European Capitals Welcome 2025 with Dazzling Fireworks and Celebrations

European capitals like Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Athens welcomed 2025 with dazzling fireworks shows and celebrations. Paris lit up the sky with a spectacular display at the Arc de Triomphe after a year of success and restoration efforts. Rome saw thousands gather at the Colosseum for a festive New Year's Eve. Berlin also had a lively fireworks show at the Brandenburg Gate. Athens took a unique approach with silent fireworks near the Parthenon to mark the occasion without disturbing pets or wildlife.

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Every Night, Strangers Gather Outside a Michigan Hospital to Say “Sweet Dreams” to the Kids Inside

At exactly 8 p.m. each night in December, the same quiet ritual begins outside Corewell Health Children’s Hospital in Royal Oak, just north of Detroit. Volunteers bundled in coats raise their flashlights high into the cold winter sky, aiming beams of light toward the windows above. Inside, young patients and their families — some in pajamas, some holding IV poles — shine their own flashlights back in response. Then, in unison, the crowd below calls out two simple words: “Sweet dreams.” This nightly exchange, known as Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams, has become a cherished tradition since it first began in 2017. For 10 minutes every evening, it turns a hospital stay into something just a little more magical. “It’s just a big group of people that they don’t know, but they see the love being sent by the lights,” said Tim Schuele, who stood with his 4-year-old granddaughter, Zoe, as she held her flashlight to the window. Zoe is undergoing chemotherapy and has spent days confined to her hospital room. On these nights, though, the children are far from alone. The idea behind Moonbeams is simple but powerful: let hospitalized kids know the world hasn’t forgotten them. "To be stuck in the hospital and feel like the world is moving on without you outside feels a little bit isolating," said Amanda Lefkof, a child life specialist at the hospital. “This is a wonderful way… to really offer them a lot of love when they’re going through a hard time.” The tradition runs nightly from December 9 through December 23, covering Hanukkah and much of the holiday season. Anyone is welcome to join — and they do. Some nights see a few dozen people. On others, especially weekends, the crowd can swell to hundreds. There are scout troops, high school clubs, sororities, and sports teams. One youth hockey team even came with flashlights strapped to their sticks. Stephanie McMillan, holding her 3-month-old daughter Wren in one arm and a flashlight in the other, said the event “helps the people inside here not feel so alone and the community members being able to be a part of bringing that Christmas joy to the people that are in here.” Kevin Barringer knows the feeling well. In 2020, his son Connor spent two months at the hospital recovering from a spinal injury. Back then, they were the ones on the receiving end of the flashlights. “It gets pretty dark up there for the kids and for parents as well,” he said. “Having people down here letting them up there know that there are people with them and sending all their light up that way, it means a lot.” Inside the hospital, the pediatric floor buzzes with more than just medical routines. Volunteers read stories, make blankets with families, and throw holiday parties. There’s even a Santa — played by a volunteer — who visits children in their rooms and joins the celebrations. But it’s Moonbeams that seems to leave the deepest impression. “It gives them something to look forward to,” Lefkof said. For families living in a haze of long days and longer nights, the nightly event breaks up the monotony. “The days and the nights kind of blend together,” she said, describing the hospital environment as feeling a little like Las Vegas. “But this gives them something special.” Lisa Muma, a registered nurse and one of the event’s organizers, said it’s grown into something the entire hospital anticipates each year. "We really wanted to come up with a way where we could remind the families and the kids and the patients in the hospital that we’re still thinking of them, that we’re here for them, that we’re standing with them." It’s not about elaborate decorations or big productions. It’s just light. And a few quiet minutes shared between strangers. And that’s more than enough.

