Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Reunite Onstage for Epic Performance

Legendary Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunited on stage in London for a surprise performance at the O2 Arena. The crowd went wild as they played together, with McCartney introducing Starr as his special guest. They delighted fans by performing iconic hits like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Helter Skelter." The night ended with another surprise when Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones joined McCartney on stage to play "Get Back."

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Scientists Crack Open Dinosaur Egg—Find a Glittering Geode Instead

When paleontologists discovered a grapefruit-sized dinosaur egg in a fossil bed in eastern China, they weren’t expecting sparkles. But inside the ancient shell, instead of an embryo or sediment, they found something rare: gleaming crystals of calcite lining the inner walls — essentially, a natural dinosaur geode. The egg, uncovered in the Qianshan Basin’s Chishan Formation, dates back roughly 70 million years to the Upper Cretaceous period. It’s one of the first dinosaur-related fossils ever found in this region, which is better known for ancient turtles, birds, and early mammals from the Paleocene. But it’s not just the glimmering surprise that excited scientists. The egg represents a newly identified oospecies — a species classification based on egg characteristics — named Shixingoolithus qianshanensis. It was described in a 2022 paper led by Qing He of Anhui University. Though no embryo was found inside, and no known fossil skeleton has been definitively linked to the Shixingoolithus egg type, scientists are confident it came from a dinosaur. The shell’s microscopic structure closely matches that of other dinosaur eggs, differing clearly from the eggs of modern birds or reptiles. And in this case, the crystal-filled interior offers even more than novelty. It's a window into prehistoric environments. For crystals like these to form, the egg’s original contents — likely an embryo — would first have to decay, leaving an empty shell. Over time, groundwater seeps into the hollow space through cracks and pores, depositing dissolved minerals. As the water slowly evaporates, it leaves behind sparkling calcite crystals. That process, while beautiful, is also scientifically useful. By analyzing the shape, chemistry, and formation of those crystals, researchers can extract clues about the water chemistry, soil conditions, and broader environment of the dinosaur’s nesting site. In fact, earlier this year, a separate study used calcite crystals in a different dinosaur egg to directly date the fossil itself — a first in paleontology. Since the crystals formed after burial, they carry a chemical signature of the fluids that once flowed through the ancient sediment. This kind of fossilization — where organic remains are transformed into mineral-rich capsules — is one of the more spectacular tricks Earth has up its sleeve. From opal-filled bones to glittering egg geodes, the planet keeps finding ways to preserve the tiniest details of its deep past. And in this case, it happened to leave a dinosaur egg filled with crystals — part prehistoric clue, part natural treasure.

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The Moon and Sun Are Set to Steal the Show in 2026 — Here's How

