Insane. 

A new cosmic photo taken by the James Webb Space Telescope showed an instance of our space being warped and bent. The image features a cluster of galaxies looking like something heavy almost made them move closer together. In the huge photo, we can compare it to one section of the bed changing to accommodate a weight of a heavier object resting on that area. 

Well, our comparison seems to match the reasoning as to why these galaxies, which are around 6.3 billion light-years away, look distorted and magnified. This was due to gravitational lensing, a phenomenon described by the European Space Agency as something that happens “when a massive celestial object such as a galaxy cluster causes a sufficient curvature of spacetime for light to be visibly bent around it, as if by a gargantuan lens.”

Read more about this cluster of galaxies here.

Image credit: ESA / Web // NASA / CSA / J. Rigby

Not really. You can, however, delete the history listed on your computer if you’re worried about somebody seeing some websites or queries you deem embarrassing, like a medical question or some NSFW content. 

You can delete your browser’s search history by clearing the data of your browser. Some applications offer the “delete history” or “clear data” button as well. However, that only guarantees deletion from your device. On the off chance that a police department is searching through your phone or computer, then something will turn up (we hope that you are not in this situation, though). 

Traces of your searches can be seen elsewhere, according to Eric Santanen, an associate professor at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. “For example, if you are logged into a Google account and perform a web search, Google will retain a list of all searches you have performed,” he shared. “Other search engines tend to retain similar sets of data for analysis and sale to other organizations.”

Read more about the topic here!

Image credit: Anete Lusina

Remote meetings tend to be a bit awkward or difficult. If workers aren’t struggling with the Internet connection, they’d probably be trying their best to finish the meeting without any uncomfortable moments or weird pauses. 

Inc.’s Jessica Stillman suggests one good way to kick off an online meeting. Following the words of Jackie Colburn, an online meeting moderator, she suggests kicking off meetings with a weird but effective icebreaker: people’s feet.  

"What are you wearing on your feet?" Colbourn wrote in her blog. "OK, I know this one is kind of goofy, but bear with me. I especially like using the prompt for virtual workshops because this detail is usually a mystery when dialing in from home." 

The question isn’t to let people be fashion critics but to introduce a little humor and playfulness into an interaction. It can also allow laughter to come into these meetings, and have employees feel relaxed and safe. 

"If a group is laughing together, then it suggests that our protective guard is down. This matters because there's research to suggest that when our brains are relaxed, we more easily achieve free idea association, which can lead to creativity," University College London professor Sophie Scott told the BBC.

Image credit: Anna Shvets

AnotherTomorrow, a fashion company dedicated to providing modern and sustainable luxury to its customers, is now asking people to send in their old clothes– and they’ll pay for it! 

The establishment launched its Authenticated Resale Program, which will pay people for sending their pre-loved clothing, provided that it’s from their label. The company will then resell these clothes in its store. Shoppers will then get a chance to purchase some discounted items from the set of pre-loved clothing from the program. 

Interested participants will only need to scan the QR code on their clothes and send it to AnotherTomorrow. They will then provide an estimated sale price and tell people how much they will get from the sale. After shipping the clothes to the company, participants may receive their payment via cash or store credit. 

Read more about the Authenticated Resale Program here!

Image credit:Kai Pilger

Meet Gabriele Galimberti, an Italian photographer that created the Toy Stories project, a heartwarming collection of photographs of children with their favorite toys. The collection captures the joy, innocence, and wonder of childhood. 

According to Galimberti, he began the project by accident when he was working for D di La Repubblica, an Italian magazine way back in 2010 and 2011. He traveled to 56 countries around the world, took photographs of people, and published their portraits as well as their stories.

“A few weeks before that long trip, a dear friend of mine had called me to her home to take photographs of her daughter Alessia,” Galimberti told Bored Panda. “When I arrived there, Alessia (four years old at the time) was putting her toys in order. I helped her, had the idea to advise her to put them in order by shape and color, and without realizing it I took the first photo of this project.” 

He then began another journey around the world to publish more photographs for the collection. Currently, the collection is still being updated. Photos of children and their toys from Texas, India, Malawi, China, Iceland, Fiji, and other locations are added to Toy Stories.  

The photographer aims to not only provide entertainment through these photos, but also show a child’s background, family, and culture. According to him, he noticed that children from richer countries were more possessive of their toys, while poorer kids tended to play with their friends outside.

Image credit: Gabriele Galimberti

We were honestly expecting some weird crustacean that was edible. But alas, it’s a fish. 

Government bodies and health associations usually recommend fish as a good source of protein, especially since it’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids. However, not all of the variations of fish are good for consumption. 

