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This Zoo is Celebrating 11 Endangered Penguin Chicks Hatch – the Most for a Decade
Humboldt penguins at Chester Zoo have welcomed a record number of chicks this hatching season, with 11 fluffy newcomers joining the colony. The zoo is celebrating as all 11 chicks have successfully passed the delicate first 40 days of life and are now being named after flowers like Nettle and Tulip. Keepers are proud of the healthy growth and development of the chicks, with parents doing an excellent job caring for their new arrivals by regurgitating high-protein fish soup for them to eat.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Player Just Honored a Late Fan by Wearing His Work Uniform to the Game
When Bobby McMann walked into Scotiabank Arena wearing a yellow safety vest and a name tag that read “Kevin,” it wasn’t just a nod — it was a heartfelt tribute to a fan who left a mark far beyond the hockey rink. Kevin Wilson, a 48-year-old grocery store clerk and devoted Maple Leafs fan, died suddenly last week from complications related to meningitis. To those who shopped at the Loblaws at Lake Shore and Bathurst, he was more than a friendly face at the front of the store — he was a kind, upbeat presence who made even a routine grocery run feel like something special. On Saturday, McMann — a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs — honored Wilson with a simple but deeply symbolic gesture. Instead of a flashy suit or designer jacket, he showed up for the Leafs’ game against the Vancouver Canucks wearing the yellow vest Wilson wore every day at work. On his chest: Wilson’s name tag. “Just a really good spirit, really good person,” McMann told Sportsnet. “Affected a lot of people positively when they walked into that place. And he was just a lifelong Leafs fan. Always wanted to talk hockey, would always record the games, watch them later.” The two knew each other casually — McMann lives nearby and often shopped at the store where Wilson worked as a front-end service clerk. It wasn’t a deep friendship, but it didn’t need to be. For Wilson, just chatting with a Leafs player — his Leafs player — meant everything. “There was one time Kevin got some pictures with Bobby,” said Frank Crupi, a hockey influencer and longtime Loblaws customer. “And he was so excited to meet him. And he came up to me, and he was like, 'Bobby McMann, he's my friend, he’s now my friend.’” Crupi had known Wilson for about four years. Their friendship began with a nod on game days and slowly grew into regular hockey banter in the checkout aisle. “He was like one of the most die-hard guys there was,” Crupi said. “Always had his Leafs jersey on, a Leafs toque, a Leafs pin. He wore the Leafs on his heart.” Loblaws has set up a memorial at the store, filled with flowers, notes, photos of Wilson, and Leafs gear — including a jersey and scarf. A sign posted by the store reads: “Kevin was the heart of our team and was loved by so many of our staff and customers. It is heartbreaking not to see his smile at the front of our store.” To the people who saw Wilson nearly every day, he wasn’t just someone who rang them through. He was the kind of person who made a place feel like a community. “He had this nice warmth to him and he was so friendly, greeting customers. He loved kids. And he always had a smile on his face when I was talking with him,” Crupi said. Randy and Karen Kushnir, another couple who often chatted with Wilson while shopping, remember him as someone who radiated positivity — especially on Leafs game days. “We’d say, ‘Big game tonight,’” said Karen. “Oh yeah, and he was always pumped up,” added Randy. Nicolas Wen Shea, another regular, said Wilson’s energy never wavered — win or lose. “Always a smile on his face. You wouldn’t know if the Leafs lost 6–1,” he said. “Extreme optimist. Good man. Really miss him.” Wilson’s death came as a shock to many who knew him. A co-worker has since launched a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses. The fundraiser describes Wilson as “a ray of sunshine,” adding: “He was especially known for his love of the Toronto Maple Leafs, often sharing his enthusiasm and the game scores with everyone around him.” In the wake of Wilson’s passing, McMann’s tribute resonated across the city and beyond. Crupi called it “a beautiful, significant piece of symbolism,” not just because of the gesture, but because of who it came from — a player who noticed, and cared. “Bobby McMann is a McMann of the people,” Crupi said.
