Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov

Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (May 16, 1845, Russian Empire – July 16, 1916, Paris) was a Russian microbiologist best remembered for his pioneering research into the immune system. Mechnikov received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908, for his work on phagocytosis.

Mechnikov was born in a village near Kharkov. He had a passion for natural history. When Charles Darwin’s book “The Origin of Species” was published, he was eager to believe the theory of evolution.

He went to Kharkov University to study natural sciences, completing his four-year degree in just two years. He then went to Germany to study marine fauna on the small North Sea island of Heligoland and then at the University of Giessen, University of Göttingen and then at Munich Academy. In 1867, he returned to the Russian Empire to the appointment of docent at the new University of Odessa, followed by an appointment at the University of St. Petersburg. In 1870, he returned to Odessa to take up the appointment of Titular Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy.

Mechnikov became interested in the study of microbes, and especially the immune system. In 1882, he resigned his position at Odessa University and set up a private laboratory at Messina to study comparative embryology, where he discovered phagocytosis after experimenting on the larvae of starfish. His theories were radical: certain white blood cells could engulf and destroy harmful bodies such as bacteria. The ‘sophisticated’ microbe hunters in the West — Pasteur, Behring, etc. — scorned the Russian and his humble theory.

Mechnikov returned to Odessa as director of an institute set up to carry out Louis Pasteur’s vaccine against rabies, but due to some difficulties left in 1888 and went to Paris to seek Pasteur’s advice. Pasteur gave him an appointment at the Pasteur Institute, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Later vindicated, Mechnikov’s work on phagocytes won him the Nobel Prize in 1908. He worked with Émile Roux on an ointment that would prevent people from contracting syphilis, an STD.

Mechnikov also developed a theory that aging is caused by toxic bacteria in the gut and that lactic acid could prolong life. Based on his theory, he drank sour milk every day. He died in 1916 at 71 years of age (well above the average life expectancy at the time), after writing three books: “Immunity in Infectious Diseases”, “The Nature of Man”, and “The Prolongation of Life: Optimistic Studies”.

It was the last of these works, along with Mechnikov’s studies into the potential life-lengthening properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that inspired Japanese scientist Minoru Shirota to begin investigating the causal relationship between bacteria and good intestinal health. Convinced that a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria held the key to man’s general well- being, Shirota dedicated his life and work to isolating a strain of LAB which would pass into the intestines, positively contributing to the balance of gut flora. In 1935, he succeeded in cultivating a unique bacterium, sufficiently robust to bypass the acidic environment of the stomach and enter the intestines directly. He placed this pioneering strain into a fermented milk drink in order to make its benefits accessible to all — this drink remains available worldwide today (in a recipe almost unchanged from Shirota’s original formula) as the Yakult drink.

Parrots Trained to Make Video Calls with Their Feathered Friends Are Less Lonely, Study Finds

Countless people around the world love making video calls — dialing up a loved one, seeing their face, and hearing their news. According to a new study from Northeastern University, in collaboration with researchers from MIT and the University of Glasgow, parrots like making video calls too. “There are 20 million parrots living in people’s homes in the USA, and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit from video calling too,” Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a researcher at the University of Glasgow and the study’s co-author, explained to The Guardian. “If we gave them the opportunity to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots and their caregivers?”

The answer is a resounding yes.

As The New York Times reports, 18 parrots (and their owners) were enrolled in the study. They were trained to request a video call by ringing a bell, after which their owner would offer them the choice of which parrot to call from a screen. Before long, the parrots started to clamor for more screen time. During the 147 calls, which resulted in more than 1,000 hours of recorded footage, the parrots would sing together, learn new skills from each other, and even attempt to groom each other through the screen.

“We had birds who would sleep next to each other,” Hirskyj-Douglas told The New York Times. “Sometimes they would leave the video call real quickly to go get something to show the other bird.” In one case, two sickly and elderly macaws grew especially close. Despite having never spent time with others of their species, they quickly bonded. Northeastern Global News reports that they danced and sang happily when they saw one another. And if one bird moved out of the frame, the other would call: “Hi! Come here! Hello!”

“It really speaks to how cognitively complex these birds are and how much ability they have to express themselves,” Hirskyj-Douglas said. “It was really beautiful, those two birds.” Not only did many of the birds develop favorite friends and pick up skills like flying and foraging for snacks, but they also seemed to be much happier. The New York Times reports that the study’s avian participants appeared calmer and more confident. Some owners felt like their birds had transformed.

That said, the study’s authors don’t suggest grabbing the nearest laptop and setting up calls between your parrot and others. The humans in their study were experienced bird owners who introduced the technology slowly, and the parrots were particular about who they chose to communicate with. Unsupervised interactions, Northeastern Global News notes, could lead to the parrots feeling fear, which could, in turn, lead to a bird shattering a laptop screen.

Nevertheless, the study does underline the importance of social connection for birds. Parrots are highly intelligent and sociable creatures who live in flocks in the wild. But they often lack this sense of community as pets. “Over 20 million parrots are kept as pets in the US, often lacking appropriate stimuli to meet their high social, cognitive, and emotional needs,” the study’s authors noted. Birds seemed to make friends through the video calls, and some caregivers felt like the social connection improved their birds’ moods.

The Guardian reports that distressed birds suffering from isolation and boredom can develop psychological problems. They might pace, pluck their feathers, or rock back and forth. And the video calls clearly showed that birds can benefit from social interaction (even when it’s virtual). “Now we know that if given access to it, they would use it,” Hirskyj-Douglas remarked to The New York Times. “And they use it in very individual and very beautiful ways.”

