Teachers share their sweetest gifts from students and it's a moving lesson in generosity

Some of the most precious gifts come straight from the heart. A former teacher shared an incredible story of a student's selflessness, generosity and thoughtfulness. Nine years ago, the student didn't have a Christmas gift for her, so he opened up a pack of crayons, gave her the purple one, and said "I hope you love it, I know it's your favorite color." Flex those love muscles; share stories that show you care and recognize heartfelt gestures with admiration 😊

Read More

This Rare, 4-Eared Kitten is Shining a Spotlight On Pets With Disabilities

It’s getting harder to tell what’s AI online, so when a four-eared kitten named Dobby popped up on Reddit, people weren’t sure whether to coo or squint. Stephanie Brown, his foster mom, gets it. “Dobby has continued to win hearts right and left, although we did have to clarify that he’s not AI, amusingly,” she told Newsweek. The jokes came quickly. With two extra ears, commenters said, Dobby can “ignore you twice as much.” Brown loved it. “True to the cat community I’ve come to know and love, Dobby has been welcomed and adored,” she said. Brown, a board member of Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue in Hoover, Alabama, first learned about him through a local Facebook post from an owner trying to rehome him. “They had tried for months, and it wasn't a right match,” she told People Magazine. “Of course, I jumped at the opportunity to foster him.” The 7-month-old kitten has a rare genetic mutation that gave him a pronounced underbite, a curled little tail, and of course, a bonus set of ears. Brown is no stranger to kittens with special needs — she previously adopted Phoebe, a cat with cerebellar hypoplasia, or “Wobbly Cat Syndrome.” She says animals like Dobby are “completely beautiful” and deserving of the same affection as any other pet. “I think it's a matter of embracing all of those differences and understanding, just like people, every creature, every animal, is going to have their own unique personality, presentation, conditions, appearance, everything like that,” she said. While his tail and ears are staying exactly as they are, Dobby’s underbite does need medical help. “Dobby’s double ears are beyond perfect, but his teeth (unfortunately) are not,” Brown wrote on GoFundMe. A dental specialist determined he needs his lower canines shortened so they don’t push into his upper palate. The good news: vets don’t expect “complications from his overbite and narrow lower jaw” once the procedure is done. Brown explained on Instagram that they’ll wait until he’s about 10 months old before surgery. Holding him as he purred and made “air biscuits,” she added that the pause gives them time to raise the roughly 3,000 dollars needed. “If you have any kind of out-of-the-box ideas for fundraisers for Dobby, I'm all ears,” she said, laughing. She floated ideas from Dobby merch to “painting with Dobby.” He’s not adoptable yet, she reminded followers. Once he has surgery on April 20 and recovers, he’ll need a home in the Hoover, Alabama area. But the support is already pouring in. As of Feb. 25, his GoFundMe was 60 percent toward its goal. “Thank you so much for supporting Dobby!” Brown wrote in an update. Donors chimed in: “Donated for sweet Dobby!” one said. Another confessed, “I wanna rub all those ears.” And scrolling through Instagram, one user summed up the mood: “With everything going on in the world, it's Dobby who I want to see!”

Read More

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Linked to Sharper Brains, New Study Finds

Olive oil has been a heart-health hero for years, but a Spanish research team now says it may also give the brain a boost. A new study from Universitat Rovira i Virgili found that people who regularly used extra virgin olive oil showed better cognitive function and a richer gut microbiome — two markers the researchers say go hand in hand. “This is the first prospective study in humans to specifically analyze the role of olive oil in the interaction between gut microbiota and cognitive function,” lead author Jiaqi Ni said in a press release. The team followed more than 600 adults between ages 55 and 75 for two years. All were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that raises the risk of heart disease. Researchers tracked their intake of virgin and refined olive oils and monitored shifts in their gut bacteria. Participants who used virgin olive oil saw their gut microbiota become more diverse over time, a change the researchers described as an “important marker of intestinal and metabolic health.” They also performed better on tests measuring memory, attention, and executive function. Those using refined olive oil didn’t show the same gains. The distinction, the researchers say, comes down to processing. Refined olive oil is treated to remove impurities, but that process also strips away natural antioxidants and vitamins. Virgin and extra virgin olive oils retain those compounds. “Not all olive oils have benefits for cognitive function,” Ni noted. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, the study’s principal investigator, said the findings reinforce a key idea. “Extra virgin olive oil not only protects the heart, but can also help preserve the brain during aging.” Still, the team cautioned that the study was observational and focused on older Mediterranean adults with higher health risks, so the results may not apply universally. Lifestyle differences also factored in: people using refined oils were more likely to smoke or have lower education levels, which could influence outcomes. And because participants reported their own diets, accuracy is never guaranteed. The study was published in the journal Microbiome.