One of the most popular options for seafood to avoid is swordfish. This is because it is high in mercury and other contaminants. While eating this can provide protein and omega-3 fatty acids, the contaminants will be harmful to our health– which can outweigh the benefits of eating fish.

Aside from being bad for our health, hunting and consuming swordfish can be damaging to our environment. They are often overfished, which leads to an ecosystem imbalance. Farmed swordfish are fed with antibiotics and other chemicals, which can end up back in the environment and can be harmful to other wildlife. 

Read more about the swordfish here. 

Image via wikimedia commons

Constant vigilance! 

Sometimes, we might be too excited to take in our surroundings and double-check if your accommodation is a good one when we’re on a trip. If we realize it, it may be too late– and we’ll just decide to push through for the sake of not having our time in a new place ruined. 

Forbes’ Liza Zimmerman shares a few signs that you can easily discern at the early stages of your trip that the place you picked to stay in might not be as good as how it was advertised. While it may be a bit late (or you might not have enough extra budget to move to another place), knowing how bad your hotel or accommodation is can allow you to do some adjustments to your trip to make it more comfortable. 

Zimmerman points out that the first hints will come from the check-in process. If the front desk only has one person on the staff and there’s a line of people waiting to check in, that’s a red flag. The longer the process and the line, the same person might be busier and crankier as time progresses. 

Another thing she points out is that if the person on the desk decides to read your room number aloud, this means that your safety and well-being might be compromised (especially if you’re a woman traveling alone). The usual practice is to have the staff show you the key card and tell them that the number on that key card is in their room. 

Check out more of the signs that will tell you that your current hotel or accommodation is trashy here.

Image credit: Pixabay

Oh, no. 

The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and other different forms of media published over the years. It was established in 1996 with the mission of providing “universal access to all knowledge.” 

However, it seems that this said access may now be taken away from its public users. A group of book publishers has sued the nonprofit archive for scanning and lending digital copies of copyrighted books. These companies, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House accused the library of “mass copyright infringement” for loaning digital copies of books without permission (or compensation) from these establishments. 

The Internet Archive countered this by saying that their online library is legal under the doctrine of fair use. Additionally, they also stated that entities that own physical copies of these books can lend out scanned versions through controlled digital lending. U.S. District Court Judge John G. Koeltl of the Southern District of New York sided with the publishers. 

The Archive aims to appeal the ruling. "Libraries are more than the customer service departments for corporate database products," Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder said. "For democracy to thrive at global scale, libraries must be able to sustain their historic role in society—owning, preserving, and lending books."

Image credit: Element5 Digital

Here’s a fun tip for travelers: before you book, try to check out the plane model and layout. 

This extra step can allow you to check the layout of the plane, which can help you find the perfect seat for your next flight. 

An assumption that can be made is that airlines usually have the same format or layout for their airplanes. However, their cabin layouts actually can vary from plane to plane. Different plane models offer different in-seat amenities as well as varying sizes for overhead compartments and underseat storage. If you’re really keen on having carry-on luggage only, you need to check the sizes of this storage so you can ensure that your luggage can fit. 

Aside from storage space, you can also check how much legroom you’ll have for your flight. To check which airplane model you could be flying, look at your chosen airline’s reservation page. These companies usually display the aircraft type on their ticketing pages. Third-party websites such as Expert Flyer and SeatGuru can also be of assistance if you can’t find information on official websites.

Image credit: Brett Sayles

Spoiler alert: it’s certainly fun to drink in New Hampshire. 

In a new report published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, different states were rated based on how much people consume three categories of adult beverages in their state. These alcohol were beer, wine, and liquor.

Some factors of course have to be considered as to why some states rank higher than the rest. One of them is state liquor taxes. Because these rates vary from state to state, people might consume less alcohol in an area where the taxes are high, as it would translate to higher selling prices. Others who live close to a border may cross state lines for a less expensive bottle, which will add to that state’s number of consumers. 

One of the stand-out states is New Hampshire, as it consistently appeared in the top five in each beverage category. It ranked first in the beer category (1.89), second in the wine category (0.84), and second as well in the liquor category (2.10).

According to The Manual, the state’s tiny liquor tax is a probable explanation for their high rankings in the three categories. Aside from that, New Hampshire certainly has a lot of alcohol consumers. 

Delaware, Vermont, and the District of Columbia also appeared in the top five of the three lists. 

Image credit: Chris F

Backpacking refers to the recreational activity of carrying gear on one’s back. Usually, this is done while hiking in the mountains. However, the practice of putting on a backpack only as you traverse different locations is now a common kind method of traveling around different countries. 

