This will be a thread where we can post positive bits of news since mainstream news is so "doom and gloom".
(163) Dolphin Moms Use Baby Talk to Call to Their Young, Recordings Show - YouTube
Human moms and dads often adopt a high-pitched lilt when speaking to their young children, a style called “parentese” that helps improve language learning in little ones. Now, new research has found that bottlenose dolphin mothers use a similar type of baby talk to communicate with their calves, and it may serve the same purpose.
In a study published June 26, scientists recorded the signature whistles — basically audible ID badges — of wild bottlenose dolphins near Florida’s Sarasota Bay over three decades. They found that all 19 of the mother dolphins they studied “produced signature whistles with significantly higher maximum frequencies and wider frequency ranges” when they were with their dependent calves.
This dolphin version of parentese “may function to enhance attention, bonding, and vocal learning in dolphin calves, as it does in human children,” the researchers wrote in the study. Speaking to the Associated Press, co-author Frants Jensen elaborated: “It would make sense if there are similar adaptations in bottlenose dolphins — a long lived, highly acoustic species.”
https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?pg=117202&id=CB51A7C2-155D-4519-3EB1CBE9F2B51D8E
Italian archaeologists unearthed a “luxurious” ancient Roman home near the Colosseum, and it contains an intricate mosaic described by Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano as “an authentic treasure.” Officials announced the finding on Tuesday, explaining that researchers have been excavating the house since 2018, when they discovered a series of walls, and will continue digging through early next year.
Sangiuliano hailed the mosaic as “truly extraordinary” in the announcement. It was dated back to the latter decades of the second century B.C., and contains various scenes that shed light on who the owner of the “domus” was. For example, the depiction of a coastal city overlooking a sea dotted with large ships could “allude to a war conquest,” indicating that the owner may have been an aristocrat of senatorial rank within the Roman Empire.
The ministry ultimately aims to open the historical site to the public, but in the meantime, you can click here to check out more photos and head to the link below for a video tour.
In early 2020, Danny Cortes was unemployed and on probation. But by the following year, he’d turned a pandemic hobby into a full-time career, and today, his artwork sells for as much as $25,000 a piece. Cortes creates tiny, hyper realistic scenes of New York City circa the early ’90s. Featuring rusty mailboxes and newspaper dispensers replete with graffiti, his miniatures capture the essence of the era he grew up in. And he wants his story to provide hope for others: “It’s never too late. You can have all these negativities around you and dark times and mental health,” he tells Nice News, adding: “Just believe in yourself because I’m proof.”
The Great Wall of China is more than 2,000 years old and over 13,000 miles long — a true architectural marvel that lives up to its status as one of the new wonders of the world. According to a new study, part of the reason it has stood the test of time is a “living skin” made up of bacteria, moss, lichen, and other organisms, which has protected it from erosion.
Known as “biocrusts,” these thin layers of natural material were found to have reduced porosity, water-holding capacity, erodibility, and salinity on the Great Wall by up to 48% and increased compressive strength, penetration resistance, shear strength, and aggregate stability by up to 321%, when compared to bare rammed earth.
Per the journal Science, the discovery could pave the way for researchers to propagate new biocrusts that could further shield the Great Wall from elements like wind and rain. “Our work highlights the fundamental importance of biocrusts as a nature-based intervention to the conservation of the Great Wall, protecting this monumental heritage from erosion,” the study authors wrote.
Click below to take a virtual tour of the landmark to learn more about why protecting it is so important.
Why do healthy people faint? A pathway between heart and brain may hold answers : Shots - Health News : NPR
Nestled about five miles off Sweden’s west coast is Hamneskär, an island with a lighthouse (and little else) that was once used to warn sailors of perils. Today, the tiny isle is home to an award-winning hotel that embraces its remote setting as its selling point. “In 30 years’ time, 95% of the world’s population will live in big cities,” Erik Nissen Johansen, one of the designers, told the BBC. “If you want a vacation that makes sense, you need a contrast to your everyday life. Different is the currency.”
With a capacity of two dozen guests, Pater Noster — which means “Our Father” in Latin and was a common prayer by sailors — is a nine-room hotel that offers small houses that once belonged to lighthouse keepers and their families. Along with panoramic ocean views, amenities include a sauna, an art trail, a charming vegetable garden, and kayak tours. “We asked ourselves: What is luxury?” Johansen said. “Everybody felt that this was one part of the answer: an isolated island far away from everything in raw nature.”
Dedicated to fostering an appreciation for nature, the establishment, which opened at the start of the pandemic, teamed up with a group of “ocean-loving partners” to create a unique experience, from the food on the menu to the art on the walls. “The island gives you a lot — you just need to see it,” said CEO Mirja Lilja Hagsjö.
Spending too much time on streaming services often gets a bad rap, but research has actually shown that rewatching comforting content can increase well-being and boost feelings of belonging, while content that makes us laugh is linked to heart health benefits and lower stress levels. All that to say: Sometimes you just need to cozy up with a feel-good flick. So we rounded up a few of our favorite uplifting movies to share with you. Some are rom-coms, others holiday or adventure films, but all are worthy of at least one (or two or three) replays. Check out the link below.
– The Nice Newsroom
The holidays can be a lonely time of year, even if you’re planning to spend them with family and friends. Thankfully, Washington Post advice columnist Dr. Trisha Pasricha has the perfect prescription to beat the December blues — and it doesn’t come from a pharmacy. Her five-step program, inspired by the U.S. Surgeon General’s 5-for-5 Connection Challenge, involves making a renewed investment in connection, gratitude, and mindfulness. “Even if you don’t feel lonely, try this challenge,” she wrote. “You may be surprised by how much closer to others these small acts bring you over the next five days.”