If you like gazing up into the night sky, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year — and the moon and sun are taking center stage. Starting things off is a rare mix of moon missions, supermoons, and a long-awaited return to deep space by astronauts. Then comes the sun, ready to dazzle with eclipses, solar storms, and maybe even a few auroras in places you wouldn’t expect. For the first time in over 50 years, astronauts will head back to the moon — sort of. NASA’s Artemis II crew, led by Reid Wiseman, will orbit the moon without landing. The ten-day mission is scheduled to launch early in the year with three Americans and one Canadian. Their path will take them around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth. “There’s a good chance he and his crew will be the first to lay eyeballs on large swaths of the lunar far side that were missed by the Apollo astronauts,” Wiseman said, calling it a valuable opportunity for geologists and planners of future missions. Robotic moon landings will pick up too. Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, is planning to launch its massive 8-meter-tall Blue Moon prototype — a test version of the lander it’s building for future NASA missions. When complete, the crew version will be nearly double that size. Two other U.S. companies, Astrobotic Technology and Intuitive Machines, are returning with new gear for the lunar surface. Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace, the only private company so far to stick a lunar landing, is aiming for a touchdown on the moon’s far side. China’s also jumping into the race, literally. The country plans to send a rover and a hopper — designed to leap between permanently shadowed craters — to the moon’s south pole, a region rich in the promise of water ice. Back on Earth, the moon will put on its own light show. The first of three supermoons will rise on January 3, followed by another on November 24 and a finale on Christmas Eve — the closest and brightest of the year. A blue moon also appears in May, adding to the lunar lineup. If you're more of a solar eclipse chaser, mark your calendar for August 12. A total eclipse will stretch across the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Spain. For a brief two minutes and 18 seconds, the moon will perfectly block the sun. The show will be shorter than 2027’s 6.5-minute eclipse, but still a highlight. Earlier in the year, on February 17, a “ring-of-fire” eclipse will pass over Antarctica. Few will see it, but parts of South Africa, Chile, and Argentina will get a partial view. Two weeks later, a total lunar eclipse will follow, and a partial lunar eclipse will close things out in late August. February will also bring a rare planetary alignment. On the 28th, six of the solar system’s eight planets will be visible together in the evening sky. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will be easy to spot with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune will need binoculars or a telescope. Mars skips this one, but joins a similar gathering in August. Comet fans, meanwhile, are watching one of the rarest guests we get: an interstellar visitor. Known as 3I/Atlas, the comet came from another star system and just passed Earth in December. It's now fading fast and will fly past Jupiter in March before heading back to deep space — never to return. It’s only the third interstellar object ever confirmed. “I can’t believe it’s taken this long to find three,” said NASA’s Paul Chodas, who’s been tracking them since the 1980s. “The chance of catching another interstellar visitor will increase” as technology improves. Finally, all eyes are on the sun. As the 11-year solar cycle peaks and begins to decline, expect continued solar storms, flares, and possibly geomagnetic activity that sparks auroras in unusual places. A new observatory launched last fall will begin feeding data to researchers, offering better forecasts for the sun’s behavior. “2026 will be an exciting year for space weather enthusiasts,” said Rob Steenburgh at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From moonshots to meteors, eclipses to interstellar comets, this year’s space calendar has something for everyone — and plenty of chances to just look up.

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At 82, This Woman Is Rescuing Hedgehogs From Her Garden — 600 This Year Alone

Joan Lockley never set out to become a hedgehog expert. But 25 years after one walked across her garden in Staffordshire, she’s now rescued thousands — and isn’t slowing down. “It started with one hedgehog that walked across my garden,” Lockley said. “The only thing I knew about hedgehogs then was that you should never see them in the daytime.” She boxed it up, took it to a vet, and learned what to do. That small act set off a lifelong obsession. “Then I got hooked on them,” she said. Today, Lockley runs West Midlands Hedgehog Rescue out of her back garden in Cheslyn Hay. The space — which she lovingly calls her “hosprickle” — can house up to 36 hedgehogs at a time. This past year, she’s cared for more than 600. In 2024, the number was even higher: over 800. Her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, she was awarded a British Empire Medal for her work. “I couldn’t believe it, I thought somebody was pulling my leg,” Lockley said. “You don’t realise that people can see the work that you’re doing.” Now 82, she says she has no intention of stopping. “They are magic,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like hedgehogs.” But while Lockley remains dedicated, she’s worried. The number of hedgehogs showing up at her rescue is down. It’s part of a broader trend that has conservationists alarmed. The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report found that hedgehog populations have dropped by as much as 30 percent in urban areas, and up to 50 percent in rural parts of the country since 2000. Experts cite habitat loss, pesticide use, and road deaths as major factors. Lockley has seen the impact firsthand. “It’s hard work,” she admits, but she won’t stop doing what she can. For those looking to help hedgehogs in their own gardens, she has simple advice: “I always recommend cat biscuits, or kitten biscuits, and always water.” She also warns against a common misconception. “People think that come the autumn hedgehogs hibernate — they don’t all hibernate,” she said. “So keep feeding and putting water out 12 months of the year.” That small gesture could help save a species that’s struggling — and keep Lockley’s beloved “hosprickle” just a little less busy.

