Thursday, May 29th, 2025

Good Morning! 🌞

Gratitude doesn’t need a big moment. Sometimes it’s just pausing to appreciate what’s already here. A warm meal. A kind word. A deep breath.

Today’s a good day to say thank you—for the small wins, the quiet joys, and everything in between!

Earth Science

NASA Sun Mission

During its commissioning phase, a lesser-known NASA mission called PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) captured a striking image of the Moon passing in front of the Sun. The image, taken using an occulter—a device that blocks the Sun’s bright disk—reveals a faintly lit Moon and a glowing halo of solar light. The faint illumination of the Moon is caused by sunlight reflecting off Earth’s surface, while the bright ring comes from sunlight reflecting off the sun-facing side of the occulter. Encircling the Sun is its corona, the outer atmosphere where solar wind originates.

The corona is a key focus of PUNCH’s mission. Emitting about 300,000 tons (272,000 metric tons) of material every second, the Sun’s solar wind—streams of charged particles—can affect Earth’s magnetic field, causing the Northern Lights and interfering with satellites and power grids. PUNCH is designed to study dynamic solar features such as streamers and plasma loops. By tracking these events, scientists aim to improve forecasting of space weather, including geomagnetic storms that can disrupt communications and trigger blackouts.

PUNCH works in tandem with NASA’s earlier Parker Solar Probe (PSP), which in 2021 became the first spacecraft to enter and exit the Sun’s atmosphere. “[Parker Solar Probe] and PUNCH are both working to unite two separate branches of heliophysics into a unified whole,” PUNCH’s principal investigator Craig DeForest told Live Science. “PSP is carrying the techniques of space physics (in-situ sampling) inward to touch and measure the solar corona. PUNCH is extending the techniques of solar physics (scientific imaging) outward to measure how the solar corona touches us. The two missions complement each other beautifully.”

Environment

Sticky Sweet Miracle

A 13-year-old sun bear named Babu, living at the Edinburgh Zoo, has made an astonishing recovery after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. In April 2023, keepers noticed swelling in her lymph nodes and changes in her eating and behavior. A veterinary oncologist, Dr. Isabel Miguel, confirmed it was lymphoma—a rare and usually fatal condition in bears. “This diagnosis was new territory. We found one similar case involving a Himalayan black bear in China, but it died suddenly and there was very little information available to guide us,” said veterinary surgeon Stephanie Mota of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

With limited precedent, the veterinary team turned to research on canine lymphoma to craft a treatment plan focused on pain management and minimizing side effects. Babu’s medication was disguised in honey—her favorite treat—and she began showing signs of improvement. By October 2024, tests showed a reduction in cancer cells, and follow-up results in 2025 confirmed she was in remission. “[This] news is better than we ever hoped for,” said Professor Simon Girling, head of veterinary services at RZSS. “We’ve been able to stop her pain medication, and are now gradually reducing her cancer treatment while closely monitoring her remission.”

Throughout her treatment, one of Babu’s few joys was her twice-daily honey treats, usually reserved for special occasions. With her condition improving, zookeepers say the frequency of those treats will taper off—a change they joked might be the only downside of remission. Babu continues to be monitored daily with a chart tracking her behavior, weight, and appetite. “She’s really interested in digging around in her habitat for insects at the moment,” Stephanie added. “These inquisitive, natural behaviors are really good signs that she is feeling happy and healthy.” Now in remission, Babu could still enjoy many more years—sun bears live up to 30 years in captivity—and for now, her keepers are simply grateful she’s back to her old self.

Culture

‘Offline Clubs’

Not everyone misses life before cell phones—but when it comes to social media, many would gladly hit the delete button. A recent survey by the British Standards Institution (BSI) found that 46% of teens would erase social media from history entirely. Even more—68%—admitted they feel worse after spending too much time on it. Often viewed as the most susceptible to the harms of digital life, today’s teens may also be leading the charge toward reclaiming a healthier balance. And for many, that means logging off for good.

Enter The Offline Club—a Dutch movement with an ironic twist: its 530,000 Instagram followers. The group creates screen-free events and café spaces that invite people back into the analog world of board games, books, and real conversations. They also host digital detox retreats, where attendees ditch not only smartphones, but laptops too—immersing themselves in a world that predates the internet. While digital culture has elevated psychologists like Jonathan Haidt and Dr. Phil McGraw to influencer status, many of those same voices now warn that constant connectivity is deeply harming the mental health of young people.

BSI’s study of 1,290 people aged 16 to 21 revealed that nearly half would rather grow up without the internet at all, and just as many say a social media curfew would improve their lives. Some governments are listening: Australia has restricted social media use to those 16 and older, and school phone bans are becoming more common in the UK. The Offline Club is tapping into this global shift with a clear mission: replace “screen time with real time.” Launched in Amsterdam, the movement has already expanded to cities across Europe and beyond, including Milan, Berlin, Paris, London, Barcelona, Dubai, and Copenhagen. Anyone can start a chapter with proper business registration—The Offline Club provides the training and materials.

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Mind Stretchers

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Yesterday’s Answers to the Mind Stretchers:

— orange peel! Debbie Ettinger got this early! 🌞 

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to[email protected]or reply to email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.