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Euro News

A new cruise ship has touched water for the first time, and Viking says it is breaking new ground.

Viking Libra, described as the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, reached a major construction milestone on 19 March when it was floated out at Fincantieri’s Ancona Shipyard. The float-out happens when a dry dock is filled with water so a newly built hull can float for the first time.

The ship is operated by cruise line Viking and is due to become functional in November 2026. Once it is in service, Viking Libra will be able to operate with zero emissions.

The float-out also marks the move from structural assembly to interior outfitting, which is usually the final stage of construction. In Viking Libra’s case, that final building stage will take place at a nearby outfitting dock.

“The float out of the Viking Libra represents another milestone for Viking and our continued partnership with Fincantieri,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman and CEO of Viking to Euro News.

“From the beginning, our approach to ship design has focused on reducing fuel consumption, and the Viking Libra is our most environmentally friendly vessel yet.”

Viking Libra will use a hybrid propulsion system that is partially based on fuel cells and liquefied hydrogen. Viking says that system will allow the ship to operate and navigate with zero emissions, including in highly environmentally sensitive areas.

By using advanced fuel cell technology, the propulsion system will also be able to produce up to six megawatts of power.

The ship has a total internal volume of about 54,300 tons and, like all Viking ships, it is also a small ship. When completed, it will have 499 staterooms for up to 998 guests. It will also include restaurants, a fitness centre and a Nordic Spa.

Viking says the ship will sail around Northern Europe and the Mediterranean in its inaugural season.

The company is also building another hydrogen-powered ship, Viking Astrea, which is due to be launched in 2027. Like Viking Libra, it is planned as a zero-emissions ship.

Viking Libra’s upcoming launch comes as cruise lines try to reduce the environmental impact of maritime travel.

Last October, Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten launched what it called its first climate-neutral voyage on the MS Richard With. The trip was a 5,000-mile roundtrip along the coast from Bergen to Kirkenes and back.

That ship uses 100 percent biofuel made from materials including fat waste and cooking oil.

“This marks a historic moment in Hurtigruten’s more than 130-year legacy along the Norwegian coast,” said Hedda Felin, CEO of Hurtigruten to Euro News. “Most importantly, it’s further proof that emission cuts are possible today by using sustainable biodiesel, without the need to invest billions in new ships or infrastructure.”

Last November, Havila Voyages, another Norwegian cruise line, also launched its first climate-neutral voyage along the same route.

Havila said the cruise aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent compared to fossil fuels. It uses a combination of battery power and liquefied biogas.

For Viking, the next step for Libra is interior outfitting after the ship’s first float in Ancona. It is due to become functional in November 2026 and will then head to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean in its inaugural season.

 📸credit: Viking

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A European Cruise Line Says They're Moving Closer To Launching the First Hydrogen-Powered Ship

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Good News Network

Old home movies and family photo albums can sit in a closet for years, right up until the day the equipment needed to play or preserve them is hard to find.

The Nashville Public Library system has introduced the “Memory Lab,” a space where people can digitize VHS tapes, Beta Max, slides, audio film, photos and negatives that might otherwise be lost as older media becomes harder to access, preserve or keep around.

In a statement, the library said, “Memory Lab is more than just technology, it’s a creative space where anyone can reconnect with their history and capture moments that otherwise might have been lost forever.”

Anyone can book an appointment to digitize physical media in the lab. The space is equipped with a VHS-to-digital convertor and a state-of-the-art, multifunctional scanner.

Reservations are free and run from 15 minutes to 4 hours at the Donelson Branch Library at 2714 Old Lebanon Pike in Nashville. The library said people who make a reservation will receive a confirmation email with instructions.

The library said commercial digitization services might charge $30 per tape and $1 per image, costs that can quickly rise for people trying to preserve a full photo album or a collection of home movies.

Nashville Public Library said the Memory Lab is part of a growing national trend at public libraries, including in DC, Los Angeles and Brooklyn, that are working to bridge the digital divide.

It also places Nashville among a small number of libraries in Tennessee offering free media digitization, including libraries in Rutherford and Williamson counties.

In a statement, the library said, “We are pleased about the launch of Memory Lab, but the most rewarding part is yet to come, all of the stories, memories, and history that will be given new life and preserved for the next generation.”

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Nashville Public Library Lets Residents Digitize Photos And VHS Tapes For Free

Reasons to be Cheerful

San Francisco’s seawall has held the line for more than a century, but the next version may do more than block water.

