When you go to turn on the Christmas tunes, you likely veer toward the classics — Vince Guaraldi, Mariah Carey, Bing Crosby, and the like. But there are some new songs you might want to consider adding to this year's playlist, too. Check out 2025's best holiday albums.
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See the winners of the 12th International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition
What "Era" Is Your Brain in? New Research Sheds Light on Brain Changes Over Time
Elif Bayraktar/ iStock
If you feel like you're still waiting for your brain's "adult mode" to kick in, recent research from the University of Cambridge may explain why. Scientists analyzed brain scans of 3,802people ages zero to 90 to see how neural networks change over a lifetime. They identified four turning points at which there are significant shifts in how we process information. Those points separate five distinct "epochs," or phases. "Looking back, many of us feel our lives have been characterized by different phases. It turns out that brains also go through these eras," senior author Duncan Astle said in a news release. During the first era, childhood (birth to age 9), the brain's synapses are refined while the brain grows and matures. Next comes the adolescent phase, from 9 to 32, marked by a steady increase in cognitive performance and efficiency. At age 32, the "strongest topological turning point of the lifespan" occurs, ushering in that "adult mode." This is the longest phase, characterized by a stable plateau in intelligence and personality. The last two eras are early aging, when white matter begins to gradually degenerate around 66, and late aging, taking shape around 83. The information provides greater clarity on how patterns of change affect neurological development, cognitive disorders, and mental health, Astle noted: "Understanding that the brain's structural journey is not a question of steady progression, but rather one of a few major turning points, will help us identify when and how its wiring is vulnerable to disruption."
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New England Conservation Org Banks 10 Million Rare Seeds
Native Plant Trust
The bankers at the Native Plant Trust deal in unusual currency. Rather than coins and dollar bills, they collect and catalogue seeds — and instead of insuring deposits, they help insure the future. Founded in the 1980s, the seed bank in Framingham, Massachusetts, is amongthe oldest in the nation for native plants, and it recently surpassed a major milestone: the successful safeguarding of 10 million seeds. The nonprofit specifically focuses on storing seeds from New England's rare and endangered native plants. Today, 17% of the region's native species are on the brink of extinction due to factors like habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and pollution. Another 5% have already disappeared. Seed banks are typically designed to withstand various hazards, such as floods, fire, bombs, and radiation. After a disaster, they can play a vital role in regenerating the ecosystem. The Native Plant Trust — which also recently received an anonymous $1.5 million donation — additionally teaches members of the public to be good environmental stewards, including by growing native plants at home. "Although we have pocket computers that we carry around with us, and we can travel all around the world on jets, nature is the thing that provides us with the resources we actually can't manufacture: clean water, clean air, the cycling of nutrients which produce our food," Tim Johnson, the organization's CEO, told Maine Public Radio. "Sometimes we can forget, especially in modern society, how utterly dependent we are on nature."
Humanity
The Beauty School Giving Hope to Trafficking Survivors
Many Hopes/ Facebook
A new hairstyle can transform your look and confidence, but at one Ghanaian beauty school, updos are also changing lives. At the Max Steinbeck Women's Empowerment Center, young women rescued from human trafficking have the opportunity not just to survive, but thrive. "Most of these girls come from situations of extreme poverty. Learning a trade gives them a skill where they can earn a stable income after graduation," Madeline Pahr, the creative director at Many Hopes — a nonprofit that co-runs the center with trafficking prevention org Challenging Heights — told Good Good Good. "Most girls graduate and become the highest earners in their families, and are the first to break cycles of generational poverty." The vocational school focuses on cosmetics and fashion training, but also teaches business and personal finance skills and offers small loans to help students launch post-grad business ventures. One student shared how the center's impact goes far beyond any financial boon — it's the power of community that stands out even more. "When I got here I was alone. I thought my life was over. I was 13 and a mum," she said, adding: "But coming here I am not alone. We are raising our babies together. We are building futures together."
In Other News
University of Washington med lab students will receive discounted tuition thanks to a $50 million gift (read more)
All eight docking ports at the International Space Station are occupied for the first time in its history (read more)
Exercising in your 40s and later may significantly reduce dementia risk (read more)
UNICEF's newest ambassador is poet and activist Amanda Gorman (read more)
After surviving against the odds, an American pygmy goat is on a grand adventure (read more)
Inspiring Story
A cycle-powered street sweeper
Seattle wouldn't be the Emerald City without its tree-lined streets. But leaves from those trees can also be a safety hazard for cyclists. Now, innovative do-gooders are stepping up to help. Hoisted to the back of an e-bike, a pint-size street sweeper bought by the advocacy group Liveable Kirkland collects fallen leaves from cycle lanes, gathering them in built-in bins and creating safer streets for fellow cyclists and pedestrians.
Photo of the Day
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Following in the footsteps of stars like Elton John, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and John Legend, singer Jessie J gave a surprise performance at London's St. Pancras International train station earlier this week. The artist, accompanied by piano, sang tracks from her newly released album, Don't Tease Me With a Good Time, along with old favorites — check out a video.
Meet TribeTokes, the Hemp Brand With Wellness at Its Core
TribeTokes is a women-owned and operated hemp brand based in New York City. The company creates craft CBD vapes, gummies, and topicals for the next-generation wellness consumer: one who respects plant science, consumes mindfully, and expects top-quality products from trusted brands. This holiday season, prioritize wellness that actually feels good — use code HOLIDAY25 for 25% off TribeTokes.
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