When’s the last time you cleaned your fridge coils? Don’t worry, it wasn’t on our radars either.“A lot of the time we’re afraid to see what’s behind our fridge, right? Because it’s such an uninhabited area,” Kyshawn Lane, who runs an Instagram account called Weekly Home Check, recently told NPR for a story on places people often forget to clean. “This is an appliance that is not cheap, and so we want to make sure we get the lifespan out of it.” Learn how exactly to clean those coils, and where else in the home could probably use some TLC.
Must Reads
Ka-ching! 1 in 7 Americans has unclaimed cash waiting for them — find out how to check
Researchers Are Testing a Way to “Switch Off” Arthritis
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The standard care for rheumatoid arthritis is to manage the chronic pain through medicine, exercise, and potentially surgery, given that there is currently no cure. But that could one day change, as rheumatologist John Isaacs, who has worked on the condition for 35 years, is trying a new tactic that he hopes could “switch off” arthritis. In the ongoing AuToDeCRA-2 study, run by Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals in the U.K., Isaacs and his team are aiming to train white blood cell commanders (dubbed “the generals”) to command “soldier” cells to not attack healthy tissues — in other words, to teach the immune system to stop attacking a patient’s joints. “It’s pioneering,” Isaacs told the BBC of the study, which involves injecting retrained white blood cells into patients. So far, about 32 people have participated in the first two trial phases, including Carol Robson, a 70-year-old former nurse, who believes her pain has been alleviated. “Is this just me hoping it is? But realistically I do think it is better,” she said, adding, “It’s a privilege to be part of something that is actually quite a leap forward.” While more research is needed, if the treatment is proven to be able to re-educate the immune system, it could have implications for other autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis.
Imagine this: you’re at a lively restaurant, enjoying dinner with friends, family, or co-workers — take your pick. You’re struggling to catch every word over the music and chatter. You find yourself leaning in, trying to read lips, and asking, “What was that?” over and over again. If that sounds familiar, then keep reading. There’s now a better way to stay in the conversation, thanks to this tiny hearing aid from hear.com. The bestselling Horizon IX hearing device makes hearing effortless, even amid background noise — something many other hearing aids fall short on. It’s a game-changing upgrade that delivers insane clarity. Join 540,000 customers and experience the Horizon IX for yourself.
Hot off the Press: The Largest Women’s Prison in the World Has a Newspaper
Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Inside the world’s largest women’s prison, you may find inmates gathering for an editorial board meeting to discuss upcoming stories. These individuals are part of the Central California Women’s Facility’s independent newspaper, run by incarcerated writers and editors. It’s called The Paper Trail, andit’s the first newspaper of its kind in any U.S. women’s prison. “It’s been amazing to be a part of something starting here for women that inspired a lot of women,” Megan Hogg, a writer who’s been incarcerated for 12 years, told LAist. The first edition came out in September — and the stories have since covered everything from becoming a mother in prison to pickleball programs, as well as features on a psychiatric social worker, a recently released inmate, and more. Funded by the Pollen Initiative, the paper is distributed in print, on tablets inside the facility, and online. The latter is significant, as the goal is to not only keep the prison population informed, but also give the women a creative outlet to use their voices in a way that extends beyond the facility’s walls. “The Paper Trail will humanize us,humanize this community,” art and layout designer Nora Igova told The Daily Yonder in the fall. “There is still an instilled fear in the outside community around prisons. We want people to not be afraid to believe in transformation and rehabilitation, and to see us as potential neighbors.”
Science
Researchers Created Sound That Can Bend Itself Through Space, Reaching Only Your Ear in a Crowd
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This article was written by Jiaxin Zhong, a postdoctoral researcher in acoustics at Penn State, and Yun Jing, a professor of acoustics at Penn State, for The Conversation. What if you could listen to music or a podcast without headphones or earbuds and without disturbing anyone around you? Or have a private conversation in public without other people hearing you? Our newly published research introduces a way to create audible enclaves — localized pockets of sound that are isolated from their surroundings. In other words, we’ve developed a technology that could create sound exactly where it needs to be. The ability to send sound that becomes audible only at a specific location could transform entertainment, communication, and spatial audio experiences: Learn how the science works.
In Other News
Fossils of an odd dinosaur with “big, sharp, and nasty” claws were unearthed in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert (read more)
A long-lasting contraceptive implant that doesn’t require an invasive procedure is in the development phase (read more)
Library treasure: A lost manuscript of a Merlin and King Arthur legend was found in another book’s bindings (read more)
MIT engineers made a pesticide that sticks to plant leaves, reducing runoff and farmers’ costs (read more)
Two high-tech buoys are helping researchers listen for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales (read more)
Something We Love
The Hoptimist I don’t have this little bobble friend (yet), but I’m planning to order one to brighten up my desk space. The adorably named figurine was originally designed by a Danish cabinetmaker as “ambassador” of the happy movement in the late 1960s, but it surely stands the test of time. With a mission to “make every day a little more joyful,” the Hoptimist couldn’t be more Nice News-coded. – Marika Spitulski, Writer
Kyle Albertson channeled his passion for farming into a flourishing Indiana-based agricultural drone business — all the while breaking barriers for people with disabilities, as he was diagnosed with congenital muscular dystrophy at 9 months old. “It’s a shock to some people that I can do the things I do,” Albertson said. “It’s just old habit to me.”
Photo of the Day
Robert Prange/Getty Images
Jasmine Paolini will compete against Aryna Sabalenka in the Miami Open semifinals later today, becoming the first Italian woman to reach this stage of the tennis tournament. “It’s amazing for Italy,” Paolini told reporters of the uptick in successful Italian players. “Tennis is growing up a lot. We are believing more that we can have big results because you see other players doing it.”
Spring Into Warmer Days With Quince
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