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Grocery Store Visits Bring Joy to Odin Casanova and His Family — Here's Why
In Faribault, Minnesota, a small-town grocery store has become a lifeline for one family — and the highlight of a five-year-old boy’s day. Odin Casanova, who has autism, finds comfort in routine and joy in the little things. For him, nothing beats a trip to Fareway grocery store. "This is his favorite thing to do, probably in the world," says his mother, Taylor Casanova. "I mean, he's not this excited when we go to the pool." At home, Taylor uses a range of sensory tools to help Odin stay calm and engaged. There's a plastic slide that leads into a mountain of beanbags — a daily release of what she calls “extra wiggles.” But when those tools aren’t enough, she’s got a reliable backup. “Let’s get in the van,” she tells him. “We’re going to Fareway.” It’s not the food that draws Odin in — though he does love waffles and root beer. It’s the people. The moment the minivan door slides open, Odin’s feet hit the ground running, straight to the store’s child-sized shopping carts. “Tiny cart!” he yells with delight. And from there, the real fun begins. “Haley!” he shouts as he spots Haley Yeo, the store’s produce manager. She drops what she’s doing to meet him with open arms. Odin invited her to his last two birthday parties. She came to both. “Not every day my customers are that happy to see me,” Haley says, grinning. Odin continues his rounds. “Wendy!” he hollers at the checkout. “Hi Jay!” he beams, waving to a Fareway bagger. But it’s Maynard Abraham who holds a special place in Odin’s heart. Maynard, a longtime Fareway employee, bags groceries and delivers them to customers' cars. When Odin sees him walking in from the parking lot, it’s like spotting a superhero. “You ready to help me bag some groceries?” Maynard asks as Odin barrels into his arms. Maynard never seems fazed by Odin’s energy or his diagnosis. “God didn't make nobody perfect,” he says. The two have developed an easy rapport. “Root beer, I like root beer,” Odin tells him one day. “Waffles, I like waffles too.” Maynard nods, bagging groceries with Odin at his side. Taylor says Odin even asks for Maynard by name when she picks him up from school. He once made Maynard a birthday card and proudly delivered it in person. She captured the moment on camera — the card, the delivery, and a big hug. “I think that was the first time Maynard let him hug him,” she says. For a child who often struggles with transitions and sensory overload, Fareway is more than a grocery store. It's a sanctuary. A place where Odin can move freely, be himself, and feel genuinely welcome. “He’s wiggly when he arrives,” Taylor says. “But calmer when we leave.” “It is very tough having a kid with autism, for sure,” she adds. “But this is like one of the bright spots.” Fareway doesn’t advertise itself as a therapy center, but for Odin Casanova, it might as well be.
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Teen's Viral Instagram Plea Spurs Creation of Community Center for Fire-Affected Girls in California
When wildfires scorched nearly 10,000 buildings across Altadena, California, last January, 14-year-old Avery Colvert did something that few teens would think to do in the middle of a disaster: she posted on Instagram asking for help — not for herself, but for her classmates. “Clothes, personal items, beauty and hair care — stuff WE need,” she wrote. “To help my friends feel confident and like themselves again!” The plea went viral within days, racking up over 28,000 likes and support from celebrities like Paris Hilton, Charli XCX, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. But it didn’t stop at Instagram. That post became the foundation for Altadena Girls, a nonprofit that has now supported more than 5,000 girls recovering from wildfire trauma and displacement. It wasn’t Avery’s first time losing everything. Just three years earlier, her family’s home in Nashville, Tennessee, was destroyed in a flash flood. They moved west to start over. When the Eaton Fire hit in 2025, her house was spared, but her school was reduced to ash. “I don’t even know what I was thinking,” Avery said. “I was going through so many emotions… it was like, ‘I’m just going to do this, and this needs to be done right now.’” Altadena Girls, which Avery co-founded with her mom Lauren Sandidge, has since grown into a full-scale community operation. In just one year, it distributed over 1 million items — from makeup and hygiene kits to school supplies and back-to-school outfits. They even hosted a prom for 300 girls. In October, the organization opened an 11,000-square-foot community center in nearby Pasadena, timed to the International Day of the Girl. It features music and podcast studios (sponsored by Fender), quiet study rooms, a boutique for free clothes and hygiene products, and a glittery pink hangout space called the Sliving Lounge, backed by Hilton’s 11:11 Media. “It’s definitely our most popular thing,” Avery said. “Everyone