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“telling My Little Sister She’s An Aunty After Being Away For 5 Months”
Edyn Denise pulled off the best pregnancy surprise for her sister, waiting five months to reveal the big news in a heartwarming airport reunion. The emotional moment was captured on video and quickly went viral on social media. Their parents also received a special surprise announcement, making it a joyous family affair. Despite the wait, Edyn's baby is already surrounded by so much love from their excited family members!
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This AI Pioneer Just Became the First Living Scientist To Reach 1 Million Google Scholar Citations
Michel Foucault held a unique academic distinction for years: the only researcher to ever surpass one million citations on Google Scholar. That is, until now. Yoshua Bengio, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, has joined the French philosopher in this elite club — and unlike Foucault, Bengio is still very much alive and publishing. In fact, citation counts for the University of Montreal professor have exploded in recent years. More than 730,000 of his 1 million citations have come since 2020, including around 135,000 in 2024 alone. “This Google Scholar citation count reflects the extensive impact of Professor Bengio’s research in deep learning, which serves as a foundation for countless other scientific and technological advancements worldwide,” said Hugo Larochelle, who took over from Bengio as scientific director of the Mila-Quebec AI Institute earlier this year. Bengio is widely known as one of the “Godfathers of A.I.” alongside Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, with whom he shared the 2018 Turing Award — often described as the Nobel Prize of computing — for breakthroughs in neural networks and deep learning. That trio also co-authored Bengio’s second most-cited paper. The milestone puts Bengio ahead of his peers in artificial intelligence, though not by much. Hinton, who is also based in Canada, currently sits just shy of the mark at nearly 980,000 citations and is expected to cross the threshold soon. High citation counts are more common in rapidly growing disciplines like machine learning, cancer research, and genomics, according to Daniel Sage, a professor of mathematics at the University of Buffalo who studies citation metrics. These fields publish at a faster pace and tend to draw global interest, he said. Top-cited researchers are usually in “fields which have a lot of people working in them, and a lot of papers being produced,” Sage told Observer. Even those outside A.I. are seeing boosts. Terence Tao, a renowned mathematician and Fields Medal winner, has surpassed 100,000 citations on Google Scholar — but many of his most-cited papers were published in electrical engineering or computer science journals. Sage warned that direct comparisons between disciplines can be misleading. “It’s apples and oranges comparisons if you try to compare people in A.I. vs. people in various other fields,” he said, pointing out that Google Scholar tends to inflate counts compared to other platforms like Web of Science, due to its broader indexing criteria. Still, reaching the one-million mark is a rare achievement. “It’s still incredibly impressive,” said Sage. “One has to take these kinds of things with a grain of salt, but it is a sign both of the hotness of the field and the quality of the work within the field.” Bengio’s current work focuses on ensuring that A.I. evolves responsibly. He recently launched a nonprofit called LawZero, aimed at designing safety-centered A.I. systems to support scientific research. With public interest in artificial intelligence continuing to soar — and research in the field accelerating — it may not be long before Bengio’s million-citation milestone becomes less of an outlier. But for now, he stands alone as the most-cited living researcher on Google Scholar.
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In Rural Texas, a Hidden Telescope Farm Is Giving Stargazers Their Sky Back
By day, it looks like a cluster of unremarkable farm sheds in sleepy Rockwood, Texas. But when night falls, the roofs roll back in unison to reveal something extraordinary: a field of telescopes quietly scanning the heavens. This “telescope farm” is the creation of Bray Falls, an amateur astronomer who turned his lifelong passion into a startup called Starfront Observatories just 18 months ago. From this remote patch of central Texas, he’s built a global business connecting people with the stars. “It has not gotten old yet,” Falls said. “It's so cool, every single time.” Starfront allows people around the world to ship their telescopes to Texas, where they’re housed on-site and operated remotely over the internet. With the flip of a switch from thousands of kilometres away, customers can rotate and aim their instruments at galaxies, nebulae and star clusters — all without ever stepping outside. What they get in return is something increasingly rare: a truly dark sky. Light pollution, one of the biggest challenges facing amateur astronomers, has increased by 10% every year over the past decade, according to a 2023 study in Science. That glow from nearby cities and suburbs makes it nearly impossible to get clear views of the night sky — especially in densely populated areas. Starfront offers a workaround. Located hours from any major city, the Rockwood site offers some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S. That’s a game-changer for people like Chuck Ayoub, who lives in suburban Detroit and has a garage full of telescopes he rarely uses anymore. “The big difference are the dark skies,” Ayoub said. “I am 20 minutes from downtown Detroit, and that light pollution is a killer.” Now, Ayoub livestreams telescope images to his large online following — all while sitting at home. A camera at the base of his telescope in Texas even lets him watch it in action. And while the setup helps stargazers capture better photos, it's also contributing to science. From Starfront’s farm, Falls and others are capturing images of celestial objects that haven’t been documented before — including one he’s dubbed the “Crown of Thorns” nebula. These discoveries are quietly advancing our understanding of the cosmos, even as the visible night sky continues to vanish for most people. Falls believes that loss has a cost. “It really prevents people from dreaming,” he said. “Like seeing what's above them — just awe. You get the tingles, you get the goosebumps.” Thanks to his telescope farm, that sense of wonder is no longer limited to those lucky enough to live near dark skies. With a decent internet connection and a telescope in Rockwood, you can find it — even from a basement in Detroit.
