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India is set to celebrate its first <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword> on August 23, 2024. In 2023, on this very day, <keyword id="20376714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="keywords">Chandrayaan 3</keyword> accomplished the safe and soft landing of <keyword id="21074312" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikram-Lander" source="keywords">Vikram Lander</keyword> on the <keyword id="20381887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-surface" source="keywords">lunar surface</keyword>. India became the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to land near the southern polar region of the moon. The <keyword id="19909265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Government" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Union Government" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Union Government">Union Government</keyword> has declared August 23rd as "National Space Day" to celebrate the remarkable success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, which accomplished a safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander and deployed the <keyword id="22760272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pragyaan-rover" source="keywords">Pragyaan rover</keyword> on the lunar surface near the South Pole. This achievement is being celebrated across the country with the goal of engaging and inspiring the younger generation in the field of <keyword id="21280701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Space-Science" source="keywords">Space Science</keyword> and Technology. To commemorate this historical achievement, the Department of Fisheries (DoF), <keyword id="19923385" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Government of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Government of India">Government of India</keyword> (GoI), is organizing a series of seminars and demonstrations, to create awareness about the Application of Space Technologies in the Fisheries Sector. The events are being organized in collaboration with various coastal States and Union Territories, <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> and DoF field offices. Earlier, the notification issued by the Department of Space said India became the first country to land near the South pole of the moon with the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission. "With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission on August 23, 2023, with the landing of the Vikram lander and deployment of the Pragyaan Rover on the lunar surface, India joins an elite group of Space faring nations becoming the fourth country to land on the moon and the first nation to land near to South pole of the moon," said the notification. "The outcome of this historic mission will benefit mankind in the years to come," it added. The notification said the day marks an important milestone in the country's advancements in space missions, will inspire younger generations towards enhanced interest in pursuing <keyword id="19960286" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stem" source="keywords">STEM</keyword> and will provide a major impetus to the space sector. "The Government of India has declared August 23 of every year as 'National Space Day' to commemorate this historic moment," it said.

India set to celebrate first National Space Day on August 23

Lisa Doucet-Albert didn't have the typical '80s teen experience. While her peers were bumming around the malls and basement rec rooms of their Rhode Island suburb, she was tasked with her family's cooking, grocery shopping, and whatever else needed doing while her mother worked. As the older sister, she was also her kid brother's caretaker. She felt it was her job to worry about everyone else.Now the managing director for a public-relations firm in Providence, Doucet-Albert believes that the amount of responsibility she carried growing up is inextricable from who she is today. "I never ask for help but always provide it. I am definitely a people pleaser and go out of my way to help others, almost like it's my obligation. I also have a hard time setting boundaries and saying no," she said. "It's something that I'm constantly working on."Doucet-Albert counts herself among the scores of women who have recognized themselves in a flurry of memes and think pieces concerning an affliction of sorts: "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-signs-domestic-labor-people-pleasing-therapist-2024-3">eldest-daughter syndrome</a>." Equal parts birth-order stereotyping and pop psychology, the term describes a heady cocktail of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-signs-domestic-labor-people-pleasing-therapist-2024-3">perfectionism, self-sacrifice, guilt</a>, and sibling resentment thanks to the double whammy of being both the oldest child and a girl. In a post that has garnered 4.5 million views on TikTok, a poem titled "Oldest Daughter Guilt" sums up the strife, lamenting, "Why can't I be happy? / I need to put myself first. / But who even am I when / I'm not fixing someone's hurt?"The premise of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-fathers-caretaker-sibling-birth-order-estrangement-2024-7">eldest-daughter syndrome</a> relies on two core assumptions: that firstborn or only daughters are expected to be models of achievement and good behavior for their younger siblings and that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/helped-raise-siblings-dont-want-kids-child-free-2024-6">daughters are asked to take on more of the family's housework</a> than their brothers. Research is inconclusive (at best) as to whether birth order meaningfully predicts personality. But there may be more of a science to eldest daughters than meets the eye. While the cultural conversation has focused on the downsides — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-online-communities-empowering-first-born-women-2023-12">the burdens — of being the eldest girl</a>, studies across disciplines point to very real benefits for firstborn daughters' parents and siblings, particularly in times of hardship. Whether those benefits carry over to the daughters in question, on the other hand, depends on how much they're expected to give up.Everyone, in other words, should have an older sister. But not everyone may want to be one.Though social scientists don't love the public's tendency to assign character traits according to arbitrary demographic groupings, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-millennial-boomer-gen-x-why-generations-feud-2023-7">generational labels</a> and sibling order, there's quite a bit of research that supports the eldest-daughter trope. Girls have been found to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wife-housework-until-husband-split-chores-2024-8">spend more time on household chores</a> than boys; older children, in general, are often asked to <a target="_blank" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.01011.x">set an example</a> for their younger siblings.Older children also play an important role as babysitters — especially when parents and guardians have limited access to alternate caregiving help. In a <a target="_blank" href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4108245">survey</a> of nearly 2,000 US parents, roughly half reported that they'd relied on their older children for some or all of their caregiving help between February and December 2020, through the height of COVID-19 lockdowns.Although the survey didn't specify the gender of older-child caregivers, preexisting research supports an educated guess that girls did more of the lifting. "It's a well-established pattern across the anthropological literature in diverse human societies that older sisters participate in direct childcare more than older brothers," said Molly Fox, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Fox led a team of researchers that recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453023006492?via%3Dihub">uncovered</a> a stunning evolutionary clue as to why it's so common for women to take on caregiving roles. The team's 15-year longitudinal study, published earlier this year, found a link between mothers who reported psychological distress during pregnancy and accelerated adrenal puberty in firstborn daughters. Adrenal puberty is when the body starts producing more of a hormone that gets converted into a host of other powerful chemicals, such as the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. Crucially, adrenal puberty also kicks off a phase of cognitive development that's associated with emotional and behavioral maturity and typically occurs about two years before regular puberty. A child who has undergone adrenal puberty is better equipped to take on more adultlike responsibilities such as babysitting, cooking, and running household errands. Most striking of all, maternal distress was not found to speed up adrenal puberty in sons or younger daughters. So when a mother needed help, biology caused her eldest daughter to step up and mature faster to provide that help — but the same wasn't true for her other children.Does this mean that eldest-daughter syndrome not only is real but also begins in the womb? As Fox sees it, the answer sure looks like a yes — at least some of the time. For moms in difficult circumstances, having a precocious firstborn daughter who can help out with subsequent siblings is a helpful adaptation. "This idea seems consistent with the 'eldest daughter' phenomenon," she said.In low- and middle-income countries, having an older sister may even give younger siblings a leg up in their future success and well-being. A 2020 study examining patterns of early childhood development in rural Kenya found that young children with an older sister, as opposed to an older brother, scored significantly higher in vocabulary and development of fine motor skills — differences that were attributed to extra attention and interaction. "For comparison, this 'effect' of having a big sister is about as large as the difference in child development between young children whose mother completed secondary school and those whose mother only completed primary school," the researchers wrote in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cgdev.org/blog/doing-well-life-thank-your-big-sister">blog post</a> for the Center for Global Development.Pamela Jakiela, an associate professor of economics at Williams College and a coauthor of the study, said it's hard to know whether older sisters in the US have a comparably significant impact on their younger siblings' early development. Mothers in rural Kenya tend to have more children than women in the US, which means there are more young children to care for at once. Less access to center-based childcare — such as preschool and day care — means that caring for infants and toddlers falls to household members. Gender roles and responsibilities remain more rigid than in the US, with housework and caregiving more explicitly placed on girls and women.But the findings still hold clues for American households, where parents rely tremendously on their older children for help at home. And while familial roles and responsibilities aren't as preordained by gender as they once were, American <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-time-men-women-spend-on-housework-caregiving-pew-2023-4">women still do far more of the domestic labor</a>.Scrutiny over the "plight of the eldest daughter" fits into a broader debate over what kinds of expectations are appropriate to place on kids, particularly in light of rising concern over the potential harms of "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-parentification-child-grew-up-fast-responsibilities-2024-1">parentification</a>." Asking children to take on too much too soon can spell trouble for their relationships and mental health down the line, a legion of TikTokers and therapists say.Despite the potential for sacrifices, being an eldest daughter isn't without its perks. Firstborn girls tend to be the most ambitious and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-oldest-siblings-make-more-money-younger-siblings-healthcare-denmark-2024-3">successful children</a> in their families, a 2014 study by University of Essex researchers found. A 2018 study published in Child Development found that, irrespective of gender, an older sibling caring for a younger sibling helped both of them <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180220083924.htm">develop a sense of empathy</a>.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sibling-relationships-can-be-complicated-and-change-through-the-years-2023-7">Sibling relationships</a> stand to benefit from these dynamics, too. Jonathan Westover, who grew up as the sixth of eight children in 1980s Utah, told me that his eldest sister acted like a third parent throughout much of his childhood. At the time, it felt special to be able to spend so much time with her, especially given their decade-plus age difference. "I have a closer relationship with her, to this day, than I do with many of my other older siblings," he said. Westover's story lines up with my own experience as the firstborn, and only daughter, in a family of three kids. I'm not sure I would have spent much quality time with my younger brothers, given our respective four- and six-year age gaps, if I hadn't been tasked with taking care of them after school and during our parents' occasional nights out. Though I wasn't exactly Mary Poppins — as my brothers would be happy to attest to — my latchkey-parent position helped lay a foundation for the warm and affectionate bond I share with both of them as an adult.I didn't develop the same negative view of my role as many others have, and the critical difference came from the fact my parents never expected me to put their childcare needs ahead of my own childhood experiences. If I needed to stay after school for play rehearsal or tennis practice, they found someone else to look after my brothers until one of us came home. (It's worth noting that, with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/having-grandparents-care-for-grandchildren-can-cause-wealth-divide-2024-8">two sets of grandparents living nearby</a>, this was a fairly easy task.)In contrast, Westover said his parents relied on his eldest sister to be their default childcare provider, at the expense of her social life and extracurriculars. "She got defensive about it with my parents and started acting out because they leaned on her so much — more than they should have, probably, and certainly more than she thought was fair," Westover said. "Even into her adult life, she held that against my parents." His wife grew up as part of a similarly large brood — and her eldest sister had a similar experience. In both families, older brothers were asked to shoulder a comparably minuscule share of the load.Westover, who is now an associate professor of organizational leadership at Utah Valley University and a father of six, told me that he and his wife had been careful not to repeat their parents' mistakes. "We try not to put a burden on our kids to take care of things that are our responsibility," he said. "If we do have the kids helping, we make sure that they're helping equally. We're not making the girls do all of one thing and the boys do all of another thing." Their firstborn — a daughter — is now 20.As long as they're equipped to handle the tasks at hand, there is nothing inherently wrong with asking children to step up to positions of responsibility. According to Lenette Azzi-Lessing, an associate professor of social work at Boston University and a senior fellow at the Child Welfare League of America, feeling competent in an adult role can even serve as a valuable source of self-confidence for older children. It's when family responsibilities get in the way of an older sibling's ability to participate in their own important developmental experiences — such as schoolwork, hobbies, extracurriculars, and social activities — that the downsides can quickly outstrip any benefits. "If girls are prevented from achieving their academic potential because they are required to provide childcare support that boys are not, that is a big problem," Jakiela, the economics professor, said.Those detriments may be especially pronounced in today's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kids-organized-sports-benefits-rest-resilience-2024-7">ultracompetitive scholastic environment</a>. "While kids tend to do less in terms of chores now than they did when I was a child, expectations in terms of academic, athletic, and extracurricular achievement have also changed," Jakiela said. "I'm not sure that today's kids have the bandwidth to pick up the caregiving slack for their parents."As with most things, the key is balance. Eldest or only daughters have a valuable role to play in the lives of their parents and younger siblings, but avoiding the drawbacks of that extra responsibility requires <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-gen-z-parents-struggle-lonely-childcare-costs-money-friends-2023-11">additional support for overwhelmed parents</a>. The cure for eldest-daughter syndrome, in other words, isn't a culture shift; it's rebuilding the village.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/kelli-maria-korducki">Kelli María Korducki</a> is a journalist whose work focuses on work, tech, and culture. She's based in New York City.

