Goodable

An adorable young hockey fan was ecstatic to be featured on the jumbotron during an Anaheim Ducks game against the Calgary Flames on April 9.

Camera operators at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, pitted 4-year-old Ducks fan Brayden Yorke against rival Calgary Flames fans, creating an atmosphere of energy for the team as the game went into overtime.

The Ducks beat the Flames 4-3 in overtime.

“A special moment for 4-year-old Brayden Yorke turned into a rallying spark for our team,” the Ducks wrote on Instagram. “We brought him and his family down after our thrilling OT win Wednesday night to meet everyone after a night he’ll never forget.”

During the meeting, several Ducks players and staff credited their overtime win to young Brayden, thanked him for his cheering assistance, and signed his T-shirt.

An adorable young hockey fan was ecstatic to be featured on the jumbotron during an Anaheim Ducks game against the Calgary Flames on April 9.Camera operators at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, pitted 4-year-old Ducks fan Brayden Yorke against rival Calgary Flames fans, creating an atmosphere of energy for the team as the game went into overtime.The Ducks beat the Flames 4-3 in overtime.“A special moment for 4-year-old Brayden Yorke turned into a rallying spark for our team,” the Ducks wrote on Instagram. “We brought him and his family down after our thrilling OT win Wednesday night to meet everyone after a night he’ll never forget.”During the meeting, several Ducks players and staff credited their overtime win to young Brayden, thanked him for his cheering assistance, and signed his T-shirt.

4-Year-Old Jumbotron Star Gets to Meet Anaheim Ducks

People

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.

Miniature Therapy Horses are Bringing Big Comfort to Manhattan Seniors

Talker News

Scraping frost off your windshield on a freezing morning could soon be a thing of the past—thanks to a new “electric zap” technique developed by engineers at Virginia Tech.

Researchers say they’ve found a smarter, greener way to defrost surfaces that doesn’t rely on heat or chemicals. The method, called electrostatic defrosting (EDF), uses electricity to exploit the frost’s own microscopic structure, dislodging it without burning energy or releasing toxins.

“This concept of electric deicing is still in a very early stage,” said Professor Jonathan Boreyko, a mechanical engineer leading the project. “But we hope EDF will prove to be a cost-effective, chemical-free, and low-energy approach to deicing.”

Traditional defrosting methods are either power-hungry, like electric heaters, or environmentally harmful, like chemical sprays. EDF flips that logic on its head by working with frost’s natural properties. Boreyko’s lab has been studying how ice forms and behaves at the molecular level and found a way to turn those quirks into a solution.

Here’s how it works: when water freezes into frost, the molecules line up in an orderly ice lattice. But they don’t always fall perfectly into place. Some might carry an extra hydrogen atom (H₃O⁺), while others might lose one (OH⁻). These slight mismatches create what scientists call “ionic defects”—spots of positive or negative charge buried in the frost layer.

Boreyko compares it to rushing a jigsaw puzzle and jamming pieces where they don’t belong. These defects, while small, can be manipulated.

By hovering an electrically charged plate above the frost and applying voltage, the team discovered they could force the ionic defects to move—pulling the negatively charged parts of the frost upward toward the plate, while pushing the positively charged bits downward. This polarization creates a strong electric attraction between the frost and the plate, enough to fracture and pull off some of the frost crystals.

In early trials, the technique worked even without power. A copper plate placed above the frost removed about 15% of the ice just through natural polarization. But once the team added electricity, results improved quickly. At 120 volts, they removed 40% of the frost. At 550 volts, it was 50%.

“We really thought we were onto something here,” said Boreyko. But then came the surprise: when they increased the voltage further—to 1,100 volts and then 5,500 volts—frost removal actually dropped, down to just 20%.

That result caught them off guard. Their models predicted better performance with more power. But the team discovered that at high voltages, the frost started leaking charge into the surface underneath—especially when that surface was conductive, like copper.

When they switched to insulating surfaces, like glass, performance dipped less. And when they upgraded again to a superhydrophobic surface—one that traps air and repels water—the results soared.

Using that air-trapping surface, frost removal at the highest voltage jumped to 75%, making a hidden “VT” logo on the frosted surface visibly clear after the frost lifted off.

