"Touch grass" is a common retort on the internet when it's clear that someone needs to spend a bit less time online and more time out in nature. Now, a new app is taking the phrase literally — requiring users to go outside and post a picture of themselves touching grass before being able to open social media feeds like TikTok and Instagram. "I was sick and tired of my reflex in the morning being to reach for my phone and scroll for upwards of an hour," Rhys Kentish, the software engineer who designed the app, aptly called Touch Grass, told Fast Company. "It didn't feel good and I wasn't getting anything out of it." The screen time reducer is currently available for preorder in the Apple App Store.
Must Reads
This list should satiate your wanderlust for a while
Going through football tailgating withdrawal? Try Norwegian trail-gating
Health
Researchers Join Forces to Find the Secret to Happiness: "It's Like the Avengers"
akinbostanci/ iStock
Thanks to our chat with happiness expert Gretchen Rubin, we know that the experience looks different for everyone — what helps one person feel joy may not have the same effect on someone else. Now, a team of happiness and methodology experts is about to launch the largest study of its kind digging into precisely that. To conduct the Global Happiness Megastudy, the team plans to partner with over 100 other researchers and recruit 30,000 volunteers from around the globe in the hopes of revealing the secret to living a joyful life. Specifically, the experts aim to identify "which happiness strategies have the strongest impact on mood worldwide, and which strategies work best for which people," per the project website. "Our goal is for this to be the largest, most comprehensive, most diverse experiment on happiness ever conducted," Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia, told The Guardian. "It's like the Avengers: Many of the top happiness researchers from around the world have come together to join forces." Learn how this study will differ from previous happiness research.
Together With Frontieras
Final Day: Capitalize on This $2.1 Trillion Energy Opportunity
After centuries of burning coal, most people still haven't realized its true market value. Until now: Frontieras North America's breakthrough patented technology unlocked at least eight new and profitable ways to use coal — like extracting hydrogen, diesel, and more — a $2.1 trillion opportunity in the markets. They're on the verge of unleashing a "Rockefeller moment" in the energy space, and it's now the final day to become a shareholder. If this company captures just 2% of the global coal market, they have a clear roadmap to achieve a $1 trillion valuation. They've already raised $11 million, and early investors are rushing to capitalize. Don't miss your chance to become a shareholder — the current offering closes at midnight tonight.
This is a paid advertisement for Frontieras Regulation CF Offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.frontieras.com/.
Environment
Could IVF Help Save Ocelots? Scientists Hope So
Texas State Aquarium
"Just look at the cat. Why would you not want that animal to survive in nature?" Bill Swanson, the director of animal research at the Cincinnati Zoo, recently told Reuters. Swanson was talking about ocelots, specifically a 5-year-old cutie named Milla (pictured above as a cub). For years, Swanson has been trying to use in vitro fertilization to preserve the spotted species that was once widespread in the American South. But due to the fur trade, habitat loss, and modern threats like roadways, the population has dwindled to fewer than 100 total in the U.S. So far, the fertility procedures have not resulted in a viable ocelot pregnancy. "It's disappointing. But at the same time, science doesn't always go the way you expect it to," said Ashley Reeves, a research veterinarian with the East Foundation nonprofit who has been working on the IVF efforts. Still, Swanson and Reeves remain committed to their purpose. "It's not just saving the ocelot, it's saving the habitat and the ecosystem where it lives, which supports so many other animals and that provide those services that let people survive on this planet," Swanson said.
Humanity
The Bike Club Helping Unhoused San Diego Residents Pedal to a Brighter Future
olaser/ iStock
Sunny San Diego has no shortage of cycling clubs, but one in particular stands out from the rest for its humanitarian angle. Deacon John Roberts, through the nonprofit Father Joe's Villages, leads a group of unhoused community members on a bicycle ride through the city every Thursday. While the course is 20 miles long, the ride's impact can last much longer — not only do participants learn about bike safety and maintenance, they're also given a new or gently used bike once they check 100 miles off. A new bike means new opportunities: "For some, it allows them a wider job search area," Roberts told Good Good Good. "For others, it allows them to explore all that San Diego has to offer, but for all it broadens their horizons and produces a boost in the health of mind, body, and spirit — and a new mobility." Since the "earn-a-bike" initiative started in 2020, over 220 individuals have completed a combined total of 21,600 miles, and 76 participants have been given free bikes, as well as a helmet, a lock, lights, and a saddlebag with maintenance items. Thanks to partnerships with the San Diego County Bike Coalition and Rebike San Diego, Father Joe's Villages also offers bike workshops and repairs. "Together, we encourage the development of all riders, and especially the young and underserved populations," Roberts said.
In Other News
Solar capacity soared last year, with the U.S. adding enough to power 8.5 million households (read more)
Marine explorers found a 132-year-old shipwreck in Lake Superior — see the surreal remains (read more)
The Canadian government agreed to commit nearly $37 billion to child care programs until 2031 (read more)
Hank and John Green launched an eco-conscious cleaning line that donates its profits to protect coral reefs (read more)
A green sea turtle is back in the ocean after recovering from a flipper amputation (read more)
Inspiring Story
"Don't underestimate cats"
Two months after the Palisades wildfires, Katherine Kiefer got the call she had been waiting for: Her cat Aggie, who got lost during the evacuations, had been found. "I was very much worried that I was going to wake up and [discover] it had been a dream," the 82-year-old said. Thankfully, it was very much real. Watch their emotional reunion.
Photo of the Day
Kristy Sparow/Getty Images
Held in the Grand Palais exhibition hall, the Chanel runway show at Paris Fashion Week was an extravagant affair. There were plenty of celebrities in attendance and stunning models walking the runway, but the real star of Tuesday's show was a simple pigeon. You read that right — a rogue bird entered the hall and strutted around, a bit of "unexpected casting" that has now made the rounds on social media.
Amazon Prime Perks You Might Not Know About, Courtesy of Brad's Deals
For many of us, the free shipping perk and access to exclusive shows and movies is enough reason to fork over the $14.99 per month to get Amazon Prime. But if that hasn't yet enticed you to join Prime, maybe some of the lesser-known incentives compiled by Brad's Deals will tempt you to sign up.
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