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The Inner Lives Of Johannesburg Food Couriers: A Photo Essay
An army of riders ferry food around the South African city, their lives and travails largely unseen by the people they serve. The Covid pandemic led to an exponential growth in the number of food couriers operating here, using a number of delivery apps. Photojournalist James Oatway has spent several months documenting their challenges.
Score (97)
This Endangered Bonobo Baby Was Just Born In an 'Extraordinary Moment'
A zoo in Leicestershire has announced the birth of a rare bonobo, an ape regarded as the closest living relative to humans. Twycross Zoo said the infant was delivered safely on 11 September to first-time mother Yuli. Bonobos share around 98.7 percent of their DNA with humans but are classed as endangered, with fewer than 20,000 remaining in the wild. Dr Rebecca Biddle, the zoo’s chief conservation officer, described the birth as a “truly extraordinary moment.” She added: “Bonobos are humans’ closest living relatives, yet they remain one of the most endangered and least understood apes on Earth. Every birth is a true milestone and a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when zoos work together.” Twycross is the only zoo in the UK to care for the species and looks after 10 percent of the entire European bonobo population through a conservation programme. Yuli arrived from Vallée des Singes in France in 2023 as part of that effort. The programme is designed to build healthy zoo populations while wild bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to face severe threats from poaching and deforestation. Dr Biddle said the new arrival showed the importance of collaboration. “It is only through the dedication, expertise, and collaboration of conservation zoos that moments like this are possible,” she said. The zoo hopes the birth will inspire visitors to learn more about bonobos, one of the least studied great apes, and the challenges they face in the wild.
Score (98)
Why This Small Town Shop is Delivering 1,000 Kindness Cards to Brighten Spirits
A shop in Wiltshire, UK, is using handwritten kindness to brighten lives this week. Highworth Emporium has launched a project to coincide with both Thinking of You Week and the town’s volunteer week. Customers are invited to pick up a free card in the store, write an uplifting message, and leave it for delivery to people who may be feeling lonely. The goal is to send out 1,000 cards to care homes, hospices, hospitals, and households across Highworth and nearby villages. “Something as simple as a handwritten card can have such a powerful emotional impact,” said shop owner Aga Marsden. “It reminds people that they are cared for and that they are not forgotten. We hope this project spreads a little extra joy and kindness across our community.” Local scouts are helping with deliveries, while schools have written hundreds of cards. Southfield Junior School’s head teacher, Kimberley O’Sullivan, said it was an ideal way for children to learn the impact of small acts of kindness. “The children often write me handwritten notes or draw me little pictures and I thought it was such a great way for the children to spread happiness beyond our school,” she said. Nine-year-old Martha captured the spirit of the project: “Good things come in small packages and a card is like a small package of happiness.” Loraine Haines, who works at the shop, said the idea had been embraced by locals. “The majority of people are supporting it, which has been really lovely. They all say what a great idea it is,” she said. At Grove Hill care home, staff and residents were already feeling the effects. Amy Bishop, part of the Emporium team, said, “You can have text messages and emails but it is not the same as having a card in your hand. It’s something so simple but effective and really meaningful.” One resident, Roger, said he rarely received cards and that opening one made him feel emotional. “Somebody loves me,” he said. With more than 500 cards already written by local schoolchildren and hundreds more flowing in from the community, Highworth Emporium is well on its way to meeting its target, one handwritten message of kindness at a time.
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Scientists Are Using Moon-Based Missions to Unlock Dark Matter Secrets in a New Study
Astronomers say faint radio whispers from the early Universe could soon help solve one of the biggest mysteries in physics: the nature of dark matter. An international research team used advanced computer simulations to model how hydrogen gas behaved during the so-called Dark Ages, the first 100 million years after the Big Bang before stars and galaxies formed. Their results, published September 16 in Nature Astronomy, show that tiny differences in the gas signal could reveal whether dark matter particles are light and “warm” or heavy and “cold.” Dark matter makes up about 80 percent of all matter in the Universe. It does not emit or absorb light, but its gravity sculpts galaxies and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. Pinning down the mass of its unseen particles is central to physics, since lighter, warm particles would have smoothed away small cosmic structures, while heavier, cold particles would have allowed them to form. The new work, led by Hyunbae Park of the University of Tsukuba and including Naoki Yoshida of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, simulated primordial gas clouds interacting with dark matter. As the gas cooled and clumped under gravity, its density and temperature changes left a mark in the 21-centimeter radio emission from hydrogen. The researchers found that the average strength of this signal would shift subtly depending on the type of dark matter present. “The difference is less than a milli-kelvin in brightness temperature,” the team reported. That’s an almost unimaginably faint trace, but one with major implications if detected. Catching such a signal from Earth is nearly impossible. At the low frequencies involved, around 50 megahertz or less, human-made radio noise and the ionosphere swamp any faint cosmic glow. The far side of the Moon, however, offers a pristine, radio-quiet environment, shielded from terrestrial interference. That is where several countries, including Japan, see opportunity. Japan’s proposed Tsukuyomi project plans to deploy radio antennas on the lunar surface. Other lunar observatories are under discussion worldwide as part of a new wave of space exploration combining scientific ambition with technological innovation. Although building a radio telescope on the Moon will be costly and technically demanding, the researchers argue it is now within reach. Their simulations provide a roadmap for what those experiments should look for, helping to maximize the scientific payoff once antennas are in place. If successful, such missions would do more than detect the Universe’s faintest signals. They could also provide the first direct clues to the mass of dark matter particles, a breakthrough in understanding the invisible majority of the cosmos.
