Goodable

How do the world's most advanced countries offer free post-secondary education for students? Let's take a closer look.&nbsp; <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9OeEtWAAAjyU8?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 50%;"> In Norway, public universities are free for all students - even ones from out of the country. The country has the 6th highest GDP per capita in the world. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9OuljXEAAiseL?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 50%;"> In Sweden, university tuition is free for any students from the European Union. The country has the 14th highest GDP per capita in the world, and 7th highest in Europe. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9PlpqXkAACC5F?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 25%;"> In Luxembourg, courses at public universities taught in French, German, or Luxembourgish (yes, that’s a language) are free for all European students. It’s the wealthiest country in the world by GDP. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9P1NbX0AAe-ul?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 25%;"> Most public universities in Germany are free for domestic and international students who are getting their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The only thing students have to pay is a small administrative fee. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9P_8aWQAAO0Ip?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 25%;"> In Greece, they take it a step further. Their constitution stipulates that all Greek citizens have the right to free education. As a result, post secondary education is free for all students living in Greece and the European Union. Socrates would be proud. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9QTnEWAAA2e0G?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 25%;"> Finland offers free university education for all students coming from the EU. International students who take university courses in Finnish or Swedish are also eligible for free tuition.
If you’re wondering whether all this is just a European phenomenon, it’s not.Let’s take a look at South America. Even though it’s home to some of the least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere, they still prioritize education as a fundamental right. Here’s a sample. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9QvN6XkAAv1MT?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 25%;"> In Uruguay, public education is free in Uruguay for all citizens, from childhood up until the university level.
In Brazil, public universities are free for all domestic and international students. The only thing students pay is a small registration fee. Argentina and Panama? Yup, they offer free education for students at public universities too. Let’s go to Africa and the Middle East next. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9RLnNXEAAHPNw?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 25%;"> In Morocco, 11 out of 13 public universities are free for all Moroccan students. Fun fact: The first university in the world was the University of Karaouine, established by Fatima Al Fihri in Morocco. In Egypt, public universities are free for all Egyptian students too. <img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa9RjxhXwAMqJeg?format=jpg&amp;name=large" style="width: 50%;"> Some other countries that offer free or nearly free post-secondary education for students at some of their universities:

Denmark,&nbsp;Austria,&nbsp;Malaysia,&nbsp;Iceland,&nbsp;Malta and Czech Republic.

Which Countries Offer University Education For Free?

Science Daily

A new study has found that a short brain training program aimed at improving how quickly older adults process visual information may reduce the risk of dementia—even 20 years later.

The training, called speed of processing training, teaches participants to spot visual details on a screen faster and manage increasingly complex tasks. Those who completed five to six weeks of sessions, followed by booster sessions one to three years later, were significantly less likely to develop dementia than those who received no training.

“This suggests that a fairly modest nonpharmacological intervention can have long-term effects,” said Dr. Marilyn Albert, the study’s lead author and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The findings, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, come from the ACTIVE study (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly), the first randomized clinical trial to measure dementia outcomes over two decades.

Beginning in 1998–99, researchers enrolled 2,802 adults and randomly assigned them to one of three cognitive training programs—focusing on memory, reasoning, or speed of processing—or to a control group that received no training. Participants were in their early 70s on average at the start.

Over five to six weeks, those in the training groups completed up to 10 sessions lasting 60 to 75 minutes. Half of the participants were randomly selected to receive up to four booster sessions in the years following their initial training.

The long-term results were telling: among the 264 participants who completed speed training and boosters, 40 percent (105 people) developed dementia over the next 20 years. In the control group, the rate was higher: 49 percent (239 of 491 participants). That’s a 25 percent lower incidence in the speed training group.

Notably, only the speed training group showed a statistically significant difference from the control group. Memory and reasoning training did not produce long-term dementia protection.

Researchers assessed dementia diagnoses by analyzing Medicare records from 2,021 participants—roughly 72 percent of the original group—spanning from 1999 to 2019. The sample closely mirrored the original study in gender, race, and health profile. Most participants were women (about 75 percent), 70 percent were white, and the average age at enrollment was 74. Over the two decades, about three quarters of participants passed away, typically around age 84.

The research carries weight at a time when dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, affects an estimated 42 percent of adults over 55 and costs the U.S. more than $600 billion annually. Alzheimer’s accounts for up to 80 percent of cases.

