Many of those displaced or endangered by the Los Angeles wildfires have had the extra stressor of worrying about their pets. Pasadena Humane has welcomed hundreds of animals since last Tuesday, and many other shelters and animal care centers have their doors open for evacuating or lost pets. But there are also some heartwarming animal stories coming out of the tragedy, like the retired fireman bringing his therapy dog, Jack, to first responders and evacuees, and the Palisades resident who was happily reunited with his missing pup. You can watch the video of that reunion here — his joy at being back with his beloved dog is infectious.
Must Reads
It seems to be harder to focus these days, and some museums are trying to help change that
Chilly Buffalo, New York, Is Home to the “Hottest” Housing Market (Again)
DenisTangneyJr/ iStock
We’ve been writing a lot about trends for 2025, from wellness to travel hot spots and paint colors. Next up? The housing market. Last week, Zillow shared its annual list of the hottest housing markets. The 2025 rankings were calculated based on a combination of forecasted home value growth and recent housing market velocity, as well as projected changes in the labor market, home construction activity, and number of homeowner households. For two years in a row, the No. 1 spot went to Buffalo, New York,with the real estate website pointing to the area’s “relative affordability” and employment growth. Indianapolis is second on the list thanks to its “rising outlook” when it comes to home values — the average appreciation is expected to jump from 2.8% in 2024 to 3.4% in 2025. Providence, Rhode Island, came in third, followed by Hartford, Connecticut, and Philadelphia. Although this report focused mostly on sellers, there may be some good news for buyers, too. “Shoppers nationwide should see more options for sale than in recent years, along with slow and steady price growth,” Skylar Olsen, Zillow’s chief economist, said in a press release. See the rest of the top 10 markets.
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An Inside Look at How the Brain Makes Mental Maps of Spaces
SvetaZi/ iStock
Once upon a time, navigating from point A to point B wasn’t as easy as pulling up Google Maps. But even with the best tech tools, getting a good sense of place requires savvy skills from our brain cells, according to a recent MIT study. Spoiler alert: Sleep is an important part of the mapmaking process. Neuroscientists studied mice wandering around simple mazes to see how the brain forms cohesive cognitive maps of spaces. The team found that the brain’s ability to remember specific locations and link places into a mental map is boosted by sleep, as the animals “replayed” their previous journeys mid-snooze, helping the brain’s “place cells” become more attuned to spaces and patterns. “On Day 1, the brain doesn’t represent the space very well,” lead author Wei Guo told MIT News. “Neurons represent individual locations, but together, they don’t form a map. But on Day 5, they form a map. If you want a map, you need all these neurons to work together in a coordinated ensemble.” That resulting mental map isn’t precise, the study notes, but rather a more abstract understanding of a given space. The university explained: “For instance, once you’ve formed your cognitive map of the neighborhood around your hotel, you can plan the next morning’s excursion (e.g., you could imagine grabbing a croissant at the bakery you observed a few blocks west and then picture eating it on one of those benches you noticed in the park along the river).”
Health
Milkfish Skin Might Help “Transform Wound Care” for Underserved Communities
Afriadi Hikmal/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Fish offer plenty of health benefits: They’re packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are also crucial for cognitive health and memory. But some species also have another, perhaps lesser-known perk, and that’s healing burns and wounds. Tilapia skin has been used for years as a base for skin grafts to help curb microbe growth, and researchers in the Philippines recently found that milkfish skin is just as durable and effective for treating wounds.It’s a particularly exciting discovery for the region, where milkfish is affordable and widely available, and where many communities don’t have access to traditional graft materials due to cost or scarcity. “This finding has the potential to transform wound care in underserved areas, improving patient outcomes in regions with limited access to advanced medical facilities,” the study authors wrote. Plus, finding a use for milkfish skin, which is otherwise discarded, helps reduce environmental waste.
In Other News
Reminder: Tax filing season starts Jan. 27, but deadlines are extended for those affected by natural disasters (read more)
A new report offers insight into why young Asian Americans are especially prone to food allergies (read more)
Meet the local who made a Minnesota-shaped forest in the Midwestern state (read more)
In the crypts of a Lithuanian cathedral, a trove of crowns and scepters was recovered from inside the walls (read more)
After a rare snow storm, one Alabama residentfilmed an impromptu snowboarding sesh (read more)
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Inspiring Story
“He’s still Walt”
When teacher Clay Morton learned his former geology professor and mentor, Walt Manger, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he started organizing monthly meet-ups to talk science. On each visit, Morton tells Manger how much he’s done for him and doesn’t worry whether or not his compliments are remembered. “It’s nice to be able to tell it to him over and over again,” he said.
Photo of the Day
Jérôme Brouillet/ World Sports Photography Awards
Remember this photo? The captivating shot of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina, taken by photographer Jérôme Brouillet, went hugely viral during the Paris Olympics for the way in which it seems to suspend space and time. We’re bringing it back around because it was recently named the overall winner of the World Sports Photography Awards — see the other winning shots across 24 sports categories.
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