The Port of San Francisco and the West Coast team of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, or SERC, are working together on the Living Seawall Pilot Project, inspired by living seawalls in places including Seattle’s Elliott Bay.

Much of San Francisco’s current shoreline is manmade, and the Port says that leaves it with little natural protection from wave energy, coastal erosion and flooding. Brad Benson, the Port’s waterfront resilience program director, said a more natural shoreline would have a “sloped, gradual area where you can have robust, intertidal growth and activity.”

He said steep, manmade shorelines are harder on marine life. Andy Chang, PhD., one of the project’s lead scientists, said that matters across the ecosystem, including birds, fish and marine mammals.

Even in places where the shoreline cannot be sloped, the project is testing ways to make seawalls more habitable. The idea is that adding protective areas could support more biodiversity and help native seaweeds, mollusks and phytoplanktons resist invaders including brown kelp and European green crabs.

San Francisco’s seawall stretches about three miles. The concrete structure was built between 1878 and 1915 and has so far avoided major disrepair. But its age, along with erosion of the weak soils beneath it, has added urgency to rebuilding plans. Sea-level rise is also a growing concern.

“We’ve had approximately nine inches of sea-level rise over the last century, so during king tide events, we start to see flooding in and around the Ferry building, which is the low point along the Embarcadero,” Benson explains.

Chang said seawalls leave limited engineering choices in places where they are required, but there is still room to improve habitat.

“In places where a seawall is a requirement, the options are limited engineering-wise,” notes Chang. “We can add features that make it better habitat, such as adding texture, or shelving or small tidepools … which promotes a greater diversity of species.”

To test that idea, SERC trialled three kinds of tiles in three separate parts of the bay. One set used standard concrete. Another used ECOncrete, a concrete developed by a company founded by marine biologists, but kept the surface smooth. The third used ECOncrete with a textured design of ridges and small shelf-like protrusions.

ECOncrete supplied the tiles with what it describes as a proprietary admixture designed to reduce the more toxic effects of industrial grade concrete. The company’s co-founder, Dr. Ido Sella, said at least 70 percent of the world’s marine infrastructure is built from concrete, and that has a major effect on coastal marine life over time.

The problem is not only the material itself, but the way it is usually used. Standard concrete seawalls like San Francisco’s are often smooth and ecologically “grey,” with no surfaces that organisms can easily inhabit. The manufacture of standard industrial concrete is also a known source of carbon emissions.

SERC monitored the submerged tiles over several years. Team members visited each site at low tide to photograph and record the marine life they found, test salinity and water temperature, and collect samples.

The fieldwork was demanding. The visits sometimes happened before dawn or after dark, and the sites were often difficult to reach. Chang described the work as “exhilarating” and also cold and wet.

SERC is still preparing its final report, but the early signs are encouraging. The seaweed-covered tiles recently displayed along the Embarcadero showed that treated, textured tiles attracted and supported small marine communities. Those included seaweeds and shellfish, sea snails and small fish. Many of the organisms that did well were native to the bay, which Chang said was a bonus for “one of the world’s most invaded bays.”

The project also points to another role for marine life along hardened shorelines. According to the source material, marine biota can help protect industrialised habitats by acting as buffers against weathering, as part of a carbon sink and as natural water purifiers.

The Port is still waiting for the official scientific findings from the pilot, but Benson said the work is already shaping long-term plans. He estimates that nearly three miles of the Port’s coming 7.5-mile flood plan will include nature-based engineering solutions, including living seawall features.

“We just want to be able to demonstrate to the San Francisco public that as we make these resilience investments, we’re not only just reducing flood risk and reducing earthquake risks, we’re leaving the waterfront a better place,” he says.

📸 credit: Credit: Corryn Knapp / Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

San Francisco is Testing a 'Living Seawall' Design to Boost Marine Life And Fight Flooding

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For Pat Schultz, this research started at home. She enrolled her German shepherd-poodle mix, Murphy, in the Dog Aging Project while her husband was suffering from Alzheimer's, and the project her dog joined aimed to advance research into both canine and human aging.

Murphy, now 12, is one of more than 50,000 dogs in the project. Scientists around the country collect data on dogs' diets and exercise, analyze blood samples and do MRIs of dogs' brains. Dogs develop many of the same aging-related diseases as humans, and because they age more rapidly, researchers can gather answers faster, according to veterinary neurologist Stephanie McGrath.