The science is in: Big sisters are good for everyone 

In India, Children’s Day is celebrated on November 14, while International Children’s Day, established by the United Nations, is observed globally on November 20. India initially marked Children’s Day on November 20, but this changed after the passing of Pandit <keyword id="6360386" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jawaharlal-nehru" source="Orion">Jawaharlal Nehru</keyword>, the country’s first Prime Minister and a prominent leader in the freedom movement. An anti-colonial nationalist, social democrat, and author, Nehru was instrumental in India’s independence struggle and a champion of parliamentary democracy, secularism, and advancements in science and technology. He served as Prime Minister for 17 years, guiding India’s post-independence growth and development. During his leadership, India maintained a neutral stance amid Cold War tensions and made significant strides in education and other key areas, shaping the nation’s future trajectory. Nehru had a deep affection for children and placed immense trust in their potential. He saw them as invaluable treasures and the nation’s future, capable of transforming the country’s future. Because of this belief, he emphasised the importance of their education, upbringing, and development, seeing their growth as vital to the nation’s progress. Children lovingly called him "Chachaji," a name by which he is still fondly remembered as "Chacha Nehru" by both children and adults today. Children’s Day also serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritising children’s well-being, ensuring that every child—regardless of economic, social, or political background—enjoys a safe and fulfilling childhood. This includes access to basic necessities like shelter, education, healthcare, and sanitation. Beyond these essentials, safeguarding children’s human rights is crucial. It’s our collective responsibility to protect them from harmful practices such as abuse, trafficking, and child labour. Given that millions of children in India are orphans, it is essential to protect and nurture their present to secure a bright future for them and for the nation. To celebrate this day with your loved ones, here are heartfelt wishes and messages that will bring joy and positivity this Children’s Day. <h2>Children’s Day Wishes</h2><ul><li><keyword id="1451428" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Happy-Childrens-Day" source="Orion">Happy Children’s Day</keyword>! May you sparkle and shine with happiness always! </li><li>To the joy-bringers, the dreamers, and the pure-hearted—Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>May your childhood be filled with love, laughter, and endless joy. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Every child is a miracle. You are our little star. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>May you grow up to achieve all that you dream and more! Happy Children’s Day. </li><li>Wishing you the happiest, brightest Children’s Day ever! </li><li>May your innocence and laughter light up the world. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Here’s to the magical, carefree years of childhood! Enjoy it to the fullest. </li><li>Happy Children’s Day! May you always have a reason to smile. </li><li>Childhood is precious. Live every moment and make beautiful memories. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Wishing you oceans of joy and a sky full of dreams. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>You are the stars of tomorrow. Shine bright, little ones! Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>May your imagination lead you to magical places. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Happy Children’s Day to the sweetest kids who make our world so much brighter! </li><li>To the wonder-makers, the adventurers, the joyful souls—Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>May your life be filled with dreams, love, and laughter. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Here’s to the laughter, the smiles, and the endless joy of childhood! </li><li>May every little child feel special, cherished, and loved. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Wishing all the happiness and joy to the little hearts of the world! </li><li>May you always have a smile on your face and a song in your heart. </li><li>You bring joy to the world just by being you. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Every child is a treasure, and you are the most precious. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>May your days be filled with colour, joy, and wonderful memories. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>You are the hope of tomorrow, and you bring so much joy today. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Wishing you laughter, play, and endless joy. Have a fantastic Children’s Day! </li><li>To the world’s sweetest souls, may you always find happiness. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Here’s to a day filled with dreams, games, and smiles. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>Keep shining, keep laughing, and keep being amazing! Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>May you live every day with the wonder and joy of childhood. Happy Children’s Day! </li><li>To the most wonderful part of life—children! Have a beautiful Children’s Day! </li></ul><h2>Messages for <keyword id="23888689" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Childrens-Day-2024" source="Orion">Children’s Day 2024</keyword></h2>On this day, let’s honour Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy and nurture the future of India—our children. Happy Children’s Day! November 14 is a reminder to cherish childhood and encourage the potential within every child. Wishing all a joyful Children’s Day! Let’s promise to protect, care for, and empower every child, giving them a happy, healthy future. Happy Children’s Day! This Children’s Day, let’s remember that every child has the right to education, love, and a life of happiness. November 14, a day to celebrate the joy of childhood and the dream of a brighter future. Happy Children’s Day! Happy Children’s Day! Let’s make every child feel safe, loved, and cherished not just today but always. Today let’s dedicate ourselves to creating a world where every child feels valued and heard. Happy Children’s Day! Celebrating the laughter and dreams of children across India on this special day, November 14. On this Children’s Day, let’s embrace the spirit of innocence, joy, and hope that every child brings to the world. Children are our tomorrow; let’s make sure they grow up with love, respect, and opportunities. Happy Children’s Day! SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/india/webstories/10-kid-friendly-heritage-trips-for-childrens-day-2024/slidelist/115210134.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">10 kid-friendly heritage trips for Children’s Day 2024</a>

Happy Children’s Day 2024: Messages and heartfelt wishes for kids

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Deborah Szekely is 102 years old and works three days a week.</li><li>She attributes her fitness and plump skin to her lifestyle.</li></ul>From looking at her, you wouldn't guess <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-102-year-old-centenarian-research-backed-longevity-tips-2024-7">Deborah Szekely</a> is 102 years old. Three days a week, the centenarian works at the health resort in Baja California, Mexico, which she founded with her husband in 1940 — and she doesn't plan to stop until nature tells her to, she <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/28/102-year-old-on-living-a-long-happy-life-i-dont-do-exceptions.html">told</a> CNBC Make It earlier this year.She also seems to have avoided the loss of skin plumpness and sun spots that often come with age.With <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cultural-differences-longevity-supercentenarian-secrets-habits-countries-2024-1">people living longer</a> than ever before, the market for antiaging products is growing rapidly: it's estimated to be worth $41.2 billion in 2023, and projected to reach $60 billion by 2030, according to market research company Research and Markets.But Szekely's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lazy-girl-easy-skincare-routine-2023-8">secret to good skin</a> isn't spending hundreds of dollars on creams that promise to turn back time. Instead, she credits her lifestyle choices and a few simple skincare products. This chimes with research: One 2023 review of evidence published in the journal Cosmetics found that a good diet, physical exercise, and getting enough sleep appeared to help skin health as people age. Research also suggests that how skin ages is affected by genes, which are out of our control.Business Insider spoke to Szekely to find out how she's kept her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/octogenarian-grandma-face-no-wrinkles-skincare-routine-diet-2024-3">skin in such good condition</a>.<h2 id="b0588609-62dc-44f5-bdee-9a52ea68530b">Eating "fresh, healthy foods."</h2>"I give all the credit to a good diet and regular exercise. It's very important to keep moving. Even now, at 102, I walk a mile every day," Szekely said.One review of studies published earlier this year in the journal JMIR Dermatology suggested that regular exercise can reduce <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-aging-skincare-routine-90-year-old-no-wrinkles-2024-5">age-related skin changes</a> such as wrinkles and dry skin.Diet can also plays a role.Szekely said she eats mostly "fresh, healthy foods," which she thinks has contributed to her great skin. She doesn't eat highly processed foods that contain more than three ingredients.<div type="image" title="Deborah Szekely leaning against a tree in a funky scarf." height="1280" width="890" msid="114881695" hostid="261" sizebytes="71560"></div>A 2020 review of studies published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology suggested that a whole-food, plant-based diet could help prevent skin aging. The authors argued this could be because it reduces the number of carcinogens people ingest and lengthens telomeres, which are the DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that shorten over time and cause markers of aging on a cellular level.<h2 id="86ff24ca-c709-48d4-8d2d-00bd9d1b722e">Sunscreen is the best way to prevent skin aging </h2>Szekely has a simple daily skincare routine, too."Here's my secret: you must thoroughly clean all the makeup off your face before sleeping," she said.Her biggest skincare recommendation for younger people wanting good skin is to wear sunscreen. She wears a moisturizer containing sunscreen every day.Dr. Derek V. Chan, a board-certified medical and cosmetic dermatologist based in Manhattan, previously told BI that sunscreen is "by far the most important part" of an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-aging-skincare-routine-90-year-old-no-wrinkles-2024-5">antiaging skincare routine</a>. Using a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more every day can help protect against the aging effects of ultraviolet light, he said.Many of Szekely's tips are in line with those her fellow centenarians have previously shared with BI when it comes to maintaining health, fitness, and skin quality later in life.A 101-year-old man named William, who didn't share his last name, said his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/longevity-secrets-doctor-worked-2024-10">secrets to staying healthy past 100</a> are eating healthily, staying active, and having a long, varied career.And Toshiko Eto has practically <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/octogenarian-grandma-face-no-wrinkles-skincare-routine-diet-2024-3">no wrinkles at 80</a>, which she attributes to eating fermented foods as well as her skincare routine. Dr. Tina Alster, a dermatologist and director at the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery, told BI at the time that genetics and <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-sunscreen-is-not-enough-to-protect-you-from-sun-2023-9">protection from the sun</a> are "likely the two most important factors" for Eto's skin looking so young.

