Sesame Street’s 55th season premieres today, and the Associated Press checked in with Elmo himself for a “tell-all” on the episodes ahead. The season will focus on emotional well-being and feature a lineup of musical guests that has Elmo excited. “There’s a lot to learn from music — yeah, timing and harmonies and melody and different styles and different cultures,” said the beloved red muppet. “It’s really cool! We’ve got a lot of wonderful people come and do some music with us on Sesame Street, like Miss Reneé Rapp and SZA! Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Samara Joy — lots of great people!” Read the sweet interview.
“Food Should be a Vehicle for Wellness”: All About the FDA’s New Food Label Proposal
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It’s no secret some foods are healthier than others, but sometimes it’s difficult to spot nutritional green flags (or red flags) based on the packaging. That may soon change, as the Food and Drug Administration unveiled a proposal to require a new label on the front of most packaged food and drinks in hopes of making it easier for Americans to choose healthier options. Under the new proposal, front-of-package labels would show whether a packaged food or drink contains low, medium, or high levels of sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat — all of which are linked to chronic diseases if consumed in excess, according to health officials. This new label wouldn’t replace the nutritional facts label on the back but rather act as a supplement, so consumers can spot relevant info at a glance. “Food should be a vehicle for wellness, not a contributor of chronic disease,” FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones said in a release. He added that the proposal could also lead to healthier products: “It’s possible we’ll see manufacturers reformulate products to be healthier in response to front-of-package nutrition labeling.”
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Want to Cut Your Home Energy Costs? A Coach Could Help, Study Finds
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These days, there seems to be a coach for everything: life, fitness, business, breakups, and, according to a recent MIT study, energy. Researchers provided households in Amsterdam with reports on their energy usage as well as energy coaches to help minimize costs, consumption, and confusion about what makes something efficient and why. Of the 117 participating households, 50 also received smart devices to see real-time updates on energy consumption. Device or not, the households cut their energy expenses and bills in half, on aggregate, and 75% got out of “energy poverty,” which is defined as having an energy burden greater than 6% of your income. These results were attributed to participants making small but meaningful changes, such as only heating rooms while in use and unplugging appliances — and knowledge seems to be the key to success. “The range of energy literacy was quite wide from one home to the next,” said study co-author Joseph Llewellyn. “And when I went somewhere as an energy coach, it was never to moralize about energy use. I never said, ‘Oh, you’re using way too much.’ It was always working on it with the households, depending on what people need for their homes.” Learn more tips to cut your energy use and bills.
Sports
$1 Million Is at Stake in Doritos Super Bowl Commercial Contest
Doritos
The chance of winning $1 million is the premise of many a reality show (Survivor, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, The Amazing Race, etc.) — and now that coveted 7-figure prize is at stake for finalists in a Doritos commercial competition. Originally running from 2007 to 2016, the “Crash the Super Bowl” contestchallenged creators to make their own Doritos ad for the NFL broadcast and walk away with $10,000. This time around, the company upped the ante 100-fold and, as a bonus, is giving the winner a trip to this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. But perhaps the biggest win is sharing creative work on a massive stage: “As much as we’re excited about the money, we’re way more excited about it playing at the Super Bowl,” Nate Norell, one of the finalists, told The Columbus Dispatch. “When you think about ads and the top-of-the-top, they’re always shown at the Super Bowl.” Norell and his co-director Dylan Bradshaw filmed an ad titled “Abduction” (pictured), featuring an extraterrestrial twist. The other two finalists are “Barbershop,” made by students at the University of Southern California, and “Charades,” about a father who is this close to piecing together his family’s clues. Watch the commercials and vote for your favorite.
In Other News
The James Webb Space Telescope spotted one of the earliest supernovasever seen(read more)
At 21, Karen Kylleso has reportedly become the youngest person to reach the South Pole on skis (read more)
In Norway,metal detectorists discovered 1,200-year-old graves that may shed light on Viking women (read more)
Quitting smoking may be easier with an approach that combines medicine and counseling, per a recent study (read more)
TheSith of the sea: Check out the new sea bug species named after Darth Vader (read more)
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Inspiring Story
Amid devastation, kindness shines through
Among the many heartwarming stories coming out of the Southern California wildfires is a group of locals called the “Heat Hawks,” who are helping firefighters and residents with everything from turning off propane tanks to rescuing cats. “We couldn’t just sit and not help,” said group member Cody Webb.
Photo of the Day
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
As could be expected, electric vehicles have been front and center at the annual Detroit Auto Show. Tata Consultancy Services released the results of a new survey at the event, showing that 72% of U.S. consumers are “likely or very likely” to consider an EV for their next car purchase. “There is a growing attraction toward EVs,” Anupam Singhal, the company’s president of manufacturing, told CBS News, adding that the trend is particularly strong among young people. Check out some of the cars on display.
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