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Historic Treaty Between Indigenous People And Victoria Government Enters Into Law
For the first time in Australian history, a formal treaty between Indigenous people and a government has been signed into law. The state of Victoria finalised and enacted the treaty this week, marking what many have called a turning point in the country's long and painful relationship with its First Peoples. Members of Victoria’s First Peoples Assembly gathered on Wednesday for a ceremony to sign the agreement, followed by the state governor Margaret Gardner adding her signature on Thursday morning. The treaty creates a permanent body — the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria — giving Aboriginal communities a direct voice in shaping the state’s laws, policies, and decisions. Jill Gallagher, a Gunditjmara woman and former commissioner of the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission, said the moment was deeply emotional. “I feel very happy. I’m just over the moon,” she told Australia’s ABC. “Today marks a turning point in our nation’s history, a moment where old wounds can begin to heal and new relationships can be built on truth, justice and mutual respect.” The treaty is the first of its kind anywhere in Australia, a country that was colonised by the British Empire in 1788 without ever establishing formal agreements with the continent’s Indigenous people. While other settler nations — including Canada, New Zealand and the United States — signed treaties with Indigenous communities, Australia did not. Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan described the signing as a “new chapter” for the state. “It is a chapter that is founded on truth, guided by respect and carried forward through partnership,” she said. “A partnership to build a stronger, fairer, more equal Victoria for everyone.” The new treaty outlines formal recognition of Aboriginal communities, but also reflects a deeper process of reckoning. It follows nearly a decade of groundwork, beginning in 2016, that included extensive consultations and a formal truth-telling process through the Yoorrook Justice Commission. That commission concluded earlier this year after hearing evidence from Aboriginal people impacted by colonisation, including survivors of the Stolen Generations — Indigenous children who were forcibly taken from their families by government and religious institutions. UN human rights chief Volker Turk welcomed the agreement, calling it “historic” and saying it directly addresses the ongoing discrimination and exclusion Indigenous Australians continue to face. Turk said the treaty has “the potential to be truly transformative,” by ensuring that First Peoples “have a direct voice in advising and shaping laws, policies and practices that affect their lives.” The significance of the treaty stands in contrast to the national referendum held last year, which aimed to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in Australia’s constitution. That proposal was rejected by voters, failing to gain enough support to pass. That referendum had followed the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, a petition that called for Indigenous recognition and a permanent voice in national lawmaking. The statement highlighted more than 60,000 years of Indigenous connection to the land — a “sacred link” that, it said, could not be undone by just 200 years of colonial rule. Gallagher said the treaty in Victoria reflects the “resistance” and resilience of Aboriginal people. “This is the story of the Aboriginal people’s resistance,” she said. Victoria now becomes the first state in the country to enshrine such an agreement in law — a move some hope could serve as a model for other regions in Australia.
