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New Research Reveals Mars' Olympus Mons Mountain May Have Been a Volcanic Island
Mars' majestic Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system, holds a fascinating secret from its past. Geologists believe that this mighty volcano might have once been an island surrounded by a vast ocean, adding to the intrigue of the Red Planet's history. This discovery sheds light on the possibility of ancient water on Mars, offering new insights into its past habitability and sparking curiosity about the mysteries that lie within our neighboring planet.
Score (96)
Bighorn Sheep Rescued and Reunited With Herd After Falling Into Icy River
A bighorn sheep was rescued after she fell into an icy river in Gunnison County, Colorado, on Monday, January 26. Footage released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southwest Region shows the ewe trapped in the ice as wildlife managers Codi Prior and Clayton BonDurant raced to the scene to save her. The source also released further video from Tuesday, January 27, of the moment the ewe rushed off to be reunited with her herd. “This morning, our team drove the trailer back to where this ewe’s herd was spending time up on a mountain above. She bolted out of the horse trailer in excellent health, a relief to our entire Gunnison area office staff,” CPW SW Region said. CPW SW Region thanked the locals who first reported the trapped bighorn. “Nature is brutal, but this bighorn is getting a second chance at life thanks to this epic rescue by our team,” wildlife officials said.
Score (96)
This UK Athlete's Final Olympic Push Will Be Piloting a Bobsled for Trinidad and Tobago
Axel Brown never expected his life to lead from American football fields to Olympic bobsleigh tracks—but 12 years after first seeing the sport on TV, that’s exactly where he’s landed. The 33-year-old athlete from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is set to pilot the Trinidad and Tobago bobsleigh team at next month’s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. It will be his second and final Olympic appearance, after previously competing at Beijing 2022. “You don't grow up in Harrogate thinking you're going to be an Olympic bobsleigher, that's for sure,” Brown said. His journey began in 2014, after being released from an American football team just a month before the Sochi Olympics. Watching the Games from home, something about bobsleigh caught his eye. “I thought, maybe I should give that a go,” he said. “That's 12 years ago now and I've made a full career out of it.” Brown went on to race for Great Britain for seven years before switching to represent his mother’s homeland of Trinidad and Tobago in 2021. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. As pilot, Brown is responsible for steering a 375-kilogram sled down icy tracks at speeds of up to 160 km/h. It's as dangerous as it sounds, and he knows it. “It can be incredibly terrifying,” he said. “Even as I get more experienced I need to keep a healthy level of fear for the sport because it can turn on you in a heartbeat.” “I've always said that if there's a day when I was completely not scared of bobsleigh, that's probably the day to walk away.” Brown finished 28th out of 30 teams in the two-man event at Beijing 2022, ahead of Jamaica and Brazil. But qualifying for Milan-Cortina was an even steeper challenge. “We now had to qualify in the two-man and four-man bobsleigh and they removed two nation spots,” he said. “We had to be in the top 17 nations in the world to even qualify, which for us was right at the limit of what was possible.” He joked that the team is going into the Games with “Operation Don’t Come Last” as a rallying cry. Brown is embracing the moment, knowing it will likely be the last time he competes at this level. “My family weren't in Beijing at the last Olympics because of Covid, so it will be really nice to have everyone out and for it to be a very positive end to my career,” he said. “I want to soak it in, enjoy it, and be present.” Away from the ice, Brown is far from an adrenaline junkie. “I drive a nice, normal, safe car because you can't have everything be breakneck speed,” he laughed. After retirement, he’s planning a slower-paced project: converting a barn into a home for him and his partner. For now, though, he’s focused on finishing his bobsleigh story the same way he started it—steering headfirst into the unknown, with just enough fear to stay sharp.
