much bigger and heavier device than the Google Home Hub. It also has a larger display.

The Amazon Echo Show is a significantly bigger device than the Google Home Hub, weighing in at almost four pounds. Google's device is incredibly lightweight, comparatively: it's listed at weighing just over one pound. 

Here are the rest of the specs:

• Dimensions: Amazon Echo Show (9.7 inches x 6.9 inches x 4.2 inches) vs. Google Home Hub (7.02 inches x 4.65 inches x 2.65 inches)
• Display: Echo Show (10.1-inch screen) vs. Home Hub (7-inch screen)

The Echo Show has a camera for video calling, while the Google Home Hub does not.

This is probably the biggest difference between the two devices. At the Google event where the Home Hub was announced, executives said the company"consciously" decided not to include a camera out of concern for users' privacy.

The Amazon Echo Show does have a camera, however. Users can make video calls with anyone who has the Alexa app — which is available for both Android and iOS devices — or anyone who has an Echo Spot or Echo Show device.

Amazon says that it's working on adding Skype calling as well.

The Echo Show costs $80 more than the Google Home Hub.

Google is offering the Home Hub for $150. But Amazon's latest version of the Echo Show (they've stopped selling the 2017 edition) costs $230.

Amazon began shipping its latest Echo Show on Thursday, but orders on the site are already backed up into November. Google is letting customers pre-order the Home Hub online, but it won't start shipping out until Oct. 18.

• The Toyota Highlander is one of the best selling mid-size family SUVs on the market.
• Through September, Highlander sales are up 14.2% over 2017.
• The Subaru Ascent all-new for 2019 and is the latest entrant into the lucrative mid-size three-row SUV market.
• The base 2018 Toyota Highlander starts at $31,230, while the top-of-the-line Hybrid Limited Platinum model starts at $48,480.
• The base 2019 Subaru Ascent starts at $31,995, while our top-of-the-line Ascent Touring starts at $44,695.
• The Subaru's peppy driving dynamics, gutsy turbocharged engine, superior infotainment, abundant standard safety features, and well-designed cabin tip this scales in its favor over the Highlander. 

The Toyota Highlander is a bonafide star in the midsize family SUV market. In 2017, Toyota sold nearly 216,000 Highlanders in the US, making it the third best selling mid-size SUV behind only the Ford Explorer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Highlander's success has rival automakers looking to cash in on the strength of the mid-size SUV market. Last year, Volkswagen jumped into the fray with the three-row Atlas crossover SUV. 

However, that hasn't slowed the Highlander down.

In fact, it's doing even better this year with sales up 14.2% through September. More than 180,000 of the Toyota SUVs have rolled out of showrooms in 2018.

Now, another new challenger has arrived in the form of the 2019 Subaru Ascent. 

Subaru has been on a roll with nearly seven years' worth of consecutive month-over-month sales growth in the US. 

Subaru's Outback off-road wagon along with Forester and Crosstrek crossovers have been hot sellers in recent years. But its most recent midsize SUV, the B9 Tribeca, proved to be a critical and sales flop. 

Unfortunately, the Tribeca's odd styling, diminutive size, and tepid performance prevented it from gaining traction in the market. Even a 2008 facelift and the addition of a more powerful engine couldn't save the Tribeca, which soldiered on for nearly a decade before Subaru pulled the plug on the SUV in 2014.

Now, the Japanese automaker is trying to make up lost ground with the larger three-row Ascent.

Earlier this year, Business Insider has had the chance to experience the Highlander in mid-grade SE trim and in top-spec Hybrid Limited Platinum guise. 

Recently, we also spent a week with a top-of-the-line Subaru Ascent Touring to see how it stacks up against the Toyota Highlander.

Here's what we found. 

SEE ALSO: We drove a $39,000 Volkswagen Tiguan and a $35,000 Mazda CX-5 to see which is the better compact crossover SUV — here's the verdict

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First up is the Toyota Highlander.

Toyota lent us two new Highlanders for evaluation in mid-grade SE V6 AWD and top-spec Hybrid Limited Platinum V6 AWD trim. Our gray SE carried an as-tested price of $42,545, while the brown Hybrid Limited Platinum stickered for $49,499.

The base four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Highlander LE starts at $31,230.

Aesthetically, the Highlander is rather unexceptional. While decently attractive, it's far from pretty. In 2016, Toyota updated the Highlander's large chrome front grille to mixed reviews.

The Highlander's side profile is traditional crossover utility — boxy with rounded edges. It straddles the line between tall wagon and traditional SUV looks.

San Francisco's Millennium Tower has been shrouded in controversy for years — but its fate has never looked bleaker than it does today.

Since its opening in 2009, the 58-story skyscraper has sunk 17 inches and tilted another 14 inches to the northwest, causing many residents to speculate about issues with the building's foundation that could jeopardize their safety.

