Ready to get your Johnny Appleseed on? A free video game developed by researchers at the University of Vermont called Race Against Rot simulates what it's like to be a small-scale apple farmer balancing turning a profit with providing affordable food to community members. For an accompanying study, participating players could earn $1 in real money for every $40,000 in fake orchard profits — but most people sacrificed the cash in favor of "feeding" people in need in the game. Learn more about the study findings and play Race Against Rot.
Must Reads
How to stay warm at home during the winter and lower your heating bill
David Bowie's Childhood Home Will Be Restored and Opened to the Public
David Bowie Estate
David Bowie fans: A visit to the rock star's childhood home could be in your future. Earlier this month, the Heritage of London Trust announced it had acquired the south London family home that Bowie lived in from ages 8-20, and where he wrote many of his early songs — including breakout hit "Space Oddity." The musician was still David Jones when he lived in the terraced home with his parents between 1955 and 1967 (the photo of him above was taken during this period). Collaborating with curator Geoffrey Marsh, the Trust plans to restore the two-story cottage to its appearance in 1963, when Bowie was 16, and open it to the public in late 2027. A key part of the project will be restoring young Bowie's 90-square-foot bedroom, where he "evolved from an ordinary suburban schoolboy to the beginnings of an extraordinary international stardom," Marsh shared in a news release. "As he said, 'I spent so much time in my bedroom. It really was my entire world.'" Plans include displaying memorabilia from some of Bowie's early inspirations, like Little Richard, and removing an extension added in the '70s. The ultimate goal is to turn the home into Bowie's House: a creative space that's "part museum, part performance, part memory," showcasing his youth "not as nostalgia but as ignition." See the house's exterior and learn more about the project.
Together With EnergyX
Nvidia Fueled the AI Boom. This Tech Fuels AI.
The AI boom's demand for chips turned Nvidia into the most valuable company on the market. But chips won't be the only winner. Keeping these AI processors running is fueling five times demand growth for lithium by 2040. Google alone needs more than 100 million lithium-ion cells to power its AI data centers. That's why global leaders like General Motors and POSCO invested in EnergyX. The company's patented tech can recover three times more lithium than traditional methods. Now, it's moving toward commercial production. With over 100,000 acres of lithium deposits in Chile, that's a potential $1.1 billion in annual revenue opportunity at projected market prices. As demand accelerates, you can join over 40,000 EnergyX shareholders as an investor and get your piece of the lithium boom today.*
The Science Behind How Your Winter Jacket Keeps You Warm
Maryviolet/iStock
This article was written by Longji Cui, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder; and Wan Xiong, a Ph.D. student in physics and mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, for The Conversation. As the weather grows cold this winter, you may be one of the many Americans pulling their winter jackets out of the closet. Not only can this extra layer keep you warm on a chilly day, but modern winter jackets are also a testament to centuries-old physics and cutting-edge materials science. Winter jackets keep you warm by managing heat through the three classical modes of heat transfer — conduction, convection, and radiation — all while remaining breathable so sweat can escape. The physics has been around for centuries, yet modern material innovations represent a leap forward that let those principles shine. Physicists like us who study heat transfer sometimes see thermal science as "settled." Isaac Newton first described convective cooling, the heat loss driven by fluid motion that sweeps thermal energy away from a surface, in the early 18th century. Joseph Fourier's 1822 analytical theory of heat then put conduction — the transfer of thermal energy through direct physical contact — on mathematical footing. Late-19th-century work by Josef Stefan and Ludwig Boltzmann, followed by the work of Max Planck at the dawn of the 20th century, made thermal radiation — the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves — a pillar of modern physics. Delve deeper into the science.
Humanity
Couple Spent 30 Years Restoring 1800s UK Train Station
SWNS
The Ebberston Station in Allerston, England, closed in 1950, and was purchased in 1996 by train-loving couple Mark and Carol Benson. Now, 30 years and tens of thousands of dollars later, the historical station has been returned to its former glory. Thanks to the couple's hard work, tourists are once again able to see the property, now called The Old Station, similar to how it looked in the 1940s. Visitors can even stay in the three former British Rail Mark 2 first class carriages or in the converted ticket office, which is now a cottage. They also renovated the former station master's house into a family home. Most recently, the Bensons restored the platform canopy and waiting area, and on Dec. 3, they were awarded a blue plaque for the project, presented at the National Railway Heritage Awards in London. Ebberston Station sits on the 16.25-mile-long Forge Valley Line, which was opened by the North Eastern Railway Company on May 1, 1882. The village of Ebberston is located one mile east of Allerston. The station is said to be a very good example of celebrated architect William Bell's mature wayside station design of that period. The last passenger train on the line ran June 3, 1950. It was then used as a private house until the Bensons purchased the little piece of railway history. Check out a before-and-after of the station.
In Other News
The World Sports Photography Awards highlight humans in action — see the 2026 winners (read more)
Gen Alpha prioritizes kindness and fun over fame and popularity, a new study says (read more)
A sea lion pup named Babymac was rescued after wandering into traffic in California last week (read more)
Your name could fly around the moon during the Artemis II mission if you submit it by tomorrow (read more)
For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air house is going up for sale (read more)
Something We Love
3-in-1 Charging Station This charging station isn't anything fancy, but it does the job of clearing some of the clutter on my desk. It can wirelessly charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods — a dream for anyone who can't stand the look of cords everywhere. – Kenny Freeman, Director of Partnerships
A dad from Long Island, New York, has visited nearly 1,000 schools across the country hoping to spark simple acts of kindness. In presentations to students, David Flood shares the story of his son Justin, who ate lunch alone at school every day for seven years, hoping it inspires kids to invite others to sit with them. "Look on the inside," he said on one visit, adding, "There's a kid in your school who needs you. Help one person at a time, and start with the person nearest you."
Photo of the Day
Biju BORO / AFP via Getty Images
Dancers showed up in droves to the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex in Guwahati, India, last Thursday. They were rehearsing for a Saturday performance at the Bwisagu festival, which marks the start of the new year for the Bodo community of Assam.
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Odds & Ends
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Quote of the Day
"Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been."
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