Read More

Caught on Camera: Florida Deputies Rush Door to Door Tackling Brush Fire and Warning Families

When a brushfire kicked up in Orange Park on Monday, deputies from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office didn’t wait for the flames to get any closer. They went straight to people’s front doors. Bodycam footage shows deputies arriving as thick black smoke rises behind nearby homes. With the fire department working to contain the blaze, deputies started banging on doors, telling residents they’ve “gotta go,” urging everyone inside to evacuate immediately. One deputy didn’t stop there. The video captures him grabbing a garden hose and soaking a wooden fence to keep the fire from reaching a house just meters away. Clay County Fire Rescue later shared the footage on Facebook with a message of appreciation: “We’re always grateful for our brothers and sisters in green! Teamwork!” The sheriff’s office reported no injuries and no structural damage, thanks in large part to quick action on both sides of the badge. 📸 Clay County Sheriff's Office via Storyful

Read More

From Illiteracy to Author: How This Man Wrote His First Book After Learning to Read

If life came with plot twists, Oliver James just pulled off a bestseller. Five years ago, he couldn’t read a single sentence. This week, he held his first published book in his hands. For most of his 32 years, James lived in the margins of the page. A personal trainer with a reputation for being the “kid who caused trouble,” he was actually fighting something quieter and harder to explain. ADHD and OCD made reading feel impossible. He memorized shapes on a page and hoped no one noticed. Every text message, every grocery sign, every road marker depended on someone else stepping in. He was exhausted from pretending. So one day, he didn’t pretend. He posted a video on TikTok saying, “What’s up? I can’t read.” What happened next proved just how unpredictable the internet can be, in the best way. BookTok found him. And they didn’t just encourage him. They showed up. Thousands of people logged on every night to help him sound out words, learn phonics, and piece together meaning line by line. He pledged to read 100 books a year. He hit the goal. The scale of the issue he was facing is much larger than one person’s story. Roughly 21 percent of American adults are illiterate and more than half read below a sixth grade level, according to the National Literacy Institute’s 2024 to 2025 study. James has gone from being part of that statistic to becoming a public advocate for changing it. His memoir, “Unread,” is now out from Union Square & Co. James writes that growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, reading never had a chance. His home life was stretched thin. School felt unsafe. And his mind, crowded with OCD and ADHD, couldn’t stay still long enough to absorb a sentence. His teachers saw behavior problems. They didn’t see a kid who couldn’t read the instructions. Suspensions followed. Expulsion followed that. Eventually he was placed in special education, where he learned to survive by memorizing everything around him. “I was treated like a problem, so I became a problem,” he writes. He couldn’t read messages, so he pieced together responses from old texts. He failed his driver’s test repeatedly until he memorized all the answers. On the road, he memorized exits because he couldn’t read signs. Everything that should have been simple became a logistical puzzle he had to solve before stepping out the door. At 19, he ended up in jail after unknowingly moving packages for a man who turned out to be an undercover federal agent. He writes that he didn’t understand it was a crime. It was part of a larger sting operation and he “got caught in the crossfire.” In prison, he turned to working out, something he could control. After his release, he rebuilt himself as a personal trainer in California. But he still leaned heavily on his partner, Anne, who translated the world for him. Things shifted after she gave him a copy of “365 Quotes to Live Your Life By.” He wanted to understand its meaning the way she intended. That book was his starting line. “The Diary of a Young Girl,” “The Alchemist,” and “The Four Agreements” followed. But he credits children’s books for changing him the most. He loved “The Giver,” “Holes,” and even “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” He compares reading kids’ books as an adult to learning addition before tackling multiplication. Simple stories helped him understand empathy, emotion, and the benefits of reading long before he graduated to heavier material. The emotional transformation blindsided him. He learned empathy from characters nothing like him. He understood his own depression and ADHD better after reading about them. He cried often. And he did it publicly, with thousands of TikTok tutors cheering him on. His self-esteem grew as he realized those strangers weren’t judging him at all. Despite everything he went through, James refuses to blame a specific teacher or school. He sees his story as a systemic failure spread across many adults, including himself. Now he reads on TikTok Live even when he doesn’t feel like it. He reminds himself that someone out there might be hiding the same shame he once carried. His followers have told him he inspired them to learn English or go back to school. “You can’t be the kid and the adult,” he tells himself, he says. “You already had your chance to be the kid. Now you're the adult.” He wants parents to talk honestly with each other about reading struggles and avoid the judgment he faced. He believes that if a community steps in early, no child has to feel as isolated as he did. His own young son is growing up surrounded by books. James is calling from a library when he says, “Our world revolves around it. We live at libraries.” His son isn’t getting reading lessons. He’s just growing up inside a life where books are part of the air. At the start of this year, James was reading one chapter a day. Now he wants to go to college in person and “redo that experience.” He wants to teach others to read. He even dreams of becoming a professor at Harvard. “I want to put this to work, I want to start learning, I don’t care if I even fail,” he says. “I want to go to fail, to learn to pass.” His next challenge is trying something he never imagined he’d say: he wants to read textbooks.

