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Score (96)
Space Garden Success: Plants Thrive in Space, Provide Food and Oxygen
NASA is tackling the challenge of providing nutritious food for long space missions by growing plants in space. The Plant Habitat-07 study explores how water levels affect red romaine lettuce, a crop proven to thrive on the ISS. This research could enhance crop production in space and on Earth. Past studies have successfully grown various vegetables and examined factors like light quality, gene expression and hormone effects on plant growth. These insights are paving the way for future space-based agriculture innovations.
Score (90)
Want To Be A Better Public Speaker? Experts Say Start With A Simple Voice Message
A lot of people want to get better at public speaking, whether it is for work, social comfort, or just feeling more confident in everyday conversations. Classes can help and so can speech coaches, but not everyone has the time or money to access them. One communication expert says you can make real progress with something already in your pocket, your phone. In a YouTube video, speaker and communication coach Vinh Giang suggests a daily habit that can strengthen your verbal skills, sending voice messages instead of texts. He points out that people like texting because they can review a message before sending it and correct anything unclear. Voice messages offer the same advantage. Recording a voice note gives you a chance to hear yourself in a low pressure setting. You can re record it as many times as you want. Each time you play it back, you notice your volume, pacing, clarity, and word choice. You also become more aware of your habits. Over time, you learn what to adjust, what to work on, and what you already do well. Speech professionals say this makes sense. Ryann Sutera, a speech pathology expert, said the process is known as self monitoring through biofeedback. “Rehearsing running speech through the use of recordings can help assess intelligibility, rate of speech, and word choice,” she said. Public relations director Lauren Guess said her team uses the same approach. “Using voice memos as a low stakes tactic to improve communication and public speaking skills is something we find helps prep our clients for media opportunities,” she said. Many of her clients are on the move, so sending voice memos in response to questions is a practical way to build strong, usable sound bites. Guess said this goes beyond communicating with reporters. Voice messages sharpen talking points and help clients become more confident when speaking out loud. “We prefer this approach because we find it quickly strengthens confidence in speaking on their subject matter and enhances their ability to nail their key messages, compared to submitting quotes via email or text,” she said. For anyone hoping to become a better speaker, whether for presentations at work, community events, or even everyday conversations with friends, it may be worth trading a few typed sentences for a short recording. A simple voice message could give you the feedback you need to grow more comfortable and more effective each time you speak.
Score (98)
NYPD Officers Rescue Stranded Bird From Icy New York River
NYPD Harbor Unit officers pulled off a delicate rescue on the Hudson River after spotting an injured bald eagle stranded on a sheet of ice and crying out in distress. The dramatic scene was captured on body camera video, showing officers easing their patrol boat toward the struggling bird before using a pole to gently hook it and lift it safely aboard. The department shared the moment publicly, writing, “Eagle eyed cops to the rescue. While patrolling the Hudson River earlier this morning, our Harbor Unit officers spotted an injured bald eagle floating on the ice and calling out for help. They acted quickly and brought the bird to safety.” The bald eagle, unable to fly and surrounded by freezing water, appeared to be moments away from slipping under. Instead, the officers moved slowly and steadily, avoiding any sudden motion that might frighten the bird or push the ice outward. Once on the deck, the eagle remained alert but calm as officers secured it for transport to wildlife specialists. The video spread quickly online, and comments poured in from people thanking the officers for stepping in. “That was AWESOME!!!!! Please thank the gentlemen for saving that majestic bird!!” Debe Sovine wrote. “Thank you for being Kind and Caring! Keep us updated, if you can,” Thomas Yo Slapinsky added. Joanne Jaworski echoed the praise: “Thank you for helping this amazing creature! You guys rock!” Bald eagles, once critically endangered in the United States, continue to be closely monitored. Injured birds require specialized care, and rescues like this often make the difference in their recovery. The NYPD has not yet released an update on the eagle’s condition, but officers said they were hopeful as they handed it over to rehabilitators.