Score (95)
Paris Auction House Just Unveiled This Picasso Painting Not Seen For 80 Years
A long-hidden Picasso portrait of Dora Maar, painted in Nazi-occupied Paris and unseen for 80 years, has been revealed in France. The work, Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat (Dora Maar), was completed in July 1943, near the end of the couple’s nine-year relationship. Unlike some of Picasso’s darker depictions of Maar, this canvas shows her in brighter colors, though her face still carries an expression of anguish. At the time, Maar had just learned that the 61-year-old Picasso intended to leave her for Françoise Gilot, then 21. The painting was sold in August 1944, a few months before the liberation of Paris, and has remained in the same French family’s private collection ever since. Its existence was known only from a black-and-white photograph in an art catalogue. The anonymous seller inherited it from a grandparent. Christophe Lucien, the auctioneer handling the sale, called it a landmark rediscovery. “It is not only a milestone in the history of art but also in the private life of Picasso,” he said. “It is a refreshing portrait of Dora Maar; exceptional and full of emotion. Discovering it is a big moment in our lives as experts.” Picasso painted Maar repeatedly, including in Dora Maar au Chat and La Femme qui pleure (Weeping Woman). While those works often cast her as a figure of torment, Maar herself dismissed them: “All of his portraits of me are lies. They’re all Picassos. Not one is Dora Maar.” Maar, who died in 1997, was a surrealist photographer whose experimental style shaped Picasso’s own work during their time together. Their relationship, marked by passion and violence, became one of the most influential episodes of his career. The Nazis had branded Picasso’s work “degenerate” and carried out raids on his Paris studio. Yet he continued to paint throughout the occupation, producing works that experts say were a rare burst of light during a dark time. Measuring 80 by 60 centimeters, the oil painting has been given a conservative estimate of €8 million by the auction house Lucien Paris, though it is expected to sell for significantly more. It will go on public display for three days before the auction on 24 October.
Score (98)
Brave Search Dog Rescues Teen Trapped Without Water For 3 Days
Fourteen-year-old Cody Trenkle’s summer nearly ended in tragedy. In late July, the Missouri teen crashed his skateboard near Goose Creek Lake and fell 240 feet into a rugged ravine. For almost 80 hours, his family and search teams scoured the steep terrain with no success. The breakthrough came thanks to a bloodhound named Daryl. The six-year-old K-9 from the Farmington Correctional Center was given a pair of Cody’s shoes to track. Within just 20 minutes, he found the boy alive. “Twenty minutes on a three-day-old track, that’s almost unheard of,” said Lt. Joe Gillam, who leads the K-9 unit. “As a parent myself with a 14-year-old, this was the best-case scenario because he was found alive.” Cody’s mother, Stephanie Neely, said she knew the moment Daryl locked onto the scent. “I put all my faith in Daryl, and sure enough, 20 minutes later, all the alarms started going off. That’s when I knew they found him,” she said. Rescuers discovered Cody badly hurt, lying in a foot of water. He was airlifted to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, where he spent 11 days in a medically induced coma and a full month recovering from a brain bleed, pneumonia, and deep cuts. Despite it all, Cody kept his humor. “Just got to get the head healed, and then I’m Cody again,” he joked. Two weeks after leaving the hospital, he returned to school and met his four-legged rescuer in person. Stroking Daryl’s ears, he said, “If I’d had to spend a couple more hours down there, I wouldn’t have made it. But because of him, 20 minutes, man, I’m impressed. Thank you. Thanks, Bubbas.” For Stephanie, watching that moment was emotional. “He was on a mission that day, which I’m grateful for. But just seeing him today and seeing Cody get to meet him, it’s pretty amazing,” she said. The Missouri Department of Corrections awarded Daryl and the K-9 team medals for their lifesaving work. But for Cody and his family, no medal can match the gift of life that Daryl’s nose delivered. Cody still faces months of recovery, but his resilience—and the bond with a dog who refused to give up—has already written a story his family will never forget.
