You may not associate heavy metal rockers with do-gooders — but here's something to upend your assumptions. Metallica is teaming up with the American Red Cross to arrange blood drives that coincide with many of the band's North American tour dates this spring and early summer. The collaboration is particularly timely, given that the need for donated blood tends to ramp up in the warmer months. As an added bonus, fans who donate get a free Metallica T-shirt.
Must Reads
"She still has stories to tell": A new Titanic scan offers a glimpse into the ship's final hours
Head in the Clouds? There May Be Benefits to Keeping It There, Study Finds
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Mind-wandering tends to get a bad rap, especially in an educational context. A recent study, however, found that letting your mind drift might not be harmful when it comes to learning a new task — in fact, it may even be helpful. Researchers in Hungary fitted 37 people with scalp electrodes to monitor their brain activity. Participants were then given an exercise that involved watching an arrow on a TV screen and hitting a key on a keyboard to indicate what direction it went in, per Australia's ABC News. Throughout the activity, they were intermittently asked three questions about their attentiveness: if their mind had wandered, if they'd been thinking about anything at all, or if they had been focused on the task. Using the data from the electrodes and the participant responses, the scientists determined if their attention had wandered and evaluated whether it affected their ability to complete the task. They found that "mind-wandering while doing the task did not worsen performance, and in some cases even enhanced learning," per a news release. Study authors also noted an association between a wandering mind and probabilistic learning, meaning participants used prior experience to assess the likelihood of something happening. This study adds to research that shows daydreaming can help us solve problems and reach our goals — and suggests that we may need to carve out more time for passive learning, said co-author Péter Simor: "As our brain needs sleep, maybe we also need passive ways of learning, or 'wakeful rest,' to recover from tasks that require your brain to be online and engaged."
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Health
Scientists Have a Potential Plan to Stop Airborne Pandemics in Their Tracks
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The COVID-19 pandemic may feel like it was just yesterday to you, but scientists are already preparing to stop the next airborne threat before it strikes. The potential solution on deck is far-UVC light, a form of ultraviolet light that can kill viruses and bacteria in the air, at no harm to humans. "UV light really doesn't care about the details of whether it's a bacteria or a virus. It can kill all of them, essentially," David Brenner, a Columbia University physicist, told CBS News. In a previous study, he and his fellow Columbia researchers found that the lights are particularly effective at inactivating pathogens in occupied indoor spaces, reducing infectious airborne viruses by 99.8%. That far surpasses the capabilities of typical air filtration and ventilation devices. More research is needed, which is why Brenner has set up a UVC laboratory to simulate real-life conditions. The tech is also being put to use at a club, a dental clinic, and a rehabilitation center. "I'd say the development has been slow and steady," Brenner said. These are small steps with a big goal: preventing another 2020 from happening. "What we're hoping is that we can take a bite out of that next pandemic, which you know is gonna come, whether it's bird flu or whether it's something we don't know yet, it will come," he said.
Culture
NYC Will Celebrate Earth Day With Car-Free Streets
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New Yorkers, it's almost time to put down those car keys and take a breather from Uber. In honor of Earth Day (April 22), the Big Apple will hold its annual car-free day on Saturday, April 26. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 54 streets and plazas across all five boroughs will be closed to vehicular traffic — and open to those ready to experience the city by foot, bike, and public transit. In the place of cars and yellow cabs, many of the designated areas will feature community programs and public art activations. The NYC Department of Transportation has commissioned five artists to create temporary, eco-focused works along some of the car-free routes. Citi Bike is also getting in on the festivities, offering unlimited half-hour rides for 24 hours. "Car-Free Earth Day is a chance for New Yorkers to enjoy our city's world-class streetscapes as open spaces for all," NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. "We only have one planet — temporary public art, programming, music, and other activities at dozens of car-free streets around New York City will help us remember: We must all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and respect our environment." Check out a map of the streets that will be closed off.
In Other News
Alabama lawmakers unanimously passed a bill that could give more pregnant women access to health care (read more)
In a first since the 1940s, over 40% of the world's electricity was generated by clean energy in 2024 (read more)
The original cast recording of Hamiltonwas added to the National Recording Registry — see more additions (read more)
South Carolina's Myrtle Beach installed mattingto improve accessibility for those with mobility challenges (read more)
Big Lots is back: The chain is reopening stores in six states today, with more locations to follow (read more)
Inspiring Story
Heroes helping a hero
Army Sgt. Derrick Bishop has dedicated his life to serving his country. And now his countrymen are stepping up for him: Thousands of soldiers and veterans are getting screened to help the 23-year-old find a bone marrow donor and save his life. "Initially we were told Derrick did not have a match in the international database," his wife Veda said. "However, in the last couple of weeks, we have been filled with hope as our military family has stepped up to support us through hosting bone marrow donor searches at military bases across the U.S."
Photo of the Day
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
The Masters begins today at Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club — one of the most prestigious golf tournaments and certainly one of the most challenging. But while the elites prepare to tee off for Round 1 of the tournament, we're still thinking about yesterday's Par 3 Contest, an annual tradition in which the pros have their families caddie for them. Adorably, that usually involves kiddos donning Augusta's iconic all-white caddie coveralls, and sometimes even taking a shot or two on dad's behalf. Bennett and Bear — sons of Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, respectively — are still a bit too young to wield a club, but they're looking mighty comfortable on the putting green. See more photos from the fun event.
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