The structure's unsteady footing has given rise to a host of other controversies, including weakened home values, accusations of fraud, and years of legal battles. Residents have also complained of mysterious odors, bubbling floors, cracked walls, and a giant fissure in a window on the 36th floor.

But developers have not determined the cause of the tilting and sinking. Though investigators insist the structure is sound, they face mounting apprehension about the building's future.

Here's a history of everything that's gone wrong with the tower in the past decade.

The $350 million development was proposed in 2002, and construction began three years later.

The building's designer, Handel Architects, is responsible for the World Trade Center Memorial in Lower Manhattan.

At the time of its construction, the tower was the first skyscraper to be built in downtown San Francisco in two decades.

The tower opened to the public in April 2009.

At 58 stories high, the tower is the tallest residential building in San Francisco. Owners of the building's multimillion-dollar luxury condos enjoy panoramic views of the Bay Area and easy access to the city's downtown.

The high-rise is missing its 13th and 44th floors because of superstition among Chinese and American buyers.

In less than five weeks of sales, the tower sold $100 million worth of condos, with units ranging from $1.6 million to $10 million.

The tower's grand penthouse sold for $9.4 million in 2009.

In exchange for a hefty price tag, homeowners gained access to a 20,000-square-foot clubhouse, a temperature-controlled wine locker, and concierge service, among other luxury amenities.

• Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie were married in 1993, after meeting at D.E. Shaw & Co.
• Shortly afterward, the couple relocated to Seattle to found Amazon.
• MacKenzie was one of the company's first employees.
• Today, Jeff Bezos is worth $145 billion, making him the richest person in history.

Jeff Bezos wasn't alone when he made his cross-county road trip to Seattle in 1994. And he wasn't alone when he founded Amazon, the online retail giant some analysts now believe will be the world's first trillion-dollar company.

His wife, MacKenzie, was there for the whole journey.

In an interview with CBS, she described watching her husband build Amazon up from scratch: "To me, watching your spouse, somebody that you love, have an adventure — what is better than that?"

Today, Bloomberg estimates Bezos is worth $145 billion— making him the richest person in history, according to CNN. He's also topped Forbes' annual list of the richest people on the planet for the first time ever. And, recently, Amazon followed Apple to become the second-ever US company to reach a $1 trillion valuation — although the company has since dropped back to a $913 billion market cap.

Here's a look inside the marriage of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos.

SEE ALSO: A day in the life of the world's richest person, Jeff Bezos — who made $6.44 billion in one day, wakes up without an alarm, and washes dishes after dinner

DON'T MISS: Inside billionaire Warren Buffett's unconventional marriage, which included an open arrangement and 3-way Christmas cards

SEE ALSO: Inside the marriage of Bill and Melinda Gates, who met at work, live in a $124 million home, and will leave their children only a small fraction of their fortune

MacKenzie and Jeff first met at investment management firm D.E. Shaw. MacKenzie was a research associate and Jeff was a vice president. Jeff was the first person to interview MacKenzie — a fellow Princeton grad — at the firm.

Source: Business Insider, Forbes, Vogue

"I think my wife is resourceful, smart, brainy, and hot, but I had the good fortune of having seen her résumé before I met her, so I knew exactly what her SATs were," he joked to Vogue.

Source: Vogue

After she landed the job, they became office neighbors. "All day long I listened to that fabulous laugh," she told Vogue. "How could you not fall in love with that laugh?"

Source: Vogue

DSLR cameras have been at the forefront of photo technology for two decades now.

But a newer kind of photo gadget is starting to challenge DSLRs for the lead — mirrorless cameras.

You might not know exactly what they are, but you've probably heard of them, because they're hot in the photo world right now. Whether you should buy one or not, though, depends on your needs as a photographer or videographer. 

Here's how mirrorless cameras compare to traditional DSLRs: 

SEE ALSO: Google's new Pixel 3 smartphone has an upgraded camera system that can take better night photos, automatically pick your best shots, and maybe even replace your selfie stick

How is a mirrorless camera different from a DSLR?

The big difference between a mirrorless camera and a DSLR comes from how their image sensors and viewfinders work.

Image sensors are the chips inside cameras that capture the photograph by detecting and recording the light coming into the camera. Viewfinders, meanwhile, are the part of the camera that you look through to compose a shot; they typically include a small optical lens are are placed at the top of the camera.

DSLRs use a mirror system, which bounces the light coming through the main camera lens up to the viewfinder. When you press the shutter button, the camera flips the mirror out of the way and the image sensor is exposed to light. The advantage of the mirrors is that they allow you to see frame a shot precisely the way the image sensor will record it.

