Category: life

Posted on

Scientists Say That North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds in the Last 50 Years

We’ve heard all about the plight of the bees that are disappearing at an alarming rate across the world, but the situation with birds doesn’t look too great, either.

A new article in the journal Science estimates that North America has lost a quarter of its bird population – roughly 3 billion birds – in the past 50 years. The researchers looked at populations of 529 different bird species since 1970 to reach their conclusion. They collected data from surveys with the help of volunteer bird spotters and combined that with ten years worth of data on flocks of migrating birds detected by 143 different weather radar installations.

Ken Rosenberg of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said, “We saw this tremendous net loss across the entire bird community. By our estimates, it’s a 30% loss in the total number of breeding birds. But we also knew that other bird populations were increasing. And what we didn’t know is whether there was a net change.”

The data showed that more than 90% of the losses came from only a dozen bird families, including warblers, blackbirds, finches, and sparrows. Meadowlarks and red-winged blackbirds are two examples of common birds that have seen their numbers decrease.

The news isn’t entirely bad, though; some bird populations have increased, such as raptors (influding bald eagles), and waterfowl. Rosenberg continued, “The numbers of ducks and geese are larger than they’ve ever been, and that’s not an accident. It’s because hunters who primarily want to see healthy waterfowl populations for recreational hunting have raised their voices.”

Mike Parr, another one of the study’s authors, said, “We’re making the wrong moves now to sustain nature for the future, and this is an indication that nature is unraveling and that ecosystems are highly stressed. Our generation is going survive it, and probably the next generation will, but who knows where the tipping point is.”

The researchers say that climate change played only a small role in the overall loss of the birds so far, but it is likely to become more of a threat in the future because of rising seas, draughts and wildfires.

The post Scientists Say That North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds in the Last 50 Years appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Try These 10 Microhabits That Might Help Improve Your Life in a Year

All of us want to be better versions of ourselves. To be more productive, more positive, just better overall.

Instead of trying for that one, big breakthrough that might never come, you should instead try to focus on microhabits to change your life.

Here are 10 to work on. Remember, start small and these changes will add up and you’ll start seeing changes. Good luck!

1. Rejection is good.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Try to be rejected more often. Reach out to one or two people each day you’d like to work with, even if you don’t think they’ll respond. Someone will respond at some point, and that minimal effort will be worth it.

What do you have to lose?

2. Write a paragraph.

The hardest part of writing is actually sitting down and doing it. You can make up a million excuses about why you shouldn’t write, or you can make the choice to just do it, even if it’s only a paragraph.

Whether you want to eventually write a book, an article, a business plan, or even a love letter, the more you do it, the easier it will become.

3. Think about comfort…in the future.

Photo Credit: Max Pixel

You should choose comfort for yourself in the future instead of comfort right now in the present. Start making choices that will be beneficial for your future self. Always thinking about the present moment and not looking ahead is a recipe for disaster.

4. Get it done.

If you get a text, answer it quickly. If you get an email, respond ASAP. If you have this mindset, you won’t end up with a never-ending backlog of messages to respond to.

5. Your base needs are important.

Photo Credit: pxhere

It’s important to take care of yourself. If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re tired, get some sleep. Don’t burn yourself out and make yourself sick just because you think you have to be busy and working all the time.

6. Reading is good.

Read more. It’s pretty simple. You don’t have to always finish the book you start, but read some articles and expand your knowledge about the world. Reading is crucial for self-growth.

7. Put it down.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Learn to scroll less. Most of us have made scrolling through social media an everyday habit, but you should really work to limit the time you spend doing this. As you probably know, it’s never very productive.

8. NOPE

Learn to say “no” to people. Our time and energy are both limited, so it’s important that you don’t let others suck up all your resources. In other words, you do you.

9. Just one less.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Eat one less unhealthy snack each day. Don’t focus on completely changing your diet overnight. Once you get into this habit, you’ll see changes and you can further tweak your diet.

10. The question.

Begin each day by asking yourself this question: “How can I change my life today?” Stop thinking you have to survive each day and change your mindset to believe that each day is full of potential and you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. You must be willing to see things in your life differently to make some changes.

You can do it!

The post Try These 10 Microhabits That Might Help Improve Your Life in a Year appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

The Nearly Extinct Northern White Rhino Might Live on Thanks to Lab-Created Embryos

Finally, some good news!

For all the destruction and mayhem that humans have caused around the planet, sometimes we actually do some good things, too. Things like preventing (hopefully) the complete extinction of the northern white rhino.

