What We Are Reading Today: Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian
In 'Forest Euphoria,' Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian introduces readers to the queerness of all the life around us.
In snakes, snails, and, above all, fungi, she saw her own developing identities as a queer, neurodivergent person reflected back at her — and in them, too, she found a personal path to a life of science.
Nature, Kaishian shows us, is filled with the unusual, the overlooked, and the marginalized — and they have lessons for us all.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test
HOUSTON: One of Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test in Texas late Wednesday, law enforcement officials said, in the latest setback to the billionaire's dream of turning humanity into an interplanetary species. The Starship 36 suffered 'catastrophic failure and exploded' at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11:00 p.m. (0400 GMT Thursday), a Facebook post by Cameron County authorities said. A video shared with the post showed the megarocket attached to the launch arm and then a flash and a towering, fiery explosion. Musk's Space X said the rocket was preparing for the tenth flight test when it 'experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase,' without elaborating on the nature of the complication. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' Space X said on social media. 'There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.' The Starship was not scheduled for launch on Wednesday evening when the explosion occurred during a 'routine static fire test,' according to the Cameron County authorities. During a static fire, part of the procedures preceding a launch, the Starship's Super Heavy booster would be anchored to the ground to prevent it from lifting off during the test-firing. Starbase, on the south Texas coast near the border with Mexico, is the headquarters for Musk's space project. Musk appeared to downplay the incident early on Thursday. 'Just a scratch,' he posted on his social media platform X, although without context it was unclear if he was referring to the fiery explosion of the rocket. Standing 123 meters tall, Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket and is central to Musk's long-term vision of colonizing Mars. The Starship is billed as a fully reusable rocket with a payload capacity of up to 150 metric tonnes. The latest setback follows the explosion of a prototype Starship over the Indian Ocean in late May. The biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built had lifted off from the Starbase facility on May 27, but the first-stage Super Heavy booster blew up instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The previous two outings also ended poorly, with the upper stage disintegrating over the Caribbean. However, the failures will likely do little to dent Musk's spacefaring ambitions. SpaceX has been betting that its 'fail fast, learn fast' ethos, which has helped it dominate commercial spaceflight, will eventually pay off. The company has caught the Super Heavy booster in the launch tower's giant robotic arms three times – a daring engineering feat it sees as key to rapid reusability and slashing costs. NASA is also increasingly reliant on SpaceX, whose Dragon spacecraft is vital for ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency would not adversely affect the environment. The decision overruled objections from conservation groups that had warned the expansion could endanger sea turtles and shorebirds.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Who Will Have the 2025 Song of the Summer? We Offer Some Predictions
What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words 'summer sunshine' or another synonym – 'California' – in the title? How could anyone attempt a song of the summer after the late, great Beach Boy Brian Wilson composed them so expertly anyway? It very well may be subject to the eye (well, ear) of the beholder, but The Associated Press views the song of the summer as the one that takes over those warm months between June and August – the kind that blasts out of car speakers and at beach barbecues in equal measure. And that means many different things for many kinds of listeners. So here are AP's 2025 song of the summer predictions across categories, with past victors for reference. Find your song of the summer and then listen to our Spotify playlist here. Song of the summer that inexplicably came out in January: 'NUEVAYoL,' Bad Bunny. A song of the summer doesn't actually have to arrive in summer, or even in spring. History has proved this time and time again, lest anyone forget Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license' hit at the top of the year in 2021. But this summer, like every summer, is about Bad Bunny. On his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio pulls from Puerto Rico's rich musical history and hybridizes it. He does so from the very opener, 'NUEVAYoL,' which samples the fittingly named 1975 salsa hit from El Gran Combo, 'Un Verano en Nueva York' ('A Summer in New York'). Past champion: 'Boys a liar pt. 2,' PinkPantheress & Ice Spice (2023). Song of the summer for the chronically online: 'Tonight,' PinkPantheress. An internet hero releases another super hit: PinkPantheress' 'Tonight' is an undeniable good time, all bassline house meets hyperpop vocals with a naughty chorus. The 24-year-old British singer-songwriter has proved she's got so much more to offer than a few viral hits – but her huge songs that blow up online? They tend to stay. That's more than can be said about past winners in this category. Past champion: 'Million Dollar Baby,' Tommy Richman (2024). Breakup song of the summer: 'What Was That,' Lorde. Lorde's first new single in four years recalls the clever synth-pop of her 2017 album Melodrama, casting aside the folk detour of 2012's Solar Power. 'What Was That' is reserved revelation, introspective electropop that takes a measured look at a relationship's dissolution. It feels good and bad, which is the point. Past champion: 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,' Bee Gees (1971). Song of the summer for the girls and all those who love them: 'Gnarly,' KATSEYE. KATSEYE, the global girl group born out of K-pop development techniques, are gnarly, and they'd like you to be, too. The song is asymmetrical pop with a cheerleading cadence and extensive, expensive product placement. You're here for the girls or you're not. Gnarly! Past champion: 'Bills, Bills, Bills,' Destiny's Child (1999). Song for singles ready to mingle this summer: 'WASSUP,' Young Miko. Flirting is central to these hot months; no other season has a fling named after it. Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko knows this better than most, and her track 'WASSUP' is all about charisma – and it doesn't hurt that it interpolates 'Lollipop' by Lil Wayne featuring Static Major and 'Chulin Culin Chunfly' by Voltio featuring Residente. Past champion: 'Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin'),' T-Pain featuring Yung Joc (2007). Song of the summer for those who love British boy ballads performed by an American: 'Ordinary,' Alex Warren. Last year brought Benson Boone's glossy soft pop-rock; this year, Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' is inescapable. A big, inoffensive ballad with loosely religious themes, it is meticulously designed to pull at the heartstrings. And it does – the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Past champion: 'Beautiful Things,' Benson Boone (2024). Song of the summer for when you lose the beef but still have fight left in ya: 'Nokia,' Drake. For the last year, Drake has mostly made headlines for his rivalry with Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest beefs in modern rap music history. He was no victor, but on 'Nokia' he's certainly a winner. The song is a return to what Drizzy knows best: a massive rap-R&B-pop song for the ages, one that will live inside the minds of listeners for the whole year. Just, you know, replete with the nostalgic sounds of a Nokia ringtone. Past champion: The difference here, of course, is that Drake won his beef with Meek Mill. But nonetheless: 'Back to Back,' Drake (2015). The TikTok-approved blast-of-dopamine song of the summer: 'Boots on the Ground,' 803Fresh. Social media is the wild west and inevitably sources its own song of the summer. Usually there's an element of humor in the track – like 2023's 'The Margarita Song' by That Chick Angel + Casa Di & Steve Terrell. This year is a bit different: 803Fresh's 'Boots on the Ground' is an organic hit that centers a kind of soulful line dance – it's country-pop with trap hi-hats and fun for the whole family. Past champion: 'The Spark,' Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew (2024). Song of the summer for it girls: 'Fame Is a Gun,' Addison Rae. Charli XCX fans, fear not. Addison Rae's debut album is stuffed with bejeweled, hypnotic pop songs for the post-brat crowd. Best of all is the Grimes-esque 'Fame Is a Gun,' a sunglasses-in-the-club banger with synthetic vocal textures and an unignorable chorus. For fashionable listeners and those who aim to become more fabulous. Past champion: 'Bad Girls,' Donna Summer (1979). Song of the summer of revenge: 'Manchild,' Sabrina Carpenter. Does it sound strikingly similar to 'Please Please Please' at times? Sure. But has Sabrina Carpenter cornered the market on country-tinged satirical pop songs about heterofatalism (an internet neologism for those who find heterosexuality embarrassing and hopeless)? Also yes. But, you know, with a wink, vengeance, and a danceable quality. Amen, hey men! Past champion: 'Before He Cheats,' Carrie Underwood (from her 2005 debut album but released as a single in 2006). Biggest song of the year and therefore the default song of the summer: 'Luther,' Kendrick Lamar and SZA. Is a song released in November too dated to qualify for song of the summer? Perhaps. But here's the rub: Kendrick Lamar and SZA's 'Luther' held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 2025 – over half the year so far. Popularity makes the contender. It doesn't hurt that 'Luther' is also one of the best songs of both this year and last, a tender R&B ballad that samples Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn's 1982 rendition of 'If This World Were Mine.' 'Luther' has since been dethroned on the charts, but no other song has come close to its run this year. Past champion: 'Last Night,' Morgan Wallen (2023). Country crossover song of the summer: 'What I Want,' Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae. If terrestrial country radio is your leading metric for selecting the song of the summer, then Morgan Wallen's 'I'm The Problem' is likely your pick. But a catchier track with true country crossover appeal is 'What I Want' with Wallen and pop singer Tate McRae. It is the first time Wallen has featured a female vocalist on one of his songs. It's a rare embrace for the chart-topper, who historically prefers to buck country duet tradition and double down on his vocal style – warm, muscular, masculine. Past champion: 'You're Still the One,' Shania Twain (from her 1997 album but released as a single in 1998). Song of the summer released half a decade ago: 'party 4 u,' Charli XCX. The data doesn't lie, and what is old is new is old is new again. In the year after BRAT summer, desire for more Charli XCX is still strong. As a result, fans have dug up a cut from her 2020 album How I'm Feeling Now and turned it into their own summer anthem…five years later. So much so, in fact, that Charli released a music video for it in May. Past champion: 'Cruel Summer,' Taylor Swift (released in 2019, crowned song of the summer in 2023). Song of the summer with a canine-themed title: 'Mutt,' Leon Thomas. Look, 'Mutt' also arrived in 2024, but in 2025 – bolstered by a deluxe release and a recent Chris Brown remix – makes 'Mutt' an easy song of the summer pick for some listeners. It's difficult to hear that chorus and not sing along: 'She said 'Take your time, what's the rush?' / I said 'Baby I'm a dog, I'm a mutt.'' Past champion: 'Bird Dog,' The Everly Brothers (1958).
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
SpaceX Starship explodes during routine test in Texas
One of tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test late Wednesday in Texas, law enforcement said, adding that no one was injured. The Starship 36 suffered 'catastrophic failure and exploded' at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT Thursday), a Facebook post by the Cameron County authorities said. Musk's Space X said the rocket was preparing for the tenth flight test when it 'experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase'. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' Space X added on social media. 'There are no hazards to residents in surrounding communities, and we ask that individuals do not attempt to approach the area while safing operations continue.' Starbase on the south Texas coast, near the border with Mexico, is the headquarters for Musk's space project. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, Starship is the world's largest and most powerful rocket and central to Musk's long-term vision of colonizing Mars. The latest setback follows an explosion of a prototype Starship over the Indian Ocean in late May. The biggest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built had lifted off on May 27 from the Starbase facility, but the first-stage Super Heavy booster blew up instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The previous two outings also ended poorly, with the upper stage disintegrating over the Caribbean.