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A Mystery Star Just 70 Light-Years Away May Unlock a Key Challenge in the Search for Earth-Like Planets

Astronomers have long been puzzled by Kappa Tucanae A, a star about 70 light-years from Earth, surrounded by dust that shouldn't exist. Orbiting dangerously close to the star, the dust is so hot — over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit — that it should either burn up or be blown away by radiation in a matter of days. Instead, it sticks around. And now, researchers think they know why. A team led by Thomas Stuber at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory has discovered a companion star repeatedly plunging through this same dust-filled zone — and that may be the missing piece. The research, published in The Astronomical Journal, used a powerful tool called MATISSE at the European Southern Observatory to achieve the most precise detection ever of a stellar companion with this technology. “There’s basically no way that this companion is not somehow connected to that dust production,” said Steve Ertel, a co-author of the study and associate astronomer at Steward Observatory. The discovery offers a new explanation for something that’s become a major headache in the hunt for habitable planets: hot exozodiacal dust. These tiny particles, similar in size to smoke, orbit far too close to their stars for comfort. By all accounts, they should be gone — and yet, in many systems, they’re still there. “If we see dust in such large amounts, it needs to be replaced rapidly, or there needs to be some sort of mechanism that extends the lifetime of the dust,” Stuber said. This isn’t just an academic problem. That glowing dust creates a glare that could interfere with NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), scheduled to launch in the 2040s. HWO is designed to block out a star’s light and capture faint reflections from nearby planets. But if hot dust surrounds the star, it causes light to scatter — a problem scientists call “coronagraphic leakage” — which can drown out signals from potential Earth-like worlds. That’s why figuring out where this dust comes from, and how it behaves, is so important. A surprising discovery, hiding in plain sight Stuber’s team wasn’t looking for a companion star. Their plan was to track the dust itself using a method called interferometry, which combines signals from multiple telescopes to simulate a much larger one. They observed Kappa Tucanae A repeatedly between 2022 and 2024. Instead of changes in the dust, they found something more surprising: a companion star, faint and hard to detect, following a highly stretched orbit. At its closest, it swings just 0.3 astronomical units (AU) from Kappa Tucanae A — well inside Mercury’s orbit around the Sun. This trajectory allows it to pass directly through the dust-filled inner system, then slingshot far away before returning again. Each time it plunges inward, it may stir up the region, trigger collisions, or even release new dust from passing comets or rocky material. The fact that this star had been observed many times in the past — and yet the companion went undetected — makes the discovery even more compelling. “Considering the Kappa Tucanae A system was observed many times before, we did not even expect to find this companion star,” Stuber said. “This makes it even more exciting.” A lab for cosmic dust With this find, Kappa Tucanae A has become a sort of natural laboratory for studying a tricky type of cosmic dust. While other systems have warm dust farther out, the ultra-hot dust near this star is far more extreme. For years, Steward Observatory has been at the forefront of this field. Its Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), perched atop Mount Graham in Arizona, helped pioneer studies of exozodiacal dust. The observatory’s work has shaped new instruments and drawn support from NASA, the NSF, and private donors. Now, Steward researchers are collaborating on a next-generation European interferometer that will be 50 times more sensitive than previous designs. One of its leaders, Denis Defrère, trained at Steward and helped develop the LBTI. “Steward has established itself as the global leader to this kind of research, which is really critical for exo-Earth imaging,” said Ertel, who also received NASA funding to continue dust studies with the upcoming instrument. What’s making the dust? There’s still no definitive answer to what exactly is creating or sustaining the dust around Kappa Tucanae A. The companion star is clearly involved, but how? Several theories are in play. Some researchers believe magnetic fields could trap charged dust particles. Others, like Steward’s Virginie Faramaz-Gorka, are studying whether constant comet activity replenishes the dust, like a conveyor belt of debris. The true answer may be a combination — or something else entirely. What’s clear is that the discovery has opened new avenues for research. Steward’s team now plans to reexamine other dusty star systems, searching for similar hidden companions that might have gone unnoticed. With major missions like HWO on the horizon, finding and understanding these disruptive dust sources is becoming increasingly urgent. Every bit of insight helps astronomers get one step closer to the ultimate goal: seeing and studying another Earth. And in this case, the clue came from a companion hiding in the glow.