A 102-year-old shares her simple, science-backed skincare secrets — and they don't include antiaging creams

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="23582686" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tim-tully" source="keywords">Tim Tully</keyword> taught himself to code when he was six and went to school for computer science.</li><li>He started his career in software engineering at startups and later worked at Yahoo and Splunk.</li></ul>Venture capitalist Tim <keyword id="23582684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tully" source="keywords">Tully</keyword>'s programming experience began at age six, when he taught himself to write code and make video games on an Apple II computer. Fast-forward to the present: Tully has a data center in a basement and is known to deploy software and try out startups' APIs when he's sussing out potential investments. He's also written code for some of his portfolio companies. Using his technical expertise as a former programmer and CTO, Tully is helping amass an impressive portfolio of AI startups at <keyword id="23582685" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="menlo" source="keywords">Menlo</keyword> Ventures. The firm, which has backed Chime, Warby <keyword id="20325026" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="parker" source="keywords">Parker</keyword>, Roku, and Uber, has historically focused broadly on early and growth-stage startups across the consumer, enterprise, and healthcare sectors. More recently, Menlo has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/menlo-ventures-naomi-ionita-investor-3-lessons-growth-saas-2020-12">planted its flag in the generative AI space</a> as frenzy in the sector is creating new <keyword id="19926959" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="opportunities" source="keywords">opportunities</keyword> for early-stage startups. The firm closed a <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/16/menlo-ventures-closes-on-1-35b-in-new-capital-targets-investments-in-ai-startups/?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJVkFGzX14zh8oeHL-Sgmmj-ke1177qyd4BoL1N3eHbqg52MVVO8w7Q3RR0puoRkQ4EVSoyHdffSI5guxcbH9Yl6z1fudXp_WheLfxYB72QiEo_1inwN7UZNPAOLctyEfQ-jGLcCesRz0ajnDsJPg8AVE2iYArspH-l5HM_X7Pbp">$1.35 billion fund</a> last year specifically for investing in fledgling AI startups, and it's already been an early backer of AI powerhouses including vector database <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chroma-weaviate-pinecone-raise-funding-a16z-index-vector-database-ai-2023-3">Pinecone</a>, LLM developer <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/researchers-at-anthropic-taught-these-ai-chatbots-how-to-lie-2024-1">Anthropic</a>, enterprise data cleaner Unstructured, conversational AI system Neon, automated data cleanup program Cleanlab, and many others. For Tully, one of Menlo's key check-writers in this space, having a background in computer science and operating experience has been necessary when it comes to evaluating potential AI investments. "I'm still coding every day," he said. "That really helps me for my job, and I think it's really hard to be a VC and invest in a deeply technical product if you don't have a technical background. I'm actually using this stuff." <h2>Before becoming a VC, Tully worked at startups and led engineering teams</h2>For Tully, who grew up in the Bay Area, computers and games have always been a core part of his life. He had an Apple II computer and cassette tape player that plugged into a TV on a rolling cart, which is where he taught himself to code by playing video games and reading through manuals. He said an early game of his, coded using Applesoft BASIC, was a text-based adventure game in which players would get lost in a forest and navigate through a maze, answering a series of fork-in-the-road puzzles to chase down the treasure. As a teenager, Tully had a bank of modems at his mom's house to organize a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/the-lost-civilization-of-dial-up-bulletin-board-systems/506465/">bulletin board system</a> – a pre-internet computer server that other users could dial into – to host pirated video games. After college, Tully gravitated toward startups, becoming a software engineer at the dot-com-era companies iScale and Pillar Data Systems, the latter of which he left in 2003 and was eventually acquired by Oracle. He spent 14 years at Yahoo, working his way up to lead engineering for Yahoo, AOL, and its media properties, which included the Huffington Post, Tumblr, Polyvore, and Flurry, and managing a team of more than 850 people. In 2017, Tully joined data analytics company Splunk as its chief technology officer and senior vice president of product and engineering and managed the company's migration to the cloud. While he loved his team at Splunk, Tully said that he was always interested in the investing side of the tech world, and his interest was further piqued by his wife, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sequoia-partner-jess-lee-advice-for-startup-founders-2022-9">Jess Lee</a>, who has been a partner at Sequoia since 2016. "Growing up in the Valley, I had this in the back of my mind, and I thought that as a technical person, I could do the job differently, so I began to take some calls," he said. One of those calls eventually turned into a job offer at Menlo Ventures, and Tully joined the firm as a partner in 2021. "This was an opportunity to be part of the next wave of folks that joined the firm, which was exciting to me because I'm a builder," he said. <h2>At Menlo Ventures, Tully writes checks for AI startups at the app and infrastructure layers</h2>Since joining Menlo, Tully has invested in nine startups, including Pinecone, which raised a $28 million Series A in 2022; Neon, which raised a $46 million Series B in 2023; Unstructured, which raised a $40 million Series B in 2024; and JuliaHub, an AI programming startup that raised $24 million in 2021. Another of his portfolio companies, AI quality management software startup True Era, was acquired by Snowflake earlier this year. For Tully, finding camaraderie with technical founders has been a winning strategy so far in his VC career. "My background helps me connect with technical founders because they want investors who they can talk shop with," he said. "I've managed teams and have been CTO of a public company." He's also written code as a way to help win over startups in the broader Menlo Ventures portfolio. In 2022, another Menlo partner, Naomi Pilosof Ionita, was working to land a deal for fintech startup Orb. The company didn't have a software development kit, so Tully wrote them one, printed out a link to the devkit, rolled it into a scroll, and delivered it to the startup. That helped seal the deal, and Ionita led Orb's $14 million Series A funding round. While Menlo has been bolstering its portfolio with AI-infrastructure startups, Tully said he's excited about opportunities at the application layer. This means looking at various vertical AI categories, including legaltech — he wrote a $14 million seed check for the AI legal assistant Eve, which was announced in 2023 — as well as marketing and automation. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, Tully is also trying out various AI coding copilots, and he says that the tech is making him "50-60% more productive if I'm being honest." "I'm really high on AI coding assistants," he said. "Opportunities in this space are pretty compelling." Correction: October 8, 2024 -- An earlier version of the story misstated the year Pillar Data Systems was acquired by Oracle, which was in 2011, not in 2003, which was when Tully left the company. It also said that Menlo Ventures invested in Eve in 2022, and the correct year is 2023. .