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Twin 80-Year-Old Sisters Inspire Community as Swimming Teachers
Twin sisters Alison Hubbard and Jennifer Brackley, both 80, are still making waves as swimming teachers in Hertfordshire—and show no signs of slowing down. The pair, described as “inspirational” by colleagues and parents alike, have been teaching for more than 30 years combined. Now in their eighth decade, they say the poolside is where they feel most at home. “It’s lovely to see the children, it’s great to see them improve with their lessons,” said Brackley, who has taught at Royston Leisure Centre since it opened over 20 years ago. “It’s really nice for the parents to say, ‘Oh how lovely to see you; I’m so glad my children are with you’.” Hubbard joined her sister at the pool after retiring from an office job at 60, turning a long-time hobby into a second career. “Swimming was always a hobby which I enjoyed,” she said. Now, the sisters are teaching the children of their former students. “The parents appreciate the fact that they know us and we have a lot of experience,” Hubbard said. “Some of them are probably surprised that we’re still here. But it’s something we both enjoy, and we’re not likely to give it up.” Their longevity and energy haven’t gone unnoticed. “Jenny and Alison are much-loved members of our team,” said Daniel Peddar, general manager of the leisure centre. “They’re a huge part of the Royston community and a shining example of how staying active keeps both the body and mind young.” Outside the pool, the twins keep fit in their own ways. Brackley, who calls the gym her “heaven” and “place of solace,” says she starts every morning with an hour of weight training before work. “If I don’t use the gym or have a swim, then I will go for at least an hour’s power walking,” she said. Hubbard, who has had a back operation, prefers lighter weights and skips the power walks. But when asked who the better swimmer is, she had a quick and diplomatic reply: “Oh dear, I’m better at breaststroke — Jennifer’s better at front crawl.” Their message to others? Don’t let age hold you back. “I know we’re now 80,” said Brackley, “but if you don’t keep moving, and you don’t eat well and exercise, your body’s not going to work.” And for now, these sisters are still moving—one stroke at a time.
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Maui E-Bike Giveaway is Supporting Wildfire Survivors With Eco-Friendly Transportation
A new recovery program on Maui is putting electric bikes in the hands of wildfire survivors—offering not just mobility, but a path toward a more sustainable future. The Maui E-Bike Giveaway is providing free electric bikes to residents who lost their transportation during the devastating fires that swept through Lahaina in August 2023. More than 100 people were killed in the disaster, and two years later, recovery efforts are still underway. "In the wake of the Maui fires, we wanted to do more than just talk about rebuilding—we wanted to take action that helps people today and contributes to a more resilient future," said Saman Dias, chair of the Maui Bicycling League, in comments to Maui Now. The initiative includes more than just a bike. Recipients will also receive safety gear, a maintenance voucher, and e-bike safety training. Shipping and assembly are covered by the program. E-bikes are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to cars—especially in places where access to vehicles is limited. They offer a cost-effective, low-emission form of transportation that can reduce carbon pollution. One study published in ScienceDirect found that a single e-bike could lower carbon dioxide output by about 225 kilograms per year. The push for e-bike adoption in Maui aligns with broader sustainability goals. The giveaway not only helps survivors regain independence, it also encourages cleaner transport and reduced reliance on gas-powered vehicles. Nationally, e-bike use has surged. According to National Geographic, U.S. sales jumped from 450,000 in 2020 to over 880,000 in 2021. Part of the appeal, researchers say, is simply how enjoyable the experience is. “People just find that [e-bikes are] fun,” said Jennifer Dill, director of Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center. While the Maui E-Bike Giveaway is a local project, it speaks to a bigger movement—one where disaster recovery, environmental action, and community care can come together on two wheels.
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First Grey Seal Pups Of The Year Born At Farne Islands As Annual Survey Begins
The first grey seal pups of the season have been born on the Farne Islands—and they’re kicking off what has become the world’s longest-running grey seal population study. The National Trust, which manages the islands off England’s Northumberland coast, has begun its annual seal survey, aiming to track pup numbers, assess the animals’ health, and guide conservation efforts. The Farne Islands host one of the largest grey seal colonies on the east coast, and this year more than 3,000 pups are expected to arrive during the autumn season. “Each pup born here is a testament to the conservation work we do,” said area ranger Sophia Jackson. She said the growing numbers also reflect the resilience of the species, which is facing mounting threats from climate change, including rising temperatures and warming seas. The census, which began in 1952, was started by ornithologist and naturalist Grace Hickling MBE. Her work laid the foundation for modern conservation efforts in the region and created what the National Trust now calls the world’s longest-running study of its kind. Since 2018, rangers have been using drones to improve the accuracy of the count while keeping disturbance to a minimum. “Using drones helps us spot pups that might otherwise be missed and analyse the data more efficiently,” the Trust said. Once the survey is complete, Newcastle University researchers will analyse the data, with findings expected next spring. Visitors are allowed to watch the seals from boats, but are not permitted to land on the islands during pupping season in order to protect the animals and their habitat.