Score (97)
The Global Treasure Hunt Hiding in Plain Sight: 25 Years of Geocaching
Bryan Roth had already been scrambling over rocks in Finland’s Pirkanmaa region when his guides handed him a pair of coveralls and pointed at a narrow cave entrance. “We have to go in the hole,” one told him. Inside was what he was after: a geocache, a hidden container waiting to be found at a precise set of GPS coordinates. Roth is not only a geocacher but also president of Geocaching HQ, the company that runs Geocaching.com, the main platform where millions of hobbyists log their finds and track new caches. This year marks the 25th anniversary of geocaching, a pastime that has quietly grown into a global game with more than 3.4 million caches hidden in parks, cities, and even on the International Space Station. At its core, geocaching is digital treasure hunting. Participants use GPS coordinates to track down hidden containers that can range from film canisters tucked under a park bench to large boxes buried deep in the woods. The thrill comes not from the contents—which might be trinkets, notes, or small toys—but from the hunt itself and the places the game takes people. “GPS started as a U.S. military program,” said Brian Weeden, a space policy expert at the Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy. Originally designed to guide ships, planes, and weapons, the technology relies on signals from satellites orbiting Earth. By 2000, the U.S. government switched off a deliberate signal distortion known as “selective availability,” making GPS precise enough for civilian use. Almost immediately, geocaching was born. Dave Ulmer, a GPS enthusiast, placed the first cache that May: a five-gallon bucket filled with map software, books, money, food, and even a slingshot. He posted the coordinates online. Three days later, Mike Teague became the first finder. Teague then began curating a list of other caches, and the game quickly spread. At first it was called the Great American GPS Stash Hunt, but to avoid the drug-related undertones of “stash,” the name was changed to geocaching. Jon Stanley, now a senior data scientist at Geocaching HQ, remembers hiding one of the early caches near his family’s cabin in Idaho. “I want to take people to a place that they wouldn't visit ordinarily,” he said. That impulse to bring strangers to unexpected corners of the world remains central to the game. Back then, geocachers relied on clunky handheld GPS units with no maps. Today, smartphones handle the navigation, pulling signals not only from U.S. satellites but also from Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s Galileo, and China’s BeiDou systems. “That means a lot of devices these days, including your phone, can pull signals from all these constellations, which makes it easier to get a signal and can improve the accuracy,” Weeden explained. As the technology has improved, so has the creativity of cache placements. Some require climbing gear or scuba tanks, while others are hidden inside libraries or disguised as everyday objects. Roth’s cave cache in Finland is just one example of how far the game can push people. Despite its high-tech underpinnings, the appeal is simple: exploration. Millions of geocachers use the hobby as an excuse to get outside, add adventure to a road trip, or see their neighborhoods differently. The hidden boxes and logs become excuses for movement and connection, binding together a community that spans the globe. From a single bucket hidden in the Oregon woods 25 years ago, the game has grown into a worldwide network of secret prizes—millions of them waiting just behind a wall, under a log, or up a mountain. For players, every set of coordinates is a chance to find something unexpected.
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A Homeless Encampment Helped This Stranded Motorist When Her Car Ran Out Of Gas
On a busy day in Albuquerque, a simple act of kindness turned a frightening roadside breakdown into a moment Cobb says she will never forget. Juli Cobb, a creative arts teacher in Albuquerque, was driving home when her car ran out of gas and stalled in the middle of the road near a crowded homeless encampment under the freeway. “I was sitting there so vulnerable, and I was anxious,” Cobb said. “But this man ran up to me from under the bridge and asked me if I needed help.” She told him what had happened. He said he would try to help, but first they needed to get her car out of traffic. “He single-handedly tried to push me,” Cobb recalled. “And I couldn’t unlock the steering and it wasn’t moving. Then two other men ran over to help and again [asked], ‘Can we help you?’ and ‘What’s going on?’” One of the men asked carefully if he could reach through the window to check the steering column. Cobb agreed, and he managed to unlock it. As they worked, cars swerved past, trying not to hit them, and at one point the group directed a tractor trailer to steer around the stopped vehicle. Together, the three men shifted her car out of the roadway. The first man, the one who had tried to push the car on his own, offered to bike off to get fuel. Cobb handed him some cash for a can of gas. Shaken and ready to go home, she stayed in the driver’s seat. Then one of the men introduced himself. “He said, ‘This is a dangerous place. There are some people that would take advantage of this situation. Have you called anybody?’” Cobb remembered. “I said, ‘I’m calling my daughter right now.’ And he said, ‘I will stay here with you.’” He kept that promise. Cobb never had to step out of the car. A short while later, the man on the bike returned with gas, poured it into her tank, and the engine turned over. Soon after, Cobb was back on the road and on her way home. The relief was immediate, but what lingered was the generosity of three strangers who, as Cobb noted, had little to spare. “That these men, who didn’t ask for anything and really are on the street and trying to survive, don’t know where their next meal is coming from probably, just ran over to help. So, that was pretty impactful on me.” Cobb’s account appears in My Unsung Hero, a series from the Hidden Brain team that gathers stories of everyday people whose kindness reshapes someone else’s day, or their sense of what community can be. Her story offers a clear picture of what help can look like in a tough moment, a few quick decisions, a willingness to step in, and a promise to stand by until the danger passes. For Cobb, the experience turned a vulnerable moment into an enduring lesson in looking out for one another. Three strangers saw someone stuck, asked if they could help, and did. It was not elaborate or loud. It was steady and human, the kind of kindness that leaves a mark.