Tim Tully taught himself to code at age 6 and still codes daily. Here's how computer science took him from startups to AI investing at Menlo Ventures.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>BI spoke with three parents of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-wins-isef-science-fair-grand-prize-discovery-biomedical-devices-2024-5">teenagers competing at the world's top science and engineering fair.</a></li><li>These teens experiment with AI, build robots, and study the environment in their free time.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/regeneron-science-talent-search-winner-achyuta-rajaram-machine-learning-2024-3">Teen genius</a> was on full display at the Los Angeles Convention Center in mid-May.Thousands of high-school students dressed in business wear showed off their robots, inventions, discoveries, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/archimedes-death-ray-science-fair-project-middle-school-teen-2024-2">scientific experiments</a>.They had all won regional, state, or national science fairs and finally made it to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-win-fifty-thousand-for-ultrasound-microplastic-filtration-device-2024-5">Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) to compete for $9 million in prizes</a>.Organizers of the event call ISEF "the Olympics of science fairs."<div type="image" title="high school students in business clothes crowd and line up at one side of a giant exhibit hall with blue carpet filled with lines of poster boards" height="1500" width="2000" msid="110776775" hostid="261" sizebytes="582176"></div>Just getting to ISEF is enough to make any parent proud. That's not all these <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disconnected-youth-a-tale-of-2-gen-zs-in-america-2024-4">exceptional Gen Z</a> students have accomplished, though. Many of them also play musical instruments, make art, or dance competitively.Business Insider spoke with three ISEF parents about what they did to encourage their children's ambitions. They had five key takeaways.<h2 id="6328c05c-540c-46a2-951b-678aff7e7e7b">Take your kid's questions seriously</h2>It can take a lot of patience to keep responding when a kid peppers you with questions, but Smriti Motwani says she and her husband made that a priority with their son Divij."My husband always treated him like an adult. He would explain it to him like he's talking to an adult, and so I think that helped," Motwani, a cybersecurity executive, told BI. "His curiosity has taken him a long way."Divij, now 17, won first in ISEF's biomedical engineering category alongside his friend Ayush Garg for an AI dental exam the duo developed.<div type="image" title="two high schoolers wearing suits and orange lanyards with conference badges stand smiling on either side of a science fair posterboard one holding a phone with an app open the other holding an electric toothbrush-like device plugged into a small black box" height="1500" width="2000" msid="110776777" hostid="261" sizebytes="329132"></div>Maria Estrada also prioritized questions from her two kids, Pauline and John, who have both won awards at ISEF. If Estrada didn't know the answer, she would take the questioning kid to her husband. If he didn't know either, the family would look it up together."I taught them to look for it and research for it, not just rely on me," Estrada, who is a plant-science lecturer at Fresno State, told BI.<h2 id="4af63838-e7fd-430e-aeb1-dfabb281ffca">Let them try (and drop) lots of activities</h2>All three parents who spoke with BI said they let their kids try different activities and follow what they enjoyed.The students gained some independence and ended up busy with well-rounded extracurriculars that were fun for them.Estrada's daughter, for example, balances her science hobbies with competitive ballet. Motwani's son edits a student magazine and sings in his high school choir when he's not tinkering with AI.Even though Divij is always busy, Motwani said, "It doesn't feel stressful because he's doing it in a very fun way. It is his fun."Inevitably, a busy kid might decide to drop some of these activities. That's OK.Alexa Groff was a little "bummed" when her daughter, Taylor, wanted to quit volleyball to prioritize other extracurriculars. But Groff supported her decision."I want her to figure things out on her own, but know that I'm there for whatever she needs me for," Groff, a state science fair director in Iowa, told BI.<h2 id="e8eb9918-1eb6-4a44-b891-57a34acde1ed">Send them to public school and travel</h2>Many students at ISEF pursued solutions to problems in their community.For example, Oahu resident Maddux Alexander Springer, one of the top winners, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-wins-top-award-sea-turtles-mysterious-tumors-investigation-hawaii-2024-5">investigated tumors that were killing sea turtles</a> on his shores. And Estrada's daughter, Pauline, studied the herbicide-resistant weeds plaguing the farms surrounding her Fresno home.<div type="image" title="girl in white jacket holding camera standing at the end of a table full of plant seedlings" height="1500" width="2000" msid="110776772" hostid="261" sizebytes="566192"></div>Estrada partially attributes her kids' community engagement to their public school, where they grew up with people from different backgrounds."You will learn a lot from being there," she said. "They really know how to deal with different types of people, different ethnicities, different cultures. I always tell them, you just be respectful of everybody."Travel can help foster compassion and curiosity too, Motwani said."The more exposure I give them, the more curious they are, the more they learn, the more they question. It's nothing to do with science," Motwani said. "If you look at a lot of his projects, the heart of it is: How do I help? How do I make a difference in people's lives?"<h2 id="2a112018-fa67-4657-b0f5-cd06cd80bffb">Emphasize process over outcomes</h2>Of course, kids also need to learn resilience. Groff said that being a single mom, she led by example for her daughter."Her seeing failure and the resilience of not quitting — I think that's something really important," Groff said. "It's taught her you might get sick of it and you might hate it. Pause and come back. Just like a brand new day. You have a crappy day, go to bed, you wake up fresh."<div type="image" title="smiling woman in conference room hold up large white banner with red writing declaring 2024 FINALIST INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE &amp; ENGINEERING FAIR" height="1500" width="2000" msid="110776773" hostid="261" sizebytes="395406"></div>The moms said their children were motivated to muscle through when their science fair projects got tough, simply because they liked doing it.Rather than pushing their kids to win or get the best GPA, the parents said they tried to foster that intrinsic motivation."Our lives actually revolve around science fair because this is something that my kids enjoy doing," Estrada said.<h2 id="12742874-c0fa-4654-bc41-289e0e3b7eb8">Be firm about sleep and health</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-surgeon-general-smoothie-recipe-cut-ultra-processed-foods-longevity-2024-5">Eating healthy</a>, exercising, and getting enough sleep are crucial for anyone. All three habits can improve longevity, reduce the risk of myriad diseases, and even give you an edge in cognitive functioning."He knows how important it is for us to get a proper night's sleep," Motwani said of her son.Just to make sure he does, though, she's asked him to leave his phone and laptop with her around midnight during his high school years. Otherwise, he would work on science fair projects until 2 a.m., she said.Estrada's husband Dexter took a different approach, she said, and simply cut the kids' internet access at midnight using Google's Family Link app.Motwani says she also has to keep an eye on her son's nutrition, reminding him to eat a fruit and a vegetable each day."This is an exciting time. I feel like he wants to conquer the world, which is awesome," Motwani said. "But making sure he stays healthy — that's good."

Parents of teens competing at the 'Olympics of science fairs' share 5 parenting rules they live by

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Both the new 'Twisters' and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twister-wrong-and-right-about-tornadoes-2019-6">original 'Twister'</a> show some cutting-edge science for their time. </li><li>'Twisters' shows how much storm tech and tracking have come since the original film debuted in 1996.</li></ul>When the original "Twister" movie debuted in 1996, its super-sized, cow-spinning tornadoes captivated audiences. So did the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/helen-hunt-wants-to-direct-twister-sequel-black-storm-chasers-2021-6">daredevil researchers</a>, ready to chase down and even hop in front of storms for the sake of science.Now, there's a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twisters-glen-powell-daisy-edgar-jones-kiss-robbed-fans-2024-7">sequel, "Twisters,"</a> which, in some ways, shows just how far tornado science has come in the last few decades. How we model, rate, and track tornados have all changed.Warning times have increased and computing power has made tornado models more accurate, Jana Houser, a meteorologist at Ohio State University, told Business Insider. She helped a "Twisters" film crew scout locations and find <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drone-footage-shows-aftermath-of-tornadoes-storms-and-high-winds-2022-3">storm footage</a> for the new movie.Scientists today have a better idea of how tornadoes form, but these <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mississippi-tornadoes-one-person-killed-more-severe-weather-incoming-2023-06">destructive storms</a> are still highly unpredictable and forecasting exactly where and when a storm will form is an ongoing area of research.<h2 id="5e74cbfc-4580-4ef4-b072-cea7be69ac3d">Scientists have a better grasp of how tornadoes work</h2><div type="image" title="A truck with a flatbed with a large white radar dish on the back and an ominous sky in the background" height="926" width="1444" msid="111870434" hostid="261" sizebytes="91558"></div>The big showpiece of the original "Twister" was Dorothy, a drum containing hundreds of sensors that got <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tornadoes-more-us-than-anywhere-else-world-2019-5">sucked up by a tornado</a>, returning tons of data on the vortex's interior.Dorothy was based on a real device, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.noaa.gov/stories/noaa-tornado-scientists-inspired-twister-creators-20-years-ago">TOTO</a>, that never got unleashed inside a tornado. Even if it had, "we didn't have the bandwidth to know where each one of those little sensors was," Harold Brooks, a senior researcher with the National Severe Storms Laboratory, said.The new movie "Twisters" highlights some of the latest technology <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-meteorologists-avoid-booking-flights-summer-afternoons-evenings-2024-7">meteorologists rely</a> on, featuring a portable version of a phased array radar system, similar to the much larger one real scientists at the NSSL use to track storm evolution and predict if one will produce hail or rain.Scientists started to use radar more frequently closely after May 3, 1999, when a giant, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moore-tornado-worse-than-may-3-1999-2013-5">85-minute tornado</a> killed 36 people in Oklahoma. The storm was the first use of the term "tornado emergency," the National Weather Service's highest alert level. The deadly storm was just one of 74 that hit Oklahoma and Kansas in a 21-hour period.Today, data collected from more frequent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weather-radar-seeing-cicada-hatchings-mid-atlantic-2021-6">radar scans</a> and new technologies is combined with high computing power to produce more accurate models of tornadoes. "We can really study the processes that drive their formation, that drive their evolution, and ultimately even their demise," Houser said.Yet there are still a lot of questions about how and why tornadoes form. It's one thing that hasn't changed between the original and new movies: forecasting is still tricky.<h2 id="bde0a975-7e2e-4785-8f6a-dbdd7b1d6aaa">Predicting tornadoes is still difficult</h2><div type="image" title="Two people sit at desks with their backs to the camera facing several computers with storm warnings on the screens" height="1365" width="2047" msid="111870436" hostid="261" sizebytes="206192"></div>In the old "Twister," the scientists' holy grail was increasing the time between warnings and tornado strikes, hoping to increase warning time from three to 15 minutes. (Currently, the lead time is typically between 8 and 18 minutes, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/2021-04-05-tornado-warning-nws-accuracy">Weather.com</a>.)The new film spotlights a different, but very real, problem: Over half of tornado warnings are false alarms, which can lead people to ignore them altogether. "It's like a 'boy who cried wolf' kind of a scenario," Houser said.The reason there are so many incorrect warnings is because "tornadoes and, to a degree, the storms that produce them are very sensitive to incredibly small-scale details in the environment," Houser said. Wind, temperature, moisture, and terrain can all affect whether one forms.The way we rate tornadoes has also changed. One of the biggest errors in the old "Twister" was that the team of scientists rated the tornadoes on the Fujita's 0-5 scale as the storms formed. But this isn't how it happens in reality. The NWS only rates a tornado after a damage survey, and not in the moment.Plus in 2007, the NWS <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weather.gov/oun/efscale">started</a> using an updated version called the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This newer scale better correlates wind speed and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-said-tornado-dead-didnt-shelter-designated-place-2021-12">resulting damage</a> by incorporating more types of buildings and objects like trees and poles, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/2024-05-03-enhanced-fujita-scale-tornado-explained">Weather.com</a>.<h2 id="ec7ec0d1-8cc3-4206-b570-146b42a0429b">Climate change is altering tornado season</h2><div type="image" title="A tornado-damaged house and car with lots of debris around" height="576" width="1024" msid="111870438" hostid="261" sizebytes="100470"></div>"Twisters" director Lee Isaac Chung deliberately avoided mentioning climate change in the new film. "I just don't feel like films are meant to be message-oriented," he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/16/entertainment/twisters-film-interviews-climate-change/index.html">told</a> CNN.However, that doesn't mean <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-tornadoes-highlight-rising-risk-climate-change-supply-chains-2021-12">climate change</a> isn't a factor when it comes to real storms and their destruction."There is definitely evidence to suggest we're seeing increased variability from year to year," Houser said.Based on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.weather.gov/lmk/tornado_climatology">records</a> stretching back over 70 years, there seem to be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-is-tornado-insurance">fewer days with tornadoes</a> each year. That means the same number of storms are packed into a shorter timespan.At the same time, where tornadoes strike is shifting. There are fewer in the Central US's "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tornado-alley-is-shifting-east-to-mississippi-tennessee-alabama-2023-4">Tornado Alley</a>" and an increase in the Southeast in states like Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi.The change in landscape makes these storms different, too. Houser describes them as "uber charged, creating these larger scale, dynamic events that just create lots and lots of tornadoes."<h2 id="c964b349-81b9-4122-b89e-811c60a8491d">There aren't more tornadoes, but there are more storm chasers</h2><div type="image" title="Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in &quot;Twisters.&quot;" height="1500" width="3587" msid="111870439" hostid="261" sizebytes="213316"></div>"We've seen an increase in the number of tornadoes in any given year," Houser said. But that's not because more tornadoes are occurring."There are simply more people out there observing them and reporting them," she said.The original film sparked a surge in interest in severe weather. More storm chasers began tracking tornadoes. The University of Oklahoma's meteorology program <a target="_blank" href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/2016/05/22/how-twister-made-meteorology-cool-in-oklahoma-and-beyond/60672753007/">almost doubled</a> in the years following the movie's release.Since then, technology has made it easier for these enthusiasts to access storm data. It "enables everybody to basically look at the weather radar apps and see, 'Hey, where's the storm?'" Houser said.If the new "Twisters" film has a similar effect to its predecessor, it could inspire a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/storm-photos-tornado-alley-usa-eric-meola">new generation of researchers</a> to answer some of these storms' biggest, remaining mysteries like why two very similar storms will produce a tornado in one instance and not the other.

