We want to offer a huge thank you to all who attended our book club with Case Kenny and Shauna Shapiro on Thursday — the success of these events can only be credited to the engaging and enthusiastic Nice News community. If you missed the chat (or want to revisit it), you can find the recording here. And if you haven't yet grabbed yourself a copy of Case's book, The Opposite of Settling, do that here.
Must Reads
An evening of Shakespeare in the Park, with a coyote cast
NASA's Looking for Students to Design Rovers for the Moon and Mars
NASA/Charles Beason
Do you know a group of talented STEM students? You may want to clue them in to this NASA contest. Last week, the agency announced it's now accepting proposals for the 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge: a competition in which student teams design, build, and test rovers that could, in theory, go to the moon and Mars. After the proposal selection process, the competing rovers will test soil, water, and air samples from various points along a simulated lunar surface containing boulders, crevasses, erosion ruts, asteroid debris, and an ancient streambed. In the human-powered division, teams will act like astronauts in a lunar terrain vehicle and manually collect samples using a custom-built tool. In the remote-controlled sector, they'll build and deploy pressurized rovers that hold tools to collect and test samples aboard the machine. More than 500 students on 75 teams competed in last year's event at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, including those in college, high school, and middle school. And many former participants of the annual contest, which began in 1994, now work at NASA or in the aerospace industry. "This challenge will help students see themselves in the mission and give them the hands-on experience needed to advance technology and become the workforce of tomorrow," activity lead Vemitra Alexander said in a news release. Learn how to apply before Sept. 15.
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Unlock Amazon Prime Perks You Never Knew Existed
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Venus Williams Will Be the Oldest US Open Singles Player in Over 40 Years
Robert Prange/Getty Images
Between winning 49 WTA singles titles and becoming the first Black woman in the Open Era to rank No. 1, Venus Williams has racked up quite the impressive resume. But she'll hit yet another inspirational milestone tomorrow when, at age 45, she'll be the oldest singles competitor in the U.S. Open since a 47-year-old Renée Richards set the record in 1981. Williams received wild-card invitations to both the singles and mixed doubles events, and on Tuesday, she competed in the latter alongside Reilly Opelka, 27. That match ended in their defeat — but she'll have another chance against Czech player Karolina Muchová in Sunday's singles. She last participated in a Grand Slam tournament in 2023, when she lost the first round of that year's U.S. Open. In summer 2024, Williams underwent surgery to remove uterine fibroids, and didn't compete again until this past July — another history-making moment. At the DC Open, she became the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since 2004, when Martina Navratilova played Wimbledon at age 47. "I'm still the same player," Williams told a reporter at last month's match, per the Associated Press. "I'm a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand." Here's how to tune in to the tournament.
Environment
In First-of-Its-Kind Footage, Rare Catfish Climb Up a Waterfall
Manoela M. F. Marinho et al/ Journal of Fish Biology
Catfish may be known as bottom feeders, but some can also reach serious heights. In first-of-its-kind footage, thousands of tiny bumblebee catfish in Brazil's Paraguay River were spotted channeling their inner Alex Honnold as they scaled a waterfall's slippery, vertical rock surfaces. So how exactly did they pull off this stunt, sans arms and legs? The fish spread their fins wide to create a pocket of negative pressure between their bodies and the rock, scientists hypothesized in a recent paper detailing the unusual behavior. This allows the animals to suction themselves to surfaces and make their way upstream. As for why, scientists suspect the upstream mass migration is linked to spawning, as the fishes' empty stomachs suggest they did not feed during the journey. Whatever the case, the spectacle provides a glimpse into how catfish adapt and survive amid dynamic river systems. "These findings highlight the importance of field observations in understanding small migratory fishes' ecological role and conservation needs, particularly in the context of potential threats posed by habitat fragmentation and river damming," the authors wrote. Watch the footage.
In Other News
Solar power may account for 50% of all new electricity added in the U.S. this year (read more)
In playful videos, public gardens around the world are loading up water lilies for the Waterlily Weigh-Off (read more)
The FDA approved the use of drugs to prevent and treat New World Screwworm infestations in livestock (read more)
A hominin skull discovered in 1960 has finally been accurately dated — but one mystery remains (read more)
16 teeny tortoise hatchlings born to centenarian parents made their debut at the Philadelphia Zoo (read more)
Inspiring Story
Kicking off empowerment
California youth soccer coach Walter Pratte and wife Pamela Jacobsen have a motto: "If we can change one, we can change thousands." The couple founded the nonprofit Girls Soccer Worldwide to offer underserved girls in rural Paraguay the opportunity to play soccer and learn valuable life skills. Pratte played semi-professional soccer in the country 30 years ago, and the kindness of the people he met never left him. "I made a promise that one day I was going to come back and help the community that gave me so much back in the time," he said.
Photo of the Day
Deng Daoli/VCG via Getty Images
There wasn't an acrophobe in sight at the Slackline King Championship in China's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park this week. Competitors from across the globe walked a line about an inch thick that was suspended 1,300 feet in the air between two peaks more than 5,000 feet apart — watch if you dare.
AT&T Fiber Is the Secret to Flawless Streaming at Home
There's nothing like watching the latest blockbuster or the big game in stunning 4K, especially when it loads instantly and never skips a beat. That's the experience AT&T Fiber delivers with its 100% fiber network and powerful whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. Sign up online now and you can receive up to $200 in Visa Reward cards. It's the easy way to upgrade your internet so your entire home can stream, browse, and connect without interruptions.
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