If you’ve been itching to redesign a room in your home (or perhaps planning a move into an entirely new home), read Apartment Therapy’s roundup of 2025 home trends first. Dubbed “The State of Home Design,” the publication’s annual designer survey compiles input from over 150 professionals, and the consensus seems to be that “highly personal, unique spaces” will continue to be en vogue next year. Check it out.
AI Granny Takes Down Scammers, One Phone Call at a Time
O2
On the surface, Daisy’s warm, serene voice and earnest questions about how to use her computer make her sound like any other sweet, innocent grandmother — but don’t be fooled. She’s actually an AI bot on a mission to keep phone scammers from bothering you. Developed by British mobile phone company O2 “to waste scammers’ time,” Daisy, sometimes stylized dAIsy to emphasize her origins, waxes rhapsodic about her grandchildren, cat Fluffy, and favorite hobby (knitting, naturally). She also offers fraudsters fake bank account details to string them along. “The newest member of our fraud-prevention team, Daisy, is turning the tables on scammers — outsmarting and outmaneuvering them at their own cruel game simply by keeping them on the line,” Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud at Virgin Media O2, said in a statement. Since her debut in mid-November, the AI model has wasted hundreds of hours of exasperated scammers’ time, with some phone calls lasting as long as 40 minutes. And in doing so, she’s brought to light many of the common tactics used to victimize real humans. Watch Daisy in action.
Together With Quince
Holiday Gifting Made Easy
We love Quince all year round, but especially during the holidays. The brand makes shopping effortless with its thoughtfully curated holiday gift guide, helping you bring joy to everyone on your list. Whether you’re getting a present for family, friends, co-workers, or a partner, you can count on Quince to help you make the season truly special. Not sure where to start? You can’t go wrong with Quince’s affordable cashmere sweaters or bestselling bamboo sheet sets. Just be sure to place your order by Dec. 15 to ensure your gift arrives in time!
“A Groundbreaking Discovery”: Scientists Finally Pinpoint How Fish Pick Their Own Birthday
Giordano Cipriani/ The Image Bank via Getty Image
Kids with summer birthdays get it: It can be frustrating when the timing of a major life event yields unwanted outcomes, like not being able to celebrate with friends in class. But for fish, the timing of their birth can lead to more serious consequences — like whether they live or die. So these young sea creatures take matters into their own hands (er, fins). Scientists already knew that fish have the ability to choose their own birthday, aka the day and time they hatch. But now they know how they do it. In a study published Dec. 5 in Science, researchers discovered that the animals initiate the hatching process via a brain signal called the thyrotropin-releasing hormone, or TRH, which travels to a hatching gland that disintegrates the egg wall. As a result, the young fish can emerge. “This groundbreaking discovery uncovers a previously unknown neural mechanism that governs a critical life-stage transition, showing that embryos are not passive but instead actively make life-or-death decisions,” the Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers noted in a press release.
Health
These Kangaroo-Style Pouches Could Improve Health Outcomes for Newborns
FatCamera/ iStock
C-sections can be necessary (and often lifesaving) procedures for women giving birth, but they often result in one major disadvantage for babies. Since new moms lie flat right after the surgery, it’s difficult to facilitate skin-to-skin contact with their newborns, which can help regulate temperature, stabilize heartbeat, and support steady breathing. Midwife Stacey Boyle wanted to ensure these infants didn’t lose out on that vital step — and to do so, she took inspo from kangaroos. Typically, to provide skin-to-skin contact, a birth partner in the room with mom has to remove their standard scrubs while the newborn is placed on their chest and covered with blankets or towels. “That doesn’t really sustain or assist in keeping babies warm and a lot of partners felt self-conscious,” Boyle, who works at NHS Lothian in Scotland, explained in a statement. So the 41-year-old designed a novel style of scrubs featuring a sling-like pouch that birth partners can wear to hold the newborn kangaroo-style while the C-section is completed. The new hospital attire, dubbed “Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey),” uses Velcro openings to secure infants while preserving the wearer’s modesty. Recently, father-of-three Michael Kean got to experience the scrubs’ benefits firsthand: “Having that skin-to-skin contact with [my daughter] Ayla was an incredibly magical moment, and it meant so much to be able to stay with her and my wife throughout the entire process.”
In Other News
Research from nearly a century ago is helping scientists develop a novel treatment for ovarian cancer(read more)
In a mystery for linguaphiles, an unknown language was discovered on a rock tablet in the country of Georgia (read more)
If I only had $28 million: Ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz raked it in at auction (read more)
Certain microplastics in beauty products could be replaced by a biodegradable alternative created at MIT(read more)
Baby Japanese macaque Yumi sampled snow for the first time, nibbling it off her mom’s back at an Iowa zoo (read more)
Something We Love
“Five Things Making Me Happy” From Gretchen Rubin This newsletter delivers happiness to your inbox — a slogan so good we wish we thought of it first. In “Five Things Making Me Happy,” renowned happiness expert and bestselling author Gretchen Rubin shares a weekly roundup of what’s bringing her joy right now, plus practical tips, research, and resources about how we can all make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative going into 2025 and beyond.*
*Indicates a Nice News brand partnership or affiliate
Inspiring Story
The best way to spread Christmas cheer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year … until your flight is delayed and you’re surrounded by frustrated travelers. But for some lucky Delta passengers stuck on the tarmac in Atlanta over the weekend, the hour-plus wait time was significantly improved by a musically inclined fellow flyer. U.S. Army vet Wayne Hoey assembled his saxophone and started strolling down the aisle playing Christmas carols — and soon everyone was singing along. “You just renewed my faith in humanity,” passenger Kate Dailey wrote on her social media.
Photo of the Day
Jordan Pettitt - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Visiting the Kindness Tree outside Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, the Prince and Princess of Wales reflected on the challenges of the past year and emphasized the importance of coming together. While Princess Kate wrote a letter reminding attendees that “love is the light that can shine bright,” the couple’s three children toted cards to hang on the tree — and the handwritten message that 6-year-old Prince Louis penned for his grandparents was especially sweet.
Quince’s Gift Guide Is the Only One You Need
If you’re on the hunt for the perfect gift, look no further than Quince’s holiday gift guide. From stylish pieces for the fashion enthusiast in your life to cozy home essentials for the homebody, you’ll find something special for everyone in your life this holiday season. And if you order by Sunday, your gift will arrive in time for Christmas.
“Transitions are almost always signs of growth, but they can bring feelings of loss. To get somewhere new, we may have to leave somewhere else behind.”