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Score (96)
This Lost Record Found in a Thrift Store is Reuniting a Forgotten Band After 58 Years
Marcus Pollard never gave up on the thrill of possibility. Over the years, he’d pulled countless dusty, anonymous acetate records from thrift store shelves, each one scratched, unlabeled, and likely worthless. He bought them anyway. “Because every time I go, ‘There might be something cool on that,’” he said with a grin. “And there never is.” Never—until there was. The moment he dropped the needle on his latest find, something hit him. Hard. “It instantly hit me like a brick,” Marcus recalled. The music had a raw, unpolished energy, the kind of thing that begged for answers. He felt what he later called a “visceral rush,” and he needed to know who was behind it. He played it for everyone he could think of. He scoured the internet, reached out to music historians, and posed the same question over and over: Does anyone recognize this? “I asked, ‘Anybody know this?’” he said. “And it was, ‘No. No. No. No.’” For two years, the answer was always no. Then finally, on a barely-trafficked garage band blog, he got his yes. “This guy goes, ‘Hey! That’s my record,’” Marcus said, still smiling at the memory. That guy was Norm Roth, now 77 and working as a warehouse manager. He hadn’t heard those songs in more than half a century. The record had never been released. “I’m flabbergasted,” Norm said. “I really am flabbergasted.” The band was called The Glass Cage, and back in the late 1960s, they were chasing a dream. Their songs—brimming with teenage angst and bursts of youthful exuberance—had earned them a local following big enough to take them from small-town venues to stages in the city. “What we were hoping to do was be rock stars,” Norm said, laughing. That never happened. The band eventually broke up. The single live recording of their performance—captured on that acetate disc—was misplaced, forgotten, and assumed lost for good. Until Marcus found it. Once he identified the musicians, he tracked down every surviving member of the band. Then he made a pitch: let’s bring The Glass Cage back. “I feel like everyone has done something in their life that was dismissed,” Marcus said. “And I wanted them to feel like what they created was actually important.” He wasn’t interested in nostalgia for its own sake. Marcus, a veteran music promoter, spent the next eight years restoring the damaged disc, working with audio engineers to digitally remaster the music. He designed special packaging and compiled a booklet that documented the band’s brief but vibrant role in the local music scene. Now, The Glass Cage record is finally getting the release it never had. Public launch parties are set for Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Details are available on the band’s Instagram page. For Norm, it’s not about fame anymore. “I’m not looking for accolades or super stardom. That’s long gone,” he said. “It’s just saying to the world, ‘I was here.’ And I hope they enjoy it.” All of it—one thrift store record, a rediscovered band, and a second chance at being heard—came down to one simple belief: that maybe, just maybe, this time there might be something cool on that record.
Score (97)
Personal Trainer Sets New World Record With 19 Plyometric Push-Ups In One Minute
Most people dread Mondays, especially the third one in January, often dubbed "Blue Monday." But for British fitness enthusiast Alex Goulding, it was the perfect day to flip the script—literally and figuratively. On January 19, Goulding broke the world record for the most plyometric pushups performed in 60 seconds. That’s no small feat, considering each rep involved pushing off the ground and launching himself onto raised platforms made from six stacked step-up decks. He completed 19 explosive reps in one minute, shattering the previous record of 11. Goulding timed the attempt to fall on Blue Monday, a day associated with seasonal depression, financial stress, and low motivation. “This means so much to me,” he said after Guinness confirmed the record. “I’ve put a huge amount of time into this record attempt. Most importantly, today we’ve raised a lot of money for mental health and wellbeing.” Goulding used the challenge to raise funds for Beds RCC, a charity that offers mental health support services. It’s a cause close to his heart. He’s spoken openly about struggling with his own mental health in the past and credits exercise for helping him turn things around. He first joined a gym in 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. Now a regular on the record-breaking circuit, Goulding kicked off 2026 with another achievement earlier in the month, completing 84 “Pushups to Planks” in 60 seconds on January 6. He’s also an IRONMAN competitor, so pushing limits is nothing new. But this latest feat stood out—not just for the physical challenge, but for the message behind it: that mental health deserves the same attention, effort, and care as physical fitness. And that maybe Mondays aren’t so bad after all.
