Buzz
At Mytour, we’re here to help you wrap up your week on a positive note. We’ve gathered a selection of stories that will lift your spirits. Expect a wonderful blend of heartwarming tales, inspiring achievements, and real-life moments of togetherness. If you’re into the quirky side of things, make sure to check out the offbeat list.
This week, we celebrate the 'Chicken Whisperer' and commend the hard work of an extraordinary spider mom. We also dive into some fascinating archaeological findings, while looking forward to the future with the exciting news of a Mars probe landing and the development of a groundbreaking new aircraft.
10. A Plane Without Moving Parts
Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have achieved the world’s first flight of an aircraft with no moving parts.
The aircraft is powered by ionic wind, a flow of air generated by electrostatic forces. It is still a prototype, weighing 2.4 kilograms (5.4 lbs) with a wingspan of 4.9 meters (16 ft).
Resembling a glider, the craft uses 40,000 volts of electricity from positively and negatively charged electrodes to produce an electric current of nitrogen ions. These ions shift from positive to negative, colliding with neutral air molecules to create the wind that powers the plane’s flight.
Though the concept has been around for over 50 years, it has never before been successfully implemented in an aircraft. However, the technology is far from being ready for human flight or commercial aviation at this stage.
However, MIT professor Steven Barrett is confident that this technology could be a game-changer for drones, which are becoming an everyday sight. With no propellers, engine, or mechanical components, the plane operates in complete silence.
9. The Professional Do-Gooder
A man who opened his motel to Hurricane Florence victims has now transitioned into full-time humanitarian work, after receiving an outpouring of donations, including money, goods, and services.
Jaret Hucks first made headlines in September when he opened the doors of his Midtown Inn and Cottages in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to evacuees following the devastating flooding caused by Hurricane Florence. In total, he offered over 1,000 free nights of stay or $50,000 worth of business, all because, in his own words, his mother taught him to “love thy neighbor.”
The media spotlight brought Hucks a wealth of praise, but it also inspired others to mirror his kindness. People began bringing him food, clothing, diapers, and other necessities, which he shared with the evacuees staying at his motel. Many also donated money.
Even months later, the donations keep coming in. Hucks has become Midtown's local good Samaritan, utilizing all his resources to help the less fortunate residents of the area regain their footing.
8. Ancient Art or Astronomy?
A recent study by researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Kent proposes that some of the world’s oldest and most famous cave paintings may actually depict scenes used to commemorate astronomical events from tens of thousands of years ago.
The same research team previously suggested that stone carvings discovered at the ruins of the Gobekli Tepe temple in Turkey depicted a comet strike that impacted Earth around 13,000 years ago, leading to the onset of the Younger Dryas, a mini ice age. Now, they propose that certain prehistoric paintings in the famous Lascaux Cave in France may represent signs meant to commemorate another major astronomical event.
Specifically, the team refers to a series of images known as the Shaft Scene. These depict a man seemingly dying in front of a disemboweled animal, likely an aurochs. Nearby, three other animal images are visible, including a bird, a horse's head, and something resembling a rhino.
At first glance, the Shaft Scene could be interpreted as a failed hunt, but researchers speculate that these images may actually symbolize constellations seen during the equinox. Given the estimated age of the paintings, the team believes they could represent a cataclysmic event that occurred more than 15,000 years ago.
Ice core data from Greenland glaciers shows that Earth experienced a significant climate shift around 15,300 BC. However, there is no conclusive evidence explaining the cause of this change.
7. Nurses Look After Their Own
A large group of nurses hit the lottery and chose to give their winnings to those who needed it most within their group.
Like many other teams of coworkers, the nurses working in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Mercy Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, regularly pool their funds to purchase lottery tickets. This time, luck was on their side. While it wasn’t the Mega Millions jackpot, the prize was still a substantial $10,000.
Then came the dilemma. The group consisted of 126 people. After taxes, each person would receive just $56. So, they decided to make a bigger impact by donating the entire sum to only two individuals: nurse Gretchen Post and neonatologist Casey Orellana.
Post had recently suffered the loss of her teenage son to suicide, and Orellana had just learned that her husband had cancer. Both women will use the generous donation to help cover their bills.
6. The Remarkable Journey of Sinatra
A dog has been joyously reunited with his family after a strange 18-month journey in which he traveled more than 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) across the United States.
Back in March 2017, the Willis family from Brooklyn lost their husky Sinatra, known for his striking blue eyes. He was prone to sneaking out of the house, but would typically return in an hour. This time, however, he did not. As weeks turned into months, the family began to accept that they might never see Sinatra again.
A year and a half later, 13-year-old Rose Verrill was walking to the bus stop when she was approached by the spirited dog. This occurred in Seffner, a suburb of Tampa, Florida. The mystery of how Sinatra reached that point and what he experienced during his 18-month absence will likely remain unsolved.
Rose brought the husky back to her home and began the search for his owners. Luckily, he had a microchip, but when they discovered the chip pointed to a Brooklyn address, the Verrills thought the details might be wrong. Despite their doubts, they contacted Lesmore Willis Jr. He was shocked to learn that Sinatra had made it all the way to Florida, but he was overjoyed that the dog would soon be reunited with his family.