The last male northern white rhino died in 2018, and only two females, Fatu and Najin, remain of the species. Neither of them are capable of bearing a child. It was believed that once the two females passed away, that would be the end of the northern white rhino.

But scientists recently announced they were able to extract immature eggs from the two remaining females, and the eggs were flown to a laboratory in Italy.

View this post on Instagram

BREAKING NEWS – WE NOW HAVE TWO NORTHERN WHITE RHINO EMBRYOS! We are happy to announce that two northern white rhino embryos have been successfully matured and fertilised. This development marks a turning point in the race to save the northern white rhino from near extinction. The two embryos were created using eggs collected from Fatu, the youngest of the two northern white rhinos and frozen sperm from Suni a deceased northern white rhino male. The embryos are now stored in liquid nitrogen and will be transferred into a surrogate southern white rhino female in the near future. To make this procedure a reality, Fatu’s eggs were injected with Suni’s sperm while Najin’s eggs were injected with Saut’s sperm. Saut’s semen was of really poor quality and scientists had to thaw additional samples to find viable sperms for the procedure. Unfortunately, Najin’s eggs did not make it to a viable embryo despite the fact that one egg initiated segmentation. This landmark effort was achieved at Avantea Laboratories in Cremona, Italy thanks to Prof. Cesare Galli and his team. We have only gotten this far because of your unending support. To be part of the journey towards making a northern white rhino, go to donate.olpejetaconservancy.org/projects/sudan ? ? Jan Zwilling, Ami Vitale, Cesare Galli @kenyawildlifeservice @tourism_wildlifeke @leibnizizw @biorescue_project @bmbf.bund @leibnizgemeinschaft @safariparkdvurkralove #OlPejeta #NorthernWhiteRhino #OvumPickUp #NorthernWhiteRhinoRecovery #NajinandFatu

A post shared by Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya (@olpejeta) on

The eggs were then injected with sperm from two dead male northern white rhinos. Only two of the eggs from one of the rhinos developed into viable embryos, and they were immediately frozen. Because Fatu and Najin can’t carry a pregnancy, the embryos will be transferred to a surrogate mother—a southern white rhinoceros.

View this post on Instagram

With Najin and Fatu, the last two northern white rhinos, unable to carry a pregnancy, the future of the northern white rhino species solely depends on artificial reproduction. ? Over the past few years, scientists have been working very hard on perfecting a procedure for both harvesting and fertilisation in vitro. ? The successful harvest of 10 eggs from the northern white rhinos yesterday (August 22nd, 2019) means that scientists are now closer to saving the species from complete extinction. ? @amivitale ——————————————————————— @kenyawildlifeservice @tourism_wildlifeke @leibnizizw @biorescue_project @bmbf.bund @leibnizgemeinschaft @safariparkdvurkralove ? #OlPejeta #NorthernWhiteRhino #OvumPickUp #NorthernWhiteRhinoRecovery #NajinandFatu #SaveOurRhinos #OnlyTwoLeft #EndExtinction

A post shared by Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya (@olpejeta) on

Jan Stejskal, Director of Communication and International Projects at the zoo in the Czech Republic where Najin and Fatu were born, said:

“Five years ago it seemed like the production of a northern white rhino embryo was [an] almost unachievable goal — and today we have them. The technique for collection of eggs was developed in cooperation with many European zoos and we are happy that this unique cooperation can continue even with attempts at successful embryo transfer.”

Scientists must now transfer the embryos to a surrogate mother and track the embryos’ development into fetuses. From there, scientists still face an enormous uphill climb—the species lacks genetic diversity, and there are very few ways to get it back once there are so few individuals left. Plus, rhinos are slow developing creatures, so to rebuild the population in any meaningful way will take decades.

Sadly, the northern white rhino reached this point mainly due to poaching—they were targeted for their horns, which, though they have no medicinal properties of any sort, are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine.

The post The Nearly Extinct Northern White Rhino Might Live on Thanks to Lab-Created Embryos appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

15 People Share Things That They Think Definitely DO NOT Make You Look Cool

It’s always amusing when you know someone is trying to be cool, but whatever they’re attempting is totally falling flat.

And I’m not just talking about fashion or hairstyles I don’t get or wouldn’t personally wear. I mean people who are really trying.

