Must Reads

• Starting tomorrow, six planets will "parade" through the night sky for nearly a week — here's how to see them​
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• ​Learn the art of a great pep talk (spoiler alert: active listening often trumps doling out advice)

Science

Humans Can Learn a Thing or Two From These "Superefficient" Ant Teams

As every overachiever in a group project knows, the bigger the group becomes, the easier it is for some participants to get away with slacking off. But for one species of ants, the reverse seems to be true. A new study out of Australia's Macquarie University found that weaver ants boast "superefficient teamwork" — as their teams grow, each individual's contribution actually increases.
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To figure this out, the researchers coaxed ant colonies into forming chains to pull an artificial leaf connected to a force meter, per a news release. They observed that the tree-dwelling insects "split their work into two jobs: some actively pull while others act like anchors to store that pulling force," lead author Madelyne Stewardson said, a technique the team named "force ratchet."
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The result? The average force contribution of each individual nearly doubled as the team size increased. Co-author Chris Reid said their findings could be used to help scientists optimize robot teams by increasing the force output of multiple robots working together. And they're applicable to humans, too: The next time you're working in a group setting, you may want to turn to these tiny insects for inspiration on teamwork making the dream work.

Together With Vero3

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Validated by $25 million in public funding and 18 years of research, it's aiming to capture 3 million tons of carbon, produce 2.3 billion gallons of clean water, and supply 9,000 tons of lithium. Now, Vero3 is scaling this breakthrough system across more than $400 billion in combined market opportunities. No wonder it's targeting a Nasdaq listing by 2028.
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And you're invited to share in Vero3's growth as an early-stage investor today.

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Tech

In Honor of AOL Disconnecting Its Dial-Up Internet, Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

Nineties kids will remember: In order to go online via AOL's dial-up service, we had to sit through a series of beeps and screeches while it "talked" to our computers. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the vast majority of us have moved onto greener pastures in the years since — so on Sept. 30, AOL is officially retiring its dial-up internet.
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Launched in 1989, the service helped make the internet more accessible, particularly to those in poor or rural communities. Back then, the company would give out discs and CDs that provided hours of free usage (one of which is currently in a collection at the Smithsonian), and through dial-up, it enabled many Americans to connect via the phone landlines they already had.
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However, as millennials and older generations may recall, downloading a song through dial-up took ages, and it was impossible to use the phone and computer simultaneously. It may be for the best that most of us have switched to broadband internet now — but as tech historian W. Patrick McCray told NPR, dial-up was indeed "the sound of the 1990s." Listen to the iconic sign-on sound to take a walk down memory lane.

Environment

Woman Finds a 2.3-Carat Diamond for Her Engagement Ring at an Arkansas State Park

If you've ever had sticker shock when shopping for jewelry, this story of one woman's hunt for her engagement ring diamond might inspire you to take matters into your own hands. On July 8, New Yorker Micherre Fox began her search at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas — and three weeks later, on her last day there, she found a 2.3-carat white diamond as big as a human canine tooth.
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Crater of Diamonds is "one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source," according to its website, and it has a "finders keepers" policy regarding the stones. While wandering the park's diamond search area, the surface of an ancient volcanic crater, 31-year-old Fox happened upon what she originally thought was a glistening spiderweb, but turned out to be the third-largest diamond discovered there this year. "I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing," Fox recalled in a news release.
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"Sometimes money runs out in a marriage," she said of the decision she made two years ago to find her own diamond, after which her supportive partner waited to propose. "You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work." Now, she's named the stone the Fox-Ballous Diamond, a combination of her and her partner's last names. See the jewel up close.

In Other News

1. "Genuinely powerful": A mysterious space object in a nearby galaxy may be the first discovery of its kind (read more)
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2. Michael Phelps gave swimming lessons to Baltimore Ravens players after they sent him a video request — watch (read more)
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3. Scientists turned grapevine waste into a biodegradable packaging material stronger than plastic (read more)
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4. A cord made with human hair suggests literacy was more widespread in the Inca Empire than previously believed (read more)
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5. Cute but terrifying, a newly identified whale species from 26 million years ago was a razor-toothed predator (read more)

Something We Love

The Citizenry Eshana Sandstone Coasters​
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​Made in the Dehtora Stone Workshop in Agra, India, these stunning handcrafted sandstone coasters exude simple sophistication while protecting your surfaces from stains and damage. With their muted hues of swirling red, brown, and violet, they're as pretty as they are practical.
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​– Natalie Stone, Managing Editor

Inspiring Story

Running down a dream

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Since Minnesota resident Elaine Devries began running 24 years ago, she's participated in 50 marathons — and doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. The 74-year-old has won the Twin Cities Marathon in her age group twice and is currently training for the Sydney Marathon, after which she will have completed all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors. And after that? Devries hopes to one day run the Antarctica Marathon "on glaciers, with the penguins," she told CBS News.

Photo of the Day

Parisians are embracing the Seine's newly opened public bathing sites amid the historic heat waves in France this summer — but those wanting to cool down without a complete soak have been enjoying the spray from the city's Trocadero Fountain (along with a view of the Eiffel Tower).

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Odds & Ends

🎤 Oh my God, Backstreet's back (in Las Vegas) again
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🐶 The etymology of the word "dog" is a head-scratcher​
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🏕️ A new musical takes iconic Peanuts characters to summer camp
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🪂 These heroic firefighters parachute into wildlands
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Quote of the Day

"Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier."

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– ELEANOR ROOSEVELT