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He Drove 23,000 Kilometres Across Canada With Two Chairs and a Sign That Said, “I Will Listen”

Paul Jenkinson didn’t set out to break records or raise money. The 70-year-old retired social worker from Nova Scotia just wanted to listen. With a folding table, two chairs, and a hand-painted sign reading “You are not alone; I will listen,” Jenkinson spent most of 2025 on a coast-to-coast journey across Canada. His mission? To create space for strangers to feel heard — in public parks, cafes, sidewalks, and anywhere else people gathered. “I think it’s exceeded my expectations,” he told CBC’s As It Happens host Nil Köksal during a follow-up interview in Abbotsford, British Columbia. “People have just, joyfully even, seen the sign and said, ‘Love what you’re doing,’ and either stood or sat with me and opened up their hearts.” That human connection, he said, became the measure of success. Jenkinson started his journey in Truro, Nova Scotia, with no fixed route and no guaranteed place to sleep. He relied on kindness — people who offered him places to stay, warm meals, or even just a chance to sit and chat. Some hosts lived modestly; others welcomed him into million-dollar homes. “That didn’t matter,” he said. “What mattered was that we would also have human connection.” He decided early on that listening wouldn’t stop when he left the street. “I needed to just open my heart,” he said. “By not having a hard boundary about that, then I just had these wonderful experiences.” Over the course of more than 23,000 kilometres, he met people from all walks of life — grandmothers, teenagers, newcomers, long-time locals, people living with grief, anxiety, fear, or self-doubt. And each conversation, Jenkinson said, reaffirmed the same thing: people want to be seen and heard. In Calgary, he spotted a woman being helped down a path by a young man — likely her grandson, he assumed. When he asked what they were doing, the woman shared that they had just scattered the last of her husband’s ashes. “The other grandchildren had come, but this one couldn’t make it, and so this grandmother had held her grief… and waited,” he recalled. “There was such a love between the two of them. It was beautiful to see.” Another moment came when a young woman approached him with urgency. She sat down and said, “I’m a fake and I’m really worried that I’m going to hurt my friend.” She explained that she’d recently been hired by a friend and was afraid of not measuring up, despite being well-qualified. “I have voices going on in my head,” she told him. Jenkinson helped her talk through it. “You're accomplished. Your friend knows you're accomplished,” he told her. “You’re going to be fine.” She left visibly lighter, reassured by what she already knew but needed to hear aloud. In Abbotsford, rainy weather pushed Jenkinson indoors. He found a spot inside the entrance of the Mennonite Central Committee — near a café, thrift store, and craft shop. Within days, he had regulars. Teenagers stopped by for Jolly Ranchers. Grandparents brought grandkids. People recognized him. “I’ve given out Jolly Ranchers all across Canada now,” he said with a laugh. He also handed out $2,400 worth of Subway gift cards to help those facing food insecurity — a small gesture of generosity to match the spirit of his sign. Looking back, he said the key wasn’t in having answers, but in holding space. “One of the big things I learned is please do not start with an ‘I am’ statement,” he said. “As soon as you start with that, the other person now is required to say, ‘Well, I am this.’ If they agree, nobody learns very much. If we disagree, those are kind of like fighting words.” Instead, he offers curiosity. “Tell me a bit about yourself. I promise I’ll listen. I won’t interrupt.” That simple act, he said, unlocks something deeper. “If you ask them for wisdom, then they feel enabled. They feel like, ‘Ah, this person actually understands I’ve learned things in my life and I have something to share.’” The result? People walked away feeling seen. “If you want to listen to people,” he said, “watch how they leave you. Are they more alive? Are they downcast? Are they angry? Did you contribute grace into their life?” It’s not a tour most people would take. There was no corporate sponsor, no GoFundMe, no grand announcement. Just a man with two chairs, a sign, and a willingness to show up. And that, Jenkinson said, was more than enough.

