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This Officer Who Was Killed On Duty Saved 5 Lives With Organ Donations
NYPD Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, died after being shot on Friday. His family asked him to be an organ donor. His organs will go to three people in New York and two outside the state. "We are humbled and honored to be the steward of these gifts on behalf of Officer Mora and his family so others may live on," LiveOnNY CEO Leonard Achan said.
Score (97)
This Smash Burger Joint in North Carolina Is Serving Up Cheeseburgers — and Fighting Childhood Cancer
In downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, a new burger shop just opened with a big personality and an even bigger mission. Outside, a T. rex clutches a burger in its claws under the name “Zeke Smash.” Inside, owner Kyle Nelson is serving up more than fast food — he’s serving a cause. Zeke Smash is named after Zeke, the six-year-old son of Nelson’s best friends. At just three months old, Zeke was diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), a rare and aggressive blood cancer that produces abnormal white blood cells. His diagnosis came in early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began. “They went through COVID, and they had a newborn who was sick,” Nelson said. “They were navigating chemotherapy, navigating ER trips.” Even with strong health insurance, the bills piled up. Nelson watched as his friends endured an exhausting cycle of treatment, fear, and debt. “It’s treatment, it’s off treatment, it’s okay, they’re sick; are they sick from the disease or is it just a cold?” he said. “Is this fever going to potentially kill them?” The experience left him angry — not just at the disease, but at the financial toll childhood cancer takes on families. “You never hear about the potentially lifelong crippling medical debt that these families are going into to give their child a chance to survive,” Nelson said. So he decided to do something about it — with burgers. Nelson and his brother had already been talking about opening a fast, high-quality smash burger spot. As the idea took shape, the name Zeke Smash came naturally. So did the mission. “We can build out a charitable aspect of the business, building the restaurant around this idea of giving back to the community and highlighting a community that honestly doesn’t get enough support,” he said. Zeke Smash officially opened in late October 2025 in Wilmington’s Cargo District. The menu features burgers, sandwiches, fried cheese curds, hot dogs, cheesecakes, and more. But 5% of all profits go straight to children’s cancer charities, including the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Nelson also has big plans for the months ahead: a major head-shaving fundraiser this spring, in support of St. Baldrick’s, and a “family of the month” program to spotlight local families navigating childhood cancer. The restaurant will use its social media channels to promote their stories and fundraisers. And yes — Zeke has tried the burger named after him. “It’s a thumbs up,” Nelson said with a laugh. “He really enjoys the food; he’s a fan. And I don’t think it’s just because I’m Uncle Kyle.” Zeke Smash is located at 619 S 17th St, Wilmington, NC 28401. Nelson encourages anyone looking to help to support St. Baldrick’s directly, nominate a child for recognition, or start a fundraiser of their own. “I can make great food that people will enjoy,” he said. “And I can use this platform to bring awareness and highlight an issue that isn’t really talked about a whole lot. And possibly do some good, too.”
Score (96)
Three-Legged Loggerhead Turtle Returns to the Ocean After Shark Attack and Months of Rehab
With a satellite antenna bobbing behind her, a loggerhead sea turtle named Pyari slowly crawled across the sand and slipped back into the Atlantic Ocean, drawing cheers from a bundled-up crowd watching from the shore. The release marked the end of a long recovery and the start of a new chapter for Pyari, who lost most of her left forelimb in a likely shark attack. “It’s definitely always very gratifying to see these animals go back into their ocean home,” said Dr. Heather Barron, chief science officer and veterinarian at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. “And I think it’s particularly gratifying when you can track them on satellite, and see exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing.” Pyari, whose name means “lovely” or “beloved” in Hindi, arrived at the center in November from the nearby Inwater Research Group with deep injuries to her shell, neck and both front flippers. Veterinarians amputated most of her left forelimb to save her life. She spent months in a rehabilitation tank kept at about 27°C (80°F) to match the ocean’s warmer temperatures. While the air at Juno Beach was a brisk 4 to 9°C (40s°F) during her release, the ocean remained steady at a comfortable 25°C (77°F), making conditions suitable for her return. Beachgoers snapped photos and watched as Pyari trundled down the sand toward the surf, her satellite tag’s long antenna trailing behind her. The $10,000 tracker she now carries will give scientists rare insights into how well amputee turtles fare after returning to the wild — something researchers still know very little about. Barron says Pyari is one of three turtles with amputations that the center is currently tracking. “Every little bit of information helps us to understand the behavior and the success of these animals,” she said. Anyone interested can follow Pyari’s journey — and those of the other turtles — on the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s website.
