If you’ve been putting off raking the leaves on your lawn, you can actually remove the task from your to-do list entirely. “Leaving the leaves” is an easy way to protect wildlife and boost biodiversity, as the fallen foliage provides a habitat for countless little species. “One of the most valuable things you can do to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the shelter they need to survive the winter,” explains the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in an article on how to protect wildlife this fall.
Just in time for Halloween, a new ghost story from a legendary author is coming to light from the grave (sorta). The previously unknown tale is by Bram Stoker, the writer of Dracula, who died in 1912. Last year, a lost short story from the Irish author was discovered by a Stoker fan named Brian Cleary while he was researching archives at the National Library of Ireland. “I sat in the library flabbergasted, that I was looking at potentially a lost ghost story from Stoker, especially one from around the time he was writing Dracula, with elements of Dracula in it,” Cleary told CBS News. He added: “I sat looking at the screen wondering, am I the only living person who had read it? Followed by, what on Earth do I do with it?” Titled Gibbet Hill, it’s “a classic Stoker story, the struggle between good and evil,” explained Paul Murray, a Stoker expert and biographer. It was first published in a Dublin newspaper supplement in 1890, seven years before Dracula. The tale — packaged into a book with illustrations — will be unveiled and read aloud at Dublin’s annual Bram Stoker Festival later this week, per The New York Times.
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Gila Monsters’ Saliva Helps Detect Pancreatic Tumors: Study
drferry/ iStock
Amazing discoveries can come from the oddest places, and here’s a perfect example. The spit from Gila monsters, a reptile native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, carries a substance that can help scientists find difficult-to-locate pancreatic tumors known as insulinomas. And a recent study has added to the research confirming the substance’s efficacy. Previously, identifying patients with insulinomas was a challenge. It takes a long time to confirm the diagnosis, let alone locate the tumor. Once found, though, it can be surgically removed. “It’s a very challenging disease,” Marti Boss, first author of the new study, said in a statement, adding, “A better scan was urgently needed.” That has come in the form of a new kind of PET scan that can accurately assess insulinomas by using a more chemically stable version of the substance found in Gila monster spit. The substance bindsto a specific molecule in insulinomas, the GLP-1 receptor, and, thanks to a radioactive additive, helps the tumors show up on a scan. Per the study, traditional PET scans detected tumors about 65% of the time, while the new Gila monster-derived option did so in 95% of patients. “We believe the new scan can replace all other scans,” Boss said. “All the insulinomas we found with the new scan were removed, and all those patients were completely cured after surgery, even though some had been sick for decades.”
Humanity
20 Years After “Wildest Dreams” Season, Oprah Winfrey’s Impact Sticks With 1 Fan
Paolo Presta/ Instagram
Of the 25 seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show, there’s arguably none more iconic than the “Wildest Dreams” season that aired in 2004, bringing us the “You get a car!” memes and other touching moments. One of the dreams she helped come true was that of Paolo Presta — and 20 years later, he’s reflecting on how it changed his life. The story begins when the Winfrey team offered the aspiring actor a walk-on role on Will & Grace while he was mid-shift at his family’s grocery store outside of Chicago. “I was just changing labels on the pasta, and remember someone calling my name,” Presta recalled to People magazine. “And when I got up, I saw her.” He added: “That one moment was the start of a new life for me.” After pursuing acting for a few months in Los Angeles, Presta changed directions to, fittingly, work on daytime talk shows, with stints at The Talk and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, before launching his own online show, called A Spoonful of Paolo. Coming full circle, he recently reunited with Winfrey for an interview — this time on his stage. The episode is slated to go live Nov. 11, the anniversary of when she surprised him in 2004. “It felt so good to tell her how much I appreciate her,” he said. “In the beginning of the interview, I say, ‘You’re my friend, you’re my angel, you are my favorite teacher.’ The episode really is a thank-you letter to her.”
In Other News
Unprecedented footage of ovulation could lead to breakthroughs in fertility treatment (read more)
Blessing in disguise? A meteorite that crashed into Earth 3 billion years ago may have benefited evolution (read more)
Waterfront views: Holes in Florida’s riverbanks were identified as “catfish condos” (read more)
European medical schools launched a network to prepare doctors for climate-related health risks (read more)
Stephen King’s horror novel Carrie is coming to the screen again, this time as a series (read more)
Something We Love
Trashie Take Back Bag If you’ve had a pile of clothes to donate sitting in the back of your car or closet for months (no judgment here), then the Trashie Take Back Bag is for you. You simply buy a bag for $20, fill it up with 15 pounds of clothes, shoes, accessories, swimwear, underwear, sheets, or towels (from any brand, in any condition), then download the free shipping label and mail it back via the U.S. Postal Service. In return, you’ll earn $30 in TrashieCash to spend on clothes, dining, entertainment, sporting goods, wellness, and more on Trashie.io.*
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Inspiring Story
Taking big swings
For decades, the Ebony Ladies Golf League has been helping change the face of golf in the U.S. The Chicago-based African American women’s league recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala, where attendees swapped their polo shirts for glitzy garb. But the members aren’t resting on their laurels, remaining steadfast in their mission to get more Black women on the green. “I want to grow the game,” said Tracy Raoul, the league’s president.
Photo of the Day
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
What is going on in this photo? It’s Raisin Monday! That probably doesn’t illuminate things further for you, so here’s a better explanation: Raisin Monday is an annual tradition at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in which new students dress up and engage in a foam fight. It marks the end of Raisin Weekend, when the new students, or “children,” get paired with and mentored by older students, or “parents.” It doesn’t actually involve dried grapes anymore, but the name harkens back to a time when a pound of raisins was a common thank-you gift from the children to parents.
U-Pack: Moving Made Simple
Moving is often a stressful experience, but you can simplify the process with U-Pack. Since 1997, the company has completed over a million moves, offering do-it-yourself moving solutions. U-Pack drops off the equipment, you load and unload your belongings, and the movers will handle the transportation. You might even enjoy moving!