"We can get a ton of information that would take decades to do in humans," McGrath said to CBS News.

Biologist Matt Kaeberlein, who has spent decades trying to understand and reverse the causes of aging in both humans and dogs, co-founded the Dog Aging Project in 2014.

"I realized, 'Oh my God, we know about three or four or five ways to slow aging in laboratory animals. Some of those are going to work in dogs,'" Kaeberlein said to CBS News.

Kaeberlein said much of the biology of aging is similar across the animal kingdom, particularly across species of mammals. Researchers see dogs as a possible bridge between mice and people. Many treatment trials move from tests on mice directly to human trials, but the latest data shows many drugs that work on mice do not work on people. Dogs live alongside humans and are exposed to the same environments. They exercise with people, drink the same water and even eat human food.

All the information collected in the Dog Aging Project goes into a public database that researchers around the world can access. The database has already been used in more than 50 scientific studies. Many of those studies found correlations between lifestyle, environment and disease risk.

The project has found that dogs living with other dogs appear to suffer from fewer diseases. It also found that dogs that do not exercise have a six times greater chance of developing dementia.

As part of the project, dogs go through tests that measure physical and mental fitness. In one test, dogs are shown where a treat is hidden. Seconds later, they are allowed to go get it, if they can remember where it is. Murphy has gone through testing for the past three years. During one test, he showed signs of anxiety, which McGrath said is a possible sign of dementia.

The project also studies what happens in dogs' brains. When some of the dogs in the project die, their brains are donated and examined. Dr. Dirk Keene, a neuropathologist who has studied human brains for 20 years looking for causes of Alzheimer's, works with the veterinarians and researchers in the Dog Aging Project.

Keene said his interest in the work was personal. He watched his mother suffer from Alzheimer's and also saw his dog Spring decline from what looked to him like the same disease, sometimes called "doggy dementia."

Near the end of her life, Spring would get confused and lost. She would stare into space and lean against things, Keene said, something that happens to people too.

"It's not just memory when we start to have dementia," Keene said to CBS News. "Dementia's a very complex thing that includes confusion, it includes the loss of the ability to remember where you're supposed to be, sort of spatial references. Very similar to what we're seeing in dogs, it happens in people."

Keene said dog brains, like human brains, have a frontal lobe, temporal lobe and occipital lobe. He said they share the same basic shape as the human brain, and dementia changes brain size and structure in very similar ways in both species.

Brains from people and dogs that suffered from dementia weigh less than healthy brains, Keene said. As the disease kills neurons, the brain shrinks and the space in the middle cavity enlarges. In dogs, dementia also results in enlarged spaces and brain shrinkage.

Under a microscope, Spring's brain, one of the first donated to the Dog Aging Project, showed beta amyloid plaques, which Keene said are a hallmark of Alzheimer's in people.

The project is also testing ways to help dogs live longer and stay healthier as they age. One focus is rapamycin. In mice, the drug has been shown to slow cognitive decline and increase life expectancy by 60 percent. That has led some longevity researchers and influencers to suggest rapamycin for human use.

Molecular biologist Julie Moreno helped run a pilot study involving 12 dogs, all showing signs of dementia, to see how rapamycin would affect them. One dog, 10-year-old Qbert, received a placebo. Another, 13-year-old Monkey, received rapamycin.

After the dogs died, Moreno studied their brains. She found Monkey's brain showed fewer microglial cells, which produce inflammation commonly associated with dementia. Two other dogs that received rapamycin have since died, and their brains also showed fewer cells associated with inflammation.

"If it works in a dog, and it's safe, and it's helping their cognition, then, maybe, it would help humans," Moreno said.

The Dog Aging Project is now running a larger clinical trial funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. Hundreds of dogs, including Murphy, are being given either a placebo or rapamycin to test if the drug can extend life.

Outside the project, biotech startup Loyal is also testing aging drugs for dogs. The for-profit company was founded in 2019 by Celine Haliou and is testing three drugs.

"My vision is that this is, you know, it's a daily beef-flavored pill that are given preventatively to keep them healthier longer, similar to a statin, you know, for older Americans," Haliou said.

Haliou said her hope is an estimated "one healthier year of life."

One of Loyal's drugs is in a clinical trial involving dogs older than 10, who are monitored for signs of aging. The Food and Drug Administration has signed off on the drug's safety data and says it has a "Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness," but final trial results will not be known for several years.