Score (98)
An 8-Year-Old Has Become The Youngest to Swim Across Halifax Harbour, Raising Money For United Way
Eight-year-old Ava Henley has become the youngest person to swim across Halifax Harbour in support of The United Way. Ava took part in the annual Nova Scotia Harbour Swim on September 4, completing the challenge in about 32 minutes alongside her father, Andrew, an experienced long-distance swimmer who has done the event five times. “It was crazy, but it was really fun,” Ava said after the swim. She admitted she was nervous at first. “I was really nervous on the boat. I can’t quit now because I’m on the boat, so I did it.” Andrew said training together over the summer helped prepare his daughter. “I was teaching her over the summer that long-distance swimming is more of a mind game more than it is a physical game,” he explained. For him, this year’s event was unforgettable. “The last swim was probably the most memorable for me because this is the first time in my life I had my daughter follow me.” To qualify for the event, participants had to prove they could swim 1,500 metres in under 40 minutes and raise at least $150 in pledges. Ava surpassed both requirements. “I’m so incredibly proud of what she’s done,” Andrew said. The Nova Scotia Harbour Swim for The United Way ran from September 2 to 5 this year, with events in Shelburne, Chester, Halifax, Sydney, St. Peter’s, and Pictou.
Score (98)
Strangers Surprised This Boy With a New Wheelchair After it was Stolen
What started as heartbreak for a Midvale family turned into an outpouring of generosity after their son’s stolen wheelchair was replaced—and upgraded—within a week. Axton Bird, 11, lives with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), a rare genetic condition that makes walking long distances difficult. When thieves took his donated electric wheelchair from the family’s parking lot, his parents felt crushed. “When the wheelchair was stolen, we kind of hit rock bottom,” his father, Jayson Bird, said. “All we were seeing was red and anger, thinking, ‘How could someone do this?’ But I had to remind myself and remind my wife and my family that sometimes God works in mysterious ways, and God brought these wonderful people to us.” One of those people was Mike Felice of Disabled Outdoorsmen Utah. After seeing the story on FOX 13 News, Felice jumped into action. “Let’s don’t focus on the negative, let’s focus on the positive and what can we do to resolve this, and let’s get this young man a new chair,” he said. Felice worked with Compassion Mobility and other nonprofits to secure a replacement—this one even better suited for Axton. The new chair allows him to steer with his elbow, giving him more independence. Community support didn’t end there. Kings Camo donated hunting gear, while Huckleberry Hiking provided tandem equipment so Axton can enjoy trails more easily. Supporters also raised $2,500 to help the family with additional costs. For Jayson, watching his son try out his new chair was overwhelming. “Overwhelmed, overjoyed, speechless,” he said. “To watch our son have the independence and mobility that he deserves and have such a really awesome and cool wheelchair that he can grow into and have for many years to come, means the world to us and our family.”
Score (98)
Rescued Dogs from an Abandoned House are Beginning New Lives as Police Sniffer K-9s
Four spaniels rescued from a derelict house in South Yorkshire are being retrained as police sniffer dogs, Greater Manchester Police confirmed. Bruce, Pablo, Lola, and Nellie were among 82 dogs discovered in April living in what officers described as “squalid” conditions at a property in Tickhill, Doncaster. The rescue was carried out by the RSPCA with support from South Yorkshire Police. When officers entered the home, they were overwhelmed by the smell. “Working their way around the property the team were met with faeces, filth and round every corner and room, more dogs,” a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said. In addition to the spaniels, police also found two cats and a chicken. The dogs were seized and moved into kennels, where five were initially chosen for assessment as potential working animals. One was quickly rehomed after not meeting the requirements, while the other four showed promise for police work. The RSPCA partnered with Greater Manchester Police’s Tactical Dog Unit to begin training them as detection dogs. PC Wes Donnelly said the transformation has been remarkable. “We’re giving them the best life possible. These dogs have gone from being neglected to having a real purpose. Providing their training goes well, they’ll soon be helping us detect drugs, cash and other items that support investigations.” The spaniels are now in specialist training and, if successful, will join the force’s K-9 unit in the months ahead.