Read More

St Andrews Elects Its First Female Chancellor in 600 Years

It took six centuries, but one of Britain’s oldest universities has finally handed its top ceremonial post to a woman. Dame Anne Pringle, a veteran diplomat and alumna of the University of St Andrews, has been elected chancellor after a closely watched contest — the first time a woman has held the role since the university was founded in the 15th century. She defeated fellow candidates Dame Barbara Woodward, Lord Mark Sedwill and Lady Alex Walmsley. Pringle succeeds Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, who died last year. “It is the honor of my life to be elected Chancellor of St Andrews University,” she said, adding thanks to her supporters and outlining her vision for the institution. “For more than six centuries St Andrews has championed curiosity and courage, tradition and innovation and scholarship in the service of society. As Chancellor, I will be an unwavering advocate for a university that is outward-looking, principled, and bold in its leadership.” Pringle, born in Glasgow and educated at St Andrews, graduated with an MA in French and German in 1977. She went on to become the UK’s ambassador to Russia from 2008 to 2011 — the first woman to hold that post — and earlier served as ambassador to Czech Republic from 2001 to 2004. Her diplomatic career later expanded into roles across business, culture and academia, including a return to St Andrews as Senior Governor of University Court from 2016 to 2020. She also funds scholarships for undergraduates and researchers, underscoring her belief in broad access to education. More than 7,000 graduates and senior staff registered to vote in the election, which used the alternative vote system. Turnout reached 73.63 percent, with all ballots valid. In the final round, Pringle secured 2,643 votes to Lord Mark Sedwill’s 2,215. Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of St Andrews, welcomed the result. She said she was “personally delighted” for Pringle and praised her steady leadership during earlier service to the university. “She will be a brilliant Chancellor, and I am greatly looking forward to working with her again,” she said, extending thanks to all candidates for their “willingness to serve.” The chancellorship — a role stretching back to the university’s founding — is largely ceremonial but symbolically significant, representing continuity and guiding values for a university that has shaped scholars, leaders and public figures for more than 600 years. For Dame Anne Pringle, the history is an asset, but not a limit. “St Andrews is defined not only by its history but by its people,” she said. As she steps into the role, her focus is on strengthening the university’s global standing, widening opportunity, and helping the institution adapt to what she describes as an era of rapid change, fierce competition and profound societal challenges. After six centuries, St Andrews has its first woman chancellor — and she arrives with both deep roots and a clear agenda for the future.

