Spending Time in Nature Reduces Emotional Distress Among Troubled Kids

Spending time in nature can reduce emotional distress among troubled 10 to 12-year-olds, according to Canadian researchers. A school-based program involving two hours a week in a natural environment showed significant benefits for children with mental health problems. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, highlights the importance of green space for children's development and suggests that nature-based programs could help equalize mental health among school-age kids.

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Marcedes Lewis Becomes Oldest Tight End in NFL History at Age 41

At 41, Marcedes Lewis just made history — and he's not done yet. On Sunday, the veteran tight end became the oldest player ever to suit up for the Denver Broncos, playing in their 18-15 win over the Houston Texans. Signed to the practice squad just four days earlier, Lewis was elevated to the active roster on Saturday and took the field with the offense on the opening series. “It feels amazing,” Lewis told The Denver Gazette. “It’s special and I don’t take it for granted. If I’m not giving my absolute best at whatever I’m doing on that day, I can’t renew my contract for the next day.” By stepping onto the field, Lewis broke two franchise age records. He surpassed quarterback Craig Morton, who was just shy of 40 when he played his final regular-season game for the Broncos in 1982. And when postseason games are included, Lewis also passed Peyton Manning, who was 39 years and 10 months when he led Denver to victory in Super Bowl 50. Lewis is now in his 20th NFL season — a remarkable milestone in a league where the average career spans less than four years. Drafted in the first round by Jacksonville in 2006, Lewis spent 12 seasons with the Jaguars, then played five years in Green Bay and two with Chicago. Known earlier in his career as a pass-catching tight end — he made the Pro Bowl in 2010 with 48 catches and 700 yards — Lewis has more recently focused on blocking. Still, he wasn’t ready to walk away. “Obviously, finishing my 19th season, I had aspirations of getting 20,” he said. “The beginning of this year didn’t go as planned… so I decided to wait it out. Being here [in Denver] is something special.” The Broncos called after tight end Nate Adkins suffered a knee injury in late October. With Adkins still sidelined, Lewis is expected to be active again this Thursday when Denver faces the Las Vegas Raiders at home. For now, Lewis says he’s taking it one day — and one contract renewal — at a time.

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Kenyan Runners Triumph in Men's and Women's Races at New York City Marathon

Kenya dominated the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, with Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri taking top honors in the men’s and women’s pro divisions. Kipruto, 34, edged out fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso in a thrilling sprint finish, both clocking 2:08:09 — but Kipruto won by just 0.03 seconds. “I knew it was going to be a tight race,” he said at a post-race press conference. “I'm so happy to have my fourth win over a major marathon.” It was Kipruto’s first New York City Marathon win, adding to previous victories in Tokyo (2024), Chicago (2022), and Boston (2021). He also claimed bronze in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 2:07:00. Albert Korir, also from Kenya, placed third on Sunday with a time of 2:08:57, giving Kenya a clean sweep of the men’s podium. In the women’s race, 35-year-old Hellen Obiri claimed her second consecutive NYC Marathon title with a winning time of 2:19:51. Fellow Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and Sheila Chepkirui took second and third, respectively. Obiri, a three-time Olympic medalist, first won the race in 2023. More than 55,000 runners took part in this year’s event, which winds through all five of New York City's boroughs and across five bridges. Hosted annually since 1970 on the first Sunday of November, the NYC Marathon is the largest in the world, drawing runners from over 150 countries. While elite athletes fought for top spots, the race also welcomed celebrity participants. Hip-hop artist N.O.R.E., MTV Catfish host Nev Schulman, and others joined thousands running for personal goals and charitable causes. More than 600 charities were represented, with millions raised through fundraising efforts. This year also marked the debut of one of the sport’s legends: Eliud Kipchoge. The former men’s marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist ran his first NYC Marathon just days before his 41st birthday. He finished 17th with a time of 2:14:36. In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug of Switzerland claimed his sixth NYC title with a time of 1:30:16. On the women’s side, American Susannah Scaroni defended her title, winning in 1:42:10. Each wheelchair champion took home $50,000 — the largest prize ever awarded in the division. Overall, the race offered a guaranteed prize purse of $969,000, with $100,000 awarded to each of the male and female open division winners. It was a day of personal triumphs, record-breaking participation, and a reaffirmation of Kenya’s long-distance legacy — all set against the backdrop of New York’s iconic streets.