Haliou said the aging drug is not something to give a dog on its deathbed. Loyal has raised more than $250 million to bring its drugs to market. Haliou said that if the company succeeds with dogs, it may open the possibility of work on human longevity.

"I think going dogs first is the fastest way to work on and understand the biology of human aging," she said.

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Studying Dogs Could Unlock Longer, Healthier Lives For Pets — And People

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The Guardian

Spring break usually comes with a story or two. For Cooper Lutkenhaus, it came with a world title.

The 17-year-old from outside Dallas showed up at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Torun, Poland, and left as something no one his age had ever been before. A world champion.

Lutkenhaus won the 800 metres in 1:44.24, edging Belgium’s Eliott Crestan by 0.14 seconds. It was tight. It was tactical. And it made him the youngest athlete ever to win an individual world title, indoors or outdoors.

Not bad for someone who still has high school classes waiting.

“I came out here thinking I probably wasn’t the favorite, but any time I feel like I can step into a final I have a chance to win,” Lutkenhaus said, according to World Athletics. “Maybe it came from confidence or maybe from being too young, but I really wanted to try to make a defining move. I believed in that on the third lap — I just wanted to try to take it from there.”

That move came late, and it stuck.

At 17 years and 93 days old, Lutkenhaus broke a record that had stood for more than a decade. Ethiopian runner Mohammed Aman had been the youngest individual world champion when he won the same event in 2012 at 18 years and 61 days.

Lutkenhaus also became the youngest medalist of any kind in World Indoor Championships history, edging out Cuban high jump legend Javier Sotomayor by four days.

Those are big names. Lutkenhaus is now one of them.

The win did not come out of nowhere. His last year has been a fast climb, even by track standards. In 2025, at just 16, he finished second in the 800 metres at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. That result made him the youngest American to compete at an outdoor world championship.

He turned professional shortly after.

But that first global stage did not go the way he wanted. At the outdoor world championships last September, Lutkenhaus was knocked out in the first round. He was also missing time from his junior year of school to compete.

It stayed with him.

“The hardest part about Tokyo was that was my 17th month of racing,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people realized that. I had been racing for over a year. I’m not using that as an excuse, but just being able to be fresh for this one and a lot more confident.”

Fresh legs, sharper timing, better result.

Three weeks before his world title run, Lutkenhaus had already won the 800 metres at the USATF Indoor Championships. He entered the world championships ranked third based on his best time of 2026.

Some of the biggest names in the event were not there. That is not unusual. Many athletes skip indoor competitions to focus on the outdoor season, where Olympic and world titles often carry more weight.

Still, the field was strong. And Lutkenhaus ran like he belonged from the start.

He already had proof he could compete at that level. His 1:42.27 run at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships did more than win attention. It shattered the under-18 world record by 1.1 seconds.

That kind of time usually comes with experience. Lutkenhaus is still building his.

The win in Poland now places him firmly among the top middle-distance runners in the world. It also raises a new question. How fast can he go from here?

For now, the answer might be simple. Back to school.

The championships themselves told a broader story too. The United States once again topped the medal table, marking a 10th straight edition of world indoors where it led all nations. American athletes collected 18 medals, including five golds. Italy and Spain each won five medals, while Great Britain led in golds behind the U.S. with four.

Elsewhere on the track, Bahamas hurdler Devynne Charlton defended her 60 metre hurdles title for the third time, matching her own world record of 7.65 seconds.

In the women’s 1500 metres, American Nikki Hiltz took bronze after a late surge, finishing just ahead of France’s Agathe Guillemot by 0.03 seconds. She finished behind Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell and Australia’s Jessica Hull.

Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson dominated the women’s 800 metres, winning by 1.34 seconds in 1:55.30. It was the second fastest time ever recorded, just behind her own world record set last month.

American Addy Wiley earned her first global medal in that race, taking bronze at age 22.

Anna Hall added another podium finish to her growing resume, taking silver in the pentathlon after winning the outdoor heptathlon world title.

With indoor season wrapped, attention now shifts outside. Athletes will build toward the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in New York this July, followed by the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September.

Lutkenhaus will be part of that conversation now.

For a teenager who just made history, the next race is already waiting.

