Halloween Delight: Fright Night Lights

Every year, about this time, Brandon Bullis and his family from Virginia in the US create a spook-tacular Halloween light show on their house. The Edwards Landing Lights, as they have nicknamed the show, is synced up to a combination of popular songs and some Halloween classics, such as Ghostbusters, Thriller, and Monster Mash. As the music plays, the light flicker and some spooky faces on the front of the house "sing" or "rap" along perfectly in time. The full show lasts for about half an hour and replays for a couple of hours after 7pm every night of the Halloween season - except for the big night itself so as to not distract trick-or-treaters or drivers. But before you go feeling sorry for the Bullis' neighbours, none of the music is broadcast outside: you can only hear the music that accompanies the light show if you tune in your radio to 98.1FM. And what do the neighbours think of all this? According to Brandon, it's a chance for them all to get together. "They say it's so great for the community," he said. Some of the songs featured in the show can be watched on YouTube, and it's not surprising that there are more than 35,000 subscribing fans. One of this year's songs, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' Downtown, has had almost 500,000 views already - and you can watch it for yourself under this article. Macklemore has had the pleasure of seeing the show for himself and happily tweeted his seal of approval:  

This is amazing.... Definitely the kind of house that gives out full sized candy bars. http://bit.ly/1Mx8qKe

— Macklemore (@macklemore) October 16, 2015

  Now, with over 8,500 lights and 2,500 computer animation channels, you would expect their electricity bill to be through the roof. But the family has conscientiously used energy efficient LEDs for most of the lights and estimate that it only costs them between $25 and $35 for the whole Halloween season. What's more, the Bullis family places a donation box outside the display every year to raise money for the John Hopkins Children's Center and have managed to accumulate a whopping $10,000 (£6,500) for the charity over the past couple of years. And to paraphrase a popular expression, lights are not just for Halloween - the family also has a display every Christmas, which is pretty much how all this started. You can watch the Edwards Landing Lights Downtown video below, and if you want to check out more of their light shows, you can take a look at their YouTube channel here. [video width="600" height="300" id="ZddXbKpXKLs" type="youtube"] Happy Halloween!

Adorable Panda Kindergarten Opening Ceremony

Is there anything cuter than a panda? A baby panda! And what's even cuter than a baby panda? FIFTEEN baby pandas! Last weekend, fifteen pandas cubs were inducted into the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding panda kindergarten, class of 2016. Okay, so while you might be imagining an adorable preschool where panda cubs learn how to become panda adults, it's actually only a kindergarten in the loosest of senses. It's more of a place where the cubs can be cared for and play with each other after "graduating" from the breeding centre, and the ceremony is a way of officially introducing the baby pandas to the public for the very first time. As we all know, with less than 2,000 left in the wild, giant pandas are an endangered species. But despite appearances, this number is actually quite a good one that has almost doubled since the 1970s. In the last 10 years or so alone, the population has increased by 17%. The animals are notoriously slow breeders because of the females' very short ovulation time just once a year, and as a result, combined with illegal poaching, giant pandas face the very serious risk of extinction. They just don't see to be able to recover their population quickly enough. You might wonder why it is so important to stop a slow-breeding species like the giant panda from dying out, and it's not just because they are so cuddly and cute! According to the WWF, pandas play a vital role in keeping bamboo forests thriving, and in turn helping the other species that live there, including the snow leopard, gazelle, and ibex. The Chengdu Research Base breeds and rears pandas with the aim of increasing and improving the population. The research base alone is responsible for breeding more than 170 giant pandas over the last 20 years. This year's 15 cubs were all bred using artificial insemination and included six sets of twins - a 100% success rate in breeding twins this year. This also helped them break their record for the highest number of pandas born in a single year! But these adorable fluffballs weren't the only pandas to make their first public appearance recently. The China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) announced that 26 giant panda cubs, including nine sets of twins, were born at different bases. This year, the CCRCGP had a record of 218 pandas across all of its locations, and it's all down to the resounding success of its new breeding programme. Thanks to the continued hard work of various conservation projects in China and around the world, there are more panda reserves than ever before, and giant panda populations in the wild are slowly but surely increasing. Take a look at Getty Images to see the panda kindergarten opening ceremony in all of its adorable glory!

World’s Largest Trial: Aspirin vs Recurring Cancer

Aspirin has seen documented used since way back in the times of ancient Greece. Alright, so it wasn’t just a pill you could pop back then, but certain plant extracts were found to alleviate headaches, pains and fevers. And what these plant extracts have in common with the aspirin we deal with today is their active ingredient: salicylic acid. Hippocrates, considered the “father of modern medicine” from his work around 400 BC, documented using a powder he made from these plant extracts, such as willow bark, and it helping to alleviate aches and pains. Flash forwards a couple of thousand years and the powder’s makeup has been tweaked and perfected and pressed into tablet form. It’s now used to treat all of those symptoms but also swelling and inflammation, joint pain, and even heart attacks and strokes. It’s also thought that aspirin reduces the overall risk of getting and dying from cancer, as well as preventing some cancers from returning - something that is widely and fiercely debated. Now the world’s largest clinical trial has begun in the UK to put an end to that debate once and for all. And if it’s proven to work, it could provide a cheap but effective way to help more cancer patients survive. The study, funded by the NIHR (the research arm of the NHS) and Cancer Research UK, will involve more than 10,000 people from 100 centres across the UK, and last up to 12 years. Each of the study participants either still needs to be receiving or have previously had treatment for early cancer. The patients in the trial will be split into three groups and take a tablet every day for five years. This tablet could either contain 100mg of aspirin, 300mg, or it could just be a sugar pill placebo (for the control group). The researchers will then check periodically for any recurrences of the patients’ cancer. Professor Ruth Langley, from University College London, is the lead researcher in the trial and explained that so far there hasn’t been a randomised trial to give clear proof as to the cancer benefits aspirin may hold. “If we find that aspirin does stop these cancers from returning, it could change future treatment, providing a cheap and simple way to help stop cancer coming back and helping more people survive,” she said. However, Professor Langley warns that taking aspirin every day is not something that people should try at home without medical advice, as the medication is not suitable for everyone. Doing so comes with a serious health warning about possible side effects, such as ulcers, or even bleeding from the stomach or brain. Cancer Research UK’s Dr Fiona Reddington described aspirin’s possible effects on cancer as fascinating and is hoping the trial will provide the clear answers we’re all looking for. “The trial is especially exciting as cancers that recur are often harder to treat,” she said, “so finding a cheap and effective way to prevent this is potentially game-changing for patients.”

Twitter Chief to Share Shares with Employees

Back last July, Twitter chief Dick Costolo resigned and in stepped co-founder Jack Dorsey to temporarily take his place. Earlier this month, that temporary position became permanent and Dorsey now has a big job on his hands. Over the last couple of the months, several senior managers have left the company and because Twitter hasn't been fairing as well as it could have been of late, Dorsey was stuck with the uncomfortable task of letting more staff go. This led to his recent announcement that he would have to cut 8% of Twitter's workforce, which is about 300 people. Now, of course, Dorsey has to work on boosting his team's morale and transforming the company, and he might have come up with just the way to do that. And so he will be giving away a third of his shares in the company to the employees that work for him. This amounts to around $197 million (£128 million), which is exactly 1% of Twitter, coming directly from his own holdings. His plan is to invest directly in the staff, and as he explained in a tweet last week, "I'd rather have a smaller part in something big, than a bigger part in something small."

