This Golden Retriever Is The Official Dog Of This Year's Boston Marathon

Spencer, a 12-year-old golden retriever, has been attending the Boston Marathon since 2015. The certified therapy dog often holds a “Boston Strong” flag in his mouth as runners pass. The Boston Athletic Association named Spencer the official dog of the 126th Boston Marathon.

Read More

This 95-Year-Old Swiftie is Sparking a National Fan Club Movement

Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl," isn't just topping charts; it's creating unexpected fans in unlikely places. At Remington Heights Retirement Community in Omaha, Nebraska, 95-year-old Frank Uryasz has become the face of an unusual fan club dedicated to the pop superstar. Frank's journey into the world of Taylor Swift fandom began with a simple conversation. A staff member at Remington Heights shared her disappointment that Swift hadn't responded to any of her fan letters. Frank decided to take action, fueled by his knack for networking. "I know some people," he said in an interview with KETV. What started as a small idea quickly gained momentum. Frank launched a Taylor Swift fan club at his retirement home, and membership grew from ten to more than 100 members. The club became so popular that Frank had to introduce membership rules: non-residents need sponsorship from a current resident. The story caught the attention of Swifties nationwide. Molly from North Carolina sent the group cookies and friendship bracelets—hallmarks of the Taylor fandom—with a heartfelt note welcoming them to the "Swiftie family." Another group extended an invitation for Frank and his friends to join their online community, Swifties for Taylor–50 Years Old+. Frank has fully embraced his role as an ambassador for both Taylor Swift and his retirement community's growing fan club. During his KETV interview, he sported an “I Love Taylor” button and orange bracelets while displaying a special Taylor Swift license plate on his walker. But Frank's ambitions don't stop with leading a fan club. His ultimate goal is to bring Taylor herself to Omaha for a visit—a campaign already in motion. The club is preparing a package for delivery to Kansas City, where her fiancé Travis Kelce plays NFL football for the Chiefs. In it are letters for both Swift and Kelce, including marriage advice from Frank, who proudly supports the Chiefs. There's also a letter for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and photos of this senior-led Swiftie fan club. Reflecting on this unexpected star-studded venture, Frank says they’re enjoying every moment of it all.

Read More

Jetson Personal Aerial Vehicles Soar In World's First Race, Bringing Sci-Fi Dreams To Life

The dream of personal flying machines has hovered in our imaginations for decades, promising a future where traffic jams are left far below. While sci-fi shows like "The Jetsons" painted a picture of soaring off to work with ease, the reality is more complex. However, Jetson's new creation might be the closest we've come to that vision. Their offering, the Jetson ONE, is an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicle (eVTOL), showcased at 2025's UP.Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas. This summit isn't your typical airshow. It's a gathering of 300 top transport innovators from around the globe. This year, one of its highlights was the first-ever race featuring the Jetson ONE. The event aimed to showcase the aircraft's technology and featured pilots like Tomasz Patan, Jetson’s Chief Technical Officer and co-founder. Jetson calls their craft a "Formula One racing car for the sky." While it doesn't quite match those speeds or thrills, it's still impressive. The aircraft weighs just 121 kilograms with its batteries included and can reach a software-limited top speed of 101 kilometers per hour when carrying a pilot who weighs up to 95 kilograms. Safety is a big deal—it's got features like a safety shell, ballistic parachute system, auto-landing capabilities, hands-free hovering, and even remains airborne if one motor fails. You don't need a pilot's license to fly this machine. Operating it involves using a four-axis joystick controlled one-handed. Jetson claims you can learn how to fly it in under five minutes thanks to their intuitive flight control system. However, its flight time is limited to about 20 minutes per charge. Interested? It’ll cost you $128,000 with deliveries starting in 2028. Palmer Luckey, known for co-founding Oculus and Anduril Industries, became the first customer to receive a Jetson ONE in early September 2025—two years later than initially planned. Despite Jetson’s claims about mastering flight controls quickly, Luckey took about 50 minutes for training before taking his eVTOL for a spin around a field. Jetson has roots in Poland but now operates out of Italy after being founded by Patan and Peter Ternström in 2017. With over 500 orders already placed and high-profile buyers like Luckey showing interest, Jetson seems poised for success as they aim for global expansion. Tomasz Patan witnessed Luckey’s initial flight alongside CEO Stéphan D'haene—and remarked on this milestone as "the beginning of Jetson's global rollout."

