It’s been a nail-biting, eye-widening, awe-inspiring couple of weeks, and we almost can’t believe the 2024 Paris Olympics are at their end. We watched U.S. women’s rugby clinch their first-ever medal, the Refugee Olympic Team make history, and the youngest and oldest athletes inspire the world. But after all the fanfare and milestone achievements, there’s still one more celebration to look forward to: the closing ceremony, airing live on NBC and Peacock today at 2 p.m. ET and again tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Before you tune in, catch up on four of the “nicest” trends from the Games. And keep an eye out for more sports content when the Paralympics begin in two and half weeks! — Rebekah, Ally, and Natalie
Featured Story
This French Road Is Only Drivable for 2 Hours Per Day — Then It’s Swallowed by the Sea
There is a road in France surrounded by the sea that is visible one minute and, poof, gone the next. The vanishing act occurs on the Passage du Gois, a captivating causeway that can only be crossed twice daily at low tide. The tide eventually rises again, dramatically covering the road with 4 to 13 feet of water. Located in the Bourgneuf Bay on the Atlantic coast, the Passage du Gois stretches 2.6 miles between the town of Beauvoir-sur-Mer on the mainland and the island of Noirmoutier. Luxury car brand Porsche famously chose the causeway to test out its “Wet Mode” feature for less-than-ideal weather conditions. And in honor of the 2024 Paris Games, the road was one of the chosen locations for the Olympic torch tour of the country. Click below to learn more.
Nice News is committed to getting the facts right, and so is AG1. Most supplements rely on third-party ingredient research to back their claims, but AG1 took it one step further — or three, actually, with a trio of recently released research studies showing how it supports whole-body health. In the studies, 97% of participants said they felt more energized after 30 days of drinking AG1, 94% noticed fewer cravings after 90 days of drinking AG1, and 80% noticed less gas and bloating. See the difference yourself: Nice News readers can get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3+K2 and five free travel packs with their first purchase.
In a positive turn of events, it’s getting less cool for content creators to share videos of shopping hauls and more cool to encourage followers to save money and practice sustainability. The shift is an offshoot of the de-influencing movement, and proponents are calling it “underconsumption core.” In one recent viral video, a young woman shows off the worn-in sneakers she’s sported every day for the past two years. In another, a TikTok user shares that some of her walls are still blank because she’s taking her time and buying decor secondhand rather than “running to fill the space with whatever is trendy at Target.” The trend is a response to some of the challenging issues many young people feel burdened by, like student debt, inflation, and climate change, as well as the unrealistic expectations that social media often sets. “I think it’s really refreshing to see this new takeover of more relatable content,” 24-year-old freelance graphic designer Meghan Pexton told The New York Times, adding: “We need to make a shift in who we’re following. We are in control of our algorithm.”
Tech
Storm-Chasing Drones Could Change the Way We Understand Hurricanes
Courtesy Saildrone
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was predicted to be “above normal,” and so far it’s shaping up that way. Most recently, Tropical Storm Debby brought “unprecedented” flooding to the southeastern U.S., hitting Florida as a hurricane before being downgraded last Tuesday. But researchers thankfully have a new tool on their side for tracking such storms. A literal storm chaser, the Saildrone is a 23-foot-long remote-controlled device designed to withstand powerful winds and provide an unprecedented look at hurricanes. The autonomous sailing drone can send data back in real time about wind speed, wave height, and ocean temperatures. Saildrones have gone on several missions in Hawaii and California, and around a dozen are being deployed this season into hurricane zones in Florida, the Virgin Islands, and North Carolina, according to NBC News. The information gathered will help researchers better visualize and understand hurricanes, so they can help keep people and properties safe. “It’s all building up to improving forecasts, improving predictions to help give people more preparation and more lead time,” Greg Foltz, a NOAA oceanographer, told the outlet. “We want to save lives.” Watch it in action.
Health
Period and Pregnancy App Achieves Unicorn Status, a “Milestone” for Femtech
Flo
Flo Health, a period and pregnancy tracking app, raked in more than $200 million in investments beyond a $1 billion valuation, officially becoming the first purely digital women’s health app to achieve unicorn status. “Reaching unicorn status is a significant milestone for Flo and the entire femtech industry,” co-founder and CEO Dmitry Gurski said in a press release. “When we started Flo, we identified a huge gap in women’s health services. Now, we’re a leader in a global movement to make women’s health a priority everywhere.” Founded in 2015, the London-based company boasts 380 million downloads and nearly 70 million monthly active users. With free and paid versions, Flo offers features to track menstrual cycles,conception, pregnancy, and menopause. It includes an ovulation and fertility calendar, a PMS symptom tracker, access to expert advice, and even a section for sharing updates with partners. Looking ahead, Gurski said the recent infusion will propel the app forward to help “continue normalizing conversations about women’s health, improving health literacy, and raising awareness of women’s health issues worldwide, especially in underserved regions.”
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
The story of how a nonverbal 9-year-old’s awestruck “wow!” at the symphony encapsulated the power of music
In this beautifully illustrated children’s book, Matt Lamothe and Jenny Volvovski introduce readers to 50 unique kids from across the country, offering an inspiring portrait of each one. Featuring youngsters with diverse religious, economic, and ethnic backgrounds, as well as varying family dynamics, health conditions, and hobbies, All About U.S. is a unifying and heartfelt celebration of our differences and similarities.
What’s your happy place? That’s essentially the question author Fearne Cotton asks guests on her popular podcast, an offshoot of the online community she created following publication of her first book, Happy, in 2017. Speaking to thought leaders and changemakers across a range of fields, Cotton dives into topics like self-worth, parenting, burnout, and beauty standards, tackling the “personal, spiritual, and big picture” to reveal what happiness means to individual people.
This Week in History
One of the Largest Tyrannosaurus Rex Fossils Is Found
Forget a boy named Sue and meet a T-Rex named Sue, one of the largest dinosaur skeletons ever unearthed. Named after fossil collector Susan Hendrickson, who discovered the 42-foot long reptile in South Dakota, Sue is also one of the most complete specimens ever found, at about 90%. The 67-million-year-old behemoth is housed at Chicago’s Field Museum for visitors to marvel at, and boasts a loyal social media following: On X (formerly Twitter), Sue is known for cracking jokes and being generally charming.
Upgrade Your Dog Walks With Ryan London Leather
We love all of Ryan London’s leather goods, but the London-based brand’s dog products are of particular note. The handmade collars, leashes, harnesses, and poop bag holders, all crafted from soft and durable Italian leather, will have you and your pup looking as stylish as ever on your neighborhood walks. Plus, they’re all personalizable.
