Jinny Lu is the World’s Ugliest Dog. We’re not being mean — that’s actually a highly coveted title, and one that 6-year-old pug Jinny Lu has vied for four times. The floppy-tongued, pearl-wearing rescue pup from Ukiah, California, is the latest winner of the annual World’s Ugliest Dog Contest hosted by the Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Association to highlight perfectly imperfect dogs. Meet Jinny Lu.
Greece’s All-Marble Olympic Stadium Is Getting a Serious Scrub Down
Jakub Porzycki—NurPhoto/Getty Images
For the first time in over a century, the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens is getting a deep clean (and no, Windex doesn’t seem to be part of the cleaning tool kit). The stadium — made of the same marble used on the Acropolis — was rebuilt for the first modern Olympics in 1896 and has become the ceremonial send-off point for the Olympic flame. It’s also a tourist attraction that continues to welcome visitors and host concerts, fashion shows, marathons, and more, so it’s accumulated the dirt and grime you’d expect with decades of foot traffic. Now, watching crews clean the iconic monument is a sight in itself. According to the Associated Press, workers are systematically using clean water at “carefully controlled, low pressure” to spray off dirt while vacuums suck up the runoff. Steam then removes the rest of the residue, much of which comes from chewing gum, high heels, and soft drinks, per stadium officials. Tier by tier, the venue is slowly being restored to the former glory that earned it the nickname of Kallimarmaro, which means beautiful marble. “We call it Kallimarmaro because it is made of the finest marble, the best that was ever produced. … We are very proud of it,” said Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. See the deep cleaners in action.
Together With Outskill
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It’s been hot lately in much of the world, so hot that Japan even made a new word to describe it. Nevertheless, a monsoon recently managed to have a relieving, cooling effect on the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system that supports thousands of species (us included). “The reef experienced a summer of above-average sea temperatures once again, but the late-summer monsoon activity, which increased cloud cover and reduced sea temperatures, likely limited the severity and extent of bleaching in the 2025-26 summer,” Mike Emslie, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences’s long-term monitoring program leader, said in a statement. Per the organization’s latest report, which covers August 2025 through June 2026, coral cover across all three regions of the reef either increased slightly or remained at similar levels to those recorded the previous summer. The monsoon winds also seemed to help mix hotter surface waters with deeper, chillier waters, which cooled the reef at an opportune time. The news is positive, but not a reason to stop doing our part to protect reefs, explained Selina Stead, the CEO of the institute: “While evidence of recovery is encouraging, the risks for coral reefs are increasing. We can help them survive the threats posed by climate change through reducing global emissions, good reef management, and developing evidence-based science interventions that support reef adaptation and recovery.” Check out some ways you can support coral reefs near and far.
Health
Organ-on-a-Chip Devices and Miniature Organs Could Be Alts to Animal Testing
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute
Despite initiatives to phase it out, animal testing remains a cornerstone of medical research. But fortunately, that may not always be the case, as researchers are in the process of developing alternatives that are also more predictive of human biology. (For context, roughly 90% of drugs that clear animal testing are not effective in humans.) The shift — called new approach methodologies — uses “human-relevant methods” to test drugs. So instead of involving mice and rats, researchers use organ-on-a-chip devices, miniature organs grown from patients’ cells, and AI-powered models. “We want tests and models that can tell us which treatments work, and in what patients, and a mouse cannot tell us that,” Matthias Zilbauer, a clinical professor of pediatric gastroenterology at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, told The Guardian, adding: “It’s going to have a major impact on the numbers of animals used and the way we develop new drugs in the future.” Juliet Dukes, with the charity Replacing Animal Research, explained that the alternatives pave the way for “truly personalized medicine for individual patients.” She said: “It is all very exciting.” Learn more about the animal-testing alternatives.
In Other News
Palisades Village reopened over the weekend, marking a milestone for Los Angeles after the 2025 wildfires (read more)
Researchers produced the most complete genetic map of one of the two flowering plants that grow in Antarctica (read more)
Joshua Báez made MLB history, hitting not one, not two, but three home runs in his debut with the Cardinals (read more)
A litter of cougar kittens was spotted by a trail camera in Minnesota, the first sighting in over a century (read more)
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is expanding to Utah to provide free books to kids across the state (read more)
Something We Love
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Inspiring Story
Thank you, first responders
In the wake of the wildfires near Spokane, Washington, some residents are celebrating the bravery of local firefighters. Neighbors recently gathered in the streets for a block party to thank first responders in person. “What is remarkable is seeing this neighborhood coming together, and whether they lost their house or their house is still here, it didn’t break their spirit,” said fire captain Todd Wood.
Photo of the Day
Petras Malukas—AFP/Getty Images
Zoomies, alert! There was perhaps no cuter place to be than Vingis Park in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Saturday, when around 150 corgis took part in an international race celebrating the dog breed with perfectly little (and quite fast) legs. The event also featured a costume parade, a “smartest nose” contest, and a loudest bark showdown. Take a peek at the festivities.
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