Read More

Scientists Develop Living Computers Powered By... Mushrooms?

Researchers at The Ohio State University are looking at mushrooms in a whole new way. They’ve found that fungi, like the ones you might find on your dinner plate, could replace tiny metal components in computers. It turns out these humble organisms could be future stars in sustainable computing. The idea is simple but groundbreaking: use mushrooms to create memory cells that work like those in traditional microchips. John LaRocco, a research scientist from Ohio State's College of Medicine, explained the potential benefits. "Being able to develop microchips that mimic actual neural activity means you don't need a lot of power for standby or when the machine isn't being used," he said. This could offer significant computational and economic advantages. Mushrooms are already known for their toughness and unique biological properties, but now they’re catching attention as viable materials for bioelectronics—a field combining biology and technology to develop new materials for computing systems. These fungal electronics are not entirely new ideas, though they are becoming increasingly practical due to their sustainability. Fungal materials have some clear advantages over conventional semiconductors. For one thing, they’re biodegradable and cheap to produce. Unlike traditional chips that require rare minerals and lots of energy, mushrooms can help cut down electronic waste significantly. To see how well this works, the team grew shiitake and button mushrooms and dehydrated them before attaching them to custom electronic circuits. They then tested these mushroom devices by exposing them to different electrical currents. LaRocco noted the distinct electrical properties observed at different points on the mushrooms during testing. After two months of experimentation, results were promising. The mushroom-based memristor managed to switch between electrical states up to 5,850 times per second with about 90 percent accuracy. Although performance waned at higher frequencies, connecting multiple mushroom units seemed to stabilize operations—similar to how human brain neurons function together. Qudsia Tahmina, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Ohio State who co-authored the study, emphasized how easily mushrooms adapt for computing purposes. "Society has become increasingly aware of the need to protect our environment," she said. This awareness drives innovation toward eco-friendly solutions like these fungal devices. Tahmina also indicated the potential applications for larger-scale mushroom systems in edge computing or aerospace exploration; smaller versions could enhance autonomous systems or wearable tech. Though still in early stages, researchers plan to improve cultivation methods and shrink device sizes further down the line. Achieving more efficient fungal components will determine if they can truly compete with traditional microchips. John LaRocco summed it up: "Everything you'd need...could be as small as a compost heap...or as big as a culturing factory." With resources available today, exploring fungi's role in computing seems more accessible than ever. In addition to LaRocco and Tahmina's contributions, other Ohio State researchers Ruben Petreaca, John Simonis, and Justin Hill played roles in this study supported by Honda Research Institute.

