You've likely driven along highways with road rumble strips — those grooved edges that alert snoozing or distracted drivers that they've drifted beyond their lane. But have you driven along one that sings? On a stretch of mountain highway in the United Arab Emirates, a special rumble strip joins forces with vehicle speed to play Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Watch a video of the art project in action.
Must Reads
Hot off the presses: NASA captured the closest images ever taken of the sun
100% of Deaf Patients Have Hearing Restored in "Life-Changing" Gene Therapy Trial
AndreyPopov/ iStock
We're starting off this Tuesday with the sound of progress: A gene therapy trial is showing promise for treating children and young adults born with genetic hearing loss. The study, involving 10 people between ages 1 and 24 with mutations in a gene called OTOF, found that a single gene therapy injection restored hearing in all 10 participants. "This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults," study co-author Maoli Duan said in a press release about the therapy, which uses a synthetic virus to deliver a healthy copy of the OTOF gene directly to the inner ear. Within six months, the average volume of perceptible sound among study subjects improved from 106 decibels (e.g., the sound of a motorcycle or power lawn mower) to 52, the equivalent of a quiet suburb or a conversation at home. The success stories include a 7-year-old participant who recovered almost all of her hearing four months post-treatment,allowing her to hold daily conversations with her mother and hear the sound of rain falling for the first time, per Gizmodo. While previous, smaller studies on the same treatment revealed encouraging results for children with hearing loss, this is the first time the method has been tested in teenagers and adults as well. Looking ahead, researchers are optimistic that gene therapy will be effective for more than just OTOF-related hearing loss. "OTOF is just the beginning," Duan said, adding: "We are confident that patients with different kinds of genetic deafness will one day be able to receive treatment."
Meet the Tiny Hearing Aid That Cuts Through the Noise
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Billions of Flies Will Drop From Planes to Help Keep Cattle Safe
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/ USDA
Billions of flies may soon fall out of airplanes over Texas and Mexico — but not to worry, it's all part of a government plan. If that sentence doesn't exactly leave you feeling comforted, this one might: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is breeding the flies to help eradicate New World Screwworm larvae, which are endangering cattle. Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, told the Associated Press that even "a thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks" due to the live flesh-eating maggots. To prevent that from happening, the USDA plans to breed adult male flies and sterilize them via radiation. Once they're dropped, the eggs that result from the sterilized flies mating with females won't be fertilized, leading to fewer larvae and helping the population die off. Not only has this method been effective in the U.S. in the past, but it's also more eco-friendly than using pesticides to kill the bugs. "It's an exceptionally good technology," said Edwin Burgess, a professor who specializes in veterinary entomology. "It's an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem."
Culture
Researchers Fortuitously Discover an 1880 Shipwreck in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Historical Society/ Facebook
What started as a general survey of Wisconsin's Fox River led to the discovery of a long-lost shipwreck. "That's the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for!" the Wisconsin Historical Society wrote on social media. Ironically enough, the researchers were using a sonar system to map the river bottom in hopes of locating a different shipwreck — the Berlin City, pictured here. But as fate would have it, they ended up finding remains of a buried 90-foot-long and 23-foot-wide hull that's believed to belong to the L.W. Crane, which caught fire and sank in Oshkosh in 1880. The wooden side-wheel steamer ferried passengers and freight between Green Bay and Oconto. Though it's still TBD how the ship caught fire or if anyone was aboard the vessel when it sank, there's hope that the artifact will reveal details of not only the wreck, but also the Badger State itself and its inhabitants. Brendon Baillod, president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association, told Fox 11 News that it's significant "to find a tangible artifact from that era that helps us tell that story, that important story of how Wisconsin developed and how commerce went down the Fox River." Kevin Cullen, executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, added: "They're connected to immigrant stories that would have made their ways into the inland waterways from the Great Lakes, to then settle places like Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Appleton, and Green Bay."
In Other News
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame inducted a new class of legendary athletes — see the honorees (read more)
Astronomers detected a black hole merger so big it should be "forbidden" (read more)
For the first time, this Virginia fire department had more women graduates than men (read more)
Scientists developed an injection that could streamline treatment for people with Parkinson's disease (read more)
Paul McCartney is going back on tour: Find out how to get tickets when they go on sale today (read more)
Inspiring Story
Can't stop this octogenarian
At age 80, Floridian Bob Becker is officially the oldest person to complete the Badwater 135 ultramarathon, also known as "the world's toughest foot race." As for how and why he took on this wildly impressive challenge? "I had a score to settle," he said. See a photo of him crossing the finish line.
Photo of the Day
ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images
The celebrations for Bastille Day in France yesterday included a parade, a blue, white, and red flyover, and sparkly fireworks shows like the one above. The country's biggest national holiday, often compared to July 4 in the U.S., marks the day in 1789 when Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress and prison, sparking the French Revolution.
Brad's Deals: Start Taking Advantage of Your Amazon Prime Perks
Most of us love Amazon Prime for the free shipping and exclusive access to free shows and movies, but your membership offers even more. Whole Foods savings, free music, and exclusive member deals are just a few. Brad's Deals rounded up these lesser-known perks that'll help you get more from your membership — or finally convince you to join.
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