Speed training appears to stand out because of how it targets the brain. Unlike memory or reasoning exercises, which teach everyone the same strategies, speed training adapts to each user’s performance in real time. It focuses on building skills rather than memorizing facts, engaging a brain system known for “implicit learning.”

“Speed training may have been especially effective because it was adaptive,” the researchers wrote. “Participants who performed well progressed to more challenging tasks, while those who needed more time worked at a slower pace.”

Previous results from the ACTIVE study showed that this training improved thinking skills for up to five years. After 10 years, participants in the speed training group had a 29 percent lower risk of dementia than the control group.

Dr. George Rebok, a co-author and expert in healthy aging at Johns Hopkins, said the findings highlight the value of developing cognitive training programs focused on visual processing and divided attention. “It is possible that adding this cognitive training to lifestyle change interventions may delay dementia onset, but that remains to be studied,” he said.

Researchers believe that combining such programs with other proven strategies—like heart-healthy habits, regular exercise, and managing blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight—could further support brain health.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Co-authors include researchers from Johns Hopkins, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, the University of Florida, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and others.

A Simple Brain Training Game May Help Delay Dementia for Decades, Study Finds

People

A cow that found itself stuck in deep mud near Threlkeld, England, was safely rescued thanks to the combined efforts of three fire crews, a vet, a farmer, and a specialized large-animal rescue team.

The muddy ordeal unfolded on the afternoon of Friday, February 6, when Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service received a call about the stranded animal. Crews from Keswick, Penrith, and Workington stations were dispatched to the scene, located in the rural Lake District region of northwest England.

“Being a firefighter isn't always glamorous!” the department posted on Instagram, sharing photos of the cow submerged up to its torso in thick mud. It's unclear how long the animal had been stuck before help arrived.

Firefighters, alongside the veterinarian and the local farmer, spent several hours working to free the medium-sized cow. They used a hoisting mechanism and heavy-duty straps to lift and guide the animal out of the bog. The photos show the careful extraction process and the cow eventually standing safely on firm ground.

The department credited “coordinated teamwork and patience” for getting the cow “moo-ving” again.

Large-animal rescues like this are often physically demanding and require specialized training. In this case, that training paid off, with no injuries reported for either the cow or the crew.

The rescue came just days after a similar operation in Thaxted, where an 18-year-old pony named Geisha was pulled from a septic tank hole by Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. In a statement to the BBC, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Darren Cook said the team was “highly trained” and ready to respond to a range of animal emergencies.

While these stories may not involve smoke or flames, they underscore the wide scope of work fire crews are prepared for—and their commitment to protecting lives, whether human or hoofed.

A Rescue Team, a Vet and a Farmer Just Saved a Mud-Trapped Cow in England

Upworthy

Police dogs have long been the gold standard for sniffing out missing people, illegal substances, and even bodies. But when the trail leads underwater, canines are at a clear disadvantage. Enter Splash—a highly trained Asian small-clawed otter who may be the first animal of his kind helping law enforcement recover human remains submerged in lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Splash isn’t just a novelty. Since making his search and rescue debut in Alabama—where he helped recover a weapon tied to a 25-year-old murder case—he’s been on 27 missions across the United States. So far, he’s notched six confirmed finds, including four human bodies.

“He’s had more success than many would’ve expected,” said Michael Hadsel, Splash’s owner and trainer, in an interview with Outside magazine. Hadsel has spent nearly five decades working with law enforcement through his company, Peace River K9 Search and Rescue. Until recently, that work focused on dogs. Then, around 2018, Hadsel started to wonder: Could other animals do the job?

It was an article about otters in Bangladesh and India that got him thinking. Local fishermen had trained river otters to herd fish into nets. That, plus the biological quirk that otters can actually smell underwater, sparked a bold experiment.

Unlike dogs, which lose scent in water, otters can exhale small air bubbles and then sniff them back in. It’s a kind of underwater olfaction that no other mammal appears to possess.

By 2024, Hadsel had adopted Splash and started training him. He used human scent markers in a pool and paired them with a tennis ball on the end of a stick. When Hadsel gave the verbal cue “Hoffa” (a wink at missing Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa), Splash would sniff the scent, dive in, and begin his search. If he found a match underwater, he’d return to the surface and signal Hadsel—in exchange for a bite of farm-raised salmon. Splash refuses to eat wild.

One of the biggest challenges wasn’t training Splash to smell, but getting him to communicate while submerged. Otters have membranes that cover their ears underwater, so Hadsel developed a tactile system using a tether: one tug means turn right, two tugs means turn left, three means return to the boat.