5. The Chicken Whisperer Comes To The Rescue
Officer Patrick McGovern received a mix of jokes and admiration after bravely rescuing a chicken from a fire.
McGovern had been called to a shed fire in a residential yard in Ossining, New York. While moving propane tanks away from the fire, he spotted a chicken wandering in the backyard.
Bodycam footage captured McGovern gently guiding the chicken up some stairs before finally grabbing it and bringing it to safety. The clip concludes with the officer proudly telling the owners: “I got your chicken!”
4. The Mummy Meets The Press
Recent discoveries in ancient Egypt have been fascinating, and another remarkable find was recently made when authorities allowed the opening of an untouched sarcophagus in front of international media for the very first time. What was uncovered did not disappoint – archaeologists discovered a nearly perfectly preserved 3,000-year-old mummy.
Earlier this year, a team of French researchers uncovered an undisturbed tomb in El-Asasef, a necropolis close to Luxor. After months of clearing debris, the team finally gained access to the tomb. Inside, they found around 1,000 Ushabti statues, five colorful masks, and many beautifully painted walls and ceilings. Among the most intriguing discoveries were two sarcophagi.
The two coffins date back between 3,000 and 3,500 years. The first sarcophagus contained the remains of Thaw-Irkhet-if, an overseer of the mummification shrine. The second sarcophagus, opened in front of the media, held the mummy of a woman whose identity is still uncertain. She was thought to be named Pouyou or Pouya, and her sarcophagus style indicated it belonged to the 18th dynasty.
The public unveiling is part of a concerted effort by Egyptian authorities to reignite global interest in their ancient history and to revive tourism to the country.
3. New InSight Into Mars
On Monday, NASA’s InSight lander successfully touched down on Mars.
After a journey of over seven months and 480 million kilometers (300 million miles) through space, the spacecraft arrived at the Red Planet. It entered the Martian atmosphere at a speed of 19,800 kilometers per hour (12,300 mph), jettisoned its heat shield, and deployed retro-thrusters and a parachute to ensure a safe landing.
The probe didn't quite land on its exact target, but this turn of events may have worked in its favor. It came to rest within a flat crater, filled with soil, known as a 'hollow.'
Though the terrain is rockier than preferred, there are no hazardous rocks near the lander, and the dense surface can easily bear the weight of the instruments. Additionally, the material is soft enough for the HP heat probe to easily penetrate. The only challenge is that NASA isn't entirely certain of the lander's exact position at the moment.
The InSight mission is expected to run for two years. During this time, it will use three key instruments to carry out the first-ever interior mapping of a distant planet, aiming to uncover more about the formation of rocky planets like Mars.
One of the instruments, the heat probe, will measure how quickly heat rises from within Mars. Additionally, an extremely sensitive seismometer will assess any seismic activity on the planet. Finally, the lander has antennas to detect the wobble of Mars' axis, which will help determine whether the Red Planet has a solid or molten core.
2. Spider Mom Of The Year
A remarkable discovery has been made with a female jumping spider that shows an extraordinary level of maternal care previously believed to be unique to mammals. This includes nursing her young for several weeks by providing a substance akin to spider milk.
Parental care of this kind has typically been associated with mammals. However, a study led by conservation biologist Rui-Chang Quan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences suggests that this behavior should also be attributed to Toxeus magnus, a species of spider found in southeastern Asia. (The spider is pictured above; it is not an ant.)
While some spider species are known for their strong parental instincts—such as guarding their eggs at the expense of their own nourishment or carrying their young on their backs—this is the first known case of a spider species lactating to feed its offspring.
The substance produced is highly nutritious, packed with fats, sugars, and four times the protein found in cow’s milk. Whether you classify it as 'milk' depends on how broadly you define the term, but similar nourishing fluids are produced by non-mammals like birds and roaches for their young.
In addition to producing milk, the spider exhibits remarkable patience with her offspring. The mother will nurse her spiderlings for a period of 20 days. Afterward, the young spiders begin to explore and forage for food independently. However, they will still return to their mother for an additional 20 days of milk. Interestingly, the mother permits her female offspring to continue nursing even after they reach sexual maturity, but this does not apply to the males.
1. A Heroic Encounter
It's often said that you should never meet your heroes, but for Rupert Cross, this wasn’t the case. The 10-year-old finally had the chance to meet the “superman” whose bone marrow donation saved his life.
Four years ago, Rupert Cross, a young boy from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England, was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. To survive, he required chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
In Essex, Billy Higgins queued up to register as a donor with the intention of striking up a conversation with a woman he was interested in. But what started as a casual interaction led to an unexpected discovery: he was a match for Rupert, who urgently needed a bone marrow transplant.
Higgins went ahead with the procedure, and Rupert received the transplant he so desperately needed. Four years later, Rupert has made a full recovery and had the chance to meet Billy Higgins, who he now affectionately calls his 'superman.' To add a sweet twist, the woman Billy met in the donor queue is now his wife.