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Netherlands Just Pledged to Return This Stolen 3,500-Year-Old Sculpture To Egypt

The Netherlands has announced it will return a 3,500-year-old stone sculpture to Egypt, after authorities confirmed it had been looted and illegally exported during the chaos of the Arab Spring. Dutch officials say it’s "highly likely" the head-shaped sculpture, believed to represent a high-ranking official from the time of Pharaoh Thutmose III, was stolen in either 2011 or 2012. It resurfaced years later at an art and antiques fair in Maastricht in 2022, where it was offered for sale. Dutch authorities launched an investigation after receiving an anonymous tip-off about the artifact’s origin. The dealer voluntarily surrendered the piece once its illicit background became clear. Outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof made the pledge to return the sculpture during the opening weekend of Egypt’s massive new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza — an event marking a major moment for Egypt’s cultural heritage. Dutch officials said the head will be formally handed over to the Egyptian ambassador in the Netherlands by the end of the year. “The Netherlands is committed both nationally and internationally to ensuring the return of heritage to its original owners,” the government said in a statement, adding that the sculpture holds deep significance for Egypt’s identity. The move comes at a time of growing international pressure on museums and collectors to return stolen or looted cultural objects. Egypt, in particular, has intensified efforts to reclaim artifacts, many of which were taken during periods of foreign occupation or political instability. The timing of the announcement also underscores the importance of Egypt’s new $1.2 billion Grand Egyptian Museum, which officially opened this weekend after years of delays — including a pause during the Arab Spring. The museum, one of the largest archaeological museums in the world, holds 100,000 artefacts, including the complete collection from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Egyptologists and officials hope the museum’s global spotlight will support calls for the return of iconic artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone, which remains on display at the British Museum in London.

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Jesse Eisenberg Reveals He's Donating a Kidney to a Stranger: 'A No-Brainer'

Jesse Eisenberg is known for his quick wit and offbeat film roles — but offscreen, he’s making a quiet, extraordinary decision: donating one of his kidneys to a complete stranger. The 42-year-old actor shared the news during a live appearance on the TODAY show, saying he's scheduled for the procedure in mid-December. “I really am,” he confirmed. “I’m actually donating my kidney in six weeks.” Eisenberg isn’t doing it for a friend or family member. It’s what’s known as an altruistic or non-directed donation — where the kidney goes to someone with advanced kidney disease whom the donor doesn’t know. It’s an act of giving that’s rare, yet critically needed. As of September 2024, nearly 90,000 people in the U.S. were waiting for a kidney transplant. “I don’t know why,” Eisenberg said when asked what motivated him. “I got bitten by the blood donation bug. I’m doing an altruistic donation… I’m so excited to do it.” The Social Network star says he first considered donating a decade ago and even reached out to an organization but never heard back. Recently, after a conversation with a doctor friend, he was connected with NYU Langone Health in New York. The next day, he was in the hospital undergoing evaluation. After a series of tests, he was cleared — and is now scheduled to move forward. "It's essentially risk-free and so needed," Eisenberg told TODAY.com in a follow-up interview. “I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.” He also explained how a single donation can trigger a chain reaction. In cases where a loved one isn’t a match for a patient, the altruistic donor’s kidney might go to that patient — freeing the loved one to donate to someone else, and so on. “It only works if there is basically an altruistic donor,” he said. To address a common concern — what if a family member later needs a kidney? — Eisenberg said he registered his loved ones through the National Kidney Registry’s family voucher program. That ensures they’d be prioritized for a living kidney donation if needed in the future. “So it’s risk-free for my family, as well,” he said. Eisenberg has long been a committed blood donor, too. “I just have so much blood in me, and I feel like I should spill it,” he joked. But there’s sincerity behind his humor — and a growing track record of putting those instincts into action.

