Watch: This Tiny Horse Lined Up at the Drive Thru to Get an Ice Cream Cone

At a McDonald's drive-thru, a small horse was spotted waiting patiently in the back seat of a car for its owner to order ice cream. The sight of the horse caused some some surprise, as other customers pulled out their phones to snap photos and videos. However, the horse remained calm and waited patiently for its treat. In the end, it seems that everyone left happy - with the horse getting its ice cream and the other customers getting their fill of cuteness.

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Adorable Amur Leopards Make Public Debut at Brookfield Zoo Chicago

A pair of Amur leopard cub sisters prepared to make their official public debut and come face-to-face with visitors at Brookfield Zoo Chicago on Friday, November 14. The cubs had spent the previous weeks growing and bonding with their mother, Mina, behind the scenes. This footage shows the sisters’ brief introduction to the enclosure on Thursday morning, which gave them a chance to acclimate ahead of their official move into the habitat the following day, a representative for the zoo told Storyful. According to Brookfield animal care experts, Amur leopards are the world’s rarest big cat, and are agile, stealthy climbers, able to climb rocky ledges and trees to hunt prey and keep an eye on potential threats. “The cubs are bold, curious and love to climb, already getting comfortable on the upper rocks in their new habitat,” Racquel Ardisana, associate director of carnivore care and conservation at Brookfield Zoo Chicago, said. “There are a lot of new sights, sounds and scents for them to take in. When one initially came to explore the habitat’s ground level, she hissed while pawing at the grass – a texture she’s seeing for the first time!” The zoo said “fans won’t have to wait long” to find out the sisters’ names, which would be revealed on social media.

These Adorable Terns are Making a Historic Comeback in the UK With a Record Breeding Season

A rare seabird is making a big comeback on England’s coast — and conservationists are thrilled. The little tern, one of the UK’s smallest and most threatened seabirds, has seen a record-breaking breeding season at the Beacon Lagoons nature reserve in Yorkshire. According to the BBC, the number of breeding pairs at the site soared from 59 last year to 105 in 2025 — the highest count since the 1970s. The dramatic increase marks a major win for conservationists and local volunteers who have spent years protecting the fragile population. “This year’s success gives us real hope that we can continue to grow the population and see little terns recolonise other beaches around the Humber where they haven’t nested for decades,” said Mike Pilsworth, conservation officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). He credited the growth to young adult birds returning to nest after maturing elsewhere. Weighing about as much as a tennis ball, little terns migrate thousands of kilometres from Africa each spring to breed along the UK’s coasts. But over the years, their numbers have dwindled due to habitat loss, coastal erosion, human disturbance, and predation. They’ve all but vanished from some parts of England. Groups like the RSPB and the Little Tern Project have been racing to reverse that decline. Climate change, they note, has only made things worse, with rising sea levels and stronger storms washing away nests. That’s why this year’s rebound is especially encouraging. The turnaround is the result of painstaking, hands-on work by staff and community members who built barriers to protect nesting sites and monitored the beaches during breeding season. “The local community here has helped us to protect these precious birds too,” one volunteer told the BBC. “Everyone is proud of what’s been achieved.” With renewed momentum and a hopeful outlook, conservationists now have a blueprint for helping the little tern return to other sites where it hasn’t bred in decades. It’s a reminder of how local action — and a bit of patience — can bring a species back from the brink.

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California Implements Single-Use Plastics Ban to Combat Pollution Starting January

California shoppers are about to see a big change at the checkout line. Starting January 1, 2026, grocery stores across the state will be banned from handing out most single-use plastic bags, including the thicker “reusable” ones that have become common in recent years. The new law, Senate Bill 1053, builds on earlier plastic bag restrictions but goes further by closing a loophole that let stores offer thicker plastic bags as a workaround. That ends next year. Instead, customers will be offered recycled paper bags — likely for a small fee — or they’ll need to bring their own reusable ones. The change means higher costs for some shoppers, with recycled paper bags expected to cost at least 10 cents each. But supporters of the law say it’s a necessary step to reduce the state’s mounting plastic waste problem. “Instead of being asked, ‘Do you want paper or plastic at checkout,’ consumers will simply be asked if they want a paper bag if they haven't brought a reusable bag,” said California Senator Catherine Blakespear, who co-authored the bill. “This straightforward approach is easy to follow and will help dramatically reduce plastic bag pollution.” Retailers and environmental groups have long known that most “reusable” plastic bags — even the thicker ones — weren’t getting reused enough to make a difference. Many ended up in landfills or scattered across streets, parks, and beaches. Under SB 1053, that option will no longer be on the table. Plastic pollution remains a major global issue. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, over 5 trillion plastic bags are used each year worldwide, but less than 13% are recycled. Because plastic doesn’t biodegrade, these bags often break down into microplastics, which have been found in everything from drinking water to human bloodstreams. “We deserve a cleaner future for our communities, our children, and our Earth,” said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, another backer of the bill. “It's time for us to get rid of these plastic bags and continue to move forward with a more pollution-free environment.” The law is part of a broader push by California to tackle plastic waste, which includes restrictions on polystyrene containers, plastic utensils, and other hard-to-recycle products. Environmental advocates hope other states will follow suit, pointing to California’s history of leading on green policy. For now, shoppers have about six weeks to get ready. That may mean digging out old canvas totes or getting used to carrying groceries by hand. Either way, the plastic option is going away for good.