Read More

Scientists Just Revealed How a Simple Diet Change Could Improve Sleep Fast

Counting sheep, trying white noise, or using weighted blankets; people have tried many ways to get a good night's sleep. Yet, for many, restful slumber remains elusive and continues to affect heart health, memory, learning ability, productivity, emotional balance, and relationships. Now, scientists from the University of Chicago Medicine and Columbia University suggest that a simple trip to the grocery store might hold the key. Their research indicates that eating more fruits and vegetables during the day can lead to better sleep quality at night. "Dietary modifications could be a new, natural and cost-effective approach to achieve better sleep," said Esra Tasali, MD. She is the co-senior author and director of the UChicago Sleep Center. The study focused on understanding how diet influences sleep—a subject less explored compared to how lack of sleep affects dietary choices. In this study, healthy young adults used an app to log their daily food intake while wearing wrist monitors tracking their sleep patterns. The researchers analyzed "sleep fragmentation," which measures how often someone wakes up or shifts between lighter and deeper stages of sleep during the night. The results were telling: those who consumed more fruits and vegetables experienced longer periods of deep, undisturbed sleep. The analysis showed that individuals meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation of five cups (about 1.2 liters) of fruits and vegetables per day saw an average 16 percent improvement in their sleep quality compared with those who did not consume any. "Sixteen percent is a highly significant difference," Tasali pointed out. "It's remarkable that such a meaningful change could be observed within less than 24 hours." Next steps in this research will aim to determine if this relationship is causal and explore the biological mechanisms involved. The team also plans to test these findings in broader and more diverse groups. But as it stands now, the evidence strongly suggests making fruits, vegetables, and whole grains a staple in your diet can improve long-term sleep health. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD from Columbia's Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research added her insight: "People are always asking me if there are things they can eat that will help them sleep better." She emphasized that small changes can indeed make an impact on sleep quality; better rest is within reach by adjusting daily eating habits. The study titled "Higher daytime intake of fruits and vegetables predicts less disrupted nighttime sleep in younger adults" was published in June 2025 in Sleep Health: The Journal of the National Sleep Foundation. Co-authors include Hedda L. Boege from Columbia University; Katherine D. Wilson from UC San Diego; Jennifer M. Kilkus from UChicago; Waveley Qiu from Columbia University; Bin Cheng from Columbia University; Kristen E. Wroblewski from UChicago; Becky Tucker from UChicago; Esra Tasali from UChicago; and Marie-Pierre St-Onge from Columbia University. This work received support through grants provided by various entities including the National Institutes of Health (R01HL142648), R35HL155670), UL1TR001873), CTSA-UL1TR0002389), UL1TR002389), R01DK136214) among others), as well as funding from Diabetes Research Training Center at University Chicago).

Read More

Reading Habit Transforms Life of Homeless Man Thanks to This Local Cafe Owner

When Rob Toon picked up a battered copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes from a homeless charity in Nottingham, he didn’t know it would change the course of his life. He had been sleeping rough for months. His phone had been stolen. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, he reached for a book — just to pass the time. Then another. And another. Before long, he was reading a novel a day. “At first, it alleviated boredom and it gave me something to hide behind,” the 47-year-old said. “Less people bother you when you’ve got your head in a book. I didn’t want people to notice me.” But people did notice — and it ended up saving him. One of them was Naomi Wright, who runs a small café near where Toon used to sleep. “He always looked so peaceful and serene,” she said. “I’d often see him sitting there reading.” One day, she stopped to talk. She mentioned she had some Stephen King novels to give away, and offered them to him. That simple exchange sparked an unlikely friendship — and a community-wide effort. Wright posted online asking for more books. Within days, about 50 donations came in. She kept them stacked at her café, and Toon started carrying a rucksack filled with reading material — everything from horror to self-help to IT textbooks. “She set something in motion,” Toon said. “It was a real icebreaker. It gave me a chance to talk to people with no judgement, no politics, just talking to people about a good book they’d read.” At a time when he was angry at the world, reading gave him a reason to connect. “Meeting Naomi and everyone out here, it kept a connection with me and society,” he said. “I was in danger of losing that.” The simple act of reading — and being seen as a reader rather than a homeless man — changed how others treated him. It also changed how he saw himself. Through those conversations and friendships, Toon started to rebuild trust. “Not everyone was out to get me,” he said. By April this year, after two years on the streets, he moved into assisted living accommodation run by a homeless charity. And he didn’t stop learning. He earned a grade five — roughly a low B or high C — in English and maths, the equivalent of a GCSE. Now, inspired by books he read about coding while he was homeless, he’s thinking about a career in cyber security. He and Wright still meet regularly to swap books and talk about life, though he admits he has less time to read now. “I’m thankful for Naomi and everyone around here for bringing me out of myself,” he said. “Without reading and this book exchange, I’d probably still be out there. I’d like people to be more aware that there are homeless people out there who want a better quality of life and just need a bit of help.” For Wright, it’s been just as meaningful. “Getting to know someone like Rob, who was so intelligent and who had just fallen on hard times — to bond over books and things like that — it makes them feel like you’re seeing them for who they are,” she said. “Not just a charity case.” A single book pulled Toon out of isolation. The kindness of a stranger kept him there. And together, they turned a chance encounter over a few pages into the beginning of a new chapter.

