To Renee Bruns, the word “can’t” doesn’t exist. The intrepid 38-year-old has visited 110 countries and 15 territories — using her wheelchair to get around in all of them. Bruns chronicles her adventures on her blog, Wheels Travels, and she’s in the running to earn a Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in […]
The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is continuing a two decades-long tradition of giving back this Thanksgiving. Chefs at Disney will prepare a special holiday meal with all the trimmings — including turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green beans, and of course, pumpkin pie — for residents of the Coalition for the Homeless of […]
This past January, Captain Preet Chandi blazed a historic, though decidedly icy, trail by becoming the first woman of color to reach the South Pole alone, without assistance. While others might have been content to make history with this singular accomplishment, “Polar Preet” Chandi is not one to rest on her laurels. The trek to […]
Having safe and adequate shelter is a fundamental human right that 1.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to. Whether due to war, financial hardship, or natural disaster, not having a roof over one’s head can significantly diminish their health, safety, and quality of life. While tents provide some respite, they offer little protection […]
In the classic 1998 rom-com You’ve Got Mail, a small independent bookstore owner and a high-powered executive who runs a wildly successful chain of mega bookstores (played by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, respectively) meet in an anonymous online chat room. They proceed to fall in love via a wholesome exchange of heartfelt (and still […]
On October 19, 3M and Discovery Education crowned the first place winner of the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge: an annual competition that’s been awarding middle school science enthusiasts for their creative problem-solving for the past 15 years. This year, Leanne Fan from San Diego, California, took home the grand prize with her innovative approach […]
Founded in 1971, social service outreach organization Crossroads of Michigan is on a mission “to care for any person in need.” The Detroit-based nonprofit serves 15,000 low-income or unhoused residents each year, and in 2021 alone, it distributed over 190,000 pounds of food, as well as medical supplies, clothing, and monetary assistance. But due to […]
Giving Tuesday — widely heralded as a global day of giving back — takes place annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. What was once a simple altruistic idea launched by two organizations has become a beloved holiday tradition that has spanned the world within a decade. The first Giving Tuesday took place in 2012, a […]
The Global Positioning System, widely known as GPS, is a free satellite-based service that people and industries use daily for myriad reasons, including for location services and to navigate the world. As of 2019, there were over 900 million GPS receivers in the United States alone, a number expected to increase annually. Now, through a […]
December’s night sky brings us Mars at peak brilliance, a lunar occultation, and two meteor showers to look forward to, along with Winter Solstice heralding the first official day of winter (which is actually not weather-related). Of course, we can’t forget the December night sky event: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will begin tracking […]
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a micro-thin bandage that they say speeds up the repair of skin tissue by simultaneously monitoring and treating the injured area — a small wireless patch that could provide hope and healing for those who suffer from chronic wounds. According to the scientists’ study, published in Nature Biotechnology, the […]
The secret to a long life is good food and lots of naps. At least, it is for a British cat named Flossie, who — at the impressive age of 26 years and 316 days (as of November 10) — was named the world’s oldest cat by Guinness World Records. Flossie is in good health […]