ends up there.” What sets Altadena Girls apart isn’t just the scope of the support — it’s the philosophy behind it. From day one, Avery wanted girls to feel safe asking for what they actually wanted, not just what others thought they needed. “Girls are allowed to have opinions,” she said. “It’s OK to say, ‘I like this sweater instead of that one.’” After the Eaton Fire, many teens felt ashamed to ask for help, Avery explained. The nonprofit was her way of dismantling that stigma — and giving girls permission to reclaim their dignity. “She wanted to give something that wasn’t just socks and T-shirts,” said Pamela Price, executive producer of the Hollywood Beauty Awards, which honored Avery with the Beauty Impact Award. “People might think it’s superficial, but it’s not. Hair, makeup, skincare — those things affect how you feel. Avery was thinking about mental health.” The mental health impacts of wildfires are well documented. A 2021 study following California’s Camp Fire found direct exposure significantly increased the risk of PTSD and depression. For Avery, that impact was personal. She still remembers the discomfort of receiving public donations after the Nashville flood. “I felt embarrassed. Guilty,” she said. That memory helped shape Altadena Girls’ focus on privacy, respect, and personal choice. Inside the new community center, there’s no pressure to participate in anything. “You can come in and learn guitar,” Sandidge said. “But the priority is that their basic needs are met — they’re fed, they’re safe, they’re relaxed. That’s when people can make good decisions.” For Journey Christine, a 12-year-old actress who lives nearby, the space has become “a blessing” — a way to reconnect with classmates displaced by the fire and rediscover joy. “It’s like my new home away from home,” she said. “It shows other kids that just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference.” Avery, now 15, has become the youngest-ever recipient of the TIME100 Impact Award, and her organization was named California Nonprofit of the Year for Senate District 25. Still, she and her mom are focused on what’s next. “We want to keep it free,” Sandidge said. “And it’s not free to run.” They’re forming a teen advisory board to guide future programming. For Avery, it’s crucial that the space stays grounded in the people it serves. “It has to be for girls, by girls,” she said. “We need their feedback.” For Sandidge, the long-term goal is simple: help girls plan their futures based on who they are, not on what they’ve lost. “There are emotional needs that don’t go away just because the headlines do,” she said. “This gives them something to build on.”
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Argentinian Teen Donates 5,000 Pairs Of Shin Guards To Kids In Need
At just 16 years old, Tomás Machuca needed a pair of shin guards. What he didn’t have was money to buy new ones — so he improvised. He took an old plastic bucket from the backyard, cut it with a saw, heated it with his grandmother’s hairdryer, and shaped his own. Eight years later, that DIY solution has evolved into Fenikks, an award-winning Argentinian organization that recycles plastic waste into high-quality shin guards for kids who might otherwise go without. Now 24, Machuca is the founder and CEO of Fenikks, which distributes recycled shin guards to 56 underserved communities across Argentina. “In Argentina, 57% of children and adolescents live below the poverty line,” Machuca told Beyond Sports after being recognized by the International Olympic Committee for his contributions to sports sustainability. “It is difficult for their families to put food on the table and, even more so, to be able to provide them with the necessary elements to practice sports.” That reality was personal for Machuca. Growing up as a young football player, he knew what it felt like to go without. “I decided to find a way to make my own,” he recalled. That first pair, rough and homemade, even included a design created in Microsoft Paint — decorated with images of his family. What started as a fix born of necessity turned into a bigger vision: using plastic waste to fuel opportunity. In the past five years, Fenikks has recycled more than 2,000 kilograms of plastic and produced over 5,000 pairs of shin guards, all distributed free of charge to young athletes. But the project goes beyond just gear. Each delivery comes with a message about sustainability and the environment. “We work so that in every neighborhood where a child plays barefoot, we can share the importance of caring for and maintaining the cleanliness of living spaces,” Machuca said. “And provide sports equipment of all kinds.” The work earned him recognition not just from the IOC, but from global sports and sustainability leaders. Yet for Machuca, the mission stays grounded: give kids the tools they need to play, grow, and dream — all while keeping waste out of landfills. It all started with a broken pair of shin guards, a plastic bucket, and a burned-out hairdryer. Now it’s changing lives.