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Score (96)
Could Cats Hold the Key To Unlocking New Cancer Treatments?
Cats may be offering scientists a surprising new route to treating breast cancer. A large international study has revealed genetic changes in feline tumors that closely mirror those found in humans, raising the possibility of shared treatments across species. The research, published in Science, is the first large scale effort to genetically profile multiple types of cancer in domestic cats. It involved tumor samples from nearly 500 cats in five countries. Co senior author Professor Geoffrey Wood said cancer is a major cause of illness and death in cats, yet has remained relatively uncharted. “Despite domestic cats being common pets, there was very little known about the genetics of cancer in these animals, until now,” said Wood, of the University of Guelph in Ontario. “Our household pets share the same spaces as us, meaning that they are also exposed to the same environmental factors that we are.” The team identified several genetic driver mutations that appear to push tumor growth in cats. One of the most striking findings came from aggressive mammary cancers. More than half of the tumors carried a mutation in the FBXW7 gene. In humans, mutations in FBXW7 are linked to poorer outcomes in breast cancer, a parallel that caught the researchers’ attention. The next most common driver gene in cat mammary carcinoma was PIK3CA, present in 47 percent of tumors. It is a familiar target in human breast cancer, where PI3K inhibitors are already used in treatment. Similar genetic overlaps appeared in blood, bone, lung, skin, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system cancers. Because cats share their environments with their owners, the researchers say some cancer risks may also be shared. “This study can help us understand more about why cancer develops in cats and humans, how the world around us influences cancer risk, and possibly find new ways to prevent and treat it,” Wood said. The team also tested how different chemotherapy drugs performed against tissue samples with the FBXW7 mutation. Some drugs appeared more effective in these particular tumors. While this was observed only in lab samples, the finding hints at new ways breast cancer might be treated in humans, cats, and even dogs. Co senior author Dr. Sven Rottenberg of the University of Bern said the size of the tissue collection made an enormous difference. “Having access to such a large set of donated tissues allowed us to assess drug responses across tumor types in a way that hasn’t been possible at this scale before,” he said. “This is a powerful tool to help us identify potential novel therapeutic options that we hope will translate to the clinic one day, for both cats and humans.” Co first author Bailey Francis, of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridgeshire, said the genetic overlap may benefit more than one species. “By comparing cancer genomics across different species, we gain a greater understanding of what causes cancer,” he said. “One of our major findings was that the genetic changes in cat cancer are similar to some that are seen in humans and dogs. This could help experts in the veterinary field as well as those studying cancer in humans, showing that when knowledge and data flows between different disciplines, we can all benefit.” The research team sequenced DNA from diagnostic samples that veterinarians had already collected, meaning no new invasive procedures were needed. The results suggest human cancer treatments could eventually be tested in cats. Likewise, clinical trials involving domestic cats could offer insights that guide human therapies. Senior author Dr. Louise Van Der Weyden, also of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, called the work a major shift in understanding. “This is one of the biggest ever developments in feline oncology and means the genetics of domestic cat tumors are no longer a ‘black box’,” she said. “We can now begin to take the next steps forwards towards precision feline oncology, to catch up with the diagnostic and therapeutic options that are available for dogs with cancer, and ultimately one day, humans.”
