At U.S. News & World Report’s top-ranked hotel in the country, you’ll find luxurious spa treatments, eight swimming holes, fresh seafood, and lessons on Hawaii’s history and culture — all situated just north of the state’s Kekaha Kai State Park. That No. 1 spot is the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, one of the more than 31,000 hotels U.S. News evaluated for its new rankings. See which other destinations made the top of the 2025 list.
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Culture
Better Than Fiction: A da Vinci Sketch Led Experts to Secret Tunnels in a Castle
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Leonardo da Vinci is still making history, more than 500 years after his death. One of his sketches recently led a team of experts to discover secret tunnels underneath the Sforza Castle, in the heart of modern-day Milan. The dots were connected National Treasure style. Back in 1495, the lord of Milan hired da Vinci to decorate the castle, Live Science reports. It was around this time that the Renaissance polymath also sketched defensive structures that looked similar to the Sforza Castle, including secret passageways that weren’t known to exist, yet. Using this historical knowledge as well as ground-penetrating radar and laser scanners, the team from the Polytechnic University of Milan matched da Vinci’s sketch to the castle. “This passageway is immortalized in Leonardo’s drawings, and has long been the subject of legends and considerable speculation,” a press release from the university reads. “But now, thanks to technology, it seems that its existence can be confirmed.” The passageways are said to be part of early military defenses, and researcher Francesca Biolo told Live Science they’re likely just the beginning when it comes to Sforza Castle’s hidden architecture.
Together With Elf Labs
The Clock Is Ticking — Final Hours to Invest in This “$2 Trillion Fairytale”
Elf Labs won over 100 historic trademark victories featuring the highest-grossing characters of all time — we’re talking Cinderella, Rapunzel, Peter Pan, Snow White,and more. And the company is using next-gen AR and VR tech to bring them to life, creating unprecedented entertainment experiences. But the innovation doesn’t stop there. Elf Labs is already making waves with global licensing deals in apparel, food, toys, and two princess franchises already in production. The team is made up of seasoned veterans who’ve previously generated over $6 billion in licensing transactions. This is your last chance to be part of this game-changing opportunity: Cinderella’s magic ended at midnight — don’t let yours.
Humpback Whale Song Shares Structural Similarities to Human Language, Study Finds
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The hauntingly beautiful sounds of whale song, perhaps most famously mimicked by the animated fish Dory, are still much of a mystery, but a recent study uncovered something familiar in the marine mammals’ music. Researchers dove into eight years of whale song data and plotted the frequency of sounds and word-like segments, such as grunts, shrieks, and moans. They identified that the whales, like humans, often used shorter sounds over complex ones and followed a similar pattern to Zipf’s Law, a concept coined by linguist George Kingsley Zipf. The law dictates that the most common word (which in English is “the”) will occur about twice as often as the second most common word (“of”), three times as often as the third most common word (“and”), and so on. “We were all dumbfounded,” study co-author Ellen Garland told Scientific American. “There was the possibility of discovering these same structures. Did we think we would? Hell no.” Despite the two species being separated by millions of years of evolution, the researchers theorized that both whales and humans use the structure to make it easier for littles to learn (i.e. babies and calves). “It strengthens the view that we should be thinking about human language not as a completely different phenomenon from other communication systems but instead think about what it shares with them,” added co-author Inbal Arnon.
Humanity
The Case for Teddy Bears as an Antidote to Negativity
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When New York City middle school teacher Karen Feldman noticed a rise in hate speech among students, she made it her mission to turn things around — with a little help from teddy bears. In 2022, Feldman partnered with Bear Givers to offer students in detention an opportunity to give back. Through the nonprofit’s Leading with Kindness Initiative, students decorate the bears’ shirts and write encouraging notes to help brighten the days of children in need of comfort, such as those staying in the hospital. “I wanted to have a program that would give students that jolt of adrenaline, but becausethey’re doing something good,” Feldman told CBS News. “And maybe that would deter them, you know, from doing something bad.” The program has since extended beyond the middle school’s detention doors, with other students getting in on the kindness initiative and even continuing to give teddies in high school. Scroll through sweet photos of the stuffed animals.
In Other News
Deforestation levels in Colombia last year were among the lowest in over two decades (read more)
Charli XCX and Noah Kahan pledged to match Chappell Roan’s $25,000 donation to help rising artists(read more)
A newly restored ancient Roman school, where imperial heralds were trained, has reopened — take a tour (read more)
For the first time, a deep-sea anglerfish was documented swimming in broad daylight (read more)
Joy Machine: A new gallery opening in Chicago is all about finding “meaning and purpose amid chaos” (read more)
Something We Love
Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine We’re big fans of ice cream in my household, and this machine is perfect for whipping up homemade batches (peanut butter is our preferred flavor). You need a bit of freezer space to make room for the insulated bowl, but I promise it’s worth it for being able to spin up fresh ice cream in just 20-30 minutes. – Kenny Freeman, Director of Partnerships
During a high school basketball tournament, 18-year-old Magnus Miller put his quick instincts and CPR skills to the test to save a player on the opposing team who went into cardiac arrest. “It’s a very emotional and spiritual thing,” Miller said. “Those feelings really connect when you just look each other in the eyes and you just know it’s a brotherhood that just kind of created from this situation.”
Photo of the Day
Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images
The Invictus Games got underway in Vancouver, Canada, over the weekend, and it’s been an eventful competition. After his wheelchair basketball game on Sunday, British athlete and army veteran James Cairns got down on one knee on the court to ask his girlfriend Hannah Wild to marry him. The sweet engagement got a shoutout from Prince Harry, who founded the sporting event for wounded, injured, and sick military service personnel in 2014. “At Invictus, we provide a space for healing, outstanding athleticism, and in James and his new fiancée’s case, even if you don’t leave with a medal, you could leave with a ring!” Harry told Hello! magazine.
Your Opportunity to Invest in Elf Labs Ends at Midnight
Here’s a fun fact: Disney’s princess IP has generated over $46.4 billion in revenue. And another: Elf Labs secured over 100 historic trademarks for characters like Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Snow White. Now, the company is using advanced patented tech to bring them to life right in your living room, and you have a chance to join in on this groundbreaking opportunity. But here’s the catch — only limited shares remainand the investment round closes tomorrow. Click below to learn more.