As for me: I'd rather have a smaller part of something big than a bigger part of something small. I'm confident we can make Twitter big! ✌️

— Jack (@jack) October 23, 2015

If the shares were to be divided evenly between the 3,700 employees, every person would have about $53,000 worth of Twitter each. However, Dorsey's approach isn't going to be as straightforward as that and the shares instead will be going into a stock pool from which the staff are rewarded based on their performance. This makes more shares available to the employees, yes, but also means there are more shares in the company for incoming and promoted staff members. They can be used to entice a prospective employee to join the team or give someone more reason to stick around. When he made the announcement, Dorsey explained that somewhere along the line, Twitter's relationship with outside app developers become complicated, confusing, and unpredictable. This is obviously not something you want in a company like Twitter, and he felt that this was something that had to be addressed. "We want to come to you today and apologise for that confusion," he said. As if to back up his words, Twitter will be improving the ways developers and publishers alike can manage their Twitter content around the internet, in the hope of further broadening its user base. This includes a new tool called Publish which will help news outlets, for example, to tailor the way embedded tweets look and feel on their websites, as well as releasing a new embed format for their posts where video and photo content is given more prominence. All in all, as with any change in power, Dorsey is going to be making some changes, some good and some bad. But right now, the scales seem to be tipping in the favour of the former, so let's hope that he will be able to restore Twitter to its former glory.    

Changing History: Cleo Snake Death Debunked?

Most of us learned about the fascinating history of the Egyptians when we were at school. Obviously we don't know everything there is to know about the Pharaohs and pyramids, but it seems that there is still so much more to learn about them. Some of the facts we have believed for millennia are even being debunked as you read this. For example, there is still an air of mystery surrounding the death of the Pharaoh Cleopatra. The most widely believed story is that Cleo and two of her handmaidens were killed by a snake - an asp, as the tale goes. Cleopatra died at the age of 39 after a 21-year-long reign of Egypt, after becoming deeply involved with the power struggles going on in the Roman Empire. She bore children from both the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, and, perhaps more famously, his general, Mark Antony. The story is well known and documented, but there has always been some speculation as to whether the story of Cleopatra's death is genuine, or that she died at someone's hand by being poisoned. As the story is told, a basket of figs was brought to Cleopatra, not only bearing the fruit but also one or more snakes that the Pharaoh could use to kill herself. This was perhaps done by holding her arm out for the creature to bite, or holding the snake to her chest - the handmaidens following suit. But now, some 2000-odd years after their deaths, historians from Manchester in England have declared that it would have been impossible for Cleopatra and her two maids to have been killed by the hypothetical asp. After examining the plausibility of the myth, the team believes that a snake big enough to kill all three people could not have been small enough to be concealed in the basket of fruit. Just to give you an idea of what we're talking about, the Egyptian cobra can grow up to 8 feet long (2.4 metres)! But even if that was managed, it's also unlikely that three consecutive bites from the snake would all have been fatal. Andrew Gray, one of the people responsible for this enlightening news, is Manchester Museum's Curator of Herpetology. He explained that most snake bites don't inject venom, and as a result, there is only a 10% chance that a person would die from one. "That's not to say they aren't dangerous," he added. "The venom causes necrosis and will certainly kill you, but quite slowly." He said that because of this and snakes conserving their venom to only use it in times of need, it would be impossible to use a snake to kill two or more people one after another. Mr Gray and Dr Joyce Tyldesley have introduced these ideas in a video that is part of a new online course about ancient Egyptian history, using items from Manchester Museum's collection. Dr Tyldesley has her own theories, believing that the Pharaoh did indeed commit suicide, just not in the manner suggested. She explained that while suicide in ancient Egypt is practically unheard of, in the Roman world it was seen as an acceptable way of dealing with an otherwise irresolvable problem. As we know, Mark Antony stabbed himself, and Cleopatra was reported as attempting to do the same to herself several times previously. But then, wouldn't using a knife or dagger be an easier solution than enlisting the help of snakes that may or may not fulfil their duty? "Alternatively, maybe she used snake venom that she had already prepared for the occasion," Dr Tyldesley suggested. "But not a live snake - that would be very difficult." Criminal profiler Pat Brown, on the other hand, doesn't believe that Cleopatra killed herself at all and has written extensively about her theory in The Murder of Cleopatra: History's Greatest Cold Case. Brown believes that the Cleo was killed by Roman Emperor Octavian - perhaps better known as Emperor Augustus - who is thought to have trapped Cleopatra and her handmaidens in her mausoleum after the death of Mark Antony. Brown's point is that if Octavian had wanted to keep Cleopatra alive then she wouldn't have been so heavily monitored, which presents the argument that it's more plausible for Octavian to have killed the Pharaoh. We'll never know for sure what happened that day; we can only speculate and base our theories on the facts presented to us. In this case, everything seems to be pointing away from a snake causing the death of Cleopatra.

Heart Attack Test Hugely Reduces Hospital Admissions

There are many causes of chest pain: perhaps it's strained muscles or joint inflammation, pneumonia, a panic attack... or even a dreaded heart attack. The prospect of a heart attack is enough to make anyone want to get checked out at A&E if they have any sort of pain in their chest, and quite rightly so. Unfortunately, should you find yourself in this situation in the UK, you could spend almost a whole day at hospital, only to be sent home with a clean bill of health. This is because 80% of those who visit the A&E with a suspected heart attack are often experiencing something else but have to await the results of a blood test. This blood test checks for a chemical called troponin, which is released by damaged heart muscle during a heart attack. The patient is tested for the chemical when they are first admitted and again 12 hours later, which is a long time to find out you've not had a heart attack. But now a study from the University of Edinburgh has found that a new blood test can determine if someone has had a heart attack much quicker than before - and with almost 100% accuracy. The team says the new test also looks for troponin, but can detect much lower levels and only needs to be checked once. This means that those given the "all clear" can go straight home, reducing stress for patients, saving money for the NHS, and easing pressure on hospital wards. The Lancet study, involving more than 6,300 people, suggested that the test was about 99.6% accurate and so more than two-thirds of patients can be discharged much more quickly. Dr Atul Anand, study co-author and a physician at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, described the findings as "really exciting". "It can be a devastating blow to learn you have had a heart attack," Dr Anand said. "We would much rather be able to rule this diagnosis out early and prevent unnecessary stress and an overnight stay in hospital." He added that it's hoped the team will soon have enough evidence to change current clinical guidelines to ensure more accurate diagnoses of heart attacks. At the moment, not all hospitals have the facilities to perform the new test. But for those that do, the test will cost under £10, and Dr Anand said it would be relatively straightforward to introduce the test. Co-author Dr Anoop Shah was also part of the team to develop a more sensitive heart attack test for women. He said this new troponin test is likely to have major benefits for patients and healthcare providers alike. He explained that there wasn't a quick way to rule out a heart attack until now, and the findings "could dramatically reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and provide substantial savings." Professor Jeremy Pearson is the Associate Medical Director for Research at the British Heart Foundation. He explained that while doctors want to ensure a heart diagnosis is never missed, they also don't want people to have to go through unnecessary tests or spend more time in hospital than they have to. "What's important about this study," he said, "is that the evidence shows you can quickly and confidently rule out a heart attack without compromising patient safety." To find out more about heart attacks and what you should do if you think you are having one, check out the NHS Choices website.

