We have good news for those who missed Tuesday's Nice Book Club event (or those who loved it so much they want to watch it again): You can click here to access a recording of our lively conversation with New Happy author Stephanie Harrison. In even more good news, we can also announce the subject and date of the next Nice Book Club meeting. We'll be bringing you Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, on June 9 at 5 p.m. ET. RSVP now.
Must Reads
Good advice: A psychologist shared how you can cut this "damaging" phrase out of your relationship
Netflix is launching a revamped TV homepage that's "simpler, easier, and more intuitive"
Health
Talk Therapy Is on the Rise in the US as Mental Health Support Becomes More Accessible
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Sometimes we all need a little help from our friends — and for many of us, that circle of support includes therapists. A recent study found that talk therapy is becoming more popular among American adults, while the use of psychiatric medication without therapy is declining. This trend is the opposite of a previous period, in the 1980s and 1990s, when medication began being widely used as a sole treatment. "We're seeing that during this time, this increase represents a period where psychotherapy is assuming a more important role in outpatient mental health care," Dr. Mark Olfson, the study's lead author, told NPR. Olfson explained that while about 6.5% of American adults received psychotherapy in 2018, that figure went up to 8.5% in 2021. The study also found that during the same time period, the percentage of those using medication exclusively (with no therapy) decreased from 67.6% to 62.1%. And a growing number of patients are in talk therapy with no medication use for depression, anxiety, or trauma and stressor-related disorders. "Overall, it suggests that psychotherapy [is] becoming more accessible to people and people are able to take advantage of it," said Olfson. If you're curious about starting a therapy journey, here's a step-by-step guide to finding a therapist.
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Revolutionary Antidote Neutralizes Venom of 19 of the World's Deadliest Snakes: Study
vovashevchuk/ iStock
A revolutionary new antidote neutralizes the venom of 19 of the world's deadliest snakesss (sorry, couldn't help but hiss). Scientists used antibodies from a human donor with a self-induced "hyper-immunity" to snake venom to develop "the most broadly effective antivenom to date," per a news release. Publishing their work in the journal Cell, they tested the antivenom in mouse trials and found it neutralized the neurotoxins of deadly species like black mambas, king cobras, and tiger snakes. Further research is needed, but the findings could open the door to a universal antiserum. How antivenom is made has not changed much over the past 100 years. It usually involves immunizing horses or sheep with venom from a single snake species and collecting the antibodies produced. While the method is effective, scientists say it can result in adverse reactions to the non-human antibodies, and treatments tend to be species- and region-specific. But while exploring ways to improve the process, a team of U.S. researchers came across an unlikely source of help: Tim Friede, a Wisconsin man who'd injected himself with various snakes' venoms for almost two decades and thus generated antibodies that counteracted several snake neurotoxins. Read more about how the new antivenom was developed.
Sports
Inside Beep Baseball, Where Blind and Visually Impaired Athletes Take Big Swings
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The players are blindfolded, the baseballs are beeping, and the bases are buzzing: It's time for Beep Baseball. Just like in the traditional sport, the goal of the game is to hit the ball and score runs, but instead of watching the ball, the players, who are blind and visually impaired, listen for it. "From the first contact of the bat, I was like, this is my future," Joe McCormick, who started rapidly losing his vision during his senior year of high school due to Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, told CBS News. He added: "There's just this community that people don't realize is there both if you're in the blind community or not." McCormick is on the Boston Renegades, one of 26 teams that make up the National Beep Baseball Association. The league started in the 1970s as a way to make America's favorite pastime accessible for visually impaired athletes. In this adaptive version, players rely on audio cues from the sound-activated ball and bases to know when and where to swing, run, and pick up the ball. They score runs by reaching a base before the opposing team has picked up the ball. But the heart of the game is the players: "Some of the things that they've been through and the way they've handled it is truly amazing," said Renegades coach Rob Weissman. "It's something that I wish I could do, and I draw off from them." Watch how Beep Baseball unfolds on the field.
Global Good
🇳🇨 In a rare move, New Caledonia put a 50-year moratorium on deep-sea mining across its entire maritime zone (read more)
🇯🇵 A private lunar lander from Japan has entered the moon's orbit and is expected to touch down next month (read more)
🇳🇱 At a Dutch nursing home, college students provide companionship and get free rent in return (read more)
🇪🇬 Archaeologists uncovered a tree-lined path that led to an Egyptian fortress two millennia ago (read more)
🇳🇿 Say what? For the first time, a New Zealand snail was filmed laying an egg from its neck (read more)
Inspiring Story
Prom night to remember
Prom season is in full swing. But for some students affected by the Eaton Fire, there was a time when they were unsure they'd get the milestone of dressing up for the big dance. Luckily, help came in droves from nonprofits, community members, and even Steve Carell to ensure Pasadena seniors had their prom tickets, outfits, and other necessities covered, so they could finish off the school year on a much-deserved high note. "I'm just trying to have a good time," said John Muir High student Jada Dean. "We need it."
Photo of the Day
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
"Peace be with you all." Those were among the first words Robert Francis Prevost said in his new role as the pope. Prevost, who will go by Pope Leo XIV, is the first person from the U.S. to become the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Word got out that a decision had been made (via white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel's chimney) after just two days of voting in the conclave. Meet the Chicago-born pope.
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Up This Weekend
Canadian Tulip Festival: The annual Ottawa event celebrates the gift of tulips from the Dutch to Canadians following World War II, making this year (the 80th anniversary of the war's end) extra special
Wango Tango: Gwen Stefani, Doja Cat, and more hitmakers will hit the stage in Huntington Beach for the 2025 edition of KIIS FM's Southern California music festival
Mother's Day: Hopefully this isn't the first time you're learning that Mother's Day will be celebrated in the U.S., Canada, and Australia on Sunday — get some low-cost ideas for celebrating mom
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