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Wednesday • January 31, 2024
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Out with the old, in with the new — we’re talking baby names. The State of Baby Names initiative from BabyCenter has released the most popular monikers of 2024 so far, as well as a list of some of the ones that are becoming less popular. The top names include Olivia, Isabella, and Amelia for girls, and Noah, Liam, and Oliver for boys. Brooke, Blake, Julius, and Jaiden, meanwhile, are all on the decline. See the full rankings here.
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Culture
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Painting Worth More Than $54M Rediscovered After Almost a Century
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brandstaetter images/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images
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A painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt has been located after being believed lost for nearly a century. “Portrait of Fraulein Lieser” once belonged to the wealthy Lieser family, but was last seen in public in 1925. The piece was found in the possession of a private owner in Vienna.
Commissioned to depict 18-year-old Margarethe Lieser, Klimt (pictured) likely began the modernist work in 1917. The unfinished piece was discovered in his studio following his death the next year and given to the Liesers. Though the exact details of its journey after that are unclear, the portrait was acquired in the 1960s and passed to its current owner.
“The rediscovery of this portrait, one of the most beautiful of Klimt’s last creative period, is a sensation,” Viennese auction house im Kinsky said in a statement, adding: “A painting of such rarity, artistic significance, and value has not been available on the art market in Central Europe for decades.”
Valued at more than $54 million, the work will be exhibited in various locations around the world before going up for auction April 24 on behalf of the Lieser family and the current owners.
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Elevate Your Snacking Game
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Filled with vital brain nutrients and delicious flavors, MOSH protein bars are your secret power snack to fuel your mind and body. With 12 grams of protein and no added sugar, the bars are packed with all the good stuff — lion’s mane, ashwagandha, omega 3s, vitamins B12 and D3 — and none of the bad stuff.
Each clean-label ingredient was mindfully recommended by top neuroscientists and functional nutritionists to support your brain health. That explains why MOSH was previously named “Best Protein Bar” by Forbes. Nice News readers can try all of the best-selling flavors with the variety pack and save 20% (plus free shipping) when you shop today.
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*Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡
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Environment
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| Plastic Bag Bans Have Eliminated Enough Single-Use Bags to Circle Earth 42 Times |
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smartboy10/ iStock
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If you’re someone who never forgets to bring a reusable tote to the grocery store, a new report is offering some proof to back up the positive impact of your actions. Research found that single-use plastic bag bans across five states have cut consumption by roughly 6 billion bags per year — enough to circle the Earth 42 times.
“The bottom line is that plastic bag bans work,” said Faye Park, president of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, which co-published the report with two other nonprofits. “People realize quickly it’s easy to live without plastic bags and get used to bringing a bag from home or skipping a bag when they can.”
Researchers looked at bans nationwide but homed in on five specific policies in New Jersey, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and California, evaluating data from municipal agencies, academics, and plastics and grocery industry groups to arrive at their estimates, per Grist. They determined that similar policies could be expected to eliminate nearly 300 bags per person, per year.
Curious about the potential difference a ban could make in your area? Click the link below to enter your town or city in the Single-Use Plastic Bag Ban Waste Reduction Calculator.
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Health & Wellness
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| Collection of Marine DNA Could Help Scientists Find “Needle in the Haystack” Health Solutions |
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SR/ iStock
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About two weeks ago, a group of scientists introduced the “largest open source catalog” of genetic codes from organisms in the ocean, revealing a wealth of information about marine life and potentially paving the way for innovations in the health, energy, and food industries.
A discovery with particularly exciting potential was the abundant fungi found in the twilight zone, the part of the ocean just beyond the reach of sunlight. This area is known to be teeming with life, but is still largely unexplored. Now, scientists say it could hold possibilities for new medicines.
“We might find something like [penicillin] from these ocean fungi,” Fabio Favoretto, a numerical ecologist not involved with the research, told The Guardian. In addition to penicillin, a variety of other drugs have come from fungi, ranging from antibiotics and antifungals to antimigraine agents and cancer therapies.
“Genes and proteins derived from marine microbes have endless potential applications,” study co-author Carlos Duarte told Nature, adding: “If they know what they’re searching for, researchers can use our platform to find the needle in the haystack that can address a specific problem.”
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In Other News
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Inspiring Stories
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Never too late to learn
Arthur Masterson left high school in 1945 to serve in World War II. Nearly eight decades later, the 96-year-old Rhode Island resident finally earned his diploma. “I graduated!” the Navy veteran exclaimed in a heartwarming video his family recorded. “After all these years.”
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“The musician with a message”
After serving time in prison, SaulPaul turned to music, using the artform to help young people avoid making the same mistakes he did. Last year, he visited 100 schools across the country, connecting with 125,000 students. “If young me saw me now, young me would be very, very proud,” the artist said. Hear him play.
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Post Of The Day
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@AverageJer
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Recipe for life: let children watch unlimited cooking shows, receive delectable baked goods in return. Click here to learn how to make danishes similar to the ones in this picture. (Photo Credit: @AverageJer/ X)
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Quote of the Day
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| “Let’s take away from ourselves the pressure of believing we must achieve it all at 30 or 40 or any age, for that matter, or all at once.”
- Arianna Huffington
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