When was the last time you wrote a letter — not an email or a long-winded text, but a real pen-to-paper correspondence? If you’re anything like us, it’s maybe been awhile, but writer Rachel Syme wants to change that. During the pandemic, she started a letter-exchanging program that now has over 10,000 members, and she published a book on the communication medium in January. Get Syme’s “practical and whimsical advice” for starting a letter-writing habit.
Must Reads
A historic castle featured in Bridgerton just got some major renovations
These six stretches can relieve tension and lead to better sleep
Environment
At the Site of LA’s Eaton Fire, Wildlife Is Making a Comeback
Chaney Trail Corridor Project
When the Eaton fire ripped through Altadena in January, humans weren’t the only ones forced to flee — the area’s animals, from bobcats to bears, deer, and hawks, also lost their homes. But now, just four months later, nature in the region is beginning to thrive once more, as heavy rains have turned the hills green and wildlife is starting to return. UCLA researchers began installing trail cameras in the area less than two months after the fire, and in March, they documented the first mountain lion returning to the burn site. “The thing I really remember is coming here right after the fire — there was so much birdsong,” professor Kristen Ochoa told the Associated Press. The cameras have now spotted bobcats, owls, quail, coyotes, and more. The researchers have also noticed new growth on charred San Gabriel oak trees, whose deep roots have enabled them to survive for centuries, as well as the emergence of wild cucumbers, which serve as a food source for squirrels. Ochoa, who posts the trail camera footage on the Chaney Trail Corridor Project Instagram account, said: “My first inclination was to share that to people who have lost so much during this fire and our community in Altadena, because it’s a sign of hope that nature’s returning, that nature’s resilient.” Watch some of the videos.
Together With Superpower
True Health Is Proactive, Not Reactive
Want to get ahead of issues decades before they show up in a doctor’s office? It’s time to add Superpower to your health and wellness toolkit. The all-in-one health membership uses blood tests to run over 100 lab markers, map 17 key systems, and give you an action plan tailored to you. It’s not just about staying healthy. It’s about staying ahead — something Nice News General Manager Sean Devlin has experienced firsthand. “I recently tried Superpower and was genuinely impressed by how simple the process was and how comprehensive the results were,” he said of the experience. “From hormones to inflammation markers, the breadth of testing gave me a full picture of my health in one go.” As a Nice News reader, you can skip the waitlist and onboard today: Learn how below.
Why High Schoolers Are Decorating College “Rejection Cakes”
the_burtons/Getty Images
“My name is Megan, and I got deferred from Princeton,” a grinning high school student announces in a TikTok video with nearly 400,000 likes, before inserting a toothpick flag with a tiger-print Princeton “P” into a rainbow sprinkled cake. “Yay!” a group of her friends cheer in the background. In the video, captioned “Deferral is detour and rejection is redirection,” four other teens take turns sharing the colleges they were deferred or rejected from and inserting their own toothpick flags into the cake, occasionally erupting into fits of giggles and receiving encouraging responses from their peers behind the camera. Lighthearted “rejection cake” videos like these have been making the rounds on social media in recent weeks, as this year’s high school seniors hear back from universities — for better or worse. The trend is a cheeky, empowering counter to the plethora of college acceptance videos shared online. “It’s OK if you don’t get into your schools,” one participant says at the end of the aforementioned video. “We are all on amazing paths.”Learn the significance of the trend and check out videos of teens decorating the cakes.
Health
New Wearable Tech Can Detect Heart Attacks in Real Time, Study Finds
Prostock-Studio/ iStock
When it comes to identifying a heart attack, every minute counts — and according to the British Heart Foundation, every 10-minute delay in treatment can lead to an extra 3.3 deaths per 100 patients. So, to help speed up the time to treatment, a team of researchers from the University of Mississippi developed wearable technology that can detect heart attacks accurately and up to two times faster than traditional methods. The new tech comes in the form of a chip that analyzes electrocardiograms, aka records of electric signals in the heart, to pick up on a heart attack right away. When embedded in a wearable device, like a smartwatch, the chip displayed 92.4% accuracy, higher than many other current detection techniques. “For this issue, a few minutes or even a few extra seconds is going to give this person the care they need before it becomes worse,” Kasem Khalil, who helped develop the chip, said in a news release. And the innovation has potential for uses beyond heart attacks. “We want to be able to predict or identify many problems using technology like this,” Khalil added. “Whether that’s heart attacks or seizures or dementia. The detection of a disease or condition depends on the disease itself, but we’re working to find faster, more efficient ways of doing that.”
In Other News
A treasure trove worth $340,000 was discovered bytwo people hiking in the Czech Republic (read more)
Houses made from fungi? Scientists are a step closer to building self-repairing homes out of mycelium (read more)
Auto manufacturer Slate revealed a “no-frills” electric truck that costs under $30,000 (read more)
Some bats use “caller ID” to screen sounds from poisonous prey, a study found — listen (read more)
“Keep breathing”: In a new memoir, actor Jeremy Renner shares how he overcame a near-death experience (read more)
Join the Nice Book Club
Nice News’ first book club meeting on April 3 was a smashing success, so we can’t wait to bring you another one. On May 6 at 5 p.m. ET, we’ll host a conversation with Stephanie Harrison, author of New Happy. Harrison will help you learn how to break free from the old definition of happiness (one rooted in achievement, comparison, and constant striving) and embrace a new, research-backed path to deeper joy, meaning, and connection. It’s free to join — and you don’t have to read the book beforehand!
The Guinness World Record for the largest art canvas has been broken — by a 15-year-old boy. Nigerian teen Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke, who has autism, unveiled his painting “Impossibility Is a Myth” on April 2, World Autism Acceptance Day. The technicolor work spans over 132,000 square feet and was painted to raise awareness and funds for others with autism spectrum disorder.
Photo of the Day
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
In a centuries-old tradition, hundreds of students from the University of St. Andrews carried torches along the Scottish town’s pier this past Wednesday. The annual Gaudie procession honors former university student John Honey, who rescued five crew members from a sinking ship in 1800. But this year, the event had another special significance: It marked the reopening of the historic pier after its closing in 2023 due to severe storm damage. See more pics of the procession.
Your Superpower Test, 10 Times Better Than an Annual Physical
Health care deserves a revolution. That’s why Superpower is making longevity medicine simple to access and apply. The company offers a blood test that tests over 100 biomarkers to create a wellness action plan tailored to your unique needs — for reference, that’s about 10 times more comprehensive than your annual physical. It’s high-end concierge medicine, but with a more accessible price tag. Nice News readers can get early access to the platform and skip a waitlist of 150,000 people.
