The Tribeca Festival, which turned 25 this year, wraps up tomorrow after 12 days of programming that included 118 feature films and 86 short films. Co-founded by Robert De Niro in the aftermath of 9/11, the festival sticks to its roots of being a unifying force and amplifying artists’ voices. Learn more about some of this year’s standout movies.
Must Reads
In a “major milestone,” deer are already embracing a California wildlife bridge before it’s even finished
A multisensory exhibition explores why so many ancient musical instruments were shaped like the human body
Humanity
The Next Time You’re Seeing Red, These 3 Words Could Calm You Down
Khafizh Amrullah—iStock/Getty Images Plus
If anger has ever caused you to do something you later regretted, you know how overpowering the emotion can feel. Strategies like breathing exercises and short walks can help you cool off, but for relief in the heat of the moment, try saying three little words: “This is rage.” Called “affect labeling,” this technique — which can also be applied to fear, grief, or any other upsetting feeling — wedges space between you and your emotion. “Before you label an emotion, you are the emotion,” mental health treatment researcher Shannon Sauer-Zavala told Time magazine. That distance is empowering, allowing you to recognize you aren’t your feelings, and they don’t control you. That’s why the wording is important — “this is rage,” rather than “I’m angry,” or “this is anxiety,” rather than “I’m anxious.” It works because strong emotions cause the amygdala (the brain’s emotional processing center and threat detector) to start firing. But naming the feeling activates the prefrontal cortex, which balances emotions with logic and reasoning, psychologist Lizzie Cleary explained, pointing to a study that demonstrated this effect. That switch can buy you some time — enough to make a decision you won’t have to feel bad about in the future.
Together With NPCA
Celebrate National Get Outdoors Day by Giving Back to National Parks
The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and its partner HOMAGE invite you to celebrate and support America’s most treasured places this National Get Outdoors Day! Wear your love for your favorite national park with HOMAGE’s national parks collection — including the new Mickey x National Parks assortment — with 5% of every purchase supporting NPCA. To help protect our national parks from unprecedented threats, from staffing shortages to the erasure of vital stories and the exploitation of public lands, you can also sign NPCA’s park protection pledge. Your voice matters to ensure that our parks remain vibrant, inclusive, and protected — not just for us, but for future generations.
“Bear-Dar” System Successfully Protects People and Polar Bears at Canada Weather Station
Polar Bears International
An AI radar system designed to keep both polar bears and people safe has proven a success at a weather station in Nunavut, Canada. Dubbed “Bear-dar,” the system detected a mother polar bear and her two cubs near the station, enabling staff to safely deter them. Footage of the family’s approach and retreat was released for the first time on Thursday. Developed by nonprofit Polar Bears International in partnership with radar manufacturer Spotter Global and the Canadian government, the tech aims to eliminate surprise interactions as the bears are forced to spend more time on land due to melting sea ice. Paired with a camera, the radar detects and tracks motion, alerting staff and giving them visuals of what’s approaching. The new footage shows the mother bear and her cubs lumbering toward the station (the cubs stopping to roll in the snow along the way) before a truck slowly shepherds the family back toward their habitat. This is the first real-world deployment of the tech, but plans are in the works to roll it out to more work stations and communities in the future. “After years of development, seeing the Bear-dar simply doing its job is a cause for celebration,” the nonprofit’s Director of Science Alysa McCall tells Nice News. “We’re thrilled to spot a polar bear mom with two healthy cubs, and are grateful that Bear-dar helped the staff stay safe.” Watch the footage.
Science
Uncovering Ben Franklin’s Anti‑Counterfeiting Techniques and Materials Innovations
Kristina Davis
This article was written by Khachatur Manukyan, an associate research professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Notre Dame, for The Conversation. Benjamin Franklin understood something fundamental about money that still shapes modern economies: Money only works when people believe it is real. In the early 18th century, the British colonies suffered from a chronic shortage of gold and silver coins, forcing local governments to rely on paper bills for trade and everyday commerce. But paper currency created a dangerous new problem: Unlike metallic coins, paper money could be easily copied, altered, and faked. Long before his experiments with electricity or his role in the American founding now 250 years ago, Franklin spent years working with paper, ink, and printing. In the process, he developed a practical understanding of materials and manufacturing. Nearly three centuries later, modern scientific analysis reveals how sophisticated some of his anti-counterfeiting strategies were. My colleagues and I in materials science recently analyzed hundreds of surviving colonial American bills, including notes printed by Franklin. Read about the results.
In Other News
In a first, solar surpassed coal as one of the U.S.’ key energy sources last month (read more)
Mysterious ghost particles in our bodies and the cosmos are closer than ever to being understood (read more)
A massive, millions-year-old whale graveyard is a bustling home to aquatic wildlife (read more)
An old drug is offering new promise for people living with Type 1 diabetes (read more)
The first class of seniors graduated from a film school George Clooney co-founded for underrepresented teens (read more)
Inspiring Story
Thriving against the odds
Youth homelessness can affect anyone, but LGBTQ+ teens are 120% more likely to experience it. To help those kids from falling through the proverbial cracks, a Wisconsin nonprofit is planting colorful flowers in real sidewalk cracks across the state. Each installation is accompanied by a QR code with links to resources. “We’re using the flowers coming out of the sidewalks and cracks as a symbol of the resilience and the bravery of these queer youths who continue to persevere,” said nonprofit co-founder Brad Schlaikowski. “They’re defying the odds by coming out of the cement.”
Photo of the Day
Waves peaking at 20 feet drew intrepid surfers to San Diego County’s world-famous Trestles Beach this week, when storms generated a fierce swell along Southern California’s coastline. Watch some of the surfers shred the gnar.
With BetterHelp, Shine a Light on What’s Been Weighing You Down
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