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Woman Finds Biological Father After 35-Year Search, Discovering New Family Bonds

At 35, Sarah Pilkington decided it was finally time to answer the question that had followed her all her life: Who was her biological father? Growing up in Vancouver, Washington, Pilkington had been raised by her mother and stepfather — but never felt a real connection to the man who helped raise her. Her mother had become pregnant at 20 and, by Pilkington’s account, had been uncertain of the father’s identity. That uncertainty eventually faded into the background when she married someone else. But for Pilkington, the gap was always there. “I really pined for his approval,” she said. “When you are made to feel that way in your youth, it heavily impacts the choices you make in relationships of all kinds.” After going through a divorce in 2024 and working to rebuild her self-worth, she felt ready. Surrounded by a supportive community and finally unafraid of what she might find, she ordered an ancestry test in August 2025. “I was always so afraid of being rejected by whoever my father was,” she said. “But I finally felt like I had the wide support to go look for him and handle however it played out.” Within three weeks, the results came in — and so did a breakthrough. She was matched with a close family member: her aunt. Her sister tracked down photos online, and when Pilkington saw them, she said she just knew. Despite having been off Facebook for years, she reactivated her account and messaged the woman who matched. The response came quickly. Her aunt was warm and willing to help. Days later, while Pilkington was traveling for a wedding, she got on the phone with her biological father, Greg Mickles, 55. That call turned into daily conversations. Then, on October 20, Greg and his wife flew from Wildomar, California, to meet Sarah in person. She remembers the moment clearly. “I had my dad. He cried, I cried. We all cried,” she said. “He is honestly a really kind person.” She said the most surprising part wasn’t just how easy it was to find him — it was how right it all felt. “My dad is just like me, or I am like him,” she said. “We are both tender hearts, big softies. He is better than I hoped for.” For years, Pilkington had assumed the worst — that he wouldn’t want to know her, that it would be painful or awkward. But the reality was the opposite. “Boy, was I wrong,” she said. “I have heard of these searches not going anywhere near as smoothly as this did. I did not think I would find him this fast or that it would be this easy.” Now, she's looking forward to spending the holidays with her newly found family and deepening the bond that, until recently, felt out of reach. “I feel a level of peace I cannot quite describe,” she said. Her advice to others considering a similar search? Don’t go it alone. “My family, friends, and partner have helped me get to this place where I felt safe enough to begin this search,” she said. “I think, had I not had their support, it would have taken me a lot longer to get here.”

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Endangered Orca Pod Captured in Stunning Drone Footage by Scientists

Stunning drone footage has revealed a close look at an endangered population of orcas off the coast of Washington state. Footage taken by scientists with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance shows the Southern Resident killer whale pod swimming together in the Salish Sea. At the end of the footage, scientists captured what appeared to be a humpback whale. The orca pod was listed as an endangered population in 2005 by the Endangered Species Act, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, so scientists with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the SeaDoc Society, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society, and NOAA monitored the pod throughout September. The SeaDoc Society said that scientists saw a new whale calf swimming with one of the family groups in the pod while they were collecting breath and fecal samples.