Mammals Thrive in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The Chernobyl disaster happened almost thirty years ago, a catastrophic event in the Ukraine that would become known as the worst nuclear accident in history. Around the site is an area known as the Exclusion Zone. It was initially set up soon after the accident as the designated distance for the evacuation of the more-than-100,000 people who lived there, but grew to cover 1,000 square miles (2,600km²). The purpose of the Zone, then and now, is to restrict access to contaminated areas, and make sure that contamination doesn't spread outside the Zone. It's still one of the most radioactively contaminated areas in the world, and yet some people still live there - illegally - despite the Ukrainian government trying to move them on. They've now been informally permitted to stay there, but the population has been steadily declining, and it's thought there are less than 200 people living in the area now. Now, it won't come as a surprise to you that in areas where there are fewer people, wildlife tends to thrive. And Professor Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth has been leading a team who has been carrying out a long-term census of mammals in the area and found that wildlife has been returning. In fact, it's thought that the number of mammals is higher than they were before the disaster, and the team has published its findings in Current Biology. The team, with the help of colleagues from the Polesye State Radioecological Reserve in Belarus, used various means to estimate how many large and medium mammals were living in the area. They examined the data from aerial surveys and used footprints in the snow to calculate the number of different mammal species there were in the winter. These animal tracks were also tested to measure the levels of radioactive contamination. The first key fact the study revealed was that the abundance of animals was not negatively correlated with radioactivity levels, as was originally suspected. The second was that mammal numbers weren't any lower in the Exclusion Zone that at four different uncontaminated nature reserves in Belarus. The final piece of information the study yielded was that within a year of the disaster, animal populations began to stabilise and recover. In fact, wolf populations are seven times higher in the Zone than in the nearby nature reserves, and the numbers of deer, elk, and wild boar were at similar levels.

Professor Smith explained that although the report didn't look at the health effects of radiation on individual animals, it does reveal what happens in terms of wildlife conservation when you take humans out of the equation. He explained that even just innocently getting on with our everyday lives, humans cause more damage to the wildlife than the world's worst nuclear disaster. "Whatever negative effects there are from radiation, they are not as large as the negative effects of having people there," said the professor. Of course, Chernobyl was a disaster of catastrophic proportions and the study isn't trying to suggest otherwise. Professor Smith simply points out that the event provides a good illustration of just how the human population can affect the environment when compared to a nuclear accident. "Chernobyl caused a lot of human damage," he concluded. "If you can set that aside, it's hard to argue that it's really damaged the ecosystem as a whole."

UK Womb Transplant Trials Given Go-Ahead

Thousands upon thousands of women are either born without a uterus or have it removed for health-related reasons. This has massive implications for their ability to have children, as you can imagine. Their only options are adoption or using a surrogate mother. But following success in Sweden last year, a team of doctors has been granted approval by the Health Research Authority (HRA) to carry the UK's first womb transplants. Ten women will be selected as part of a clinical trial launching in spring. Dr Richard Smith is a consultant gynaecologist at Imperial College London's Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea Hospital. He has been working on this project for nearly 20 years and will lead the transplant team from Womb Transplant UK. So, what's the process? All in all, the operation takes about six hours to complete, with the uterus coming from a donor who is technically dead but whose heart has been kept beating. This is in contrast to Sweden where the wombs were donated by live donors, but the decision in the UK was reached as the operation to remove a womb is very high-risk and complex. As with any transplant, the recipient will need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the whole time she has the womb and throughout any potential pregnancy. This is to prevent the chance of the body rejecting the donor organ. The patient's own eggs and her partner's sperm will be combined to create an embryo before the trials begin. Her health will then be closely monitored for a year before the embryo is implanted using IVF treatment. Assuming all goes well, the baby will be delivered by Caesarian section eight months later. And then, just six months after giving birth, each couple will be given the option of trying for one more baby. The womb will then be removed by a team of surgeons and the patients can live out the rest of their days with the family they thought they would never have. The womb will only be donated to the patient for the purpose of allowing her to have her own children, and as soon as it's fulfilled its purpose, it will be removed. It might sound confusing to donate an organ to someone only to remove it a couple of years later, but it's actually in the best interests of the patient. If there is no organ for her body to reject, she won't have to take immunosuppressants for the rest of her life. Patients in the trial must all meet certain criteria set out by Dr Smith and his team at Womb Transplant UK. This includes being under the age of 39, having a long-term partner, and being of a healthy weight. More than 300 women have already approached the team, of which 104 qualify. So far, the project has been self-funded and supported by public donations, which for the moment will allow the team to carry out two procedures. Each procedure costs in the region of £50,000, but none of the women in the trial will have to pay for their own participation. Dr Smith described himself as an "enormous optimist". This could be down to the project running on no money from the start, but someone always coming along at the right moment to provide enough funding to keep it going. He added that despite "quite a lot of crisis" with the project, the team has pushed on because of what it would mean for so many people. "Surrogacy is an option but it does not answer the deep desire that some women have to carry their own baby," he said. "For a woman to carry her own baby, that has to be a wonderful thing." The British Fertility Society Chairperson, Professor Adam Balen, welcomed the news. "The UK have been working on this for many years," he said, "so it's very exciting that they've been given the go-ahead to move to clinical practice." If you want to donate to this amazing cause, you can do so by visiting the Womb Transplant UK website here.