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Portuguese Startup Launches AI-Powered Lamp to Detect Epileptic Seizures and Alert Caregivers
ChatGPT said: A new Portuguese startup is turning an everyday object into a potential life-saving tool for people living with epilepsy. Lampsy Health, a health-tech company based in Lisbon, has developed a smart lamp that uses artificial intelligence to detect epileptic seizures with over 99 percent accuracy. The device, called “Lampsy,” also sends real-time alerts to caregivers—offering what the company calls a breakthrough in safety and peace of mind, particularly during the night. At the Web Summit tech conference, Lampsy’s co-founder and CEO Vicente Garção said the technology could help ease “the emotional burden” that epilepsy places on families. “In this way, people can be helped and lives can be saved,” Garção told Euronews. “The fact is that many children with epilepsy sleep with their parents into adulthood. This greatly jeopardises the family’s quality of life.” The lamp was designed with a specific problem in mind: most epileptic seizures that occur during sleep go unnoticed. According to the company, around 86 percent of nocturnal seizures are missed entirely—an issue that can have serious consequences, including the risk of SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy). Lampsy uses AI to monitor movement and other signals, identifying seizures with high accuracy and significantly fewer false alarms—18 times fewer, the company claims, than other devices on the market. The lamp has also been tested in pilot programs that allow it to communicate directly with health authorities in the event of a crisis. Epilepsy is one of the world’s most common neurological conditions, affecting around 50 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization. For many families, especially those with children who suffer from frequent seizures, nighttime can be the most stressful time of day. That’s where Lampsy aims to make a difference. Instead of relying on intrusive monitoring or wearable devices, the lamp sits quietly in a bedroom, blending in with the furniture. While the lamp is equipped with a camera, users can choose to disable it—ensuring that no video footage is stored or shared externally. Garção said the approach balances innovation with privacy, which he called a top concern. “It's designed to be non-intrusive,” he said. “It doesn’t disrupt people’s lives.” Though the product isn’t yet available to the public, it’s already generating demand. The startup says more than 5,000 families are currently on the waiting list, and it has partnerships in place with hospitals in the Lisbon region that specialize in epilepsy treatment and research. Lampsy is expected to launch commercially in Europe by April 2026.
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80-Year-Old Becomes Oldest Woman To Complete An Ironman Triathlon
Natalie Grabow didn’t just cross the finish line at the Ironman World Championship—she made history as she did it. At 80 years old, the Mountain Lakes, New Jersey native became the oldest woman ever to complete the world-renowned triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. Her official finish time on Sunday, October 12, was just over 16 hours and 45 minutes. Grabow collapsed after crossing the line, overwhelmed by exhaustion or perhaps something even deeper. The stadium announcer, voice booming over the loudspeakers, shouted “Absolutely incredible!” as the crowd erupted, chanting her name. Then came the iconic words every Ironman finisher waits for: “Natalie Grabow… you are an Ironman!” The feat placed her in the record books, breaking the previous mark set by 78-year-old Cherie Gruenfeld, a 2025 Ironman Hall of Fame inductee. Grabow also became the first woman ever to compete in the 80-plus age group at the Ironman World Championship, which has been held in Kailua-Kona since 1978. “I am so happy and grateful that I can still race in this sport at my age,” she told NPR after the race. “Triathlon allows me to feel strong both mentally and physically, and it satisfies my competitive spirit.” Her coach, Michelle Lake, put it more simply: “She’s just an amazing human.” Lake described Grabow as relentless in her preparation, calling her “the definition of grit and gratitude.” She added, “Grateful to make it to the start line, grateful to get to do something she loves every day, and grateful to inspire so many others. And she's truly gritty.” Grabow came to triathlons relatively late in life. A former software engineer, she always loved running but turned to cross-training at 59 after running injuries started to pile up. To compete in Ironman events, she had to learn how to swim from scratch. “If you are motivated and willing to work hard, it's never too late to take on a new challenge,” she said. According to Triathlete, Grabow has won every race she’s entered since 2022. She took second place in her age group in Kona that year but hasn’t looked back since. Her training volume is considered high, even by elite age-group standards. “She doesn’t miss workouts,” Lake told the magazine. “Her training volume is high for her age. She loves long bike rides on the trainer, has mobility routines, and even when I suggest rest, she keeps moving.” Grabow’s success seems to be a mix of discipline and joy. When asked what advice she would give to others hoping to follow in her footsteps, she kept it simple. “Listen to your body, take time off when you need to and, most importantly, just enjoy the journey.”