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Score (98)
In a Historic Cold Snap, This Tulsa Man Turned a Vintage Fire Truck Into a Lifeline
When a brutal winter storm swept through Tulsa, Oklahoma, dropping temperatures to dangerous lows, most people stayed indoors, bracing for the cold. Ryan Duval did the opposite. As wind chills dipped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, Duval climbed into his decades-old fire truck and started driving through the city. His mission: to find people without shelter and help them survive the storm. "I just saw a need for getting people out of the cold," he said. "The negative 20 temperatures really hit me hard. Someone staying outside, I wouldn't be able to survive it." Duval bought the 40-year-old truck years ago at a government auction. It hadn’t seen much use — until now. He drove through neighborhoods and underpasses, scanning for anyone exposed to the freezing air. When he saw someone in need, he stopped. Some just needed a hot drink or something to eat. Others needed a safe ride to a warming shelter. One by one, people climbed into the truck, finding warmth and safety inside its worn cabin. By the end of the weekend, Duval’s fire truck had become a mobile sanctuary — a beacon for anyone braving the storm alone. But for Duval, it wasn’t about the recognition. "It’s just giving back to a community like everybody should do," he said. "If I can do it, anybody can do it." While the storm raged outside, his fire truck offered something rare: warmth, dignity, and proof that one person can make a difference.
Score (96)
They’re Smaller Than a Grain of Salt — and They Can Swim, Sense, and Decide
For decades, the idea of microscopic robots patrolling the human body belonged to science fiction. But a new breakthrough from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan is changing that — with salt-sized autonomous robots that can swim, sense their environment, and make decisions. The robots are the smallest fully programmable machines ever built, measuring just 200 by 300 by 50 micrometers. That’s about the size of a single-celled organism. And they move without any moving parts. Instead of legs or propellers, these microbots rely on electrokinetics. Each one creates a tiny electric field that pulls charged ions in the surrounding liquid. Those ions drag water molecules with them, essentially creating a miniature current that propels the robot. The process is durable and efficient, and it works at a scale where traditional mechanics fail. They also don’t need batteries. Each robot runs on a solar cell that produces just 75 nanowatts of power — far less than a typical LED watch. The researchers made that work by engineering custom low-voltage circuits and streamlining the instruction set to run on just a few hundred bits of memory. Even with that, the robots can respond to their environment, process inputs, and make decisions about movement. And they communicate — by dancing. The robots relay information by performing tiny wiggle patterns, a motion-based code that scientists can read through a microscope. It’s not unlike how bees use movement to communicate. Programming works in reverse. Scientists flash patterns of light that the robots interpret as commands. A built-in passcode keeps random light from interfering. Right now, the robots are able to demonstrate thermotaxis — they can detect and swim toward warmer areas. That behavior alone opens the door to potential medical applications, from tracking inflammation or infection, to delivering targeted treatments at the cellular level. Since the robots are built with the same processes used to manufacture computer chips, they’re already being produced in batches. More than 100 fit on a single chip, and current yields top 50 percent. The cost per robot could eventually drop below one cent. For now, medical use is still on the horizon. The robots can be powered by light near the skin, but for deeper tissues, the team is testing ultrasound as a future power source. Beyond medicine, researchers believe the same micro-robots could one day be deployed to monitor ecosystems, build new materials from the molecular level up, or explore environments too small or fragile for conventional tools. This development, published in Science Robotics, marks a major milestone. It’s not just that the robots are small — it’s that they’re fully autonomous, capable of sensing, swimming, and deciding in real time. That’s a first. And it means that the long-promised future of microscopic machines is no longer theoretical. It’s here — and it’s smaller than a speck of dust.