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This Couple Built a Fully Off-Grid Home Inside a School Bus — and Now They’re Inspiring Millions

When Jess Elena and Jake Gomez graduated from college, they didn’t look for apartments or full-time jobs. They bought a bus. Not just any bus, but a 40-foot school bus that they would eventually turn into a fully off-grid, solar-powered home on wheels — complete with custom interiors, water storage, and full-sized closets. The couple, both 25, now share their life on the road with over 1 million followers on TikTok. It didn’t start smoothly. In fact, their first two buses were disasters. Their original idea was sparked while planning for life after graduation. Both had been working at an ice cream shop in South Florida, saving money with dreams of traveling. They thought about spending a year abroad or taking a cross-country road trip, but none of it felt permanent. A van seemed like a logical solution — until they factored in their two cats. That’s when the idea of converting a school bus first came up. “We thought, ‘We could make 40 feet of space actually sustainable,’” Elena told PEOPLE in an interview. Their first bus broke down just 20 miles after purchase. Elena somehow convinced the auction house to take it back. The second made it almost a year, but then needed a $20,000 engine replacement they couldn’t justify. “We got really depressed,” Gomez said. “We started questioning if this lifestyle was even possible.” Just when they were ready to give up, a mechanic they knew mentioned a barely used school bus from a private school — only 35,000 miles on the odometer, a fraction of what diesel buses are built to handle. It felt like a final shot. Within two days, they made the purchase. "All we cared about was that the engine worked," Gomez said. Starting from scratch again meant letting go of the earlier buses. They kept what they could from the old builds, scrapped the rest, and shared the moment online. One clip — showing a crane crushing their old bus — went viral. “It was just leaving it all behind,” Elena said. This time, they were all in. The couple moved to Georgia, rented a tiny home, and parked the new bus inside a fully equipped warehouse. For an entire year, they worked full-time on the build, documenting everything for social media. “We did nothing else,” they said. “It was a crazy year, but totally worth it.” And it shows. Their new home runs entirely off solar power and stored water, with no need to plug in. It holds 3,300 watts of solar panels, 1,800 amp-hours of lithium batteries, and 100 gallons of fresh water. That’s enough for air conditioning, appliances, and electronics. The bathroom is Gomez’s pride and joy. “It’s the only room so far that is 100% complete, and it’s lush,” he said. “After a long time of not being able to use a bathroom comfortably, I wanted this to be the best one I’ve ever had.” Elena, on the other hand, is thrilled about the storage space — something most bus conversions struggle with. “It’s rare to have a closet in a bus,” she said. “We have full-sized closets with drawers and hanging space. I can hold 12 pairs of shoes.” Though some interior elements are still unfinished — including built-in furniture and a complete shower — the couple decided to take the bus on the road this fall. Their route stretched from Florida to Washington State, down the West Coast, and back across the southern U.S. It wasn’t always glamorous. “Those first nights were kind of brutal,” Elena said. “Every time a semi went by, the whole bus would shake.” Sometimes they slept in parking lots outside Walmarts or Home Depots. It wasn’t comfortable, but it got them where they needed to go. “A lot of those stops were just survival mode,” Gomez said. Eventually, they found better options. Using camping apps, they began finding public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, often staying in one place for a week or more. The key was checking reviews from other travelers to make sure their 40-foot bus could access the site. “If even one person said, ‘We barely made it in our truck,’ we were like, ‘Okay, hard no,’” Gomez said. One of their best moments came during a two-week stay on a river near the Hoh Rainforest in Washington. “That was the moment where everything clicked,” Elena said. “We were completely off-grid, no hookups, no neighbors — just us, the bus and nature. And everything worked.” Unlike van-lifers who constantly move, Elena and Gomez prefer to slow down. With a bus this size, relocating is a production. “You’re securing everything, leveling the bus, checking systems,” Gomez explained. “Doing that every day would’ve been exhausting.” Staying in one place helped the bus feel like more than a vehicle — it started to feel like home. “When you’re in one place for a while, you start cooking real meals, unpacking, settling into routines,” Elena said. “That’s when it stopped feeling like a project and started feeling like our life.” Four and a half years after first chasing the dream, they’re finally living it. “There were so many moments where we thought, ‘This is never going to happen,’” Gomez said. “So being out there, fully self-sufficient, was like proof that we didn’t waste all those years.”