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A Century Later, a Forgotten WWI Soldier Finally Gets His Tribute in a French Village
For more than a hundred years, Private Henry Bellamy’s story had been quietly buried along with him in a small French village. This week, that changed. Bellamy, a soldier from Bedminster, Bristol, served in the North Somerset Yeomanry during World War One. He survived the brutality of the Battle of Arras in 1917, only to drown in a river shortly after his unit was moved away from the front lines. There was no battlefield glory, no mention in dispatches — just a simple grave in Nempont-Saint-Fermin, France, with little to mark who he was or how he got there. On Tuesday, that grave finally got the recognition it deserved. Thanks to the efforts of James Clements, an amateur historian from Bradley Stoke, South Gloucestershire, a plaque was unveiled in the village to commemorate Bellamy’s service. It came with a small ceremony, schoolchildren reading poems, and a crowd of around 50 people. “It was a really wonderful tribute,” said Clements. His quest began not with Bellamy, but with his own great-grandfather, Richard James Dufty, who served in the same regiment. While researching Dufty's wartime journey, Clements stumbled across Bellamy’s name and found his grave — the only UK or Commonwealth war grave in Nempont-Saint-Fermin. Initially, Clements hoped to locate Bellamy’s living relatives. But when no close family could be traced, he decided instead to document and share the soldier’s story. “I researched his journey overseas in 1915, his service with the North Somerset Yeomanry, and ultimately the circumstances of his death,” he said. That research led to a surprising connection: a letter written by Clements’ great-grandfather described Bellamy’s final moments, offering a firsthand account of a death that might otherwise have remained a mystery. What Clements didn’t know was that Bellamy’s grave had caught someone else’s attention 20 years earlier. In the early 2000s, a traveler visiting France wrote about the grave in the Bristol Evening Post. That article reached Doreen Heal, who recognised the names of Bellamy’s parents. Her great-grandmother had been Bellamy’s aunt. Heal’s niece, Chris Price, who was living in France at the time, sent a letter to the village seeking more information — but never got a reply. When Clements visited the grave in September 2023, he left a laminated copy of the diary entry from his great-grandfather on the headstone. It was later discovered by locals and handed to the town’s mayor. In an unexpected turn, the mayor found Price’s original letter in the village archive. That was the catalyst. The village decided it was time to formally honour Bellamy. A plaque was commissioned, and plans were made for a tribute more than a century in the making. At the ceremony on Tuesday, Price and Clements stood together as the plaque was unveiled. Local children read poems, and a community that had quietly held Bellamy’s memory all these years now honoured him publicly. “It’s a great feeling to know that Henry’s still being remembered more than 100 years later,” said Clements. “When I first started researching him I thought nobody had remembered him.” Now, thanks to a mix of family ties, historical curiosity, and a diary entry kept safe for more than a century, one soldier's quiet legacy has become part of something much louder.
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Miniature Therapy Horses are Bringing Big Comfort to Manhattan Seniors
Two tiny horses made a big impression last month when they trotted into a Manhattan senior living facility, bringing calm, comfort, and a few happy tears. On October 21, Long Island-based non-profit HorseAbility visited Sunrise at East 56th on New York City’s Upper East Side with two of their miniature therapy horses: 17-year-old Pearl and 15-year-old Aiden. The visit was part of the group’s Miniature Horse Companion Therapy Visitation Program, designed to improve emotional and social well-being through interactions with horses. The pint-sized ponies arrived in a van full of hay, stepped out onto the busy Manhattan sidewalk, and calmly made their way inside the assisted living facility—where they were met with immediate smiles. “Their visit brought immense happiness and comfort to residents, many of whom fondly reminisced about their own experiences riding or spending time with horses as children,” HorseAbility said in a statement. “The experience proved especially meaningful for those coping with anxiety, depression or loneliness.” For some, the moment hit especially deep. One resident was moved to tears. Another, Joann Girsh, told PIX 11, “It just makes me feel so calm. It makes me feel better. I was just touched by this animal, and I want to cry because it gives me hope that there are good things in this world. I truly love this animal.” Photos from the day show residents petting the horses on a sunny balcony and inside the facility, with both Pearl and Aiden staying calm and composed. Their gentle presence offered a break from the routine—and a powerful emotional lift. “It’s amazing,” said Dani Green, the facility’s executive director. “It reduces anxiety, stress. We’re not just here to do Juilliard concerts every day. Pony therapy is a step above puppy therapy.” HorseAbility’s miniature horses are chosen for their calm personalities and natural gentleness. According to the organization, their mini horses share many traits with their full-size counterparts, including intelligence and an eagerness to connect with people of all ages and abilities. The group also offers a wide range of equine-assisted services, from recreational riding and education to therapeutic programs involving grooming and handling activities. But on this particular day, it was the simplest of things—a quiet visit, a soft nuzzle, a familiar scent—that sparked joy and offered reassurance to a group of New Yorkers who had seen a lot in their lives. Sometimes, the best therapy comes in a small, hoofed package.