Dr. Venkata Yashasvi Lolla, who led the experiments, said the next step is to keep pushing the technology toward full 100% frost removal, and to test EDF on a wide range of materials.

The team believes the method could be adapted for cars, planes, industrial equipment, and even everyday consumer goods—without the heavy energy cost or environmental footprint of traditional deicing methods.

“There’s still more to refine,” said Boreyko. “We’re exploring better electrode placements and ways to reduce charge leakage. But the potential is there.”

The research is published in the journal Small Methods.

No More Scraping: Scientists Are Zapping Ice Off Cars With Electricity

A team of British scientists has developed a futuristic pair of robotic trousers designed to help astronauts move more easily in space—and the technology could one day assist people with mobility issues here on Earth.

The lightweight exosuit, built mostly from fabric, is the first of its kind to be integrated into a full spacesuit and tested in a simulated space environment. It uses soft robotics and artificial muscles to boost strength, reduce fatigue, and maintain natural movement—especially during physically demanding tasks like walking, climbing, or carrying gear on uneven planetary terrain.

Dr. Emanuele Pulvirenti, a research associate at the University of Bristol’s Soft Robotics Lab, led the project and even hand-sewed the exosuit himself. “Fortunately, my grandmother worked as a tailor and she was able to give me some advice,” he said.

The exosuit is worn under a regular spacesuit and includes air-inflatable artificial muscles built from two layers: a nylon exterior and a thermoplastic inner layer that allows airtight inflation. Anchoring parts, such as the waistband and knee straps, are reinforced with Kevlar to handle the stress and tension of movement in space.

The trousers were field-tested during the ADAMA mission, a simulated lunar expedition conducted by the Austrian Space Forum and ICEE.space at the Exterres CRATER facility in Australia—the largest fake moon surface in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the first field test of a soft robotic exosuit inside a spacesuit, and part of a massive international collaboration involving 200 scientists from 25 countries.

“We wanted to see how the suit affected comfort, mobility, and biomechanical performance during common surface tasks,” Dr. Pulvirenti said. Tasks included walking, climbing, and carrying loads on loose ground, mimicking conditions astronauts would face on the Moon or Mars.

Beyond space applications, the research has potential medical benefits. Pulvirenti and his team are already working on a second version of the suit that can switch between two modes: assistive, which helps boost movement, and resistive, which adds tension to maintain or rebuild muscle strength. The aim is to eventually use this adaptive tech in physical rehabilitation programs for people with limited mobility.

“The hope is that this technology could pave the way for future wearable robotic systems that enhance astronaut performance and reduce fatigue during extra-vehicular surface activities,” Pulvirenti said. “But it’s exciting that this technology could also potentially benefit people, too.”

The team’s next goal: getting the suit aboard the International Space Station for further testing in orbit.

Robotic ‘Space Trousers’ Could Help Astronauts on the Moon—and People on Earth

Upworthy

Science just confirmed what dog lovers have always believed: your dog really does miss you—and not just a little.

A new study from Japan has found that dogs produce actual tears of joy when they see their owners after time apart. The research comes from Takefumi Kikusui, a professor at Azabu University’s Laboratory of Human-Animal Interaction and Reciprocity, who noticed his standard poodle getting misty-eyed while nursing her puppies. That moment sparked a question: Could dogs cry from emotion like humans do?

Until now, scientists believed dog tears were purely functional—just a way to keep their eyes clean and healthy. But Kikusui suspected there was more to it. So he ran a study using 18 dogs, measuring their tear volume both before and after being reunited with their owners following a separation of 5 to 7 hours.

Using something called the Schirmer Tear Test—a common method in both human and veterinary medicine to measure tear production—Kikusui found a noticeable increase in tears after reunions. "The baseline was about 22 mm, and the reunion with the owner increased by 10%," he told CNN.

And it turns out the response was exclusive. Dogs didn’t shed the same happy tears for just anyone. Follow-up testing showed that only their owners—not familiar acquaintances—triggered the emotional reaction.

The researchers then tested whether oxytocin, the so-called "love hormone," played a role. Oxytocin is what humans produce during bonding moments with loved ones, including between parents and children. When researchers administered a solution containing oxytocin into the dogs' eyes, tear production increased significantly, more so than with a neutral control solution.