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Inside Turtle School: The Global Effort to Save Earth’s Most Endangered Reptiles
Tucked away in the forests of South Carolina, behind high fences and security cameras, sits one of the world’s most important lifelines for turtles on the brink of extinction. It’s also the home of “Turtle School,” an intensive weeklong training course that, in September 2025, brought together 16 turtle lovers from three countries for what might be the world’s most hands-on crash course in chelonian survival. The host, Turtle Survival Center (TSC), is part of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), a global nonprofit devoted to protecting the planet’s most threatened turtles and tortoises. At TSC, nearly 800 turtles from 27 species — many of them critically endangered — live in a facility built like a fortress, both for their protection and for the delicate breeding work needed to keep their species alive. With more than half of the world’s 359 turtle and tortoise species now facing extinction, the stakes are high. And that’s why Turtle School exists. “It doesn’t matter what your background is,” said Madeline Tesolin, a concert T-shirt seller from Ontario who also volunteers as a turtle rescue driver. “If you’re passionate about turtles, there is a boundless well. You can’t stop learning about them.” Tesolin was one of several non-traditional students among the group. Others included a vet from Argentina and zookeepers from across the United States. Over seven packed days, they dove into everything from habitat design and optimal lighting to disease prevention and breeding protocols. They even performed turtle necropsies under the South Carolina sun. The goal: prepare a new generation of turtle caretakers to return home better equipped to keep these animals alive, whether at zoos, aquariums, community conservation programs, or roadside rescue networks. Turtle School instructors weren’t just experts — many were first responders to turtle trafficking busts across the globe. They’ve been on the front lines of rescues in Madagascar, Mexico, and the Philippines, where thousands of turtles have been seized from illegal wildlife trade operations. In 2015, authorities found 4,000 rare turtles in a warehouse in Palawan, Philippines, just days from being shipped to foreign pet and food markets. The TSA helped lead the rescue. “The crisis is worsening,” said Jordan Gray, a TSA staffer and co-editor of the 2025 Turtles in Trouble report, which found 134 species are now endangered or critically endangered. “Despite all of our collective efforts… the number and percentage of threatened species have increased.” Instructors emphasized that turtles, while ancient survivors, are uniquely vulnerable. They take decades to reach maturity, reproduce slowly, and rely on habitats that are rapidly disappearing across Asia and the Americas. Wildlife trafficking, deforestation, and demand for traditional medicine and exotic pets all play a role. At TSC, everything is built with the turtle in mind. Water bowls are sparkling, enclosures mimic natural conditions with careful temperature gradients and shade, and staff track every individual turtle’s health and diet. “They just thought of everything,” said instructor Anthony Pierlioni, a 7-foot-tall turtle influencer visiting the center for the first time. Security is tight — not just to keep turtles in, but to keep poachers and collectors out. A single rare turtle can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. “The AK-47 is always within reach,” joked Cris Hagen, TSC’s director of animal management, who lives next door with a hundred turtles, a few crocodiles, and a gila monster. Hagen sees the center as a “turtle bank” — a place to preserve genetic diversity for future reintroduction, if and when conditions in the wild improve. In the meantime, turtles are being born under the team’s watch. One hatchling — a palm-sized Rote Island snake-necked turtle with bulging eyes — emerged just a day before reporter Liz Kimbrough’s visit. Fewer than 2,000 of its kind remain globally. “There’s nothing more promiscuous than a Sulawesi forest turtle,” Pierlioni joked during a facility tour, highlighting how tricky some species can be to manage, let alone breed. For the students, the experience was about more than just technical knowledge. “The thing I think was most valuable was being able to talk and interact with so many different turtle people,” said Joseph Boucree, a senior wildlife care specialist from San Diego Zoo. “We even made a Discord group so we can still keep in contact.”
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How A Chance Meeting at the Tower of London Sparked a Lifetime of Love
Carrin Schottler didn’t go to the Tower of London looking for love. It was 1994, and she was a 20-year-old American student studying abroad in London. The plan that day was simple: visit a historic site with a friend. But somewhere between the ancient turrets and the Beefeaters’ speeches, she locked eyes with a stranger in an oversized blazer—and everything changed. “I saw this really, very good-looking man. My heart skipped a beat,” Carrin told CNN Travel. That man was Paul Thal, a 23-year-old Swede studying in Manchester. He was also in London for a weekend of sightseeing. They were both just two young tourists on a group tour, but it didn’t take long for sparks to fly. Carrin couldn’t stop glancing at Paul. Paul, meanwhile, was trying to stay close without seeming “creepy.” Their mutual attraction didn’t go unnoticed. Even the Beefeaters got involved. “One of the Beefeaters said to me, ‘Oh, what a nicely dressed man. He looks very well dressed. What a very good-looking man he is,’” Carrin recalled. When Paul posed for a photo with the guards, the Beefeaters nudged him about Carrin too. “He was kind of matching us up,” Paul said, laughing. Encouraged by the subtle matchmaking, Carrin made the first move. “I said to him, ‘If you want to go out, I can show you around London a little bit,’” she said. “It was really unusual for me to do such a thing… but something inside of me just