As their name suggests, mirrorless cameras don't have a mirror. Instead, their image sensors are continuously exposed to light. Because they lack mirrors, mirrorless systems tend to be significantly smaller than DSLRs.

Most digital cameras, such as point-and-shoot ones, are technically mirrorless, so they generally don't look like DSLRs. But many of the mirrorless cameras that have the latest advances perform, operate, and resemble DSLRs.

How do you compose a shot on a mirrorless camera?

Many mirrorless cameras feature a digital viewfinder, which displays what the image sensor is seeing. This works a lot like an optical viewfinder on a DSLR, but you're looking at a small screen instead of a reflected image.

The digital viewfinder works similarly to the live-view feature found on many contemporary DSLRs. That feature uses a rear LCD screen to display what the sensor is seeing in real time.

Like DSLRs, many mirrorless cameras have a large LCD screen in addition to their viewfinders. So when you compose a shot, you have your choice of screens.

One advantage of digital viewfinders over the optical ones on DSLRs is that they will give you a pretty good idea of what the final shot will look like before you shoot it, taking into account your exposure settings in real time. An optical viewfinder, by contrast, will only show what the seen looks like to your eye.

Mirrorless systems have a big drawback due to their digital viewfinders.

The one big downside of a digital viewfinder is it weighs heavily on battery life. It takes a significant amount of energy to power the viewfinder's display, something you don't have to worry about with the optical viewfinder on a DSLR. As a result, the battery in a mirrorless system will typically drain faster than in its DSLR counterparts, at least when shooting still images.

This fall TV season is a mixed bag. There's some good shows, but there's also quite a few that are a complete waste of time.

Shows like ABC's "Single Parents" and CBS' "God Friended Me" have potential, but shows like CBS' "FBI" and ABC's "A Million Little Things" feel like unoriginal copies of successful shows on other networks. 

If you've run out of good TV to watch, or just want to be up on new shows people are talking about, we took to ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to rank the best and worst shows of fall 2018. Along with the critic ranking, we included the Rotten Tomatoes audience ranking, a sample of what critics have said so far, and show descriptions courtesy of IMDB. 

Here are the best and worst TV shows of fall 2018 (so far), ranked according to critics:

SEE ALSO: Netflix's new horror series 'The Haunting of Hill House' is a chilling drama that digs much deeper than jump scares

THE BEST:

"Happy Together" (CBS)

Description: Claire and Jake's married life is mired in routine, but when megastar Cooper shows up at their door, they get dragged into his life of fame.

Critic Score: 60%

Audience Score: 57%

"Given the opportunity to sing, dance and flail around ridiculously in the pilot, Wayans and West try hard and I smiled frequently at their effort." -The Hollywood Reporter 

"The Haunting of Hill House"— Netflix

Description: Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.

Critic Score: 90%

Audience Score: N/A

"The Haunting of Hill House is a special treat for horror fans, one of the greatest - and most satisfying - uses of the genre is this new, bingeable medium." -Nerdist

• IKEA and Target both sell a ton of inexpensive furniture and home products.
• IKEA has more to choose from because its warehouses sell only furniture and home products, but with more than 1,800 locations in the United States, Target stores are more accessible. 
• Assembly is almost always required for furniture purchased at either store. IKEA acquired TaskRabbit in 2017 to make the assembly process easier for shoppers, but Target doesn't offer a similar service.
• We shopped at both stores and found one of them was a better choice for buying cheap furniture. 

IKEA and Target both sell plenty of inexpensive furniture, dish sets, towels, and home essentials.

IKEA warehouses are massive, and they offer hundreds of options to shoppers. Because it specializes in furniture and home products, it has a much bigger selection of those products than Target does. 

But Target is a lot more accessible than IKEA — Target has 1,839 stores in the United States, and IKEA has only 56. Target stores are much smaller than IKEA stores are, and they're generally easier to navigate.

Most of the furniture each store sells is pretty basic, and it almost always requires assembly, no matter which store you buy it from.

To make the furniture assembly process easier, IKEA acquired TaskRabbit in 2017. TaskRabbit lets users hire temporary workers to deliver purchases, clean homes, and even assemble furniture. IKEA shoppers can hire a "tasker" from the TaskRabbit app and website or through an employee in-store once they have purchased the products. 

Target does not offer a similar service.

To see which was a better place to find inexpensive furniture, we visited an IKEA store in Brooklyn, New York, and a Target store in Jersey City, New Jersey. Here's the verdict: 

SEE ALSO: We visited Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Joann to see which was a better arts-and-crafts store, and there was a clear winner

First we went to IKEA in Brooklyn.

One of the first things we saw in the store was a massive showroom of couches and armchairs. The chairs cost around $300, and couches are typically around $600.

It also sells bar stools that range in price from $60 to $150. The quality varied — some of the less expensive products didn't feel super sturdy.