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93-year-old Grandfather Travels 40 Hours From Rwanda to Surprise Grandson at Arizona Wedding

Jeff Mugongo wasn’t expecting his grandfather to make it to his wedding. The 93-year-old had just recovered from a stroke, didn’t speak English, and lived more than 9,000 miles away in Rwanda. But none of that stopped Gatera from showing up. The groom was in the middle of his wedding day in Phoenix, Arizona, this past November when he turned around and saw his grandfather standing on the porch. The surprise sent him into tears. “I couldn’t control the tears that [were] coming out of my eyes,” Jeff told Fox 10 Phoenix. “It’s just incredible to witness that, through all the odds, that he would show up for my special day.” The moment, captured on video and shared on Jeff’s Instagram, quickly went viral, racking up more than 1.3 million views. In it, Jeff spots his grandfather, rushes to hug him, and the two share a laugh before embracing again. “Grandpa flew 40 hours all the way from Rwanda to Phoenix to surprise me,” Jeff wrote. “They definitely got me with this amazing gift and surprise!” The entire family was in on it. Jeff’s friends and relatives had kept the visit secret for weeks, while Gatera navigated a multi-day journey that included missed flights, hotel stays, and layovers — all while not speaking a word of English. Jeff said he didn’t think his grandfather would be able to come. Before the wedding, Gatera had told him that his visa was delayed and that he wasn’t well enough to travel. Jeff believed him. But behind the scenes, the family had been working to make it happen. When it finally did, Jeff says the impact was enormous. “I didn’t have strong relationships with the male figures in my family,” he told Fox 10. “But my grandfather was the one who always made an effort to communicate with us and get to know him.” That bond was clear throughout the night — especially on the dance floor. In a second Instagram video, Jeff and Gatera can be seen dancing to Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” showing no signs of jet lag. “The layovers, tiredness and long-hour flights didn’t stop grandpa’s dance moves!” Jeff wrote. “HE STOLE the whole show!!” Even at 93, Gatera’s energy lit up the room. “At the ceremony Grandpa told me, ‘Jeff, me and you need to be grateful and joyful!’ ” Jeff shared. It wasn’t just a family reunion — it became a moment that struck a chord with people around the world. The clip of their embrace spread quickly on social media, with many commenting on the power of grandparents, and the lengths people will go for the ones they love. “He showed me that no matter what, you have to show up for your family,” Jeff said. “It made people appreciate grandparents and their love and the strength they have.” Jeff summed it up in a caption on Instagram: “Moments that only happen once are gifts and grace we never deserve. I thank God for this moment and my family and friends who prayed for this moment to happen.”

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Discovery of a Lifetime: How a Software Engineer in Hawaii Found an Interstellar Visitor