While the study didn’t explore whether dogs cry in response to sadness or stress, the results do suggest something remarkable: dogs may not only feel strong emotional bonds with their humans, they might also express that connection physically in a way that’s visible to us.

So the next time your dog greets you at the door like it’s been a year instead of a few hours, they might actually be crying from joy.

And if your sibling ever claims your dog loves them more than you, well—you’ve now got peer-reviewed science on your side.

Study Reveals Dogs Cry Tears Of Joy Out Of Love For Their Owners

GoodGoodGood

Kiah Williams isn’t trying to fix the American healthcare system overnight. But she is doing something about one of its biggest blind spots: the billions of dollars in perfectly good prescription medications that get thrown away every year.

At TEDNext in Atlanta this week, Williams, the co-founder of Sirum, called the U.S. healthcare system “a behemoth”—but not one without hope.

“I have never met anyone who works in care who doesn't want to help people,” she told Good Good Good. “What's happened is we've created this system that is not set up to do it. And so you have people fighting upstream to do that.”

Williams and her team at Sirum are taking a different approach. Instead of trying to rebuild the entire system, they’re rescuing unused, unexpired medications—often flushed or trashed—and rerouting them to people who can’t afford them. In the process, they’re making life-saving drugs accessible for just a couple of dollars.

Each year, about $11 billion in prescription meds go to waste in the U.S. Sirum’s goal is to shrink that number as fast as possible. And it’s working. Thanks to support from TED’s Audacious Project, the group has scaled up dramatically—from $30 million in medicine saved annually to more than $300 million.

It’s no small feat. Drug donation laws vary wildly between states—about 40 have such laws on the books, but each comes with its own rules.

“There are about 40 states that have drug donation laws on their books, and they vary. They vary in who can donate, what they can donate, and where they can donate,” Williams explained. “Those are the big challenges that just exist because every state implemented the policy a little bit differently.”

That complexity has become Sirum’s specialty.

“Part of the secret sauce for Sirum, and what we do, is we help organizations and individuals know what they can donate,” she said. “We basically take care of that for them.”

Sirum’s expansion is driven by need. The nonprofit responds directly to communities asking for help—places where local advocates are already sounding the alarm.

“Oftentimes, when we are working in a new community in a new state, it's because someone has asked us to come there. Someone has said, ‘We have a need. Can you help?’” Williams said. “We like to know that there is an established need that exists.”

That need is personal for many of the people Sirum serves.

Williams shared the story of a mother of two in Atlanta who struggled to afford her blood pressure medication. “She had actually called nine or 10 different pharmacies to see if she could get a good price,” Williams said. “She described it as having a part-time job.”

The prices were inconsistent and often unaffordable—until she connected with Sirum’s low-cost delivery pharmacy, Good Pill.

“She was able to get her medications for $2 for a month's supply,” Williams said.

Those kinds of outcomes are exactly what Williams and her team are fighting for: medication that’s accessible, affordable, and transparent. But she says the healthcare industry still has a long way to go.

“There's still not transparent information that exists for consumers and for families,” she said. “And we don't accept that.”

“You can go online and find out what the gas prices are. You can look at different prices for food,” she added. “Why are we not doing the same for something as vital as medication?”

For now, Sirum will keep doing what it does best—saving unused medicine from the landfill and getting it into the hands of people who need it most.

Or, as Williams put it: “If the system’s not built for equity, build a new lane.”

She’s Saving $300 Million Worth of Prescription Drugs—and Giving Them to the People Who Need Them Most

Science Daily

A new drug delivery system has shown dramatic success in treating a stubborn form of bladder cancer, with 82% of patients seeing their tumors completely disappear in just three months.

The system, called TAR-200, is a slow-release implant that gradually delivers chemotherapy directly into the bladder. It was tested in a global Phase 2 clinical trial and is being hailed as one of the most promising treatments to date for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), especially in patients who failed standard therapies.

“Traditionally, these patients have had very limited treatment options,” said Dr. Sia Daneshmand, lead author of the study and director of urologic oncology at Keck Medicine of USC. “This new therapy is the most effective one reported to date for the most common form of bladder cancer.”