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How Spain is Leading The Way In Community Energy, Sparking a Revolution

Across Spain, community-driven energy projects are transforming how people power their homes — and who gets left behind. What began as a small environmental initiative in the Catalan town of Taradell has grown into a grassroots energy movement that’s tackling fuel poverty while delivering clean, affordable electricity. The local cooperative behind it, Taradell Sostenible, now supplies power to more than 100 households, including many low-income families who would otherwise struggle to afford energy. “The question was how could people with few resources join the coop when membership costs €100?” said Eugeni Vila, president of the cooperative. “We agreed that people designated as poor by the local authority could join for only €25 and thus benefit from the cheap electricity we generate.” Using rooftop solar panels installed on public buildings like a sports centre and a cultural centre, the cooperative generates local power with funding from Spain’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE). That backing includes grants from the EU’s Next Generation fund, and IDAE now sees Taradell as a model for community energy across the country. “We’re very proud of the fact that IDAE describes us as pioneers,” Vila said. The cooperative’s success has already spurred regional partnerships. In 2022, Taradell joined forces with nearby energy groups in Balenyà and La Tonenca to improve management and expand support for struggling families. Through EU-backed programs like Sun4All, the network now has systems to identify and assist not just those facing fuel poverty, but broader social vulnerability. Spain, once hobbled by a so-called “sunshine tax” that penalised small-scale solar producers, is now one of Europe’s fastest-growing renewable markets. Since the tax was scrapped in 2018, energy self-sufficiency — especially solar — has surged 17-fold, according to IDAE. The government is now prioritising collective energy projects like Taradell’s over individual home installations. With €148.5 million in initial funding for 200 projects, IDAE is focusing on solar installations in public spaces that can provide power to neighbourhoods within a 2,000-metre radius — up from the previous 500-metre limit. This model is particularly important in Spain, where about 65% of people live in apartment blocks, making rooftop solar more difficult for individual households. It’s also proving essential for reaching remote and vulnerable populations. On Ons Island, off Spain’s Atlantic coast, the local population of just 92 residents — many of them elderly — still relies on a diesel generator for power. But that’s about to change. “With these subsidies, we’re going to install solar panels on the local authority buildings to supply energy to the islanders,” said José Antonio Fernández Bouzas, who heads the Atlantic Islands national park. Nearby, the Cíes Islands have already adopted solar, replacing diesel generators used by local businesses. “These are protected areas and we want them to be self-sufficient in energy,” Bouzas said. As well as cutting emissions, these local energy systems offer practical benefits. They reduce transmission costs and avoid the environmental impact of large-scale solar or wind farms. They may also help prevent large outages like the blackout that hit Spain and Portugal in April, when both countries lost power for most of the day. Vila sees energy communities as more than a technical solution — they’re a way to build equity and resilience. “We’ve developed a formula to help people who are struggling to get by,” he said. “We’re incorporating them into a network that helps them improve their situation.” With government support and EU funding now backing this community-first approach, Spain’s energy future may increasingly rest not with massive infrastructure projects — but with neighbours working together on their rooftops.

