Happy Labor Day, and happy September! The federal holiday, established in the late 19th century to honor American workers, always falls on the first Monday of September — which just so happens to also be the first day of the month this year. But not to fear, summer enthusiasts, astronomical fall doesn’t officially start until the equinox on Sept. 22. (Plus, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a warm autumn and mild winter.)
Nice News Today
New York City is a concrete jungle, so you might be surprised to hear that the five boroughs are home to more than 7 million trees. Every 10 years, volunteers gather to perform a census on those trees and check in on their health (thankfully, they don’t have to count all 7 million — just the street and park trees). Learn more about the New York City Trees Count in today’s podcast episode.
The Most Effective Method for Performing CPR in Space, According to New Research
Alexis Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Up in the microgravity of space, many aspects of life have to be adjusted. For example, equipment and food need to be secured so they don’t float out of reach, and astronauts must partake in strict exercise regimens so their muscles don’t atrophy from supporting less weight. Another difference? The way CPR is performed. Currently, NASA advises astronauts to use what’s called the handstand method if someone goes into cardiac arrest. That involves the rescuer doing a handstand on the patient’s chest while bracing their legs against the spaceship’s walls to create the pressure required to perform chest compressions. But recent research conducted in a “flying laboratory” found that a different method was more effective in a weightless environment: an automatic chest compression device, which uses pistons to deliver pressure. These devices are often deployed by doctors in restrictive environments like rescue helicopters, or when compressions need to be performed for longer periods of time, but they generally aren’t recommended over manual compressions here on Earth. (Brush up on how to perform hands-only CPR.) “Use of a particular type of automatic chest compression device was the only method that gave the depth that is recommended by international resuscitation guidelines to keep blood flowing to the brain in a real-life cardiac arrest,” lead researcher Nathan Reynette said in a news release. “We hope that our findings will be incorporated into the next guidelines for treating cardiac arrest in space.”
Together With Pacaso
Learn From This Investor’s $100 Million Mistake
Grammy-winning artist will.i.am passed on investing $200,000 in Airbnb in 2010. It’d be worth $100 million today. Now, the investors behind Venmo and Uber are backing another real estate disruptor. And this time, you can invest. Meet Pacaso. Created by a former Zillow exec who sold his first venture for $120 million, Pacaso brings co-ownership to the $1.3 trillion vacation home industry. The company has generated over $1 billion worth of luxury home transactions and service fees across more than 2,000 owners. That’s good for more than $110 million in gross profit to date, including 41% year-over-year growth in 2024 alone. And you can join them today for just $2.90/share. But don’t wait too long: Invest in Pacaso before the opportunity ends Sept. 18.
This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso's Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals.
Environment
Floating Wetland Brings Life Back to Boston’s Charles River
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The picture above may appear to show a random patch of greenery in a river, but it’s much more than that: It’s a floating wetland designed to turn back time. This small island of sorts on Boston’s Charles River (shown here being installed in 2020, and now teeming with life) spans about 700 square feet and is planted with 3,000 native species to restore the natural biodiversity that once thrived in the waterway before the area was developed. “It used to be a marsh,” Laura Jasinski, executive director of the Charles River Conservancy, told CBS News. “Artificial wetlands bring back some of that function and biodiversity that has been lost.” So far, the results speak for themselves: The wetland is providing much-needed habitats and nourishment for fish and insects, as well as microscopic organisms that help keep the river healthy and resilient against pollution and climate change — notably keeping toxic cyanobacteria blooms at bay. The project has evolved into a model for urban environmental restoration, earning a 2025 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Award for its impact and potential for replication in other cities. “This project shows how you can build nature-based solutions into our cities,” Jasinski said. “Baltimore, Chicago, New York ... they are all looking at wetlands like this.”
Culture
The Titanic Wrecksite Was Located 40 Years Ago Today: See Footage From the Discovery
Carl Simon/United Archives/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. The ship was one of the largest luxury ocean liners ever built and had been proclaimed “unsinkable” — making the disaster all the more shocking. As it lay in its final resting place on the ocean floor, the ship and its tragic story captivated both members of the public and oceanographers. Interested parties immediately began proposing ways of finding the enormous vessel, but the underwater technology needed to locate it wouldn’t be in play for another 73 years. Finally, on Sept. 1, 1985, after around a week of searching, an international team of scientists located the Titanic 12,500 feet beneath the ocean surface about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It was mostly intact (besides having split in two), upright, and in “superb condition,” expedition lead Robert Ballard told ABCNews at the time, having been preserved by the ice-cold water and lack of light. Learn more about the discovery and see footage from that day 40 years ago.
In Other News
Surgeons performed the world’s first anterior cervical spine surgery using a custom 3D-printed implant (read more)
Storytime toys go way back: Archaeologists unearthed the earliest known objects arranged to tell a story (read more)
The WNBA’s Atlanta Dream team is helping erase $10 million in debt for 3,500 local families (read more)
Over 100 dolphinszipped alongside a whale-watching boat in California — watch the fintastic footage (read more)
A Survivor-themed cafe is coming to Boston, complete with “Hidden Immunity Punch,” challenges, and all the fixins (read more)
Inspiring Story
Healing hearts and heirlooms
In January, Holly and David Tishbi’s jewelry shop was one of the many structures lost in the Palisades fire. Knowing the feeling of loss firsthand, the couple has spent the past seven months helping fellow fire survivors salvage their treasured heirlooms. “This whole process for us was about rebuilding, restoring, giving people hope and joy back,” Holly said. “We’re all in this together, and we can build something great.”
Photo of the Day
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
We’re not in Kansas anymore! Last Thursday, Dorothy made her Las Vegas Sphere debut at the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” — and the “transformative” spectacle is already getting rave reviews. Check out some of the jaw-dropping moments.
Ride Off Into the Sunset (Affordably) With an Upway E-Bike
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Odds & Ends
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Quote of the Day
“Only by doing the best we can with the very best that an era offers, do we find the way to do better in the future.”