Good morning! 🌞 

Computer technician Guy Goma visited the BBC in 2006 for a job interview — but ended up being interviewed live on air, after staff fetched the wrong ‘Guy’ from reception.

The BBC was later sued by the man mistakenly interviewed live on its news channel, for a share in the royalties of the clip that went around the world.

You can find the clip featured in today’s Funny Friday segment. It’s hilarious!!

Environment

Ozone Layer to Recover Within Decades

The ozone layer, a vital shield that protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, is on track to be fully restored within the next few decades. This remarkable recovery is likely the result of decisive action taken around world to phase out ozone-depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), following the 1989 Montreal Protocol.

Scientists and researchers have been closely monitoring the ozone layer since the 1980s, when alarming reports of its depletion first surfaced. In the years since the Montreal Protocol was signed, the ozone layer has shown steady improvement.

According to the latest UN assessment, the ozone layer is expected to be completely recovered by 2040 across most of the world, with the polar regions taking a bit longer – 2045 for the Arctic and 2066 for the Antarctic.

Science

The Planet that Shouldn’t Exist

In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have found a massive exoplanet named LHS 3154 b orbiting a red dwarf star, LHS 3154. This unexpected find has thrown a wrench in the current understanding of how planets are formed around stars.

The planet LHS 3154 b is about 13 times the mass of Earth and orbits an ultracool dwarf star that is simply too small to have a planet of that size. The planet has a remarkably close 3.7-day orbit to the star. Its mass ratio, being over 100 times Earth-Sun, challenges the current understanding of planet formation.

Current Theories

A star is born when a massive cloud of gas and dust collapses under its own gravity. As the cloud collapses, it begins to spin and flatten out into a disk, with the star forming at the center. This disk is called a protoplanetary disk, and it's made up of gas and dust that will eventually come together to form planets.

Planet formation begins with the growth of tiny dust particles in a protoplanetary disk around a young star. These particles collide and stick together to form larger bodies called planetesimals, which continue to grow through a process called accretion. As the protoplanets grow, they begin exerting a gravitational pull on the gas and dust in the protoplanetary disk drawing more in, eventually becoming fully formed planets.

The Wrench

The massive size of LHS 3154 b in relation to its host star suggests that there may be more to the story. The planet-forming disk around the low-mass star LHS 3154 should not have enough solid mass to make this planet, according to astronomer Suvrath Mahadevan.

This discovery has prompted a reexamination of the factors that influence planet formation. One proposed solution is that the planet formed through a process called disk instability, where the protoplanetary disk fragments have a direct collapse of gas and dust that form into planets. Another possibility is that the planet formed through a different process altogether.

The discovery of LHS 3154 b is a reminder that there is still much to learn about the universe and the processes that shape it. As we continue to explore the cosmos, we may find that our current theories need to be revised in light of new and unexpected discoveries.

World News

Thai Farmer's Incredible Cat-themed Crop Art

In northern Thailand's Chiang Rai province, farmer Tanyapong Jaikham planted rice seedlings in specific patterns, forming cartoon cat shapes in a rice field. The artwork, based on the Thai proverb "There is fish in the water and rice in the fields," aims to attract tourists and cat enthusiasts.

Using GPS coordinates and changing plant tints, the rice field art gradually reveals a cat portrait during the final harvest. Viewing towers are being constructed for visitors to enjoy the unique agricultural artwork, blending tourism and agriculture in an innovative way.|

"Previously, rice was mainly considered for consumption," he said. "This approach allows us to develop tourism and agriculture simultaneously."

Tanyapong also said, "Young people wanting to learn more about the interaction of art and technology could also benefit from visiting the site."

@nstonline

#NSTTV A sleeping cat hugs a fish in a picture seen from the air, picked out in sprouting rainbow seedlings in a rice field in Thailand to... See more

Entertainment

Sony Deal With Marvel Leaked!

Insomniac's data breach leaked Sony's exclusive deal with Marvel for X-Men video games until 2035. The agreement bars Marvel from releasing X-Men games elsewhere until then. While X-Men characters may appear in multi-family Marvel games, Sony's exclusivity remains solid for the next 12 years.

The leaked documents outline game development details, marketing spend, Marvel's royalties, and termination terms. Marvel's Wolverine is slated for a 2026 release, with the first X-Men game following in 2030, and potential titles like Wolverine Online and X-Men Online in the pipeline.

This move by Sony adds to the gaming industry's growing interest in Marvel's IP, as seen with Electronic Arts and Skydance Media developing Marvel-based games. The X-Men deal coincides with Marvel's plans to integrate the mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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.

Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
Forget it, Black Jack, Somewhere over the rainbow, Back Door
Read in between the lines, Blood is thicker than water, Bee line, Cancelled Cheque

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]