If we told you that you only have 15 days to finish up that passion project you’ve been putting off, would it motivate you to finally do it? That’s the idea behind Release Day, an initiative encouraging people to put more time into their personal creative projects. “Procrastination. Perfectionism. Fear of rejection. There are many reasons why the work we care the most about never sees the light of day. But one of the biggest is the lack of a deadline,” the website reads. So Release Day created a deadline — May 29 — for people all over the world to share their creations. Learn how to participate.
Must Reads
A classic exercise that checks the boxes of building strength and looking pretty darn impressive
See the world from the POV of three strategic teen birdwatchers
Culture
Why Not? A Case for Celebrating Half-Birthdays
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Who said half-birthdays were just for 6-month-olds? In our book, making it another half-year around the sun is significant enough to celebrate at any age,and it seems like a lot of the internet agrees. Myriad videos on social media offer half-birthday inspo, with the occasion marked by half cakes,cards, and candles. Plus, plenty of restaurants and stores use the midway point to shell out some fun freebies and discounts. Of course, some half-birthdays are objectively big milestones — 15-and-a-half-year-olds, for example, can get a learner’s permit to drive in California. But why not celebrate the other ones too? Content creator Lorraine C. Ladish told The Guardian she used her 59-and-a-half birthday as an opportunity to “squeeze every second, every month, out of my late 50s” (and treat herself to a new jacket). Another half-birthday enthusiast, Candice Meyer, said she celebrates the milestone in her family by giving her kids a candle and a dessert. “I wanted a way to slow things down and give them a moment that felt just theirs, without all the logistics that come with a full birthday,” she said, adding, “I do love the idea of it as a reset moment for anyone. A little midpoint pause to reflect and celebrate where you are.” Use this tool to calculate your half-birthday (note: it’s not always the day you might think, due to the varying number of days in each month).
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PCOS Gets a Name Change to Better Capture the Full Scope of the Condition
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PCOS is now PMOS — or in full, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. The name change, announced Tuesday in The Lancet, is the result of a global consensus based on input from 14,360 women with the condition and 56 academic, clinical, and patient organizations. The condition, which affects 5-6 million women in the U.S., was renamed from polycystic ovary syndrome to more accurately describe it, improve diagnosis, and reduce stigma. According to the new Lancet paper, as many as 70% of cases remain undiagnosed, a problem the authors partially attribute to the fact that “the broad clinical features of the condition are not captured in its current name.” “The new name really better reflects the fact that people with PMOS oftentimes have metabolic disturbances or changes in their metabolic health, like increased risk of Type 2 diabetes due to insulin resistance and increased risk of obesity,” Basma Faris, an OB-GYN who was not involved in the paper, told ABC News. “It’s also reflecting that there are multiple different hormones involved, not just the ovarian hormones, so hopefully this is going to allow the medical community [to] really view PMOS as the multi-system chronic condition that it actually is.”
Environment
New PBS Show Shares the Awe-Inspiring Power of Nature With Preschoolers
The Jim Henson Company
She’s Roxy, an extroverted hedgehog from Kansas who wears hot pink and plays guitar. He’s Ronald, a city pig from Washington, D.C., who’s experiencing the great outdoors for the first time. Together, they’re the stars of a new children’s special from PBS Kids and the Jim Henson Company called Wowsabout. (The namecombines“wow” with the Australian Aboriginal term “walkabout.”) Shot on location in California’s Sequoia National Park, Wowsabout covers nature, music, and friendship to inspire “children to notice awe in everyday moments, from the sound of birdsong to clouds drifting across the sky,” per a press release. There’s some science behind the tale, too — thestory is rooted in a curriculum developed by Dacher Keltner, a psychologist who writes about eight sources of awe, all of which can be found on Roxy and Ronald’s adventure. Wowsabout is also part of a larger celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, shining a light on beautiful places in America. “PBS Kids is uniquely positioned to share content that reflects the lives of our young audience, while also introducing them to the wide array of places and stories from across our country,” said Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager for PBS Kids and Education. While it’s currently a standalone special, it may be the start of more awe-based content on the network, per The New York Times. You can watch it now on YouTube or at PBS Kids.
In Other News
Forever chemicals have dropped significantly in Canadian seabird eggs, a sign regulations are working (read more)
A food critic scoured the Big Apple to find the 100 best restaurants in New York (read more)
After portraying a soccer player on Ted Lasso, Cristo Fernández signed an IRL contract to play for a pro club (read more)
California tribes may soon have a say in state land management for the first time in more than a century (read more)
Mel Brooks is donating his personal archives to the National Comedy Center ahead of his 100th birthday (read more)
Something We Love
Nemah Nourishing Belly Oil I’m on my second bottle of this oil in one pregnancy. It’s super hydrating and seems to work really well at preventing stretch marks. It’s also the least greasy option I’ve tried and dries in just a couple minutes — I’m sure it would be equally effective at moisturizing the whole body. – Stephanie Baxter, Staff Writer
Later this month, 72-year-old Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft is set to graduate from medical school — and in July, she’ll begin a three-year residency at a Michigan hospital. The mom of four (including ABC meteorologist Ginger Zee) decided to pursue her dream of going to med school after watching her husband narrowly survive a brain hemorrhage. “It hit me like, ‘Oh, my God, this life is short,’” she said.
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