Must Reads

• Scientists discovered a new type of lion roar

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• As thrifting continues to rise in popularity, some Goodwills have gotten a major glow-up

Lifestyle

Jakarta, Indonesia, Is the World's New Largest City

Jakarta — Indonesia's vibrant, multicultural capital — is now the largest city in the world. The metropolis of nearly 42 million residents has overtaken the longtime title-holder Tokyo, with its population of 33 million, according to a new United Nations report. The Japanese capital now ranks third, with Dhaka, Bangladesh, coming in second with a population of almost 37 million.
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The U.N.'s 2025 World Urbanization Prospects report underscores a major shift in global population trends over the past several years. In 2018, the last year the organization updated the report, Jakarta clocked in at 33rd. Even more strikingly, the percentage of the world's population residing in cities has jumped from 20% in 1950 to 45% today. And the number of megacities, which the U.N. defines as those with 10 million or more residents, has quadrupled from eight in 1975 to 33. More than half of these are in Asia, with Cairo, Egypt, being the only non-Asian metropolis among the top 10 most densely inhabited locales.
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Urbanization plays a pivotal role in driving sustainable development and climate resilience, Li Junhua, U.N. undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, said in a news release: "Urbanization is a defining force of our time. When managed inclusively and strategically, it can unlock transformative pathways for climate action, economic growth, and social equity."

Together With Elf Labs

Disney and Universal Have Spent Billions Acquiring Iconic IP

When powerful entertainment brands secure valuable character IP, media giants pay billions to own it:
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• Disney paid $4 billion for Marvel
• Disney paid $4 billion for Lucasfilm
• Universal spent over $1 billion on DreamWorks

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Now, Elf Labs owns a portfolio of more than 500 trademarks and copyrights, that includes iconic characters like Cinderella and Snow White — and is transforming them with AI and next-gen media tech.
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The company's character portfolio has already generated over $15 million in royalties, and now the team — which is behind more than $6 billion in licensing deals across global entertainment brands — just secured a $200 million TV distribution deal.
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Elf Labs may be positioned for the same acquisition pattern — but shares are still available at just $2.25/share. And you can still secure 10% bonus shares if you invest by Dec. 3 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

This is a paid advertisement for Elf Lab's Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://www.elflabs.com/.

Culture

An Exquisite Winter Fabergé Egg Is Expected to Fetch $27 Million at Auction

A world record-setting egg is going under the hammer for a third time — though it's not the kind you'd eat on toast. Carved in rock crystal and adorned with over 4,500 diamonds, The Winter Egg is heading to auction tomorrow at Christie's London, where it's expected to fetch upward of an eggstraordinary $27 million.
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The Fabergé piece, which was designed as an Easter gift over a century ago, is full of symbolism depicting the transition from winter to spring: It features rose-cut, diamond-set platinum snowflake motifs on its exterior, an engraved frost design on its interior, and a rock crystal base meant to look like a block of melting ice.
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Cracking the egg open on its hinge reveals a trelliswork platinum basket bearing a bouquet of spring flowers with gold wire stems, demantoid garnets at the center of the buds, and leaves carved in nephrite. The piece "represents the idea of resurrection, capturing the shift from winter's harshness to the vibrant renewal of spring," Christie's said in a news release. See what it looks like inside.​

Science

New Psychology Research Looks at Why We Help Our Friends When They Need It

This article was written by Jessica D. Ayers, an assistant professor of psychological science at Boise State University, and Athena Aktipis, an associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University, for The Conversation.
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​Despite how natural friendship can feel, people rarely stop to analyze it. How do you know when someone will make a good friend? When is it time to move on from a friendship? Oftentimes, people rely on gut intuitions to answer these kinds of questions.
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In psychology research, there's no universally accepted definition of a friend. Traditionally, when psychologists have analyzed friendship, it's often been through the lens of exchange. How much did that friend do for me? How much did I do for them? The idea is that friendships are transactional, where friends stick around only as long as they are getting at least as much as they are giving in the friendship.
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But this focus doesn't capture what feels like the essence of friendship for many people. We and our colleagues think another model for relationships — what we call risk-pooling — better matches what many people experience. In this kind of friendship, no one is keeping track of who did what for whom.
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Our research over the past decade suggests that this kind of friendship was essential for our ancient ancestors to survive the challenges they encountered. And we feel it's essential for surviving the challenges of life today, whether navigating personal struggles or dealing with natural disasters — dive deeper into the science.

In Other News

1. Japanese astrophysicist Tomonori Totani may have uncovered the first concrete evidence of dark matter (read more)
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2. Trash talk: Two dueling colleges are adding sustainability to their historic rivalry (read more)
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3. This Welsh school boasts near-perfect attendance, thanks largely to camaraderie and community spirit (read more)
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4. A previously unknown painting by French impressionist Renoir fetched $2.08 million at auction (read more)
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5. Gramma the Galapagos tortoise, "Queen of the San Diego Zoo," has died at age 141: Learn her story (read more)

Something We Love

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Inspiring Story

Dads on hairstyling duty

A group of fathers in Appleton, Wisconsin, has the internet in tears after footage of a dad-daughter hairstyling class was posted to TikTok. The clip, which has amassed over 7 million views, shows a group of girls sitting patiently as their fathers lovingly learn to style their hair at the Ahava Salon and Spa. "So many of the comments were moving and heartfelt — people shared stories about fathers who had passed away, the absence of a father figure, the realities of single parenthood, or simply wishing they'd had more bonding time with their dad when they were younger," said Molly Simons, the salon's marketing and social media manager.

Photo of the Day

This golden retriever has been crowned a "CPR Hero" by the British Heart Foundation after helping save her owner's life. Hannah Cooke said the brave pup, Polly, barked when she realized Hannah's husband, Adam, was in distress. As Polly usually sleeps through the night, the noise startled Hannah awake just in time to call for help and perform CPR. "Polly alerted me, possibly within seconds of Adam's cardiac arrest, she was the first responder," Hannah said. See more pics of Polly.​

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Odds & Ends

☀️ How well do you know positive news? Take this quiz to find out
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🎄 Caroling Scottish schoolboys have become a holiday hit
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💧 Who said effective water filters can't also look great?*
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📺 This '90s sensation is returning after over 30 years
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Quote of the Day

"Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow."

– RIVER PHOENIX