Read More

Two Days of Mostly Oatmeal Cut Cholesterol in a New Clinical Trial

It turns out your grandmother’s breakfast advice might have been onto something. A new clinical trial from the University of Bonn, published in Nature Communications, suggests that eating mostly oatmeal for just 48 hours can significantly reduce cholesterol — and the effect can linger for weeks. Researchers focused on people with metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess body weight, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and abnormal lipid levels. Participants spent two days on a calorie-restricted plan made up almost entirely of oatmeal, about 300 grams per day, divided into three boiled meals with only small amounts of fruit or vegetables allowed. Compared with a control group that also cut calories but didn’t eat oats, the oatmeal group showed a much stronger drop in cholesterol. The change was still visible six weeks later. Researchers also found meaningful shifts in gut bacteria, suggesting that the microbes themselves may help explain the benefits. Marie-Christine Simon, a junior professor in the Institute of Nutritional and Food Science at the University of Bonn, said this once-common dietary therapy had largely been forgotten. “Today, effective medications are available to treat patients with diabetes,” she explained, which is why earlier oat-based treatments fell out of use. The trial revisits that old idea with modern tools. None of the participants had diabetes, but all had metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of developing the disease. “We wanted to know how a special oat-based diet affects patients,” Simon said. Thirty-two participants completed the short, intensive oat intervention. Each cut their usual calories roughly in half and consumed 300 grams of oatmeal daily. Both the oat and control groups saw some improvement simply from eating less, but the oat group saw far more dramatic changes. “The level of particularly harmful LDL cholesterol fell by 10 percent for them — that is a substantial reduction, although not entirely comparable to the effect of modern medications,” Simon said. Participants also lost an average of two kilograms and saw slight decreases in blood pressure. Lowering LDL is important because when levels rise too high, cholesterol accumulates along artery walls, forming plaques that narrow blood vessels. Plaques can rupture under physical or emotional stress, potentially causing heart attacks or strokes. To understand the mechanism, the team examined each participant’s gut microbiome. “We were able to identify that the consumption of oatmeal increased the number of certain bacteria in the gut,” said lead author Linda Klümpen. These microbes produce metabolic byproducts that help nourish intestinal cells and shape how the body handles food. Some of these bacterial byproducts circulate in the bloodstream. One, ferulic acid, has shown cholesterol-lowering effects in animal studies. “It has already been shown in animal studies that one of them, ferulic acid, has a positive effect on the cholesterol metabolism,” Klümpen said. “This also appears to be the case for some of the other bacterial metabolic products.” Other microbes help break down histidine, an amino acid that the body can convert into a compound linked to insulin resistance when left unchecked. The cholesterol reduction persisted for six weeks after the two-day phase, even without continued restriction. “A short-term oat-based diet at regular intervals could be a well-tolerated way to keep the cholesterol level within the normal range and prevent diabetes,” Simon said. But intensity mattered. A separate six-week test where participants ate 80 grams of oatmeal daily without other dietary limits produced only modest changes. The team now hopes to learn whether repeating the intensive plan every six weeks could create lasting protection. Sixty-eight people participated across two randomized controlled trials. In the two-day study, 17 people completed the oat diet and 15 completed the control diet. In the six-week trial, 17 people finished in each group. Researchers collected blood and stool samples and measured blood pressure, weight, waist circumference and body fat at baseline, immediately after the oat phase and again at two, four and six weeks. Full blinding wasn’t possible — participants knew what they were eating — but the lab teams analyzing samples did not know which group each sample belonged to. Blood was tested for LDL cholesterol and dihydroferulic acid, a phenolic compound thought to be produced by beneficial gut bacteria. Stool samples were analyzed using 16S RNA to identify bacterial species and their metabolic byproducts. The study received funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the German Diabetes Association, the German Research Foundation, the German Cereal Processing, Milling and Starch Industries’ Association, and RASO Naturprodukte. The bottom line? Two days of mostly oatmeal won’t replace medication, but it may offer a surprisingly strong metabolic nudge — and a reminder that sometimes old ideas earn a second look.

Read More

Researchers Capture First Wild Footage Of Treetop Ultraviolet 'Sparkle' During Thunderstorms

