While North America was captivated with Alaska’s Fat Bear Week (Chunk won, by the way), another playful animal competition was going down in New Zealand: The annual Bird of the Year contest, which aims to raise awareness for the country’s native bird species and the threats they face. Voting ran from Sept. 15-28, and this […]
This newly discovered mammal species may be just 4 inches long, yet it boasts immeasurable cuteness. Marmosa chachapoya, a red-furred, pointy-nosed creature from Peru’s Río Abiseo National Park, was first seen in 2018 — but scientists have only now identified it as a novel species of opossum. The critter has several distinct features: red-brown fur
“Loud voice, fun stories, just always laughing and smiling” is how Lisa Ihnat-Durbin described her husband, Sean Durbin — but that changed when he was diagnosed with a form of frontotemporal dementia: a group of brain disorders that impact language, behavior, and comprehension. “I noticed at times I couldn’t quite get my words out,” Sean, 58, said in a video shared by the Cleveland Clinic, adding, “That’s when I first noticed it, that I was struggling.”
If the books Eloise and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler have shown us anything, it’s that there’s something thrilling about living in an institution you’d normally only visit. But while most of us won’t run off to reside in busy hotels or art museums, folks across the country are making themselves
What pushes an acquaintance into friendship territory? While there are plenty of reasons we forge bonds with others — proximity, shared hobbies, similar values — new research from the University of California Los Angeles and Dartmouth College suggests a neurological explanation for kinship as well. Publishing their findings in Nature Human Behavior, the study authors
What makes a place cool in 2025? Time Out, which recently published its list of the world’s coolest neighborhoods, defined the hippest spots as “places that represent the soul of our cities, while maintaining their own unique local character that draws people in to live, work, and play.” With this in mind, the outlet tapped
Even if today’s parents wanted to raise their kids just like their own moms and dads raised them (which is a big if), Gen Alpha and Gen Beta are growing up in a vastly different world — one where they’re navigating social media, the aftermath of a global pandemic, and economic unpredictability. Naturally, parenting styles have evolved to meet the younger generations where they are, and a new survey conducted by Talker Research revealed which ones are currently trending.
In the summer of 2024, shortly after a young woman and her then-fiancé moved into a new house in Richardson, Texas, they were delighted to find that their elderly neighbor had dropped off a cake to welcome them to the community. The woman shared the sweet gesture on social media, and the video racked up
Japan is home to tens of thousands of Shinto shrines, places devoted to the worship of the religion’s deities, known as “kami.” The most sacred of these sites, Ise Jingu, is considered the “soul of Japan” and lies nestled in the Japanese Alps. A collection of 125 shrines, the massive complex dates back over 2,000
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fattest of them all? Don’t worry, Disney princesses aren’t included in this query — the contenders seeking to be crowned the chubbiest are larger, furrier, and competing in this year’s Fat Bear Week.
Hold Onto Your Fish, Fat Bear Week Is Back: Meet the Chonky Contestants Continue Reading »