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Colorado Completes Nation’s Largest Wildlife Overpass to Protect Animals and Drivers

Colorado has officially completed construction on the nation’s largest wildlife overpass, giving elk, pronghorn, and other animals a safer way to cross Interstate 25 in Douglas County. The new 200-foot-wide structure — known as the Greenland Wildlife Overpass — spans six lanes of highway between the towns of Larkspur and Monument. It’s the final piece in an 18-mile wildlife crossing system that’s been under development for nearly a decade. “Wildlife now can kind of go on a little bit of an adventure that they weren’t able to before,” said Kara Van Hoose with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The overpass reconnects nearly 40,000 acres of fragmented habitat on both sides of I-25. It’s designed to accommodate a wide variety of species, although it primarily targets large mammals like elk and pronghorn, which are especially vulnerable to traffic collisions. Because animals can’t read signs, the overpass relies on an open line of sight and natural landscaping to help guide wildlife across safely. “Unfortunately, wildlife can’t read,” Van Hoose said. “So it’s not like we could put signs up saying, this is safe here, go here.” The structure is part of a larger network that includes underpasses and miles of fencing meant to funnel animals toward safe crossings. The full system is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle crashes in the area by up to 90 percent. “The I-25 Greenland Wildlife Overpass is critical to the safety of both wildlife and motorists,” said Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “The overpass is an essential component of the wildlife crossing system in this area.” Construction on the overpass began earlier this year and cost $15 million. The project was primarily funded by a federal grant, with additional support from state and local agencies and several nonprofit conservation groups. Colorado is one of several Western states investing in wildlife crossings as a way to reduce accidents, protect animal populations, and restore habitat connectivity disrupted by roads and development. With the overpass now complete, wildlife advocates and transportation officials are optimistic that both animals and drivers will benefit — and that other regions will follow suit.

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Remarkable Animals Capture Global Attention In 2025

From record-breaking donkeys to a flamingo with international ambitions, 2025 proved once again that animals make some of the most unexpected headlines. Here's a look back at the creatures who made us laugh, gasp, and cheer over the past year. Mal the Malamute: A Gentle Giant with Local Fame In Bourne, Lincolnshire, Mal the Alaskan Malamute has become something of a celebrity. While his breed typically tops out around 38kg (six stone), Mal has more than doubled expectations — weighing in at 82.5kg (13 stone). Owner Amy Sharp says the size crept up on them. “He just got bigger and bigger,” she said. “I’m always being asked, ‘Who’s walking who?’” Despite his size, Mal is a laid-back companion. “It’s Mal’s world and we’re all just living in it.” Donkey Duo Set Guinness Records At the Radcliffe Donkey Sanctuary in Lincolnshire, two long-eared residents now hold world records. Derrick, measuring 5ft 5in (1.6m), was officially named the world’s tallest donkey. His pal Bambou took the title for longest ears on a living donkey — each one stretching to 33cm (1ft 1in). “Derrick doesn’t know he’s big,” said sanctuary owner Tracy Garton. “He’s very affectionate.” As for Bambou, she’s all about those “very, very long fluffy ears.” Volunteers joked that if Guinness ever adds a “world’s loudest donkey” category, they’d have a few contenders. Blessings for Hamsters and Hounds at Salisbury Cathedral Over 60 animals received blessings at a pet service held in September at Salisbury Cathedral — including dogs, hamsters, tortoises, and more. The event, which included hymns and readings, aimed to celebrate the role of pets in people's lives. Even outdoor animals like horses were welcome to participate from the cathedral grounds. Rescued Spaniels Become Crime-Fighting Heroes In South Yorkshire, a group of spaniels rescued from a filthy home in Tickhill earlier this year have since been trained as police dogs. Now part of Greater Manchester Police’s expanded dog unit, these pups have helped boost arrest rates by 33% since 2024. Trained to sniff out drugs, guns, and cash, the dogs have already located a stolen £10,000 watch and found a suspect hiding in a bin. Not bad for a team that started in tough conditions. Late-Night eBay Purchase Leads to Surprise Emu Adoption Rhi Evans from Gloucestershire had no memory of buying a fertilised emu egg during a late-night scroll — until the £37 order arrived in her inbox. With no refund available, she decided to hatch it herself. Three years later, the result is Jonathan — a six-foot female emu who now lives with Evans full-time. “They require a huge amount of commitment,” she said. “Their lifespan is 35–40 years. You’ve got to be in it for the long haul.” Guide Dogs’ 'Baker’s Dozen' Brings Joy (and Biscuits) Guide Dogs HQ in Leamington Spa welcomed its largest litter in three years: 13 puppies, lovingly dubbed the “baker’s dozen.” Inspired by sweet and savoury treats, the pups include Biscuit, Crumble, Crumpet, Custard, and Rye. “We didn’t know mum Yori had quite so many buns in the oven,” said Janine Dixon, head of breeding and welfare operations. Frankie the Flamingo’s Great Escape Perhaps the year’s most surprising escape artist was Frankie, a young flamingo from Paradise Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Cornwall. Despite having clipped wings, Frankie managed to catch just enough lift during a flapping session to escape — and was later spotted across the Channel in northern France. Staff were “devastated” at first but have since expressed relief that Frankie appears to be thriving. “She showed the resilience and skills needed to survive,” said curator David Woolcock. “Then she was on her way.”