What started as a routine evening for Larry Denneau quickly turned into one of the most significant nights of his career — and one of the most exciting for astronomers around the world. Denneau, a senior software engineer and astronomer at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy, was doing what he’s done hundreds of times before: reviewing automated detections from the ATLAS project, a NASA-funded asteroid early-warning system designed to catch objects that could pose a threat to Earth. On July 1, 2025, one of those detections stood out — though not in any obvious way. "It looked like a completely garden variety new Near Earth Object," Denneau told Space.com. So he did what the software advised. He clicked “submit.” What he didn’t know at the time was that he had just logged the third known interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system. By the time the discovery began lighting up inboxes across the global astronomy community, Denneau was offline — quite literally. He was up on Mauna Loa, helping service a telescope, with no internet access for most of the day. “I was oblivious to them until we got back that night,” he said. “And my inbox was completely exploded with all of this stuff.” He had unknowingly submitted data that would go on to identify a cosmic interloper: 3I/ATLAS. Like ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019, 3I/ATLAS is not from around here. These rare objects don’t orbit the Sun like comets or asteroids. They’re not gravitationally bound to our star at all — they come from other solar systems entirely, flung out into interstellar space and occasionally caught passing through our own. The moment that realization clicked, astronomers around the world scrambled to observe it. "Within a day... there are hundreds of observations from different telescopes all confirming the orbit," Denneau said. But when teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Minor Planets Center tried to model its orbit, something didn’t add up. "All of the orbit fits turned out to be really poor," Denneau said. The object was moving too fast and on a trajectory that didn’t match any solar system object. "It’s not bound to the sun." That was the giveaway. 3I/ATLAS wasn’t just a curious rock — it was a visitor from another star. A software project that looks to the stars Denneau’s path to this moment didn’t begin in a telescope dome. It started with code. He trained as an engineer, not an astronomer. His degree is in electrical engineering, and only later did he pursue a PhD in astrophysics. Even now, Denneau doesn’t consider himself a traditional stargazer. “We built some telescopes,” he said of the ATLAS project, “but after the telescopes are built, it’s really a software project.” ATLAS — short for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System — is made up of a network of wide-field telescopes that scan the night sky looking for anything that moves. Every night, they take thousands of images, covering nearly the entire visible sky every 24 hours. The system is built to spot faint movements — tiny points of light that shift across a starry background. To do that, the software looks for motion by taking four quick exposures of the same part of the sky. If something moves between frames, it leaves behind a tracklet. That gets compared against reference images, and anything that doesn't match — potentially an asteroid or comet — is flagged. From there, it’s up to a human reviewer to make the final call. On July 1, that human was Denneau. "Things that look like stars that are moving across the background,” he explained, is what the software pulls out. “I’m literally the person who clicked the button and submitted the discovery observations for this object." Missed it by that much Even though 3I/ATLAS was moving fast, it had likely been visible for days — just not detectable. Why? It was passing through a dense part of the Milky Way, packed with background stars. “When there’s so many stars in the background, sometimes an asteroid goes right on top of a star,” Denneau said. “And so you only get three out.” ATLAS requires four solid detections to confidently flag a new object. So 3I/ATLAS remained hidden until it moved into a less crowded patch of sky. Only then did the system recognize it, trigger a detection, and allow Denneau to hit “submit.” In fact, once it was officially flagged, the software even found earlier “precovery” images that had captured it days earlier — buried in the noise. From code to comet hunting Denneau’s work on ATLAS is part of a broader trend in astronomy where software plays a central role. “We’re a multi-petabyte project at this point,” he said. “And so that’s the kind of stuff that, as a computer person, keeps me awake, because it’s a lot of data to keep secure and backed up.” The system doesn’t just detect interstellar visitors. A few months before 3I/ATLAS, Denneau was on duty when another object showed up: a near-Earth asteroid called YR4. At first, it looked like it could impact Earth in 2032, but after more observations, it was ruled out as a threat. With so much data coming in nightly — as much as half a terabyte from the ATLAS telescopes — the priority is ensuring only real, reliable detections get flagged. “We’re really sensitive to not wanting to put false things on the confirmation page,” Denneau said. “We want to be like 99-point-something-percent reliable on that front.” It’s that reliability that gave the astronomy community enough confidence to quickly classify 3I/ATLAS as interstellar. And for Denneau, the moment still feels a bit surreal. "Every day I still love coming to work and working on astronomy," he said. "It's just super fun.