The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that not only did most tumors disappear within weeks, but nearly half of the 85 patients remained cancer-free after one year.

A Tiny Device With a Big Impact

TAR-200 looks unassuming — it’s a small, pretzel-shaped implant filled with the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine. Doctors insert it into the bladder via catheter, where it slowly releases the medication over a three-week period.

That slow release turned out to be key.

“Traditionally, gemcitabine has been delivered as a liquid solution that stays in the bladder for just a few hours,” Daneshmand explained. “Our theory was that the longer the medicine sits inside the bladder, the more deeply it would penetrate and destroy cancer cells.”

The idea paid off. Over the course of the trial, patients received TAR-200 every three weeks for six months, followed by four maintenance treatments per year for two years.

Out of the 85 participants, 70 saw their tumors completely vanish. The treatment was also generally well tolerated, with few side effects.

A Safer Alternative to Major Surgery

The trial, called SunRISe-1, was conducted across 144 sites globally, including Keck Hospital of USC. All participants had previously received Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an immunotherapy drug that’s currently the standard of care for NMIBC. But for many, BCG fails, and the cancer returns.

Until now, the fallback option was often major surgery — the complete removal of the bladder and surrounding organs.

“That procedure has significant risks and a serious impact on quality of life,” Daneshmand said. TAR-200 offers a much less invasive alternative, especially for patients with limited options.

Less Is More

Interestingly, researchers also tested a version of the therapy combining TAR-200 with the immunotherapy drug cetrelimab. But that approach turned out to be less effective and caused more side effects than TAR-200 alone.

While the trial’s enrollment has ended, participants will continue to be monitored for another year. In the meantime, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted TAR-200 a Priority Review — a fast-track process that signals strong promise.

The device is manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, which also funded the study. Daneshmand disclosed he has received research support and consulting payments from the company.

What’s Next for Cancer Treatment?

TAR-200 is part of a growing trend in oncology: slow-release therapies that deliver medication directly at the tumor site. By keeping the drug in contact with cancer cells for longer, these systems aim to improve outcomes while reducing side effects.

“We are at an exciting moment in history,” Daneshmand said. “Our mission is to deliver cancer-fighting medications into the bladder that will offer lasting remission, and it looks like we are well on our way toward that goal.”

If the early success holds up through ongoing trials, TAR-200 could soon change the standard of care for one of the most common — and stubborn — forms of bladder cancer.

This Tiny Implant is Wiping Out Bladder Cancer in 82% of Patients

Fox News

Housekeepers turned into athletes Monday night as the 35th annual Housekeeping Olympics lit up Las Vegas with cheers, laughs, and some serious competition.

Held at the Michelob Ultra Arena, the event brought together hospitality workers from across the Las Vegas Valley to celebrate the people who keep hotels running smoothly behind the scenes. Nine teams representing various properties faced off in high-energy events like vacuum races, mop relays, and bed-making battles—all designed to spotlight the skills and speed required in their day-to-day jobs.

The crowd favorite? A vacuum race where competitors rode commercial vacuums like go-karts, clearing the track in record time.

“They are the lifeline,” said Andy Meese, General Manager of Park MGM. “They bring the guest experience to life every single day. So it’s a great opportunity to take a step back and recognize the employees for all the work that they do.”

The competition was fierce but friendly. Teams from Resorts World, Aria, and V-dara consistently landed on the podium across events. In the end, it was Aria and V-dara that took top honors as the overall winners.

Now in its 35th year, the Housekeeping Olympics has become more than just a competition—it’s a way to show appreciation for the workers who often operate behind the curtain. For one night a year, they take center stage.

Housekeeping Olympics Celebrates 35 Years With Spirited Competitions In Las Vegas

Just over a year after surviving a near-fatal car accident and choosing to amputate his right foot, The Challenge alum Nelson Thomas has officially completed his first 5K — and he did it with a prosthetic.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, the 37-year-old reality star crossed the finish line in Los Angeles with a wide smile and a leap of joy, surrounded by supporters from Travis Barker’s Run Travis Run Club. Thomas ran alongside two special people: his mom and fellow Challenge castmate Cory Wharton.

