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Thursday • January 4, 2024
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As 2023 came to a close, many public libraries around the country — from the three expansive New York City systems to Minnesota’s Hennepin County — compiled lists of the most borrowed books of the year. Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry, which was adapted into an Apple TV+ series in October, took the top spot in many cities, including New York, Seattle, Boston, and Cleveland. Meanwhile, Libby, an app that compiles e-books and audiobooks from libraries, said Prince Harry’s memoir Spare was the most borrowed in the e-book sphere. Read more about 2023’s popular library finds.
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Health & Wellness
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| Another Top Insulin Manufacturer Just Capped Prices at $35 |
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| Spencer Platt/Getty Images |
More Americans with diabetes will now be able to affordably access life-sustaining insulin after a major manufacturer instituted a $35 out-of-pocket cost cap for those with commercial insurance. As of Jan. 1, the Paris-based pharma company Sanofi cut the list price of its most commonly prescribed insulin by 78%, per CNN.
According to the American Diabetes Association, the inflation-adjusted cost of insulin increased 24% from 2017 to 2022. The expense leads many to ration their medication, which can have disastrous and even fatal consequences.
Sanofi’s latest price cut comes after the two other top insulin manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, instituted similar caps — the result of pressure from medical institutions, patients, and lawmakers.
Novo Nordisk has a monthly cap of $35 for eligible patients, including the uninsured, and a $99 cap for others, depending on individual insurance coverage. Eli Lilly offers a $35 monthly cap for those with commercial insurance, and a special savings card for those without. Medicare enrollees also pay no more than $35 per month for the drug thanks to 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act — click below to learn more about the price caps and what this means for diabetes patients.
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New Year, Better You
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You can conquer 2024 feeling your very best with the help of the Apollo wearable, a device developed by neuroscientists and physicians for less stress, better sleep, more energy, relaxation, and focus.
The Apollo wearable uses soothing vibrations, called Apollo Vibes, that are like music you can feel. Higher vibrations help improve your energy and focus, while lower vibrations reduce stress and help you relax. Try it today and get $50 off as a Nice News reader.
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*Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡
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Science
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| Researchers Say They’ve Identified Mysterious UK Hillside Carving as Hercules |
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| Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images |
The centuries-old chalk carving of a large, nude figure into the hillside of a British village has long stumped historians, but one team thinks they’ve finally solved the mystery. New research from the University of Oxford posits that the figure, dubbed the Cerne Abbas Giant, represents the Roman mythological hero Hercules.
The team, building off of previous research that dated the landmark to between A.D. 700 and 1110, used the club the giant is holding as their primary evidence. “The club is the clue,” their recent study reads. “Hercules was one of the most frequently depicted figures in the classical world, and his distinctively knotted club acted as an identificatory label.”
The Cerne Abbas Giant has taken on various identities over the years, with the monks of Cerne Abbas deeming him a representation of St. Eadwold in the 11th century. But regardless of his true origin, “the giant has long been loved and looked after,” co-author Tom Morcom said in a statement.
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Culture
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| 13-Year-Old Becomes First Person to Beat the Game of Tetris |
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| Thomas Eisenhuth/picture alliance via Getty Images |
Nearly 40 years after Tetris was developed, a person beat the classic Nintendo game for the very first time — and he’s only 13. Willis “Blue Scuti” Gibson was playing Tetris on livestream on Dec. 21 when he made it to level 157 and the game subsequently crashed, making him the first to “break” it.
The record has been years in the making, Popular Science reports. For decades, level 29, at which the blocks are falling too quickly to effectively move them with a controller, was considered the highest possible achievement. Gamer Thor Aackerlund defied that in 2010 when he reached level 30 with his “hypertapping” method, and all bets were off from there.
Tetris CEO Maya Rogers told PopSci that Willis’ win is an example of “the passion and dedication of Tetris enthusiasts.”
She added: “Congratulations to ‘Blue Scuti’ for achieving this extraordinary accomplishment, a feat that defies all preconceived limits of this legendary game. This monumental achievement not only breaks new ground in the realm of Tetris but also ignites our anticipation for its future.”
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In Other News
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A shih tzu named Comet won best in show at the 2023 American Kennel Club National Championship. See the pup.
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Mesmerizing circles of ice, called “pancake ice,” covered a Minnesota river on New Year’s Day.
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Last year, the consumption of fossil fuels in the U.K. fell to its lowest level since 1957, as a surge in renewable energy continued to reduce coal and gas usage.
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“A portal back in time”: Construction workers remodeling an Atlanta movie theater found a wallet behind a wall that was lost 65 years ago. Learn about its owner (and check out what was inside it).
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Welcome to the world! Meet some of the first babies born in the U.S. in 2024 (including two sets of twins born in different years).
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Inspiring Stories
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“I like to keep an open mind”
At age 91, famed film composer John Williams is still keeping his career going. In a recent interview with The Times, he dispelled any notions that he’s retiring, sharing that “everything is possible.”
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Restoring memories
A local business in Maui is offering free restorations of jewelry that was damaged by August’s wildfire. “These are not just ordinary items, these are the most precious possessions that people go back to the ruins and dig through the rubble to find,” the owner said. “That’s why I feel this is something I want to do and must do, because this is within my expertise.”
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Post Of The Day
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@NWSSWPC
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On New Year’s Eve, while many were preparing champagne toasts and sparkly party outfits, our sun was putting on a show of its own. According to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sun produced a major solar flare — the strongest observed since 2017. Solar flares, defined as powerful bursts of energy, can pose a threat to spacecraft but, aside from potential radio interferences, we’re safe here on Earth. (Photo Credit: NASA/SDO)
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Quote of the Day
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| “Love, like strength and courage, is a strange thing; the more we give the more we find we have to give.”
- Olga Jacoby
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