Any baby's first steps are a special milestone — but this tot has a particularly good story to share with future friends. At a Las Vegas Aces game earlier this week, the WNBA team hosted a "baby crawling race" on the court. One of the participants decided to ditch the crawling and get to the finish line a faster way, by taking her very first steps. "Was not expecting that," her dad said. Watch the video.
Financial advice on responsibly managing "buy now, pay later" loans
Environment
Is That You, Patrick? Expedition Discovers Cartoon Starfish's Doppelganger, Plus a Trove of Other Species
Schmidt Ocean Institute/ YouTube
More than 40 never-before-seen species — including a "big-butt starfish" reminiscent of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants — were documented during an ongoing deep-sea expedition off the coast of Argentina (alas, quite a ways away from Bikini Bottom). Using a remotely operated vehicle, scientists with the Schmidt Ocean Institute have been livestreaming a rarely seen window into what life looks like 13,100 feet below sea level, and Argentinians are hookedon the fascinating footage. So once the camera was turned on the quirky starfish, it didn't take long for the animal to become a viral star on social media. But despite the name it's been given by fans, Mariela Romanelli, a biologist and curator of the invertebrate collection at Argentina's National Museum of Natural Sciences, said it doesn't really reflect starfish anatomy. "Although starfish do have a complete digestive system and an anus, it's not in the location people are pointing to on social media," she told the local news site Infobae, per a translation from Live Science. "Still, the resemblance to Patrick Star's butt is pretty hilarious." The footage also revealed a violet sea cucumber dubbed "Little Sweet Potato," as well as translucent fish, carnivorous sponges, vibrantly colored rays and corals, and invertebrates uniquely adapted to survive in total darkness. Curious to see for yourself? Check out the livestream.
Together With Pacaso
Former Zillow Exec Opens Door to $1.3 Trillion Market
Austin Allison sold his first company for $120 million. He later served as an executive for Zillow. But both companies reached massive valuations before regular people could invest. "I always wished everyday investors could have shared in their early success," Allison later said. So he built Pacaso differently. Pacaso brings co-ownership to the $1.3 trillion vacation home market, earning over $110 million in gross profit to date. No wonder the same VCs that backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay already invested in Pacaso. Now, after adding 10 new international destinations, Pacaso is hitting its stride. The company even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. And unlike Allison's previous stops, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company. Invest for $2.90/share today.
This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso's Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals.
Culture
"Movin' to Saskatchewan": Chappell Roan's New Ballad Puts Canadian Province in the Spotlight
sprokop/ iStock
Have you heard Chappell Roan's new single "The Subway"? The reason the breakup ballad has made its way into this newsletter isn't the relatable lyrics or the moody, New York-centric music video, but for the fact that it's getting everyone singing (and talking) about a lesser-known Canadian province. In the song, Roan declares that she's "movin' to Saskatchewan" if she cannot shake the pain of her heartbreak within four months, making the province a symbol of hope and fresh beginnings (as well as a trending topic). Suddenly, fans are posting about Saskatchewan, with officials noticing a spike in interest in the under-the-radar area. Tourism Saskatchewan reported more than 230 social media mentions and nearly 40,000 interactions related to the region — all before the song was officially released, ABC News reports. "It's great news for our province," Jonathan Potts, CEO of the tourism bureau, told the outlet. "It's a lot of fun to have such a wonderful, popular artist singing our praises and giving us the opportunity to tell the story of Saskatchewan." He added that Saskatchewan is a "very open, welcome province. Everybody is welcome here, and everybody belongs here."
Health
Heart Condition Once Considered Fatal Is Becoming Increasingly Treatable
Ivan-balvan/ iStock
Here's another win for modern medicine: Cardiac amyloidosis, once considered a death sentence, is now becoming increasingly treatable. The heart condition causes abnormal proteins to build up in the heart, leading the muscle to stiffen and its rhythm to become irregular. Thanks to improvements in diagnostic tools and new medications — two of which gained FDA approval over the last year — the disease has shifted from a terminal diagnosis to a more manageable one. For example, a recent study found that patients treated with vutrisiran (brand name Amvuttra) experienced survival rates nearly equivalent to those of the general population. And another clinical trial showed that the new drugs not only preserved patients' quality of life but also reduced mortality by 25% to 35% compared to a placebo. One of those patients is Marc Israel, 77, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2020 and told he could expect to live about a year or so without treatment. But Israel was quickly able to get on one of the new meds. "And here I am, five years later," he told The New York Times. As Michelle Kittleson, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, put it: "We might be living in an era where you will die with cardiac amyloidosis as opposed to from it," noting: "There is a lot of hope for people with heart failure."
In Other News
Humans may carry hibernation-related genes, a discovery that could lead to new medical treatments (read more)
More affordable and sustainable batteries could be on the horizon, thanks to AI (read more)
A teen prodigysolved a 40-year-old math mystery — see her work, dotted with doodles (read more)
Lessons from mom: In a first, an orca matriarch was filmed teaching young how to hunt via pretend drowning (read more)
The MTV Video Music Award nominees are in — browse the full list ahead of the Sept. 8 show (read more)
Inspiring Story
More than just a job
After Chad Trainor's wife, Carol, had a seizure, he spent months beside her at the hospital — which meant the restaurant they owned together in Hudson, Minnesota, was put on the back burner. Luckily, the eatery's teen workers stepped up in a big way to keep things running, so he'd have one less thing to worry about. "Without them, the restaurant would not exist," Trainor said, adding: "I love them like they're my own kids."
Photo of the Day
JPL/ NASA
This week marks 13 years since the Curiosity rover touched down on Mars. To mark the milestone, NASA shared 13 stunning views of the red planet over the years, starting with this "selfie" taken by the rover's robotic arm camera.
With Case Kenny
It can be all too easy to get stuck in our routines and let the fear of the unknown stop us from trying something new. Let this be your reminder that conquering fear can open doors you didn't even know existed. To hear more wisdom like this from Case Kenny, register now for the Nice Book Club on Aug. 21 and grab a copy of his bookThe Opposite of Settling.
Brad's Deals:9 Amazon Prime Perks You Should Be Using
Amazon Prime perks go far beyond free shipping and exclusive movies and shows. Free music and podcasts, access to lightning deals, and Whole Foods discounts are just a few of the many lesser-known incentives that your membership has to offer. Brad's Deals rounded up these 9 hidden Prime perks so you get the most out of your membership.
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