We're not all professional administrators, but we all have personal admin to do — whether it's scheduling doctor appointments, managing a budget, planning travel, or making sure you've sent a gift in time for your mom's birthday. Those tasks and more can quickly add up and become overwhelming: Read a list of 14 productivity hacks that may help.
Positive People "Are Literally on the Same Wavelength," Brain Study Finds
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Optimism is a favorite topic of ours, so when we saw a study that offered insight into the brains of positive thinkers, we were all ears. And as it turns out, optimists have more in common than just being loyal readers of Nice News. In the new study out of Japan, researchers found that optimists share similar brain activity patterns, particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex, when imagining future events. Pessimists, on the other hand, showed unique and more varied brain patterns. "This suggests that optimists not only 'think alike' in a structural sense, but they also process emotional information about the future differently with a greater ability to separate what's good from what's bad, which may help them stay resilient," first author Kuniaki Yanagisawa told The Guardian of the study, which involved conducting brain scans of 87 participants and collecting questionnaires from them that determined their level of optimism. This peek inside positive thinkers' brains sheds light on the strong correlation between optimistic individuals and strong social connections, Yanagisawa explained: "What this [new study] tells us is that the foundation of their social success might be this shared reality. It's not just about having a positive attitude; it's that their brains are literally on the same wavelength, which may allow for a deeper, more intuitive kind of connection." While we're talking optimism, here are some tips on embracing more positive thinking in your life.
Together With Emteq Labs
How a Surgeon and Former Snap Exec Are Redefining an $84 Billion Market
One was a pioneering facial surgeon. The other led XR eyewear innovation at Snap. Together, they saw what today's $84 billion wearables market was missing: real-time insight into how people feel and behave. They're fixing that with Emteq Labs. Emteq's embeddable sensors and facial-expression AI turn smart glasses into real-time behavior trackers. That's earned support from institutions like Stanford and Cambridge and a partnership with one of the world's top video game companies. But the opportunity's even bigger. The smart glasses industry is growing 200% annually. Giants like Meta and Google are spending billions for an edge. With applications in health and wellness, medical research, and the $3 trillion XR market, only Emteq can unlock that full potential. Share in the growth as an early-stage investor today.
This is a paid advertisement for Emteq Labs Inc. Reg CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.emteqlabs.com/.
Culture
How Should San Francisco's Market Street Be Revamped? International Contest Offers Ideas
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Downtown San Francisco's iconic Market Street is steeped in history and culture, but has been in decline in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in remote work, and the controversial decision to close it to private vehicles. So in April, Mayor Daniel Lurie released a video address announcing a contest to redesign the thoroughfare. "This is a world-class boulevard," he said into the camera, "and we need world-class ideas." Titled Market Street Reimagined, the international competition was sponsored by the Urban Land Institute and the Civic Joy Fund. It offered $100,0000 in total prize money and asked applicants to respond to the following question: "How might a new set of ideas be developed to address the challenges in post-pandemic city cores enabling them to flourish in ways that are economically viable and experientially uplifting?" A panel of jurors that included experts in architecture, city planning, economics, real estate, landscape urbanism, and civic leadership went through nearly 180 submissions from designers in nine countries. Notably, 144 of those entries were from Californians — 109 from Fog City residents specifically. On July 17, five winning designs were announced. Click here to check them out.
Health
Scientists Are Developing Artificial Blood That Could Revolutionize Trauma Care
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Just add water and wait one minute, and you'll have ready-to-use blood. That's according to Dr. Allan Doctor, the lead scientist developing an artificial blood that could transform emergency medicine, particularly in situations where real blood can't be supplied. "It is shelf-stable for years, and it can be easily transported. And so the point is so you can give a transfusion at the scene of an accident," Doctor told NPR. Called ErythroMer, the synthetic blood can be stored in powder form, no refrigeration necessary. While ErythroMer is not meant to replace donated blood when available, the invention could be critical to saving lives in remote and disaster settings, as well as aiding wounded soldiers. Indeed, the Defense Department is investing more than $58 million to help fund a consortium that's developing the blood. So far, the invention has been successful in animal experiments. If human trials go well, it has the potential to address blood shortages, revolutionize trauma care, and, ultimately, reduce the number of preventable deaths from bleeding. "It would change the way that we could take care of people who are bleeding outside of hospitals," said Doctor. "It'd be transformative."
In Other News
Adding recycled cigarette butts to asphalt can enhance road strength, a study found (read more)
New temporary tattoos can detect if a drink has been spiked in less than a second (read more)
The maker of Pop-Tarts and Pringles will remove artificial dyes from its U.S. foods by the end of 2027 (read more)
Planets dance, too: Astronomers spotted a rare distant object orbiting in sync with Neptune (read more)
This247 million-year-old reptile had a colorful sail on its back — and scientists think they know why (read more)
Inspiring Story
One down, many more to come
Happy belated birthday, Nash Keen! Just over a year ago, Nash was born at only 21 weeks, making him the most premature baby on record, per Guinness World Records. "It's emotional in so many ways: pride, gratitude, even some grief for how different his journey has been," his mom Mollie said. "But above all, it feels like a victory." See photos from his sweet birthday celebration.
Photo of the Day
Tim de Waele/Getty Images
We're nearing the conclusion of the 2025 Tour de France, which by the end of tomorrow will have taken 184 riders across 21 stages — some flat, some hilly, and many featuring incredible views, like this sunflower-filled meadow. Check out more pics from the tour.
Slow Down This Summer With BetterHelp
Feeling disconnected? Summer is the perfect time to slow down, check in with yourself, and reset — and chatting with a pro can help with that. With BetterHelp, you can talk to a licensed therapist from anywhere, whether you're poolside or between flights. Because sometimes, talking it through makes all the difference. New users get 25% off their first month for a limited time.
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