Do you remember a time when someone paid you a particularly impactful compliment? We want to hear from you about the kindest words you’ve received — we’ll be compiling some of your answers in an article, so we can all get some inspiration for brightening peoples’ days. Click here to contribute your thoughts.
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Environment
White Storks Set to Return to London This Year After 6 Centuries
White Stork Project
White storks will return to London for the first time in over 600 years, marking an important milestone in urban rewilding. The majestic birds, which have been extinct as a breeding species in England since 1416, were first successfully reintroduced to a countryside estate in West Sussex, about 45 miles southwest of the capital, per The Guardian. This autumn, a breeding colony will find a home in an aviary in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, thanks to a collaboration between the London Wildlife Trust, the local council, and the mayor’s Green Roots Fund. The project is part of a broader effort to reintroduce wildlife to communities in London and beyond. Beavers, for example, are set to return to the city in 2027, where the “ecosystem engineers” will help restore local wetlands in a way that benefits other wildlife. Besides improving the environment, organizers hope the endeavor will spark curiosity and pride in residents. “This is a brilliant achievement for our borough and a real win for our residents,” Dominic Twomey, leader of the Barking and Dagenham council, said in a statement, adding: “It’s about more than wildlife — it’s about giving families, schools, and community groups the chance to be part of something inspiring and hopeful.” In honor of National Bird Day today, check out a roundup of some of the best bird photography from last year.
Together With Hear.com
New Year, New Clarity: Meet the Tiny Device Changing Lives
Audiologists have called Horizon IX “the biggest breakthrough in hearing technology in decades.” If your 2026 goals include confidence, better health, and more time with loved ones, it all starts with hearing clearly. Horizon IX uses cutting-edge German engineering and dual-processing technology to separate speech from noise so conversations feel and sound natural (even in the busiest environments). Virtually invisible, rechargeable, and smartphone-ready, these devices are built for modern life. Experience the innovation that’s helping more than 540,000 customers live and hear better than ever — start your new year with a 45-day, no-risk trial today.
“This Keeps Me Alive”: Why Doctors Are Writing Storytelling Prescriptions for Older Adults
Life Story Club
As the saying goes, everyone has a story to tell — but sometimes it can be hard to find a safe person to share it with. That’s why StoryRX exists: The collaboration between New York-based nonprofit Life Story Club and health care providers encourages older adults at risk of social isolation to join weekly meetings centered on, you guessed it, swapping stories. “Every older adult should have a seat at Life Story Club,” Executive Director Jennifer Wong tells Nice News. During the weekly meetups (offered in person and online), a facilitator poses questions like “What was your most joyful day?” and “What was the greatest historical event you lived through?” Each participant gets a turn to open up about their life and hear others’ stories — a reciprocal exchange that can be the difference between someone feeling alone or feeling part of a community. The results speak for themselves: According to the 2024 Impact Report, 95% of participants felt supported by their club, 92% experienced a sense of community, and 93% reported an improvement in their mood. As one participant said in a testimonial, “This keeps me alive. Waiting every week for Friday keeps me alive. I have so many stories to share! I wish there were two Fridays in a week.” Feeling motivated to listen to someone else’s stories, share your own, or better yet, do both? Read five pieces of advice inspired by the social prescription program.
Humanity
Empathy and Reasoning Aren’t Rivals — New Research Shows They Work Together
Alistair Berg— DigitalVision/Getty Images
This article was written by researchers Kyle Fiore Law, Brendan Bo O’Connor, and Stylianos Syropoulos for The Conversation. For years, philosophers and psychologists have debated whether empathy helps or hinders the ways people decide how to help others. Critics of empathy argue that it makes people care too narrowly — focusing on individual stories rather than the broader needs of society — while careful reasoning enables more impartial, evidence-based choices. Our new research, forthcoming in the academic journal PNAS Nexus, a flagship peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests this “heart versus head” argument is too simple. Empathy and reasoning aren’t rivals — they work together. Each one on its own predicts more generous, far-reaching acts of assistance. And when they operate side by side, people tend to help in the fairest ways — not favoring some over others — and in ways that touch the most lives. Dive deeper into the research.
In Other News
NASA will select a design for its new lunar rover from three companies’ prototypes (read more)
The first FDA-approved treatment for an incurable cancer may add years to patients’ lives (read more)
Olympic dreams: A small club in Mansoura, Egypt, trains girls to become wrestling and judo champions (read more)
For the fifth year in a row, U.S.teen drug and alcohol abuse rates declined, hitting a historic low (read more)
Beloved TV host Rick Steves saved a community center serving unhoused people in Washington (read more)
Inspiring Story
Creative communication
Sara Jane Parsons and Jimmy Turner have been together for 20 years — and they’ve created their own language to communicate with each other. Turner, 71, is deaf, and 61-year-old Parsons, who’s paralyzed from the shoulders down, is unable to use her hands for sign language. But not long after they met, Parsons realized she could speak to Turner, who can read lips, through “Jimmy Sign Language”: what she describes as a combination of ASL and American Indian Sign Language. “I try to mimic with my body and my face as much as I can the signs that he’s created,” she explained, noting, “It’s not really different than talking to anybody else in a language that’s not English and where English isn’t their first language.”
Photo of the Day
Adventure Aquarium
Meet Duffy and Oscar, two African penguins recently born at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. Duffy, named after a longtime aquarium staffer, and Oscar, whose moniker comes from the famed hot dog company (just like his dad, Myer), represent an exciting milestone for the critically endangered species.
Simple: Did You Know the 10K Steps “Rule” Is a Myth?
Complex exercise routines, especially for beginners, are a recipe for burnout. This year, simplify your workouts by walking your way to better health with Simple. Walking lets you enjoy the crisp winter air, clear your head, and even practice a little mindfulness while you set goals for the year ahead. It’s simple, sustainable, and one of the few habits that actually sticks past week three of January. But the 10,000 steps “rule” is a myth — take this short quiz to discover your optimal walking routine.