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Four-Year-Old Boy Surprises Mom by Bringing Sister to Show and Tell, Leaving Her in Tears
Four-year-old Daniel DeRoss didn’t bring a toy or a favorite book to preschool for show and tell. Instead, he brought something he was truly thankful for: his two-year-old sister, Sophia. The moment, captured on video by their mom, Stephanie DeRoss, quickly went viral on TikTok—set to ABBA’s Slipping Through My Fingers and showing Daniel proudly sitting with Sophia in front of his classmates, answering questions and hugging her closely. “Truthfully, I cried the whole time while filming them,” Stephanie told PEOPLE. “I knew this was a special moment that they’d hopefully remember forever, and also a special moment for me as a mom.” The idea came up in November when Daniel’s preschool class was asked to bring in something they were thankful for. Without hesitation, Daniel asked if he could bring his little sister. “My heart melted and I teared up instantly,” Stephanie said. She reached out to his teacher, unsure if it would even be allowed—but to her surprise, the school gave the green light. Daniel was thrilled. On the day of the presentation, he told his classmates all about Sophia: that they like to play with cars together, that yogurt is her favorite food, and that they both love sleeping in Mom’s bed. The other kids were captivated. “All the kids couldn’t get their hands up fast enough to ask questions,” Stephanie said. The DeRoss siblings share a close bond, Stephanie explained. “They have always been super lovable with the occasional fighting,” she said. “My son loves to be her protector and looks to defend her any chance he can.” Even the daily preschool drop-off has been an adjustment for Sophia. “Some days, she gets upset that he’ll be gone,” Stephanie added. The emotional response to the video caught the family off guard. “I was so surprised!” Stephanie said. “It made me happy sharing this heartfelt moment with the rest of the world.” She said the best part has been hearing from others who had similar childhood memories—being brought into a sibling’s classroom, or just witnessing that kind of sibling love. “Rich in life cause I’m their mom,” Stephanie wrote in the video’s caption. For one little boy, show and tell wasn’t just about showing something off. It was about showing love.
Score (98)
This 2-Year-Old Snooker Genius Just Set a New Guinness World Record
Jude Owens isn’t your average two-year-old. While most toddlers are learning to balance on scooters or stack blocks, Jude has already pocketed two Guinness World Records — both involving trick shots on a snooker table. The Manchester youngster pulled off a snooker double pot at just two years and 261 days old, then followed it up five weeks later with a pool bank shot at age two years and 302 days. That makes him the youngest person ever to perform either shot, and one of the youngest double record holders in Guinness World Records history. It all started at home, where his dad, Luke Owens, noticed something unusual. “I think I realised once he put the cue through his fingers and it was dead natural the way he did it,” Luke said. Given Jude’s height, bar stools were originally brought in to help him reach the table. Now, the family uses a cooking stool for better access. Despite his age, Jude’s comfort with the cue and sharp aim stood out right away. “I started playing when I was 10 and obviously Jude started playing when he was two,” Luke said. “But I’d say Jude’s got a lot more natural ability than myself.” Jude agrees. When asked who would win in a snooker match between him and his dad, he confidently replied: “Me.” Guinness World Records said Jude’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed. He was given a special walk-out at the 2025 UK Championship and is believed to be the youngest person ever to secure a sponsorship deal in the sport. Editor-in-chief Craig Glenday praised the young star. “Record-breaking has always belonged to everyone – regardless of age,” he said. “To see someone as young as Jude display such skill, enthusiasm and determination is incredibly special. We’re thrilled to welcome him into the Guinness World Records family.” At home, Jude is not just a trick-shot prodigy. He’s also a massive Manchester United fan, reportedly “obsessed” with midfielder Bruno Fernandes. As for what’s next, even his dad isn’t sure how to top it. “I think for me, Jude’s achieved quite a lot in such a short space of time. But for him to achieve not just one, but two world records, it’s probably the pinnacle moment. How do you even beat that in life?”