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Utah Mom Brings Holiday Comfort to NICU Families After Her Own Scary Birth Experience

Three years after delivering her son prematurely while in a coma, McKenzie McCombs is returning to the NICU—not as a patient, but as a source of hope. The Utah mom, who gave birth at just 28 weeks in November 2021 while battling COVID-19 complications, has turned her family’s trauma into a yearly tradition of giving. Each holiday season, McCombs and her husband, Brycen, return to St. Marks Hospital in Millcreek to deliver care baskets to families spending Christmas in the neonatal intensive care unit. At the time of Coleman’s birth, McCombs was unconscious. Her son, weighing just 2 pounds, 6 ounces, spent nearly three months in the NICU. Small gestures during that time—like a onesie that read “My First Christmas”—made a big difference. “When you’re in here for the holidays, that’s the last thing on your mind is buying a ‘My First Christmas’ onesie for your baby,” McCombs told KSL-TV. “It meant so much to us.” Now parents of three, the McCombs family fills their holiday baskets with things they wish they’d had during those tough months: chapstick, bath bombs, notebooks for jotting down baby stats, and even voice recorders that allow parents to leave messages or lullabies when they can’t be at the hospital. “On the days that we weren’t able to make it in, [nurses] would play the recorder for him, and then they would tell us, like his stats were good, his oxygen stayed up,” she said. For NICU nurse Rebecca Cobb, McCombs’ visits offer more than just comfort — they offer perspective. “They’re able to see, ‘Hey, that’s going to be my baby in a couple of years. They got through this really scary time, and I’ll be able to do that too,’” Cobb said. Beyond the gift baskets, McCombs uses social media to share other NICU stories, amplifying voices of families going through similar journeys and helping build a sense of community. The care packages may be small, but the message behind them is big: you’re not alone. And, as McCombs proves with each return visit, there’s light on the other side of even the most difficult starts.