Indeed, the study seems to have forged long-term friendships between some of its participants. At least two birds who learned to video call, a Goffin’s cockatoo named Ellie and an African grey named Cookie, have continued to stay in touch. “It’s been over a year,” the researchers said, “and they still talk.”

This Teenager Is Developing a Video Game That Assesses Your Mental Health

Rasha Alqahtani, an 18-year-old from Saudi Arabia, is determined to help her peers learn about their anxiety — in the wildly popular setting of ‘Minecraft.’ Alqahtani saw anxiety affect the lives of people around her — a family member, a “genius” schoolmate who’d cry with each test, strangers on the Internet. To some extent, she struggled with it herself, as “a straight-A student trying to keep perfection.” “I tried to heal myself, by myself, almost all of the time,” she says. “In Saudi Arabia, we are starting now to connect the dots and to raise awareness about mental health.”

Rasha resolved to do something about the anxiety she’d noticed around her, and the sense that taking the immediate step of going to a psychologist might scare some teens. However, Rasha believes getting a diagnosis is a crucial step for mental health: “Acknowledging that, ‘Oh, I have this thing. I’m going to accept having this thing. Now I will work on it ... It’s not going to be something that will hold me back.’” She also loves playing “Minecraft.” “I would just tear up to live in ‘Minecraft’ for a day. I really love it,” she says. So as the COVID-19 pandemic made her and so many others feel anxious, she proposed a research project that would use the familiar, fun format of a video game to evaluate players for anxiety.

Alqahtani put together a first draft of her test in two weeks. Rather than building a full-blown game from scratch, Rasha set her sights on what she calls a “feature,” a module that users would access within a preexisting video game. For the purposes of the prototype, she didn’t actually code the feature but instead produced a video simulation of what it would look like within the game of “Minecraft.” Rasha drew on one of her hobbies — she makes short films — and created a video that looked like “Minecraft: Story Mode,” in which players choose their own adventures by indicating how they’d like to respond to various scenarios.

In Alqahtani’s version, instead of deciding which character to save from a monstrous enemy, users choose how they’d react in different, potentially anxiety-provoking scenarios. In one instance, a friend says “Don’t bring your pet to the party. People will call us losers.” The player selects one of two options: “I’m not worried about them, we will have fun!” and “Oh! That will be so embarrassing and terrifying. I’m leaving my pet, but I’m afraid he will hurt himself.” In scoring the assessment, the latter option would get one point. A higher score, after completing 13 of these questions, should indicate higher anxiety levels.

The judging for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair happened during Ramadan, so the Saudi Arabian delegation participated late at night. Despite the fact that ISEF was a prestigious competition with as much as $75,000 on the line, Alqahtani says she wasn’t there for the glory: “I just said, ‘God, please, I’m doing this for the purpose of helping others. And I do not care if I win; I care if this will reach more people.”

Rasha gave strict orders to her professor father, poet mother, and four of her eight siblings to wait outside the room during the virtual awards announcements. If they heard screams of celebration, they could “burst into the room and just kill me with happiness,” she instructed. They did exactly that when she was named a third-award winner in the behavioral science division, an international accolade that came with a $1,000 prize.

“It’s kind of life-changing,” she says now. “You see that when you work this hard, people ... give you the appreciation you deserve.”

Aoshima, Japan’s ‘Cat Island’

Once a thriving fishing village in southwest Japan, Aoshima is now home to only six humans but hundreds of cats, earning it the moniker of “Cat Island.” A ferry from Ozu, Japan, will take you to Aoshima Island in less than 20 minutes. The sparsely populated island has become a booming tourist attraction, but there are no stores or restaurants here. What Aoshima does have are cats — lots and lots of cats. The cats outnumber the human population on this so-called cat island nearly 36 to one. “I seldom carried tourists before,” ferry captain Nobuyuki Ninomiya remarked. “Now I carry tourists every week, even though the only thing we have to offer is cats.”

The cats are used to humans and therefore are considered semi-feral. They will happily play with visitors and there is even a designated feeding area near the community center. But how did this remote island become overrun with felines in the first place? Believe it or not, Aoshima isn’t unique; in fact, Japan has a total of 10 other islands filled with felines. Fishermen originally brought strays over to these islands in order to lower rodent populations and with no known predators, the cats have reproduced unhindered. Of course, locals also tend to overfeed the cats, especially the islands’ elderly population, which tends to do so in an attempt to develop companionship with the creatures. Honestly, no cat lover can blame them for that.

Japan is also not the only place where cat islands abound. Until recently, the United States had at least 18 cat islands and Australia at one time had 15. Then again, Japan does regard cats a little differently. It’s worth noting that the same paper that reported the amount of cat islands for the U. S. and Australia was also concerned with eradicating the cat populations on those islands. For some, culling the cat populations on Aoshima might seem like a good idea because, as it turns out, large groups of cats can create a stressful environment. Researchers studying Aoshima have learned that cats arrange themselves in hierarchies, where males compete for territory and their female mates compete for food. With so much competition, cat researchers argue that living conditions on this so-called haven are anything but heavenly.

However, others insist that life on the island is a virtual picnic. “It’s a cat paradise here,” said Kazuyuki Ono. “They love nothing more than to just lie about in the street sunning themselves all day.” The only snag is that when winter comes and tourism slows down, the cats become more desperate for food. “In spring and summer, tourists bring food to feed the cats but when it gets cold, the sea is rough and nobody comes. Sometimes boats can’t cross in the rough seas,” Ono added. This happened in 2016, but luckily, a plea for food resulted in a plethora of donations.