Scientists Discover 14 Strange New Species Hidden In The Deep Sea

Only a fraction of life in Earth’s oceans has been officially identified, but a new initiative is helping scientists close that gap — before it’s too late. Despite estimates that our oceans may contain up to two million species, most remain undocumented. One major problem? The delay between discovery and description can last years, even decades. In that time, some species vanish due to human-driven biodiversity loss — before we even knew they existed. To speed things up, researchers launched Ocean Species Discoveries, a streamlined publishing platform focused on marine invertebrates. It’s backed by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance (SOSA), part of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt. Their goal is simple: make taxonomy faster, more efficient, and more visible. The platform just released its second major batch of research, documenting 14 new species and two new genera from across the globe. Worms, mollusks, crustaceans — all found at depths ranging from just a meter to over 6,000 meters. The team’s findings were published in Biodiversity Data Journal, marking a major milestone one year after the project’s pilot launch. “Our shared vision is making taxonomy faster, more efficient, more accessible and more visible,” the team wrote. To make that possible, the researchers used advanced tools like light and electron microscopy, molecular barcoding, and non-invasive micro-CT scanning. These techniques allow for highly detailed imaging and precise species descriptions — without damaging specimens. One standout discovery is Veleropilina gretchenae, a newly described mollusk pulled from the Aleutian Trench at a depth of 6,465 meters. It’s one of the first mollusks in its class — Monoplacophora — to have its genome sequenced directly from its holotype, or original specimen. Another first: Myonera aleutiana, a carnivorous bivalve found at 5,280 meters — the deepest any species in its genus has been observed. Its internal anatomy was captured entirely through micro-CT scans, producing over 2,000 images and marking just the second time this technique has been used to fully document a bivalve species. In some cases, the new species come with a story. Take Apotectonia senckenbergae, an amphipod named after Johanna Rebecca Senckenberg, an 18th-century naturalist whose legacy helped launch the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research. It was found in the hydrothermal vent fields of the Galápagos Rift, living at a depth of 2,602 meters. Then there’s Zeaione everta, a parasitic isopod discovered in Australia’s intertidal zone. Its raised back structures resemble popped corn kernels — which inspired its name, drawn from Zea, the corn genus. The species is strange enough to warrant its own new genus. Some findings even captured odd deep-sea relationships. A specimen of Laevidentalium wiesei, a tusk shell collected from over 5,000 meters down, was found with a sea anemone attached to its concave side — an interaction never before recorded in this genus. The bigger picture behind these findings is the need to move fast. Without efficient documentation, many species might go extinct without ever being named. The Ocean Species Discoveries project is a clear step toward solving that. By creating a system that supports global collaboration and faster publication, scientists are not just mapping the ocean’s biodiversity — they’re racing to protect it.

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Peoria Opens Historic 1897 Time Capsule, Revealing A Glimpse Into The City’s Past

A long-forgotten piece of Peoria’s past was brought into the spotlight Sunday as city officials and residents opened a time capsule that had been hidden inside City Hall for more than 125 years. The capsule, originally placed in the building’s cornerstone in 1897, was discovered earlier this year during restoration work on the historic façade. It was opened exactly 128 years to the day after it was first sealed. Hundreds of residents packed into the Gateway Building along the Riverfront to watch history unfold in real time. Inside the small copper box, city leaders and historians found newspapers, business cards, handwritten documents, and other 19th-century items that offered a snapshot of daily life in Peoria at the turn of the century. Mayor Rita Ali described the moment as more than just a historical discovery. “Time capsules are more than just containers of artifacts, they’re messages from the past, created by the people who lived here more than a century ago,” Ali said. “Because this capsule belongs to the people of Peoria, it’s only fitting that our community comes together to witness its opening and reflect on how far we’ve come.” The event featured music by the Peoria Municipal Band and reflections from the Peoria Historical Society, Bradley University Special Collections, and the Peoria Riverfront Museum, helping to frame the historical significance of the discovery. The contents of the capsule will now be on public display inside Peoria City Hall during regular business hours. But the event wasn’t just about looking back. City officials also used the opportunity to invite residents to help shape Peoria’s next time capsule, scheduled for 2026. Locals are being asked to write cards about what they love most about their city. Those notes will be sealed into a new capsule next year — a modern message to future Peorians.