“Today was such a beautiful day!” Thomas wrote on Instagram, where he shared video clips of the race and celebratory photos. “Not only did I complete a 5K run with the Run Travis Run Club, but I also got to run alongside my mom and my @corywharton_ig — two people who’ve been by my side since day one. Love y’all!”

In his caption, Thomas made it clear this run was bigger than just personal achievement. “This run wasn’t just for me,” he wrote. “It was for everyone out there pushing to be better. If I can do it, you can do it. Let’s do it together!”

The milestone marks a dramatic and inspiring chapter in Thomas’s recovery. On March 5, 2024 — exactly one year after his accident — he made the life-changing decision to amputate his foot. “The day I cut off my foot, man, I never looked back,” he told PEOPLE earlier this year. “And I’ve been the happiest man ever since.”

He called the decision the beginning of his “second chance.”

“I knew what kind of life I wanted to live,” he said. “I knew my journey wasn’t done. I knew that God gave me a second chance and that he’s using me as a vessel to inspire others.”

Thomas began rehabilitation with the Adaptive Training Foundation, a Texas-based nonprofit that helps amputees and adaptive athletes rebuild their strength and mobility.

“I was going there just for the physicality of moving in my prosthetic and being more agile and stronger and making a comeback,” he said. “But when I walked through those doors, I walked out a whole different man.”

Now, he’s running — and jumping — across finish lines. “Proud to represent the limb loss community 🦿🌎,” he wrote on Instagram, asking followers which race he should take on next.

“I feel like I’m 10 times better,” he added. “It’s been a blessing, and I’m moving and grooving. Do I have a lot longer way to go? Yeah, we all do. I expect a lot more out of me. I’m not resting in the middle. I’ll rest at the end.”

Reality Star Triumphs in First 5K Race With Prosthetic Foot After Amputation

A century ago, two young Canadian war veterans set out on crutches from Calgary with a goal as ambitious as it was painful: to walk across the country and prove that losing a limb didn’t mean losing purpose.

The year was 1923. George Hincks and Marshall McDougall, both recent amputees after serving in the First World War, were patients at a Calgary military hospital when they decided to take on a challenge few thought possible — a multi-month, cross-country trek to fight stigma, long before words like “disability rights” were part of the national vocabulary.

They didn’t make it all the way to Ottawa. Instead, the pair ended their journey in Thunder Bay, Ont., physically exhausted and battered from the road. But what they accomplished in those grueling weeks — walking 30 kilometers a day, on crutches, through prairie heat and Ontario forests — laid early groundwork for a movement that wouldn’t take shape for another two generations.

“They endured just immense amounts of pain and suffering,” said historian Eric Story, who uncovered their story while flipping through an old military magazine. “They had open red sores under their arms from the chafing of their crutches. It’s truly unfathomable.”

Hincks and McDougall’s effort has largely been forgotten, overshadowed by more recent Canadian icons like Terry Fox, whose 1980 Marathon of Hope became a defining moment in the nation’s collective memory. But Fox himself stopped his run just outside Thunder Bay — the same place where Hincks and McDougall had to call it quits nearly 60 years earlier.

“They were trying to show that they had as much grit — even more grit — than other Canadians,” said Story, a postdoctoral researcher at Western University.

Both men were members of the Amputations Association of the Great War, which would later evolve into the War Amps. Their mission wasn’t just personal endurance — it was advocacy. As they traveled, they spoke with Canadians about the challenges amputees faced and the need for support, particularly for returning veterans.

In post-WWI Canada, the country was shifting from a rural economy to one driven by industrial capitalism. That transition left many disabled veterans sidelined, seen as “inefficient workers” who couldn’t keep pace with the demands of factory life.

“These are the ideas Hincks and McDougall were trying to tackle,” said Story. “They weren’t asking for pity. They were confronting society’s definition of productivity head-on.”

Marshall McDougall’s great-grandniece, Lauren McDougall, only recently discovered her family’s role in this early activism while researching her genealogy. She said she’s proud to see their story brought to light after so many years in the shadows.

“It’s kind of crazy,” she said. “But it’s a pretty exciting story.”

She described her great-granduncle as someone known for his humor and energy, and believes the journey may have started as a challenge between two friends — but quickly grew into something much more profound.

“They brought awareness to communities about what needed to happen for returning soldiers, especially those with amputations,” she said.

