We have a real treat for your Friday morning: The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards revealed the finalists for its 2025 competition. The shortlist consists of 40 images, 3 portfolio entries, and 10 videos — "a cracking collection of jaw-dropping and laugh out loud photos of some of the most incredible wildlife that we share this planet with." Check out the photo finalists for a good chuckle, and stay tuned for the winners in early December.
Must Reads
Goodnight moons? All about the "quasi-moon" that will be sharing the Earth's orbit for the next five decades or so
In honor of the 100-year anniversary of motels, here's a fun look back on the history of the roadside mainstays
Sports
Some NFL Players Are Finding New Purpose in Nursing Careers
MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
These days, D'Brickashaw Ferguson can be seen wearing scrubs during his nursing shift at a New Jersey hospital — but not too long ago he was sporting a New York Jets uniform at MetLife Stadium. In 2016, after 10 seasons as an offensive tackle, the NFL player retired at age 32 and faced a question familiar to many professional athletes: What now? "It was hard to find something I felt as connected to as I did with sports," he told The New York Times. Eventually, Ferguson decided to follow in the footsteps of his mother and grandmother and earn his nursing degree. He began his new career as a nurse at RWJBarnabas Health this year. While Ferguson's story may sound one-of-a-kind, he isn't alone in making the unlikely transition from football to health care. In fact, The Times recently interviewed five former and current NFL players (including Ferguson) who have found a new purpose in nursing, or plan to do so once they're out of the league. It turns out the profession shares more common ground with football than you might expect. "You can't be timid," Ferguson said of both football and nursing. "You have to go all in. You don't have the time to stare and wonder what to do." He added that the sense of urgency in a hospital "charges you up" — a feeling he's rarely found off the field. Meet more of the football players-slash- nurses.
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Nuns and Scientists Join Forces to Protect Endangered Salamanders
ENRIQUE CASTRO/AFP via Getty Images
It's not every day scientists and nuns come together to protect a species, but that's exactly what's happening in an effort to conserve Mexico's achoque salamanders. The critically endangered (and oddly adorable) species has only one natural habitat — Lake Pátzcuaro — and they're so rare that it's estimated just 150 exist in the wild. In hopes of monitoring their health and making more informed conservation decisions about these elusive amphibians, scientists at the U.K.'s Chester Zoo set out to implant rice-sized tracking chips into 80 salamanders. Here's where the nuns come in: It just so happens that the women of Monasterio de María Inmaculada de la Salud have a long history with the salamanders, and have been caring for them in tanks at their local monastery. This year, the scientists enlisted the nuns to support the microchipping process. "We were chipping them with the nuns watching protectively. It's a real demonstration of how anyone can be involved in conservation," project lead Adam Bland said in a statement about the successful effort. "People from all different backgrounds are working to save this species." Watch a video of the chipping process.
Culture
"They Have the Grit": Company Bets on Rural America Instead of Offshoring Jobs
gorodenkoff/ iStock
At a time when automating and offshoring jobs seems ubiquitous, one outsourcing firm is making headlines for doing the opposite, bringing hundreds of jobs right to the heart of rural America. Called Provalus, the company specializes in hiring people in small towns for tech and professional services jobs that would otherwise typically be relocated overseas (e.g., IT support, insurance claims processing, and cybersecurity). "There is an untapped labor market in rural America," founder Chuck Ruggiero told The Wall Street Journal. "They have the grit, the grind, and many have the aptitude." His model not only provides rare opportunities for job seekers, but also helps clients reap the benefits of onshore services, like aligned time zones, data protection, and site visits that don't require long-haul flights. So how's the company performing with this unique playbook? The numbers speak for themselves: Provalus currently has 250 job openings and is growing revenue by 35%-40% annually. Employees also receive a generous benefits package, scheduled raises, and perhaps most importantly, a path for career growth.
Global Good
🇰🇭 Cambodia inaugurated a $2 billion airport with a golden Buddha, local trees, and big plans to boost tourism (read more)
🇨🇦 Indigenous artifacts are set to return home to Canada after being locked away in the Vatican Museums (read more)
🇨🇳 Ancient shipwrecks found off China's coast are filling in centuries-old gaps in maritime history(read more)
🇩🇪 Pumpkins were transformed into sculptures of powerful women at a German festival — see the displays (read more)
🇮🇳 Six "small and wonderful" butterfly species were discovered in the Indian Eastern Himalayas (read more)
Inspiring Story
Hope for single parents
Living up to its name, the nonprofit H.O.P.E. Inc. is helping single parents in Atlanta finish their college degrees by providing up to $800 monthly for rent and childcare costs, along with other resources like financial counseling and transportation assistance. "I am now showing my kids that they can do anything, no matter how difficult the situation is," said Susan Jaeskce, a mom who was able to pursue a career in nursing thanks to the program. "You might not have two pennies to rub together, but there's always a little bit of hope that you can find."
Photo of the Day
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Earlier this week, a picture-perfect rainbow emerged amid autumn storm clouds over England's Lake District. It's just one snapshot of a stunning foliage season, as Forestry England predicted especially vibrant colors this fall, thanks to the country's warm and sunny summer.
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Up This Weekend
World Series: Who are you rooting for? At 8 p.m. ET tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers will face off for Game 1 of the 2025 World Series
World Pasta Day: On the other end of the spectrum from an intense athletic competition, tomorrow is World Pasta Day — celebrate with these recipes
The New Yorker Festival: Each year, the storied magazine brings together cultural influencers and thought leaders from across industries for a weekend-long symposium
The Nice News merch collaboration with Because Weekend is all about celebrating optimism and making every day feel like the weekend. To help us spread that ethos beyond the inbox, shop our collection of T-shirts and sweatshirts here.
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