But what happened to all the human residents of Aoshima? Aoshima Island was once a prosperous fishing village; home to 900 people in the mid-1940s. Today, only a handful of elderly residents who didn’t relocate after World War II remain. In fact, as of 2019, only six full-time residents were recorded.

A photographer known as Fubirai has spent several years documenting the island’s cats on his blog. In 2012, the photos went viral, which led to a small tourism boom. But other than that, unfortunately, Aoshima is not exactly a bustling hub for tourism. There are no hotels, restaurants, shops, or even a vending machine. So, if you’re planning a visit to Aoshima, bring all your own supplies and take all your garbage home with you. Be respectful of the elderly residents and kind to the felines who call Japan's cat island home.

The Hague, where I live, boasts an impressive 11 kilometers of stunning coastline adorned with rolling dunes and sandy beaches. During the summer, it’s a common sight to witness locals enjoying the sun, wandering through nature, or biking along the scenic paths. The many benches available along the coast often serve as perfect spots for these individuals to take a break, whether they are reading, chatting with friends, or embracing the art of “niksen.”

“Niksen” is a beautiful Dutch term that encapsulates the wellness trend of “doing nothing.” Gaining notoriety starting in 2019, it became a popular means to handle stress and recuperate from burnout. With many individuals expressing feelings of exhaustion and depression due to excessive work, the concept provided a refreshing alternative. As a linguist, I found it particularly fascinating that a single, succinct word could convey the entire essence of doing nothing.

I interpret niksen as “doing nothing without any intention” — in contrast to activities like scrolling through social media or meditative practices. Where mindfulness encourages us to be present in the moment, niksen focuses on creating space for our minds to wander freely. As we gradually emerge from the pandemic’s shadow, it’s essential to rethink our approach to work and how we choose to spend our time.

The importance of this reevaluation is underscored by the complexity of our lives and careers today. We increasingly find ourselves tethered to computers, with constant demands to be the best versions of ourselves, influenced by workplace expectations, parental pressures, and the omnipresent standards of social media. The pressure to perform can be overwhelming.

However, stress is not inherently detrimental, as noted by Leiden University psychology professor Bernet Elzinga. “Momentary stress, where you are highly focused, isn’t necessarily harmful. The issue arises when stress spirals out of control,” she explained. Enter niksen as a potential solution. “By engaging in nothingness, you connect with your default mode network, the part of your brain responsible for mind-wandering and self-reflection,” Elzinga further elaborated.

Interestingly, niksen may also enhance our productivity. Short breaks allow our brains to rest and recharge, resulting in better focus and sustained attention upon returning to tasks. This likely contributes to the Dutch reputation for efficiency, despite their relatively shorter work hours.

Moreover, the Dutch are celebrated for their creativity. Renowned artists, such as Rembrandt, and innovative engineering, like the ingenious flood defenses including vast dams and floating houses, showcase the nation’s resourceful spirit.

Locals frequently engage in active pursuits like cycling or hiking, creating ideal opportunities for mental clarity. When the sun graces the days, the Dutch flock to cafés and terraces, even during wintertime, making these spots perfect for indulging in niksen.

Nevertheless, Elzinga suggests that engaging in physical activities while surrounded by nature might be even more beneficial for alleviating daily burdens. Fortuitously, in the Netherlands, there's a wonderful way to intertwine niksen, nature, and movement seamlessly.

While the country may not be famed for extensive natural landscapes, the Dutch cherish the small natural havens available. Numerous dune regions contribute to an expansive network of hiking and cycling paths woven throughout the country. Even within bustling cities like Rotterdam, The Hague, or Amsterdam, one is never far from scenic trails.

In collaboration with the Dutch Railway, Wandelnet — an organization dedicated to developing and maintaining hiking routes — has introduced NS Wandelingen, a series of hiking paths easily accessible via train or public transportation. These routes vary in length from 7 to 22 kilometers, perfect for a day of exploration. With benches positioned along the trails, taking a niksen pause is entirely feasible. In a world filled with challenges, prioritizing stress relief is more critical than ever.

New Year, My Favorite Holiday: a New View

The cliché question of “What’s your favorite holiday” has always thrown me for a loop. Sure there is Valentine’s Day or Christmas, but when I tell people New Year’s Day they are a little confused, let me explain. There is something special about the new year, there is a sense of rebirth, of restart, it’s a good feeling. And behind this there are hope and optimism.

Now mind you, I have never really been a big fan of staying up till midnight, I try to be a very scheduled person. I used to work at a coffee shop for years! I would always have to be at work New Year Day morning, 4 a.m. to be exact, and that was always a little rough on the system. I have fond memories of people who were still awake from the previous day. However, behind all those tired sleepy faces was a glimmer of hope and happiness.

I have always been a fan of being the first one awake when camping in the woods, or even staying in a cabin, the coffee is hot, the mornings are crisp and the world for a few moments is silent. You might hear the telltale signs of wildlife skittering around in the morning! This to me is New Year’s morning, New Year is the grander scale of the daily morning wake up with coffee, there is something special about waking up and it being a whole new year... even more so when a decade has passed!

People are making resolutions to better themselves, they are making hopeful promises to others (when they should be making them for themselves) and while we all know that the majority of resolutions falter but the idea is there for a fleeting moment. That sheer optimism, the excitement of the challenge, of the possibility of lifestyle change is there. That’s what I love. The passion for change is there but as humans we unfortunately revert back to our old routines, we are after all, creatures of habit. That’s the human part of us all!