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13kg Deer Chases Off 1.7-Ton Rhino at Polish Zoo
At Wroclaw Zoo in Poland, one of the smallest animals on the grounds just stood up to one of the largest — and won. In footage captured on January 8, a 13-kilogram Reeves’s muntjac deer can be seen squaring off with a southern white rhinoceros weighing an estimated 1.7 tons. The deer, undeterred by the size mismatch, charges directly at the rhino and chases it across the enclosure. The video shows the rhino backing off and eventually fleeing, conceding defeat to his pint-sized challenger. “His partner is in heat, and the bachelor is pumping with testosterone,” a zoo spokesperson said. “He needs to release his energy and show who's boss — even if his sparring partner weighs 1.7 tons.” Zookeepers say the behavior isn’t typical, but it’s not entirely surprising either. Reeves’s muntjac are known for their boldness despite their size, and this one was clearly feeling feisty. “Who would have thought that such a warrior could be hidden in that tiny body?” the spokesperson added. Muntjac deer are native to Asia and are often called “barking deer” for the sounds they make. At just over half a metre tall, they’re a fraction of the size of a rhino — but apparently not lacking in confidence.
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Rescued Orangutan Thrives After Returning To The Wild Following Years Of Rehabilitation
After four years of learning how to be wild again, Charlotte the orangutan is finally home. She was just a juvenile when she was rescued from a wooden cabin in Borneo, where she had been found chained to the rafters. Her life was headed for captivity, but instead, it took a very different turn — one that ended with her swinging freely through the forests of East Borneo. Charlotte's release is the result of years of work by the Borneo Orangutan Rescue Alliance (BORA), along with Indonesia’s environment and forestry ministry and the Orangutan Project, which runs a rehabilitation centre known as Jungle School. The facility trains rescued orangutans in all the skills they would’ve learned in the wild — skills Charlotte never had a chance to pick up from her mother. “Orangutans have one of the longest childhoods of any species on earth,” the Orangutan Project explained in a post about Charlotte’s arrival at Jungle School. “Babies are born knowing nothing; they learn everything from their mothers: what to eat, how to avoid predators, how to make nests for safe sleeping, even how to climb and swing through the trees.” Without that guidance, young orangutans are at a huge disadvantage. But over four years, Charlotte gradually transformed from a frightened, isolated orphan into a confident and curious young adult. She learned how to forage, use tools, and build nests — often with the help of human carers who acted as stand-ins for orangutan parents. Those skills were tested on a predator-free forest island, part of her final phase of rehabilitation. There, she practiced living independently in the wild. When she was finally ready, she was released into the Busang Ecosystem in East Borneo, an area where several of her fellow Jungle School alumni have also been reintroduced. “Our team is confident that Charlotte will thrive in her new home, and settle into her wild life with ease,” the Orangutan Project wrote. “Her forest skills are excellent, and have only grown stronger during her time on the pre-release island.” There’s even a chance she might encounter some familiar faces — orangutans like Mary, Jojo, Bonti, and Popi, who have already been released into the same region. Charlotte's return to the wild is not just a win for one animal, but a small victory in the broader fight to restore what poaching and habitat loss have taken away. Her second chance wouldn’t have been possible without the years of quiet, dedicated work behind the scenes — and the belief that even a scared, chained-up orangutan could one day live freely again.
