One fourth grade teacher has gone viral for a lesson she teaches in her classroom to promote kindness, but we think the philosophy is useful for more than just elementary school students. Here’s the rule, courtesy of Minneapolis-based educator Natalie Ringold: “If somebody can’t change something about themselves in 30 seconds or less, then you shouldn’t be mentioning it to them.” Pretty good, right? Hear more from Ringold on how she’s spreading kindness in her class and beyond.
Must Reads
Check out the winning shots from The Washington Post’s annual travel photo contest
Where Does the Brain Feel Love? Study Evaluates 6 Types and Reveals Which Is Strongest
kulkann/ iStock
Where is love? Turns out Oliver Twist isn’t the only one asking — the question has been on scientists’ minds as well (though they likely don’t express it in quite as pretty a soprano). Now, a new study out of Finland’s Aalto University has identified where six types of love reside in the brain. The researchers measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. To pinpoint the areas that light up for love, 55 parents, self-described as being in loving relationships, were played short, recorded stories related to the different kinds of love. “We now provide a more comprehensive picture of the brain activity associated with different types of love than previous research,” study co-author Pärttyli Rinne said in a statement. “The activation pattern of love is generated in social situations in the basal ganglia, the midline of the forehead, the precuneus, and the temporoparietal junction at the sides of the back of the head.” Love for one’s children generated the strongest brain activity, with romantic love a close second — learn more about the other types.
Together With Monogram
Ending Soon: Secure an 8% Dividend Before Offering Ends Sept. 12
Monogram (Nasdaq: MGRM), known for its autonomous robotic surgical systems, completed a crowdfunded public offering and NASDAQ listing last year. What’s next? They just filed for FDA approval to market and commercialize their patented AI joint replacement tech. By the year 2027, 50% of knee replacement surgeries will be robotic — up from 12% today. Now, Monogram’s offering a new chance for investors: the opportunity to invest in preferred stock with an 8% dividend (in cash or kind). Their common stock closed as high as $3.18 in the past two weeks, but the unlisted preferred stock (which is convertible into one share of common) is available for $2.25/share. Monogram currently plans to end the Series D Preferred offering on Sept. 12, 2024.*
Environment
World’s Strongest Lily Pad Is Crowned at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The results are in for the international “water lily weigh-off.” Yes, that’s a thing, and it might change how you look at lilies forever. The Missouri Botanical Garden’s Victoria water lilies were crowned the strongest, with one pad holding so many weights without sinking that the garden officials had to go out and find more. The final count? Drumroll please: It held a jaw-dropping 142.1 pounds. As for how the plants got so strong, horticulturists at the St. Louis garden explained that heat helps — “We’ve had a really long, hot summer, so the water lilies have been beefing up and prepping for this all year.” The second strongest lily pad was at the Naples Botanical Garden in Florida, holding 135 pounds, and the Royal Botanic Garden’s water lily in Edinburgh, Scotland, came in third with 105.8 pounds. The lighthearted contest is the brainchild of the Denver Botanic Gardens, which began making videos testing the strength of its lilies back in 2021. The experiments then caught the eye of other gardens around the globe. Watch a video showing horticulturists loading up water lilies with all manner of weights.
Tech
YouTube Will Limit Weight Loss and Appearance Videos for Teen Viewers
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Teens have reported time and time again that social media is stressing them out, and YouTube seems to be listening. The platform is rolling out an adjusted algorithm that will restrict videos showing idealized physical appearances from being promoted to teenagers in Europe and the U.K., an expansion of a similar move for U.S. viewers in 2023. This includes content comparing physical features and promoting some body types, weights, or fitness levels over others. In a blog post, YouTube explained that such content “may be innocuous as a single video, but could be problematic for some teens if viewed repetitively.” To avoid that, the new global guidelines will allow teens to view the videos but inhibit them from going down those all-too-familiar rabbit holes of related content. “A higher frequency of content that idealizes unhealthy standards or behaviors can emphasize potentially problematic messages — and those messages can impact how some teens see themselves,” Allison Briscoe-Smith, a clinician and YouTube adviser, explained in a statement. “Guardrails can help teens maintain healthy patterns as they naturally compare themselves to others and size up how they want to show up in the world.”
In Other News
Solar power at K-12 schools in the U.S. has more than quadrupled in the past decade, a new report found.
A rare 1776 continental dollar coin was discovered inside a toffee tin, and it’s now estimated to sell for around $25,000 to $40,000 at an auction.
New Zealand’s Maori recently appointed a 27-year-old as the tribe’s second-ever queen — meet the new monarch.
Double congrats to Alex Morgan! The two-time Women’s World Cup champ announced she is retiring from professional soccer and welcoming a new addition to her family.
Inspiring Story
$1 million math equation
A few months ago, two New Orleans high schoolers made headlines for cracking a code to the Pythagorean theorem, something that had stumped mathematicians for about 2,000 years. The academic feat made headlines, even catching the attention of basketball legend Charles Barkley, who was so impressed that he promised to donate $1 million to the school. Now, he’s making good on his word.
Photo of the Day
Choctaw Nation
Behind this sculpture is a little-known piece of history about an unlikely bond. Back in 1847, the Choctaw Nation raised the equivalent of about $5,000 to send to the people of Midleton, Ireland, who were suffering the effects of the potato famine. The act of kindness held particular weight given that the tribe had recently been forced to endure the Trail of Tears and was in the process of rebuilding itself. Today, the connection between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland remains strong, which brings us to this sculpture, erected in Oklahoma late last month. Titled “Eternal Heart,” the 8-foot-tall piece blends a Celtic trinity shape with a heart and is placed facing Ireland. “There is no beginning or end to the overall piece — thus, it is eternal,” artist Sam Stitt said in a statement. Midleton, naturally, also has a sculpture honoring the nations’ friendship, called “Kindred Spirits.”
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