Inhale the present, exhale the past.

Now, let your breath guide you back to the present moment, where peace and mindfulness reside.

Thank you for reading today’s edition of Grateful Gazette 😌

Here’s what to know for Thursday:

• Stingray became pregnant without a mate

• Seniors are spreading joy with wooden toy trucks

• First child cured of rare brain tumor offers hope

MYSTERY BIRTH AT THE AQUARIUM

Charlotte, a round stingray at the Aquarium and Shark Lab in North Carolina, is expecting pups any day now.

But there’s a catch: she hasn’t been with a male of her species for over eight years.

So, how did she get pregnant?

The answer is parthenogenesis. It’s a rare type of asexual reproduction that occurs when an egg develops without fertilization by a male. 

Parthenogenesis has been observed in some insects, fish, amphibians, birds, and reptiles, but not mammals. It is not a form of cloning, as the offspring are not genetically identical to the mother.

Charlotte’s pregnancy is a remarkable example of nature’s adaptability and resilience.

She is due to give birth to up to four pups in the next two weeks.

The aquarium staff are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new additions and hope to learn more about this fascinating phenomenon.

🌟 SpaceX sends intuitive machines’ Odysseus to the moon

😂 Apes tease and prank each other like humans

🏥 New hospital opens to save New Zealand’s endangered kiwis

✌ Friendships can boost your health and happiness

🖐 First prosthetic limb that can respond to temperature just like a living hand

 🛻 Salem seniors make toy trucks for local children

A Belgian boy named Thibaud has become the first child in the world to be cured of a rare and aggressive brain tumor called gliomatosis cerebri.

He underwent treatment at the Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre in Paris. This involved injecting a modified virus into his brain to kill the cancer cells.

The virus, called Delta-24-RGD, was developed by Spanish researchers and had never been used on children before.

Thibaud’s tumor disappeared after six months of treatment, and he is now back to school and living a normal life.

His doctors say his case offers ‘real hope’ for other patients with this incurable disease. After all, this disease affects about 100 children worldwide every year.

The hope is to use the virus therapy for other types of brain tumors in the future.

If you ever feel like a black sheep…

…just remember that they aren’t as lonesome as they’re made out to be.

- Thank you for reading Grateful Gazette. Remember to breathe deeply to bring your mind back to your body 💜

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