Exercise is a key component to maintaining good health, both mentally and physically — and for some people, a high-intensity, 45-minute workout is an activity to look forward to. For many others, though, it’s akin to having a cavity drilled without an anesthetic. If you’re part of the latter group, recent research may give you […]
Mussels, the small mollusks often enjoyed alongside French fries at seafood restaurants, can be delicious — but also dangerous, for ships at least. These marine organisms are one of the biggest culprits of “fouling,” which is when a boat’s integrity can become compromised due to the buildup of mussels and other living things like algae
Have you ever stopped to wonder how the first month of the year came to be called “January,” or where the other months’ names, from “February” through “December,” actually originated? In case the start of another trip around the sun has you curious, here’s a brief overview of how we arrived at our present-day calendar system.
What’s a “January,” Anyway? A Brief Guide to the Origins of Each Month’s Name Continue Reading »
In the middle of Nevada’s vast desert there’s a 200-million-year-old rich fossil bed, where many “school bus-sized” ichthyosaurs are petrified in stone. The remains of these 50-foot-long, ancient marine reptiles (Shonisaurus popularis) have been found over the course of half a century, but the findings have perplexed paleontologists since their discovery — specifically why their
More than a century after his death, Vincent Van Gogh is continuing to delight art enthusiasts with new masterpieces. Experts at the National Galleries of Scotland discovered a never-before-seen self-portrait of the late artist while X-raying another of Van Gogh’s paintings, “Head of a Peasant Woman,” before putting it on display. When “Head of a
Hidden Self-Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh Discovered Behind Painting Continue Reading »
Unless you’ve visited Australia, you’ve probably never seen a wombat out in the wild. These stout quadrupedal marsupials — only found in the land down under — measure an average of about 40 inches in length and weigh between 55 and 88 pounds. The extinct diprotodon, commonly referred to as the “giant wombat,” was much
A Long-Lost Species — the “True Giant Wombat” — Has Been Discovered in Australia Continue Reading »
It’s officially 2023! As each new year arrives, many of us find ourselves swept up in the excitement of a fresh start. But the potential can sometimes turn to pressure as we set grand (and often unrealistic) New Year’s resolutions. While detailing specific goals — like vowing to get healthy, cut back on TV, and
In our fast-paced, ever-changing, and chaotic world, it can often feel difficult to remember something good that has happened in the past week, let alone an entire year. Nice News is here to help you remember some of the most significant positive stories from 2022 — from the endangered species that are bouncing back (looking
What Went Right This Year: 13 Positive Stories From 2022 Continue Reading »
The frenzy of the holiday season has come and gone, and one great way to recalibrate in this new year is by taking a few moments to step outside and admire the expanse of the sparkling night sky overhead. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is declaring January 2023 to be “the brightest night sky of the
The last few years have yielded plenty of challenges: political and financial unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty, habitat loss, and the effects of warming temperatures due to climate change, to name but a few. But there’s still plenty of good in the world, from small and simple pleasures to larger advancements offering collective hope for