New Speedy Movements Seen in Carnivorous Plant

Biologists from the University of Bristol have discovered that a particular species of carnivorous plant needs its own category after observing the plant using movements never before seen in the plant kingdom. Writing in PNAS, the study authors suggest the Nepenthes gracilis is able to launch ants - its food source - to their death by using the power of falling raindrops. Carnivorous plants attract and consume insects to derive nutrients from them. Until very recently, there were two main categories of carnivorous plant. The first is the "active" category, where you would find various species of flytrap. These lure insects into the jaws of their "mouth" and snap closed suddenly until the plant's juices digest the insect. The second category is "passive", in which most pitcher plants fall. This is because the plants are motionless and rely on their slipperiness to slide their prey to their end. Pitcher plants are so named because that's what they look like - pitchers or jugs. The main body of the plant is the pitcher tube, which holds a sinister liquid inside that could easily be confused for sap. But this liquid is, in fact, the plant's digestive juices and the inevitable demise of any insect to fall into its depths. At the top of this tube is the peristome, the lip of the jug. This lip frames the mouth of the pitcher plant. Attached to the lip is a parasol-like lid called the operculum, the tip of which often hovers over the open mouth. And it's the lid of the Nepenthes gracilis that is particularly interesting. The team, led by Dr Ulrike Bauer, found that raindrops kick off very fast vibrations in the plant's operculum, which propel ants to the digestive juices waiting inside the pitcher tube. The study findings were based on the measurements of laser vibration caught on high-speed camera. The team was able to record extremely fast movements in the pitcher's lid-like leaf after it was hit with a raindrop. Dr Bauer explained that the movement is so quick because of its spring property: the operculum moves and then springs back. "You get an oscillation," she said, likening the movement to that of flicking a ruler on the edge of a desk. And intriguingly, the movement is unique in plants. Not only is it quicker than any other movements witnessed in carnivorous plants, but it also exploits an outside energy source to make this movement happen. As the team explained in their press release, all plants can move, but this movement is often too slow to be observed with the naked eye. "Sunflowers turn their heads to follow the path of the sun," the press release read. "Pot plants on a window sill turn their leaves towards the light." And while there are some fast-moving plants, such as those with catapult mechanisms to shoot seeds and the like or the flytraps we mentioned earlier, they need to use their own energy to power the movement. Apparently, the key to this fast movement lies in the stiffness of the pitcher's operculum lid. The team compared it to that of another species of pitcher plant. This second species catches ants using only the slippery rim of its pitcher tube and had a much more pliant lid than the Nepenthes gracilis. Bauer explained that the plant needs to maximise the area where insects fall from the surface of its lid, so the tension is spread throughout the whole operculum and not just the tip. She explained that otherwise the lid would act more like a diving board and wouldn't be an effective method of capturing food. The operculum is also coated with an anti-adhesive coating which makes it slippery enough that even the slightest instability in the leaf would cause the insect to lose grip and hurtle towards the digestive juices. And it's just the right amount of non-slip that when the leaf is calm, the ant can walk across with no worries at all. So it seems that the categorisation of carnivorous plants isn't as clear cut as just "active" and "passive". And the new "passive-dynamic" category has a solitary member in it - for now, at least. The study authors sum it up pretty well: "The passive-dynamic N. gracilis trap indicates the existence of a continuum between active and passive trapping mechanisms in carnivorous plants." Will there now follow mass re-categorisation? Watch this space!

Pumpkin: It’s a… Raccoon’s Life?

Pumpkin the raccoon has become something of a celebrity, a beloved star of Instagram. Last year, when she was just a month old, she fell out of a tree and into Rosie Kemp’s back garden in the Bahamas. The poor little mite had a broken back leg and it soon became apparent to Rosie and her daughter Laura Young that Pumpkin has been abandoned by her mother. It turned out that the Bahamas Humane Society, an animal nonprofit, couldn’t take her in, but raccoons are allowed to be kept as pets as long as they have been properly vaccinated. Fortunately, some of Laura's friends had some experience with rearing raccoons and under their advisement, she took Pumpkin home with her to look after her and welcome her to the family. Everyone in the Young family warmed to Pumpkin almost immediately, but the humans weren't the only ones who had to become accustomed to another addition to the family. Toffee and Orea, the Young's rescue dogs, would also have a say in the matter. But evidently there was nothing to worry about. The dogs loved Pumpkin just as much as everyone else and took her under their... paws. The pups are Pumpkin's best friends and mentors, but Laura says the bond is deeper than that. "Pumpkin considers the dogs her mums," Laura explaining that the little raccoon does so much with her doggy pals, from exploring outside, playing, and even sleepy cuddles. The Youngs document daily life with the youngest member of their family with photos on Pumpkin's very own Instagram account - which has 173,000 followers at the time of writing. But Laura does want to stress that raising a raccoon isn't the same as with a domesticated pet, and raccoons are better off in the wild. Laura took her in because she wouldn't have fared in the wild and bringing Pumpkin into the family home was the best hope for her survival. As well as being great climbers, raccoons are highly intelligent animals, with an excellent memory. They can have some very human-like characteristics, and a couple of studies have shown that they are able to both recognise symbols and differentiate between the number of grapes inside a box. Laura is so happy that the world can share in the wonder of Pumpkin. "She is a cheeky little thing, so wonderful and highly intelligent, and always very entertaining," she enthused. And we thought we'd share some of our favourite pictures with you!

To check out more pictures of Pumpkin, you can visit her Instagram here. Prepare for cuteness overload!

Discovery of Mammals that Survived Dinosaur Extinction

When we think of dinosaurs, we often conjure up images of these huge beasts, bigger than houses, strong and capable of withstanding anything - except for an extinction-causing asteroid smashing into the planet. Those dinosaurs didn't stand a chance, so it's hard to imagine that much else would have. But according to a paper published on Monday in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, there was an ancient species of mammal that managed to survive that extinction level event. Not only that, but it would go on to thrive for a further 100 million years until rodents took their place about 35 million years. After the dinosaurs had died out, mammals appeared to take over, and the remains of a newly discovered creature could give us clues as to how this happened. The fossil of this now extinct animal was discovered by Carissa Raymond, a student of Edinburgh University's Dr Steve Brusatte. Dr Brusatte was lead researcher for the paper, but you might already have heard of him from his work on the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs. Dr Brusatte said that it soon became apparent that the fossil belonged to a new type of mammal that no one had seen before. The animal's teeth, in particular, were specialised for chewing on plants, making it clear that this new-but-ancient mammal was a herbivore. At the back of its mouth sat complicated rows of cusps (the cutting edges of teeth) and in the front were incisors for gnawing. Raymond found the fossil on site in Kimbeto Wash, a badland area of New Mexico in the US. This location lent its name to the creature, Kimbetopsalis simmonsae. The second part of its name, "psalis", is in reference to its teeth and means "cutting shears". After intense study of the remains, the team determined that the Kimbetopsalis was a plant-eating mammal that resembled a beaver or large rodent, although it wouldn't have been closely related to either of these. The scientists were also able to gauge an approximate weight of 40kg (88lb) from the fossils and estimated the creature to be just under 0.5 metres long (1.6 feet). Further examination led to the team to confirm their belief that Kimbetopaslis belonged to a now-extinct group of animals called multituberculates, so named because of their vast number of teeth. Multituberculates actually originated alongside the dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. And with the dinosaurs no longer around, these creatures started taking over the world, increasing in both size and number. It is thought that this is why there are so many varying mammals around now. "A whole lot of mammals did die," said Dr Brusatte. "But this group is one that made it through pretty well. "Literally, the world changed one day." Dr Thomas Williamson, the corresponding author of the paper from the New Mexico Museum, described the Kimbetopsalis finding as a pleasant surprise that filled an important gap in the knowledge and record of mammals. He said that it was interesting that this group of animals was among the few to survive the dinosaur extinction and go on to thrive afterwards. Dr Williamson also hypothesised that the survival could have been something to do with the animals already being well-adapted to eating plant matter. But whatever the reason, the remains help to show just how quickly the group of animals could evolve "to take advantage of conditions in the post-extinction world". Dr Brusatte agreed and explained that in relative terms, the mammals that survived what the dinosaurs couldn't began to recover quite quickly, and it's because of this that our own ancestors got their start. "The history of life hinges on moments that can reset the course of evolution," Dr Brusatte declared. He explained that despite the size and strength of the dinosaurs, they weren't able to make it through the asteroid collision. "Mammals fared better," he said. "Now, one species of brainy ape occupies that dominant place in nature that was once held by the dinosaurs."

