Mattel adds an autistic Barbie to doll line devoted to showcasing diversity and inclusion Posted February 13, 2026 Mattel Inc. is introducing an autistic Barbie as the newest member of its line, intended to celebrate diversity, joining a collection that alread…
Some dogs can expand their vocabulary by eavesdropping on their owners Posted February 7, 2026 Dogs are great at learning action commands like "sit" and "stay." They're less good at remembering the names of things, like what their squeaky or stuffed toys ar…
A Kenyan barber who wields a sharpened shovel thrives on Africa’s social media craze Posted February 3, 2026 In a sparse shack on the rural roadside in Kiambu, at the edge of metropolitan Nairobi, Safari Martins uses unconventional techniques to cut hair. On the shack…
Small US groups combat historic levels of social isolation Posted January 24, 2026 Americans are disconnected from each other at historic levels, buffeted by what a former surgeon general calls an “epidemic of loneliness.” “Loneliness is one of …
Baltimore cyclist finds joy in collecting lost hubcaps and stringing them into art Posted January 19, 2026 Cyclist Barnaby Wickham has collected more than 700 lost hubcaps, mostly on bike rides around Baltimore. They have inspired a quest to turn litter into art, inclu…
Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year is ‘slop’ Posted January 15, 2026 Creepy, zany, and demonstrably fake content is often called "slop." The word's proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availabilit…
Vermont rescue team sees increase in calls as social media lures skiers into danger Posted January 12, 2026 A rescue team that covers Vermont’s tallest mountain has seen a rise in calls from inexperienced skiers who end up getting lost and in dangerous locations after being infl…
Incarcerated writers are now able to connect with literary world through new PEN America site Posted December 28, 2025 Writers in U.S. prisons now have a new path to getting their work seen through a website managed by PEN America that includes information on publishers, agents, journalists, and o…
Australian prisoner sues for his ‘human right’ to eat Vegemite Posted December 20, 2025 A prisoner is challenging an Australian state's ban on inmates eating Vegemite, claiming in a lawsuit that withholding the polarizing yeast-based spread breaches his human right t…
German Baumkuchen ‘tree cake’ survived a disaster and world wars to become a Japanese favorite Posted December 13, 2025 Baumkuchen originated in Germany but has become a wildly popular sweet in Japan, where a prisoner of war (POW) on a small western island started making the treat that has thrived …