Can’t decide where you want to move next? There’s an app for that (or more accurately, a website). CNN developed “the ultimate guide to your brand-new amazing life,” a framework that takes into account your lifestyle preferences to help you choose the right place to live within the U.S. Even if you’re not planning on moving anytime soon, it’s a fun little experiment.
Welcome Back! Volunteers Who Lived in Mars Simulation Emerge Over 1 Year Later
NASA/Josh Valcarcel
After being away for 378 days, four volunteers officially completed their mission of living on Mars — or rather, in NASA’s first-of-its-kind Mars simulation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mission commander Kelly Haston started her return speech with one simple word: “Hello.” She continued, “It’s actually just so wonderful to be able to say hello to you all!” The quartet, seen here before the experiment began, may have never left Earth physically, but going to space wasn’t the point. Instead, the aim was to observe how humans would respond to the conditions that come with living on Mars. Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, and Nathan Jones did everything from growing their own veggies and maintaining equipment to facing stressors (like long communication delays with Earth) and going on simulated spacewalks, all within a 1,700-square-foot habitat. Zooming out, this is the first of three faux-Mars missions that will help NASA work toward the goal of sending astronauts to the real red planet as soon as the 2030s. After leaving the simulation, Selariu shed some light on the “why”behind that aspiration. “I’ve been asked many times: Why the obsession with Mars? Why go to Mars?” she said. “Because it’s possible. Because space can unite and bring out the best in us. Because it’s one defining step that Earthlings will take to light the way into the next centuries.” See the volunteers after emerging.
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We’ve written a lot about gratitude — how to express it, why it’s good for you, and the people who are spreading it. But here’s another very intriguing insight around cultivating thankfulness: It may help you live longer. A recent study assessing nearly 50,000 older female nurses discovered that stronger self-reported feelings of gratitude were associated with a lower mortality risk over the next four years. “It’s an exciting study,” Joel Wong, a professor of counseling psychology who wasn’t involved in the study, told the Los Angeles Times. He added: “It’s not surprising, but it’s always good to see empirical research supporting the idea that gratitude is not only good for your mental health but also for living a longer life.” Per Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which oversaw the research, this is the first empirical evidence directly linking gratitude to longevity. “Prior research has shown an association between gratitude and lower risk of mental distress and greater emotional and social wellbeing. However, its association with physical health is less understood,” said lead author Ying Chen. Revisit our article from National Thank You Month to learn seven ways to express and increase your gratitude.
Culture
Archaeologists Think They Found the New England Home of an 18th Century “King”
Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
The homestead of a formerly enslaved man from West Africa who was elected “king” by his community in the 18th century was long a mystery. Until now: Archaeologists believe they’ve discovered the foundation of King Pompey’s house in Lynn, Massachusetts. “We are thrilled,” Meghan Howey, an anthropologist at the University of New Hampshire, said in a press release last month. “I’m extremely confident this is a foundation from the 1700s and everything that points to this being the home of King Pompey is very compelling.” King Pompey was free by the 1750s and borrowed money to purchase the Lynn property in 1762. He became an esteemed leader in the local Black community and hosted Black Election Days, which were held across New England on the same day that white men were voting for their leaders. “It was kind of a very lively, joyful celebration. We know that there was talking, dancing, and singing and drumming, which relates to West African tradition,” Northeastern University’s Kabria Baumgartner explained. “It was absolutely an assertion of civic rights. That [the Black community] too had a voice, that they too had opinions about the government and how it was run. And this was their opportunity to voice it.”
In Other News
Pedestrians may soon be safer at night, thanks to thermal sensing technology that can “see” beyond the reach of typical headlights.
Historic hire: Jessica Campbell was named an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken, making her the first woman on the bench in NHL history.
A family heirloom painting that was almost dropped off at Goodwill sold for six digits at an auction — check out the piece.
Beary cute, indeed. A mother grizzly bear was spotted in Yellowstone with five cubs in tow, making for a record cub count in the national park.
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Inspiring Story
Grandma taught him well
One day 7-year-old Allen Gage was baking blueberry pies with his grandma Penny. The next? He’s winning the grand prize blue ribbon at the State Fair of Texas and becoming the youngest baker to qualify for the fair’s “best of show” award this fall. “This is kind of like a generational thing,” Allen’s mom said of her family’s baking success.
On a clear night in Kantale, Sri Lanka, last week, the Milky Way loomed large over a giant Buddha statue. See another shot of the spectacle.
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