Hope and optimism are driving factors for many things. I’m not sure if it’s a personality trait thing but I can’t help but have undying optimism for everything in life... even things that are utter nonsense! The last few years have been wonky personally but I never let it get me down, yes, there were tears and shame and frustration but when I let all that overcome me I always came out knowing there was light at the end. There was never a moment in which I felt like I’d never rise above. That’s hope.

That is what New Year’s Day reminds me of. We plan to make changes when everyone else does, we plan to be better alongside everyone else. Maybe it is easier, but maybe you aren’t one of those people who want to go with the grain, you truly can only commit to it when you are ready... you are in charge here. Life should never be a competition with other humans, you can only make the changes when you are ready.

So take this new year, exhale 2022 and take a deep breath into 2023. Enjoy the peace the day will bring, the optimism that will be prevalent for about the next month.

Whatever New Year means to you, I hope it is full of happiness! Remember the optimism doesn’t have to fade as the month progresses... it’s always there, laying dormant until you need that pick me up. Cheers!

Flywheel Batteries: A New Spin on Energy Storage

A friend of mine recently installed solar panels on his roof to generate electricity. They were quite expensive, but my friend considers it an investment that will pay for itself in lower electricity bills over a period of decades. Of course, the panels generate electricity only when the sun is shining. The house is still connected to the electrical grid just like every other house in the neighborhood, but in such a way that it uses electricity from the grid only when the demand is greater than the output from the solar panels. When the panels are producing more electricity than is being used, the electric meter spins backward, and the electric company effectively buys the excess power. So if there were a power outage, the house would have electricity only during the day.

Homes that are “off the grid” and use solar panels or windmills to produce electricity must store the excess for times when insufficient power is being produced. The usual way to do this is to install a large bank of lead- acid batteries, similar to the ones used in cars. When electricity is being generated, it’s stored in the batteries, and when it’s needed, it’s drained from the batteries. The very same principle is used in hybrid gasoline- electric cars, on the International Space Station and in a number of satellites and spacecraft. It’s also fundamental to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which you can purchase to keep your computer going for a while or provide emergency lighting in the event of a power outage.

But there’s a problem with using batteries for storing electricity: they wear out. Even the most sophisticated modern batteries used in cell phones and laptops can only be discharged and recharged a finite number of times; sooner or later, they refuse to hold a charge.

Although chemical batteries are likely to be around for a very long time, those with a need for high-capacity, long-term electricity storage are eagerly looking for alternatives. One such alternative is based on a very old and simple device: the flywheel. A flywheel is simply a heavy spinning wheel that stores kinetic energy and then releases it as needed.

Now people are turning flywheels into batteries. Conceptually, a flywheel battery is very simple. Hook up a motor to a flywheel to spin it when electricity is supplied (storing the energy as kinetic energy). When you want to retrieve energy from the flywheel, hook it up to a generator. So you put electricity in and get electricity out, and in the meantime it’s “stored” as the motion of a spinning wheel.

As you might expect, however, it’s not quite that simple. Because of the forces of gravity and friction, any flywheel will eventually dissipate all its energy and spin down. So for long-term storage, you want a design with as little friction as possible — which can be accomplished using magnetic bearings to make the wheel “float” and enclosing it in a vacuum to eliminate air resistance. Capacity is another issue. The greater the mass of the wheel and the faster it spins, the more energy it holds – though you improve efficiency more by increasing the speed than you do by increasing the mass.

Two problems that have not yet been solved are cost and scalability. Although it’s possible to purchase a flywheel battery to act as a backup power supply for your home or business, it will set you back many thousands of dollars — enough to pay for quite a few years’ worth of batteries. And you won’t see a flywheel battery small enough to power handheld devices or large enough to power a city block. Still, in an era that values devices with no moving parts as a design triumph, it’s fascinating to watch a good old- fashioned spinning wheel emerge as the battery of the future.

Guédelon Castle

Although restoration can stir up controversy, as some would prefer not to risk damaging delicate artworks, or may disagree about the best method for restoring them, there is something extremely compelling about seeking to return old objects to their original states.

The man behind its restoration, Michel Guyot, has a project currently underway: the creation of an entire castle from the ground up, using the building techniques and materials of the 13th century. In the small village of Guédelon, not far from Saint-Fargeau, visitors to the castle can watch trained artisans go about their work, much as their counterparts did 800 years ago. Although seeing a restored castle can give you historical insight, the Guédelon project goes much further; with its emphasis on recreating the methods used to build the grand castles of the past, the experience could be likened to looking over the shoulder of a Renaissance artist, watching as he mixes his paints.

The design of the castle was inspired by the castles built by King Philippe Auguste in the 13th century. Among them is the original Louvre fortress, built to protect Paris from Viking attacks on its west side. Although the fortress was later razed to make room for a new palace, parts of its foundations remained intact.

Although Philippe Auguste only lived until 1223, the Guédelon project’s designers imagine its beginning construction date as being 1228, when castle designs still followed Philippe’s model. Having chosen to emulate this historical era, the specific plans for the Guédelon castle were developed by Jacques Moulin, the chief architect of historic monuments in France. Begun in 1997 with the laying of the foundations, the Guédelon project is not scheduled to be completed until 2024. When it is finished, the castle will consist of high fortress walls, with towers of varying sizes around its perimeter.

Forming the backbone of the project are the 40 or so builders who quarry stone, mix mortar, and chisel rock, among other tasks, during the warmer part of the year. In spring, summer, and fall, these workers put in long days of work, while the site is closed in the winter. In keeping with the spirit of the project, workers wear simple tunics that would not have looked out of place in the 13th century, although they do make use of modern safety equipment such as goggles, helmets, and harnesses.

