Must Reads

• ​Mesmerizing photos of the last remaining old-growth forests in the U.S.
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• Heads up, today’s the final day to take advantage of Southwest’s “buy one get one” Companion Pass promotion

Culture

Best First Day Ever? Seniors at an NYC College Learn Their Tuition Will Be Free

Typically, the first day of school is filled with mixed emotions. But the vibe for graduating seniors at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art was surely unequivocally joyous, as they were welcomed to the new semester with a surprise announcement: Their tuition for the year will be waived.
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“It’s like $23,000, so this is an insane amount of money for me,” Shannagh Crowe, a fourth-year architecture student at the Manhattan-based institution, told The New York Times. “It’s life-changing.”
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​Although free tuition was part of the university’s legacy for over a century, things changed in 2013. Cooper Union faced a financial crisis and began charging some students tuition, with a plan to return to the free education model by 2028. However, a $6 million gift this summer from three alumni donors (along with cost-cutting and fundraising measures) accelerated the timeline for the class of 2025 — restoring the school’s longtime mission to make education “as free as air and water.”
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“It’s a reminder to everybody that there is another way to do this,” said outgoing school president Laura Sparks, adding: “As a sector, we need to find more ways for more students to be able to afford a really excellent college education.”

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Not Your Grandpa’s Hearing Device

Mediocre hearing aids abound on the market, but hear.com’s game-changing device is different. The Horizon IX is a next-gen hearing aid that puts you back in control — and back in the conversation.
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The razor-sharp sound is thanks to dual-processing technology: Engineers packed not one but two state-of-the-art computer chips into the tiny device, resulting in an unprecedented level of power and clarity.

Sports

After Winning Gold, Olympian Tara Davis Is Cheering on Husband Hunter Woodhall at Paralympics

Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall’s love story is what rom-coms are made of. They met as high school students, tied the knot in front of family and friends, and now happily cheer on each other’s accomplishments. But as anyone who’s been in a relationship knows, building a strong foundation with a partner is a marathon, not a sprint — something the Woodhalls understand both figuratively and literally.
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You don’t need to have been following the Olympics and Paralympics in great depth to have gotten caught up in the 25-year-olds’ inspiring journey. One of their most recent viral videos featured Olympian Woodhall-Davis running and jumping into her husband’s arms after earning gold in the women’s long jump on Aug. 8. Now, it’s Woodhall’s time to shine.
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This summer’s Paralympic Games are the sprinter’s third — he won a bronze and silver in Rio and another bronze in Tokyo. Born with fibular hemimelia, a condition that prevented him from properly developing his lower limbs, Woodhall has had both legs amputated below the knee.
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He missed out on a medal in his first event on Monday, but he’ll compete again Friday in the T62 400-meter race, with his wife surely cheering him on from the sidelines. Read more of their love story.

Environment

Endangered Arizona River Finds Hope Again, Thanks to Sewage Water

Not long ago, the scene at Arizona’s Santa Cruz River was quite bleak — it was endangered, drying, and a hub for garbage. But the view is looking different lately, with dragonflies in the air, fish swimming, and toads hopping. “The Santa Cruz has been reborn,” declared the University of Arizona.
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So what’s changed? According to scientists, this restoration is all thanks to sewage water. In a recent study, researchers explained how they strategically introduced effluent, or treated sewage discharged into a body of water from an industrial plant, to the Santa Cruz. The goal was to revive the river’s flow over 100 years after it dried up and help undo decades of ecological damage.
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About two years in, both goals have been achieved. “I think the biggest surprise in our study was just how quickly species returned to the Santa Cruz River when flow was restored — it was astounding how fast biodiversity could recover when given a chance,” co-author Michael Bogan told Salon, adding, “It really did show that a huge impact can be had if you just add water.”

In Other News

1. Illinois passed a law that says homeowners associations can’t stop residents from planting native gardens, a move aimed at boosting biodiversity and environmental stewardship.
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2. A country music icon donated a history-making collection to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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3. Around 2,000 Game of Thrones props are up for auction, including cloaks, swords, and a dragon skull.
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4. On a recent expedition to the Titanic, underwater robots captured new photos of the ship’s iconic bow that reveal insights into its slow decay.
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5. A “mega den” with hundreds of rattlesnakes is growing thanks to a late-summer baby boom. Check out the slithery (and shiver-worthy) scene.

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Inspiring Story

Pints of generosity

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Pubs bring people together for many reasons, maybe to watch a game or sip a pint with good company. Now, a man in the U.K. is using the power of pubs and food apps to bring strangers together for a bigger purpose: buying meals for unhoused people. This year alone, he’s helped provide over 3,000 meals to those in need.

Eyes on Paris

If the Woodhalls’ story wasn’t enough Paralympic romance for you, we have another tale of love from the Games. On Sunday, Italian sprinter Alessandro Ossola raced in the T63 100-meter qualifiers, but unfortunately didn’t make it into the finals.
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The athlete didn’t seem to dwell on the loss for long, though: He immediately headed to partner Arianna Mandaradoni and got down on one knee in front of 40,000 spectators. “You’re crazy!” Mandaradoni told him, before answering his proposal with “a resounding ‘yes,’” per Olympics.com.
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Ossola’s first wife died in a 2015 motorcycle crash — the same accident where he lost most of his left leg. He said Mandaradoni has helped him through tough times, in sport and otherwise: “Sometimes she believed in me more than I believed in myself, and that’s something truly amazing. ‘You can do it, you can succeed, you can, you can,’ she would say. This is something everyone needs, and I hope that everyone finds someone like her. She is my partner ... for life.” See more photos from the proposal.

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Odds & Ends

🛳️ The physics of how cruise ships float​
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🎓 Brooke Shields’ wedding gown, transformed into a grad dress
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🇳🇱 Forget Olympic vaulting, the Dutch are canal vaulting​
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🍁 Mickey and Minnie Mouse are ready for fall

Quote of the Day

“I have been bent and broken, but — I hope — into a better shape.”

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– CHARLES DICKENS, GREAT EXPECTATIONS