Good Morning! 🌞

I recently learned that tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur!

Their skin is also striped in the same pattern as their fur, making each tiger’s pattern unique like a fingerprint. So cool!

Innovation

Bending DNA Strands with Light

Researchers have discovered a way to physically manipulate DNA using light, offering new insights into the mechanical properties of chromosomes. Chromosomes, made of long, tightly coiled DNA strands, have been debated by scientists for their material behavior—whether they act like solids, liquids, or something in between. A team from Princeton has now developed a method to measure how chromosomes respond to force and how elastic they are.

Their findings suggest chromosomes exhibit both fluid-like behavior and elasticity. Using this knowledge, they manipulated DNA in controlled ways for the first time. By generating tiny liquid-like droplets in a cell’s nucleus and using blue light to control them, the team was able to attach these droplets to specific DNA sequences. They could then pull genes together by merging and shrinking the droplets, a process that takes about 10 minutes.

This ability to reposition DNA could lead to new methods for controlling gene expression, with potential implications for treating diseases like cancer. The research doesn’t edit DNA like CRISPR but offers a different approach by moving genes to influence how they are expressed.

Good News

High Schoolers Surprise Janitor with Dream Birthday Gift

A group of high school sophomores recently raised over $20,000 to surprise their school's janitor, Francis Apraku, with a new car.

The fundraiser began before Apraku’s birthday, whom the students describe as “super kind and friendly.” When they asked what he wanted as a gift, he jokingly said he’d love a Jeep Wrangler. Bennett, Nick H, Nick T, Artin, Joey, Yousif, and Logan set out to make it happen by the time they graduated from James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia. After launching a GoFundMe in May, they reached their goal by summer’s end. With help from the community, they raised $21,000 and bought a candy apple red Jeep, surprising Apraku in the school parking lot last Monday. A video captures Apraku's reaction, where he rolls onto his back, saying, “Oh my God” and “I can’t believe this.”

“He moved to America away from his family and friends a few years ago,” the students wrote on their GoFundMe. “Ever since we met Francis, he has been super kind and friendly and sometimes even says prayers for us.”

World News

Uncharted River

British explorer Ash Dykes and his team have located the source of the Coppename River in Suriname, a previously uncharted area of the Amazon. The team, which included Jacob Hudson, Dick Lock, and Matt Wallace, faced challenges like jaguar encounters and relentless army ants.

The region had only been mapped by satellites, resulting in inaccurate coordinates due to dense jungle cover. After hiring a helicopter to drop them into the largely unexplored forest, they spent six days battling their way upstream in kayaks, hauling over 100 pounds of supplies while enduring ticks, biting ants, and other wildlife like Goliath tarantulas and caimans. Dykes described their journey as grueling, with the team surviving on minimal rations while trekking through harsh jungle and river rapids. One night, they found fresh jaguar tracks near their camp.

Amid these challenges, they discovered and named two waterfalls—Dykes Falls and Wallace Falls—both undocumented in existing maps. The first, a 45-foot falls, forced them to halt their progress. The second, even closer to the river's source, was named after Dykes. The team recorded the coordinates of their discoveries in Suriname’s dense interior, an area scarcely explored since Victorian expeditions in the 1800s. Now, Dykes plans to continue his journey, following the Coppename River to its mouth in what could be another 40-day trek.

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Mind Stretchers

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Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there? - Three.

Albert Knox got the correct answer first!

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