Both the materials they use and the techniques they employ are limited to those used by builders of the 13th century. The area around the construction site provides all the necessary materials for the project, including sandstone, wood, iron, limestone, earth, and hemp.

Sandstone is quarried near the site using only hand tools, and then carried by horse-cart or wheelbarrow to the area where masons wait to shape the rock with chisels and mauls. The nearby forests provide wood for a variety of uses, including the production of beams, planks, levers, scaffolding, banisters, wheelbarrows, pails, and tool handles, as well as fuel for all the site’s heating needs.

One of those heating needs is the kiln in which sandstone is fired for two days before producing a lump of iron ore. Blacksmiths reheat the iron in a furnace before shaping it on their anvils into nails, tools, chains, weapons, or hinges. Likewise, blocks of limestone are heated to obtain quicklime, which is mixed with sand to produce mortar. Earth is used to produce bricks, pottery, and tiles, and to weatherproof walls. Lastly, the project’s rope makers rely on hemp to create lifting ropes, belts, and harnesses.

The Guédelon building site was first opened to the public in 1998, and by 2020, it was producing enough income to be self-sustaining. In recent years, as many as 300,000 people visit the site annually, and it is especially popular for groups of schoolchildren.

High School vs College Life: Fun Must-Know Differences

There are some very big differences between high school and college life. Both are fun in their own ways and both have unique experiences to offer you. But there is no denying that there are some fun and important differences between the two in terms of social life, academics, and sports. Finally, one of the biggest differences is how much more you are in control of everything. We’ll go over all of these differences here, and get you the lowdown on high school vs college life.

1. Grades and Graduation

It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you are getting the grades you want. There will be no one to remind you of deadlines, or to push you harder. If you want a bit of a push, try to join a study group in your major or classes but ultimately, it’s still your choice whether to succeed or not in college. Graduating on time is also under your control. You need to make sure that you are both taking and passing the classes you need to graduate from your program on time.

2. Self-discipline

One of the most fun but also scariest differences in high school vs college life is that you are in the driver’s seat. You are in complete control of your time, your schedule, and your study habits. This can be a fun change because you are finally free to study and organize your day in a way that is best and most productive for you. On the flip side, this can backfire if you don’t organize your time well, or don’t implement enough self-discipline. In high school, your family members, teachers, and coaches had much more say in your schedule. Now you are on your own and need to learn how to manage your time. Create a weekly calendar for yourself with due dates and events, and make sure to review and update the calendar often.

3. Student-Teacher Relationship

At very large universities, you will no longer be able to see your teacher as your friend, or someone who knows you personally. In high school, you see your teachers in small groups every day, and for years throughout the school grounds. A personal relationship usually develops. That is not often the case in college — but use this to your advantage! The fact that not everyone has a personal relationship with professors makes it that much more unique and beneficial to you if you do. Get to know your professors from the start, and what research they are doing or what projects they have been a part of and see if you can get involved somehow. Never too early to start networking!

4. Lifestyle and responsibilities

If you chose to move away from home to study at the university, chances are you will be living on campus or renting an apartment together with other students. This is a great opportunity to learn to live with others, make the best friends of your life, and have an amazing support system. If you didn’t choose your roommates or housemates (or even if you did), keep an open mind and establish rules in the beginning. Also, remember that you are now an adult living on your own. That means increased independence and increased risks. It’s up to you to make responsible choices not just about your studies, but also your budget, personal schedule, diet, and ways of spending free time.

5. Social Life

In college, you will gain so many new friends — from your new living or studying spaces, from classes, extracurricular activities, and part-time work. This leads to a much richer social life than the one you may have had during high school. Your social calendar will be much more varied as well. With new things added such as club meetings, new volunteer opportunities, study groups and Greek or dorm events if you choose to live on campus.

Artificial Intelligence Helps You Plan Your Next Trip

With the introduction of accessible new AI systems like ChatGPT, travel will never be the same. AI has simplified planning, made it easier to discover new experiences, and streamlined the booking process. Instead of slogging through hours of research, users get similar results with a quick conversation with AI. It is great for some travel functions, like generating ideas, spotlighting small businesses, and translating languages — but there are tricks to using it well, especially when it comes to traveling.

One of the best uses of AI for travel is to coordinate multiple flights and suggest destinations based on certain parameters, including timing and pricing. For example, GPT-4 can find multiple flights for under $1,500 for five people traveling from five different cities in the U.S. to Amsterdam in August. GPT can save a lot of research time by coordinating budgets and itineraries and searching for the best deals on multiple platforms. You’ll still need to visit booking sites to both book and verify the pricing, which is one reason experts recommend that travelers use AI as a rough outline or starting point — and not rely on it alone.

You can narrow your search once you choose where you want to travel. AI is skilled at responding to specific interests, whether you’re looking for the best speakeasies in an area or designing a five-day itinerary of off-the-beaten-path museums, events, or tours. It can even suggest dining reservations or find out the price of ticketed events.

To create a good prompt, it’s crucial to ask questions in your native language, according to Ross Borden from “Matador Network,” the company behind the travel AI chat called “GuideGeek.” AI models can speak and understand many languages, and your grammar matters: the more accurate your punctuation, spelling, and grammar, the better the AI will be able to understand you. You will also need to be as specific as possible about what you want. Include information about your party (any kids, elderly travelers, or pets?), dietary restrictions, interests, and priorities. The more information you can give, the better your result will be.

