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The shortest commercial flight in the world lasts only 80 seconds!!

The shortest commercial flight in the world is between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray, covering a distance of just 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers). Under ideal wind conditions, the flight takes only about 80 seconds.

The question is: Why don’t they use boats?!

Environment

Star-Shaped Sand

If you visit one of the beaches in Japan's Ryukyu Islands, such as Okinawa, and examine a grain of sand under a magnifying glass, you'll notice something unusual—it’s shaped like a star.

Japan has some of the highest concentrations of star-shaped sand in the world. Unlike regular sand, which is made up of ground stone and coral, star sand was once a living organism.

“Star sand is the empty shell of unicellular microorganisms called Foraminifera,” explains Kazuhiko Fujita, a professor at the University of the Ryukyus. These shells have a rounded body with five or more spines, resembling a cartoonish star.

The beaches on islands like Taketomi, Hatoma, and Iriomote are made up of these tiny skeletons. Foraminifera live on the crests of reefs or on the sheltered sandy plains of the reef.

Interestingly, Foraminifera have a symbiotic relationship with diatoms, microorganisms that live inside their star-shaped shells. Diatoms are microscopic algae that perform photosynthesis, converting light into carbohydrates and oxygen.

The star shape of the Foraminifera’s shell allows light to reach the diatoms inside, helping both organisms produce energy. When the Foraminifera die, their skeletons wash up on beaches, gradually adding to the sand.

“As their population grows, so does the amount of star sand,” says Mark Wilson, an invertebrate paleontologist at the College of Wooster. This process may help protect these small islands by contributing material to their shores.

Entertainment and Culture

The 21-Year-Old Stone Mason

Here is Charlie Gee, a young stone carver who shares his work on YouTube and Instagram. I find watching and listening to the chisel cut through the different stones mesmerizing.

Here are some amazing videos of him working with marble, slate, limestone, sandstone, and probably a few more.

To clarify, if you watch one of his slightly longer videos where he shows the whole process, you will see that he measures and scores his lines before penciling them. He is not free-handing the lines, even he is not that good. 😄

Here is a fantastic short of him working on a piece of marble. I find the marble work to be some of the most interesting to watch.

This short is showing him carve a replacement for a beautiful spire on a gothic cathedral.

Here is a 7 minute video showing more of the process of working with marble.

World News

Ancient Sculpture Found in Cambodia

Even in heavily excavated sites like the Pyramids and Angkor Wat, new discoveries are still made.

In Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park, a nearly complete Dvarapala statue, or “door guard” in South Asian mythology, was recently unearthed beneath the Banteay Prei temple. The sandstone sculpture was buried two-and-a-half feet underground, likely dislodged by damage to the gate it once guarded.

Banteay Prei, a lesser-known Buddhist temple built by King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th or early 13th century, is rarely visited. The statue, though broken into six pieces with missing parts, remains in relatively good condition, according to Chea Sarith from Cambodia’s Department of Conservation of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology.

Dvarapalas, which can vary widely in appearance, are common in Asian architecture, found in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples across the region. The ones at Angkor are modest figures with downward-pointing clubs.

Angkor Archaeological Park covers 401 square kilometers, making it one of the largest cultural heritage sites in the world. While many temples are well-known, others like Banteay Prei see few visitors.

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Mind Stretchers

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What goes up, but never comes down?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

To maintain a sequential pattern, B must be correct: the square grows in size and then shrinks as it progresses along the sequence.

Gerry Moore got the 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