Could ‘Good’ Bacteria be Key to Preventing Asthma?

Contrary to popular belief, asthma isn't just a childhood condition. It affects around five-and-a-half million people in the UK alone - one in 12 adults and one in 11 children. It's more common in women than in men and can develop at any age. It isn't fully known what causes the condition, but it leads to inflammation and sensitivity of the bronchi in the lungs, which carry air in and out. When an asthma patient comes in contact with something that irritates the bronchi, such as pollen, animal fur, or dust, the airways narrow, the muscles tighten, and there is an increase in phlegm. All of this combines to make the sufferer struggle to take a breath. As with most conditions, the severity varies from person to person. It can be controlled in most sufferers most of the time, but some people have more persistent problems and more frequent "asthma attacks". Attacks can occur when asthma symptoms either gradually or suddenly worsen, perhaps as a result of being triggered by those irritants we told you about. Stressful situations have also been known to bring about an asthma attack. Asthma cases have been rising over recent years and it's thought to be something to do with children not being exposed to enough microbes when they are very young. The immune system struggles to tell the different between the friends and foes inside the body. However, this is just one hypothesis among many. There currently isn't a cure for asthma, but there are treatments aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing future attacks, and medicines usually administered via an inhaler. As we said, there isn't a known cure, but scientists in Canada might be on to something. Reporting in Science Translational Medicine, they suggest that being exposed to "good bacteria" early on in life could actually prevent asthma from developing altogether. The team, led by Dr Stuart Turvey and Dr Brett Finlay at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver's Children's Hospital, were analysing the millions of bacteria that naturally live inside the human body. There were 319 children in the study, some of whom were found to be lacking in four types of bacteria collectively known as "Flvr": Faecalibacterium, Lachnospiro, Veillonella, and Rothia. At the age of three months, these children were found to be at a higher risk of developing asthma when they were a couple of years older, based on wheeze and skin allergy tests. These babies also digested their food differently, shown by the lower levels of acetate, a type of fatty acid, in their stool. These differences were only noted at three months old, and couldn't be found in those who were a year old. This suggests that the first few months of children's lives are crucial. Exposing them to the right bacteria during the right (tiny) timeframe could be the best way of preventing not only asthma but allergies as well. "This discovery gives us new potential ways to prevent this disease that is life-threatening for many children," said Dr Turvey. "It shows there is a short, maybe 100-day window, for giving babies therapeutic interventions to protect against asthma." He went on to explain that the long-term goal would be to develop an Flvr supplement for children in the first few months of their life to protect them against asthma. "Our ultimate vision of the future," he added, "would be to prevent this disease." Dr Finlay, the other corresponding author of the paper, said that he was surprised that the immune system could be being influenced by faecal microbes, but that it made sense. "What data is really starting to show these days is that the immune system gets itself set up in the gut and influences how it works everywhere else in the body," he explained. Commenting on the study, Dr Samantha Walker from Asthma UK said that while the study suggests gut bacteria could factor in why some people develop asthma, much more research is needed. Ultimately, it is too early to say for sure whether or not "good" bacteria could be the key to preventing the condition, but the results certainly look promising. More than anything, the study could at least further our understanding of how asthma develops and how it might best be treated, or even eventually prevented.  

China and US Agree Truce on Cybercrime

Tensions have been growing in recent years when it comes to US-China relations. It is thought to be a sign of wider struggles to do with what constitutes proper and acceptable behaviour over the internet, otherwise known as Cyberspace. But in meetings and a joint news conference last week, US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take steps to address cybercrime. The two presidents have reached an agreement in which neither country will engage in cyber economic espionage. What this ultimately means is that spying on each other's governments is fine, but not spying on companies in the other country for commercial gain. National security information isn't covered in the agreement, but the theft of trade secrets is. Of course, both countries deny taking part in the cyber theft of such trade secrets, but both want it to cease happening. President Obama spoke of a common understanding between the two nations that neither should knowingly support or conduct the cyber theft of intellectual property and that any such cyber attacks would not be acceptable. The Chinese president happily agreed and said, "Confrontation and friction are not the right choice. Confrontation will lead to losses on both sides." However, President Obama has warned that the US will be watching to make sure China keeps its word, and that anything to the contrary will result in serious sanctions for the offending nation. "It has to stop," he declared. "The question: 'Are words followed by actions?'" During the meetings, President Xi also pledged to llimit greenhouse gas emissions with a cap-and-trade scheme, something the American president thanked him for. This scheme would see companies in China being charged if they an amount of pollutants beyond the specified level. On top of this, China said it would commit $3.1 billion (£2 billion) to helping developing countries reduce their carbon emissions. This is along with other initiatives outlined in a fact sheet provided by the White House on China's and the US's joint national carbon emissions trading schemes set to launch in 2007. These actions from China would align the country's climate work with that of the US. Of course, the conference was not all smiles and agreements. As expected, there were still some areas of contention. For example, President Obama expressed concerns about the growing tensions in the South China Sea, where China is reclaiming islands. The American president said that although the US has no territorial claims to those islands, it wants to make sure all of the rules are properly being followed. President Obama also criticised China's human rights record, informing President Xi that China won't be able to live up to its potential unless journalists, lawyers, and other such professionals are able to operate freely. But that negativity aside, the truce should pave the way to mending some of the relations between the US and China. The presidents even announced a new initiative, "One Million Strong", which will hopefully see a million students in the US learning to speak Mandarin by 2020.