Score (95)
Billie Eilish Turns 400,000 Forgotten T-shirts Into New Merch, Aiming To Cut Music Industry Waste
Billie Eilish has spent years trying to make her music career less harmful to the planet. She has toured on solar-powered stages, pushed for greener vinyl production, and worked with her mother, Maggie Baird, to shrink the environmental footprint that comes with selling millions of records. This year, she turned her attention to a different problem: unsold merch. Working with Bravado, the merchandise arm of Universal Music Group, the two launched an effort to dig through a decade of “deadstock” that had piled up out of sight. Bravado president Matt Young told Fast Company the shirts had sat for years in storage in Nashville. He described the warehouse as something out of the final scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a place where forgotten items simply stacked up and disappeared. Roughly 400,000 shirts were pulled from those shelves. They were shipped to Hallotex, a Spanish manufacturer that operates in Morocco, where they are being broken down and spun back into cotton yarn. The plan is to turn the old stock into about 280,000 new shirts made entirely from recycled cotton. Any leftovers that cannot be recycled will be used as housing insulation. For Baird, the issue is bigger than a few hundred thousand shirts from old concert runs. “We are drowning in clothes on this planet, much of which is in landfills, much of which is shipped to other countries to pollute their waters and their land,” she said. She wants the industry to rethink the way merch is created in the first place. “I think we have to be extremely thoughtful about what merch gets put out in the world, why does it exist, how is it made, and what happens to it in its second life?” The project highlights a problem most music fans never see. Tours generate enormous volumes of T-shirts, hoodies and accessories that do not always sell. Much of it sits in storage until it is quietly discarded. Eilish and Baird’s effort offers a different endpoint and a possible model for other artists. Alongside the initiative, sustainability advocates continue to point to steps fans can take themselves. Shopping more thoughtfully, mending clothes to extend their lifespan and repurposing garments at the end of their wear are all ways to keep clothing out of landfills. It is the same principle driving Eilish’s project, just applied at home instead of in a merch warehouse. Eilish has pushed these ideas for years, whether by experimenting with greener textiles or helping cover public transit costs for fans in Los Angeles to reduce emissions at her shows. This newest undertaking adds another layer to her reputation as someone trying to reshape what an arena-sized artist can do for the environment. The shirts that once gathered dust in Nashville are already on their way to becoming something new. And for Eilish and Baird, that is the point. The music industry may never be waste-free, but there are better ways to deal with what gets left behind.
Score (97)
NCAA Launches First Ever Women’s Wrestling Championship, Marking a Major Milestone for the Sport
For the first time in NCAA history, women’s wrestling will crown an official national champion. The inaugural title run begins this weekend, when hundreds of wrestlers fan out to six regional sites across the country. Those who advance will head to Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, next month for a championship many athletes have been waiting their entire careers to compete in. Regionals will take place Friday through Sunday in Elmira, New York, West Liberty, West Virginia, Franklin Springs, Georgia, Tiffin, Ohio, Indianola, Iowa, and Saint Charles, Missouri. From each regional, 30 athletes will advance, the top three in each of 10 weight classes. The national tournament will feature an 18-woman bracket in every division. Fans can watch it live on ESPN+ on March 6 and 7, with finals reaired on ESPNU on March 8. Ryan Tressel, director of championships for the NCAA, said planning the first women’s wrestling championship started about a year ago. The sport graduated from the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program last January and became the 91st NCAA championship sport. A committee of six representatives from Divisions I, II and III then began shaping the blueprint for this historic tournament. Xtream Arena is familiar territory for women’s wrestling. Before the NCAA officially recognized the sport, the venue hosted the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. Tressel and his team visited last year’s competition and left convinced it was the right place. “Xtream did a tremendous job last year and it was like, let’s build on that,” he told USA Today Sports. “It was a place where we could be confident they're going to do some great work and a great job there. It’s just the right size for what we’re going to be doing.” For now, the championship will be combined across divisions. Iowa, one of just six Division I schools with a varsity women’s wrestling team, enters regionals as the top ranked program in the country. The Hawkeyes bring standout athletes like Reese Larramendy, who leads the nation in technical falls at 145, and Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades at 160. More than 112 NCAA programs sponsor women’s wrestling at the varsity level this season. The tournament will remain combined this year and next, but in 2028, Division III will branch off into its own championship. “How that looks, that’s what we’re talking about now,” Tressel said. “Is there a way we can adjust, figure out the schedules where they're all in one spot still and they're handing out multiple trophies? We do that with rowing, for instance.” Among