All posts tagged: inspires

Taylor Swift inspires scientists to name a new genus of Australian insects

Taylor Swift inspires scientists to name a new genus of Australian insects

Published by Jenni Sidey

Scientists have named a new genus of Australian plant bugs Swiftiephylus after Taylor Swift, with four newly described species drawing their names from the singer and several of her albums. The insects’ pale yellow bodies and vivid red markings reminded lead author Sarah Schroeder of Swift’s blonde hair and red lipstick, but the colors may also help the bugs camouflage themselves against Australian she-oak flowers. The specimens were collected between 1995 and 2004 and remained largely unstudied in museum collections for years, highlighting how natural history collections can still contain species unknown to science. A group of tiny Australian insects has entered its Taylor Swift era. Scientists have named a newly described genus of plant bugs Swiftiephylus in honor of the singer, giving four species names inspired by Swift herself and three of her albums. The insects are pale yellow with splashes of red, a combination that reminded lead author Sarah Schroeder of Swift’s blonde hair and signature red lipstick. The four species are part of a much larger scientific story. They belong to the …

Selling Sunset star Amanza Smith’s hottest looks from bodycons to naked dresses as fashion inspires star’s new NYFW exhibition

Selling Sunset star Amanza Smith’s hottest looks from bodycons to naked dresses as fashion inspires star’s new NYFW exhibition

Published by Daniella Wilson

Selling Sunset‘s Amanza Smith is ringing in her New York Fashion Week in a major way. The reality TV star partnered with Transformer Table and created a 4,000 square feet immersive exhibit called A Seat At Her Table during the iconic fashion event of the year. The upcoming exhibit features six rooms which were all curated by Amanza with her flair for interior design, and will officially kick off on September 10 from 6-9pm at 55 Thompson Street. © Instagram Her vision when she decorates a space comes down to being adaptable to her clients’ desires and playing with aesthetics.  She revealed to Forbes: “I think I dress a room very much how I dress myself. I think about the client and I set a color palette based on preferences. Personally, I’m a huge fan of mixing antiques and moderns both through interior design and my personal style.”  Inside Selling Sunset star Christine Quinn’s $1m wedding © Instagram Over the years, the realtor has sported attention-grabbing looks, ranging from bodycon to naked dresses.  Amanza consciously …

AgeLab research inspires an A I startup

AgeLab research inspires an A I startup

Published by skeptic

When Don Yansen ’63 arrived at the MIT AgeLab for a study on technology in care­giving for older adults, he didn’t plan to launch another company. But when he heard participants talk about how hard modern devices can be to use, he decided to develop an alternative. Yansen, a serial entrepreneur who retired to care for his wife, earned an MIT degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in physics from Northeastern. “What I took from MIT was a good education and the feeling I could solve difficult problems,” he says. One such problem: Many older adults “can’t even use a modern cell phone,” he says, “and very few people can use something like an Apple Watch.” So Kiwi Health, which he founded in October 2024, sells a wristband controlled primarily by voice. Wearers can set reminders, make calls, send texts, and share health data, all without navigating screens. AI helps interpret these commands, accounting for the way voices may change with age. The device also measures health metrics and automatically alerts caregivers to falls.  Yansen’s …

Young African Catholics say faith inspires their fight against climate change 

Young African Catholics say faith inspires their fight against climate change 

Published by Sam Flores

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Across East Africa, young Catholics are transforming Pope Francis’ call to care for creation into climate education and advocacy, arguing that protecting the environment is as much a religious obligation as attending church. At St. Ignatius Parish — a young congregation in the Kenyan Catholic diocese of ​N​gong — 25-year-old Brian Chacha is often urging people to roll up their sleeves for tree planting and environmental clean up.  “The goal is to remind people that caring for creation is not a one-day event but an expression of our faith and a year-round commitment,” Chacha said. As part of the Kenya chapter of the Catholic climate movement, Laudato Si’, Chacha leads community discussions about everything from the importance of recycling to clean energy. Other times, he helps the group organize clean ups and tree planting events using social media.  “Tree cover helps reduce the impacts of climate change,” he said. “It also restores biodiversity, improves air quality and conserves water catchment areas.” Laudato Si’ is a global movement of over 900 Catholic …