Of course, things are still not perfect when it comes to AI systems. AI “can collect general information with 70 to 80% accuracy — that’s still only a C grade,” says Erica Jackowitz, a luxury travel advisor with “Roman & Erica.” The current version of AI is only as good as the data it’s pulling in. As mentioned above, the free ChatGPT platform has a knowledge cutoff of September 2021. That means that it won’t be able to tell you if a hotel, restaurant, bar, or museum has closed, gone out of business, changed its name, or shifted focus. You’ll also still need to go directly to booking sites to verify prices and book your travel.

Matthias Keller, chief scientist and senior vice president of technology at Kayak, noted that issues also arise if a city has changed names or is known under another name. For example, at Kayak, Bangalore is referred to as Bengaluru, the city’s official name since 2014. AI can also “hallucinate” or make up false facts when asked about very small cities or towns in remote locations, according to Borden. “If you say, what’s a great coffee shop in Shoshone, Idaho, you probably want to check the output because it tends to have, in my experience, more hallucinations in small towns where the AI doesn't have an answer,” he says. “It will just make one up, which is obviously not good for anyone.”

Because the technology is still so new and changing so fast, it’s difficult to say how it will affect travel long term, but according to Borden, “AI is the technology that's going to bring travel into this amazing renaissance with regard to how we plan, research, and ultimately book travel. And then it will revolutionize what we do even as we travel.”

Longyearbyen: the Northernmost City in the World

Have you ever wondered what the ‘most northern’ city in the world is? Well, here’s your answer! Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Svalbard, is a tiny Norwegian metropolis with 2,400 residents from almost 53 different countries. The small Arctic town is inhabited by nature enthusiasts who live in close unity under tough climatic conditions with the High Arctic wilderness right on their doorstep. Longyearbyen is the gateway to the nature-based experiences and the starting point for most adventures in Svalbard. This Arctic wilderness starts virtually in the town centre and never ends!

Maybe it seems a bit over the top to call our little town a metropolis. However, with its vitality, international vibe and warm people in wonderful surroundings, that’s exactly how we perceive it. Longyearbyen’s central location in a geopolitically interesting Arctic also contributes to it being perceived as larger than it actually is. Furthermore, the range of services on offer to residents and guests is surprisingly extensive with a wide range of shops, restaurants and bars, along with varied cultural offerings. In Longyearbyen, the North Pole is right around the corner from the pub. Perhaps some find it strange that a settlement so incredibly far north has its own brewery, chocolaterie and greenhouse that supplies us with fresh herbs and vegetables, but that’s just the way it is!

Although the tiny metropolis may appear a bit “harsh” with a rough industrial exterior, Longyearbyen is renowned for its hospitality and high level of comfort. Most people enjoy themselves in Longyearbyen and quickly feel they belong here. Many are bitten by the “Arctic bug” and refuse to move southwards. “I only planned to be here for one year, but I’ve been here for many years now,” is a comment you hear virtually every day. Nevertheless, Longyearbyen is a place people come to work and not somewhere they can spend their entire lives. The average time people live in Svalbard is seven years, according to “Statistics Norway”.

The residents of Longyearbyen feel that we live completely normal everyday lives. However, those looking from the outside often perceive our everyday life as somewhat extraordinary. The polar bears are never far away, so it’s a necessity to carry weapons when we venture outside the settlement. The climate is harsh and unpredictable. Some people find the contrasts and changes between light and dark challenging, while others think it’s wonderful.

There are several fun facts about Longyearbyen that may seem strange to visitors. To name just a few: for example, there are separate “roads” in the town centre for snowmobiles. The streets in Longyearbyen have numbers instead of names. We only have one grocery store. We are used to living next door to reindeer, and seeing whales swimming in the fjord from our lounge window is not an uncommon occurrence. We still take off our shoes when we enter hotels and restaurants, a tradition that has arisen from the problem with coal dust in the old days. All the mining infrastructure is protected and remains as surreal monuments in and around the settlement. Finally, Longyearbyen has a university centre with 300 students, all of whom must learn to use firearms... remember the bears, right?

We gladly have a drink with our colleagues outside after work while wearing mittens. During the winter darkness, we need to wear a headlamp on our way to work, and it’s common to see the Northern Lights dancing in the sky when we head outside to meet a friend for lunch. In the summertime, you often go out with the Midnight Sun shining brightly on your face. Longyearbyen is home to around 1,000 eager polar dogs who will gladly take you out into the wilderness, while the toughest residents are members of the local snowmobile club, “Sons of Svalbard”. One thing we really enjoy is packing our snowmobile sleds after work on Fridays and setting off on weekend trips in the Arctic wilderness with our family or friends.

Nine-Year-Old Girl Discovers 15-Million-Year-Old Shark Tooth

On Christmas morning 2022, nine-year-old Molly Sampson got the presents she had asked for: special tools for shark tooth hunting. That same day, the young aspiring paleontologist found a 5-inch-long megalodon shark tooth in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. “I went closer, and in my head, I was like, ‘Oh, my, that is the biggest tooth I’ve ever seen!'” Molly exclaimed in an interview. “I reached in and grabbed it, and dad said I was shrieking.”

According to the Washington Post, hunting fossils is one of the Sampson family’s favorite activities. After Molly and her older sister Natalie had received their archeological tools for Christmas, their father, Bruce, took them to the Chesapeake Bay near the Calvert Cliffs to look for shark teeth.

