Have you noticed the hydrangeas in your neighborhood (or your own backyard) standing a bit taller and blooming a bit brighter this summer? Thanks to a mild winter and wet spring on the Eastern Seaboard, the iconic flowers are more abundant than they’ve been in years. “We knew it was going to be a show,” Pamela Vasquez, who helps manage the 5,000 hydrangea plants at Massachusetts’ Chatham Bars Inn, told NBC News. Check out the property’s thriving blooms.
There’s a common saying: Laughter is the best medicine — and it seems it’s being taken to heart in one part of Japan. The local government in the Yamagata prefecture has passed a law nudging residents to laugh at least once a day. We know what you may be thinking, but no, this is not a joke. According to Firstpost, the first-of-its-kind ordinance is inspired by research from Yamagata University indicating that laughing can potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseaseand boost longevity. Aside from encouraging daily chuckling, the rule proposes that residents “deepen their understanding of the beneficial health effects of laughter.” Additionally, businesses are urged to create more cheerful atmospheres (i.e. an “environment filled with laughter”), and every eighth of the month is officially designated as “a day of laughter.” All that said, no one will be locked behind bars for having an off day: The rule doesn’t force laughter but rather aims to steer residents in a more lighthearted direction. Here are some ways we can all find more humor in our daily lives.
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Humanity
Abstract Artist With Down Syndrome Spreads Happiness Through Use of Bright Colors
Courtesy of Charlie French
Charlie French has a remarkable gift for transforming blank canvases into vibrant, textured works of art. But it’s not just his paintings that are inspiring — it’s his incredible journey through adversity that has touched hearts everywhere. When he was 16, the abstract artist was diagnosed with Down syndrome regression disorder, or DSRD, a rare and mysterious condition that took away much of his ability to function and communicate. It causes some adolescents or young adults with Down syndrome to lose many of the skills they’ve previously learned, such as producing or understanding speech, dressing themselves, or the ability to walk or run. For Charlie, it meant living a “horrible existence” that lasted five long years until the condition and its consequences began to stabilize, his mom Kiki tells Nice News. During this time, art became Charlie’s source of healing and expression. “I always enjoyed painting in school,” says Charlie, now 32. “When I got sick with Down syndrome regression disorder at 16, painting became therapy for me. In my 20s, painting became my passion. I took classes and worked with tutors. … Then I said, ‘I am an artist.’ It’s my job.”
Tech
“Burr on Fur” Trackers Make It Easier to Study Polar Bears From Afar
Polar bears have long been a poster image of climate change and the subject of many documentaries, scientific articles, and children’s books. Still, data on the massive mammals is notoriously difficult to gather. This fortunately may be changing with the invention of the first “burr on fur” tracking tags. A team of researchers created a tag that adheres to the animals’ fur in a way that’s minimally invasive while still providing high-quality data. The project involved England’s York University, 3M (the company behind Post-it notes), and Polar Bears International. In a paper published this week, the scientists detailed how the tracking initiative differs from currently used radio collars, which are only suitable on adult female bears, as the collars slip off males’ cone-shaped necks and aren’t conducive to still-growing adolescents. The new technology can adhere to both sexes and polar bears of all ages, safely. “Successfully attaching telemetry tags to polar bear fur has never been done before,and we’re excited to share the results of this innovative work,”lead author Tyler Ross said in a statement. “The fur tags showed great promise and give researchers the ability to study the behaviors and movements of polar bears that we have very little data on, like subadult and adult male bears.”
In Other News
Researchers traced the last common ancestor of all life to a microbe that lived 4.2 billion years ago, earlier than previously thought.
Hi (Sue Bird) Barbie! Mattel honored the basketball legend with a signature doll. “It’s kind of a surreal moment,” Bird said.
Two robots are heading to the Titanic, as a new expedition seeks to capture the wreck with a level of detail “that’s never before been achieved.”
Shark mystery, solved: The fossil of an ancient species was discovered in Mexico, showing what the predator really looked like.
Something We Love
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Inspiring Story
Doggie bags for good
Keeping dogs fed isn’t cheap — and it can be especially overwhelming during times of crisis or financial hardship. So Jaron Lukas launched a digital pantry that provides free dog food to pets (and pet parents) in need. Coming full circle: The pantry is funded by dog poop bags.
The annual Hong Kong Book Fair, taking place through Tuesday, is underway in the East Asian region. This year’s theme — Film and Television Literature — aims to draw in cinephiles and book lovers alike.
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