May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and a group of celebs got together to mark the occasion with a powerful new campaign for the Kids Mental Health Foundation. Led by Soleil Moon Frye (of Punky Brewster fame), the short film features Malin Akerman, Jordan Chiles, Lisa Ling, Oliver Husdon, and more public figures talking openly about their mental health and encouraging others to do the same. Watch it here — and learn 29 other ways to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month.
Must Reads
Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets have been named by Big Bear third graders — see their picks
Lost Copy of Oldest-Known English Poem Sheds Light on the Evolution of Written English
Rome, National Central Library, MS. Vitt. Em. 1452, f. 122v.
What a poetic ending to National Poetry Month: On April 28, researchers published a study sharing that they recovered a lost copy of the oldest-known English poem in a Rome library. Titled “Caedmon’s Hymn,” the nine-line verse praising God for creating the world was composed by a cattle herder over 1,200 years ago and is believed to have been transcribed by a monk in Italy between A.D. 800 and 830. “To make sure I wasn’t dreaming, I double-checked the catalogs and there was no mention of it,” historian Elisabetta Magnanti, who found the manuscript alongside fellow researcher Mark Faulkner, told The Guardian. “It was a huge surprise, a very good one.” Unlike older Latin copies, the recently discovered poem was written in Old English in the ninth century, reflecting the growing status of the language in the early medieval period. The poem is also punctuated with periods after every word to clearly separate them. “It is part of the early development of ways of dividing words and shows text starting to come toward the presentation of English that we know today,” said Faulkner. Read a modern English translation of the poem.
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“We Love Him So Much”: Severely Injured Puppy Finds His Forever Home
Pasadena Humane/Instagram
Life got off to a rough start for this pup. In March, the 2-month-old rescue — dubbed Peanut — was brought to Southern California’s Pasadena Humane shelter by a good Samaritan who saw he was clearly injured, with most of his nose missing and a dislocated jaw. The nonprofit’s veterinary team performed emergency surgery to fix his jaw. Although they weren’t able to repair his nose, the resilient shepherd-husky mix adapted to breathing exclusively through his mouth — and maintained a cheerful, playful attitude to boot, per his caretakers. Now, after weeks of healing at the shelter and having his story shared far and wide by media outlets, the very special pup has found his forever home. Last Friday, Pasadena Humane shared that he was adopted and renamed Snorkel. “We love him so much,” said his adopter, Cassidy. “He is adjusting well and loves adventures.” To keep up with Snorkel’s next chapter, you can follow his new Instagram, @Snorkel_the_noseless.
Environment
A Perfume Revival Is Blooming in the French Town That Brought Us Chanel No. 5
FREDERIC DIDES—AFP/Getty Images
Even if you’ve never seen or heard about the French town of Grasse, there’s a good chance you’ve smelled it. A thousand jasmine flowers grown in Grasse go into every 1-ounce bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume, one of the most iconic luxury fragrances. But Grasse wasn’t always known for its lovely scent — quite the opposite, in fact, according to a recent 60 Minutes report. In the 15th century, the town was home to a growing (and smelly) leather trade, so locals planted jasmine to mask the stench. These blooms spurred a new flower industry, which is what brought Coco Chanel to Grasse and, eventually, cemented it as the perfume capital of the world. While synthetic fragrances are an increasingly large part of the fragrance world, an effort is underway to ensure Grasse’s gardens stay in full bloomand maintain the town’s status as an antidote to optimization. Honorine Blanc, a master perfumer for one of the largest fragrance companies, said: “For me, when I come to Grasse, it’s a place where I can slow down and smell the value of an ingredient. Because, you know, everything is speed, speed, speed, speed.” Watch the report to learn more about the current revival.
In Other News
The 2026 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced yesterday at Columbia University — see who was honored (read more)
NASA released a time-lapse showing how much of Mars its Curiosity rover has covered over six years (read more)
Starting this fall, the University of Pittsburgh will offer free tuition to eligible in-state residents (read more)
Timmy the whale was released into the open ocean near Denmark after a multiweek rescue effort (read more)
It’s happening: Greta Gerwig revealed the release date and stellar cast for her Narnia adaptation(read more)
Something We Love
CapTel Captioned Telephone My neighbor recently introduced me to this “captioned telephone” that transcribes phone calls in real time, so the user can read what someone is saying on the phone as they’re chatting. She has hearing loss and said it’s made life so much easier when talking with her son, doctors, and friends. – Marika Spitulski, Writer
Meet Michael Girgis: a 4-year-old pianist who already has several competition wins under his belt and is gearing up to perform at Carnegie Hall later this month. Watch the prodigy play (with his sloth stuffie by his side, of course).
Photo of the Day
Kensington Royal/X
There’s a new four-legged addition to the royal family! Last week, Prince William and Princess Kate introduced their pup to the world — a chocolate cocker spaniel named Otto who turned 1 on Friday, just a day before Princess Charlotte’s 11th birthday.
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