Well, these 15 examples from Reddit will let you see what I mean:

15. Uh-oh, I wear these too.

I unironically like wearing fingerless gloves. For actual tasks, not just out and about. When people ask me why I wear them I tell them it’s because I’m so cool.

I’m not exactly certain HOW uncool they make me, but I know it’s a lot.

14. Yeah, this is a hard pass.

Bragging about not reading.

13. Some people deserve to have their speaker option disabled.

Having a phone conversation on a loudspeaker in public, or blasting shitty music from a cheap over saturated BT speaker on public transport . We get it, negative attention is also attention, but taking over a public space with your edginess – is just being an asshole.

12. Jokes are supposed to be funny.

Being an asshole while hiding being the “it’s just a joke, stop taking it seriously. Why can’t you take a joke” statements.

Edit: thanks for the silver. Though everyone talking about their IRL experiences but I’m just here saying this because of some mingey prick on the internet who decided to follow me around the Internet with his friends.

11. There are exceptions to every rule.

The most surefire way to not look cool is to do something that you think makes you look cool.

Edit: To everyone asking what about flips and skateboard tricks: Yes, they are very cool. Certainly an exception.

10. General Rule: people who actually have money don’t have to show it to you.

Posting photos of cash on social media. I always think it is funny how doing that is commonly accepted whereas if you screenshotted your bank account or net worth you’d be an asshole

9. It’s literally not that hard.

Never admitting when you’re wrong. It may seem like a confidence power play, however, most people just don’t care enough about you to say anything or indicate that they noticed. They’ll just slowly drift away from you till one day you’re all alone wondering why no one with any level of competence wants to hang out/work with you.

8. Just like what you like.

Elitism. It’s fuckin stupid to attack someone who enjoys a hobby only just because doesn’t put his life on it.

7. Why are visors a thing, period?

I’ve been into the import tuner scene for close to 20 years at this point.

Now this was more a style of the time say 15 years ago.

Backwards upside down visor hats. WTF? Why was that a thing? It’d make more sense to walk around with an onion tied to your belt.

6. Being close-minded doesn’t make you cool.

Hating all genres of music except the one they like, I learned this the hard way by only liking heavy metal and shitting on all other music without giving a chance as a teen. Metals still my favourite but all genres have good music

5. Bad habits aren’t cool.

I was trying to explain to someone why I gave up coffee. I was addicted and I had started to suffer from insomnia. If I went too long (maybe like an hour or two) without one, I would begin to shake and migraines would set in. Basically just normal effects of over doing caffeine. She asked me how many I was having, and basically tried to turn it into this competition of “oh I drink more coffee than you, omg im so quirky and sleep deprived haha”. Stop turning bad habits and other people’s issues into a competition of how badly you treat your body. It doesn’t make you cool.

EDIT: Thank you for gold ?

4. There should be more noise ordinances and also get off my lawn.

please stop blasting your music in places where people cannot escape it. i see your earbuds in your pocket. please. salvation

3. Really cool, Mr. Office Space.

One upping and putting other people down to make yourself look good.

Rife in white collar jobs. I despise people who do it.

2. Please just stop.

When people play their music loud at the gas pumps.

1. I mean how about you do something about that? THAT would be cool.

People who say things like “I’m just an asshole!”

No. You lack the emotional maturity to deal with others and use nastiness as a defence. Its not cool as a trait. Try be nice.

*EDIT* Thank you for the gold and silver!

Just something to think about the next time “looking cool” is on your to-do list!

Do you do any of these things? Have you see worse? Admit it in the comments – if you dare!

The post 15 People Share Things That They Think Definitely DO NOT Make You Look Cool appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

These Viral Backflipping Kids Are Headed to Gymnastics School, Thanks to the Influence of Social Media

Jashika Khan and Mohammad Azajuddin are two children in Kolkata, India. The pair went viral for their impressive cartwheeling, and now they’re going to school to be full-time gymnasts.

A teacher took a video of Jashika, 11, and Mohammad, 12, doing their tumbling on the street on the way to school. Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci retweeted the video, calling it “awesome.”

And Jashika and Mohammad blew up.

Their gymnastics journey could have ended with the tweet, but fortunately, the video caught the attention of India’s Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju. Jashika and Mohammad were soon called for trials at the Sports Authority of India, and the trainer, Manmeet Singh Goindi, said that he was impressed by what he saw.

“They are certainly talented and have the desire to achieve much,” he told The Telegraph.

