Wake up, new giant panda footage just dropped! On Saturday, the National Zoo shared a video of Bao Li and Qing Bao, the pandas who recently arrived from China, “having a ball” with some enrichment toys in their new habitat. “These toys encourage our giant pandas to keep physically active and mentally sharp; they also give the bears an opportunity to use their natural behaviors and choose how to spend their time,” the Washington, D.C. zoo explained. Watch the video.
Check out what sold at this year’s Art Basel Paris
Health
New Shingles Treatment May Reduce Eye Pain and Vision Loss
ljubaphoto/ iStock
First, the not-so-nice news: Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles, and it can lead to debilitating and long-lasting vision loss for the 8% of sufferers whose virus affects a particular nerve that supplies the eyes. Now for what you came here for — the good news: Such symptoms may soon be alleviated thanks to a new treatment plan dubbed a “possible breakthrough” by CBS News. In a multiyear study, a long-term, low-dose antiviral treatment was found to help reduce the risk of damaging and often painful periods of inflammation and infection around the eye. Study participants who took antivirals for a full year saw a 26% reduction in their risk of new or worsening eye disease at 18 months, and they were less likely to have multiple disease flare-ups compared to those who received a placebo. The current treatment is typically a 7-10 day course of an antiviral. “We explored longer-term treatment because, while the standard approach has been shown to reduce the chances for chronic eye disease, it still leaves many suffering from it,” said lead study author Elisabeth J. Cohen, who herself has damaged vision as a result of the shingles virus.
Together With Elf Labs
The Clock Is Ticking on This $2 Trillion Fairytale
Investors have just one day left to get a piece of some of the biggest names in entertainment. Elf Labs owns over 100 trademarks and more than 400 copyrights to characters like Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Snow White. And they’re giving investors an opportunity to tap into the $2 trillion entertainment and merchandising market with them. Not only is Elf closing major toy, apparel, and other merch deals globally, they’re also using patented technology to bring their character portfolio to life with augmented reality, virtual reality, and AI, creating a never-before-seen level of immersive entertainment. Time’s running out to join Elf as they create entire virtual worlds powered by these legendary characters. Become an Elf Labs shareholder by tomorrow, Oct. 30.
Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for Elf Labs’ Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at elflabs.com
Culture
Just in Time for National Cat Day, Adorable Book Celebrates Felines of All Kinds
Andrew Marttila
If you’re a cat person, every day is National Cat Day, but the feline-focused holiday is officially held today, Oct. 29. Purr-fectly timed to celebrate, a new book from two cat lovers, Hannah Shaw and Andrew Marttila, came out this month and is already a New York Times bestseller. Aptly titled Cats of the World, the coffee table book offers a peek into the lives of cats of all kinds in 30 countries. You’ll see the animals striking a pose in Peru, strutting on cobblestone streets in Italy, and relaxing on rocks in Uruguay. Photographer Marttila tells Nice News one of his favorite moments of putting the book together was meeting rescue cat Hodge (seen above) at London’s Southwark Cathedral: “Hearing stories of him interrupting services by climbing on the pulpit or occupying the bishop’s throne was hilarious! Truly authentic cat behavior, even in the most sacred of spaces.” Stories from cat advocates are sprinkled throughout, highlighting important topics in the feline world and unique cultural perspectives that’ll transport you to different continents as you cuddle up on the couch with your pet. And for anyone looking to level-up their pet parent photos, the authors are partnering with Canon to give away a book and a Canon EOS R50 Content Creator Kit. Click here to learn more.
Humanity
Airbnb Works With Charity to Offer Abuse Survivors a Safe Home — for Free
Milko/ iStock
When an Airbnb in England isn’t offering guests a “home away from home,” it may be used as a much-needed (and free) haven for survivors of domestic abuse. The new initiative from Airbnb and the U.K. domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid seeks to help provide more safe refuges for survivors, as recent figures reported by The Independent show that over half of women fleeing domestic violence in England have been turned away from shelters due to a lack of room. “Thanks to Airbnb, survivors will have an avenue of safety at a time when their only other choices may be homelessness or returning to their abuser,” Farah Nazeer, the Women’s Aid chief executive, said in a statement. The properties will be in an undisclosed area of the country, and survivors can book their temporary stay anonymously via a specialized system. Women’s Aid specialists will be available to provide support to all those accommodated during their stays.
In Other News
An AI-powered disaster aid program is giving cash to some households impacted by the recent hurricanes (read more)
In a pioneering surgery, a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball was removed through a patient’s eyebrow (read more)
One move at a time: Famed chess grand master Magnus Carlsen is launching a new project (read more)
Dolly Parton accepted this year’s PEACE Through Music Award with a song and some kind words (read more)
Harvest is happening! Fascinating drone footage captured farmers flooding their cranberry bogs (read more)
Something We Love
LifeStraw Home It’s time to upgrade to a better water filter that actually delivers on its promises. LifeStraw Home is the only water filter pitcher that removes microplastics, bacteria, PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”), and more than 30 other contaminants from your water while improving its taste. Associate Editor Ally has tried it and can attest to how good it tastes — the sleek handblown glass design is just the cherry on top. If you’re ready to start sipping, upgrade to a LifeStraw Home pitcher at the link below.*
*Indicates a Nice News brand partnership or affiliate
Inspiring Story
Kindness begets kindness
After learning a Walgreens in Weston, Massachusetts, was shutting down, 11-year-old Aarav Khanna spearheaded an effort to raise $6,000 as a going-away present for a beloved pharmacist known to community members as Pharmacist Bob. “I’ve seen the amount of kindness and hard work he puts into his job,” Khanna said. See Bob Hesselberg’s priceless reaction to the gift.
Photo of the Day
JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images
Just looking at this maze has us feeling lost. Located at Cool Patch Pumpkins in Dixon, California, and stretching on for about 40 acres, the maze is likely the largest in the entire country, SFGate reports. See more pics.
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