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Researchers Capture First-Ever Footage of a Humpback Whale Calf Nursing

Researchers captured what they believed was the first-ever footage of a humpback whale calf nursing from its mother underwater, taken off the eastern coast of Australia in September. This footage released by Stephanie Stack/Griffith University shows researchers attaching a camera-equipped suction tag to the humpback whale mother in Moreton Bay, Australia, in October 2024. Later footage, taken from the suction tag camera, shows the calf nursing from its mother and swimming alongside her in late September. The footage provides important evidence of Moreton Bay being a “key nursery and rest area for humpbacks,” the university said. “To our knowledge, this is the first documented use of camera-equipped suction cup tags on humpback whale calves in Australia, and one of few datasets globally that combines video, fine scale movement, and acoustic data for humpback whale calves,” said Stack, a Griffith University researcher and PhD candidate. The study was a collaboration between Griffith University and the University of Hawaii, in partnership with Quandamooka Traditional Owners and industry partners including Port of Brisbane, DHI, Stradbroke Flyer, and Healthy Land & Water.

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Mathematicians Just Unveiled a New Prediction Method to Boost Accuracy in Scientific Research

A new statistical tool developed by an international team of researchers may reshape how scientists make predictions — especially in fields where getting the closest possible match to real-world outcomes matters most. Led by Taeho Kim, a statistician at Lehigh University, the team has introduced the Maximum Agreement Linear Predictor (MALP), a method designed to boost how well predicted values line up with actual observations. Unlike traditional techniques that focus on minimizing average error, MALP zeroes in on maximizing agreement — and that distinction could have wide implications for research in medicine, biology, and the social sciences. “Sometimes, we don't just want our predictions to be close — we want them to have the highest agreement with the real values,” Kim said. That idea of "agreement" goes beyond the typical use of correlation. Most people are taught to think in terms of Pearson’s correlation coefficient, which measures the strength of a linear relationship. But Pearson’s r doesn’t care if your predictions are consistently high or low, as long as they follow the same trend. MALP, on the other hand, specifically aims to match predicted and observed values along the 45-degree line of perfect agreement on a scatter plot. To do that, MALP maximizes the Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) — a statistical measure introduced in 1989 by Lin that captures both precision (tightness of the data points) and accuracy (how close they fall to the 45-degree line). In Kim’s words, “If the scatter plot shows a strong alignment with this 45-degree line, then we could say there is a good level of agreement between these two.” The team tested MALP using both simulated and real-world data. One case study involved eye scans from 56 eyes — 26 left, 30 right — collected as part of an ophthalmology project comparing readings from two types of optical coherence tomography (OCT) machines: the older Stratus and the newer Cirrus. As clinics transition to newer equipment, doctors need a way to ensure the data remains comparable. MALP delivered predictions of Stratus readings from Cirrus measurements that more closely matched the actual Stratus values, though the traditional least-squares method performed slightly better in terms of average error. In a second test, researchers used MALP to estimate body fat percentages from standard body measurements in a dataset of 252 adults. Underwater weighing is a reliable way to assess body fat but isn’t practical for wide use, so finding dependable proxies is valuable. Once again, MALP provided estimates that aligned better with the true values than least squares, even though the latter produced slightly smaller average errors. The results suggest a tradeoff: least squares offers smaller overall error, but MALP gives predictions that track closer to the real numbers — a useful distinction depending on the goals of a study. “For researchers, it’s about choosing the right tool for the right task,” Kim said. “If your main concern is reducing overall error, least squares is still a strong choice. But if you're looking for predictions that most closely match real-world outcomes, MALP may be the better option.” The researchers believe the method could help in a range of disciplines where accurate alignment matters more than error reduction — from converting medical readings across instruments to predicting disease risk or tracking social science indicators. MALP is currently limited to linear predictions, but Kim and his team are already looking ahead. “We wish to extend this to the general class,” he said, “so that our goal is to remove the linear part and it becomes the Maximum Agreement Predictor.” In other words, the work is far from done. But for scientists who care not just about getting close — but getting it right — this could be a step forward.

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First Blast Of Winter Brings Enchanting Frost Flowers To U.S. Landscapes

