Good Morning! 🌞 

This is simply an amazing video. It is one thing to lean about cells splitting and multiplying in biology class, it is a whole other thing to see it in real life.

Earth Sciences

Asteroid Incoming!

Mark your calendar for December 22, 2032—there’s a small but real chance an asteroid could collide with Earth at the force of thousands of Hiroshima-level bombs. NASA has identified “2024 YR4” as the only known near-Earth object out of 37,000 with more than a zero percent chance of impact, estimating its odds at just over 1%. Measuring between 130 and 300 feet across, this asteroid would deliver a blast between 10 and 20 megatons—on par with the Castle Bravo thermonuclear test.

The asteroid was first detected by Chile’s ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System). Typically, as more data is collected, these early impact probabilities drop to zero. But even if the risk remains at 1%, NASA has demonstrated it can intervene. In 2021, the agency launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), successfully nudging the orbit of a small asteroid named Dimorphos. Although it posed no threat, Dimorphos offered the perfect trial run.

Conducted by NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, DART proved we can precisely target and redirect objects in space. Altering an asteroid’s speed by just a fraction can shift its trajectory enough to avoid Earth entirely. So while 2024 YR4 is indeed on NASA’s radar, the technology to address it—or any other potential threat—is already in place. (Thankfully! 😀 )

Entertainment

The Return of THE Vampire Slayer

Sarah Michelle Gellar has officially staked her claim once more, announcing her return to Buffy the Vampire Slayer after months of swirling rumors. The 47-year-old star confirmed the news on Instagram with a nostalgic throwback photo of herself as Buffy, captioned with the iconic line: “If the apocalypse comes, beep me.” Reports suggest that the potential revival is nearing a pilot order at Hulu, although no formal announcements have been made by the streaming platform. Originally airing from 1997 to 2003, the supernatural series followed Buffy Summers, a teenage girl endowed with the power (and burden) of battling vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness in the fictional town of Sunnydale.

Gellar revealed that the project began with a phone call from producer Gail Berman three years ago, inviting her to meet with Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) for a casual chat about resurrecting the cult classic. What started as a quick coffee turned into a four-hour deep dive into the show’s legacy, eventually bringing in writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman to help shape the revival’s creative direction. While Gellar initially hesitated, she credits fan enthusiasm—and seeing other successful reboots like Dexter and Sex and the City—for nudging her toward saying yes. Emphasizing that she only wanted to move forward if they “could do it right,” Gellar has made it clear this project has been a long time in the making and is far from finalized, but her enthusiastic return signals the stakes have never been higher for the beloved vampire-slaying franchise.

Environment

England’s Largest Bird Sanctuary

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has announced a 33% expansion of Geltsdale Reserve in the North Pennines of Cumbria, making it England’s largest bird reserve at 13,590 acres. Spanning moorland, meadows, blanket bog, and woodland, this sweeping landscape is also recognized as a UNESCO Geopark for its unique geological features. According to Beccy Speight, RSPB’s chief executive, the newly enlarged reserve “will set a benchmark for species diversity and size, showing what’s possible in rewilding and bird conservation.”

Geltsdale remains one of the few places in Britain where the elusive hen harrier can be observed in its natural habitat. The reserve’s varied ecosystems also support black grouse, redshank, nightjar, snipe, whinchat, curlews, ospreys, short-eared owls, and lapwings. “Its size makes a significant difference,” Speight added, emphasizing that, during the breeding season, the landscape is alive with birdlife on a scale unlike many others in England.

To address ongoing conservation challenges, the RSPB plans to introduce GPS-monitored “invisible” fencing in collaboration with local ranchers, replacing traditional wooden fencing that can harm low-flying birds like black grouse. Cattle equipped with special collars will receive an audio alert, escalating to a mild electric shock, when they approach reserve boundaries. In tandem with these modern measures, the RSPB has halted practices like heather burning and moorland draining to help restore Geltsdale’s natural ecosystems.

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Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

I have pages, each filled with words,
I take you places without moving a step.
I can be old or brand new,
And I hold stories, both false and true.

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers

I’m shared with words, not often seen,
I’m given freely, but can’t be bought.
I linger in the air, a feeling serene,
A hint of me is all that’s sought.
What am I? — love! , Debbie Ettinger got this first and early! ☀️ 

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 the 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.