Panic Over: PM says Free School Meals Won’t be Cut

Over the past couple of week, you might have heard something about free school meals and how the government plans to cut them in the next spending review, in November. This would mean that many families would struggle to make sure their children had a substantial and nutritious meal at lunchtime when they are at school. Schools also wouldn't be able to ensure that the children in their care had at least one hot meal a day. So, of course, when the news started to spread that free school meals would be no more, panic set it. Parents all over the UK starting condemning Prime Minister David Cameron for breaking his word, and more than 40 health professionals signs a letter that was published in a popular Sunday newspaper. The letter explained that a third of all children leaving primary school are overweight or obese, so making sure a nutritionally balanced lunch at school has never been so important. "A free school meals policy could end up paying for itself many times over and reduce the spirally costs to the NHS," the authors of the letter pointed out. All of this speculation began when Chancellor George Osborne demanded cuts of 25% to 40% a couple of months ago, which would be taken from unprotected budgets. With the free school meals budget costing in the region of £600 million a year, the public made the logical leap and assumed that school lunches would be targeted for these cuts. But now Mr Cameron has dismissed any speculation that free school meals will be adversely affected in the spending review, and said that he is committed to free school meals for all infants in England. According to an official spokesperson, the PM pointed out that free school meals were in the manifesto - something that would not change. This manifesto reads: "We will support families by providing free school meals to all infants." The spokesperson also claims the Prime Minister is very proud of what the government has achieved so far in regards to free school meals. "We believe that every child, regardless of their background, should have the same opportunities," the spokesperson said. "No child should be hindered because they're not eating a nutritious meal at lunchtime." They also explained that by providing significant financial support to schools across the country, schoolchildren are eating better food that "sows the seeds for healthy living for life". Dave Prentis is the General Secretary for Unison, which is one of the UK's largest trade unions. He said that the recent speculation of the future of free school meals has caused many struggling parents much anxiety, worrying that the one hot meal their children were guaranteed each day would be taken away from them. "But thankfully," he concluded, "the government has seen sense, responded to the pressure put on them, and now free school meals will live to see another day." When the free school meals for all infants was initially announced, it was clear to be a huge and important step for families all over England. At the time, then-Deputy PM Nick Clegg said: "Giving children a good healthy meal at lunchtime is the best way to make sure they can concentrate and do well in the classroom." The message remains unchanged... And long may it continue.

“Healthy” Smokers’ Lungs: Mystery Solved!

It makes sense to assume that all smokers have unhealthy and blackened lungs, so you might be interested to know that some smokers actually have surprisingly healthy lungs, despite a lifetime of smoking. Of course, this is something that has puzzled scientists for quite some time... Until now! This ongoing mystery has finally been explained by researchers in the UK, funded by the Medical Research Council. And what's more, the findings could eventually lead to new medicines for improving lung function and health in the future. Led by the University of Nottingham's Professor Ian Hall and the Univerity of Leicester's Professor Martin Tobin, the study was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and presented to the European Respiratory Society (ERS). ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) says that there are around 10 million adult smokers in the UK, which is about a sixth of the population. Many of these will develop lung disease at some point in their life - but not all of them. And there will be plenty of people who will develop it who haven't smoked a single cigarette in their life. This latest study saw researchers analysing the health of more than 50,000 people who are all part of the UK Biobank, a major national health resource and charity in its own right. The UK Biobank aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various serious and life-threatening illnesses. It has recruited around half a million volunteers who have all agreed to have their health indepthly analysed, and the results of which used for research. As you can imagine, this project provides a huge amount of health and genetic data. Using this information, the researchers specifically looked into COPD, which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This condition covers a range of problems, including repeat chest infections, breathlessness, coughing, bronchitis, and emphysema. We should also note that although smoking is known to increase the risk of heart disease and some cancers, the focus was on COPD and so these illnesses were not considered in the study. The analysis of both smokers and nonsmokers, as well as those with COPD and without, showed that some people had favourable mutations in their DNA that enhanced lung function and reduced the risk of COPD. Professor Tobin said that these mutated genes seem to affect the way the lungs grow and respond to injury, such as that sustained during smoking. He explained that the biggest lifestyle risk factor for developing the condition is smoking, and "good" genetics play a big part in those few smokers who don't get it. And now, thanks to the research, he is finally able to explain why this is. The team also uncovered parts of the genetic code that were more common in smokers than in nonsmokers. They seemed to subtlely alter the brain's function and therefore how easily a person can become addicted to nicotine. However, these findings still need to be confirmed. "[The findings offer] fantastic new clues about how the body works that we really had little idea about before," Professor Tobin said. "It is those things that are likely to lead to some really exciting breakthroughs for drug development." While this is all very well, the professor does add that the best thing a person can do to avoid COPD or any other smoking-related diseases is to quit smoking altogether. Professor Hall, the other lead in the study, explained that our genes influence the production of the proteins that are targeted by the drugs used to prevent or target diseases in our bodies. "Understanding how genes are involved... can help us design and develop better and more targeted treatments that are more likely to be effective and have fewer side effects," he said. Commenting on the study, the British Lung Foundation's Head of Research Ian Jarrold said that the findings represent a significant step forward in achieving a clearer picture of lung health. He added that understanding genetic predisposition would help them to develop new treatments for lung disease, as well as teach "otherwise healthy people how to better take care of their lungs".

Couple Serve “Recycled” Wedding Breakfast to Guests

When it comes to getting married, there are a number of approaches that couples can take. For example, there are those who like things traditional and "just so". And what about those for whom money is no object, something they like to share as they proclaim their wedding vows before their loved ones. Let's not forget the couples who try and get married while spending as little money as possible. After all, it shouldn't cost anything to tell the world how much you're in love with your spouse-to-be, right? And finally, we have those who want to do something "a little different" for their wedding. We're talking zip-lining into the vows, a wedding breakfast in a fast-food restaurant, trying to break as Guinness World Record, or simply trying to give something back to the community. Zoe and Charles Loughlin from Cambridgeshire fall into this last category. The newlyweds are passionate food waste campaigners who decided to treat their guests to a wedding breakfast with a difference: "recycled" food. Now, any freegans reading this will know all about recycled food, but we'll clear it up for anyone else who might be getting the wrong idea. Recycled food is produce that is perfectly fine for eating, but has to be thrown away for whatever reason. Perhaps the food is right on the cusp of its use-by date, or there is too much of it for the supermarket to sell, or maybe even the packaging is damaged in some way. The food might be fine, but the supermarkets have rules on what they can sell, and so some of the food gets thrown away. This is where freegans and organisations such as FoodCycle come in, wanting as little food as possible to go to waste. FoodCycle is a national charity in the UK that collects some of this food and uses it to give back to the community. Zoe explained that every Saturday a meal is provided for members of the community who are at risk of food poverty or social isolation. The ingredients for this meal are collected from supermarkets the night before, stuff that would otherwise have been thrown away. And as you can see from the photos, the food is absolutely fit for consumption, and had we not informed you of its "recycled" status, you wouldn't think anything of it. As a volunteer for FoodCycle, Zoe knows what happens behind the scenes and thought it would be a wonderful way of providing publicity for the charity. "We thought long and hard about the food and looked into different catering options, but just kept coming back to FoodCycle," she explained. "We thought it would be wonderful to practise what we preach." The food would be collected and prepared by FoodCycle, but Zoe and Charles wouldn't know what that would be until it was dished up on the actual day. And so, a couple of Saturday ago, their wedding day came along and the charity's volunteers helped prepare Morrocan roasted vegetables that would make up some of the main course, and Panzanella salad. As meat can't be donated to the charity, the couple supplemented their main course with cold beef they bought from a local pub. Zoe admitted that serving up such a meal to their 150 guests was a risk, and not something that everyone would want to be involved in, but it all went surprisingly well. Some people even went back for seconds! During her bride's speech, Zoe talked about the charity and explained that there were collection boxes dotted around the grounds for people to donate to the charity. She added that they had already paid a cash donation in exchange for the food and wonderful service. Charles, the groom, revealed that the food wasn't the only thing that was recycled for the wedding. For example, little jam jars held tea light candles and old bean cans were used as flower vases for the table decorations. "The wedding was entirely designed ourselves," Charles said, explaining that they had agreed that if they were going to pay someone to cater for their wedding, FoodCycle was the perfect choice. Alex Collis, a hub leader for FoodCycle Cambridge and who works alongside Zoe, said that this was the first wedding that FoodCycle had catered for. She said although it had certainly been a challenge, it was all really good fun, too. "Zoe and Charles were very relaxed about it and knew exactly what they were getting themselves into," she added. "It was a really lovely day and shows what FoodCycle is all about."   Image Source: FoodCycle Cambridge's Facebook