Score (98)
Loveable Giant Dog Brody Finds His Forever Home in England
Brody, a 66-kilogram Pyrenean mountain dog described as a “loveable giant,” has officially found his forever home — and it’s as perfect a match as Animal Concern Cumbria could have hoped for. The six-year-old dog became an unexpected celebrity when the Egremont-based charity first posted about him in December. They were flooded with adoption requests from across Europe and even the United States. But in the end, it was a family in the south of England who made the trip, took Brody for a long walk and a pub lunch, and sealed the deal. Lauren Pickthall, the charity’s animal rehoming manager, said the viral attention brought both opportunities and challenges. “It made life easy but also difficult because we had a lot of really solid matches,” she said. “We had people from all over Europe and even America offering him a home.” Brody is no small commitment — literally. Standing at around 1.8 metres tall on his hind legs and eating over 1 kilogram of food a day, he’s the size of a small adult. But his new family, Pickthall said, is well-prepared. “His new home has lots of breed experience, he has a dog friend, land to roam around and they’re the loveliest people,” she said. “We’ve had loads of updates and pictures of him enjoying the snow.” Pyrenean mountain dogs, also known as Great Pyrenees, were originally bred to guard livestock in the mountains, often against wolves and bears. They’re known for their loyalty, independence, and thick coats — which require plenty of grooming. Because of the breed’s size and temperament, Brody needed experienced owners. That criteria helped narrow the field, but not by much. The volume of interest meant the charity never had to formally advertise him. His outgoing nature didn’t hurt either. “He was a lovely boy, but we’re always glad to see the back of them and get that happy ending — it’s what you work for from the minute they come in,” Pickthall said. Now Brody has what he needs most — space to roam, companionship, and a family who understands him. And for Animal Concern Cumbria, it's one more happy ending in the books.
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Baby Seal Surprises Hotel Guests, Rescued by Marine Life Experts
A baby seal made a surprise visit to The Quay Hotel and Spa in Conwy, Wales, delighting staff and guests. The young pup was found relaxing in the parking lot, seemingly unfazed by the surroundings. The hotel quickly contacted the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), who arrived promptly to ensure the seal's safety. After a thorough check-up, the pup was transported to a specialist facility for care. Thanks to BDMLR's swift response, this unexpected guest had a happy ending and is now back where it belongs, in the water.
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NASA Partners With Seven Companies To Search For Alien Life
NASA is taking a big step forward in the search for extraterrestrial life, and it’s calling in help from the private sector to do it. Seven companies—Astroscale, BAE Systems, Busek, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Zecoat—have been awarded three-year contracts to begin developing key technologies for the space agency’s next major mission: the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). The goal? Build one of the most advanced space telescopes ever conceived, capable of spotting signs of life by analyzing the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. That means detecting the faint chemical fingerprints left in starlight as it filters through a planet’s air—potentially hundreds or even thousands of light-years away. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the HWO represents "exactly the kind of bold, forward-leaning science that only NASA can undertake.” In a statement announcing the contracts, he added, “Humanity is waiting for the breakthroughs this mission is capable of achieving and the questions it could help us answer about life in the universe.” The telescope isn’t expected to launch until the late 2030s or early 2040s, but NASA wants development to move fast. That’s why each company is being asked to tackle different engineering challenges now, including components that don’t yet exist. Among the toughest: keeping the telescope’s optical system so stable it doesn’t shift more than the width of a single atom. It also needs a coronagraph—a kind of super-precise shade to block out starlight and allow faint planets to be seen—that is “thousands of times more capable than any space coronagraph ever built,” according to NASA. Engineers are also being asked to make HWO serviceable. That way, if the telescope is hit by a micrometeoroid or runs into technical problems, NASA could launch future repair missions to fix or upgrade it, extending its lifetime the same way it did with the Hubble Space Telescope. “Contracts like these are a critical component of our incubator program for future missions,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, who heads NASA’s Astrophysics Division. “They combine government leadership with commercial innovation to make what is impossible today rapidly implementable in the future.” HWO is designed to build on the legacy of other groundbreaking observatories: Hubble, which launched in 1990 and is still in operation; the James Webb Space Telescope, which continues to deliver jaw-dropping deep space images; and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled for launch later this year. If it works, HWO could do what no telescope has done before—capture and analyze the chemical makeup of a potentially habitable planet’s atmosphere and, just maybe, find evidence that we’re not alone.