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Santa Swaps Sleigh for Helicopter in Royal Navy Christmas Surprise

Santa Claus made a high-flying entrance this year, trading in his sleigh and reindeer for Royal Navy helicopters to deliver early Christmas cheer across Somerset and Dorset. In a festive operation dubbed “Santa’s Sleigh,” choppers from Royal Navy Air Station Yeovilton touched down at 30 local schools — including a heartwarming visit to Charlton Farm children’s hospice near Bristol — to deliver gifts and collect letters for the North Pole. “With the reindeer resting up for an intensive Christmas period, naval helicopters were drafted in,” said the Royal Navy. Among the aircraft were Wildcats from 815 and 825 Naval Air Squadrons, a Commando Merlin from 846 Squadron, and a chopper from 1 Army Air Corps. “Bringing Santa into local schools in a Wildcat not only allows us to share some Christmas magic,” said Commander Sammy Haynes, “but also helps us maintain our strong links with the community.” Three schools even received special flypasts, thrilling students below. “The children were delighted to watch Father Christmas touch down,” said headteacher Dave Gordon. “It’s a memory they’ll never forget.”

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School Librarian Discovers She’s Distantly Related to Jane Austen — at the School Where Austen Studied

A school librarian in Reading has traced her family tree back nearly 500 years and found something she never expected — a distant connection to her literary hero, Jane Austen. Joanne Wenman, who works at The Abbey School in Reading, said she was “excited” to discover the link to Austen, whose wit and insight into the lives of 19th-century women helped define English literature. Wenman’s 11th great-grandfather was Thomas Austen, who was also an ancestor of the celebrated author. As she explained to the BBC, “That makes me sixth cousin six times removed from Jane Austen.” Wenman’s discovery comes just as fans around the world mark the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth. The Abbey School itself is part of the story — it's named after the Reading Abbey Gateway, where Austen and her sister Cassandra were educated at a boarding school from 1785. Wenman said she began researching her family tree about two years ago, using the site Ancestry. “When I was looking at my family tree… these Austens started appearing,” she said. “So my ninth great-grandmother is Jane Austen — not the Jane Austen but a different one — and then her grandfather is Thomas Austen.” Even just seeing the name ‘Jane Austen’ in her ancestry gave her a thrill. “When I first saw a Jane Austen appear in the 1600s even that excited me,” she said. “I know it sounds weird but it was seeing that name on my family tree.” She dug deeper. The Austen branch she belongs to was based in Hawkhurst, Kent — not far from Horsmonden, where Jane Austen’s immediate family also had roots. “That made me quite excited and then I cross-referenced and checked everything,” Wenman said. “I did lots of research before I was convinced.” Her discovery is more than just a fun coincidence. Wenman, who spent two decades as an English teacher before becoming a librarian, said Austen played a direct role in her career path. “If somebody's already your hero and you admire them greatly, it's going to mean so much more,” she said. She described the connection as “really nice and exciting”. She’s not the only one who’s thrilled. “The whole school is delighted for Joanne,” said Dr Sarah Tullis, head of The Abbey School. “We already knew what a huge fan of Jane Austen she is and how much this connection would mean to her. What makes this even more special for us here at The Abbey is that it strengthens our connections with Jane Austen even further.” Jane Austen, born in Steventon, Hampshire in 1775, never married and had no direct descendants. But her literary legacy — from Pride and Prejudice to Emma and Persuasion — has made her a permanent fixture in English literature classrooms around the world. Wenman is now set to meet other distant Austen relatives during a coffee morning hosted at The Abbey School to celebrate the author’s 250th birthday. For a lifelong fan, the moment is a little surreal. “Some of these coincidences,” she said, “are uncanny.”

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Pranksters Transform Famous Statue Into Chase From 'Paw Patrol'

In the quaint village of Dunchurch, Warwickshire, locals woke up to a familiar festive surprise: the town’s historic statue of Lord John Scott had been cheekily transformed — this time into Chase from Paw Patrol. The stone monument, which dates back to the 1800s, has become the centerpiece of an annual holiday prank, where mystery locals dress it up as a beloved children’s character each December. Past makeovers have included Bluey, Pinocchio, Peppa Pig, and Pingu. “This much-loved tradition goes back many years,” said Amber Cummins of the Dunchurch Festival Group. “It’s heartwarming to see children and adults alike react with such excitement when they see it.” Jordan Sargent, who brought her son to see the transformation, said, “Last year it was Peppa Pig and he loved that. This year it’s Chase. It’s not his favorite — he loves Rubble — but we still like Chase.” No one knows exactly who’s behind the annual costume switch, but villagers agree on one thing: it’s become a cherished part of the town’s Christmas season.