The season’s first blast of wintry weather across parts of the U.S. this week didn’t just bring snow and freezing temperatures — it delivered something far more delicate: frost flowers. These fragile ice formations, which bloom briefly along the stems of certain plants, appeared in backyards and conservation areas from Indiana to Tennessee, delighting early risers who caught them before they vanished with the morning sun. Frost flowers form when freezing temperatures hit certain conditions just right. Thin ribbons of ice push through cracks in plant stems, curling outward into intricate shapes that look like spun glass or cotton candy. They’re incredibly fragile — a single touch can shatter them — and they usually last only a few hours. “You have to be at the right time, at the right place,” said Alan Templeton, professor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis. “You see them and you know they’re going to be gone in an hour or two. So it’s this very ephemeral, but highly variable beauty.” Templeton has been fascinated by frost flowers for decades, ever since first spotting them in the Missouri Ozarks while scouting for fieldwork locations. On Monday, with freezing temperatures in the forecast, he returned to a St. Louis County conservation area where he’s seen hundreds before. This time, he counted only about two dozen — possibly because the phenomenon occurred earlier than usual or the cold hadn’t been quite sharp enough. The ice blooms form when the ground remains warm and wet enough to push water up through the plant’s roots, while the surrounding air is cold enough to freeze that water as it escapes. It’s a rare overlap of conditions, which is why frost flowers are so elusive. Only a handful of plants — like white and yellow wingstem — can produce them. Their stems must be able to hold water into late fall and be weak enough to crack under the pressure of expanding ice. Even then, the moment passes quickly. In Tennessee, Crystal Legens stumbled on frost flowers three years ago after moving to a more rural part of the state. Driving to work one cold morning in McKenzie, she spotted what looked like spiderwebs along a roadside. When she stopped to investigate, she realized they were something else entirely. “They broke apart in my hands,” she said. “People live here their whole life and they never even know they exist because they just never see them or they’re not in the right place at the right time.” Photos shared this week across social media show undisturbed fields dotted with frost flowers — each one a fleeting reminder of the beauty that appears when nature meets perfect timing. As Templeton put it, “There’s no two frost flowers that are the same.” And once they’re gone, they won’t be back for another year.

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Care Home Residents Star In Their Own Rap Video, Proving Age Is Just A Number

At a care home in the heart of Derbyshire, seven residents are breaking stereotypes — with bars and beats. The Old Vicarage in Bakewell has just released its first-ever rap video, featuring residents aged in their 80s as the stars of a hip-hop group they’ve dubbed the Six 4 Teen Crew. The project, led by activity coordinator James Dixon, has turned stories of hardship, resilience, and remote control feuds into a surprisingly powerful musical performance called Rap-sody in Grey. The track came together after a conversation between Dixon and the residents about their life stories. Last year, they’d filmed a comedy Western for fun. This year, Dixon — who has a background in music production — pitched something a little different: rap. It was new territory for many. “Some of the residents had a go at writing some lines themselves,” Dixon said, “but it's quite a specific skill — they ended up writing poetry.” With help from a local recording studio that set up shop in one of the care home bedrooms, the group laid down their verses. The results are funny, touching, and impressively candid. Tony Jackson, 86, used his verse to reflect on a lifetime of serious health scares — and his uncanny ability to survive them. “The [Grim] Reaper can’t catch me,” he raps. Jackson’s son once told him he’s like a cat with nine lives, and it’s not hard to see why. “When I was six months old, I started having convulsions and the doctor said I wouldn’t last the night,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot more — like breaking my neck, Covid twice, breaking my hip. I feel as though I should have ended my life by now because sometimes the pain is unbearable.” But for Jackson, the creative process — and the support of Dixon — has brought something vital. “Although old years can be painful and difficult, when you’ve got somebody like James, you’ve got to do your best.” Margaret Peat, also 86, brought a bit of Scouse fire to her lyrics. Born in Liverpool during the Second World War, her verse celebrates her roots and her fierce independence — particularly when it comes to the TV remote. “I was born in Liverpool, on the 8th of April, when the war came,” she raps. “Fighter, right from the very beginning. I was little, but I was a fighter and I think I’m a fighter now.” Dixon said the video, like the song, is full of surprises — including an assist from artificial intelligence. AI tools helped him create scenes of Tony battling a Godzilla-like monster, turning into a cat, and transforming into molten steel. “I was able to do things I couldn’t even imagine doing a year ago using AI,” he said. “I do get that what we do is unusual. It’s not normally what happens in care homes.” But that’s the point. For Dixon, the goal wasn’t just to make music — it was to build something more lasting. “One of the things that it has done is create community because they have discussed the project with each other,” he said. “I really want [the residents] to feel as special as we all know that they are.” And in a world that often sidelines older voices, Rap-sody in Grey is loud, proud, and impossible to ignore.