The results have surprised even seasoned recovery teams. Splash’s nose has helped solve cold cases, locate drowning victims, and retrieve critical evidence that might have otherwise stayed hidden.

He’s also become something of an internet star. The Peace River K9 Search and Rescue Facebook page saw a surge in followers after Splash’s story started spreading. He’s been featured by multiple media outlets and invited to law enforcement conferences, where his work has sparked serious conversation about expanding the use of animals in forensic recovery.

Still, there are limits. Otters are small, and deploying them in open waters comes with risks. Predators like alligators or large fish could pose a threat. It’s also unclear whether Splash’s success can be easily replicated. Training an otter takes patience, deep expertise in animal behavior, and a fair bit of creativity.

But Hadsel sees potential. “We’re just scratching the surface,” he told Outside. Splash might be the only one of his kind for now, but he’s proven that innovation in search and rescue doesn’t always come from newer tech. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a sleek, whiskered swimmer with a nose for the job.

Meet Splash, the Otter Trained to Find Human Remains Underwater

Khaleej Times - Culture

Imagine a two-minute wellness session that clears your mind, or a camera that predicts heart disease just by scanning your eyes. These aren’t future tech dreams—they’re real, operational, and on display at Dubai’s World Health Expo.

The newly rebranded WHX, formerly known as Arab Health, kicked off this week at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City. The three-day event has drawn 4,300 exhibitors from over 180 countries, all focused on one thing: redefining the future of healthcare. And at the center of that vision is AI.

Here are five standout innovations from the show.

1. Organ-on-a-Chip
Chinese company Xellar is shrinking organ testing into something that fits in the palm of your hand. Its “organ-on-a-chip” tech uses human tissue samples inside micro-devices to mimic how real organs behave. AI boosts the accuracy of results to over 95 percent.

The chips vary in size depending on the organ—simpler ones like the heart require smaller chips, while more complex organs like the liver need larger ones. Developers can recreate disease conditions inside the chips, making it possible to run personalized drug tests in advance. Xellar says building a new disease model can take anywhere from a few weeks to nine months. This is the first time the technology is being shown in the UAE.

2. AI Retina Scan
What if a quick eye scan could predict your risk of cardiovascular disease years before symptoms show up? Emirates Health Services is showcasing an AI-powered retina scanner that looks like a set of binoculars. Users stare into the machine for about 30 seconds as it checks for eye conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts—and flags potential heart and liver issues too.

A detailed health report is sent directly to the user's phone. The goal is to catch silent threats long before they surface.

3. Remote Robotic Intervention
In the northern UAE town of Al Jeer, doctors can now treat patients without physically being there. A remote-controlled robotic arm, already installed and in use, allows physicians to perform life-saving interventions from afar.

It’s part of Emirates Health Services’ effort to bridge the care gap in remote communities. The arm is operated by specialists at a hospital hub, making it possible to treat patients in isolated areas faster and more effectively.

4. Wellness Pods for Public Use
The Dubai Health Authority wants to bring mental resets to everyday spaces. It’s testing a compact “wellness pod” that offers guided relaxation sessions. Each pod fits one person and offers three mood modes—calm, grounding, or boosting.

Users sit inside for just two minutes, during which soft lights and calming music guide them through a breathing exercise designed to reduce stress. If trials go well, DHA plans to place the pods in malls, airports, and government buildings.

5. AI Hiring Assistant for Nurses
Emirates Health Services has also started using an AI assistant named Maitha to streamline hiring. The system screens applications, conducts interviews, and generates a shortlist of candidates, dramatically cutting down the time it takes to fill nursing roles.

As demand for healthcare workers grows, tools like Maitha could help facilities respond faster and more efficiently.

AI-Powered Innovations Unveiled at Dubai's World Health Expo Revolutionize Healthcare

ABC News

A 410-pound manatee pulled from a Florida storm drain is now recovering at SeaWorld Orlando after a complex rescue effort involving multiple agencies.

The male manatee was discovered Tuesday in Melbourne Beach, about 110 kilometers southeast of Orlando, by a city worker surveying infrastructure. “We’re in the process of improving the storm drain across Melbourne Beach,” said Vice Mayor Terry Cronin. “One of the surveyors noticed a manatee in what is called a bethel box."

The sighting triggered a swift response. Fire rescue teams, biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), representatives from the University of Florida, and even Jack’s Wrecker Service were called in to help extract the sea cow from the tight concrete enclosure.