The War Amps charity, which today serves all amputees in Canada, sees Hincks and McDougall as early examples of the resilience that defines the amputee community.

“They lived by the motto, ‘It’s what’s left that counts,’” said Merrill Loeppky, a regional representative for the organization in Manitoba.

While the modern disability rights movement in Canada is often traced to the mid-20th century, Story argues that Hincks and McDougall deserve recognition as pioneers.

“They changed attitudes at the individual level,” he said. “They reminded Canadians that the responsibility wasn’t just on disabled veterans to fit into society — it was also on society to accept and support them.”

Even now, a hundred years later, that message still resonates.

“It’s still a conversation that is relevant today,” said Lauren McDougall. “There are still mindsets and biases in place. And it’s important to remember that people were pushing against them even then.”

Their trek may have ended short of Ottawa, but Hincks and McDougall made their point loud and clear: disability is not weakness. And dignity doesn’t require two legs — just enough courage to stand, and keep moving forward.

WWI Amputees Walked Across Canada to Challenge Disability Stigma, Nearly 60 Years Before Terry Fox

Science Alert

For years, climate scientists have dreamed of a model that could simulate weather and long-term climate processes with high precision — down to the kilometer scale. Now, a team led by Daniel Klocke at Germany’s Max Planck Institute has come closer than ever to making that dream a reality.

In a new paper, the team unveils a groundbreaking climate model with a staggering resolution of 1.25 kilometers per grid cell — close enough to simulate local thunderstorms, ocean currents, and fine-scale atmospheric changes, while also tracking long-term shifts in carbon cycles and biospheres.

It’s the first time these "fast" and "slow" systems have been combined in a single global model at this scale. And it’s as close as climate science has come to what many call the “holy grail” of the field.

A Climate Model That Thinks Small to Go Big

To pull it off, the researchers used the ICON model — a joint effort of the German Weather Service and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. They divided Earth’s surface into 336 million land and ocean grid cells and matched each with a corresponding atmospheric column, bringing the total to 672 million individual cells.

Each cell runs calculations for dozens of variables, with "fast" processes like the water and energy cycles updating minute-to-minute, and "slow" processes like the carbon cycle evolving over months and years. Normally, these slower dynamics are handled in climate models that run at much lower resolutions — often 40 km per grid cell or more — due to the enormous computational demands.

Klocke’s team shattered that limitation by optimizing how data is processed and assigning tasks based on speed. Using a framework called DaCe (Data-Centric Parallel Programming), they stripped out legacy code (originally written in Fortran) and optimized the model to run on modern hardware.

Enter: Supercomputers on Steroids

The engine behind the model is powered by 20,480 GH200 Grace Hopper superchips — hybrid chips from Nvidia that combine AI-focused GPUs with energy-efficient CPUs from ARM. These were spread across two cutting-edge European supercomputers: JUPITER in Germany and Alps in Switzerland.

This division of labor meant the GPU-heavy parts tackled the rapidly shifting weather components, while the CPUs handled the slower processes like biosphere and geochemical modeling.

The result? The team simulated nearly 146 days of Earth’s climate in just 24 hours, using close to 1 trillion degrees of freedom — a rough measure of how many individual values the model calculated.

So… Will This Make the Weather App on Your Phone Better?

Not quite yet.

This kind of modeling is computationally expensive — far beyond what national weather services or local meteorological centers can use in real time. The chips used are in high demand for generative AI development, not climate forecasting. For now, models like this are mainly for research and long-term climate planning.

But the potential is enormous.

Being able to simulate climate and weather on the same ultra-fine grid opens up a new class of insights — including how local weather extremes fit into broader climate trends, or how small-scale feedback loops might affect global warming projections.

It could also improve early warning systems for floods, fires, and droughts, or refine how we model the interaction between climate and ecosystems — from coral reefs to rainforests.

The Long Game

Klocke and his team aren’t claiming to have solved climate modeling. But they’ve made a leap that many thought was still years away.

“This type of model won’t be running on your local server farm anytime soon,” one climate scientist quipped online, “but it shows us where things are headed.”

The full paper is currently available as a preprint on arXiv — and likely being bookmarked by weather nerds, climate researchers, and supercomputer engineers around the world.

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