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Smithsonian Receives Rare $1.7 Million Dinosaur Skull as a Holiday Gift

A nearly complete skull of a dome-headed dinosaur that roamed the Earth over 66 million years ago is now part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., thanks to a high-profile holiday donation. Philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt have gifted the museum a rare Pachycephalosaurus skull, which they purchased at a Sotheby’s auction in July for $1.7 million, well above its $1.2 million estimate. The fossil will be on temporary display from December 22 to 28, with plans to make it part of the museum’s permanent exhibition in the coming years. “This skull is by far the most spectacular specimen of this type of dinosaur that we have at the museum,” said Matthew Carrano, curator of Dinosauria at the museum. “We almost never get to see the animal’s face or the teeth or other parts of the head because they usually have broken away.” The skull is a rare find. Excavated from private land in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota—a region known for some of the richest Late Cretaceous fossils in North America—the fossil includes 32 cranial bones, offering an unusually complete look at this little-understood species. Pachycephalosaurus fossils make up less than 1% of all finds in the formation, far less common than Triceratops, which account for roughly 40%. Carrano believes this skull likely came from an individual that wasn’t fully grown, which opens up new research opportunities. The museum plans to scan and digitize the fossil to better understand how these dinosaurs developed over time. Wendy Schmidt emphasized the broader significance of the gift. “When we see an ancient fossil like this one, we are confronted with the story of our planet’s past and can consider how humans fit into Earth’s geologic history in a profoundly different way,” she said. “Eric and I hope the digitization project and this rare Pachycephalosaurus skull will provide access to these fossils to anyone, anywhere in the world.” Eric Schmidt is the former CEO of Google and executive chairman of Alphabet. Wendy Schmidt has a background in journalism and philanthropy. Together, they’ve launched initiatives including the Schmidt Family Foundation, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and Schmidt Sciences, which support environmental sustainability and scientific research. Their gift comes amid a wave of high-profile fossil acquisitions. In 2023, hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin made headlines for loaning a $44 million Stegosaurus skeleton to the American Museum of Natural History—the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The Schmidts’ donation adds another exceptional specimen to public view, while helping researchers piece together the life and growth of one of the Cretaceous period’s most mysterious creatures.

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Dog Abandoned in Box Outside Shelter Finds a Loving New Home Days Later

Tangi the dog has a new leash on life. Just five days after being left in a sealed cardboard box outside the Pennsylvania SPCA, the young pup has been adopted into a loving home. “We are over the moon to share that Tangi has been adopted!” the shelter wrote in a joyful update on December 14, alongside a photo of the smiling dog with her new family. “We are so excited for her new chapter filled with love, snuggles, and adventures.” Tangi’s story first made headlines on December 9, when staff at the SPCA’s Philadelphia shelter arrived to find a large box outside their door. On the outside was a handwritten note from her former owner, who said they were out of options. “It's either eviction or let the dog go,” the note read. “I have filled out adoption apps, but nothing has happened. Today was my last day, and my back is [against] the wall. She has all her shots. Good dog. Her name is Tangi.” Inside the box, staff found the frightened dog curled up and trembling. “When we opened [the box], scared eyes looked up at us,” the SPCA wrote in a Facebook post. “She was shaking and so stressed … clearly overwhelmed by everything around her.” But it didn’t take long for Tangi to respond to kindness. “The moment a hand reached toward her, she leaned in, gentle and searching for comfort despite everything she had been through,” shelter staff said. After medical testing and behavioral assessments, Tangi remained in the shelter’s care for several days in case her original owner returned. No one came forward. Once cleared for adoption, it didn’t take long for the sweet-natured pup to find her perfect match. “Thank you to everyone who shared her story and helped her find her perfect family,” the SPCA said. “Happy life, sweet girl.”

