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Attending Festivals Can Increase Connection to Humanity, Study Shows

Many a Burning Man attendee has been known to wax rhapsodic about their experiences communing in the desert. And that type of passion is well documented throughout history — sociologist Émile Durkheim called the self-transcending effects of mass gatherings “collective effervescence.”  Now, a study out of Yale suggests that the transformative impact of festivals persists

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Young woman with blonde hair is dancing with her friends in a performance tent at a music festival. She has her arms outstretched and is watching the performance.

WWII Ship Found Off Philippines Coast Is World’s Deepest Wreck Ever Discovered

Explorers have identified the remains of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, known as the ”Sammy B” — the deepest shipwreck ever discovered. The ship, which had broken into two pieces, was located on a slope over 22,600 feet, or four miles, deep in the waters off the island of Samar, Philippines. The U.S. Navy destroyer escort

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a black and white photo of the WWII ship on the water before it sunk and became the world's deepest shipwreck

Students’ Letter Writing Campaign Successfully Boosts Animal Shelter Adoptions

By putting pencil (and crayon) to paper, an elementary school class honed their creative writing and drawing skills while also helping some overlooked shelter pets find adoptive homes. Second-grade teacher Kensey Jones was mulling over new writing assignment ideas for her students at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia. Jones had become a volunteer

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Meet the Carpet Cleaner Who Speaks 24 Languages — And Had MIT Study His Brain

Vaughn Smith was bilingual from a young age, learning English from his father and Spanish from his Mexican mother. As he grew up, though, languages began to captivate him, and he soon took on many more tongues.  Now age 46, he speaks 24 languages and has a basic understanding or some familiarity with 21 others.

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Carpet cleaner Vaughn Smith wears a beanie and looks at camera with a small smile in front of a wall featuring different written languages

Planning Begins for National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture

A bill supporting the creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture — the first in U.S. history — was signed into law on June 13.  The new legislation will establish an eight-person commission — members of which must possess “a demonstrated commitment to the research, study, or promotion of Asian

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A Spring view of the Tulip Magnolias blooming at the Smithsonian Castle on a sunny morning in April.

13-Year-Old Makes History as She’s Accepted Into Med School: “I’ve Worked So Hard to Live My Dreams”

At 13 years old, Alena Analeigh has already achieved more than your average adult — she was the youngest-ever NASA intern, she’s a triple major undergraduate enrolled at Arizona State University and Oakwood University, and she’s the founder of Black Stem Girl, a program dedicated to providing girls of color access to STEM programs and

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Alena Aleigh smiles and looks at the camera with arms crossed in a white lab coat

Independent Bookstores in US Are Thriving and Diversifying Post-Pandemic

Passionate readers can attest to the appeal of a local bookstore: the incomparable pleasure of strolling through the aisles waiting for a book to beckon from its spot on the shelf before being placed atop a towering stack and taken to a quiet corner where its crisp pages can be perused. Unfortunately, due to the

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Very modern and bright bookstore with white shelves full of books seen during day light.
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