Molly announced that she was “looking for a Meg,” and then waded fearlessly into the water despite the rather cool 10-degree weather. Before long, that’s exactly what Molly found — a megalodon tooth. The tooth of a prehistoric shark is much larger and much rarer than any of the shark teeth in her father’s collection. “She told me she was wading in knee deep water when she saw it and dove in to get it,” Molly’s mother Alicia shared. “She has always wanted to find a ‘Meg’, but for whatever reason, her wish came true exactly on Christmas morning.”

The Sampson family took Molly’s find to the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland. The staff there knew the family well, as they’ve shared other fossil finds with the museum before. But the shark tooth that Molly had found, according to the curator of paleontology Stephen Godfrey, was a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of find.”

“It’s a spectacular specimen,” Godfrey said. “It’s one of the larger ones that’s probably ever been found here.” Godfrey determined that Molly’s megalodon tooth was approximately 15 million years old, and probably sat in the upper jaw of a megalodon that was between 45 and 50 feet long. The megalodon would have used its impressive teeth to hunt prey like whales and dolphins. “It basically evolved those kinds of teeth so that it could cut out pieces, just like great white sharks do,” Godfrey explained. He added: “They sort of chomp the carcass of their prey.” Godfrey explained that megalodon teeth are found on a “fairly regular basis” near the Calvert Cliffs though rarely as large as the megalodon tooth that Molly Sampson found. “People should not get the impression that teeth like this one are common along Calvert Cliffs,” he told the journalists. “And [Molly] didn’t have to dig into the cliffs to find the tooth, it was out in the water.”

For now, Molly plans to keep the megalodon tooth among the others in her collection. Though she’s found multiple shark teeth before, the newest one dwarfs all the others. And despite its rarity, Molly has no plans to sell the tooth. “I am sure she will always keep it with her — to her, this tooth is priceless!” Alicia Sampson said. Indeed, the greatest prize for the Sampson family seems to be how Molly’s story has inspired other young aspiring paleontologists. Molly hopes that it will show others “how fun it is to explore.” “It’s kind of cool that she was motivating other kids to get outside and explore,” her mother added.

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The Last Fisherman of Monaco

It’s often just past midnight when Eric Rinaldi unties the mooring lines and carefully manoeuvres his fishing boat Diego out of Monaco’s harbour, Port Hercules. Contemplating the hours of inky darkness in front of him, he’ll steer past rows of superyachts as he heads out into the open sea, their polished hulls and elaborate designs a stark contrast to the simple practicality of his fibreglass workboat.

Onboard Diego — named for his young son — Rinaldi’s biggest luxury is an old Nespresso machine, one of the few comforts among the jumble of nets, hooks, bright orange buoys and other tools of his trade.

Today, it’s a profession at risk of disappearing completely; around these parts, Rinaldi is known as “the last fisherman of Monaco”.

It was Rinaldi’s great-grandfather, Adolphe, who first fished these waters around 1900. After him came Ange, Rinaldi’s grandfather. Generation three, Andre — or Dédé, as he was known around the port — followed. And for Rinaldi, there was little question where his future lay.

“As a baby, he was already thinking about fishing, almost before he could even talk,” Rinaldi’s mother, Jacqueline, told me. Around the age of five, as soon as he could swim, Rinaldi began to fish with a rod on the docks with Dédé keeping a watchful eye on his son from his boat. By the start of his mid-teens, he was alternating between a week at school and a week spent fishing with his father, biding his time before he could officially quit school and join his father to fish full-time at the age of 16.

Dédé, who passed away a decade ago, taught his son not only practical fishing skills, but also how to read the Mediterranean Sea, a body of water where conditions can change in as little as half an hour. He also remained loyal to the traditional pointu, never fishing on a modern-style fishing vessel. The biggest pointu he fished on was 14 m long. Rinaldi transitioned to a modern-style fibreglass vessel when he purchased Dédé after his father's death just over a decade ago. He took ownership of Diego, a slightly larger fishing boat, less than two years ago.

Today, with his uncle Charles to assist him, Rinaldi ventures up to four hours off the coast of Monaco in search of bigger fish such as tuna and swordfish. Closer to shore, when the water warms up in spring and summer, he nets smaller species such as red mullet, sea bream and scorpion fish. He can spend up to 24 hours at sea, preferring to only sleep on his return. It’s known for him to come back empty-handed. “Ten fish keeps me going,” he said. Earlier this year, he had a record haul, including a tuna weighing 180 kg, quickly snapped up by a chef at one of Monaco’s upscale restaurants.

His catch is sold or served fresh alongside other fish at Pêcherie U Luvassu (the Monégasque name for Mediterranean seabass), the fishmonger behind his berth that he co-owns. Local restaurants, as well as residents, are clients — “even the chefs from the superyachts,” Rinaldi said. The site has evolved with the arrival of local restaurateur Sami Ben Slama as his business partner in 2020. Now, the smartly dressed waterfront tables are a place to linger for a suited lunch crowd. But it’s the success of the restaurant that allows Rinaldi to continue his profession — and his passion — Ben Slama told me.

It’s still too early to know if Rinaldi is truly the last fisherman of Monaco. His son Diego is just 12 and Rinaldi said he is too young to have decided on his future path. Whatever that may be, however, he is sure there will always be a place for a fisherman in Monaco. And if my son doesn’t want to follow me and there’s some other young person who wants to, then why not help them?

It was a sunny June morning when I arrived in the historic city of Safranbolu in northern Turkey. The former Ottoman town was abuzz with life — an old caravanserai was welcoming new guests and alluring boutiques were selling everything from handmade soaps to saffron-flavoured lokum. Yet, what caught my eye were the hundreds of timber-laced mansions that dotted the town’s quaint alleyways. With gleaming white stone facades, red-gabled roofs, and brown casement windows, they looked straight out of a fairy tale.