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Italians Celebrate Birth Of Village's First Baby In 30 Years

In the mountain village of Pagliara dei Marsi, where the hum of cats fills the empty streets and the population hovers around 20, the birth of a baby is not just news — it's an event of national significance. Lara Bussi Trabucco, born in March, is the first baby to arrive in the village in nearly 30 years. Her christening brought together every resident in the community — and, reportedly, many of the cats — for a celebration that briefly turned the quiet Abruzzo hamlet into a destination. “At just nine months old, she’s famous,” said her mother, Cinzia Trabucco. But while Lara’s arrival has brought joy to her village, it also throws a stark spotlight on a much larger problem: Italy’s accelerating demographic decline. In 2024, births in Italy dropped to a historic low of 369,944, continuing a 16-year slide. The national fertility rate fell to 1.18 children per woman — one of the lowest in Europe. In the sparsely populated region of Abruzzo, where Pagliara dei Marsi is located, the crisis is especially acute. Between January and July 2025, births fell another 10.2% compared to the same period the year before. Pagliara dei Marsi may be small, but it mirrors a nationwide pattern: ageing populations, vanishing schools, shuttering maternity wards, and shrinking towns with little generational renewal. “Pagliara dei Marsi has been suffering from drastic depopulation, exacerbated by the loss of many elderly people, without any generational turnover,” said the village’s mayor, Giuseppina Perozzi. She lives just a few doors away from baby Lara, and sees her as a symbol of hope. She also sees her as rare. Trabucco, 42, a music teacher from Frascati near Rome, moved to the village — her grandfather’s birthplace — in hopes of raising a family far from the chaos of the capital. She met her partner, 56-year-old construction worker Paolo Bussi, and together they became the only family in the village with a newborn. Their decision to settle and have a child in a village like Pagliara dei Marsi is not typical — and not easy. They received a €1,000 “baby bonus” from the government, introduced in January 2025 by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right administration as part of its effort to address the so-called “demographic winter.” The couple also receives about €370 per month in child benefits. But they’re clear: money isn’t the problem. “The entire system needs to be revolutionised,” Trabucco said. “We’re a country of high taxes but this does not translate into a good quality of life or good social services.” One of their biggest challenges is childcare. Italy’s public support for working parents remains inadequate, and many women drop out of the workforce when they have children. Re-entering is often difficult, and childcare infrastructure is patchy — especially in rural areas like this. Then there’s schooling. The last time Pagliara dei Marsi had a teacher, she taught out of her own home. The closest infant and primary school is in nearby Castellafiume, but its future is uncertain amid a wave of school closures due to declining enrolment. About an hour’s drive away, in the once-bustling city of Sulmona, residents are fighting to save the maternity unit at Annunziata Hospital. It delivered just 120 babies in 2024 — well below the national minimum of 500 required to keep funding. Midwife Berta Gambina, who has worked in the unit for nearly four decades, says that benchmark is outdated. “Even in the best of times, we averaged about 380 births a year. But I will do all I can to keep it open – my biggest fear is abandoning pregnant women.” Those fears aren’t hypothetical. Gianluca Di Luigi, a gynaecologist at the hospital, recalled a woman who got stuck in a snowstorm while in labour. She didn’t reach the hospital for eight hours and needed an emergency caesarean. “She was traumatised by the whole experience,” he said. While the government’s financial incentives are welcomed, critics argue they don’t go far enough — especially when hospitals and schools are closing. “How can you give women money to have babies but not guarantee them a safe and secure place to give birth?” asked city councillor Ornella La Civita. Di Luigi believes one critical piece of the puzzle is still missing from public discourse: fertility preservation. “Ideological thinking in Italy has always been a block,” he said. “But if we want newborns, then we need enlightenment too. Yes, provide young people with dignified jobs — but let’s start teaching them about preserving fertility.” For now, in Pagliara dei Marsi, Lara remains a living, breathing symbol of the future — as rare as she is beloved. But the question hanging over the village, and the country, is whether more babies like her will follow — or whether Lara will grow up as alone as the cats.