"2025 UIL 6A M 800 m" by KnowledgeIsPower9281 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

This Teenager Just Became The Youngest Ever World Indoor 800m Champion

Fox News

Five years is a long time to wait for a cat to come home. For one Maryland family, that wait ended with a phone call they never expected.

Melissa and Brooke Garci were reunited with their cat, Artemis, five years after she went missing in 2021, according to WJZ-TV.

The Garcis had tried to find Artemis after she disappeared. WJZ reported that Melissa Garci canvassed the neighborhood with flyers, but she was not able to locate the indoor-outdoor cat.

The break came years later, when a woman brought a cat to the Humane Society of Harford County and said she had found it in her unfinished basement.

"Artemis was brought into our shelter by a caring community member," the Humane Society said in a Facebook post.

The nonprofit said staff scanned the cat for a microchip as part of standard protocol and found one.

"We traced her chip with the manufacturer and called the owner. Her owner picked up the phone and was speechless. Artemis had been missing for 5 years!!" the Humane Society wrote.

The shelter added, "Tears were shed over this sweet reunion. We are so happy to have brought this family back together again!"

Erin Long of the Humane Society told WJZ what happened when staff reached out to the family.

"This woman answered, 'Hello?' And we said we have your cat, and she was unbelieving. And she said, 'Are you sure? My cat has been missing for five years,’" Long said.

For Brooke Garci, seeing Artemis again did not feel real at first.

She told the station she felt like she could not even cry yet when she saw Artemis again, "because I was in disbelief, but when I saw her, I was like, 'Omg, she looks exactly the same.’"

Brooke Garci also told WJZ, "Her instincts are strong."

Long said Artemis quickly reconnected with the family after leaving her kennel.

When Artemis first came out, Long said, she walked over to the Garcis and got on both of their laps.

"It was a beautiful thing," she said.

Stranger Finds Missing Cat In Basement, Reunites Her With Family After 5 Years

USA Today

A frightened little dog ended up in a dangerous spot on Philadelphia train tracks, then got a careful rescue and a new name.

ACCT Philly said in a March 15 Facebook post that its Animal Protection Officers responded to a call from local authorities about a dog trapped on a train track support beam in east Philadelphia.

“Witnesses had seen the small dog running along the tracks before she became stuck on top of one of the support pillars,” ACCT Philly said.

Officer Kevin Collins arrived at the scene, and with Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority maintenance workers, who brought a cherry picker, the team was able to “carefully and safely” remove the small black female dog from the top of the beam without any injuries.

Video from the rescue showed the dog shivering as Collins called to her. When she did not respond, he used a leash to grab hold of her and pull her toward safety. She was then wrapped in a warm blanket and brought back to the ground.

The dog was later named Dottie and she is believed to be a 2-year-old Shih Tzu mix.

Dottie was placed on a 48-hour stray hold and transferred to Street Tails Animal Rescue on March 18, where she will be available for adoption, ACCT told USA TODAY.

“We’re incredibly relieved that this little dog is safe,” ACCT said, while thanking Collins, SEPTA Police and SEPTA maintenance for their efforts.

 📸credit: ACCT Philly

Rescuers Save Small Dog Stranded On Train Track Beam

Science Daily

Sometimes the oldest evidence of human creativity is as simple as a hand on a cave wall.

Researchers say a hand stencil found in a limestone cave in Indonesia is now the oldest known example of rock art on Earth, dated to at least 67,800 years ago. The find, on the island of Sulawesi, is at least 15,000 years older than a previous discovery in the same region.

An international team led by Griffith University, Indonesia's national research and innovation agency, BRIN, and Southern Cross University made the dating from paintings preserved in caves in southeastern Sulawesi, on the nearby island of Muna.

Scientists identified a partial hand stencil in Liang Metanduno cave, surrounded by much younger paintings. To work out its age, the team used uranium-series dating on tiny mineral layers that had formed over and, in some cases, beneath the artwork.

That allowed the researchers to establish when the paintings were created. They found the hand stencil was made at least 67,800 years ago, making it the oldest reliably dated cave art yet found.

The researchers said the results also show people kept making art in the cave for a very long time. Artistic activity there spanned at least 35,000 years, continuing until about 20,000 years ago.

"It is now evident from our new phase of research that Sulawesi was home to one of the world's richest and most longstanding artistic cultures, one with origins in the earliest history of human occupation of the island at least 67,800 years ago," said Professor Maxime Aubert, an archaeologist and geochemist from the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, who co-led the study.