Read More

Sons Of Jericho Rock Band Inspires Hope And Recovery For Members Battling Addiction

In Derby, England, a group of six men recovering from addiction has found solace and purpose through music. They call themselves Sons of Jericho, a rock band that emerged from Jericho House, a recovery charity in Derby devoted to helping men rebuild their lives after addiction and legal troubles. Sean Payne, the band's frontman and singer, was volunteering at the charity when the opportunity to join the band arose. Despite being naturally withdrawn, he took on the role with enthusiasm. "Every song we play carries the message that recovery is possible," said Neil Ainslie, chief executive of Jericho House and manager of the band. He added that their music styles include rock, indie, and Britpop, drawing inspiration from bands like Foo Fighters, Oasis, and The Beatles. For Jake Lindsay, another member of Sons of Jericho, performing in the band has been transformative in his recovery journey from drug addiction. "I was looking for ways to cope and when I first started it was very much like it felt like the answer because it stopped all the noise in my head," he shared. He explained that drugs initially seemed like a solution for his anxiety but eventually became a problem. "Jericho took the drugs out of the equation," he said. Charlie Pool began as just a roadie for Sons of Jericho but ended up becoming their bass player when there was no one else available. "I was the only volunteer," he said. Pool didn't know how to play an instrument before joining but learned guitar at Jericho House. Now, playing music has become something he deeply enjoys. The band has already played several gigs under Ainslie’s management and continues to grow stronger with each performance. They are currently preparing for an upcoming Christmas-themed event in Derby next month.

Read More

Archaeologists Unearth Treasure Trove Of Gold Coins And Ancient Jewelry Near Sea Of Galilee

A treasure trove of ancient gold coins and exquisite jewelry has been unearthed at the ruins of Hippos, a historic Christian city overlooking the Sea of Galilee — and archaeologists are calling it one of the largest finds of its kind in Israel. Discovered in July by a metal detectorist during a routine dig, the cache includes 97 gold coins and dozens of intricately designed jewelry fragments, some inlaid with pearls, semi-precious stones, and colored glass. “I couldn’t believe it — gold coins started appearing one after another,” said Edie Lipsman, the metal detectorist who made the accidental find. “The device went crazy.” Hippos, once a prominent bishop’s seat during the Byzantine era, has been under excavation for over two decades, but nothing of this scale had ever been found on dry land at the site. According to the University of Haifa, which leads the dig, the coins span more than a century of history, from the reign of Emperor Justin I in the 520s to the early years of Emperor Heraclius around 610 A.D. Among the standout pieces: a rare tremissis minted in Cyprus during Heraclius the Elder’s revolt against Emperor Phocas — only the second of its kind ever found in Israel. “This is one of the largest Byzantine-era hoards found in Israel,” said Michael Eisenberg, the lead archaeologist. “Its uniqueness lies in the combination of jewelry and gold coins from the reigns of different emperors. In addition, remnants of fabric were found on some of the coins — a trace of the cloth pouch in which the hoard had been hidden.” Many of the coins are solidi — full-value gold coins — while others are fractional, indicating the hoard was probably a well-used stash rather than ceremonial or decorative. But it’s not just the coins that caught the team’s attention. “The fine craftsmanship, combining semi-precious stones and pearls… I hope modern jewelers will recreate this beauty,” said researcher Arleta Kowalewska. Eisenberg agreed, adding that the preservation was remarkable. “Gold is a noble metal, and when you find coins and jewelry nearly 1,400 years old that look new, it is a rare experience,” he said. The discovery paints a vivid picture of daily life in Hippos during the height of its Byzantine prominence — a city filled with traders, artisans, and clergy, connected to a wider world through commerce and culture. The site has been the focus of multiple discoveries in recent months. In August, archaeologists revealed what may be the world’s oldest known nursing home, a Christian care facility for the elderly dating back 1,600 years. A mosaic found inside one of the buildings bore a clear message in ancient Greek: “Peace be with the elders.” That structure was located just 100 meters from the city’s central plaza, within a residential block, and added new layers of understanding to how the early Christian community at Hippos cared for its aging population. Taken together, these finds show a city rich in material culture and social complexity — where care for the elderly and dazzling wealth could exist side by side. The team plans to continue its excavations in the area, hoping the stones of Hippos still have more secrets to give.