In the summer of 2024, a research team barreled toward thunderstorms in a Toyota Sienna that had absolutely no business being a storm-chasing vehicle. But after cutting a twelve-inch hole in the roof (“Totally killed the resale value, but that’s fine,” as meteorologist Patrick McFarland put it), the minivan became a rolling lab aimed at solving a century-old mystery: do tiny sparks really flicker at the tops of trees during storms? As it turns out, they do. The team parked beside a sweetgum tree in Pembroke and pointed an ultraviolet camera at a cluster of branches while thunder cracked overhead. Later, when they reviewed the footage, they spotted something scientists had never documented in nature before: faint, colorful glows hopping from one leaf to another. These were coronae, electrical discharges so weak they’re normally invisible. “These things actually happen; we’ve seen them; we know they exist now,” said McFarland of Pennsylvania State University. “To finally have concrete evidence [of] that…is what I think is the most fun.” Scientists have suspected for nearly a century that thunderstorms produce small charges at treetops. Lab experiments showed that when a storm cloud builds up enormous electrical energy, the ground below responds with an opposite charge. That charge tries to meet the one above by reaching as high as it can—which, in a forest, means the tips of leaves. In darkness, researchers could just barely produce a faint blue glow in controlled settings. But no one had captured the phenomenon in the wild. McFarland’s team outfitted the minivan with a weather station, electric-field detector and laser rangefinder. The star of the operation was a roof-mounted periscope, which funneled light into a specialized UV camera capable of spotting emissions invisible to the human eye. “The most fun part was taking a jigsaw and cutting a twelve-inch hole in the roof,” McFarland said. “Totally killed the resale value, but that’s fine.” The payoff came fast. In 90 minutes of storm footage, the researchers detected 41 coronae flickering across the sweetgum leaves. Each lasted around three seconds and often seemed to jump from leaf to leaf, almost like a tiny relay race of static electricity. The team didn’t stop there. They chased four more storms from Florida to Pennsylvania, spotting similar coronae on a loblolly pine and several other species. No matter the tree or the strength of the storm, the electrical glows behaved the same way. Their findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, suggest coronae may be far more widespread than once thought—possibly lighting up tens or even hundreds of leaf tips during an ordinary thunderstorm. We just can’t see them. They’re too weak for the naked eye. But if we could? McFarland imagines something surprisingly beautiful. It “would probably look like a pretty cool light show, as if thousands of UV-flashing fireflies descended on the treetops,” he said. So the next time a storm rolls in and trees start to hiss and sway, the leaves might be putting on a show — one that science finally found a way to watch, even if it required sacrificing a perfectly good minivan roof.

Read More

For the First Time in 120 Years, a Bison Herd Returned Home to Métis Land in Northern Alberta

If you ever wondered what joy sounds like in a blizzard, it turns out it’s 20 wood bison charging out of a shipping container while a crowd of elders cheers through the snow. That was the scene at a Métis-operated ranch in northeastern Alberta, where the first bison stampede on Willow Lake Métis Nation land in roughly 120 years unfolded like a homecoming with hooves. About 30 elders and community leaders gathered as the animals, relocated from Elk Island National Park, thundered into a fenced section of boreal forest near Anzac, around 50 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. Hugs, high-fives and a few tears followed as the herd vanished into the whiteout, a moment many never expected to witness again. “It’s so nice and humbling … so very beautiful to see. I’m glad I’m part of it,” said Robert Cree, an elder from the nearby Fort McMurray 468 First Nation. “I’m glad they’re back home. There used to be buffalo here years ago. My grandfather used to talk about it. I’m glad they’re back on our traditional lands.” For the Willow Lake Métis Nation, the return of bison is more than a feel-good moment. It’s a declaration of autonomy and the launch of a sweeping food sustainability plan. Kyle Whitford, a trapper and Indigenous guardian for the Nation, called the herd a milestone. “It’s bringing the wood bison back to Wood Buffalo,” he said. “I’m very excited and very relieved now that they’re at their home, which they’ll love and enjoy because we built it with love.” The new arrivals are part of a $50-million, multi-year strategy to reshape how the community feeds itself. The herd now lives on 16 hectares of an 82-hectare ranch that will soon include hens, honey bees, hydroponics, greenhouses and community gardens. The idea is simple: build a system where Indigenous families have reliable access to food raised on their own land. “It’s a really valuable start to our agriculture and tourism business, as well as helping to achieve sovereignty, which is being able to influence your environment,” said Matthew Michetti, who oversees government and industry relations for Willow Lake. Plans stretch far beyond farming. Long-term goals include an Indigenous medicine walk, school partnerships and a visitors’ centre to help share the community’s history on its own terms. For Stella Lavallee, president of Willow Lake Métis Nation, this is also about restoring traditions. She’s eager to see elders pass down harvesting knowledge so younger generations learn not just how to care for the herd, but how to sustain their families. Feather Bourque-Jenner, a director with the Nation, said the project will ease the rising cost of food and supplies in the north. “A part of that is reintroducing our lifestyle in a more sustainable way back into our day-to-day life,” she said. The ranch is also getting expert guidance. Nathaniel Ostashewski, who owns Cyrus Bison, sees a bright future for the fledgling herd. The humidity from nearby Gregoire Lake and the long northern summer light make the land ideal for grazing. And the bison won’t just adapt to the terrain; they’ll reshape it. Their hooves will aerate the muskeg, letting water and nutrients cycle back through the soil. Even their shed hair becomes building material for birds and rodents. “If bison flourish in Alberta, so be it. That’s much better for all of us,” Ostashewski said. For now, the herd is settling in. The blizzard has quieted. The snow has swallowed their tracks. But for the Willow Lake Métis Nation, the sound of those hooves still lingers: a reminder that sometimes history doesn’t just return. Sometimes it runs right back to you.