Once freed, the manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando, where he is now receiving treatment in one of the facility’s specialized medical pools. According to SeaWorld spokesperson Stephanie Bechara, the animal is stable and showing encouraging signs. “He’s breathing on his own, moving independently and showing interest in food,” she said. “Our teams are adjusting water levels to support buoyancy and comfort as part of his care.”

Bechara noted that the park's long-term goal is to return rescued manatees like this one to the wild, once they are healthy enough to survive on their own.

Florida’s manatee population has faced steep challenges in recent years. A mass starvation event in 2021 caused by widespread seagrass loss led to more than 1,100 manatee deaths. The die-off prompted a large-scale emergency response, including supplemental feeding programs in the Indian River Lagoon.

While the situation has improved slightly, the numbers remain worrying. The FWC reported 555 manatee deaths in 2023 and 565 in 2024. Although lower than in 2021, those figures are still above pre-crisis levels.

SeaWorld Orlando plays a key role in the state’s manatee rescue and rehabilitation program. The park rescued 56 manatees last year and has already taken in seven since January.

Florida manatees, also known as sea cows, are a protected species. They are especially vulnerable to cold temperatures and often seek refuge in warm-water areas like power plant outflows and shallow coastal springs during the winter. That instinct may have led this individual into the storm drain in Melbourne Beach, where water temperatures were relatively higher.

Officials say it’s not entirely unusual for manatees to get trapped in drainage systems, but the narrow, confined spaces and poor access points can make rescues complicated.

This latest case, however, ended with the manatee in safe hands—and officials are hopeful he’ll eventually return to the wild, stronger and healthier.

Trapped in a Storm Drain, This Rescued Manatee is Now on the Road to Recovery

Good News Network

In a moment of crisis, one Arlington Heights resident didn’t wait for help to arrive—he became it.

On the morning of Tuesday, February 3rd, a house fire broke out in the Illinois suburb with two elderly residents trapped inside. The 90-year-old husband was able to escape the flames, but his wife, 85, was still stuck inside, unable to move from her wheelchair.

Desperate to save her, the man reportedly tried to reenter the burning home but had to be physically restrained by neighbors. The fire department had already been called—but time was running out.

That’s when another neighbor, still unidentified, stepped up with a sledgehammer.

Smashing through the door, the neighbor made it inside and emerged moments later carrying the woman in his arms. All three—the couple and their heroic neighbor—were taken to the hospital as a precaution and later discharged.

“We want to recognize and commend the quick thinking and decisive action taken by one of our Arlington Heights residents that helped save a life,” said officials from the Arlington Heights Fire Department in a statement.

“This situation serves as an important reminder that every second matters. The willingness of a community member to step in and help before first responders arrive can make all the difference.”

The fire department praised the resident’s bravery and composure, calling him an example of the kind of neighborly care that defines their community.

“We are proud to serve a community that looks out for one another,” the department added, “and we thank this resident for their actions when it mattered most.”

Heroic Neighbor Uses Sledgehammer To Rescue Wheelchair-Bound Woman From Burning Home

Euro News

A decade after launching its Women in Tech programme, Web Summit is starting to see results—and not just in the numbers.

At this year’s Web Summit Qatar, a 7 percent rise in women-founded startups was recorded, marking what many called a clear signal of progress. Participation among female founders in Qatar alone jumped from 31 percent in 2024 to 38 percent in 2025, according to Dima Wahbeh, Deputy Country Manager of Web Summit Qatar.

“Globally, we’ve seen an increase in women’s participation at our events,” Wahbeh told Euronews. “Looking at Qatar specifically, we saw an increase in terms of female founders... it shows we’re on the right path.”

The Women in Tech programme, first launched in 2015, was designed to address the gender gap in technology and entrepreneurship. Over the years, it’s grown into a platform for mentorship, networking, and access—connecting rising female talent with global leaders in AI, business, and innovation.

That access was on full display in Doha, where women like IBM’s Justina Nixon-Saintil and Lumo Hubs’ Anie Akpe took the stage to lead discussions on artificial intelligence, access, and opportunity.

For Nixon-Saintil, the future of work will belong to those who don’t just use AI but understand it. “Real workforce readiness is not just about access to tools,” she said. “It means having AI fluency and understanding how AI impacts your role.”

