If you've ever participated in a community cleanup event or even just picked up a stray piece of litter, you've made the world a better place — and now there's a calculator that can measure the positive effect your cleaning had on sea creatures. The Ocean Conservancy's new Wildlife Impact Calculator prompts do-gooders to input what kind of plastic pollution they've collected (and how much) and then tells them how many marine animals they've helped protect. Try it out.
With warmer temps on the horizon, learn how to protect your pets from harmful foxtails
Health
Why Exercise May Help Protect the Brain From Alzheimer's
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We've long known that exercise can give the brain a boost and may offset Alzheimer's disease — but now, scientists have a better idea as to why it helps. In a new study, researchers discovered that an enzyme produced by mice when exercising helped strengthen their blood-brain barrier, improving older rodents' memory and reducing brain inflammation. A layer of interlocking protective cells that blocks certain harmful substances from passing through it, the blood-brain barrier plays a crucial role in maintaining cognitive function in both mice and humans. It weakens as we get older, allowing in compounds that can cause inflammation, potentially leading to cognitive decline and dementia. But the scientists found that when geriatric mice released the enzyme GPLD1 while exercising, it traveled to the brain and chipped away at a protein called TNAP, which contributes to a leaky barrier. "This discovery shows just how relevant the body is for understanding how the brain declines with age," co-author Saul Villeda said in a news release. Though their aim isn't to replace real exercise, the team speculates that drugs that help get rid of damaging proteins like TNAP could be a novel path forward in improving brain health as we age. "We're uncovering biology that Alzheimer's research has largely overlooked," Villeda said. "It may open new therapeutic possibilities beyond the traditional strategies that focus almost exclusively on the brain."
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An Irish Town Started a Movement to Delay Smartphone Use in Kids
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These days, it seems like technology is only becoming more ingrained in children's lives, and from a younger and younger age — but one town in Ireland has taken a significant step in the other direction. Three years ago in the village of Greystones, parents, school principals, and other residents joined forces to enact a voluntary ban on smart devices for preteens. Called "It Takes a Village," the initiative was sparked by educators' concerns over rising anxiety among their students. A town hall was held, and two weeks later, all primary school principals signed a letter championing the policy. As a result, 70% of parents agreed to refrain from purchasing a smart device for their kids before secondary school. "With social media, it's a collective thing," Jennifer Whitmore, a Greystones resident and mother of four, told The New York Times. "Addressing it in a clustered manner is the way to go." And the movement hasn't stopped there — Ireland's Department of Education has since released guidelines for other communities wanting to follow suit, and Britain's Smartphone Free Childhood initiative, which asks parents to come together to delay smartphones for kids, was partially inspired by It Takes a Village. "What Greystones has done is shown that parents and communities aren't powerless," said Eoghan Cleary, an assistant principal at a local secondary school, who added that the larger solution should be safer tech for kids. "[The ban is] temporary and imperfect, a stopgap to buy time."
Culture
Historic English Farmhouse on the Market Comes With Its Own Mini Village
Carter Jonas / SWNS
Why buy just a house when you can get an entire village, too? A converted farmhouse in south-central England is being sold for about $2.1 million, and it comes with a quirky feature in the front yard: an elaborate model village made of stone. Featuring cottages, churches, gardens, and a pond, the model is an accurate depiction of Bletchingdon, the small village seven miles north of Oxford where the home is located. "You technically get dozens of houses for the price of one here," a Facebook post by the property listing platform Zoopla noted. "Starting with the extraordinary stone-built model village in its front garden, this house is full of surprises." The Georgian-fronted malt house that hosts the novelty is registered on the National Heritage List for England. The home is believed to date back to the early 19th century, with some aspects thought to be even older. Check out more photos of the property.
In Other News
The 2026 World Food Prize winner is a scientist credited with preventing millions of foodborne illness cases (read more)
Meet Doolysaurus, a cartoonish new dino species discovered through a fossil in South Korea (read more)
"Spouting rainbows": Drone footage shows a whale creating a spectacle off the Southern California coast (read more)
A 600-year-old grape seed unearthed in a 15th-century French toilet is genetically identical to a modern wine grape (read more)
See the Gold Rush-era art that helped the Yosemite Valley's popularity skyrocket in the 1850s(read more)
Inspiring Story
Soaring to new heights
United Airlines Captain Chresten Wilson will make history in May: She's set to become the first woman to hold the title of the airline's most senior pilot. After 41 years of working for United and 33 years as a captain, Wilson said she views the milestone as being "very significant," noting, "It represents progress and persistence, and I have to give thanks to the women that came before me. They opened the door for me to make this possible."
Photo of the Day
Li Zhihua—China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
Art Basel Hong Kong is currently underway, hosting 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories. London-based artist Kongkee's neon installation "Taotie," pictured here, draws on Chinese mythology to comment on modern-day society through social media symbols. Originally commissioned for San Francisco's Asian Art Museum, the piece is now featured in Encounters, the sector of Art Basel dedicated to large-scale works. See more highlights from the fair.
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