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The Mariana Trench is one of those places that fascinate me. All the strange creatures and environments that we have only begun to discover.

The video we feature below has some fascinating details about what we know so far.

World News

A Millennium of Sand and Soot

The Archaeological Institute of America's magazine highlights the ongoing restoration of the Temple of Khnum in Upper Egypt—a once-hidden relic dating back to Cleopatra’s era that is now gradually revealing its secrets. Buried under centuries of dirt and soot, the temple’s intricate carvings, inscriptions, and a creation myth tied to Khnum—the ram-headed god—are emerging from obscurity. Located in Esna, its grand entrance hall (pronaos) was built under Emperor Augustus in 30 BC, measuring 120 feet long, 65 feet wide, and 50 feet high, and likely overshadowed an even older temple that once stood behind it.

For over 1,500 years, while the main temple was dismantled for canal construction, the pronaos endured, later repurposed as a cotton and gunpowder storehouse. Time and use took their toll: fires blackened the ceilings and layers of dust and bacteria gradually obscured its artwork. Although some inscriptions received a preliminary cleaning in the 1970s, it wasn’t until 2018 that a full-scale restoration began, setting the stage for a comprehensive revival of this historic structure.

A joint Egyptian-German team, led by Egyptologist Christian Leitz and Egyptian Ministry officials, has made significant progress, meticulously cleaning nearly the entire pronaos and uncovering vibrant depictions of Khnum as a creator god—often shown shaping life on a potter’s wheel, sometimes with a crocodile or ram’s head. The walls also honor his consort Neith as a co-creator and feature scenes of Egyptian religious life, Babylonian zodiac symbols, and ceremonial processions carrying Khnum’s shrine on a sun boat. With only six pillars and two walls remaining uncleaned after six years of restoration, archaeologists anticipate further discoveries during the next 18 months of work.

Good News

Lives Reconnected

A woman who saved a drowning toddler from a pool in 1961 reunited with him 64 years later.

Barbara Ribeiro, now 94, was in her 30s when she rescued 21-month-old Ben Colwell after he wandered from a party in San Diego and fell into a pool. Searching the area with others, Ribeiro found the boy at the bottom of the water, pulled him out, and performed CPR with help from a neighbor.

The two families eventually lost touch when Colwell’s family moved away. Now 66 and a father of two, Colwell met Ribeiro again in a reunion organized by his siblings. He recalled being told there were no bubbles when he was found, and no one knew how long he had been underwater. Reflecting on the rescue, he called it “the hand of God.”

Environment

The Earth’s Deepest Point

Beneath the Pacific Ocean lies the Mariana Trench, a 2,550 km-long, 69 km-wide chasm plunging 11,033 meters into the Challenger Deep—the Earth’s deepest known point. Formed by the Pacific Plate subducting beneath the Mariana Plate, this tectonic collision also gave rise to the volcanic Mariana Islands. In the trench’s crushing darkness and extreme pressure, unique deep-sea life thrives, while each descent into this Hadal Zone uncovers new insights into Earth’s geology and the resilience of life in one of the planet’s last frontiers.

Mind Stretchers

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When is a door no longer a door?

Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

4 ones in my life (for once in my life) — Chris Hostetler got this 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.