To help build that fluency, IBM has been scaling up its free SkillsBuild platform, partnering with schools, universities, and nonprofits to deliver AI training that leads to credentials and, crucially, real jobs. “Seeing people move into new jobs because we’ve upskilled them... that’s where we see actual lives being changed,” Nixon-Saintil said.

At the Summit, IBM announced a partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to launch a global request for proposals under its Impact Accelerator—part of a growing commitment to workforce development through tech.

Anie Akpe, meanwhile, focused on inclusion as a driver of innovation. Through her African Women in Technology initiative, she’s spent the past 10 years helping young women across Africa get free training in AI and cybersecurity. The mission, she said, is to ensure women at every level—from tech labs to local markets—have the tools to grow their businesses.

“AI is not going to be a complete solution for a lot of organisations, but AI will be a tool,” Akpe said. “It will give you the opportunities that you need.”

She hopes the tech won’t remain exclusive or intimidating. “Innovation doesn’t have to sit at a table they don’t understand,” she said. “The goal is that they can use it however they see fit—to build a website, reach new customers, or grow their income.”

This year, one of the standout startups at Web Summit Qatar was founded by a woman who knows that feeling of exclusion all too well. Dr Golnoush Golsharazi, a molecular biologist with a PhD from Cambridge, started ScreenMe after years of being dismissed by doctors while struggling with health issues.

“That really pushed me to ask: what’s wrong in the system?” she said. “We don’t have sufficient screening. We don’t have sufficient research in women’s health. We deserve better.”

ScreenMe offers at-home testing kits to monitor the reproductive microbiome, aiming to prevent infections and fertility complications through better early detection. The startup was selected as one of the top 10 women-founded ventures at this year’s summit.

“The good bacteria act like a gate to your house,” Dr Golsharazi explained. “When that gate is broken, harmful bacteria can grow, increasing risks like HPV infection, miscarriages and unexplained infertility.”

The platform’s recognition was about more than a business pitch—it was a statement. “They allow women like me to stand up and say: I have something important to say and I want you to listen,” she said.

As the gender gap in tech persists, the tone at Web Summit Qatar was far from complacent. But there’s growing momentum—and optimism—that things are starting to shift.

“This is just the start,” said Dr Golsharazi. “The region will see growth in women-led innovation and especially in women’s health.”

Women in Tech Pushes Forward at Web Summit Qatar as Female-Led Innovation Gains Ground

A painting lost for over a century has been rediscovered in the most unexpected place: an estate in Durham, North Carolina.

Portrait of a Canon Regular, a long-missing work by Sofonisba Anguissola—widely considered the most celebrated female artist of the Renaissance—was quietly hanging in a private collection until a YouTube lecture brought it back into the light.

The painting, depicting a priest delivering a sermon from the Gospel of St. John, was last documented in 1920 through a black-and-white photograph. Then it vanished. For 104 years, its whereabouts were unknown.

That changed recently, thanks to a lecture posted online by Michael Cole, an art historian at Columbia University. In the video, Cole spoke about Anguissola’s life and legacy. Watching from Durham, a pair of art collectors recognized something familiar in Cole’s description. They thought they might own one of her paintings.

They reached out and invited Cole to see it in person. When he arrived, he confirmed what they had suspected: the painting was Portrait of a Canon Regular, a signed work by Anguissola from 1552, composed when she was just 20 years old.

The portrait features a solemn priest mid-sermon with a spectral eagle—St. John the Evangelist’s symbolic creature—hovering faintly over his shoulder. And crucially, the painting includes Anguissola’s signature, a rarity among her surviving works.

Anguissola, born into a noble family in Cremona, northern Italy, was a child prodigy who received formal training in painting—almost unheard of for women at the time. She gained fame for her expressive, highly detailed portraits, eventually earning a position at the Spanish court of Philip II. There, she became lady-in-waiting to Queen Elisabeth of Valois and painted numerous portraits of the royal family.

Her artistic skill impressed Giorgio Vasari, the famed biographer of Renaissance artists, who wrote: “[Anguissola] worked with deeper study and greater grace than any woman of our times at problems of design.”

Though Anguissola was prolific, many of her works have been lost or misattributed over the centuries. Only about two dozen paintings bearing her signature are known today. Portrait of a Canon Regular now joins that list, adding valuable insight into her early career—before the rigid formalism of the Spanish court limited her creative freedom.

Cole called the find extraordinary. The painting was recently shown to the public at the Winter Show, a prestigious art fair held at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. It was listed for sale at $500,000.