English Schools to Offer Lessons on Human Rights

A human rights programme that is currently being taught to more than a million students in the US and around the world has been brought to schools in England. The programme, Speak Truth to Power, was designed by human rights activist and lawyer Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the US politician Robert F Kennedy. Robert F Kennedy - also known as RFK or Bobby Kennedy - was brother and campaign manager to the assassinated president JFK. He was also a huge advocate for human rights around the world and actually won his own presidential campaign a few years after his brother's death. Sadly, he was shot that very night and died the next day. His daughter, Kerry, is carrying on with the work in his name, and now wants human rights lessons brought to the UK. She founded RFK Human Rights, an organisation of people who are passionate about realising RFK's dream of a "more just and peaceful world". Speak Truth to Power tackles such topics as slavery, religious freedom, political violence, and repression. Students can also learn about human rights activists who have challenged oppression and who have faced torture or imprisonment. Ms Kennedy explained that the idea of the programme is to blend human rights into what schools already teach, so that it becomes a part of the curriculum and not something just tacked onto the end of it. Material for the lessons will be available to teachers online, and training will be funded by the organisation. This online material will also help teachers discuss with their students current news about the refugees fleeing Syria. Ms Kennedy said that she would love to see teachers across the UK bringing the curriculum to their students, and "creating the tiny ripples of hope to lead to real and lasting change". The programme is hoped to encourage debate about the rights of refugees arriving from the Middle East. Ms Kennedy is also hoping that it will help young people learn to challenge extremism, and show them that intolerable views are not acceptable. At the moment, the biggest threat to human rights around the world is hate, she explained. Whether in the form of oppression of women in Nigeria, or the political repression and violence in Syria, violations of human rights is something that needs to be severely addressed. She added that the language of prejudice is even something that be heard in the school playground, which, in most cases, is learnt behaviour. But the programme aims to teach young people to challenge intolerance instead of feeding it, and learn how to stand up to it. Speak Truth to Power was officially launched in South London on Monday, at the Lilian Baylis Technology School. Alongside Ms Kennedy at the launch was Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, who believes the human rights lessons will encourage students to become more active and engaged citizens in the future. "We want all young people to leave school well-rounded, confident, and resilient," Mrs Morgan noted, "and fully prepared for life in modern Britain." The programme is completely free, and ultimately, it will be up to the individual schools whether or not they adopt the curriculum. But when the aim is to show students how anyone, no matter who they are, can make a difference, we doubt there will be many schools turning this opportunity down. And what more do we want for our children than for them to leave their mark on this world and make a change for the good?

Could Eating More Fish Reduce the Risk of Depression?

After the analysis of almost 30 studies, researchers in China believe that eating more fish could help reduce the risk of depression. Contrary to what some people think, depression isn't just feeling sad for a couple of days - something we all go through now and again. Depression can leave the sufferer feeling persistently down and unable to interact as they normally would for weeks, or sometimes even months. According to Mind, the mental health charity, one in four people will experience a mental health problem every year in the UK. It is thought that around 3% of British people face depression, almost 5% suffer from anxiety, and as much as 10% have a mixture of both. A recent study even suggests that as many as one in five people can suffer from depression in the UK. Depression is a genuine health condition with real symptoms, some of which can manifest as physical symptoms. Of course, there are therapies and medications that a sufferer can use to try and treat their illness, but is there anything else that could help? This latest report, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, analysed 26 observational studies conducted since 2001. This means that the study participants' diets were recorded and examined, rather than them having to eat more fish. The studies, altogether involving more than 150,000 participants, looked into possible relationships between fish consumption and depression. However, the conclusions of each of these studies provided some mixed results. And so, a research team from the Qingdao University Medical College's Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics decided to take a look at the different types of study. What they found was that the so-called protective effect from eating a lot of fish was actually only found in the studies carried out in Europe, but not in those from anywhere else in the world. Combining all of the data, the team found a significant link between those who had a lot of fish in their diet and a lower risk of depression. And it was true in both men and women, showing a reduction of 20% and 16% respectively. This is an overall risk reduction of about 17%! Unfortunately, because all of the studies were observational, none of the results pointed to any conclusions about cause-and-effect, which has led the researchers to developing their own theories as to what might be happening. One theory is that people who eat a lot of fish often just have a healthier diet in general. Perhaps something else in their diet, or a combination of all of the healthy foods, could be boosting their mental health. Alternatively, it could have something to do with omega-3 fatty acids, which is primarily found in fish. Consumption of foods containing omega-3 fatty acids has been linked with a reduced risk of several health conditions, from cancer to Alzheimer's. It is thought that these fatty acids could be key in the activity of dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters in the brain thought to be involved in depression. Study lead Professor Dongfeng Zhang explained that report was carried out because there is clearly a link between fish consumption and depression, but nothing definitive on the subject. "[The report] indicated that a healthy dietary pattern...was significantly associated with a reduced risk of depression," he said. He explained that such a diet would be characterised by a high intake of fish, as well as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. The professor added, however, that the problem lies in it not yet being clear which component of this diet is actually responsible for the proactive effect on the brain. Overall, the authors concluded that higher fish consumption could indeed be beneficial in the prevention of depression, but further studies are still needed to determine whether this association varies depending on the type of fish. Rachel Boyd, Mind's Information Manager, said that the charity had recently published a guide, Food and Mood, which backs up the findings. It includes advice about eating "good fats", like those you would find in fish. "We really agree that having these fatty acids in your diet can be helpful," she said. "It's something where people can make quite small changes that can have quite a big impact." She also pointed out that vegetarians and other people who don't eat fish can obtain these fatty acids from nuts and seeds, as well as supplements. When a person is prone to depression, having more options available to them can be a big help, so let's hope researchers are able to isolate that dietary component as soon as possible. In the meantime, however, why not try adding more fish to your diet - or nuts and seeds - and be sure to let us know how it affects you!

Crayon Initiative Helps Sick Children – and the Planet!