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This Boy Just Turned the '6-7' Craze Into a Thriving Business

The phrase “6-7” might not mean much to adults, but for kids in Gen Alpha, it’s become an internet obsession — one that’s now fueling a mini business empire for an 11-year-old in Liverpool. Alfie, with a birthday-gifted 3D printer and some parental support, has started making and selling statues of the mysterious term. What began as a fun project for his friends has quickly grown into something much bigger. His mum, Karlla, said the idea took off after she posted about it on a local Facebook community page. “[The post] went a little bit mad,” she said. “We've had about 40 or 50 orders since I first posted on Wednesday. The first day, every couple of minutes there was an order.” “67” — pronounced “six-seven” — was recently named Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year for 2025. It first gained traction through a track by US rapper Skrilla called Doot Doot (67), but its meaning is still unclear. Some say it signals indecision or a “maybe this, maybe that” kind of vibe. Others just think it sounds cool. For Alfie and his classmates, that ambiguity only adds to the appeal. The phrase has taken on a life of its own online, evolving into a meme, a catchphrase, and now, in Alfie’s case, a money-making opportunity. “It's become a bit of a running joke in the house,” Karlla said. “I’ve spoken to loads of parents and there’s heaps of comments on the Facebook posts saying ‘what does it mean?’” Whatever it means, it’s working. Orders keep rolling in, and Alfie is “over the moon” with the response. He’s fulfilling the requests from his home using his 3D printer — a gift that’s now paying for itself. Karlla said the whole thing has been “a nice wholesome way” for her son to earn a bit of pocket money. “And it keeps him off YouTube for a little bit,” she added.

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Jazz Singer Regains Voice Through Care Home Music Sessions

At 76, Susan Sansby never thought she'd sing again. The former professional jazz singer, who once performed alongside George Melly and graced the stage at Ronnie Scott's in Soho, had all but given up after pneumonia damaged her lungs. But now, inside a care home in Essex, her voice is beginning to return. "I'm ever so pleased," Sansby said. "I can see the day when I can stand up and sing a song again." Sansby, a resident at Woodland Grove care home in Loughton, spent more than two decades in the music scene. Her career picked up unexpectedly when she was working as an administrator at a care home and began singing for the residents. "Then people asked me to sing in hospices and to elderly people," she said. From there, she ran singing sessions for people with dementia, mental health challenges, and performed with her band at pubs and weddings. "I loved it," she said. That all came to a halt after she fell ill and was diagnosed with pneumonia, a respiratory infection that left lasting damage to her lungs. “I thought my singing days were over,” she said. But then came Edmund Jeffrey. A trained musician with a decade of experience working with Asthma + Lung UK, Jeffrey now leads the Singing for Lung Health programme at Woodland Grove. What sounds like a singalong is actually a targeted breathing exercise programme with a soundtrack. “If this programme was described as a ‘respiratory health clinic’, I doubt if as many people would come,” Jeffrey said. “But who doesn’t like to sing?” The sessions include folk songs from Native American and African traditions, as well as familiar classics. But the real focus is on breath control. The songs are chosen specifically for their phrasing, which forces residents to regulate their breathing and gradually build strength and stamina. "We've already seen significant improvements in the length of phrases residents can sing and they've become much more confident," he said. "At first they were quite shy to make the noises and movements we do in the vocal exercises, but they're so much more forthcoming now." Jeffrey also works on changing what he calls “bad habits” — from reducing shoulder tension to improving posture — all aimed at helping participants breathe more efficiently. That’s especially helpful for residents with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition that restricts airflow and makes breathing difficult. “While we can’t improve their lung capacity, we can make the best of what they have,” he said. “Singing’s a great way to do it.” Sansby credits the sessions for helping bring her voice back. “Since coming here, Edmund has been working with me and my voice has started to come back,” she said. For someone who once thought she’d never sing again, that’s more than a recovery. It’s a comeback.

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