It's one of our favorite seasons — and no, we don't mean winter (or awards, a la Moira Rose). It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and this year's lineup has all of the beloved treats like Thin Mints and Tagalongs, as well as one newcomer: Exploremores. The decadent cookie takes inspiration from Rocky Road ice cream, with "flavors of chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted almond crème." Check out the Cookie Finder tool to see where and when cookies are being sold near you.
In World First, Stingless Bees in the Amazon Gain Legal Rights
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Tiny, (mostly) harmless, and now historic, stingless bees from the Amazon have become the first insects to gain legal rights. The native bees are recognized by law in two Peruvian regions as having a right to thrive and flourish, free from pollution and habitat threats. Given the circumstances of climate change, this may sound easier said than done. But that's not stopping advocates and Indigenous groups from defending the bees that pollinate more than 80% of Amazonian plant species, thus bolstering biodiversity and the food chains vital to the rainforest. Some scientists also believe the honey produced by the species has medicinal properties. The two regional laws, one passed in October and the other in December, could set a precedent for other insects and shift how we view nature as a whole. Constanza Prieto, the Latin American director at the Earth Law Center, who was part of the advocacy campaign, told The Guardian: "This ordinance marks a turning point in our relationship with nature. It makes stingless bees visible, recognizes them as rights-bearing subjects, and affirms their essential role in preserving ecosystems."
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Culture
A Pablo Picasso Painting Is out of Hiding — And Making Its Public Debut in Miami
PIERRE MEUNIER—AFP/Getty Images
Hidden no more, one of Pablo Picasso's private paintings has been unveiled to the public for the first time at the Gary Nader Art Centre in Miami — more than 50 years after the artist's death. Titled "The Two Children," it portrays Picasso's youngest children, Claude and Paloma. The duo are pictured above with their father in 1954, the same year Picasso painted the piece. In the artwork, Claude is in blue, drawing, while Paloma is green beside him — both depicted with "childlike purity," according to the gallery. Until now, the canvas remained in Picasso's private collection, part of a series of works featuring Claude and Paloma that represented "fragments of his inner life" and were never meant for commercialization. "They are among the few works in which the public persona of Picasso recedes to reveal the private father — vulnerable, searching, profoundly human," the gallery noted. See the painting, on display through March 28.
Health
Doctors Performed the First Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
selimaksan/iStock
Coronary artery bypass surgery is the most common heart surgery in the world, with about 200,000 procedures performed annually in the U.S. alone. And for the first time, researchers have now successfully performed a minimally invasive version of the surgery. A team at the National Institutes of Health and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, used a new technique called VECTOR to lower the risk of an artery blockage in a 67-year-old patient who couldn't safely undergo the traditional open-heart surgery, according to a press release announcing the success this week. Instead of cutting into the patient's chest wall, the team accessed the heart through leg vessels and used catheters and a wire to reach the target artery safely. Six months post-procedure, the patient has shown no coronary obstruction, potentially paving the way for more patients to receive less invasive treatments. "Achieving this required some out-of-the-box thinking, but I believe we developed a highly practical solution," said study first author Christopher Bruce.
In Other News
Nominations for the Actor Awards, formerly the SAG Awards, were announced yesterday — see the list (read more)
California students are harnessing tech to help combat wildfires in their home state (read more)
On Cloud-9, literally: Astronomers discovered a novel celestial object located 14 million light-years away (read more)
A couple donated 46 acres of landto create affordable housing in their rural Nova Scotia town (read more)
Scientists saw a rare phantom jellyfish at a depth of about 830 feet in the Pacific Ocean (read more)
Something We Love
On the Calculation of Volume Series by Solvej Balle The premise of Solvej Balle's seven-part On the Calculation of Volume series — a protagonist stuck in a Groundhog Day-like time loop — is nothing new, but the Danish author has found a fresh angle on what might otherwise feel like a gimmick. It isn't science fiction or hijink-filled comedy: On the Calculation of Volume is a moving meditation on love, life, and the uneven passage of time. That it reads like a suspenseful page-turner is simply a bonus. The first three books have been translated from Danish to English, and the fourth translated volume comes out this spring. – Mike Newman, SVP, Editorial Strategy
Cami, a heroic cattle dog, kept her 82-year-old owner alive after they got lost on a walk in Elmira, Oregon, by keeping her warm with cuddles and barking relentlessly to alert rescuers. "Thanks to area residents and Lane Fire Authority for their assistance on this search, and to Cami for being such a good dog!" the local sheriff's office wrote. Read the heartwarming story.
Photo of the Day
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Step right up! This week, the London Zoo kicked off its annual weigh-in that involves wrangling more than 8,000 resident animals, including ants, penguins, lions, and millipedes. This year also happens to be the zoo's 200th anniversary, so the 2026 "stocktake" is an extra-special one. See more pics.
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Odds & Ends
💪 Parmesan > protein bars? 🦌 When a deer needed help, this man saved the day 🕺 Dance moves that emerged from city streets 🌿 Fresh tips for keeping indoor herbs happy
Quote of the Day
"You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say."
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