Bellingham inspires 10-man England to beat Mexico 3-2 in last-16 thriller | Sport News

Bellingham inspires 10-man England to beat Mexico 3-2 in last-16 thriller | Sport News

Published by Sam Flores

England hands Mexico their first World Cup loss at Estadio Azteca, winning 3-2 to reach the 2026 quarterfinals. Published On 6 Jul 20266 Jul 2026 Jude Bellingham’s double inflicted a rare defeat on Mexico at their Estadio Azteca as 10-man England won a nerve-racking World Cup classic 3-2 to reach the quarterfinals. Harry Kane also scored from the penalty spot as the Three Lions overcame Jarell Quansah’s red card, high altitude, and a fervent home support on Sunday to keep their quest for a first major tournament win in 60 years alive. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list England have relied on Bellingham and Kane throughout the tournament, and the duo has carried them into a last-eight showdown with Erling Haaland’s Norway. Bellingham struck twice in 98 seconds in the first half to condemn Mexico to just a third defeat in 90 matches at the Azteca. Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez reduced the Mexican arrears, but they fell short of a place in the quarterfinals. Victory also helped to erase some of England’s …

Birthright citizenship win inspires hope and worry

Birthright citizenship win inspires hope and worry

Published by Sam Flores

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, which states that all those born in the U.S. are citizens, regardless of the status of their parents. In a 6-3 decision, the justices rejected President Trump’s plan to revise the Constitution by executive order and to end citizenship at birth for newborns whose parents were in the country illegally or temporarily. The order would’ve been enacted retroactively to all children born under such circumstances beginning Feb. 19, 2025. The ruling came as a rare loss for Trump from a majority-conservative court — underscoring the absurdity of the framing from which the Trump legal team was operating. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts explained the constitutional rationale behind the decision. “Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community,” he said. “The framers of the 14th Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today.” Cecillia Wang, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, …

Lineage fire inspires Latino rage and action

Lineage fire inspires Latino rage and action

Published by Sam Flores

After burning for more than a week, the industrial fire in Boyle Heights was finally extinguished Wednesday evening. On June 17, a warehouse operated by Lineage, a global temperature-controlled storage facility company, caught fire reportedly during work on solar panels on the building’s roof. The flames got inside, which is insulated, and slowly burned through 85 million pounds of food and goods inside for eight days. Smoke filled with toxic substances billowed over large portions of L.A. County, most strongly affecting heavily Latino areas such as Boyle Heights, East L.A., the San Gabriel Valley and several other unincorporated municipalities east of the blaze. Several experts told The Times that the chemicals emitted from the fire can have immediate effects on people’s health regardless of age or health status, and that they can “cause long-term lung damage, and sometimes they can even cause cancer.” Of particular alarm was how they could affect children, pregnant women and the elderly. Despite what air and health professionals warned, fire officials said “there is nothing in the air that is …

Elephant trunk inspires the universal robot gripper

Elephant trunk inspires the universal robot gripper

Published by skeptic

EU-funded researchers have developed a soft robot that moves like an elephant’s trunk – precise enough to pick fresh fruit, yet powerful enough to help lift a patient. Lucia Beccai, an expert in soft robotics at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, had an idea while watching a documentary about elephants. She was amazed by the versatility of their trunks, which can delicately remove a single leaf from a tree and then shift massive logs. That versatility was missing from today’s robots. But what if researchers could emulate the anatomy and function of an elephant trunk? It could revolutionise how robots handle objects, with applications from helping around the house to searching for survivors in rubble. “The elephant trunk is really attractive because it’s very dexterous and sensitive,” said Beccai. “It is a sensory organ that is large‑scale, boneless, but extremely versatile. Today, its performance is unmatched in robotics.” That observation became the seed for PROBOSCIS, a five‑year EU‑funded research initiative that brought together biologists, engineers and materials scientists to decode the mechanics of …