Insider’s Joey Hadden has noticed that backpacking has been portrayed nicely on different social media platforms. From men and women photogenically posing with their backpacks in different picturesque sceneries, Hadden only realized what it’s really like going around with only a backpack compared to the heavily romanticized activity. 

Hadden started to backpack around August 2022, when she decided to make minimalist travel style her priority. During her short trip to Eastern Canada, she thought that it was actually easier and more efficient. Because of her trip’s success in the area, she decided to plan a two-week train trip through four European countries with only her backpack with her. 

The travel reporter backpacked across Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland while exploring the cities of Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Milan, and Zürich. While sleeping through sleeper trains, shared train cabins, and budget Airbnbs, she noted down a few things that these travel influencers never share on social media. 

One of the things she noticed was that her backpack couldn’t squeeze in all the clothes she wanted to bring. This means that she can only bring a few items, so she had to do laundry at every accommodation. “This was a bummer since I often arrived at each accommodation feeling exhausted from travel, and washing my clothes was the last thing I felt like doing,” she remarked. 

Read more about her travels here!

Image credit: Joey Hadden/Insider 

A rare sighting, indeed. 

With the end of March, we’d like to raise your attention to an interesting spectacle at night. If you have good, clear, and dark skies from March 25-30, you can catch a glimpse of what’s called the “parade of planets.” 

This event is when people can see five planets, namely, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus all in the same night sky. They also will line up with the Moon as a bonus. Some planets will be more visible than others, Popular Mechanics notes in their full piece on the event. According to them, Venus will be very bright and can easily be spotted. Mars, on the other hand, will look bright red and be near the Moon. 

Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus may be difficult to spot. You might need some binoculars or a telescope to see them. “Wait until the sun has set and then go out and look low in that bright part of the sky where the sun has just set with binoculars,” Rick Fienberg, senior contributing editor of Sky & Telescope magazine recommended. “[And] you should see brighter Jupiter next to fainter Mercury.”

Image credit: Johan De Beer

Aww. 

Meet Lenny McNaughton, an 8-year-old that took inspiration from his favorite Aunt Steph. He entered an art contest with an abstract portrait of her at the prestigious Archibald Prize show. His painting, while not winning the grand prize, did end up being a finalist in the Young Archie competition.

But it was the moment when Lenny decided to show his aunt the artwork that really stole the show, so to speak. He started by giving her a tour of the exhibit without mentioning his painting. A video posted on his Instagram showed his aunt’s surprise and exclamation at seeing an artwork that looks like her. Upon reading the description, you can see her shock and how she embraced him after seeing his work. 

“Auntie Steph is a very favorite person because she makes my day brighter,” the description his aunt read. “She makes everything fun. Auntie Steph grows her own sunflowers in her backyard [and] gives them to people to make them happy. She's a beautiful person inside and out.”

Image credit: Lenny McNaughton/Instagram

This is disheartening, really. 

An image posted by Reddit user alwayslurkeduntilnow in the r/anticonsumption forum has made rounds online for the sheer amount of computer monitors inside a room. At first glance, one might think that these are just some extra devices on hand in case of units need to be replaced. Unfortunately, while they are all still working, they were meant to be thrown out so the school can replace them. 

The post left Internet users talking about how e-waste is getting more traction with actions like throwing away still-functioning computer parts. The issue is that a lot of precious metals, such as copper, silver, and gold are just thrown away when they can be extracted, recycled, and reused. 

“I think the problem is that all electronics aren’t designed to be recycled. Every device which could be replaced by better technology will end like this. This is a huge problem,” one person commented.

Image credit: u/alwayslurkeduntilnow

It’s not us. Which is honestly something we’re grateful for. If something is slowly eating up humans, we’d probably gear up for an apocalypse-type scenario, and we’re honestly not ready for that. 

But enough about us. The single giant organism we’re talking about is Pando, a 106-acre stand of quaking aspen clones. Located in the Wasatch Mountains of the western United States, what looks like an entire forest of individual trees with white bark and small leaves is actually just one organism.

That entire woodland is just 47,000 genetically identical stems from an interconnected root network. Pando weighs around 6,000 metric tons, which makes it the largest single organism on Earth by mass. 

Pando has been around for 14,000 years and was able to support a whole ecosystem of 68 plant species and many animals. Now, its life is being threatened by multiple factors. One of them is the overgrazing by deer and elk. These animals are eating the younger parts of the tree, which means that Pando doesn’t really get to grow. 

The changing climate can also pose a threat to the organism. While there isn't a specific study that looks at aspen, reduced water, and warmer weather can make it hard for trees to form leaves, which has led to plant decline. Learn more about Pando here! 

Image credit: Lance Oditt/Friends of Pando