said that, which probably was the best decision I think I ever made.” That night, they met at Piccadilly Circus. Paul brought flowers. Carrin dressed up. He had five cups of coffee at a café, she remembered, maybe from nerves. They wandered London until morning and shared their first kiss near Buckingham Palace. They spent the rest of the weekend together, promising to meet every weekend after that—either in London, Manchester, or somewhere new. The commitment stuck. Through the fall of 1994, they explored cities across the UK together. Paul even cooked Carrin a Thanksgiving dinner in his dorm room in Manchester. The turkey was overcooked, but the gesture landed. “I thought it was wonderful,” Carrin said. Before she flew back to the US that December, Paul invited her to Sweden. She met his family and, unexpectedly, saw her future. “I think the time I knew I wanted to marry him was when I saw how kind he was to his grandmother,” she said. “I said, ‘That’s the man I want to marry.’” Back in New York, Carrin cried, unsure if they’d ever meet again. But they did. Paul visited that spring, and by summer she was back in Sweden. They began trading cassette tapes to stay connected—audio messages sent across the Atlantic. In 1996, they decided to get married. “We were by… I don’t know if it was glacier—it was snowcapped,” Paul said, describing a hike in Norway. That’s when they exchanged rings. That same year, Paul found a job in New York and moved to Albany. Two years later, they were married in Carrin’s hometown. Her bouquet was filled with yellow roses—a nod to Regent’s Park, where Paul had once said goodbye. Now married for over 25 years, Carrin and Paul still live in Albany with their 16-year-old son. They celebrate both Swedish and American holidays, and their son, who is autistic, communicates in a blend of English and Swedish. “A comment here and there can set off chain reactions,” Paul said, reflecting on that first encounter at the Tower. Carrin agrees. “They changed our lives,” she said of the Beefeaters who gently nudged them together. The couple recently retraced their London steps with their son, including a visit to Piccadilly Circus. They haven’t made it back to the Tower of London just yet, but they hope to. Somewhere in an attic, they still have the cassette tapes that carried their voices across oceans. “For me, it was kind of magical,” Carrin said. “A magical time… I think it’s just a sweet story that’s just really happy.”
Score (96)
Ancient Cheetah Mummies Found in Saudi Caves Could Help Save the Species
Scientists once believed that only one type of cheetah—Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah—ever lived in Saudi Arabia. But a new discovery is challenging that idea and could reshape efforts to bring the species back. In a study published January 15 in Communications Earth & Environment, researchers revealed they found the remains of 61 cheetahs, including seven mummies, in remote caves in northern Saudi Arabia. Some of the remains are thousands of years old—and some belonged to a different subspecies entirely. That’s the surprise. Genetic testing showed that while one of the more recent specimens matched the Asiatic cheetah, others were more closely related to the Northwest African cheetah (A. j. hecki), a subspecies still found in small numbers across the Sahel and Sahara. “The key insight from our discovery is that more than one subspecies of cheetah inhabited Saudi Arabia,” said study co-author Ahmed Al-Boug, general director of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife. “That opens the field considerably to how cheetahs are sourced and the implications of introducing diversity into the gene pool.” The implications are big. Only about 70 Asiatic cheetahs remain in the wild, all of them in Iran. Their genetic diversity is dangerously low. Knowing that other cheetah subspecies once lived in the region could give conservationists more flexibility in how they reintroduce the animal to Saudi Arabia. The remains were found during surveys of over 100 caves in 2022 and 2023. In seven of them, researchers found mummified cheetahs—an extremely rare find outside frozen environments. “The fact that they went into over one hundred caves and were able to find mummies—that’s highly unusual outside of permafrost,” said Liz Kierepka, a wildlife geneticist at North Carolina State University, who was not involved in the study. Researchers believe the cheetahs likely became trapped in the caves and died, with the dry, dark conditions preserving their remains for centuries. Radiocarbon dating shows the oldest cheetah mummy lived over 4,200 years ago. The most recent lived just 127 years ago—still long before the Asiatic cheetah vanished from the Arabian Peninsula in the 1970s. Full genome sequencing of three mummified cats revealed a timeline of genetic shifts. The oldest and middle-aged specimens were genetically similar to A. j. hecki, the Northwest African subspecies, while the youngest matched A. j. venaticus, the Asiatic cheetah. That genetic link suggests that both subspecies may have coexisted—or at least overlapped—in the region over time. That’s key for Saudi Arabia, which is pursuing an ambitious rewilding program across its desert ecosystems. In recent years, the kingdom has reintroduced species like the Arabian oryx, the Persian onager, and even ostriches. Cheetahs could be next. The new findings widen the options. If only the Asiatic cheetah were suitable for rewilding, conservation efforts would be severely limited. Now, with evidence that Northwest African cheetahs once roamed these same lands, experts may be able to broaden the gene pool and create a more sustainable reintroduction plan. Today, cheetahs live in less than 10 percent of their historical range. They’re fast—capable of hitting speeds up to 113 km/h in seconds—but habitat loss, poaching, and fragmented populations have taken their toll. Adding Saudi Arabia back to their range map would be a major step forward. And this time, scientists may have help from cats who died thousands of years ago—preserved in caves, waiting to tell their story.