Both children are going to be enrolled as full-time trainees. Manmeet explained:

“At SAI, not only will the children get food, lodging and proper education, they will also be trained under qualified gymnastics coaches. Plus, the right equipments will be made available to them. They will practice in proper indoor halls. No more will they have to jump around on the road and somersault on concrete, risking injuries.”

Both Jashika and Mohammad are thrilled about the new opportunity. Jashika even says she wants to become a gymnast like Nadia in the future — and with talent like hers, it’s totally possible.

The post These Viral Backflipping Kids Are Headed to Gymnastics School, Thanks to the Influence of Social Media appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Muslims Share How 9/11 Changed Their Lives in the United States

Every September 11, America takes a time-out from whatever else is going on to come together and remember the events of that tragic day.

We talk about the people in the buildings, the people on the planes, the first responders, the bystanders, the dogs who bravely searched in vain for survivors in the rubble.

We say never again, and we mean it.

But after September 11, the world had changed for another group of people – Muslims living in the United States.

So, as the day of remembrance passed, Muslims logged onto Twitter to claim their own narrative, using #AfterSeptember11 and #After911 to share how their lives have never been the same.

17. All were meant to pay for the actions of a few.

16. Communities should band together, not pull apart, in times of stress.

15. Most people are good people if you give them a chance.

14. Good people shouldn’t have to answer for evil.

13. Four. Years. Old.

12. You never know what path strangers are walking.

11. Violence is never the answer.

10. This makes me sick to my stomach.

9. We lost so much more than lives that day.

8. Imagine having to question your entire worldview as a child.

7. Be the Alex in your world.

6. Put a face to the religion and it makes it easier to treat people like humans.

5. I wonder where kids are hearing crap like that, hmm?

4. Those teachers should be ashamed of themselves.

3. No one should have to “get” it. No one.

2. Friendship means through thick and thin.

1. I hope he sued them.

 

One thing that shouldn’t have changed after that day was how we treat our fellow Americans – all of them, regardless of race, religion, sex, whatever – so I hope hashtags like this can remind us of what makes us the greatest nation on earth.

Do you have a story to add? We’re all ears in the comments.

The post Muslims Share How 9/11 Changed Their Lives in the United States appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Millennials Have Some Pretty Dark Jokes About Their So-Called “Retirement Plans”

Oh boy, here we go…

Millennials have been trying for years to get older generations to listen to the truth about how hard life can be for them: jobs are scarce, they don’t pay nearly enough to cover average student loan payments, and living at home with their parents is just sad after a while.

Luckily, millennials are also pretty good at a self-effacing and sarcastic brand of humor that plays really well on Twitter, so please enjoy these 12 “jokes” that won’t leave you feeling at all warm and fuzzy about the future plans of a generation.

12. There’s a progression there.

11. You just have to wait out, well…you know.

10. It might be our only hope.

9. Shoot for the moon, I guess.

8. This seems like a legit plan.

7. Even the people in the mountains could bet on that.

6. I hope she stored those things in plastic bags.

5. Your resume is gonna look soooo good.

4. Oooh what river? Is there a view?

3. There’s going to be even more ocean to explore.

2. Eh, why bother? I feel that.

1. Time for the Baby Boomers to prove they’re as great as they say.

I fall right on the cusp of this generation and I’ve gotta say…I feel this. Who can worry about the future when I’m wasting time worrying about living until my next paycheck now?

Not millennials.

How about you? Can you relate? Are you good at saving? Tell us your secrets below!

The post Millennials Have Some Pretty Dark Jokes About Their So-Called “Retirement Plans” appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Americans Share the Most Absurd Medical Bill They Ever Received

Healthcare is on many people’s mind these days, and the 2020 election is full of ideas on how to take our broken system and hopefully improve it.

Senator Bernie Sanders is and has been passionate about the topic for much of his career, and is championing a controversial Medicare for All plan that would see the end of private insurance offerings for good.

Regardless of what you think about Medicare for All, I’m sure we can all agree that healthcare costs are too damn high, and something has to be done.

Recently on Twitter, he asked his followers to share the most absurd medical bill they ever got in the mail, and you guys.

They delivered.

