When was the last time that you were truly blown away by something? We don’t mean impressed, we mean truly blown away. It’s a tough state of mind to find ourselves in, but that doesn’t mean that 29-year-old shellfish collector Marie Woods would have the same experiences! Woods had been foraging for shellfish along the Yorkshire Coast when she came across something quite remarkable. And when we say ‘quite remarkable’ what we really mean is ‘a relic of time’.

Let’s explore how a walk along the beach turned into a journey through time.

165 Million Years Ago…

Marie Woods was like many Yorkshire locals when she found herself walking along the coast, foraging for dinner. Woods had been looking for shellfish to incorporate into her meal when she came across something quite unique. In fact, what she found was something both out of time and out of place – an enormous footprint thought to be at least 165 million years old!

Now documented by experts, Marie was one of the first leaders in the field to examine the footprint. More than just a local shellfish enthusiast, Marie is also an archeologist. Upon finding the footprint, Marie would end up making international news. Marie said of her experience, “All I wanted was to grab some shellfish for my dinner.” Marie would go on to add, “..and I ended up stumbling across this.”

Woods wasn’t the only expert to put a pair of eyes on the uncovered footprint as Dr. Dean Lomax of the University of Manchester was quick to chime in. Dr. Lomax believes that the discovered print is that of the Megalosaurus, an animal that would stand with hips over two meters high and a body longer than nine meters. Put more plainly, Dr. Lomax says, “This is the largest theropod footprint ever found in Yorkshire, at least made by a large meat-eating dinosaur.”

The footprint is distinguishable at a glance, most notable due to its three-toed track and long shape. Dr. Lomax goes on to say that the shape of the footprint makes for a ‘large theropod’ or, as he likes to say, ‘a real Jurassic giant’.

Learning About Megalosaurus

Also known as the Great Lizard, the Megalosaurus was a large meat-eating dinosaur from the theropod class, existing throughout the Middle Jurassic Period. Found throughout Southern England, the first-ever genus of this dinosaur was found in 1824. Originally mistaken by a researcher for a 66-foot long lizard, Megalosaurus would receive more significant and accurate coverage after its inclusion in Richard Owen’s Dinosauria.

Described as bipedal with stout hind limbs, the Megalosaurus stood roughly 20 feet tall while weighing in at over 1,500 lbs. With short forelimbs and sharp teeth, the megalosaurus was quickly categorized as another meat eater for the time period. Unfortunately, we are still very short on further details as it has been beyond difficult for researchers to find a well-preserved fossilized skull for the Megalosaurus. Sans this information, it can be hard for researchers to get completely accurate details.

After discovering the fossilized footprint of Megalosaurus, Marie would contact other local experts where she would find out that her discovery was not completely new. Roughly a year ago, the footprint had been found by a local photographer named Rob Taylor. Though the image had been shared on social media, nothing had ever come of the discovery – at least not until Marie showed up.

Working with local experts, Marie and Rob are hopeful that their share discovery may find its way into a public display at the Rotunda Museum located in Scarborough.

When a student goes above and beyond in a class, professors typically reward the person with extra credit and notable point of recognition. When a student goes and solves a long-standing quantum math problem with computer programming code that shifts the math understanding paradigm significantly, a professor hopes to have his or her name on the same research paper.

That was the case with one second-year student at the University of Sydney who managed to figure out how to program quantum computing problem solutions. The breakthrough is so big, major market players like Amazon are implementing the solution, and researchers in U.S. ivy league top brass are pouring over it in detail to upgrade their own understanding. For Pablo Bonilla, however, it’s another day at University.

Quantum computing involves then next step in computational power and capability that is currently be researched for even greater practical applications, particularly at the microscopic scale of physical operation. It’s a bit like thinking about how big data cylinders became large boxes, and then computer hard drives, and then flash drives the size of a finger or flat disk in a camera. Now, the next phase will go even smaller, allowing computer design to pack far more power into a smaller space. The ramifications of this new paradigm are huge.

Of course, for Bonilla, it doesn’t hurt when professors at Yale comment that Bonilla’s coding work is both exceptional as well as elegant in construction. Bonilla was able to find a modification that no one else had seen or thought possible for at least two decades. His new set of eyes found the hidden door to the next level that many others had spent a career already trying to solve without success. Once that door opened with Bonilla’s code, new possibilities in quantum computing have now become a reality. And, not surprisingly, his choices of code and solution were fairly simple in design as well compared to the complex choices others had pursued and ended up stumped.