'Twisters' shows how tornado science has changed massively since the first movie nearly 30 years ago

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Humans have been studying <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-2024-total-solar-eclipse-cool-best-special-nasa-2024-1">total solar eclipses</a> for millennia to better understand the cosmos.</li><li>Total eclipses have helped prove Einstein's theory of relativity and led to the discovery of helium.</li></ul>On April 8, millions of people across the US will all do the same thing: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-to-see-total-eclipse-convince-boss-miss-work-2024-4">look up</a>.In the middle of the afternoon, day will shift to night, as a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-eclipse-map-nasa-where-when-see-path-of-totality-2024-3">total solar eclipse</a> touches 15 states.We know now what causes a total <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/devil-comet-visible-during-total-solar-eclipse-how-see-2024-4">solar eclipse</a>. But our ancient ancestors from millennia ago weren't so certain, and that was bad news for some scientists.In the 21st century BCE, China's emporer <a target="_blank" href="https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-history">reportedly</a> had two astronomers beheaded for not <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/total-eclipse-solar-power-generation-states-outside-path-totality-2024-3">predicting a total eclipse</a>.Over the centuries, total eclipses became less dire and more of an opportunity to test scientific theories and forge <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/helio-year-sun-solar-system-probe-eclipse-events-2024-1">new discoveries</a>.Here are seven times a total solar eclipse has helped advance human science.<h2>1. Measuring Earth's rotation</h2><div type="image" title="Aerial view of planet Earth covered in clouds." height="1411" width="2124" msid="109088911" hostid="261" sizebytes="77030"></div>Some of the earliest suspected records of eclipses <a target="_blank" href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/history/">date back</a> thousands of years.Some experts have suggested petroglyphs or rock carvings found on a monument in Ireland reference an eclipse that took place on November 30 in the year 3,340 BCE. Others have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/18/this-5000-year-old-stone-carving-may-be-the-worlds-first-drawing-of-an-eclipse/">expressed</a> skepticism.Human-made markings on tortoise shells from China and a Babylonian tablet from over 3,000 years ago may also contain ancient references to eclipses.Though these records are open to interpretation, scholars have <a target="_blank" href="https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/rotation.html">studied</a> historical descriptions of eclipses for centuries. It's how 18th-century astronomer Edmond Halley first realized the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-if-earth-stopped-spinning">Earth's rotation</a> has slowed over millennia.<h2>2. Discovering what causes eclipses</h2><div type="image" title="Engraving of Pericles stands next to Anaxagoras, who is sitting on steps next to columns in Ancient Greece" height="1500" width="2263" msid="109088912" hostid="261" sizebytes="1159624"></div>Two modern scholars <a target="_blank" href="https://daily.jstor.org/anaxagoras-and-the-eclipse-the-first-to-get-it-right/">give</a> Greek philosopher Anaxagoras of Clazomenae credit for figuring out the moon's role in eclipses, calling him "perhaps the first empirical astronomer."He likely developed his theories after witnessing an annular, or "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/october-solar-eclipse-annular-ring-of-fire-where-how-watch-2023-10">ring of fire</a>," eclipse on February 17, 478 BCE. While he got some of the science right, his overall understanding of the solar system was a product of its time.Anaxagoras, for example, thought that air pressure kept the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-living-on-flat-earth-would-look-like-2017-11">flat Earth</a> aloft at the center of the rotating sun, moon, and stars. Despite that error, he worked out the basic mechanics behind eclipses.Anaxagoras correctly believed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-watch-da-vinci-glow-ghostly-shine-moon-phenomenon-2023-5">moon reflected</a> the sun's light. He was also accurate in his theories that when the moon moved in front of the sun, it caused a solar eclipse. Similarly, when the Earth was in between the sun and moon, there would be a lunar eclipse.He also used the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-lunar-eclipses-work-earth-moon-red-shadow-2018-7">moon's shadow</a> during an eclipse to estimate its size, but his calculations gave him a much smaller answer than reality.<h2>3. Estimating the moon's distance from Earth</h2><div type="image" title="A person is seated looking through a telescope with astrological instruments nearby in Ancient Greece" height="1500" width="2172" msid="109088915" hostid="261" sizebytes="589214"></div>On March 14, 189 BCE, a total solar eclipse swept over what is now northern Turkey. Greek astronomer Hipparchus would have just been a child at the time, but it's possible he saw the event.Years later, Hipparchus may have used secondhand accounts of that same eclipse to make one of the era's most mathematically accurate estimates of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mind-boggling-nasa-photo-shows-moon-distance-from-earth-2022-10">moon's distance from Earth</a>.Though Hipparchus' direct writings are lost, a 4th-century scholar <a target="_blank" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0021828618817175">detailed</a> how he used the information.The astronomer estimated the distance between where the total eclipse was in modern day Turkey and Alexandria, Egypt — where a fifth of the sun showed — to make his calculation.Based on his math, Hipparchus offered a few ranges, including a mean distance of about 281,387 miles.He wasn't terribly far off. The moon is about 238,855 miles away.<h2>4. Predicting the path of an eclipse</h2><div type="image" title="A map of England showing the path of an 18th century eclipse" height="2445" width="2000" msid="109088917" hostid="261" sizebytes="708824"></div>In the 11th or 12th century, Mayan astronomers made a remarkable prediction for their time: They calculated that a total solar eclipse would occur in 1991, and their prediction was accurate to within a day.It would be centuries until humans made a more accurate prediction. In the 18th century, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/edmond-halley-solar-lunar-eclipse-manuscripts-sell-auction-2023-12">Edmond Halley</a>, better known for discovering a comet with his name, made a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/the-h-word/2015/may/03/halleys-eclipse-newtonian-selling-science-history">map</a> predicting the path of the May 3, 1715 solar eclipse with extreme accuracy.Others made maps before him, but Halley based his prediction on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/isaac-newton-burnt-notes-pyramids-apocalypse-theology-sold-auction-2020-12">Isaac Newton</a>'s theory of universal gravitation, which helped him pinpoint the eclipse's timing to within four minutes.<h2>5. The discovery of helium</h2><div type="image" title="A drawing of several people seated and standing around astronomical equipment in the late 19th century in India" height="1500" width="2175" msid="109088919" hostid="261" sizebytes="650872"></div><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rare-element-arctic-lava-suggest-earth-core-may-leaking-2023-10">Helium</a> is very abundant in the universe but rare on Earth. It took an eclipse for an astronomer to discover it.French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-scientists-discovered-helium-first-alien-element-1868-180970057/">traveled</a> to Guntur, India just for the August 18, 1868 eclipse. He was using a spectroscope, a prism-like device for separating sunlight into a spectrum.Janssen saw a yellow line with a wavelength unlike any other element. Around the same time, English astronomer Norman Lockyer developed an instrument for viewing the sun even without an eclipse. He saw the same line.Lockyer called the mysterious element helium. It took a couple of decades for scientists to see it on Earth, during experiments on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/italy-skeleton-of-a-roman-killed-steps-from-sea-fled-vesuvius-eruption-2021-12">Mount Vesuvius</a> lava and uranium.<h2>6. Proof of Einstein's theory of relativity</h2><div type="image" title="A building holds a large piece of astronomical equipment with a long tube and rectangular box" height="1500" width="2244" msid="109088922" hostid="261" sizebytes="221628"></div>Astronomer James Craig Watson was certain he'd <a target="_blank" href="https://www.american-eclipse.com/">found</a> proof of a new planet during the 1878 eclipse. Supposedly located between the Sun and Mercury, Vulcan was only visible when the moon blocked the giant star.Several more eclipses passed without anyone finding evidence of Vulcan. In 1915, Albert Einstein <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/einstein-showed-newton-was-wrong-about-gravity-now-scientists-are-ncna1038671">explained</a> Mercury's unusual orbit with his general <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/albert-einstein-thought-experiments-2023-10">theory of relativity</a>. It fit the data better than a mysterious, difficult-to-spot extra planet.Despite this evidence, Einstein's theory didn't receive scientific proof until the May 29, 1919 eclipse. The physicist had said the sun's gravity would bend light from nearby stars.In 1919, expeditions traveled to Principe, an island off the coast of Africa, and Brazil. While the moon blocked the sun, the astronomers took photographs.The stars seemed to have shifted locations compared to the reference photos. The apparent new locations showed the sun was bending the light within the measurements that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russell-einstein-manifesto-nuclear-weapons-bombs-danger-2024-2">Einstein predicted</a>.<h2>7. Studying eclipses from space</h2><div type="image" title="A large antenna dish beneath a solar eclipse" height="1383" width="2055" msid="109088924" hostid="261" sizebytes="79024"></div>Gemini 12 astronauts Jim Lovell and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/buzz-aldrin-thoughts-lunar-module-moon-liftoff-2017-7">Buzz Aldrin</a> were the first humans to see a total eclipse from space. The November 12, 1966 eclipse moved from Peru to Brazil, and the astronauts hovered near the path of totality.It was a coincidence that they were close enough to see it, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-history-of-total-solar-eclipses-seen-by-astronauts-from-outer-space-180983909/">Smithsonian Magazine</a>. Aldrin's photos were unfocused and a bit disappointing.Four years later, TV networks <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8i9qNslaJA">broadcast</a> the "eclipse of the century," full of images of the event. NASA also launched over two dozen rockets to study <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-sunscreen-is-not-enough-to-protect-you-from-sun-2023-9">UV radiation</a> and solar X-rays during the phenomenon.The agency still uses rockets to gather data during eclipses and will launch three on April 8.