The team said the hand stencil is an unusual version of a common motif. After it was first made, the image appears to have been deliberately changed. The outlines of the fingers were narrowed, giving the hand a claw-like appearance.

Professor Adam Brumm of Griffith University's Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, a co-leader of the study, said researchers do not yet know what that change meant.

"This art could symbolize the idea that humans and animals were closely connected, something we already seem to see in the very early painted art of Sulawesi, with at least one instance of a scene portraying figures that we interpret as representations of part-human, part-animal beings," Professor Brumm said.

The team said the discovery also sharpens questions about when and how humans first reached Australia. According to the researchers, the people who made the Sulawesi paintings were likely part of the broader population closely related to the ancestors of Indigenous Australians.

Dr Adhi Agus Oktaviana, a rock art specialist at BRIN and a team leader whose doctoral research at Griffith University contributed to the study, said the finding carries major implications for the deep history of Australian Aboriginal culture.

"It is very likely that the people who made these paintings in Sulawesi were part of the broader population that would later spread through the region and ultimately reach Australia," Dr Oktaviana said.

Archaeologists have long debated when humans first arrived in Sahul, the ancient landmass that once joined present-day Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. Some support a short chronology of about 50,000 years ago. Others argue for a long chronology of at least 65,000 years ago.

"This discovery strongly supports the idea that the ancestors of the First Australians were in Sahul by 65,000 years ago," Dr Oktaviana said.

Researchers have proposed two main routes into Sahul. One is a northern path through Sulawesi and the Spice Islands toward New Guinea. The other is a southern route that carried early seafarers more directly to Australia through Timor or nearby islands.

Professor Renaud Joannes-Boyau of the Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group at Southern Cross University said the new dating adds weight to the northern route.

"With the dating of this extremely ancient rock art in Sulawesi, we now have the oldest direct evidence for the presence of modern humans along this northern migration corridor into Sahul," Professor Joannes-Boyau said.

The study, titled "Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi," was published in Nature.

📸 Credit: Max Aubert

Researchers Identify 67,800-Year-Old Handprint As Oldest Known Art

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A llama in a sweater is not a normal airport sight. At Portland International Airport, it is a real one.

About once a month, llamas and alpacas from the Ridgefield, Washington-based nonprofit Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas visit PDX to spend time with travelers. Since 2023, the animals have been part of the airport's animal-assisted therapy program, joining a lineup that began with dogs in 2019.

The therapy animals have become a popular part of the airport experience, with travelers lining up to meet them.

"PDX is known for doing things differently, and the llamas and alpacas – with their gentle nature and quirky personalities – have reached icon status in the airport, beloved by all," PDX spokesperson Molly Prescott told USA TODAY. "There’s nothing quite like the delight and surprise you’ll see on people’s faces when they encounter the llamas and alpacas for the first time."

With handlers alongside them, the trained animals spend time at the entrance and in the main terminal. They are hard to miss. Llamas and alpacas can stand about 6 feet tall and weigh up to 450 pounds, and they usually arrive in themed outfits. Pirate and western cowboy costumes are among the looks they wear.

Their visits last about an hour and a half. During that time, passengers can pet and hug the animals. Some also get a chance to give them a carrot kiss, feeding a small piece of carrot to the animal from their mouth or hands. Each camelid has its own trading card, which some frequent fliers collect.

"The whole purpose of the therapy is to help with anxiety and de-stress, so I'm always watchful," said Mountain Peaks owner Lori Gregory to USA Today. "We get quite a few people traveling for not fun reasons, they're going to visit their loved one for the last time, or they're going to a funeral or you know, things that are hard. We always try to watch for those people to give them extra time with the animal and just express our love and care."

The airport visits grew out of Gregory's long involvement with llamas. She said it started after her family moved to rural Washington and had enough acreage for large animals. Her daughter, Shannon Joy, first wanted a horse, but changed course after joining a school program and learning about other animals. Through that program, Joy borrowed a local llama named Shania, after Canadian pop star Shania Twain, to show at fairs.

"We decided to join that to learn about these animals and just fell in love," Gregory said.

Later, in 2002, the family bought a young llama named Rojo, along with two others because llamas are herd animals. Gregory said Rojo stood out for his gentle disposition. He grew to about 350 to 400 pounds and, she said, stayed unusually social.

"and never grew out of that dog-like personality and people-friendly personality," Gregory said.

