There are plenty of ways to keep a written record of your thoughts — junk journaling, gratitude journaling, nature journaling, and more. But one of the oldest methods is a commonplace book, a practice that became popular in Western society during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras. William Shakespeare, Victor Hugo, and John Locke all kept their own commonplace books, which are logs of what’s happening in the world around you. Quotes, observations, pieces of gossip, and even recipes are all at home in a commonplace book — learn how to start yours.
How can you help protect your home from wildfires? Consider adding these fire-resistant plants to your garden
Health
Being Organized Among Personality Traits That May Help You Live Longer, New Study Finds
PixelVista/ iStock
We previously covered that gender equality may help increase longevity for both men and women — but while society continues making progress toward this systemic change, a new study has revealed how your individual personality could also impact your lifespan. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, researchers searched for links between longevity and the Big 5 personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. They found that those high in extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness displayed a lower mortality risk, and on the flip side, respondents who scored high in neuroticism were associated with a higher mortality risk. Openness, meanwhile, was not found to be associated with longevity one way or the other. For the first time, the team also identified specific personality nuances within each trait that they connected to longevity, including that those who reported themselves as beingorganized had a lower mortality risk. Combined, the nuances held more “predictive power” than the Big 5 traits they funneled up into, per co-author René Mõttus. “We found that it is often these specific personality traits, nuances, that drive personality associations with mortality,” Mõttus told The Independent. “It stands to reason that these personality nuances are easier to change than broad trait domains such as neuroticism or conscientiousness. So, our findings offer hope.” Learn the other nuances.
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Humanity
Tiny Home Village Helps Maui Wildfire Survivors Regain Stability, 2 Years Later
HomeAid Hawaiʻi
On a Hawaiian hillside just north of Lahaina is a 57-acre tiny home community with a big mission: Called Ka La‘i Ola, this landmark development provides interim housing for nearly 900 residents displaced by Maui’s 2023 wildfires — specifically those who lost their homes and were ineligible for federal FEMA assistance. Meaning “The Place of Peaceful Recovery,” Ka La‘i Ola is the second-largest village of its kind in the nation. Not only does it offer equipped modular units ranging from studios to three bedrooms,but it hasalso implemented a no-rent policy until 2027, giving residents the gift of time to regain stability. Iuni and ‘One Tuaimei‘uta, who lost everything when the wildfires swept through, said in a video testimonial that the community “has given us a second chance, to know that we can move forward, to know that we can be able to be better. But it’s such a beautiful place to be right now. In a sense, it keeps you humble.” “Ka La‘i Ola represents the very best of Hawaii. It symbolizes our resilience, compassion, and determination as a community,” Governor Josh Green said in a recent press release announcing the completion of the community. He added: “Every key we hand to a family is a promise that they are not forgotten, that Hawaii stands with them as they rebuild their lives.” Check out the village.
Science
After 100 Years, a Piano “Mystery” Has Finally Been Solved
Carlo Prearo/ iStock
Whether it be their performance of Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No. 1” or Sergei Rachmaninoff's “Piano Concerto No. 3,” a talented piano player can evoke an array of deep emotions in their audience. But what exactly goes on between the musician and the piano that changes the way a note sounds — specifically how the timbre is altered? That’s the century-old “artistic mystery” music-minded scientists say they’ve finally solved. First off, a definition: Timbre is the quality of a sound that makes it distinct from other instruments. It’s how we can tell the difference between a C note played on a flute and a trumpet — but timbre can also change within the same instrument, with adjectives like “bright” and “dark” used to describe differences. Researchers have long believed that the pianist’s touch is what alters timbre, but until now, didn’t have scientific evidence to back that up. The fact that a piano player’s physical movements would affect the sound of their music may seem somewhat obvious, but timbre isn’t like pitch or volume, which are easy to identify as being related to the key one strikes and the amount of force used. Timbre is much harder to pin down, so researchers employed a proprietary sensor system that measured the movements of 20 world-renowned pianists playing all 88 piano keys, and had participants listen to the recordings. The team found that “timbre manipulation through touch cultivated by pianists is not a mere sensory metaphor but a scientifically backed skill,” per a press release, and the results could have implications for the way piano is taught. Try your hand at discerning timbre changes by listening to some beautiful and relaxing piano pieces.
In Other News
California driver’s licenses have a new look featuring the state’s “iconic redwoods, poppies, and coastline” (read more)
After $84 million and decades of cleanup, Muskegon Lake is officially off the Great Lakes’ most-polluted list (read more)
Adrenaline nasal sprays are as effective as EpiPens for treating severe allergic reactions, a recent analysis found (read more)
Saturn’s moon Enceladus may be habitable, per scientists who discovered new types of organics in its geysers (read more)
Stanford claimed the top spot in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 college rankings — see the full list (read more)
Something We Love
Gimme Beauty Thick Hair Extra Stretch Bands As someone with long, thick hair that can get pretty wild (especially if it’s humid outside), I’m so grateful I found these hair ties. I used to double up on regular hair ties and occasionally break them, but these ultra-thick, comfy, seamless ones hold up and they keep my ponytail firmly in place all day long.
You never know where you’ll bump into a long-lost relative. For two families from the U.K. and the U.S., that serendipitous moment came on Sept. 22 while visiting a shared ancestor’s grave in England, where they discovered they are fourth cousins. “You couldn’t make it up,” said Malcolm Atkins, who learned the encounter defied the odds of 12 billion to one. He added: “It was amazing, it was like we all knew each other. Then we went to a nearby pub, where we found we had so much in common.”
Photo of the Day
National Park Service/ Instagram
Leaf peeping mode has officially been activated at Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive in Nevada. The 12-mile route offers no shortage of picture-perfect spots to capture fall foliage in all its orange and golden-hued glory. And if you’re looking for new leafy spots to put on your radar, take a look at The Almanac’s list of the best places to see fall foliage across the U.S.
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