7 times a total solar eclipse revolutionized science 

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday voiced concern over increasing <keyword id="20715750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-debris" source="keywords">space debris</keyword> as a result of numerous satellites being placed in orbit and lauded <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> for setting itself a target to make future <keyword id="20018231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-missions" source="keywords">space missions</keyword> debris free by 2030. Murmu was speaking at the celebration of the maiden <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword> celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the landing of India's Chandrayaan-3 project. "Space debris can cause problems for space missions," she said during the event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi that was attended by Union minister Jitendra Singh, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath, engineers, ISRO scientists and representatives of the country's nascent space industry. The president appreciated the ISRO System for Safe &amp; Sustainable Operations Management facility, which ensures continuous progress of space research activities. "I am also happy to note that India is moving forward to make all its space missions debris free by 2030," Murmu said. The president presented awards to winners of the Robotics Challenge and the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon on the occasion. The president said ISRO had made remarkable achievements in the space sector as well as invaluable contributions to the country's social and economic development. She appreciated the dedicated scientists who placed India's space programme among the best in the world by using minimum resources. Murmu also expressed confidence that the country would make continuous progress in space science and continue to set new standards of excellence. The president said the progress of India's space sector was extraordinary. "Be it a successfully completed Mars mission with limited resources or the successful launch of more than a hundred satellites at once, we have made many impressive achievements," Murmu said. The president said space exploration had increased the capabilities of human beings and transformed imagination into reality. "But space exploration is a challenging task. Research conducted to solve the problems during space exploration accelerates the development of science and improves human life," she said. The president said many sectors, including health and medicine, transportation, security, energy, environment and information technology, had benefited from developments in the space sector. The president pointed out that with the opening of the space sector to private entities, the number of start-ups had increased at a very rapid pace. "This has not only brought progress in space research but also given new opportunities to our youth to showcase and hone their talents," Murmu said. The president said she was happy to note that just a few months ago, an Indian company successfully launched a single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket, the first such achievement. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/2024-tvs-jupiter-vs-honda-activa-6g-which-110cc-scooter-should-you-buy/slidelist/112730069.cms">2024 TVS Jupiter vs Honda Activa 6G – which 110cc scooter should you buy?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-add-music-to-instagram-profile/articleshow/112732934.cms">You can now add music to your Instagram profile – here's how</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/audi-q8-facelift-launched-in-india-with-a-1-17-crore-price-tag/slidelist/112707701.cms">Audi Q8 facelift launched in India with a ₹1.17 crore price tag</a>

President Murmu voices concern over increasing space debris

Your phone blares, "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-earthquakes-can-hit-united-states-how-to-prepare-2023-2">Earthquake!</a>" The voice instructs you to duck, cover, and hold on. About 30 seconds later, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earthquake-rattles-new-york-city-new-jersey-2024-4">the shaking starts</a>.At first, it makes the furniture sway. It's stronger than the little quakes you normally get here in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/incredibly-lonely-high-paying-tech-job-seattle-2023-9">Seattle</a>. Another 30 seconds later, the shaking suddenly intensifies.Pictures fall from the walls, objects fly across the room, and the dining table you're sheltering under begins to scoot across the floor, several inches at a time.A loud rumble fills the air. It's the sound of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-americans-move-cheap-homes-good-infrastructure-fewer-natural-disasters-2023-11">the city's buildings</a> swaying and creaking and all their contents shimmying, wobbling, scraping across floors, or crashing down from shelves.Seattle isn't even that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mystery-lights-seen-before-morocco-earthquake-scientists-baffled-videos-2023-9">close to the earthquake's epicenter</a>.The Olympic Mountains and about 100 miles stand between the city and the ocean. For people on the coast, the shaking is much worse. After about six minutes, the earthquake dies down, and a new countdown begins. People along the coast now have 10 to 30 minutes to reach high ground before a giant wave engulfs the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-things-about-first-van-trip-what-its-like-california-oregon-2022">Pacific Northwest</a>.Tsunami sirens wail in some towns. In others, the earthquake has knocked out alert systems.<div type="image" title="blue circular tsunami evacuation route sign with an arrow below pointing right" height="3264" width="4896" msid="114622256" hostid="261" sizebytes="562156"></div>From Northern California to Vancouver Island, a wall of water up to eight stories high surges onto the coast.Over the next hour or two, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-tsunami-hits-tonga-after-giant-pacific-ocean-volcano-erupted-2022-1">tsunami</a> makes its way up rivers and straits and into Puget Sound. It's much smaller by the time it reaches Seattle, but it floods some streets.Between <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/largest-earthquake-ever-caused-5000-mile-long-tsunami-study-finds-2022-4">the earthquake and the tsunami</a>, 14,000 people died, many more were trapped or injured, and more than 618,000 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-photos-show-japan-earthquake-destruction-2024-1">buildings were damaged</a>. The shaking triggered landslides, fires, and spills of hazardous materials.But the disaster has just begun.<div type="image" title="person in yellow hazmat suit with water beading all over it with their face wearing glasses visible through a gas mask" height="1752" width="2838" msid="114622244" hostid="261" sizebytes="161830"></div>Eventually, the total economic losses will amount to $134 billion, placing it high among the costliest <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/natural-disaster-proof-dome-homes-houses-housing-apocalypse-bunker-2023-7">natural disasters</a> in US history.The scene above is a worst-case scenario of a megaquake striking the Pacific Northwest. Emergency managers have spent decades preparing for it. Still, they say the region isn't ready."To be fully, completely, and totally prepared is an impossibility," Robert Ezelle, the director of the emergency-management division of Washington state's Military Department, told Business Insider, "just because of the magnitude of the event."<h2 id="742db97a-1888-4a9c-9c95-09c4a12f41b8">Inside the major disaster brewing off the coast of the Pacific Northwest</h2>About 100 miles offshore from the Pacific Northwest, deep beneath the seafloor, two <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-earth-tectonic-plates-billion-years-2021-2">tectonic plates</a> are building tension that could erupt at any moment.In a region called the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-discover-cascadia-subduction-zone-most-dangerous-segment-threatens-washington-2024-6">Cascadia subduction zone</a>, the Juan de Fuca oceanic plate is sliding (or "subducting") beneath the North American plate — but its edge is stuck. As the plate keeps pushing against its locked-up edge, stress builds."It's ominously quiet," Harold Tobin, Washington's state seismologist and the director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, told BI. "The fact that it doesn't even produce little earthquakes to any significant extent makes us believe that it is completely locked up."Scientists like Tobin fear that without releasing tension through smaller earthquakes, the Cascadia subduction zone is more likely to erupt in a "megathrust" earthquake — or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-one-mega-earthquake-what-will-happen-california-san-andreas-2019-8">megaquake</a> for short — with a magnitude of about 9."It will be the worst natural disaster our country has ever seen," Ezelle said. That's why some call it the "Big One."On average, the Cascadia subduction zone produces an immense earthquake every 200 to 500 years. The most recent one was in 1700.<h2 id="fd9980cd-d7a5-43d2-a20d-8773726b7cbb">Just how big is the Big One?</h2><div type="image" title="ocean bean with dead tree stumps in the water and a large rock with trees on it in the distance" height="1600" width="2290" msid="114622253" hostid="261" sizebytes="570854"></div>The Richter scale, which measures earthquake magnitude, is logarithmic, not linear. That means a magnitude 9 quake releases about 32 times as much energy as a magnitude 8 but about a million times as much as a magnitude 5.The closest thing in human memory to the Big One <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-earthquake-tsunami-satellite-photos-2024-1">occurred in Japan in 2011</a>. That magnitude 9 event, called the Tohoku earthquake, also came from a subduction zone.It generated a tsunami that reached 130 feet high, inundated over 1,200 miles of coastline, and washed thousands of people out to sea. Together, the quake and tsunami killed an estimated 18,500 people.<div type="image" title="overhead view of destroyed and burned debris among small houses with a giant ship sitting in the middle" height="1500" width="2250" msid="114622263" hostid="261" sizebytes="583446"></div>It's hard to imagine the power of a magnitude 9 quake, but the <a target="_blank" class="" href="http://seismicsoundlab.github.io/">Seismic Sound Lab</a>, a group of Columbia University scientists, created a video that tries to convey it through sound.The animated video, below, shows every earthquake in Japan from 2008 through 2014, accompanied by sounds of various volumes. A normal background hum of magnitude 4, 5, and 6 quakes gives way to an intensely loud boom, the Tohoku event, about 22 seconds in. (The label saying the event occurred in 2012 is incorrect.)For years after the Tohoku event, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-aftershock-after-rare-4-8-magnitude-earthquake-2024-4">aftershocks</a> rippled across Japan, adding to the damage, including a 7.1 earthquake in 2021.Likewise, in the Pacific Northwest, aftershocks could continue for months, maybe even years, following the Big One. The first tsunami may not be the biggest.<h2 id="0132194b-2d81-4bca-bc4d-52e3486908ba">The aftermath of the Big One</h2>Scientists, Ezelle's department, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have practiced for the Big One in two "Cascadia Rising" exercises, one in 2016 and another in 2022. They've found that in the days following the megaquake, much of western Oregon and Washington may be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-slams-florida-power-outages-flooding-2024-9">without electricity</a>, internet, cell service, or drinking water.<div type="image" title="man in camo uniform walking down a dirt path lined with large army green tents with water and pine forest in the background" height="1029" width="1941" msid="114622259" hostid="261" sizebytes="140480"></div>In certain areas, it could be more than two weeks before help arrives because landslides, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sinkhole-south-dakota-mammoth-fossils-discovered-2024-8">sinkholes</a>, bridge collapses, and other damage to roads could make travel impossible.Both <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/50-earthquakes-off-oregon-coast-pose-little-threat-experts-say-2021-12">Oregon</a> and Washington advise that all residents have enough food, water, and medicine on hand to last at least two weeks."People that we're counting on to be <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/body-bags-ice-treat-summer-heat-stroke-patients-2024-6">first responders</a> may very well be victims," Ezelle said. "A lot of it is going to be neighbors taking care of neighbors."Among dozens of preparedness goals set after the last Cascadia Rising exercise, Ezelle's division is assessing the state's roadways to identify "lifelines" through the mountains — ways it might piece together surviving or quick-to-repair roads to transport critical supplies to the coast.Once those lifelines open after a megaquake, national and international aid can step in. A FEMA spokesperson told BI in an email that the agency would have teams ready to step in "almost immediately."<div type="image" title="man walking down dirt road amid plots of destroyed debris with a few houses standing in the background" height="1500" width="2333" msid="114622261" hostid="261" sizebytes="717636"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/commercial-real-estate-office-outlook-fire-sales-apartment-conversions-housing-2024-10">Retrofitting old buildings</a> is also crucial since many aren't megaquake-resilient. Tobin said there wasn't much money for this "piecemeal process.""We have a really long way to go," he added.Japan has known about its risk of giant earthquakes and tsunamis for centuries. It's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-earthquake-safety-disaster-preparedness-2024-1">one of the most prepared nations on Earth</a>. And still, the 2011 subduction-zone rupture was devastating.The Pacific Northwest, by contrast, only <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-cascadia-subduction-zone-was-discovered-in-1970-2015-7">found out about the danger posed by the Cascadia subduction zone in the 1980s</a>."Preparing for this is like trying to drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a teaspoon," Ezelle said.<h2 id="2a642c7a-3939-4b3f-961f-07ec0a723fa9">Science could help better prepare for the Big One</h2>Ezelle said that to be "the best prepared that we could possibly be," the Pacific Northwest's roadways, buildings, airports, and other infrastructure would have to be rebuilt.A more immediate, affordable strategy to save lives is building out a system that sends early warnings to phones — which already happens for many earthquakes but isn't a guarantee.The sooner the phone warning blares, the more time people have to duck and cover. The next frontier for that, Tobin said, is laying cables with seismic instruments on the seafloor along the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/east-coast-earthquake-came-from-ancient-sleeping-fault-reactivated-2024-4">fault line</a>. That's what he's trying to do at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.<div type="image" title="smartphone notification earthquake emergency alert" height="721" width="1147" msid="114622246" hostid="261" sizebytes="20824"></div>In the meantime, Tobin and other researchers are working to map the fault's structure. Their latest study may have uncovered some good news: The Cascadia subduction zone could rupture in segments or smaller earthquakes rather than all at once as one giant event.But which scenario will actually happen — one Big One or multiple big-ish ones — remains unclear."I don't lose sleep over it," said Tobin, who lives in Seattle beneath the snowy peaks of the Cascades.The Cascadia subduction zone pushed those mountains up about 10 million years ago, carving the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tibet-maybe-splitting-apart-himalayan-mountains-grow-tectonic-plates-study-2024-1">mountain range</a> that makes the Pacific Northwest so stunning."The same thing that makes the earthquakes, I should say, is part of what makes it a beautiful place to live," he said.

