Heroes
A movie theater got its audience to use their phones so it could teach them a lesson
What a way to make a statement. I would have reached for my phone too. Also, it's a movie theater — come on, people.
06.08.14
True
The past year brought many challenges, but none that CZI wasn’t ready to face with their partners. In their just-released 2022 annual letter, Chan and Zuckerberg highlight the “community of builders” who are helping them make progress.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Annual Letter 2022www.youtube.com
Through the organization’s work in science, education, and within local communities, CZI pairs technology with grantmaking to help achieve its mission. In 2022, this meant a focus on research and building tools for scientists and teachers.
“We have engineers building incredible tools, educators strengthening their connections with students, scientists deepening our understanding of human biology, and advocates on the ground building movements in their communities,” said Zuckerberg.
CZI joined leaders in science, technology and academia to launch two new scientific institutes with the goal of pursuing moonshot scientific challenges. One institute is focused on studying the basis of intelligence in natural and artificial systems, and the other is developing technologies to observe the biological processes happening inside our cells.
The organization also created the Science Diversity Leadership Award, a program designed to increase diversity in STEM. It aims to recognize and further the leadership and scientific accomplishments of biomedical researchers who promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In total since it started, CZI has funded researchers from 31 countries who are working to accelerate our understanding of health and disease.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
In the education space, CZI put well-being in support of academic achievement front and center by furthering research on how students learn and develop. They also committed $4 million to organizations that support teacher well-being because when teachers succeed, students succeed.
Locally in the San Francisco Bay Area, CZI supported over 60 organizations that are helping advance access to housing, healthcare, education, and other social support. With partners, they’re also advancing solutions to make housing more affordable in California. This includes working with Partnership for the Bay’s Future, which has already produced and preserved nearly 4,000 homes in the Bay Area.
To learn more about CZI’s impact over the last 12 months, read the 2022 Annual Letter here.
via National Geographic
National Geographic's Pictures of the Year 2022.
via National Geographic
“I love that Nat Geo’s ‘Pictures of the Year 2022’ isn’t merely capturing the news highlights of the year; we’re showcasing the powerful stories of the year that our photographers around the globe have had their lens on,” noted National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Nathan Lump. “As a result, the collection captures novelty and surprise in a way that I believe expresses the best of what we do at Nat Geo.”
Here are 10 of Upworthy’s favorite images from National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year 2022.
Photo by Mac Stone
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral in the early hours of June 19, streaks above a stand of bald cypress trees. This was the second time in less than a year that a SpaceX rocket appeared in photographer Mac Stone’s frame while he was shooting at night in a remote swamp. Stone says that the increased frequency of launches without fanfare “suggests that we have crossed over into a new era where cosmic missions are simply business as usual.”
Photo by Brent Stirton/National Geographic
Wild Asian elephants mingle with cattle at a garbage dump near Minneriya, in central Sri Lanka. The island nation is home to some 6,000 pachyderms living in close contact with people. Having lost their lowland forest home, elephants now seek out human-affected habitats, including croplands, and are master generalists, capable of eating at least 100 different plants. That doesn’t mean that Sri Lankan elephants are thriving; they instead may be coping. Researchers are tracking their levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, that could be detrimental to the elephants’ health
Photo by Keith Ladzinski
In this desert setting, heat and drought “threaten a delicate balance of life,” says photographer Keith Ladzinski—life that includes populations of inquisitive meerkats.
Photo by Orsolya Haarberg/National Geographic
Visitors ascend the spiraling 150-foot-high boardwalk in the yellowing autumn at Denmark’s Camp Adventure to gain a new perspective on the forest southwest of Copenhagen—and, perhaps, on life itself. “Forest bathing,” among the woods’ most powerful and least tangible benefits, has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental and physical well-being.
Photo by Stephen Wilkes/National Geographic
To create this image of Bears Ears National Monument, Stephen Wilkes took 2,092 photos over 36 hours, combining 44 of them to show a sunrise, a full moon and a rare alignment of four planets. “Beyond the sense of awe and beauty,” he says, “there’s a palpable sense of history with every step you take.” This spectacular landscape in southeastern Utah exemplifies the risk to some of the country’s unique, irreplaceable places. One president preserved it at the urging of Native Americans who hold it sacred; another tried to open it to drilling and mining. The national monument is rich in archaeological sites, including the Citadel, an ancient cliff dwelling now popular with hikers.
Photo by Erika Larsen/National Geographic
Manatees, among other sea life, adorn a convenience store’s mural in Crystal River, a coastal city in western Florida known as the Manatee Capital of the World. A refuge for the sea mammals operates there
Photo by Ami Vitale/National Geographic
Photographer Ami Vitale showcased these 6-month-old cubs snacking and playing as part of her long-term focus on giant panda conservation
Photo by Wayne Lawrence/National Geographic
“The warmth I felt in Durban was so refreshing,” Lawrence says. Unathi Madalane (at left) and Tshiamo Maretela enjoy the beach.
Photo by Jen Guyton/NationalGeographic
Photographed at night with an infrared camera, a spotted hyena that scientists nicknamed Palazzo submissively grins and lays her ears back as Moulin Rouge, the clan’s dominant female at the time, towers over her. Palazzo’s cub peers out from between them. Unlike most social mammals, females rule among spotted hyenas, maintaining their hierarchy through relationships with female allies. These African predators, the largest members of the hyena family, weigh up to 190 pounds, and females are on average 10% heavier than males. Clans, some topping 100 animals, form complex societies.
Photo by Vincent J.Musi/National Geographic
Viktor, a 39-year-old male bonobo, resides in Texas at the Fort Worth Zoo, where he’s known for interacting with visitors. Veteran photographer Vince Musi is known for capturing animals’ personalities in portraits such as this one.
For more on this story, visit natgeo.com/photos.