Score (98)
AI Model Hits 100% Accuracy Sorting Plastics — and Could Revolutionize Recycling
A new study suggests that artificial intelligence could finally fix one of recycling’s biggest flaws: misidentifying plastics. Researchers say a deep learning model has now achieved perfect accuracy in sorting some of the most common types of plastic waste — even in tough, real-world conditions. Globally, 496 million tons of plastic are produced each year, and more than half — 267 million tons — is wasted. That’s about the weight of 3.4 million adult blue whales. In the U.S. alone, nearly 40 million tons of plastic are thrown away each year, but only 5% is actually recycled. One of the biggest bottlenecks is sorting. Different plastics — like PET, HDPE, PVC, and polypropylene — can look and feel similar, especially when they’re dirty, dyed, or contain additives. That often leads to “downcycling,” where materials are reused in lower-quality products instead of being fully recycled. To tackle that, researchers from Washington and Puerto Rico combined spectroscopy — a technique that uses light to identify materials — with convolutional neural networks (CNNs), the same kind of AI behind many image recognition tools. The model was trained on Raman scattering spectroscopy data and hit 100% accuracy in identifying six common consumer plastics. When the same model was tested using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, a method more common in industrial settings, it still scored 95% accuracy. Crucially, the AI also worked well on degraded samples and colored or additive-filled plastics, which are typically harder to sort. In real-world recycling conditions, it correctly identified marine debris, deteriorated plastic, and blended materials. "The CNN-based model's ability to effectively identify a wide array of plastic waste types and conditions represents a significant practical advancement for real-world applications," the researchers wrote in the journal Resources, Conservation, and Recycling. Current recycling facilities rely on mechanical sorting methods that are often slow, imprecise, or expensive to scale. But the team’s model requires relatively little computing power, meaning it could be integrated into high-volume sorting operations where speed and cost matter. Better sorting could go a long way. Plastic bottles can take 450 years to degrade. Straws last around 200 years. Most plastic waste ends up in landfills, oceans, or breaks down into microplastics that pollute air and soil — and eventually make their way into the human body. On top of that, the plastic industry relies heavily on fossil fuels. Producing plastic accounts for around 3% of the world’s climate pollution. And the problem keeps growing. While this AI breakthrough is a major step, the study's authors emphasize it's not a silver bullet. Reducing plastic production and use is still essential. But in tandem with other new approaches — like chemical recycling, plastic-eating microbes, and new materials that break down more easily — smarter sorting could help close the loop on the global plastic crisis.
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Middle Schoolers Open 25-Year-Old Time Capsule — and Get a Crash Course in the Year 2000
Students at Wendover Middle School in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, got a blast from the past when they opened a time capsule sealed shut since the year 2000. Inside? A collection of magazines, toys, tech gadgets, and pop culture relics that left today's students both fascinated and a little confused. "I'm seeing a lot of magazines, especially Britney Spears. That's what I'm most interested in," said Charlotte Airgood, a student in the class of 2030. The time capsule was originally tucked behind a wall for safekeeping, surviving multiple school renovations along the way. Now, 25 years later, it’s giving today’s kids a chance to experience a completely different era. One item that especially stood out? A floppy disk. “My parents have told me about it. They ask me trivia questions about it sometimes,” student Rylan Steininger told WTAE. “This is my first time seeing it in real life.” Other throwback finds included a cassette player and stacks of early-2000s magazines — all reminders of how much has changed over a single generation. The capsule was organized by Bobbi Springer, an eighth-grade special education teacher who was on staff when it was originally created. She said the project serves a bigger purpose than just showing off old tech. “Everyone leaves something behind — and everyone matters,” she told WTAE. School officials echoed the message in a statement after the unveiling. “The time capsule brought pieces of history to life and inspired today’s students to think about how they can leave their own mark in time,” they said, calling the experience “a truly special moment for our school.”