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Giant Animal Puppets Travel From Congo Basin To Melting Arctic Glacier With Important Message

Earlier this year, a herd of giraffes, elephants, hyenas, and zebras took to the streets of cities around the world — not real animals, but towering, life-sized puppets made from recycled materials, carried by hundreds of people on a mission. The massive public art project, known as The Herds, was designed to sound the alarm on the climate crisis. Created by The Walk Productions — the same team behind Little Amal, the 12-foot puppet of a refugee girl who journeyed across 17 countries — The Herds brought together artists, producers, and volunteers across 11 nations for one purpose: to stir people into seeing climate change not as an abstract issue, but as something happening here and now. The project spanned five months, from April to September 2025, covering 20,000 kilometers (roughly 15,500 miles) from the Congo Basin Rainforest to a melting glacier in Norway’s Jostedalsbreen National Park. Along the way, The Herds stopped in dozens of communities, including Cape Town, London, and others, with 56 public performances and over 1,000 people trained to animate the puppets. “The Herds will happen in our immediate surroundings, in our familiar,” said artistic director Amir Nizar Zuabi, a Palestinian theatre-maker who first dreamed up the project while traveling with Little Amal. “It needs to happen where we feel safe, so we understand that we are not safe.” Zuabi explained that his idea grew from a deeply personal place. As a child, he would lie in the desert in Palestine and watch the sky darken with migrating birds — herons, kites, storks — flying overhead. “They placed me in the world. They were inspiring and humbling,” he said in a 2024 TED Talk. “But as I grew older, the flocks grew smaller.” Years later, while walking with the Amal puppet across Europe, he looked up and saw fewer birds, just as he saw more people on the move — displaced by war, disaster, and climate change. That dual loss sparked a question: Could a public art project connect people to the climate crisis the way Amal connected people to the refugee experience? The answer became The Herds — a visual story of animals migrating together, predator and prey alike, all fleeing a disaster not of their own making, but ours. The first puppets were built by Ukwanda Puppetry and Designs Art Collective in Cape Town, South Africa. At each stop, local artists and volunteers learned how to build and operate their own. The animals traveled by foot, boat, and plane, carried through city streets, parks, and ports — anywhere people would see them and stop to ask why they were running. “We’re migrating with an ever-evolving, growing group of animals,” Zuabi told The Guardian. “They will be an alarm bell, impossible to ignore.” That urgency is the point. While climate scientists have long warned of rising seas, scorching heat, and extreme weather, Zuabi says data doesn’t always move people. Emotion does. “The way we’ve been talking about the climate crisis is through data… but they don’t necessarily move us into action. Beauty does,” he told Atmos. “Beauty will make you care.” Each puppet was designed to be stunning and expressive. And when lions, gazelles, wolves and zebras — animals that would normally flee from one another — ran together in peace, it forced people to ask: what disaster would make that happen? “When lions and gazelles … zebras and hyenas … wolves and deer are running together — predator and prey running alongside one another — and they’re running away from us,” Zuabi said in his TED Talk, “what does that say about us?” At its core, The Herds wasn’t just about spectacle. It was about unsettling the comfortable — bringing the crisis to the doorsteps of those who might otherwise think it’s happening “somewhere else.” And reminding everyone that nature is not separate from us. “Underneath the layers of asphalt and concrete and vanity, there is nature,” Zuabi said. “And it is wild, vivacious and uncontrollable.” As climate disasters become more frequent and more devastating, Zuabi hopes The Herds has done more than just raise awareness — he hopes it’s stirred a sense of urgency and responsibility. “I don’t think that we do these projects and the world immediately becomes better,” he said. “But I want to believe that what we do matters.” And for five months in 2025, a global audience got a glimpse of the beauty we’re in danger of losing — and maybe, a better reason to protect it.

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