🐐 Goat hero, virtual waterfall, syncing with strangers

Happy Friday my friend,

As wildfire risks increase, there’s luckily some furry friends standing by to help! Learn how goats are becoming fire protection heroes in high-risk places like Southern California. 🐐🔥

ECL TRIVIA: What bird can mimic over 100 different sounds, including car alarms and other animals? (Answer below)

🌎 Planet Health

💡 NEW YORK ELECTRIC: Redefining eco-urban design, New York State will now mandate that all new low-rise and single-family buildings are to be powered entirely by electricity— no gas, no oil. Learn about the guidelines and exemptions in this landmark shift in building construction. 

🐡 SIX MILES DOWN: What lies beneath the ocean’s surface? The Chinese submersible Fendouzhe found Earth’s deepest-known animal communities nearly six miles down, where tubeworms, mollusks, crustaceans, and other invertebrates thrive on chemosynthesis instead of sunlight. These communities span 1.5k miles across Earth’s most hostile habitat. Does this discovery redefine our understanding of life amidst extreme environments? Find out more.

🦍 GORILLA GALS: Did you know female mountain gorillas don’t wander randomly, but gravitate toward groups with familiar females, even if they haven’t seen each other for many years? Scientists’ new insight into gorillas' social lives "reframes how we think of female-female social relationships”, this fascinating article states.

🧑‍⚕️ Human Health

☯️ VIRTUAL WATERFALLS: A new study reveals that stepping into immersive VR scenes like lush forests or roaring waterfalls can slash chronic‑style pain nearly as effectively as medication. Want to know more about how brain scans show VR-activated pain modulating pathways? Read more here. 

🧠 GUT TO BRAIN: How exactly does your brain know your appetite is satisfied? Duke University scientists have found a direct gut-to-brain “neurobiotic” link: special colon cells that sense a bacterial protein and quickly signal the brain to curb appetite. Click here to understand how this deeper scientific understanding of our microbiome may influence our appetite, mood, behavior, and even our psyche and motivation. 

👁 STRANGER SYNC: What if just 2 minutes of eye contact could make you feel closer to a stranger? A “Just-Like-Me” gaze meditation study (eye contact between two people, paired with reflections on shared humanity) made strangers sync smiles and heartbeats! Discover here how participants’ feelings of attraction and willingness to be monetarily generous to their eye-contact partner shifted after just 2 minutes.

The safe & natural way to have more serotonin

Once upon a time, we believed that serotonin a.k.a. the happy hormone was produced in the brain.

Well, that story is old news now.

Breakthrough studies have revealed that 90% of serotonin is actually produced by your gut bacteria.

This has led researchers to look into the power of your gut to help treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders.

In fact, a systematic review of 10 human trials published in the Annals of General Psychiatry found that consuming gut bacteria (as probiotics) can help alleviate feelings of depression and anxiety in as little as 20 days!

But this groundbreaking science is far from reaching the general public.

That’s why health researchers Sarah Otto and Matt Potts created the new masterclass called Microbiome—to spread the word about the latest discoveries in this field straight from world-leading experts.

They will show you how to overcome mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, brain fog, and mood disorders by using proven strategies to heal your gut. 

This series is so comprehensive that I’m positive it will change so many lives.

I hope one of them will be yours.

Go here to discover how deep this gut-brain connection goes. (no cost only for a limited time)

Photo of the week

Trivia Answer:

The lyrebird of Australia is a master mimic, capable of imitating chainsaws, camera shutters, and dozens of other bird calls.

🎥 Transplanting Seedlings with Master Gardener David King

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...and a healthier planet:

• • Improve health awareness: Deep Dive articles & recipe videos
• • Protect ecosystems: expert video tutorials with leaders around the world
• • Prioritize mental health: custom meditations for relieved stress
• • Camaraderie: likeminded community (app coming soon!)
• • Inspiration: members-only ebooks, personal picks, and DIY ideas
• • Portion goes to support independent films, local food projects, and planting trees