Read More

Are There Living Microbes on Mars? Check The Ice, Researchers Say

If future missions want the best shot at finding evidence of life on Mars, they may want to aim for ice rather than rock. A new study shows that organic molecules from ancient microbes could survive tens of millions of years when trapped inside Martian ice — far longer than previously believed. In laboratory simulations, researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State found that amino acids from E. coli endured the equivalent of 50 million years of cosmic radiation when frozen in pure water ice. That survival time dramatically exceeded expectations and outperformed samples mixed with Mars-like soil, where organic material broke down up to 10 times faster. The findings, published in Astrobiology, suggest a major shift in strategy for life-detection missions on Mars: drill into clean ice, not just sediment or rock. “Fifty million years is far greater than the expected age for some current surface ice deposits on Mars,” said co-author Christopher House of Penn State. “That means if there are bacteria near the surface of Mars, future missions can find it.” Led by NASA Goddard space scientist Alexander Pavlov, the team froze E. coli inside test tubes filled either with pure ice or with ice mixed with silicate-rich Martian sediment. The samples were then placed in a gamma radiation chamber at Penn State, cooled to –60°F, and blasted with radiation equal to 20 million years of cosmic exposure. Modeling brought the total to 50 million years. After testing, the difference was clear: Pure ice preserved more than 10% of the amino acids after 50 million years. Soil–ice mixtures preserved almost none, decaying far more quickly. The likely culprit: a thin film where ice touches minerals, allowing damaging radiation to travel more freely. “In solid ice, harmful particles created by radiation get frozen in place,” Pavlov explained. “That may prevent them from reaching organic compounds.” The team also ran simulations at temperatures typical of Europa and Enceladus, where conditions are even colder. Organic decay slowed even further — a hopeful sign for missions probing icy ocean worlds. The results align with the goals of NASA’s Europa Clipper, launched in 2024 and scheduled to reach Jupiter in 2030. The spacecraft will make 49 flybys to assess whether Europa’s ice shell and subsurface ocean could support life. Digging into Martian ice won’t be simple. But the precedent exists: NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander in 2008 was the first to excavate and photograph subsurface ice near the Martian Arctic. “There is a lot of ice on Mars, but most of it is just below the surface,” House said. To access it, future missions will need drills or scoops similar to Phoenix — but bigger and more capable. With this study, scientists have new confidence that if Mars ever hosted microbial life, chemical traces may still be waiting underground, locked in ice and shielded from cosmic radiation. Now the challenge is clear: build the tools to reach it.

Read More

A Canadian Teen Just Set a Cricket World Record

You don’t need to know anything about cricket to appreciate what 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra just pulled off. In a global tournament normally dominated by powerhouse nations, a teenager from Canada delivered one of the most remarkable performances the sport has ever seen. During a World Cup match in Chennai, India, Samra scored 110 runs all by himself — an extraordinary achievement in cricket — becoming the youngest man ever to score a World Cup century (meaning 100 or more runs in a single innings). No one his age had ever done this in either of cricket’s two major World Cup formats. To put it simply: it’s the equivalent of a teenager dropping 60 points in an NBA Finals game or scoring a hat trick in a World Cup soccer match. It just doesn’t happen. Samra’s performance was even more impressive because Canada is considered a small, developing team in the cricket world. Until now, no player from an “associate nation” — a country outside the sport’s traditional power circle — had ever scored 100 runs in a T20 World Cup match. He became the first. His 110 runs came from 65 balls and included a mix of powerful shots: 11 hits that reached the boundary (automatic points) and six towering hits over the field that are the cricket version of a home run. And it all happened when Canada needed him most. Facing New Zealand — one of the world’s top teams — Canada needed a standout performance to stay alive in the tournament. Samra delivered immediately. In the sixth round of play, he fired off three straight scoring shots, then launched a massive hit over the field to energize his team. He passed the 100-run mark in just 58 balls, a blistering pace even for elite players, and lifted Canada to a strong final total before their batting turn ended. Adding to the charm of the moment: Samra is named after Yuvraj Singh, a legendary Indian cricket star famous for rescuing his team in difficult moments. On Tuesday, the Canadian teenager lived up to that name — and then some. Whether or not you follow cricket, one thing is clear: this was a breakout moment from a young athlete who just put Canada's Cricket Team on the global sports map.

Read More