Score (67)
Antarctic Cruise Ship Trapped in Ice Freed by U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaker
A luxury cruise ship carrying more than 200 people became trapped in sea ice off the coast of Antarctica on Saturday, prompting a coordinated response from the U.S. Coast Guard. The Scenic Eclipse II was sailing through the Ross Sea when it became surrounded by thick pack ice and was unable to break free. According to the Coast Guard, the ship requested assistance late Friday night after becoming immobilized roughly eight miles from McMurdo Sound. Help came in the form of the USCGC Polar Star, the United States’ only active heavy icebreaker. In dramatic footage shared by a crew member, the icebreaker is seen carving a path through the frozen sea, making several close passes to loosen the surrounding ice and free the vessel. Once conditions improved, the Polar Star escorted the cruise ship several miles to open water to ensure it could safely continue its journey. No injuries were reported, and the Scenic Eclipse II resumed its voyage shortly after. The ship, which can carry up to 228 guests and 176 crew members, had a reduced passenger load due to Antarctic sailing conditions. Scenic Group, the cruise line operator, emphasized that while the ship was never in need of full rescue services, the support from the Coast Guard helped speed up the process and avoid extended delays. “Due to changes in the pack ice, progress was slower than planned, and the captain requested assistance from the nearby vessel USCG Polar Star to clear the area together and avoid a longer sailing period at reduced speed,” the company said in a statement. “The following day, the natural movement of the ice had opened up again, and conditions had normalized.” Passengers on board reportedly made the most of the experience, with champagne served on the Observation Deck as the icebreaker closed in. “We were grateful for the professionalism and cooperation of the crew of USCG Polar Star during our operations in the Ross Sea,” said Captain James Griffiths, general manager of ocean operations at Scenic Group. “While Scenic Eclipse II was never in need of rescue services, the coordination between both vessels ensured we could navigate the changing pack ice safely and efficiently.” The dramatic encounter happened to coincide with a major milestone for the Coast Guard vessel: the Polar Star marked its 50th year of commissioned service on the same day it responded to the trapped cruise ship. “At 50 years old, Polar Star remains the world’s most capable non-nuclear icebreaker,” said Commander Samuel Blase, the vessel’s executive officer. Based in Seattle, the Polar Star was commissioned in 1976 and is powered by high-output engines capable of cutting through Antarctic ice as thick as 21 feet. The ship plays a key role in annual missions to McMurdo Station as part of Operation Deep Freeze, a long-running U.S. mission to support scientific research on the continent. This weekend, its mission was a little more unexpected—but just as successful.
Score (98)
Snowplow Driver Clears Emergency Path Through Storm to Help Save Baby’s Life
As a fierce winter storm buried roads in snow and ice, one Ohio snowplow driver became an unexpected hero—guiding an ambulance carrying a critically ill baby to safety. The drama unfolded in Cincinnati, where brutal weather and dangerous road conditions threatened to delay the urgent transport of a baby boy named Bryson to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The infant needed advanced care, but the ambulance’s route was nearly impassable. That’s when Joe Estes, a snowplow driver with the Ohio Department of Transportation, got the call. “I've been here for three years, this is the first time we've had to think outside the box,” said Kelly Besl, clinical director of Cincinnati Children's Critical Care Transport Team. Estes was asked to do more than just plow snow—he was asked to lead the ambulance through the storm, carving out a safe path on streets covered in thick snow and ice. Driving slowly and carefully, Estes cleared the way while the ambulance followed close behind. What would normally be a 15-minute trip stretched to nearly 30, but thanks to Estes, the ambulance arrived safely. “It was probably the most important trek of my ODOT career,” Estes said. “It wasn’t just pushing snow.” With over seven years of snowplow experience, Estes said he had never been involved in anything like it. As a father, the emotional weight hit him hard when they finally reached the hospital. The ambulance crew said the situation had been tense—until they saw Estes' truck ahead. “The moment we saw him leading the way, there was a sense of relief,” one team member said. It allowed them to stay focused on keeping Bryson warm and stable. Fortunately, Bryson and his parents are now doing well. Despite the praise, Estes stayed modest. “I am thrilled to have taken a role in this operation,” he said. “By no means am I the hero. I'm just a truck driver, and I absolutely hope everything works out for the best.”
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.