Read More

Ivy League Psychologist Reveals 4 Traits That Help Successful People Achieve Their Goals

People who consistently hit their goals tend to have something in common — and it’s not just talent or ambition. Psychologist Angela Duckworth, best known for her work on “grit,” says there are four key traits that show up again and again in people who stay committed and achieve long-term success. “They pursue projects they’re genuinely interested in. They practice diligently and deliberately. They have a strong sense of purpose. And they believe their efforts will help them improve,” Duckworth explained on an October 13 episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast. Duckworth, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, has spent more than 15 years studying what keeps people going. Her research suggests that while goal-setting matters, the way people stick with those goals is what makes the difference. And it all starts with genuine interest. “When you look at people who are great at what they do... their mind comes to this subject and wants to stay there,” she said. “I don’t believe you can grow passion without the seed of interest.” If you're unsure what that interest might be, Duckworth advises paying attention to what others notice about you. Are there topics you bring up often? Things you keep returning to? Or, better yet, stop overthinking it. “Don’t think it, just do it,” Duckworth said. “Stop writing in your journal. Stop asking yourself questions. Literally go out and do something. Interests are like food. You’ve got to taste it to know whether you like it or not.” The second trait, deliberate practice, is about more than just putting in hours. It’s about how you practice. Duckworth offered her own running habit as an example. Despite years of jogging, she wasn’t improving. Her late mentor, psychologist Anders Ericsson, asked if she had a goal, if she gave full effort, or if she sought feedback. “Never,” Duckworth admitted. “I was doing low-quality practice.” The third trait — a strong sense of purpose — is often tied to helping others. When people believe their work benefits someone beyond themselves, it creates accountability and motivation. But that sense of purpose doesn’t always have to be grand. Physician and author Jordan Grumet cautioned against getting too fixated on big-picture goals. “Unlike big audacious goals that take years or even decades to achieve, the small, more personal types of purpose are ongoing projects that are enjoyable regardless of the results,” Grumet wrote for CNBC Make It in April. That ties directly to the fourth trait: hope. People who succeed tend to believe they can — even when progress is slow. And when it feels overwhelming? Duckworth says to start small. “I take my pen out and I put a to-do list together that is ridiculously simple, like ‘Open [a] Google Doc.’ Then I open the Google Doc and check it off. Small win,” she said. “If you break down these things that are feeling discouraging to you, you should just think to yourself, ‘Too big.’ Not that it’s impossible.” Her message is clear: grit isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build — one small, deliberate step at a time.