the other Division I programs competing are Lehigh, Presbyterian, Delaware State, Lindenwood and Sacred Heart. Lehigh’s Audrey Jimenez enters the postseason unbeaten at 13 0 and fresh off winning gold at the 2025 Pan American Championships. There is rising talent across other divisions too, including North Central’s Bella Mir, who caught national attention after a 43-second technical fall earlier this month. Mir is the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Women’s wrestling at the NCAA level differs from men’s primarily because women compete in freestyle, the same style used in the Olympics. That means no points for escapes, and single points awarded for step outs. The rules shift creates a faster, more dynamic style of wrestling that many athletes say better reflects the sport’s global standard. This championship also offers a window into what women’s sports could look like in the coming years. Tressel said the NCAA will focus closely on the student-athlete experience and operational details like mat flow and floor access as they refine the event. Women’s wrestling joined the Emerging Sports for Women program in 2020. Just three years later, more than 40 schools had added teams, leading to its championship status in 2025. A similar path may be ahead for women’s flag football, which entered the Emerging Sports program this year. “(NCAA President Charlie Baker) is really excited about this. It’s starting this excitement, which is what I’ve felt,” Tressel said. “You know, what's the future hold for other emerging sports out there too, with women's flag football coming on? There’s a lot of great opportunities coming up for women's sports in the next number of years.” This weekend marks the first real step toward awarding an NCAA title that generations of female wrestlers never had the chance to chase. Now that the door is open, and for hundreds of athletes across six regionals, the path to history begins.
Score (97)
Scientists are Unravelling the Mystery Behind Armenia's Ancient 6,000-Year-Old 'Dragon Stones'
For centuries, Armenia’s “dragon stones” have stood alone in the country’s high mountain passes, carved with the shapes of fish or stretched cowhide and weighing as much as 8 tons. They are older than many of the monuments that tend to dominate conversations about ancient engineering. They were raised between 4200 and 4000 BCE, roughly the same era as Stonehenge, and they have remained one of Armenia’s most enduring mysteries. Only now has the first detailed national analysis been completed. A research team from the Yerevan State University Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography set out to understand what these monoliths meant and why they were built in such unforgiving terrain. The project offered answers, but also a few moments when the stones did not behave the way the archaeological logic suggested they should. Dozens of vishaps have been identified across Armenia’s western highlands. Forty-three sit in the Geghema Mountains, 36 along the slopes of Mount Aragats, and 17 in the Vardenis Mountains. Others appear outside this central belt, but the builders seemed focused on this mountainous spine. Their placement has long puzzled researchers. The stones stand at extreme elevations, some at nearly 2,750 meters above sea level, in areas covered in snow for seven months of the year. The team expected that the higher the location, the smaller and lighter the stones would be, simply because the work would be harder the higher they went. “Larger vishaps would necessitate greater processing time, especially in regions where the duration of the snow-free period decreases with increasing altitude,” the team wrote. The results did not match the hypothesis. There was no link between the size of the monuments and their elevation. Some of the largest stones, more than 2.7 meters tall and weighing over 7 tons, were found at the highest altitudes. Not only would carving and shaping them have been a major undertaking, but hauling and raising them in such conditions would have pushed the limits of Neolithic communities. The clue that offered the most promise had nothing to do with altitude. It had to do with water. The fish-shaped stones often sit beside mountain springs, and the cowhide-shaped stones are more likely to appear in lower valleys where ancient irrigation channels once ran. These same valleys later hosted medieval churches, fortresses and settlements. The researchers believe the vishaps may have marked a water cult, or at least a cultural reverence for the springs and snowmelt that sustained life in the region. This theory lines up with how other ancient societies used monumental stone projects. The work required to carve, move and lift stones of this scale usually meant more than aesthetics. Raising them became a shared effort that reinforced identity, community and a sense of belonging to the land. The stones themselves became markers of place. If they stood there, it meant the people stood there too. Future civilizations recognized something important in these stones as well. The Urartians, neighbors of the Babylonians and Assyrians, carved their cuneiform alphabet into them. Early Christian communities carved crosses. Each group added a layer of meaning to monuments that had already outlived their original builders by thousands of years. The new survey does not fully answer the question of why Neolithic Armenians committed so much labour to these remote sites, but it gives shape to a possibility. The stones may have been more than markers or offerings. They may have been declarations. They said the land was theirs, that the water mattered, and that the people who carved the vishaps belonged to the mountains as much as the springs that flowed from them.
