How are your math skills these days? You can test them out on MathNet, a newly published repository of more than 30,000 proof-based math problems from across the globe. The archive is inspired by the booklets of problems that get brought and shared at the annual International Mathematical Olympiad competitions, so if you understand any of the questions you can consider yourself a math whiz. And if numbers aren’t your thing, consider sending this along to a young future Olympiad.
Must Reads
Artists who “help us to better understand the world”: See this year’s Turner Prize nominees
Take Lengthy Lunches, Walk Everywhere, and Embrace Aging — Lessons in “Nonnamaxxing”
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Another day, another “maxxing” trend. The latest one isn’t strictly about diet or appearance, but rather involves living like a grandma — specifically, an Italian nonna with a penchant for long walks and making pasta by hand.
“Nonnamaxxing” suggests that the secret to a better life lies in channeling the habits of Italian grandmothers. Given that Italy leads the European Union in life expectancy and is home to one of the world’s five “blue zones,” it’s a fad with some solid stats behind it.
The wholesome trend is portrayed on social media as an antidote to the hustle and bustle of modern living and an invitation to enjoy leisurely lunches with friends, ditch screens, and build a collection of cozy nightgowns. But as 96-year-old Italian grandmother Licia Fertz told Self magazine, the nonna life is more about mindset than any particular meal or outfit.
“Never think of yourself as old,” she advised. “You are born young.” Learn more lessons in nonnamaxxing.
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LA Becomes First Major School District to Cap Classroom Screen Time
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The Los Angeles Unified School District is set to become the first major district in the nation to mandate classroom screen time limits. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, the unanimously approved resolution will restrict device usage and encourage a return to paper, pencils, and physical books over laptops and tablets.
“We have responsibility as one of the largest districts to draw a line in the sand when it comes to this recalibration and start the conversation,” Nick Melvoin, the board member who drafted the resolution, told NBC News. Over the next two months, the district will craft a policy establishing maximum daily and weekly screen times tailored by grade level.Device use will also be restricted during lunch and recess, and individual student use of streamers like YouTube will be prohibited.
The shift comes after months of pressure from parents who voiced that school-issued Chromebooks and iPads often distracted their kids during class and caused their grades to drop. Anya Meksin, a mother of two and a deputy director of the nonprofit Schools Beyond Screens, praised the move: “This is [a] historic reform that we hope will trickle down to the rest of the country very, very quickly,” she said.
Environment
How Protecting Wilderness Could Mean Purposefully Tending It, Not Just Leaving It Alone
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This article was written by Clare E. Boerigter, a wilderness fire researcher, for The Conversation.
More than 110 million acres of land across the U.S. are protected in 806 federally designated wilderness areas — together an area slightly larger than the state of California. For the most part, these places have been left alone for decades, in keeping with the 1964 Wilderness Act’s directive that they be “untrammeled by man.”
But in a time when lands are experiencing the effects of climate change and people are renewing their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship practices, protecting these places may require action, not inaction.
These diverse ecosystems are the country’s most protected lands, where human activity is severely restricted. Federal regulations exclude resource extraction such as logging and mining; developments such as the building of roads and structures; low-level overflights by planes and helicopters; and mechanized equipment such as chain saws. People can walk, ride horses, canoe, fish, and camp temporarily in these areas, but that’s about it.
Yet, research my colleagues and I have conducted indicates that this approach can make it difficult to address two of the biggest challenges facing wilderness — learn what they are and how we can go about solving them.
Global Good
🇷🇴 A 2,500-year-old golden helmet has been returned to Romania after it was stolen from a museum (read more)
🇰🇭 Voicemails are helping residents in flood-prone regions of Cambodia receive lifesaving weather warnings (read more)
🇬🇧 The 2026 Museum of the Year shortlist is out, featuring five “outstanding” U.K. institutions (read more)
🏴 Beneath a Welsh castle, archaeologists found a prehistoric cave containing the bones of an extinct hippo (read more)
🇫🇷 Injured and orphaned animals receive cuddle-free TLC at a center near Paris so they can go back to the wild (read more)
Inspiring Story
Perfect timing
When a child nearly ran into a busy intersection in downtown Phoenix, a utility worker named Robert Butler stopped him in his tracks just in the nick of time. “I know how fast kids can move once they get going,” the good Samaritan said, adding that he was “in the right place at the right time.” Watch the incredible rescue.
Photo of the Day
NASA, ESA, STScI. Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Let’s all wish a happy birthday to the Hubble Space Telescope! In celebration of the scope’s 36th year in orbit, NASA released this new image of a nebula resembling a “cosmic sea slug” tucked inside a stellar nursery 5,000 light-years away. (We think it could be a cosmic narwhal, too.)
Affordable Mother’s Day Gifts From CVS
From self-care items like face masks and bath bombs to photo books, sentimental cards, and more, CVS has plenty of options for affordable, heartfelt Mother’s Day gifts. Plus, being part of the free ExtraCare Rewards program grants access to event savings, and you always have the option to buy online and do in-store pickup to make it even more convenient. Don’t forget to add mom’s favorite candy to the cart before checking out!
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Up This Weekend
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest: Generation-spanning music legends, from Stevie Nicks and Herbie Hancock to Lorde and Lainey Wilson, will perform in New Orleans this weekend and next for the city’s iconic Jazz Fest
NFL Draft: The 2026 draft kicked off Thursday and concludes tomorrow (click here to see who’s been picked so far)
London Marathon: Less than a week after the Boston Marathon, Sunday’s race is the last of the three spring world majors — and it’s sure to feature plenty of wacky costumes
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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