The past couple weeks have been big for the music industry, with the release of Billie Eilish’s new album and American Idolcrowning its latest winner,but we’re over here bopping along to another, younger act’s output. Rhyme Island is an Irish initiative that invites kids to express themselves through writing and performing rap, and its latest — very wholesome — barn burner is guaranteed to have you smiling and tapping your toes. Titled “The Spark,” the adorable music video was released ahead of June 15’s Cruinniú na nÓg, an annual day of creativity for young people, and has already racked up nearly 9 million views across all platforms.
Featured Story
How Finding a “Third Place” Can Boost Your Well-Being
With the rise in remote work and amid an ongoing loneliness epidemic, community feels more important and more elusive than ever. If we’re lucky, we feel a sense of belonging at home, among the people we love. And if we’re even luckier, we experience some degree of camaraderie at work as well. But these two places alone can’t always provide the level of nourishment our social selves need. Enter: the third place. Third places provide us the opportunity to connect with and meet new people, receive support, and tether into our personal identities. Click the link below to learn the myriad ways they benefit mental health and get tips on establishing one — or more — of your own.
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Whether you’re a current caregiver or looking to support someone who is, a new resource from Uber should be on your radar as a tool that could make navigating logistics a little easier. Meet Uber Caregiver: a service launching this summer that will allow caregivers to coordinate rides to doctor’s appointments for their care recipient and use health insurance benefits to pay. Uber Health lead engineer Jeremy Hintz was inspired to create the app feature based on personal experience, as his mother stepped in as his grandparents’ primary caregiver. “All this actually came out of a phone conversation I was having with my mom about the things she needed help with day-to-day,” Hintz told Today. “We have Uber and Uber Eats; why can’t we tap into health care benefits, too?” Find out more about how the service works and the up-and-coming plans to expand it, which include allowing caregivers to manage deliveries of groceries and over-the-counter items.
Environment
Researchers Discover Long-Lost Branch of Nile River Near Pyramids in Egypt
Myriad mysteries surround the ancient pyramids in Egypt, but scientists believe one is now solved. Researchers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington have detected a long-buried branch of the Nile River that may have been used for transporting construction materials. To confirm the branch’s location, the team relied on geophysical surveys, sediment samples, and satellite remote sensing, the last of which provided the “unique ability to penetrate the ground and produce images of hidden paleo-rivers and structures,” according to the study. And the discovery could help unlock other secrets of Egypt’s past, as well. Per a press release, the findings may explain why the pyramids are concentrated in a narrow, now “inhospitable” strip of the Sahara. Although archaeologists have suspected that ancient Egyptians had access to a waterway that carried the stones needed to build the monuments, up until now, “nobody was certain of the location,” said lead author Eman Ghoneim. She added: “Our research offers the first map of one of the main ancient branches of the Nileat such a large scale and links it with the largest pyramid fields of Egypt.” Click here to take a virtual walking tour of the pyramids.
Health
New Rapid Blood Test Could Help Diagnose Strokes Faster
Over a third of stroke patients recover with minimal or no impairments, and early intervention is the key to achieving that. Now, people who have had a stroke may soon be in a better position to get the care they need, when they need it, thanks to anew rapid blood test that can help diagnose the medical emergencies in less than six hours. “We have developed a game-changing, accessible tool,” Joshua Bernstock, a senior author of the new study detailing the test, said in a press release. Here’s how it works: The test combines blood-based biomarkers with a clinical score to identify patients experiencing large vessel occlusionstroke, or LVO — a severe stroke that occurs when an artery in the brain is blocked. In this situation, a mechanical thrombectomy is one of the most helpful surgical procedures to remove the blockage and put patients on a path to recovery. But the time window makes a difference. “In stroke care, time is brain,” Bernstock explained, adding, “The earlier this intervention is enacted, the better the patient’s outcome will be.” The new test was found to detect LVO strokes within six hours from symptom onset with over 90% specificity, an innovation that could help save lives and boost rehabilitation. Click here to learn the signs of a stroke.
Learn “the untold story” (and see photos) of how Chinese immigrants helped construct Yosemite National Park
Whatever happened to tearjerkers? One writer is demanding a sad movie revival for the sake of our shared humanity
What to Watch
Amazon MGM Studios
The Blue Angels
A new documentary is giving Top Gun: Maverick a run for its money. “Showcasing the extraordinary teamwork, passion, and pride that fuels America’s best,” The Blue Angels chronicles a year with the Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron and serves up unprecedented footage filmed from smack dab in the middle of the action. The film hit Amazon Prime Video on Thursday after a week-long run in IMAX theaters. Click to watch the trailer.
Something We Love
Jones Road Miracle Balm
When it comes to makeup, we love products that multitask, because no one needs more clutter in their bathroom cabinet or purse. This bestselling beauty balm adds soft, glow-y color to cheeks, lips, and anywhere else you want a little tint (like your shoulders or clavicle). The moisturizing, light-reflecting formula is perfect for wearing alone or layering with your favorite foundation, and it’s available in 12 shades for a range of skin tones.
At 29,035 feet above sea level, Mount Everest’s peak is considered the highest point on Earth, and as of last year, over 6,600 people had reached its summit. But two men paved the way for all those explorers: mountaineer Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Nepali-Indian climber Tenzing Norgay. Part of a British expedition in 1953, the pair became the first known humans to reach the top of the snow-covered mountain, achieving what more than a dozen prior expeditions had failed to. Check out the photo of Norgay that Hillary took at the summit, and see Lifemagazine’s July 13, 1953 cover story about the celebrated event.
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“Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden — in all the places.”