Bonilla himself was anything but average. He had already grown up with a very unique perspective out of the norm being part of a family that emigrated to Australia from Uruguay. Growing up in a different land, culture and language than what he remembered in his early years may have very well allowed Pablo to see things from a different perspective than the mainstream, which worked to his advantage.

By the time Bonilla was in high school, it was obvious he was going somewhere. At 15, Bonilla was brought in early to try his hand on a different project at the University of Sydney. Today, Bonilla is reaching the end of his University tour, but he’s already committed to pursue a PhD as well. And, very likely, Bonilla will be making additional changes to quantum computing and more in his tenure.

The Magellanic Penguin is known for its distinct black bat and white belly. Standing between 24 and 30 inches tall, the Magellanic Penguin was first discovered in 1520 by Ferdinand Magellan, through whom they received their names. While one of the most populous of the South American penguins, these flightless birds are not entirely without external threats from nature, man, and global warming. So when twelve black-and-white penguins were discovered off the coasts of Argentina while suffering from anemia and malnutrition, it didn’t take long for help to arrive.

Argentina and the Atlantic Ocean

What would you do if you discovered a dozen penguins struggling to survive? For biologist Sergio Rodriguez of the Mundo Marino Foundation, the answer was pretty simple — you help them. Rodriguez described how the animals were found waddling around in a state of dangerous malnutrition as well as dehydration, both potentially fatal issues if left unattended.

Rodriguez is one of the leaders at the Mundo Marino Foundation located near San Clemente del Tuyu in Argentina. Her job there is to provide support for the local wildlife while also researching various conservation issues.

To verify that the Magellanic Penguins were truly struggling through dehydration and malnutrition, Rodriguez used her experience in the field. Rodriguez said, “In some cases, they had issues molting.. for various reasons, including lack of nutrients.”

When penguins cannot properly molt, Rodriguez says that they lack the appropriate feathers necessary to survive in cold ocean water. With a lack of real protection due to their interrupted molding process, the penguins had fled to the beaches of Argentina because they lacked the ability to withstand the colder temperatures of the sea. Put plainly, a lack of food and access to water had put their lives at risk. Sergio would go on to say, “They needed to be treated with a balanced diet, provided by nutritionists.”

For Magellanic Penguins that are healthy and capable of thriving in the wild, a traditional diet will consist of crustaceans, cuttlefish, krill, and even squid. Diving to a depth of up to 50m, penguins will forage for food, finding a constant supply of resources along the way.

The Mundo Marino Foundation

Comfortably nestled into the Mundo Marino Foundation, the rescued penguins were able to receive a steady diet of appropriate nutrition from the team at the Mundo Marino Foundation. While staying at the Mundo Marino Foundation, the penguins would also receive comprehensive vet checkups as well as blood work to verify their overall health. The birds were lucky to get rescued as they were fed, rehydrated, and returned to the ocean in relatively short order.

Mundo Marino is the largest aquarium in all of Argentina, established by Juan David Mendez. The aquarium first opened its doors in 1979 where it was built next to a crab land. Mundo Marion currently houses 20 pools, 50 sea mammals, 80 birds, and the star of the show Kshamenko, a male killer whale who was rescued after he had been stranded.

According to research compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, there are somewhere between 2.2 million and 3.2 million Magellanic penguins in the world, today. Traditionally, these penguins can be found throughout coastal regions surrounding Chile and Argentina.

It only takes one small act of kindness to transform the life of someone in need forever. The Driver of a Milwaukee bus managed to accomplish that feat recently.

She has since been lauded for helping a struggling passenger who had become homeless due to unforeseen circumstances get some much-needed support.

In October, bus driver Natalie Barnes began conversing with a passenger named Richard, who informed her that he had been homeless for a week after his previous residence was condemned.

She agreed when he inquired whether he could travel along during the night to avoid the cold.

“Everyone needs support at some stage in their lives,” Barnes wrote on the Milwaukee County Transit System’s blog. “I want to do everything I could to assist Richard in any way I could.”

She decided to take a break at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee during her shift and offered to get her passenger something to eat.

Richard was moved by the gesture, as shown by surveillance footage.

“Now I don’t know how to respond but thank you,” he told Barnes, promising to repay her in some way.

“I want to support you,” she said, refusing.

Barnes, on the other hand, was not satisfied with only one act of kindness.

