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Fly above Zhangjiajie’s stunning sandstone peaks, famously inspiring the floating Hallelujah Mountains in “Avatar.” This breathtaking drone footage reveals the ethereal beauty and majestic pillars of China’s enchanting landscape. Experience the mystical allure of Zhangjiajie from a bird’s-eye view with this captivating aerial footage.

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Avatar’s Inspiration: China’s Zhangjiajie Sandstone Peaks

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Parenting a flock of Northern Bald Ibises is a demanding job. For the past six months, biologists Barbara Steininger and Helena Wehner have spent every day hand-feeding and raising dozens of these endangered chicks. They couldn’t pass their fostering duties off on anyone else during that time—the juvenile birds needed to imprint on them and them alone.

Steininger and Wehner then took to the skies to guide their young charges on the birds’ first migration. In mid-August, they climbed onboard a microlight aircraft in Rosegg, Austria, to start their approximately 2,800-kilometer journey, which ended on October 3 at a wintering site in Andalusia, Spain. There the two foster parents said their final goodbye to the birds that they helped raise.

“At the end, you have to release them in the wintering site and accept that they are now independent and don’t need you anymore,” says Johannes Fritz, who leads the team reintroducing Northern Bald Ibises to the wild in Europe and has been piloting the microlight aircraft on these guided migrations since 2004.

Bald Ibis Migration

Each fall, when the days grow shorter and the weather cooler, the ibises’ migratory instinct kicks in, priming them to seek out a warmer climate to spend the winter. Normally parents would guide their young on their first migration to show them the route. But the birds’ knowledge of their flight path has been largely lost. That’s because the species has been hunted nearly to extinction in its native habitat of North Africa, Central Europe, and the Middle East. In Europe, the species was in trouble as early as 1504, when the Archbishop of Salzburg decreed it illegal to shoot the birds. Despite this ban and other early conservation efforts, the Northern Bald Ibis was last seen in the wild in Europe in 1621, and only a small number have survived, mainly in Morocco.

Today, thanks to careful management and reintroduction efforts, some small sedentary (nonmigrating) populations live in the wild in Türkiye and Spain. But their inability to migrate might actually threaten their survival. Migratory birds evolved to reproduce in one climate and spend the winter in another. Splitting their time between two habitats can give them better access to food and higher reproductive success, explains Ana González-Prieto, an avian ecologist at the Canadian Wildlife Service, who is not involved in the reintroduction effort.

To have the best shot at success in the wild, Northern Bald Ibis populations need to migrate, Fritz says. So his team has taken on the responsibility of teaching young birds the route themselves. They were initially inspired by the 1996 movie Fly Away Home, in which a girl and her father help a flock of geese migrate using an ultralight aircraft. The movie was based on the work of the late Bill Lishman, a sculptor and filmmaker who used such an aircraft to teach captive-raised birds to migrate. Lishman co-founded Operation Migration, an organization that deployed bird-costumed scientists to guide endangered birds such as Whooping Cranes, once nearly extinct, on migratory routes across North America.

Fly Away Home with Bald Ibises

This method, called human-led migration, is both resource- and time-intensive, but for the Bald Ibises, it appears to be working. The process starts in the spring with foster parents who hand-rear chicks taken from captive-bred populations. Then, come late summer, the conservation team sets out on its route. A microlight aircraft powered by a propellor and kept aloft by a large yellow parachute takes off, soaring hundreds of meters above the ground. It flies at the speed of the birds, no faster than 50 kilometers per hour. The flying contraption seats two people—Fritz, who got his pilot’s license for this very purpose, and one of the two foster parents, who trade off on sky duty.

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The ideal family road trip begins with two simple things: an open road and a full backseat. The direction the trip takes, however, is almost entirely up to planning. And sure, maybe you’ve thought of the essentials—the snacks, the toys, the fully-charged tablets—but there’s bound to be something you’ve missed.

That’s why we put together a complete checklist of everything to consider before leaving for your family vacation, including expert advice on packing smart, staying safe, keeping kids entertained, and setting road trip rules for a smooth journey.

1. Focus on Car Safety

Begin with a thorough inspection of your road trip car. Check the tires, mirrors, fluids, and lights to ensure everything is functioning properly. Tire pressure and tread depth affect your control over the car, your lights help other drivers see you, and properly adjusted mirrors make certain that you see them. Additionally, maintaining your fluid levels—like coolant, engine oil, and brake fluid— keeps your engine running smoothly throughout your trip.