 

20. Always decline the ambulance ride.

19. Nobody should be worrying about the bill.

18. Yeah, that’s not a choice.

17. This one might win for most ridiculous.

16. I’m not sure that’s really science.

15. Heartbreaking AND absurd.

14. A whole new level of insult to injury.

13. We need equal opportunity healing.

12. I’ll bring my own Band-Aid.

11. Only the rich get to live.

10. I mean what else can you do?

9. It would be funny if it wasn’t so infuriating.

8. Answer: hardly anyone.

7. That’s a pretty penny for stuff you could have gotten at Walgreens.

6. You need a surgeon for that?

5. That’s a pretty high price for wielding a pair of tweezers for under 5 minutes.

4. Kidney stones are the worst and if $16k would help, I would have paid it.

3. I think they’re billing the wrong person.

2. Everyone should have a problem with this.

1. What on earth does most of that even mean?

 

I’m not here to discuss politics, but I think we can all agree that most of these are pretty darn silly.

If you were running for president, how would you solve the problem of rising healthcare costs, access to care, care for veterans, and all the rest?

There’s no easy answer, of course, but give it a go!

The post Americans Share the Most Absurd Medical Bill They Ever Received appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

A Man Brought an ‘Emotional Support Clown’ to a Meeting Where He Knew He Was Gonna Get Fired

This might be the best story of 2019 so far.

The emotional support animal craze has officially gone from “weird” to “terrifying”.

A man in New Zealand brought a professional clown to a layoff meeting at work, claiming that it was his emotional support person.

Joshua Thompson worked at an advertising company in Auckland. He was recently called in for a serious meeting with his bosses. Sensing bad news, he opted to bring a clown to, uh, brighten up the event.

Employees in New Zealand are allowed by law to bring a support person to layoff meetings, but a clown is surely a first!

“I thought it’s best to bring in a professional and so I paid $200 and hired a clown,” Joshua told MediaWorks. “I mean I did get fired, but apart from that it was all smooth running.”

A while ago, I got a job. A short while later, I lost it. For anyone who hasn’t been fired, what happens is they…

Posted by Joshua Jack on Thursday, September 12, 2019

During the meeting, the clown blew up balloons and folded them into animals, including a unicorn and a poodle. He even mimed crying when Joshua got his paperwork.

“It was rather noisy him making balloon animals so we had to tell him to be quiet from time to time,” he said.

Joshua paid $200 for the clown, who is reportedly one of the best in the city. He says the presence of the clown didn’t jeopardize the meeting at all.

“They were getting a free service, they were also getting the entertainment from Joe the Clown,” he said.

The adman has spoken about what unfolded when he took a professional clown – as a support person – to his restructuring meeting. ?

Posted by nzherald.co.nz on Friday, September 13, 2019

Joshua has now gone viral for this cheeky move.

And in a classic maneuver, since losing his job, he’s obtained another job in advertising in Australia—possibly with the assistance of his new viral fame.

The post A Man Brought an ‘Emotional Support Clown’ to a Meeting Where He Knew He Was Gonna Get Fired appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Mark Hamill Granted a Teenage Boy His Dying Wish to Meet Luke Skywalker

This is a great story.

A teenage boy’s dying wish to meet Luke Skywalker came true, thanks to actor Mark Hamill.

Eight years ago, 17-year-old John Sikorra was terminally ill with Batten’s disease. A huge Star Wars fan, John desperately wanted to meet Luke Skywalker before he passed away. So his parents reached out to the only person they knew in the film industry for help, screenwriter Ed Solomon.

Ed shared the touching story of what happened next on Twitter.

Ed reached out to the agent of Mark Hamill, aka the real-life Luke Skywalker. Ed told the agent all about John’s dying wish.

“The agent begrudgingly said he’d call Mark, but also said not to get my hopes up. 90 seconds later I got a call from @HamillHimself, who immediately said yes and gave me his home address,” Ed wrote.

“He not only met with the boy, but spent hours answering question after question (sometimes the same ones repeatedly), AS ‘Luke.’”

Because of his state of mind, John’s short-term memory was faulty, and he couldn’t easily differentiate between “Hamill the person and Luke Skywalker the character.” But Mark was patient and kind with the young boy, according to John’s father Joe.

“It was one of those beautiful experiences,” Joe told The Hollywood Reporter. “It is very humbling, this disease. You have got to let go of your normal expectations for you and your kids and family. In the midst of struggle and tragedy, it was those points of connection that make you feel loved and less isolated. Mark was very kind, ‘No rush, my time is your time.’”

Photo Credit: Star Wars

John passed away at just 23 years old in 2015. Years later, this story is still making people tear up. Rest in peace, John! May the force be with you.

The post Mark Hamill Granted a Teenage Boy His Dying Wish to Meet Luke Skywalker appeared first on UberFacts.