Again during a break, she contacted a neighbor, who assisted in the placement of Richard in safe accommodation.

During the six-hour bus ride, Barnes and Richard had become friends. He now has her contact information, and they communicate regularly.

ABC News which initially aired the video and interviewed Barnes, said she talks to Richard every couple of days, and he honors her every time he speaks to her for supporting him.”

According to Barnes, “He refers to me as his little angel of security. I’m pleased to report that he’s making good progress.”

Barnes has won three commendations for exemplary service since joining the MCTS two years ago, and it is second nature to him to help others.

As per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she frequently brings various types of sandwiches on the bus to distribute to those in crisis.

In a recent ceremony, Chris Abele, who is the Milwaukee County Executive, honored Barnes.

“(This is)What MCTS greatness is all about Natalie’s love, compassion, and reverence for this man that needs it,” he said. “Natalie exemplified what we all should be doing to combat homelessness: look out for one another, care for one another, and collaborate. Natalie’s words have made a huge difference in my life.”

Barnes continues to use her position as a bus driver to help as many people as possible.

Meanwhile, the city’s Mayor, Tom Barrett notes that there has been a four year drop in homelessness by forty-three percent. He added that there’s still much left to be done and expressed gratitude that more than 100 entities are working to end homelessness in Milwaukee.

Children change what they aspire to become every year or two, sometimes even more frequently. It’s very rare that you hear about someone who remains steadfast in their childhood dream and accomplishes it.

For Marjy Stagmeier who had been the Monopoly star of her 6th grade class in Atlanta, Georgia, whilst she was 11 years old, this is exactly what transpired.

Marjy was so inspired by the monopoly accomplishments that she decided straight away that she intended to be a property owner when she got older, what a generous landlord she has become.

She started to invest in old inexpensive apartment complexes after graduating from Georgia State University. She soon discovered that many of her tenant households were single-parent low earners in need of community resources such as projects after school as well as play areas.

Marjy founded her own 501(c)(3) charity, Star-C, to offer free on-site support to families residing in modest rental apartments in reaction to the need for public services, and Star-C has now become a Lifesaver for households.

She told GNN, “Many children who came via the Star-C after-school program are now physicians, plumbers, and schoolteachers, making decent salaries that lifted them out of hardship.” “We were able to move close to 100 households from rental to owning a home, and we held rents minimal so that families could save funds.”

A chance encounters with Bill and Melinda Gates in 2017—along with Mathew Desmond, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Evicted—opened her eyes: albeit with her rents beneath the market, some of her renters struggled to pay rent, therefore she started to create an unofficial resource network for families seeking subsidized housing.

A large number of Marjy’s tenants became jobless and some needed to handle several children who were unexpectedly at home throughout the day when COVID-19 hit in March 2020, exacerbating the need.

As such, in April, Star-C initiated a 50,000 dollars Gofundme account for displacement relief, but the responses surprised Marjy, with roughly 50 thousand dollars generated.

The local municipality of Cobb County learned about the Star-C Eviction Fundraising Campaign and immediately voted to contribute $1.5 million of the federal stimulus money, putting the cherry on top. Other cities, such as Fulton County, followed suit, and Star-C has already gained more than $9 million through governments and charities, allowing it to assist over 3,000 families to escape eviction.

Chief Magistrate Brendan Murphy Marjy of Cobb County assists Marjy and Star-C by offering rental assistance and courtroom cooperation in conjunction withChief Magistrate Cassandra Kirk of Fulton County.

Via their hotline, Marjy’s team has met with thousands of Atlanta households and has collaborated with over almost 350 landlords covering 65 thousand rental apartments.

“The eviction relief fund partners with landlords that give low-income families affordable rents,” Marjy explains. “Our landlords are aware of their most vulnerable tenants and work with them on their applications.”

Janice Abrams sobs as she learns she will need financial assistance.

Not only for tenants but even for struggling landlords, the Star-C initiative has become a game-changer.

“We have a lot of tenants and landlords who are just thankful. Thank you notes, and phone calls from families who have now found jobs and are able to pay their rent are common for our Star-C staff.”

Further good news came in the form of the federal relief plan for 2021, which included an additional $4.1 million to help them give greater assistance.

“It is a win-win situation for all, including the homeowner, infant, landlord, and local school, if renters and their kids are secure in their neighborhood.”

You can support Marjy’s nonprofit by contributing here or volunteering on their website.