A mega-earthquake could strike the Pacific Northwest any day — and we're not prepared

A sixth-grade social science textbook that I read described India as a piece of fabric, with countless threads coloured in a myriad of majestic shades, woven together. This metaphor holds exceptionally well when put into the context of our <keyword id="22706215" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="handloom-industry" source="keywords">handloom industry</keyword>. India has a rich history of handlooms and weaving cultures. The culture of handlooms is so intricately woven into Indian culture, that there are whole towns dedicated to the same: <keyword id="248532" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chanderi" source="Orion">Chanderi</keyword> in Madhya Pradesh to Pochampally in Telangana and a dozen more! Unfortunately, the handloom industry in India is dying. The struggle is multi-faceted, ranging from a declining workforce to fierce competition from <keyword id="20496028" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="power-looms" source="keywords">power looms</keyword>. Hence, five years ago, August 7 was proclaimed <keyword id="22677698" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Handloom-Day" source="keywords">National Handloom Day</keyword> in response to this crisis and to heighten public awareness. This date holds special historical significance, commemorating the initiation of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905—a pivotal act of defiance against British colonial rule. <h2>When did this industry come into existence?</h2>According to archaeological findings, the origins of handloom in the Indian subcontinent may be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Mughal Empire was known to support and patronise <keyword id="20258864" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="weavers" source="keywords">weavers</keyword>. The support from the royal patrons resulted in the invention of new textiles such as ‘Mulmul’ and ‘Banarasi Brocade’ among others. This era witnessed a heightened worldwide demand for Indian textiles. In the 17th century, India produced 25% of the world’s textiles, with Bengal accounting for more than 50% of textiles and 80% of silks imported by the Dutch from Asia. <h2>What led to the decline of the <keyword id="19934660" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-handloom" source="keywords">Indian handloom</keyword>?</h2>The East India Company's entry fuelled the industry's initial decline, which started in the 1830s. The weavers were obliged to sell only to the British, and that too at exceedingly cheap prices, virtually putting them out of business. On the other hand, Indian cloth was taxed excessively to promote machine-made British clothing. The Industrial Revolution in Britain strengthened their indigenous textile industry, giving rise to new markets for cheaper textiles. In India, the collapse of the Mughal aristocracies meant no access to royal patronage. As a result, textiles like Khadi and muslin had little demand in the market. Circling back to the present, the industry is facing both similar and new challenges. Fabrics made on power looms are cheaper and faster to produce, in comparison to handloom fabrics. The industry is largely unorganised, and the wages are shockingly low. 67% of <keyword id="22706216" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="handloom-workers" source="keywords">handloom workers</keyword> are earning less than the minimum wage every month. Faced with economic challenges, the older artisans are thus forced to encourage the newer generation to choose an alternative career path. This migration of the workforce from a traditional sector is evident from the fall in the number of weavers less than 35 years of age- from 26.13 lakh in 2009-10 to 16.07 lakh in 2019-20. The majority of weavers do not have access to banking facilities, let alone institutional credit. Furthermore, if one manages to accumulate credit, there is a mismatch between the supply and demand forces due to the lack of awareness about handwoven textiles in the current generation. <h2>Initiatives for revival</h2>The cultural significance of the Indian handloom isn’t just limited to its beauty and extravagance, but it extends to our independence struggle as well. The Swadeshi movement immortalised the charkha and advocated for the use of indigenous goods. Following independence, the Indian government took many measures to revive the handloom industry. In 1953, India’s Parliament approved the Khadi and Other Handloom Industries Development Act. In 1955, the All India Handloom Fabrics Marketing Cooperative Society was formed to promote the sale of fabrics produced by handloom cooperatives across India. The National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP) aimed to provide financial assistance for marketing and production. The Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme offers health and life insurance to weavers, to ensure social security. The organisation commenced a fortnight-long exhibition, “VIRAASAT” dedicated to celebrating the 10th National Handloom Day began at Handloom Haat in Janpath, New Delhi on Saturday, 3rd August 2024, and will conclude on 16th August 2024. The Handloom Mark scheme was introduced to authenticate handloom products, thus enabling weavers to gain better market access and ensuring that consumers get genuine products. Moreover, the India Trade Portal also mentions that the GOI plans to provide financial assistance of Rs. 30 crore to at least 10,000 handlooms. Various state governments also regularly conduct handloom expos and fairs, providing platforms for weavers to showcase and sell their products directly to consumers. <h2>Contemporary Brands and their love for Indian handloom</h2>Modern, popular designers such as <keyword id="8264" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sabyasachi" source="Orion">Sabyasachi</keyword> and <keyword id="21493890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ritu-kumar" source="keywords">Ritu Kumar</keyword> are known to work closely with weavers and have been doing their part by bringing worldwide attention to the handloom industries. Recently, <keyword id="1472101" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajrakh" source="Orion">Ajrakh</keyword> was brought into the limelight when Alia Bhatt wore a custom Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla Ajrakh saree to Joy Awards in Riyadh. However, it’s not just the fashion moguls who are working towards the revival of this industry. Contemporary indie brands are partnering with local weavers, and creating awareness about their work. The emergence of such indie brands and their association with local artisans is beneficial for both entities. For instance, Joskai Studio derives its name from ‘Joskai’, a woven piece of cloth worn as a part of the traditional costume of the Tiwa community of Assam. They work with artisans in northeast India, specifically from the weaving village of Saualkuchi in Assam. Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan is a Kerala-based brand that works strictly with weavers from Kerala, specifically Chendamangalam and Kuthampally. <h2>Employment and Exports</h2>According to the Indian Trade Portal, the Indian handloom sector is the country’s second-largest employer after agriculture in rural areas. The Handloom Census 2019-20 mentions that the industry employs about 35,22,512 workers across the country, with women forming 77.29% of the workforce. India is the second largest exporter of handloom products in the world, with exports valued at $ 353.9 million in 2017- 18, as per EXIM bank's working papers. The major handloom export centres are Karur, Panipat, Varanasi and Kannur where handloom products like bed linen, table linen, toilet linen, floor coverings, and embroidered textile materials and curtains etc. are produced for export markets. During April 2021-February 2022, India exported handloom products worth 1693 crore, as per Indian Trade Portal. Indian silk scarves also form a sizable chunk of total handloom exports, in addition to home textiles like carpets, rugs and mats, which constitute over 13.6% of India’s total handloom exports. <h2>The Path Forward</h2>The mere existence of organisations and allocation of funds isn’t enough to sustain the legacy of India’s rich handloom industry. Big corporations working with local weavers ensure employment but don't protect them from exploitation and meagre wages, leaving them vulnerable. The people in power ought to come up with strategies that ensure the trickle-down effect of the schemes and funds. The new generation of buyers has a greater purchasing power than the one before them. Marketing focused on bringing Indian handloom practices into the limelight can do wonders in this case.