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Solar And Wind Surge Past Fossil Fuels As Fastest-Growing Energy Sources, Says U.N. Report

The world is moving faster than ever toward a cleaner energy future — and now, there’s data to prove it. A new United Nations report finds that solar and wind power are not only the fastest-growing sources of electricity in history, but that currently announced solar and battery projects are more than enough to meet the 2030 target of tripling global renewable energy capacity. According to the report, clean energy is leaving fossil fuels in the dust. In 2023, 96% of new solar and onshore wind projects offered lower electricity costs than new coal or gas plants. That affordability has turbocharged the shift away from fossil fuels. By 2024, renewables made up nearly 93% of all new electricity capacity added worldwide, and 74% of the increase in actual energy production. Since 2015, solar and wind capacity has surged by around 140%. Fossil fuels, by contrast, have grown just 16% over the same period. "We stand at a unique and defining moment in history," the report stated, highlighting that global fossil fuel and renewable capacities are now nearly equal. Electric vehicle adoption is accelerating in parallel. In 2024, over 17 million EVs were sold, making up more than 20% of the global auto market — another sign that clean technologies have entered a phase of rapid, irreversible growth. The shift is also reshaping global economies. Investments in clean energy hit over $2 trillion in 2024. Jobs in renewables reached nearly 35 million the year before, and the sector added $320 billion to the global economy in 2023, accounting for about 10% of GDP growth. And the benefits go far beyond economics. Health experts have long warned about the dangers of fossil fuel pollution, which is linked to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, asthma, and other chronic illnesses. As more countries adopt renewables, air quality is expected to improve significantly, particularly in areas heavily dependent on coal and oil. The clean energy transition could also change life for the nearly 800 million people who still live without reliable electricity. The U.N. report notes that 80% of those people live in rural areas, where off-grid solar and small-scale wind systems offer a cheaper, faster alternative to expanding fossil-fuel-based grids. Investor interest is shifting too. As fossil fuel stocks lose momentum, climate-focused funds and clean energy companies are seeing increased backing, driven by falling costs and long-term returns. "This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility," said U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres in a statement. “There are no price spikes for sunlight, no embargoes on wind. Renewables mean real energy security, real energy sovereignty, and real freedom from fossil-fuel volatility.” With economics, technology, public health, and climate goals all aligning, the report paints a clear picture: clean energy is no longer a fringe option. It’s the new global standard — and it’s already reshaping the future.

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Texas Startup Raises $5.5M For Revolutionary Solar Towers That Produce 50% More Energy

A Texas-based startup wants to turn solar energy on its side — literally. Janta Power, based in Dallas, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding to scale up its solar power towers, a vertical, space-saving alternative to traditional solar farms. The funding round was led by MaC Venture Capital, with additional backing from Collab Capital. It’s a sign of growing investor confidence in 3D solar systems that promise to reshape how renewable energy is produced and distributed. Instead of laying out solar panels flat across rooftops or fields, Janta’s system stacks them vertically into compact towers that rotate to track the Sun. The result: more sunlight captured throughout the day, using far less land. “Think of it as the solar version of a skyscraper,” the company says. “More power from less ground space.” Each tower uses smart tracking software to follow the Sun’s movement from sunrise to sunset. That means instead of peaking only at noon like flat-panel systems, the towers maintain a steadier energy output across the entire day — including early mornings and late afternoons, when traditional arrays tend to underperform. The efficiency gains are significant. According to Janta, its towers generate about 50 percent more electricity while using only one-third of the land that flat-panel systems require. They’re also built to endure harsh conditions, with steel frames designed to withstand winds up to 170 miles per hour. Pilot installations are already operating at major airports, including Munich International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, and several facilities managed by Aena, the Spanish airport authority that oversees more than 70 sites worldwide. Beyond the design, the numbers tell a compelling story. Janta says its system achieves a capacity factor of 32 percent — much higher than the roughly 22 percent typical for flat-panel solar. That efficiency helps lower the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) to around $0.05 per kilowatt-hour, well below the global average of $0.15. For industries like data centers, universities, and telecoms — where round-the-clock, stable power is critical — the appeal is clear. But Janta’s pitch extends beyond major infrastructure. Because the towers are compact, they can fit into tight urban spaces, airport perimeters, or industrial zones that can’t accommodate sprawling solar farms. That could help bring cleaner power to local grids and reduce strain on backup systems. Janta isn’t the first company to explore vertical solar, but its combination of pivoting architecture, smart tracking, and durability is gaining traction at a time when land use, cost efficiency, and grid reliability are increasingly urgent concerns. The company’s seed round will fund expansion and new deployments, as well as refine its tracking software and modular tower designs for easier installation in varied environments. With demand for renewable energy soaring — and cities searching for more efficient ways to generate it — Janta’s vertical approach could offer a new blueprint. Its founders believe this is just the beginning. If we can rethink the shape of solar power, what else in energy infrastructure might be redesigned for a smarter, more sustainable future?

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