For more information on car safety checks, view this guide by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

2. Stock Up on Supplies

Pack enough supplies to last the length of your trip, and research stores along the route in case you need to pick something up. When traveling with young kids, keep the most important supplies within arm’s reach.

“I make sure they have everything they need right next to them so they don’t need to get out of their seats,” says mother of two and long-time traveler Emma Scott-Child, who runs a website for parents about crafting, design, and kid-wrangling called Ladyland. “Each kid has a backpack with all their things in them, including a water bottle.”

Must-have supplies might include:

• A bathroom bag with essentials like diapers, wipes, sanitary pads, a portable potty, wet wipes, or a fold-out changing table
• A clean-up kit with your favorite cleaning supplies, including a non-toxic all-purpose spray, microfiber towels, and bleach wipes
• Lots of water to keep kids properly hydrated, which helps regulate their body temperature and aids in digestion1
• A car window shade to block the sun from beaming through the backseat windows (it also protects your little ones from any unnecessary sunburns)
• A small trash bag for waste
• Chargers with car adaptors
• Blankets, pillows, and warm coats
• Hand sanitizer
• Car sickness medicine if your family gets queasy
• Car seat organizers
• A sick bag if your child is prone to nausea, suggests Scott-Child

3. Get Enough Sleep and Stretch When Possible

Getting enough sleep is important for a successful drive, as it helps you stay alert and reduces the risk of an accident. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that adults aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.2 “Sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of car accidents,” says Dr. Luster.

Moreover, stretching is crucial. Aim to stretch before the trip and during any breaks, as long drives can cause tension from sitting in place for extended periods. This can lead to muscle stiffness, reduced blood circulation, and unnecessary pressure on your joints.

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Immune cells rush to the brain and promote deep sleep after a heart attack, according to a new study involving both mice and humans. This heavy slumber helps recovery by easing inflammation in the heart, the study found.

The findings, published on October 30 in Nature, could help to guide care for people after a heart attack, says co-author Cameron McAlpine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, who studies immune function in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. “Getting sufficient sleep and rest after a heart attack is important for long-term healing of the heart,” he notes.

The implications of the study go beyond heart attack, says Rachel Rowe, a specialist in sleep and inflammation at the University of Colorado Boulder. “For any kind of injury, your body’s natural response would be to help you sleep so your body can heal,” she says.

The heart needs its sleep

Scientists have long known that sleep and cardiovascular health are linked. People who sleep poorly are at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, for example, than are sound sleepers. But how cardiovascular disease affects sleep has been less explored.

To learn more, the authors induced heart attacks in mice and investigated the animals’ brainwaves. The researchers found that these mice spent much more time in slow-wave sleep — a stage of deep sleep that has been associated with healing — than did mice that hadn’t had a heart attack.

Next, the authors sought to understand what was causing that effect. One obvious place to look was the brain, which controls sleep, notes McAlpine. After a heart attack, immune cells trigger a massive burst of inflammation in the heart, he says, and the researchers wondered whether these immune changes also occurred in the brain.

The team found that, after a mouse’s heart attack, immune cells called monocytes flooded its brain. These cells produced large amounts of a protein called tumour necrosis factor (TNF), which is an important regulator of inflammation and also promotes sleep.

To confirm that these cells were linked to the increased sleep, researchers prevented monocytes from accumulating in the rodents’ brains. As a result, “the mice no longer had this increase in slow-wave sleep after their heart attack,” McAlpine says, supporting the theory that the influx of monocytes to the brain contributes to the post-heart-attack sleep boost. Similar experiments confirmed TNF’s role as a messenger to sleep-inducing brain cells.

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Researchers think they have found a depiction of Noah’s Ark on the 3,000-year-old Babylonian Map of the World. Also known as the Imago Mundi, the clay tablet has baffled archaeologists for over a century. 

Archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam discovered the tablet in 1882 in Sippar, an ancient Babylonian city in present-day Iraq. It now lies in the British Museum, and researchers finally think they have decoded it. Curator Irving Finkel says that the cuneiform writing on the tablet tells of the ancient Babylonians’ beliefs and culture. 

The tiny tablet has cuneiform on both sides and a map of sorts etched into it. The writing above the map tells of the creation of the Earth, and the map itself seems to give an aerial view of Mesopotamia. 