Score (98)
Coventry School Celebrates Retirement Of Beloved Dinner Lady After 39 Years
Sheila Rendall never expected to become the steady heartbeat of a school kitchen, but that is what happened. For 39 years, the great-grandmother cooked and served meals at Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School in Coventry, long enough that staff estimates she prepared close to one million of them. The kids did not need the number to know what mattered. They were already talking about their favourites, from roast dinners to macaroni and cheese, and the buzz that always came with chicken burger day. Rendall started in January 1987 and stayed put. She said she “dedicated her life to the kitchen,” and people at the school say that is exactly how it felt. On her final day, 30 January, pupils handed her flowers and a personalised rolling pin. It was a quiet way of saying thank you for four decades of consistency that showed up on a plate. She talked about how much the place changed over the years but said her approach never did. “A lot has changed in the last 39 years but it’s always been a case of if the children are happy, then I’m happy, so I’ve always tried to make sure the food looks and tastes great.” It was the Christmas season that meant the most to her. “There have been so many highlights, but seeing the Christmas celebrations each year, cooking festive meals and hearing the children sing will stand out as my fondest moments, it’s quite a magical place to be at that time of year and I’ll certainly miss it.” She said she always felt supported, and that the school felt like home from the first day. “I’ve had a brilliant last few days and I’m going to miss everyone, but I’m looking forward to retirement.” Rendall plans to travel around the UK with her husband and spend more time with her five grandchildren and great grandchild. After nearly four decades of showing up for hundreds of kids at lunchtime, the next chapter is hers to enjoy. Michael Kirby, the school’s principal, said what everyone else already knew. “Sheila has been a tremendous asset to Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School over the years and we will be sorry to see her go. She will be missed by staff and pupils alike and we wish her the very best for her retirement.”
Score (97)
A Big Bang Theory Star is Secretly Paying Off Strangers' Medical Bills On GoFundMe
Kunal Nayyar is still widely recognized as Raj from The Big Bang Theory, the role he played for all 12 seasons. The show made him one of television’s most familiar faces and brought a level of financial security he never imagined. What he has chosen to do with that security is something he talks about with more pride than any storyline. “Money has given me greater freedom,” he said in a recent interview. “And the greatest gift is the ability to give back, to change people’s lives.” Nayyar, now 44, and his wife Neha Kapur fund university scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. They also contribute to animal charities, something he says comes naturally because they are devoted dog lovers. But the gesture he connects with most happens long after the cameras are off. When the day winds down, he sometimes scrolls through GoFundMe pages and pays off medical bills for people he has never met. “We also support animal charities because we love dogs. But what I really love to do is go on GoFundMe at night and just pay random families’ medical bills. That’s my masked vigilante thing!” he said with a quiet smile. “So, no, money doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like a grace from the universe.” There are no announcements tied to these moments. No crews documenting them. He prefers it that way. He also knows most people cannot give in the same amounts, but he insists the scale is beside the point. To him, kindness is not a celebrity project, it is a daily habit. “Right now people are not happy because we are all expecting someone else to be kind,” he said. “We are expecting a president or a politician, some leader, to come and bring us world peace.” He argues that real progress starts in the smallest moments, between neighbours and in everyday interactions. “There is no world peace if your neighbour comes to your door wanting some sugar for their tea, and you lock it against them.” His message is as steady as it is simple. “No one is going to come and change the world for you. You have to do it for yourself.” For Nayyar, it comes down to doing what he can, quietly and consistently, guided by the belief that kindness spreads further than we think.