Nestled deep within the Karabuk province of Turkey’s Black Sea region, Safranbolu was an important caravan stop along the Silk Road, the ancient trading route between China and the West. The city was known for its burgeoning saffron trade and became a prominent Ottoman town in the 18th Century, its cobbled streets chock-full of mosques, hammams, and these traditional Turkish mansions called konaklar.

Today, there are more than 2,000 Ottoman-era konaklar in Safranbolu. Many are home to locals, while others have been transformed into boutique hotels, restaurants, cafés, and museums. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but these konaklar are outstanding examples of sustainable architecture and socially responsible building design. However, while their importance saw the city inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list in 1994, many people outside Turkey still remain oblivious to their existence.

Safranbolu has a unique topography and climate. The Old Town is located on the slopes of a deep ravine. Summers are balmy and clear, whereas winters are cold and snowy. Çamlıca Konağı, a 300-year-old konak-turned-boutique hotel, like hundreds of other Safranbolu konaklar, is perfectly designed to adapt to these temperature variations.

“Our homes are made with locally sourced wood and stone that provide excellent thermal insulation across seasons, without harming the environment,” said Fatih Dökmeci, a local architect who has restored more than 100 konaklar in Safranbolu.

As I walked through the wide stone hallway of Çamlıca Konağı and climbed the wooden stairs to my spacious suite on the first floor, I was surprised by how well ventilated the entire mansion was, even in the middle of a hot summer’s day. The sofa room — a central hall that connected all other rooms on the first floor — was especially airy and comfortable.

My tour of the mansion revealed something even more interesting: the ceilings of the guest rooms on the first floor were significantly lower than those of the reception hall and the breakfast lounge on the ground floor. Özen, the owner of the hotel, explained that this was purposefully done so that less energy would be used to heat these rooms in winter, making the mansions extremely energy efficient. She added that in the past, the people of Safranbolu would have their kitchen on the first floor so heat from the stove could be repurposed for heating the rooms. “Kitchens have long moved downstairs but Safranbolu families still spend warm and cosy winters on the low-roofed first floors of their konaklar,” she told me.

Özen told me that it was an important part of their culture to respect the needs of others who inhabited the same locality. That’s why they ended up constructing their houses in harmony with the entire neighbourhood and not just as standalone structures. “Building my own house like that made me a little less selfish and a little more human,” Özen said.

Özen, who has always lived in a traditional Turkish house, is proud of her heritage. “Living in a konak gives me the warmth of community and makes me feel closer to nature,” she said. “I want to share some of that warmth with my guests and help them experience the care and love that I have experienced here. By restoring Çamlıca Konağı, I not only intend to save our heritage but also teach the future generation the importance of being kind to nature and other human beings.”

Four grunts, an indignant voice asking why nobody could leave a hat alone, a slammed door, and Mr Packington had departed to catch the eightforty- five to the City. Mrs Packington sat on at the breakfast table. Her face was flushed, her lips were pursed, and the only reason she was not crying was that at the last minute anger had taken the place of grief.

"I won't stand it," said Mrs Packington. "I won't stand it!" She remained for some moments brooding, and then murmured: "The minx. Nasty sly little cat! How George can be such a fool!"

Anger faded; grief came back. Tears came into Mrs Packington's eyes and rolled slowly down her middle-aged cheeks.

"It's all very well to say I won't stand it, but what can I do?"

Suddenly she felt alone, helpless, utterly forlorn. Slowly she took up the morning paper and read, not for the first time, an advertisement on the front page.

"Confidential

Are you happy? If not, consult Mr Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street".

"Absurd!" said Mrs Packington. "Utterly absurd." Then: "After all, I might just see…"

Which explains why at eleven o'clock Mrs Packington, a little nervous, was being shown into Mr Parker Pyne's private office.

As has been said, Mrs Packington was nervous, but somehow or other, the mere sight of Mr Parker Pyne brought a feeling of reassurance. He was large, not to say fat; he had a bald head of noble proportions, strong glasses and little twinkling eyes.

"Pray sit down," said Mr Parker Pyne. "You have come in answer to my advertisement?" he added helpfully.

"Yes," said Mrs Packington, and stopped there.

"And you are not happy," said Mr Parker Pyne in a cheerful, matter-offact voice. "Very few people are. You would really be surprised if you knew how few people are happy."

"Indeed?" said Mrs Packington, not feeling, however, that it mattered whether other people were unhappy or not.

"Not interesting to you, I know," said Mr Parker Pyne,

"but very interesting to me. You see, for thirty-five years of my life I have been engaged in the compiling of statistics in a government office. Now I have retired, and it has occurred to me to use the experience I have gained in a novel fashion. It is all so simple. Unhappiness can be classified under five main heads — no more, I assure you. Once you know the cause of a malady, the remedy should not be impossible.

"I stand in the place of the doctor. The doctor first diagnoses the patient's disorder, then he proceeds to recommend a course of treatment. There are cases where no treatment can be of any avail. If that is so, I say frankly that I can do nothing. But I assure you, Mrs Packington, that if I undertake a case, the cure is practically guaranteed."

Could it be so? Was this nonsense, or could it, perhaps, be true? Mrs Packington gazed at him hopefully.

"Shall we diagnose your case?" said Mr Parker Pyne, smiling. He leaned back in his chair and brought the tips of his fingers together. "The trouble concerns your husband. You have had, on the whole, a happy married life. Your husband has, I think, prospered. I think there is a young lady concerned in the case — perhaps a young lady in your husband's office."