Fabric of a nation: Sustaining India's handloom legacy in modern times

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jeff Bridges has been married to his wife Susan for 48 years, and she supported him through cancer.</li><li>He credits his long, happy life to their relationship: "Marriage is a wonderful thing." </li></ul>Jeff Bridges has one of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/longest-celebrity-relationships-2017-2">Hollywood's longest-lasting marriages</a>, and it might be the key to his longevity.Bridges, 74, was presented with the Chaplin Award, which honors legendary actors and filmmakers, at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York City on Monday. On the red carpet for the event, which was attended by Business Insider, Bridges divulged his secret to living a long, happy, and healthy life. And spoiler alert: A lot of that has to do with his wife, Susan Geston Bridges, who was with him."Find a wonderful person to share your life with," he told reporters. "I've been married 48 years now. Marriage is a wonderful thing. It's sort of the playing field for how you relate to the rest of the world.""I heard a great phrase recently: 'You can be married or you can be right,'" he joked. "So often we're so certain about our opinions and stuff, and that can get in the way of a lot of happiness. But when you're with somebody else, as my mom used to say, it's not just the two of you. There's an 'us' — a third entity you take care of."The actor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.today.com/video/jeff-bridges-reveals-the-moment-he-fell-in-love-with-his-wife-1342624835609">met his future wife </a>while filming "Rancho Deluxe" in Montana in 1975. At the time, Susan was working as a waitress. He later described their meeting as love at first sight, at least on his part — she turned him down when he initially asked her out, but the two crossed paths again a few days later at a local bar."We danced, and that was about it, man," Bridges <a target="_blank" href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeff-bridges-met-wife-photo_n_5661ef65e4b072e9d1c61223">said</a> on "Oprah's Master Class" in 2015. "I mean, I was head over heels. I was head over heels the first time I saw her."They married in 1977 and went on to have three daughters together.<h2>Bridges' sentiment is sweet, but also backed by science</h2><div type="image" title="Jeff Bridges looking at his wife Susan in 1977" height="1691" width="2254" msid="109795188" hostid="261" sizebytes="166704"></div>"The Big Lebowski" star has publicly praised his wife for years, including crediting her with advocating for him when he <a target="_blank" href="https://people.com/health/jeff-bridges-wife-susan-says-she-told-doctors-to-save-his-life-no-matter-what-as-he-battled-covid/">nearly died in 2021</a> after contracting COVID in the middle of his chemotherapy treatment. (Bridges, who is now in remission, was diagnosed with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-non-hodgkin-lymphoma-jane-fonda-cancer-diagnosis-2022-9">non-Hodgkin's lymphoma</a> in 2020 after doctors discovered a 9-by-12-inch <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/jeff-bridges-tumor-size-of-marble-1235498982/">tumor in his stomach</a> during a pandemic-mandated break from filming "The Old Man" season one.)"My wife Sue was my absolute champion," he told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/celebrities/info-2023/jeff-bridges-cancer-covid-the-old-man-interview.html">AARP</a> in 2023. Susan, who also contracted COVID at the same time and was sent home after being hospitalized herself, returned to the hospital to keep watch over Bridges while he remained there."She really fought to keep me off a ventilator," Bridges said. "I didn't want to be on it, and the doctors didn't necessarily want that. But Sue was adamant."Beyond having someone to provide critical support during health challenges, science has shown that being in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-loving-relationships-help-live-longer-2023-12">loving romantic relationship can be good for both physical and mental health</a>, BI's Hilary Brueck previously reported. Forming strong emotional connections with other people can influence how long someone lives, according to Dr. Robert Waldinger, the director of the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.lifespanresearch.org/">Harvard Study of Adult Development.</a>"Relationships don't just make us happier — they keep us healthier," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/good-relationships-help-you-live-longer-reduce-physical-pain-2023-1">said</a> Waldinger, whose book "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Good-Life/Robert-Waldinger/9781982166694">The Good Life: Lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness</a>" details the ways in which good relationships are the foundation of a happier and physically healthier life.

Jeff Bridges credits his 48-year marriage with his longevity. Science backs that up.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Keiland Smith moved to the Netherlands last October in search of a better work-life balance.</li><li>Smith works as a chiropractor and is on a visa for high-skilled workers.</li></ul>Keiland Smith loved his job as the director of a chiropractic practice, but he felt exhausted by the 6-day workweek.After working for a decade in Grand Prairie, Texas — a city part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area — Smith knew he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-xer-germany-less-income-but-better-life-than-us-2024-9">needed a change of pace</a> and wanted to grow his career in a more sustainable way."I love my job, I love taking care of people, I just wasn't loving what it was doing to me," Smith said. "I needed to find a good balance where I could still do my job but still have that me time."For Smith, 33, and his wife, Tressley, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomer-retire-germany-better-healthcare-quality-life-homeownership-2024-8">moving to Europe</a> presented an opportunity to escape the hustle of American corporate life, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boomer-retirement-affordable-germany-than-us-lives-off-benefits-pensions-2024-8">lower costs like rent</a>, and travel more easily.While they considered France and Spain, Smith said the Netherlands offers an attractive visa for high-skilled migrant workers like himself, called the "kennismigrant" visa, which translates to "knowledge migrant."Smith and his wife moved in October 2023 to Bodegraven, a small city about an hour south of Amsterdam by train. They love life in the Netherlands and now Smith has more control over his schedule, often working four days a week.Additionally, Smith said his rent is cheaper than it was in Texas, and the groceries are less expensive and healthier. What's more, he sold his car when he left Texas and hasn't needed one in the Netherlands, cutting down on auto insurance and gas costs, while increasing his regular biking.Smith and his wife are among <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-thailand-from-us-save-money-living-abroad-travel-2024-9">Americans moving abroad</a> to seek new job opportunities, cut costs, and experience <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-xer-germany-less-income-but-better-life-than-us-2024-9">a different pace of life</a>.According to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/Reports/2022-OCPA-Report_Combined_Final_20230925.pdf">Federal Voting Assistance Program</a>, which helps overseas citizens vote in US elections, about 1,168,505 US citizens were living in Europe in 2022, a 47% increase from 10 years earlier.<h2 id="c2f5cba4-4e09-4d86-be97-f369d821d55b">Searching for better work-life balance meant moving abroad</h2>Smith was born in California and grew up in Florida before beginning his professional career in Texas.Smith graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in biomedical science and received his chiropractic degree from Parker University in Dallas in 2017.He spent three years working at a clinic at the Medical City Hospital in Dallas before taking a job at a chiropractic practice treating patients from personal injury claims.Smith said he loved his work, but it was taking a toll on his mental and physical health. He said he did not have enough time with his wife and was concerned about growing his career in a high-stress environment.When a previous mentor contacted him about working as a chiropractor in the Netherlands, Smith became intrigued.<div type="image" title="Photo shows Keiland Smith on a trip to Austria." height="1200" width="1600" msid="113367512" hostid="261" sizebytes="64896"></div><h2 id="415a9d68-506a-429d-9299-1ca869ddebd9">Learning Dutch and traveling more in his new home</h2>Smith works as a chiropractor at a Dutch practice, but aspires to open his own practice in the Netherlands someday.He earns about $72,000 (€65,000) annually in the Netherlands, which is less than the six figures he made in Texas. Yet, since his cost of living has decreased, he said he feels more financially stable.Furthermore, he said in the year he's been abroad, he feels more in control of his career than he did in Texas.However, Smith said the language barrier is a transition. Before moving to the Netherlands, Smith said he studied and practiced Dutch — part of his work requirements included a certain level of proficiency in Dutch, such as knowing medical terminology.<div type="image" title="Photo shows Keiland Smith at his chiropractic office." height="468" width="627" msid="113367513" hostid="261" sizebytes="13516"></div>He said one of the best aspects of working in the Netherlands is the more relaxed approach to work-life balance."The States is really about convenience, everybody is working 24/7, everything's at your fingertips," Smith said. "Here in the Netherlands, everything is at a slower pace. Everything is more relaxed and chill."Beyond work, Smith said he feels healthier in the Netherlands than he did in Texas.In Bodegraven, he pays about $1,100 a month in rent, which is less than half what he paid in Grand Prairie, he said. He also said his grocery costs in the Netherlands are about half of what they were in Texas.Additionally, he said he and his wife feel safer in the Netherlands than they did in Texas, and as they consider raising a family, they feel comforted by the Netherlands' strict gun laws.Smith said he's able to travel throughout Europe now that his work schedule has relaxed and he's on the continent. His favorite countries that he's visited have been the Czech Republic and Spain."I am a shorter distance to travel to other countries to experience more than just a theme park or some state attraction, but I can experience an entire culture as well as be exposed to more languages than just English," Smith said.He said his family is excited to visit him in Europe, and his grandparents plan to visit the Netherlands in a few weeks. He's excited to show them his new life abroad, he said.Are you an American who moved abroad for a job opportunity? This reporter wants to hear your story. Please reach out at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:jtowfighi@businessinsider.com">jtowfighi@businessinsider.com</a>.

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