Score (98)
How Urban Sketchers are Finding Beauty In Everyday Cityscapes Across The Globe
Great landscape art can transport you to another world: the sweeping hills of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Southwest, the gentle quiet of Monet’s water lilies. But for years, groups of amateurs around the globe have been gathering with sketchbooks in hand to turn their attention to something far more ordinary — skyscrapers, sidewalks, train stations — and uncover the beauty hidden in everyday urban life. The movement known as Urban Sketchers began nearly two decades ago when journalist and illustrator Gabriel Campanario set out to get to know his new home in Seattle — and sharpen his drawing skills. “We had just moved to Seattle, and I started drawing. Like every day I drew the commuters on the bus, I would draw the mountains, the buildings,” Campanario recalled. He posted those drawings on Flickr and invited others to join. What began as an online group quickly turned into in-person meetups, then chapters, then global gatherings. Today, Urban Sketchers reports more than 500 chapters across more than 70 countries. “You can go to another town and meet up with a Sketchers group there,” Campanario said. “And you may not speak the language, but they all can look at your sketchbook and somewhat relate.” One of the earliest chapters, Urban Sketchers Portland, meets monthly. Organizer Amy Stewart says they choose a different neighborhood each time — sometimes sketching old houses, sometimes corner markets, sometimes a vintage movie theater. Stewart, a writer by profession, says most participants are amateurs, with a few experienced artists mixed in. At a recent meetup at Portland’s historic Union Station, roughly 50 sketchers gathered to capture its red brick walls and tall clock tower using everything from watercolor to pen and ink. For some, the appeal is in breaking old habits. Self-described “recovering architect” Bob Boileau enjoyed trading rigid drafting lines for something more expressive. “It’s nice to just get some squiggly in there and put some color, and draw how I feel,” he said. For others, it’s about rediscovering the world in front of them. Sketcher Karen Hansen said the practice forces her to slow down and notice shapes, shadows, and textures she used to overlook. “When you’re drawing and painting something, you’re really looking,” she said. Newer participants, like Noor Alkurd, find the geometry of cities surprisingly accessible — and inspiring. “I mean, come on — cityscapes are so fun!” he said with a laugh. “Drawing has helped me see more of everyday life. It helps you train your eye for what you find beautiful.” As the sketch session wrapped up, artists laid their finished pieces side by side. There was some talk about technique, some celebration of progress, but mostly a shared appreciation for capturing a moment — and noticing a little more of the city they move through every day.
Score (96)
Scientists Are Storing Humanity’s Data In Glass, and it Could Outlast Civilization
Scientists say they’ve developed a way to store humanity’s most important information inside a piece of glass — and it could last longer than civilisation itself. From floppy disks to USB drives, preserving personal or historical data has always been a technological challenge. Even today’s data centres and cloud storage run on hard disks and magnetic tapes that eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Now, researchers have found a new solution that could preserve knowledge for more than 10,000 years: laser writing inside glass. Scientists at Microsoft’s Cambridge research lab in the United Kingdom say they’ve created a system that encodes digital information using a specialised laser. Instead of storing data magnetically, the laser transforms bits into groups of symbols, then engraves them as microscopic 3D deformations — known as voxels — within a thin piece of glass. To read the data, the glass is placed under an automated microscope, where a camera scans and decodes the tiny structures. The laser operates at 10 million pulses per second, writing one voxel with each pulse. By shifting the depth of focus, it can inscribe hundreds of distinct layers throughout a 2-millimetre-thick glass slab. The result: a single piece of glass can store 4.84 terabytes of data, roughly equivalent to two million books. The breakthrough, known as Project Silica, was detailed this week in Nature. Researchers say it could one day be used to archive scientific papers, cultural records, and other information meant to survive far into the future — even beyond our civilisation.