Score (97)
Scientists Discover Enzyme That Could Be Key to Slowing Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s
A new study has identified an enzyme that may hold the key to stopping the brain’s aging process and halting the progression of Alzheimer’s disease — without damaging healthy brain cells. Researchers from the University of New Mexico and the University of Tennessee say that the enzyme, known as OTULIN, not only regulates inflammation across the body but also appears to control genes linked to neurodegeneration. Their findings, recently published in Genomic Psychiatry, suggest that blocking OTULIN could completely shut off production of tau, a protein widely believed to drive Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. “Pathological tau is the main player for both brain aging and neurodegenerative disease,” said molecular geneticist Karthikeyan Tangavelou of the University of New Mexico. “If you stop tau synthesis by targeting OTULIN in neurons, you can restore a healthy brain and prevent brain aging.” The team conducted experiments on human tissue cultures, including neurons derived from healthy stem cells and those from donors with Alzheimer’s. In both cases, OTULIN and tau were more active in the Alzheimer’s-affected neurons. When OTULIN was blocked, tau levels dropped. When OTULIN was removed entirely, tau disappeared — with no apparent harm to the neurons. That last part is key. Many proposed Alzheimer’s treatments run into problems when trying to eliminate tau or beta-amyloid buildup, because the treatments either fail to reach their target or damage healthy cells in the process. But in this study, removing OTULIN didn’t appear to negatively affect neuron health. Still, it’s not quite ready for clinical trials. Both OTULIN and tau serve important functions elsewhere in the body, and researchers say any potential therapy would need to be carefully managed to avoid unintended effects. “We discovered OTULIN’s function in neurons,” said Tangavelou. “We don’t know how OTULIN functions in other cell types in the brain.” In addition to its role in tau production, OTULIN seems to affect dozens of other genes related to inflammation, suggesting it could also be influencing neuron stress and wear-and-tear that come with aging. The team used RNA sequencing to track these broader effects. When OTULIN was silenced, many of the genes tied to inflammation also shifted their behavior — another sign that this enzyme may be a master regulator of brain health. Scientists have long known that OTULIN helps manage cellular waste, including excess proteins like tau. But until now, its role in controlling tau production directly wasn't clear. When OTULIN malfunctions, these waste systems break down, and the toxic protein buildup associated with Alzheimer's begins to pile up. “This is a great opportunity to develop many projects for further research to reverse brain aging and have a healthy brain,” Tangavelou said. While the idea of targeting OTULIN as a therapy is still in its early days, the discovery opens a new and unexpected door in the search for more effective Alzheimer’s treatments — one that could eventually lead to interventions that prevent the disease before it starts.
Score (97)
Wayback Wednesday: How Happy Days Boosted the Popularity of the Heimlich Maneuver
Anson Williams, best known for playing Potsie Weber on Happy Days, says the iconic sitcom didn’t just deliver laughs — it helped save lives. In a Facebook post shared earlier this month, the 76-year-old actor credited the show’s success with bringing national attention to the Heimlich maneuver, the now-famous first aid technique used to help choking victims. "My Uncle, Dr. Heimlich, created the Heimlich Maneuver," Williams wrote. "Happy Days is a major reason for its success. It’s a long story, but the creators and cast of Happy Days have helped save more lives than any other program in history!" The life-saving technique was developed in 1974 by thoracic surgeon Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, Williams’ second cousin — though the actor affectionately refers to him as “uncle.” It uses abdominal thrusts to clear the airway and has become a standard part of emergency training around the world. While the medical breakthrough came from Dr. Heimlich, it was Williams who played a key role in helping to get the word out. During the show’s peak popularity in the 1970s, Williams used his Hollywood connections to help secure Heimlich an appearance on The Merv Griffin Show, bringing the maneuver into millions of American households. Williams starred on Happy Days for all 11 seasons, alongside castmates Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, and Don Most. The show, which aired from 1974 to 1984, followed a tight-knit group of friends in 1950s and 60s Midwest America and became a cultural touchstone. In a 2025 episode of the 9021OMG podcast, Williams opened up about the lifelong friendships formed during filming, crediting much of that to the late creator and producer Garry Marshall. “It's just been a wonderful friendship. And just to have that kind of friendship that many years? It's pretty unique,” Williams said. “But that has a lot to do with Garry Marshall, our mentor… he really cared about us, not just as a showrunner, but as young people because we didn't know much.” Dr. Heimlich passed away in 2016 at the age of 96. At the time of his invention, he was serving as the director of surgery at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. Today, the Heimlich maneuver remains one of the most well-known emergency responses in the world. As for Williams, he’s proud of how Happy Days played a part — even indirectly — in making that possible.