Gregory took Rojo to parades and fairs, where people were drawn to him. He liked the attention and enjoyed hugs and pets.

She said not every llama is suited to that kind of work. Llamas can be smart, protective and stubborn, and they are often known for spitting. Gregory said a llama's behavior depends heavily on how it is raised and socialized, along with its natural demeanor. Alpacas, she said, are smaller, more timid and shy, but the more independent ones can do well as therapy animals if they are comfortable away from the herd.

"We try to educate a lot when we go out because people have such misconceptions and kind of put them all in the same basket," Gregory said to USA Today. "Oh, he doesn't like being here. He'd rather be in the pasture. I say, well, some are different and really actually enjoy new environments and are curious."

In 2007, Gregory said she saw a boy in a wheelchair light up after meeting Rojo at a fair. She said that moment showed her Rojo could help people as a therapy animal.

Gregory and Joy, who had just finished high school, then took Rojo through the now-discontinued animal therapy program at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in downtown Portland. He became the first llama to graduate from the program.

After his new status was announced at a gala that year, Rojo's popularity took off. He began visiting places around Portland, including charity events, senior homes and schools.

Mountain Peaks now has six llamas and five alpacas on the farm, though not all of them are suited to therapy visits. The organization also runs a for-profit branch that brings llamas to events such as weddings, and the proceeds help fund the nonprofit.

The airport connection began in 2020, when PDX invited Mountain Peaks llamas to help celebrate the opening of a new concourse. Wearing outfits that said "I heart PDX," two llamas walked through the airport greeting travelers. They returned during the holiday season, and videos of them in Christmas sweaters went viral.

Now the visits are a regular part of the airport's official therapy program. The airport says the llamas add "a dose of novelty and surprise."

"There’s nothing quite like a wagging tail and friendly face to bring a little bit of comfort and joy," said Prescott. "Especially in a city like Portland, known for being animal-friendly."

When the animals arrive at PDX, they get valet parking and skip the security checkpoint line to be patted down.

Gregory said the visits also help the animals by exposing them to different settings as part of their training. The animals also spend time with airport staff, who often work in stressful jobs.

"It just really made me appreciate our airport," said Gregory. "It's very unique and the effort to try to make travel amazing for the people that go through the airport, I've just been very impressed with everybody."

Photo by Adrijana on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-llama-1575857/)

Portland Airport Brings In Therapy Llamas And Alpacas To Calm Stressed Travelers

Photo by Elle Hughes on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/glass-filled-with-wine-2954929/)

At Pompeii, the ruins are growing grapes again.

Dozens of grape vines have been planted among the archaeological site’s ruins in a project aimed at bringing back the southern Italian volcanic region’s long history of producing quality grapes from inside Pompeii’s walls.

The project will produce thousands of bottles of wine from grapes grown within the site.

Pompeii was buried under about six metres of volcanic ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D.

Archaeologists found signs on frescoed walls beneath that ash showing wine was an important part of ancient Roman society. Parties and meals included rituals linked to Dionysus, the God of wine. They also found ceramic jars buried in the ground for holding wine and amphorae used to export it.

The move to revive the vineyards is tied to that history, and it is also intended to help the local economy.

“In Pompeii 2,000 years ago there were vineyards and today there are again vineyards where we cultivate wine and this helps us to lower the costs for maintenance,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of Archaeological Park of Pompeii to Euro News.

“[This is] a fantastic opportunity to let people know about the history of Pompeii which is in large part the history of agriculture and the countryside and of the balance between human communities and environment,” added Zuchtreigel to Euro News.

According to Zuchtreigel, wine was part of everyday life for ancient Pompeiians. Soldiers drank it in the morning. People added herbs and spices to it, and heated it to make mulled wine in winter.

He said they produced so much wine that they exported it across the Mediterranean, including to Spain, North Africa and modern Turkey, and north to what is now Germany and Britain.

The grape being used for the new vineyard is Aglianico. It originally came from Greece and was introduced to Italy around the seventh to sixth centuries BC.

Aglianico is one of the most famous varieties of ancient grapes, and it is now also found in many vines in California and Australia.

The vineyard says the grapes will be cultivated using sustainable agricultural methods.

The project is being carried out with Italian wine producer Feudi di San Gregorio. Together, they plan to produce about 30,000 bottles of wine to be sold at the park and online.

Photo by Elle Hughes on Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/glass-filled-with-wine-2954929/)

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