On the tablet, Mesopotamia is surrounded by a double circle that is labeled the “Bitter River.” At the time of creation, this was considered the boundary of the known world. Within Mesopotamia, clear markings depict the Euphrates River, Babylon, and other features.

“In this circular diagram, you have captured the entirety of the known world, where people lived, thrived, and perished,” said Finkel.

Triangles outside the double ring represent distant mountains and realms beyond that of the known world.

Mysterious triangles

The back of the tablet is covered in cuneiform, which speaks of what lies within the eight triangles that sit outside the double circle. Here, the information slips between reality and imagination. Those creating it did not know exactly what lay beyond Mesopotamia. The stories tell of giant birds and trees with jewels hanging from them instead of fruit. 

Researchers think the back acts as a guide to unknown lands for any explorer who is considering a journey beyond the Bitter River. A story about one of the mysterious realms shows a striking resemblance to the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark. It says that the explorer must pass through “seven leagues…[to] see something  thick as a parsiktu-vessel.”

The word parsiktu was of immediate interest to Finkel. He says this word would make any Assyriologist’s ears prick up. It is only seen on one other cuneiform tablet, which describes an ark built by the ancient Babylonian version of Noah. The Ark eventually crashes on the other side of a mountain beyond the Bitter River. 

Finkel believes the Imago Mundi tells adventurers the journey they must take to find Noah’s Ark and gives us an incredible insight into the crossover of ancient stories and cultures.

“It shows that…from the Babylonian point of view, this was a matter of fact…That if you did go on this journey, you would see the remnants of this historic boat,” he says. 

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Noah’s Ark Shown on Ancient Babylonian Map

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There are more effective ways to deny, deter, or discipline your child than repeatedly saying “no.” Frequent use of the word “no” can exhaust both parent and child. Some parenting experts also suggest that overuse can breed resentment or encourage future rebellion.

Overusing “no” can desensitize a child to its impact, so experts recommend reserving it for life-threatening situations, says Audrey Ricker, PsyD, co-author of Backtalk: 4 Steps in Ending Rude Behavior in Your Kids. Instead, use short, clear, and direct phrases to explain why a behavior is inappropriate.

The next time you find yourself in one of these common scenarios with your toddler, consider one of the alternatives below to simply saying “no.”

Reaching for More Sweets

David Walsh, PhD, author of No: Why Kids—of All Ages—Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, suggests that parents deny certain junk food requests, like ice cream and candy, by offering a healthier alternative, such as yogurt. Avoid the promise of “maybe tomorrow,” Dr. Walsh advises.

“Toddlers can’t comprehend time very well, so it doesn’t make sense to tell them exactly when in the future they will get ice cream. Most toddlers just want what they want,” Dr. Walsh explains. “Parents need to calmly, firmly, and warmly offer the healthy snack in spite of a toddler’s protests.” This way, your toddler still gets a treat, but it’s better option.

Pay attention to messaging around food as well. Terms like “healthy” versus “unhealthy”, or “good” versus “bad” can create unhelpful emotions about food, explains Emily Edlynn, PhD, Parents’ Ask Your Mom advice columnist. Instead, she suggests explaining that certain foods give our body more energy and help us think better, run faster, and stay healthy.

Flinging Their Food

Toddlers often play with food because they may still feel full from an earlier meal, turning the food into a toy, explains Linda Shook Sorkin, a licensed marriage and family therapist in San Diego.

Instead of shouting when your toddler flings a bowl full of macaroni and cheese to the floor, calmly remove the bowl and explain why throwing fo

A similar, calm approach works when your little one starts bouncing on the bed late at night. You might say, “Beds are for sleeping and relaxing, not for jumping.” But if they take a sip of milk without protest, acknowledge the good behavior with a compliment.

Knocking Down Someone Else’s Toys

If your curious toddler decides to go “Godzilla” on their sibling’s LEGO tower, it’s not always a sign of jealousy—at least not consciously, explains Fran Walfish, PsyD, author of The Self-Aware Parent: Resolving Conflict and Building a Better Bond with Your Child.

“He may simply see the LEGO building and think that it would be fun to knock it down,” Dr. Walfish says. However, remember that “most kids hate to be told what to do—some more than others.” Instead, try asking if you can join in and model how to play respectfully with others.