Born in 1532, Anguissola lived an extraordinary life. After her years in Madrid, she married Orazio Lomellino, the brother of the Viceroy of Sicily, and moved to Palermo. She lived into her 90s, an almost unheard-of lifespan for her era. Her husband, who adored her, inscribed a tribute on her tomb that read:

“To Sofonisba, my wife, who is recorded among the illustrious women of the world, outstanding in portraying the images of man. Orazio Lomellino, in sorrow for the loss of his great love, in 1632, dedicated this little tribute to such a great woman.”

The rediscovery of her painting is the latest in a series of high-profile art recoveries. A few years ago, a 17th-century Dutch masterpiece was found in an attic in Connecticut and later sold for $7 million. Like that find, this one offers a fresh chance to revisit the lives of overlooked artists—particularly women—who shaped art history despite being pushed to its margins.

For Anguissola, this is a long-overdue return to the spotlight.

Lost Renaissance Masterpiece by Famed Woman Artist Discovered in North Carolina After a Century

Mongabay

A rare emerald-green moth last seen in the 1870s has been rediscovered in South Africa thanks to a team of citizen scientists and a few well-timed photographs. Drepanogynis insciata, known for its shimmering green wings tinged with red wine hues, was long believed extinct — until photos began surfacing online between 2020 and 2023.

The discovery came through iNaturalist, a citizen science platform where observers uploaded images of the moth from four different locations near Swellendam. Until then, scientists only had two faded specimens collected in the 19th century and stored at the Natural History Museum in London.

“It was quite an incredible feeling,” said South African lepidopterist Hermann Staude, who spotted the photos and confirmed the species’ identity. One of the moths was eventually captured and preserved for study by Finnish zoologist Pasi Sihvonen, who compared it to the original museum samples. “It’s difficult to describe how you feel when you see something you thought didn’t exist anymore,” he said.

All of the rediscovered moths have been males, likely because they’re more mobile and drawn to light. Scientists are now working to identify the plant species their caterpillars rely on — a key step in conserving the moth and its fragile fynbos habitat.

The find highlights the power of community science and technology to help protect even the smallest — and most overlooked — members of the ecosystem.

Citizen Scientists Just Rediscovered This Rare South African Moth

In a stroke of remarkable luck, 11-year-old Touren Pope stumbled upon a nearly 50-million-year-old fossil while rock hunting in Wyoming with his grandparents. What started as an ordinary day turned extraordinary when Touren's sharp eye spotted something unusual among the rocks.

Out on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southwest Wyoming, Touren was initially just searching for interesting stones with Patti and Tom Patterson. His attention shifted from typical finds to something far more intriguing. "We went searching for rocks and found white, clam-like shells... I just got bored and it started doing weird stuff and I found it," he recounted to Wyoming News Now.

Touren’s curiosity led him to a prehistoric turtle fossil that had been nestled in what used to be Lake Gosiute's ancient waters for about 48 million years. This region, now known as the Greater Green River Basin, was once a lush tropical area teeming with fish, crocodiles, and turtles.

Recognizing their grandson's find as special, Patti and Tom sent a photo of the fossil to his mother, Tessa Patterson. She was astounded and immediately knew they had come across something significant. "It blew all of our minds," she told Wyoming Public Media.

Following proper protocol, the family reported the discovery to BLM officials. The paleontology staff at Rock Springs Field Office quickly assessed the site. Museum specialist J.P. Cavigelli noted that within minutes they could see it was "a pretty complete turtle shell and worth collecting."

The fossil was confirmed by BLM officials to be nearly complete and exceptionally well-preserved. Cavigelli identified it as a soft-shelled turtle species, related to those still seen today. He explained that if someone familiar with modern softshell turtles were to travel back in time 50 million years, they would recognize this creature instantly.

Craig Thomas from BLM emphasized how critical timing is in such discoveries: fossils tend to degrade quickly once exposed at the surface.

Touren didn’t just stop at finding the turtle; he also joined the excavation team to help uncover it further. As part of his reward for both discovering and reporting it properly, Touren received the privilege of naming his find "Little Timmy."

"This discovery would not have been possible without Touren’s keen observation," stated a press release from BLM, praising him for responsibly reporting the find. The statement highlighted how public involvement plays a key role in preserving scientific resources on public lands.

Now named Little Timmy, this ancient piece of history will be housed at the Tate Geological Museum where visitors can marvel at its story—and remember how an ordinary rock hunt turned into an extraordinary fossil discovery thanks to one observant young boy.

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