Read More

Scientists Achieve Quantum Teleportation Over The Internet For First Time

In a major leap toward the future of quantum communication, scientists in the US have successfully teleported a quantum state of light through more than 30 kilometers of fiber optic cable — while it was actively carrying regular internet traffic. The experiment marks the first time quantum teleportation has been achieved alongside a working data stream, suggesting quantum and classical communications could eventually share the same infrastructure. “This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible,” said Prem Kumar, a computing engineer at Northwestern University who led the study. The breakthrough, published in Optica, didn’t result in anyone being beamed across space like in Star Trek, but it did push the boundaries of what's technologically feasible. The researchers teleported the quantum state of a photon — a particle of light — across 30.6 kilometers (about 18 miles) of commercial-grade fiber optic cable. The cable wasn’t empty; it was humming with 400 gigabits per second of data, from banking transactions to streaming videos. To understand why this is such a big deal, it helps to know how fragile quantum states are. A photon’s quantum state is like candy floss in a rainstorm: delicate, ephemeral, and liable to collapse the moment it's touched. Regular light signals can be sent over fiber without issue, but quantum signals are notoriously easy to lose or corrupt. Most past experiments were done in clean, controlled lab environments. Kumar’s team threw their quantum signal into the chaotic stream of real-world internet data — and it survived. “We carefully studied how light is scattered and placed our photons at a judicial point where that scattering mechanism is minimized,” Kumar said. “We found we could perform quantum communication without interference from the classical channels that are simultaneously present.” The process hinges on a principle called quantum teleportation. It’s not about moving matter, but about transferring the quantum information of one particle to another at a different location. It works by destroying the original quantum state and imprinting it onto another particle through a process known as entanglement. A small burst of classical information must still be sent between the two points to complete the transfer. What made this experiment groundbreaking was its ability to perform teleportation over existing fiber cables — the kind already used to power the modern internet — without the need to build entirely new infrastructure. That’s significant because one of the big roadblocks in quantum networking has always been cost and practicality. Creating a separate, secure quantum internet sounded great in theory, but less so when it came to digging trenches and laying cables. Kumar’s team showed that, with careful tuning, quantum and classical communication can coexist. “Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fiber optic infrastructure,” Kumar said. “Basically, it opens the door to pushing quantum communications to the next level.” While other labs have simulated this kind of hybrid transmission or tested quantum communication over unused fiber, this was the first time a quantum teleportation experiment succeeded under real internet conditions. The implications are huge. A working quantum internet could make encryption dramatically more secure, help connect quantum computers in different locations, and create new tools for sensing and measurement. “Quantum teleportation has the ability to provide quantum connectivity securely between geographically distant nodes,” Kumar said. “But many people have long assumed that nobody would build specialized infrastructure to send particles of light. If we choose the wavelengths properly, we won’t have to build new infrastructure.” In other words, this experiment didn’t just prove teleportation could work. It proved it could work in the world we already live in.

