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Heroes

See this turtle's miraculous recovery after getting caught in a piece of litter.

When it comes to prioritizing environmental concerns, curbing litter isn't exactly at the top of the list.

After all, when there are much bigger dangers like harmful emissions, overfishing, and climate change to worry about, how much harm are a few pieces of plastic on the ground really going to do?


Just splitting a sixer of Strawberry Crush with my bros. What's the worst that could happen? Photo by iStock.

But there's one turtle that would staunchly disagree with that mindset (or, at least he would if he could talk).

Meet Peanut. He's a turtle. And he's lucky to be alive.

The red-eared slider was found wandering the St. Louis area in 1993 with a six-pack ring trapped around his mid-section.

Peanut re-creating the fateful incident. All Peanut photos by Missouri Department of Conservation, used with permission.

Even after his rescuers snipped the plastic rings off, Peanut's shell was forever deformed into a figure-8, peanut-y shape (hence his name). Due to the constriction of his shell, some of Peanut's internal organs (his lungs, in particular) failed to grow properly.

These impairments made Peanut an easy target for predators, which meant he was unable to be released back into the wild.

Today, Peanut has a home and a job with the State of Missouri.

The 31-year old turtle resides at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, where he is treated by the state herpetologist. He's also the official mascot for Missouri's Department of Transportation and Department of Conservation's anti-littering effort, a program called No MOre Trash.

Peanut is ready for his close-up.

In his heyday, Peanut made as many as two or three appearances a month at schools and events across Missouri.

He and his handlers would encourage people young and old to dispose of their trash the right way to prevent other animals from ending up like Peanut.

Peanut rockin' out.

Now that Peanut's a little older, he's taking it easy.

"We put Peanut in semi-retirement," Catherine McGrane, assistant nature center manager for Powder Valley, told Upworthy. Traveling back and forth to lots of events can be stressful for a turtle because of all the handling and being transferred to water of varying pH levels.

These days, Peanut still travels to large events like the Missouri State Fair, where he's a popular attraction and educator. Every year, 90,000 to 110,000 visitors travel to Powder Valley to see Peanut and the site's two other resident turtles in the visitor's center lobby.

Peanut hanging out in his tank at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

Peanut is a living, breathing example of the impact our garbage can have on the environment.

Whether it's turtles in six-pack rings or squirrels in yogurt containers, what happens to our trash and how we dispose of it matters.

McGrane shared a few other common household items to watch out for: "Any fishing line, or plastic lines, because animals can get tangled, not just in the water, but by a bird or squirrel, " she said. "And be mindful of balloons when they pop outside. Birds and other animals may ingest them."

"Please think more about your trash," is what Peanut would say if his lungs weren't deformed and if he could talk.


The best way to dispose of six-pack rings, fishing line, and yogurt containers is to cut them into smaller pieces before dropping them in the recycling. This simple step can protect fish and wildlife from getting stuck or swallowing large pieces. Balloons and plastic shopping bags also pose a serious threat to animals who eat them or get entangled. Consider balloon-free celebrations and use cloth bags at the store to keep these items out of landfills.

When you're out and about, make sure your trash and recyclables wind up in the right place, in the proper condition.

Because we can all do our part to protect our natural resources and wildlife.

Peanut loves when you recycle. Keep it up. Photo by iStock.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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A Eurasian crow.

A family from Denmark has created a touching video montage documenting their unique friendship with a wild Eurasian crow. This crow, affectionately named Russell, has become an honorary member of their household, forming special bonds with each family member, including the pets.

However, the crow's relationship with their son, 2-year-old Otto, is truly extraordinary. “They could spend hours just playing,” Otto’s mother, Laerke Luna, says in a video shared by The Dodo. "When Otto is outside, he will never leave Otto’s side.”

Russell, the free-spirited crow, ventures away from the family's home from time to time, but never for too long. He always comes back and announces his return by tapping on the door, swooping in to lounge on the sofa, or awaiting Otto's return from school atop their roof.

“When we are inside, he will sit inside the window because he wants Otto to go outside with him,” Laerke said.

The family’s relationship with Russell didn’t come out of nowhere. When Russell was a young bird, he had health problems so the family took him and nursed the bird back to health. Eventually, they witnessed his first attempts to fly.

Recently, Russell became friends with another family member, their second child, Hedwig. Although he does get a little annoyed with the bird’s frequent attempts to nab his pacifier.

Even though it’s rare for humans to strike up such a close bond with a crow, according to research, it’s not that surprising. Audubon says that crows are “some of the smartest animals in the world” with an intelligence “on par with chimpanzees.” They are also very social and family-oriented, so no wonder Russell loves Otto and his family.

Crow Named Russell Waits For His Favorite Kid To Get Home From School | The Dodo


Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

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Learning

Why you shouldn't throw your dishwasher pod into the bottom of your dishwasher

Dishwashers actually use the dirty water to know how to wash your dishes.

Photos by cottonbro studio and PhotoMIX Ltd. via Canva

Why your detergent shouldn't go in the bottom of the dishwasher

There always seem to be something going on with the pods and powders you're supposed to use in the dishwasher to clean your dishes. Either the pods don't dissolve completely or the powder gets all goopy and hard, never really fully dispensing into the dishwasher.

The inconsistency in product dispensing can leave you wondering if the dishes are even getting cleaned, causing some to toss the detergent pod into the bottom of the dishwasher. It would seem that placing the detergent at the bottom would allow for it to actually reach your dirty dishes. But Melissa Pateras, a domestic expert, explains that doing it that way isn't doing what you think it's doing.

Pateras actually breaks down exactly how dishwashers work to clean your dishes while explaining why putting the detergent on the bottom is ineffective.

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A couple disaghrees over how to pronounce their kid's name.

Katrin BolovtsovaA husband and father shared a fascinating story that caused a passionate debate over whether there is a correct way to pronounce someone’s name and how cultural heritage means different things to different people.

The post was written by a man with the username VividTavern, who we’ll call VT for brevity’s sake.

“My wife and I are Mexican-American,” VT began his story. “I’m third-generation and she came here when she was eight. As a result, she’s quite a bit more ‘Hispanic’ than me, and we’ve clashed at times because I’m apparently insufficiently enthusiastic about my heritage. After we got married, we agreed that we’d have two kids and take turns naming them.”

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A nasty note gets a strong response.

We've all seen it while cruising for spots in a busy parking lot: A person parks their whip in a disabled spot, then they walk out of their car and look totally fine. It's enough to make you want to vomit out of anger, especially because you've been driving around for what feels like a million years trying to find a parking spot.

You're obviously not going to confront them about it because that's all sorts of uncomfortable, so you think of a better, way less ballsy approach: leaving a passive aggressive note on their car's windshield.

Satisfied, you walk back to your car feeling proud of yourself for telling that liar off and even more satisfied as you walk the additional 100 steps to get to the store from your lame parking spot all the way at the back of the lot. But did you ever stop and wonder if you told off the wrong person?

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