There's a nonprofit organisation in California that is not only trying to help the planet, but also sick children. The Crayon Initiative collects old crayons and gives them a new lease of life before donating them to children in hospital. The organisation was founded by Bryan Ware, a father of two who has always had a passion for art. He came up with the idea a couple of years ago, after a family meal in a restaurant. In some family-friendly eating establishments, children are supplied with a special menu with activities and a fresh pack of crayons, to keep them occupied during the meal. Sometimes the children take the crayons home, but what happens to those just left on the table once the meal is over and the children have left? This is what Bryan was wondering as he watched his own sons colouring that meal time. He decided to ask their server, who explained that the crayons were just thrown away and end up in a landfill - even the ones that had barely been used. What a waste! This got Bryan to thinking of ways the crayons could be repurposed and so the Crayon Initiative was launched. Now the nonprofit receives used crayons from all over the state, from restaurants and schools, and even independent donors. The first boxes went sent out to hospitals earlier this year, and since then, the Crayon Initiative has donated around 2,000 boxes of crayons. So, what's the process? Well, first off, the old crayons are sorted into tubs by colour. These are then taken to Bryan's kitchen where they are melted down and the remoulded. The new crayons are then packaged up and delivered to the hospitals - often by Bryan himself! The crayons don't look like your traditional crayon, and intentionally have a unique design that is easy for the children to hold and won't just roll off of beds or trays. "We working with an occupational therapist to design the crayons," Bryan explained. "We don't wrap them in paper - which can hold bacteria - and we have had them tested to make sure bacteria from incoming crayons were killed during our processing." He said that when the children receive their new crayons, they light up and it helps to give them a temporary escape from their current situation. Colouring crayons have the potential to help children better express themselves through art therapy, which is becoming a popular treatment for children, especially those with psychological issues. It's also important for the children to stay as close to "normal" as possible. This will help them carry on their childhood development while also giving them a fun outlet, providing them with some comfort while they overcome their challenges. So far, the Crayon Initiative has only made deliveries in California, but its first out-of-state delivery to New York is planned for later this year. "From my perspective, the biggest goal is to give [the children] an escape," said Bryan, adding that he couldn't possibly fathom what these children are going through. "If these crayons given them an escape from that hospital room for 10 minutes, we did our job." To find out how you can donate your old crayons, or simply learn more about the Crayon Initiative, check out their website. Helping sick children in hospital and stopping crayons leave a waxy stain in landfills? Colour us impressed! Image Source: The Crayon Initiative Facebook page

Pope Francis Announces Marriage Reforms

Last week, the Pope made one of the Catholic Church's most significant announcements of the last three hundred years - they are making reforms to their marriage annulment legislation. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a lifelong commitment and doesn't recognise divorce. This means that if the marriage wasn't annulled and someone in the relationship goes on to remarry, that person is considered an adulterer. And because adultery is considered a sin, this person will no longer be allowed to receive communion. However, a couple can have their marriage annulled if they can show that they shouldn't have been married in the first place, or if someone has broken the vows. For example, if it were shown that one person in the marriage had an extramarital affair, had an abortion, or if one of the couple lacked religious faith. Before the reforms, a couple seeking annulment would have to get the approval of two church authorities. They could also be likely to have to travel quite far to attend meetings with these authorities. Overall, the process can become very time-consuming, as well as cost a lot of money. But the new changes are intended to make marriage annulments both fast-tracked and more affordable for all of the parties involved. Pope Francis made it clear in his announcement last Tuesday that the reforms do not represent a shift in the Church's teachings. They are simply a way of helping people move on with their lives sooner, and not have to spend so much money while they do it. For a start, couples will only have to seek permission from one church authority from now on. The trials should also be free, according to the Pope, and decided locally, overall making the process much simpler. Bishops will also be given more responsibilities to help in the matter, creating a new panel of judges to decide whether the "nullity of marriage" is sufficient enough to warrant an annulment. In August of last year, a special commission of 11 members of the Catholic Church was appointed to advance proposals on this specific topic. The head of this commission is Monsignor Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Church's highest judicial court, the Roman Rota. He acknowledged that it wouldn't be easy to implement the changes. "It is not excluded that there could be resistance," he noted, adding that the last time substantial amendments to the marriage legislation were made was back when Benedict XIV was Pope in the 18th century. The changes were actually signed in August, but were only announced last week with two papal decrees - official papers from the Pope - know as motu proprio. In the first motu proprio, Pope Francis wrote that the Church still doesn't condone the annulment of marriages. However, it does favour speeding up the trials, "so that the hearts of those faithful waiting for clarification of their status, are not oppressed by the darkness of doubt". Bishops will also be debating the role of the family in the Church in October for the Synod of the Family, and discussing whether divorced and remarried Catholics will be able to take communion in the future. As we explained before, at the moment these people are considered adulterers, and so they are not currently allowed to receive communion. These are not the only changes to legislation and attitude that Pope Francis has brought in. Just last week, he announced that the Church was easing its stance on those who have an abortion. Local priests will now be allowed to forgive these members of their flock, if they repent during the upcoming Jubilee. This is the Holy Year of Mercy, which begins in December. Last year, the Pope revealed that the Church agrees with the theory of evolution and the Big Bang, though both require the existence of a creator to have happened. He said that any thoughts to the contrary were encouraged by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.    

Facebook Partners up to Develop Education System

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been openly expressing his interest in education since he donated $100 million (£65.5 million) to the Newark school since in New Jersey. Last year, he and his wife gave a further $120 million (£78.6 million) to Bay Area schools in San Francisco last year. And now Facebook is taking another step into the education game with software that should allow children in the US to learn at their own pace. This project, the Personal Learning Plan (PLP), is in partnership with Summit Public Schools and completely separate from the Facebook social network. Summit is a non-profit organisation that has a network of charter schools - publicly funded independent schools - in California and Washington. Schools in this network consistently rank among the top schools in the US. So it's not surprising that Summit is behind PLP, a pioneering teaching method that allows students to learn online and be mentored in their own personalised learning of traditional subjects like maths and English. Although Summit had already developed PLP, they only had a single engineer. The dashboards were also connected to various third-party systems, which the students had to log into separately. Of course, this meant that the app ran slowly and would sometimes even break down. Summit Chief Executive Diane Tavenner decided to approach Mr Zuckerberg and ask if there was anything he could do to make it better. Which is exactly what he decided to do. "[PLP] is really driven by this idea that we want to put learning in the hands of the kids," Ms Tavenner explained. "And the control back in the hands of the kids."

Since last year, a small team of eight Facebook engineers have been working full time on the PLP app, rolling out a pilot earlier this year in Summit schools in California. This means that the new and improved version of the PLP has been used by more than 100 teachers and 2,000 students. Ms Tavenner explained that the software should allow students to work with their teachers to create tailored online lessons and projects. Another aspect of the app is that it can grade and track personalised quizzes teachers assign to their students. In a blog post, Facebook's Chief Product Officer Chris Cox explained that the company wanted to help build a classroom that is centred around the students' own ambitions. He added that the app frees up the classroom for teachers to mentor their students directly, and for students to collaborate with each other. Everything else - tests, content, information - can be delivered daily through the system. Facebook and Summit plan to offer the free software to any school in the US that wants to use it so that all children will be able to learn at their own pace. "We've seen that there's an opportunity to help apply our skills to the future of education," explained Mr Cox. "We all wanted to find a way to help make an impact by doing what we do best: building software." Image Source: Activate Instruction