Being Rough With Plants or Pets

If you catch your toddler pulling petals off prized peonies or tugging a family pet’s tail, gently point out that plants and animals are alive, too. You might say, “When you hurt the flower (or pet), you hurt its feelings and growth.” This approach helps your child develop empathy and awareness of other living beings.

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An almost impossible alignment of galaxies that forms a giant magnifying lens could give astronomers an unprecedented deep view of the universe.

The Carousel Lens—named for its concentric circular patterns, like the reflections in a fun-house mirror—incorporates a cluster of galaxies about five billion light-years from Earth whose gravity is so intense that it magnifies the light of seven galaxies behind it, between 7.6 billion and 12 billion light-years away. This phenomenon, called gravitational lensing, occurs only when galaxies line up precisely from our perspective.

As seen from Earth, the massive gravitational lens creates multiple images of six of the seven background galaxies, each of whose light arrives to us by a slightly different path. If a “transient” event, such as a supernova, occurs in any one of those galaxies, astronomers here will have up to four views of it at slightly different times.

“If we had a supernova exploding, we would have as many images of the supernova as we have images of the source,” says cosmologist Nathalie Palanque-­Dela­brouille, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s physics division, which took part in the lens’s discovery. “That would provide just amazing information.”

Careful observations of both the foreground cluster—which may itself be made up of hundreds of galaxies—and the background galaxies can help astronomers better understand how dark matter and dark energy behave, as well as more about the universe’s ancient past. The farthest background galaxy is so distant that it must have developed in an early phase of the universe, which most scientists think is around 13.7 billion years old.

Researchers used artificial-intelligence systems to find potential gravitational lenses by sorting through millions of galactic survey images. They then arranged for the Hubble Space Telescope to image the location, revealing the Carousel Lens at high resolution.

William Sheu, an astrophysics graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of a new study about the discovery in the Astrophysical Journal, says analysis of the Hubble images could reveal even more background galaxies that have been magnified by the gravity of the same foreground galaxy cluster.

Gravitational lensing follows Einstein’s 1916 general theory of relativity, which predicted that gravity would bend light; the first such lens was found in 1979. Boston University astronomer Tereasa Brainerd, who was not involved in the discovery, says the lenses have become powerful tools for studying many of the open questions of the cosmos.

“This is an especially remarkable object,” Brainerd says. “It’s the result of outstanding good luck that the lens and the seven background galaxies are almost perfectly lined up along our line of sight.”

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Fascinating Video!

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The Hubble Space Telescope has given humanity a unique window to observe the distant universe, free from the limitations of atmospheric interference. In this video, we present NASA’s most recent discoveries at the universe’s edge, showcasing incredible images and explaining what they mean for our understanding of space and time.

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A healthy life is all about balance. If you’re older than 50 and can stand on one leg for at least 30 seconds, scientists say you’re aging really well, even if you sway from side to side.

A small new study has found evidence that as a person ages, their balance deteriorates faster than their muscle strength or their walking speed.

“To the best of our knowledge, such a comparison is the first of its kind within the elderly population,” the team writes in their published paper.

“This study underscores the significance of the unipedal balance test in monitoring elderly subjects in the community, regardless of sex.”

The authors, led by biomedical engineer Asghar Rezaei from the Mayo Clinic, hope their results can improve training programs for the elderly population, maintaining their physical independence for as long as possible.

A unipedal balance test is often used for older adults because balance is a known measure of neuromuscular aging.

A 1997 study, for instance, found those who are unable to balance on one leg for 5 seconds had over twice the risk of a future injurious fall, indicating their level of physical frailty. This type of test can also hint at neurological issues.

The new study investigates how long a person should be able to balance for, given their age.

Among a group of 40 healthy individuals, aged 50 and over, researchers found the length of time that a person could stand on their non-dominant leg fell by about 2.2 seconds a decade, regardless of their sex.

Time spent standing on the dominant leg, meanwhile, declined by 1.7 seconds per decade. When standing on one leg, the number of times a person swayed on the spot was not related to age.

While the cohort is small, this simple test of balance showed significant age-related declines – more so than measures of muscle strength, like grip, or the extension of the knee against resistance.

Gait speed, meanwhile, showed no significant changes across ages.

“This finding is significant because this [balance] measurement does not require specialized expertise, advanced tools, or techniques for measurement and interpretation,” they add. “It can be easily performed, even by individuals themselves.”

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