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Scientists Discover Brain-Based Biomarker to Predict Alzheimer's Progression
A new tool developed by scientists at Brown University may bring doctors closer to predicting who will go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease—years before symptoms become severe. The technology doesn’t rely on blood tests or brain scans. Instead, it measures electrical activity in the brain to find a hidden signal that could flag early signs of decline. And for patients with mild cognitive impairment, it could mark a turning point. “We've detected a pattern in electrical signals of brain activity that predicts which patients are most likely to develop the disease within two and a half years,” said Stephanie Jones, a neuroscience professor at Brown and co-lead of the study. “Being able to noninvasively observe a new early marker of Alzheimer's disease progression in the brain for the first time is a very exciting step.” The study, published in Imaging Neuroscience, analyzed brain recordings from 85 people diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Researchers tracked each person’s cognitive health over several years to see who eventually developed Alzheimer’s. The key difference? Their brainwaves. Participants underwent a brain scan using magnetoencephalography, or MEG—a painless, noninvasive tool that picks up on faint electrical signals in the brain. During each session, the person simply sat still with their eyes closed. Most MEG analyses average out these signals, which can hide subtle but important patterns. But the Brown team used a new technique they created called the Spectral Events Toolbox. This tool breaks down brain activity into individual bursts—tracking how often they happen, how strong they are, and how long they last. This approach helped the team spot a significant difference in brainwave patterns between two groups: those whose memory remained stable, and those who developed Alzheimer’s within the next two and a half years. They focused on the brain’s beta frequency range—waves commonly linked to memory and cognitive processing. Patients who developed Alzheimer’s had fewer beta bursts. Those bursts were also shorter and weaker. “Two and a half years prior to their Alzheimer's disease diagnosis, patients were producing beta events at a lower rate, shorter in duration and at a weaker power,” said Danylyna Shpakivska, the study’s lead author based at the Complutense University of Madrid. “To our knowledge, this is the first time scientists have looked at beta events in relation to Alzheimer's disease.” Unlike spinal fluid or blood-based biomarkers that detect proteins like beta-amyloid or tau, this method gives a direct look at how brain cells are functioning. That distinction matters, said David Zhou, a postdoctoral researcher in Jones’ lab who is helping lead the next stage of the project. “Those other biomarkers can tell you what might be causing damage,” Zhou said, “but they don’t show how the brain is actually responding to it.” Jones believes their approach could eventually help diagnose Alzheimer’s much earlier, and more accurately. “The signal we’ve discovered can aid early detection,” she said. “Once our finding is replicated, clinicians could use our toolkit for early diagnosis and also to check whether their interventions are working.” The team is now using computational neural models to better understand what’s going wrong in the brain when these beta signals weaken. If they can simulate that disruption, they may be able to identify treatments that fix it. “Now that we've uncovered beta event features that predict Alzheimer's disease progression, our next step is to study the mechanisms of generation,” Jones said. “Then we can work with our collaborators to test therapeutics that might be able to correct the problem.” The project is funded by the National Institutes of Health, including the BRAIN Initiative, and by science funding bodies in Spain. Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science also backed the next phase through a Zimmerman Innovation Award. While more research is still needed, the findings offer a promising lead: a new way to peer directly into the brain’s electrical signals—and possibly into the future of Alzheimer’s.