If you’re a mom who received a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day yesterday, you might be wondering how to keep your special blooms perky for as long as possible. We’ve got you covered: USA Today compiled some expert tips for making your flowers last longer and look fresher.
Must Reads
The FDA approved an at-home cervical cancer screening test, set to launch this summer — learn more about the device
ICYMI: Here’s where the 2028 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies will take place in Los Angeles
Tech
World’s First Mass-Produced Flying Car Prototype Unveiled
Klein Vision / SWNS
Eager teens reaching driving age in the next few years may be able to take their inaugural spin in a car ... in the sky. The world’s first mass-produced flying automobile prototype has been unveiled, and we’re ready for a ride. Created by Slovakia-based company Klein Vision, the AirCar production prototype made its public debut May 8, after making its insider debut at the 2025 Living Legends of Aviation Awards Ceremony in Beverly Hills late last month. At the event, Morgan Freeman and John Travolta presented the car’s inventor, Stefan Klein, with a Special Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence. Per the company website, the AirCar is the result of Klein spending the past 20 years “converting his flying car dream into reality.” The vehicle already holds a Certificate of Airworthiness and has successfully completed over 170 flight hours and more than 500 takeoffs and landings. It’s capable of automatic transformation from car to aircraft in under two minutes, enabling the operator to simply drive to an airport and then take off. Learn more and watch it fly.
What do you get when you combine German engineering with the world’s most trusted name in hearing care? Horizon IX by hear.com — the biggest breakthrough in hearing aid technology in over a decade. It’s the world’s first dual processing hearing aid that separates speech and background noise to deliver sound clarity like you’ve never heard before. With an incredibly tiny design, you can enjoy crystal clear hearing without the uncomfortable (or awkward) bulk of traditional hearing devices. Hear.com offers award-winning customer service and flexible finance options, so trying the Horizon IX is risk-free! Check if you qualify for a 45-day no-risk trial today!
McKinney, Texas, Tops List of Cities With High Salaries and Low Costs of Living
DenisTangneyJr/ iStock
There’s a lot of talk about rising costs lately, but some places in the country are still known for striking the sweet spot between high salaries and low costs of living. To find the most affordable of the bunch, personal finance site Motley Fool Money compared median household incomes to cost-of-living data in hundreds of U.S. cities. McKinney, Texas, topped the list with a cost-of-living estimate of $75,348 and a median household income of $116,654 (43% higher than the national median). The Dallas-Fort Worth suburb is considered “an attractive location for mid-career Americans” as the area has an average age of 37 and is home to myriad industries like health care and tech services. The second spot went to Morristown, New Jersey, pictured here. Although Morristown is significantly smaller than McKinney, the East Coast town showed similar numbers. The cost of living estimate is a bit higher at nearly $80,000, but that’s counterbalanced by a median household income of $115,409. See the rest of the top 10 list — plus rankings of the overall cheapest (and most expensive) places to live in the U.S.
Science
We Don’t Just Hear Music — Our Brains and Bodies “Become” It, Study Finds
IsiMS/ iStock
A recent study found what many of us know to be true: When we listen to music, we embody it on a deep, physical level that goes beyond hearing. Drawing upon insights from neuroscience, music, and psychology, the study out of McGill University supports the neural resonance theory, which suggests that our brain and body’s oscillatory patterns align with a tune’s rhythm, melody, and harmony — “from the ear all the way to the spinal cord and limb movements,” a press release said. These patterns help shape our musical preferences, sense of timing, and instincts to dance to the beat. While other research has suggested that the brain relies on learned expectations and predictions to feel music, these findings present a different explanation: “This theory suggests that music is powerful not just because we hear it, but because our brains and bodies become it,” said co-author Caroline Palmer. In addition to being yet another reason to be in awe of music, the study could helptherapists harness music as a tool for treating conditions like Parkinson’s disease and strokes, as well as to improve learning technologies.
In Other News
Three food colorings made from natural sources are now FDA-approved for manufacturers to safely use (read more)
The Women’s World Cup will expand to 48 teams in 2031, becoming the largest women’s tournament in history (read more)
“No more war”: Pope Leo XIV called for peace in his first Sunday address at the Vatican — watch a snippet (read more)
The nation’s infant mortality rate dropped last year, a positive trend some experts credit to the RSV vaccine (read more)
A new “state-of-the-art” air traffic control system is in the works to improve safety and curb delays (read more)
Organization We Love
Basha Basha Boutique is a social enterprise offering job opportunities to artisans in Bangladesh, including women at risk and trafficking survivors. I have one of the organization’s hand-stitched quilts made from repurposed saris (you can watch how they’re made here). It’s so beautiful and soft, and I love that in the corner I can see the name of the woman who made it. – Marika Spitulski, Writer
Colorful, fully customizable, and kid-approved, the world’s first 3D-printed pediatric wheelchair is ready for action. Made in a design lab in New Orleans, the chair was created with the help of therapists to deliver “unmatched mobility and independence to young kids.” The best part? Parents of children between the ages of 2 to 8 can request one for free.
Photo of the Day
Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images
There’s a whole lot of history behind this sweet kiss. Kathleen and Roy Lawrence — ages 101 and 100, respectively — have been married for 74 years (!) and both served in Britain’s Royal Air Force during World War II. The duo gathered with fellow veterans on Thursday to mark 80 years since the war ended in Europe.
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About Art
Courtesy Clyfford Still Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Ben Blackwell
“The Cave” by Clyfford Still The road is made by walking it. We do not know what or who is coming for us, nor can we know when or why. Thus, we must trust in the path ahead and know it is there, even though it has not yet appeared. It can be found by walking it, doing it, being present. In 2023, I learned the words “balter” and “coddiwomple.” The first means to try with grace, noting the inherent possibilities and opportunities of not getting it quite right. “Coddiwomple” is to move with purpose toward an unknown destination. Both offer the space to be actively engaged in our life’s journey — with purpose, seeking guides, and acknowledging adversaries. And as Joseph Campbell says, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Making art and sharing it with the world is inherently brave. The first works of art I fell in love with were the Clyfford Still paintings in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They were so big, and I was so small, and I fell into their expressive depths of color, admiring the jagged edges of the abstract forms and the surprising bonus areas of almost hidden colors. I definitely did not understand abstraction or anything about art, really, but somehow, my soul knew I was seeing something that mattered and in whose presence I felt whole. Art often allows a feeling that words are inadequate to describe. Interested in adding a little more art to your day and learning how to live artfully? Sign up for the forthcoming newsletter About Art.
Written by Heidi Zuckerman
Heidi is the CEO and director of the Orange County Museum of Art and author of Why Art Matters: The Bearable Lightness of Being.
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Quote of the Day
“Your most precious, valued possessions and your greatest powers are invisible and intangible. No one can take them. You, and you alone, can give them.”