Read More

Good News You Might Have Missed This Week

It’s been a big week for good news around the world — from billionaires quietly giving away fortunes to kids dodging peanut allergies and sea turtles escaping fishing nets. Here are the standout stories worth celebrating. MacKenzie Scott’s silent giving spree keeps breaking records Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has cut her stake in Amazon by 42% in the last year — offloading about $12.6 billion worth of stock — while continuing her habit of quietly giving away massive sums. Scott, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2020, has now donated more than $19 billion to over 2,000 nonprofits. Her gifts are unrestricted, which means recipients can spend the money however they believe it will help most. Just in recent months, she’s donated $42 million to help low-income students access college, $70 million to HBCU scholarships, and $50 million to scholarships for Native students. From fishing nets to 3D printers — and sunglasses On the coast of Cornwall, UK fisherman Ian Falconer was tired of seeing discarded nylon fishing nets piling up and harming marine life. So he invented a better way. Using a recycling method he developed in his kitchen, Falconer now turns these nets into plastic pellets used in 3D printing. His startup, OrCA, has already raised over £1 million and is producing items like eyeglasses and razor handles — all with a fraction of the carbon impact of creating new plastic. A heat-sensing patch could save outdoor workers' lives Roxana Chicas, a nurse and scientist who immigrated from El Salvador, has designed a wearable patch to protect people who work outdoors. The biopatch monitors hydration, skin temperature, oxygen levels, and more — using AI to detect early signs of heat strain. Chicas developed the idea after hearing about the conditions her family members faced in construction and landscaping. The patch could help prevent life-threatening situations by alerting workers to seek help before symptoms become severe. Volunteers charter a rescue flight for dogs left behind in Alaska flood After a typhoon caused massive flooding in parts of Alaska, hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate — but military evacuation flights didn’t allow pets. That left up to 100 dogs stranded in remote villages. A local nonprofit, Bethel Friends of Canines, stepped in, chartering a private plane to save the animals. With $22,000 raised in donations, they’ve already reunited several dogs with their owners and continue to care for the rest. Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen serves free meals to furloughed federal workers In response to the latest U.S. government shutdown, Jon Bon Jovi’s pay-it-forward restaurant, JBJ Soul Kitchen, is now offering free three-course meals to federal workers in need. With roughly 1.4 million government employees affected, including tens of thousands in New Jersey, the restaurant’s gesture is more than symbolic. It’s also not the first time: the Bongiovis did the same thing back in 2019. A 3D-printed bridge inspired by bones traps more CO₂ than regular concrete A new 3D-printed bridge designed using the internal structure of human bones is drawing attention for more than just its architecture. The bridge, built using a special formula of concrete, absorbs 142% more carbon dioxide than conventional versions. FarmVille returns — and this time it’s helping endangered animals Yes, that FarmVille. The digital farming game, once a Facebook staple, has been revived — and it now partners with real-world conservation efforts. In-game actions now help fund actual conservation programs, including those protecting endangered species. Peanut allergies in kids are down, thanks to early exposure guidelines A major public health shift is paying off. Since 2015, doctors have advised parents to introduce peanut products to babies early — as young as 4 months — to help prevent allergies. Now, researchers estimate that around 60,000 children have avoided developing peanut allergies as a result. The Savannah Bananas revive the legendary Indianapolis Clowns The Savannah Bananas — baseball’s showmen known for their trick plays and showmanship — have revived a piece of history. They’ve partnered with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to bring back the Indianapolis Clowns, known as the “Harlem Globetrotters of baseball.” Before he became an MLB legend, Hank Aaron got his start with the Clowns. Their legacy is now being introduced to new generations of fans through Banana Ball. And there’s more: • Scientists in the UK successfully transplanted a kidney modified to be blood type O — a universal donor — into a human. • A vintage otter T-shirt worn by Taylor Swift helped raise $2 million for ocean conservation. • North Atlantic right whale numbers rose for the first time in years, sparking cautious optimism among scientists. • The U.K. approved its biggest solar farm yet, which will power 300,000 homes. • Oregon became the first U.S. state verified as an “accessible travel” destination. • A new robotic fish eats plastic pollution and uses it as fuel to keep swimming. • A new law in California boosts fire safety standards for grid battery installations. • A U.S. developer is building housing for 2,000 Ukrainians displaced by war. • A 1960s motel in Atlanta was converted into affordable housing honoring civil rights leaders. • Austria is turning transmission towers into public art — massive sculptures of animals. • Scientists found a way to grow leather from living cow cells — and the cow is still alive. • A new wetsuit design offers real protection from shark bites. • The Boy Scouts introduced AI and cybersecurity merit badges. • Public Montessori programs showed strong results for early learning at lower cost. • A “Think Like a Scientist” program is inspiring incarcerated people to pursue higher education. • Billionaires in Houston pledged 95% of their $11 billion fortune to local charities. • Chappell Roan’s new LGBTQ+ initiative raised $400,000 for youth organizations. • A new statue outside a London hospital honors postpartum mothers. And in case you missed it: Even though many people feel the world is getting worse, most are still optimistic that their own lives will get better. In study after study, hope proves stubborn — and that’s something worth holding onto.

Read More