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Alien Comets, Black Hole Births, and a Faint Glimmer of Martian Life: The 8 Biggest Space Discoveries of 2025

It’s been a blockbuster year for astronomy. From the arrival of a new interstellar visitor to a potential sign of past life on Mars, 2025 delivered some of the most exciting discoveries in years. Here's a look at eight of the most jaw-dropping space stories from the past 12 months. 1. A Speeding Visitor From Beyond Our Solar System Comet 3I/ATLAS burst onto the scene in July, when Chilean telescopes caught it racing through the constellation Sagittarius at a blistering 58 kilometers per second. It’s only the third interstellar object ever spotted in our solar system, and scientists quickly confirmed it wasn’t native to our sun’s orbit. What made it even more fascinating was its unusual tail. Alongside the traditional trailing tail of dust and gas, 3I/ATLAS had a real, physical "anti-tail" pointing toward the sun — not just an optical illusion. Chemical analysis revealed a composition similar to solar system comets, though with a slightly different carbon dioxide and nickel profile, hinting at its distant galactic origin. 2. Witnessing the Birth of Supermassive Black Holes When the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) started imaging the far reaches of the universe, astronomers noticed something odd: tiny, bright red dots scattered across the early cosmos. By 2025, researchers proposed that these weren't galaxies or clusters — they were "black hole stars," a new class of objects forming gigantic black holes inside dense gas clouds less than a billion years after the Big Bang. These findings could rewrite our understanding of how galaxies and their massive central black holes formed, offering a fresh path for cosmic evolution. 3. Dark Energy Might Be Changing The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) stunned the scientific world this year with evidence that dark energy — the mysterious force accelerating the universe’s expansion — might not be constant after all. Based on a three-year survey mapping over 13 million galaxies and quasars, the DESI team found that dark energy appeared unusually strong up to 4.5 billion years ago, then began to weaken. That shift throws a wrench into current models of the universe, sparking speculation about “phantom” forms of dark energy and unknown physics still at play. 4. Biosignatures — From Mars to a Watery World In September, NASA’s Perseverance rover found its strongest hint yet of past microbial life on Mars. The evidence came from “leopard spots” — light-red patches surrounded by darker rock — that resemble patterns formed on Earth either by extreme heat or biological processes. Organic molecules were also found in the same area, but not yet definitively identified. Farther out, the JWST found stronger evidence of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b. On Earth, DMS is only produced by life. While the signal remains weak and highly debated, it adds to growing intrigue around "hycean" planets — potential ocean worlds with thick hydrogen-rich atmospheres that could host life in unfamiliar ways. 5. A Planet Next Door? After years of false starts, astronomers confirmed four rocky exoplanets orbiting Barnard’s Star, just six light-years away. The largest of the group is only one-third the mass of Earth, with the smallest about a fifth. None of them lie in the star’s habitable zone, but the door remains open for other, more temperate planets nearby. Meanwhile, JWST found its most convincing signs yet of a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. The potential gas giant has a mass similar to Saturn and an eccentric orbit — likely a side effect of its binary-star environment. At just over four light-years away, this would be one of the closest exoplanets ever detected. 6. Milky Way and Andromeda May Miss Each Other New simulations based on gravitational interactions with nearby galaxies suggest there’s a 50% chance the Milky Way won’t collide with Andromeda after all. If their closest approach is more than 650,000 light-years, the galaxies will pass each other without merging. That’s a far cry from the previous assumption of a guaranteed smash-up in about 4 billion years. 7. The Biggest Black Hole on Record? At the center of a galaxy nicknamed the Cosmic Horseshoe, astronomers found what may be the most massive black hole ever directly measured. Weighing in at 36 billion solar masses, it dwarfs our Milky Way’s own black hole, Sagittarius A*, by a factor of nearly 9,000. What makes this find especially important is how the mass was calculated. Instead of relying on indirect guesses, researchers tracked the motion of stars near the black hole — a more precise method that could help confirm or debunk earlier, disputed “largest black hole” claims. 8. A New Era Begins: Vera C. Rubin Observatory Sees First Light After decades of planning, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile finally turned its massive 3.2-gigapixel eye to the sky. In its first images, it captured the Virgo Cluster in unprecedented detail, along with star-forming regions like the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas. Designed to scan the sky every few nights, the observatory will issue 10 million alerts daily for celestial events and collect 60,000 terabytes of data over its first decade. It’s expected to vastly accelerate discoveries in dark matter, dark energy, and the changing night sky.

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