Good Morning! 🌞

Continuing our tradition to bring you beautiful, interesting, or old words, we present three today.

Dulcet - Pleasing to the ear; melodious. Having a soothing, agreeable quality. Or, sweet to the taste.

Lithe - Easily bent or flexed. Characterized by easy flexibility and grace. Also, athletically slim.

Nadir - In common language it is used to refer to the lowest point. In astronomy it is the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer. 

Using these fun words can be a little tricky because they are usually outside our active vocabulary. But, if you like them, you might find that they can fit a nice little niche in your language. Gymnastics happens to be one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics. Might be a fitting opportunity to revive the word lithe. 😄 

Innovation

Chernobyl Worms Could Help in Human Cancer Research

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster left the surrounding area severely radioactive. Interestingly, researchers have recently found worms that thrive in these conditions, which could be pivotal for cancer research.

Despite human evacuation, various plants and animals thrived in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, prompting researchers to investigate the impact of chronic radiation on DNA.

A study led by New York University reveals that microscopic worms in Chernobyl today have not suffered genome damage from chronic radiation, suggesting exceptional resilience. This finding may shed light on why some individuals with a genetic predisposition to cancer develop the disease, while others do not.

In a 2019 expedition to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a team, including NYU's Sophia Tintori and Professor Matthew Rockman, gathered these worms across different radiation exposure levels. Using Geiger counters to measure radiation and wearing protective gear, the researchers' analysis in both Ukrainian and NYU labs revealed the worms' surprising resistance to radiation.

Focusing on the Oscheius tipulae species, the study unearthed that these worms' resilience to DNA damage did not correlate with the radiation levels in their environment, challenging previous assumptions about the impact of radiation on evolutionary processes. These findings suggest that the Chernobyl worms haven't evolved specifically to withstand radiation. The study offers insights into DNA repair variability, which could further our understanding of human cancer susceptibility.

Despite the lack of a genetic signature indicating radiation damage, researchers designed a system to assess how different worm populations grew and responded to various DNA damage types. Surprisingly, worm lineages' tolerance to DNA damage did not correlate with radiation levels at collection sites.

Contrary to expectations, the study suggests that worms in Chernobyl are not inherently more radiation-tolerant, and the radioactive landscape did not force them to evolve. These findings provide insights into variations in DNA repair and offer potential applications for understanding natural variation in humans.

Sophia Tintori confirmed the study's implications for cancer research “Now that we know which strains of O. tipulae are more sensitive or more tolerant to DNA damage, we can use these strains to study why different individuals are more likely than others to suffer the effects of carcinogens,”

Entertainment

What Dinosaurs Actually Sounded Like

We have all watched movies with terrifying dinosaurs in them. (unless you don’t like dinosaur movies…)

The loud roar of the T.Rex from the Jurassic Park movies have become very iconic and show up in our popular media all the time. But is that actually what they sounded like?

While it is impossible to get an exact replica of how a T.Rex would sound, researchers have a pretty good idea.

If you are just interested in the possible sound the T.Rex produced, just skip to the 3:43 minute mark on the video. If you want to know how scientist go about approximating these sounds, then I would recommend starting from the beginning of the video.

U.S News

First American Woman to Race a Sailboat Solo Around the World

A 29-year-old woman accomplished a significant feat by completing the Global Solo Challenge, making her the first woman to race non-stop around the Earth. Cole Brauer, captaining the 40-foot vessel First Light, covered three oceans and 30,000 miles, reaching the finish line in A Coruna, Spain, last Thursday.

Although she isn't the first woman to sail around the world or sail non-stop, Brauer holds the distinction of being the first to achieve this within a competitive context. Consequently, she set a world record for the fastest, solo, female, non-stop circumnavigation, completing it in 130 days.

Throughout her journey, satellite communications facilitated her interaction with a logistics team and a social media following exceeding 400,000. “Solo sailors, you have to be able to do everything,” Brauer said in an interview with NBC News’ Today. “You need to be able to take care of yourself. You need to be able to get up, even when you’re so exhausted. And you have to be able to fix everything on the boat.”

Her route traversed the west coast of Africa, the Southern Ocean near the Cape of Good Hope, then past Australia, around Cape Horn, and back to Spain across the Atlantic. Despite facing frigid temperatures and rough seas, including thirty-foot waves, Brauer persisted, only briefly considering abandoning the mission when critical equipment malfunctioned.

Brauer placed second out of 16 sailors who competed in the race. Standing at 5-foot-1 and weighing 100 pounds, she hopes her accomplishment inspires other women to join the sport.

Sport

On this Day, 2 Years Ago

On March 18th, 2022, Deshaun Watson made a surprising choice by selecting Cleveland over Atlanta or New Orleans. This decision came amidst Baker Mayfield's trade request, with the Browns offering a groundbreaking $230 million fully guaranteed contract along with three first-round picks, a third, and fourth round to secure the services of the 3-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

Another notable NFL signing on that Friday was wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who signed a $10 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers added 4-time All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker and extended the contract of wide receiver D.J. Moore.

In the basketball world, Russell Westbrook delivered a standout performance in LA, stealing the ball and scoring a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime in Toronto. This contribution helped the Lakers break an 11-game road losing streak, with LeBron James putting on a captivating show in front of the audience.

On the baseball front, Nick Castellanos signed with the Phillies, Kenley Jansen joined the reigning champion Braves, and the Padres acquired first baseman Luke Voit from New York. In basketball highlights, Trey Murphy showcased his skills, KPJ executed a killer fake behind-the-back move, and Evan Mobley sealed the deal with a dagger and-one against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

Mind Stretchers 

⁉️ 

Only one color, but not one size, Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, Doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it?

The answer to yesterday’s Mind Stretcher was:
A ton (not backwards)

Shout-out goes to Albert Knox for getting the correct answer first!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to this email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.