Get a burst of energy at bedtime and then stay up all night doing chores? You're not alone.

Are you a Revenge Nighttime Procrastinator or a Nighttime Task Completer?

By Tod Perry

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a new phrase emerged from China: “bàofùxìng áoyè,” which loosely translates to “retaliatory staying up late” or “revenge bedtime procrastination.” This is a way people gain a sense of control over their lives by staying up late watching TV, playing video games, or doomscrolling to make up for working 40-plus hours a week.

Revenge Bedtime Procrastinators may consciously or subconsciously start another episode of their favorite Netflix show or spend another hour playing Grand Theft Auto because it reassures them that they’re in charge of their own lives—not their boss, not their spouse, and not their children. It’s like “me” time but with an added dash of rebellion. “You can’t tell me to go to sleep.”

🦫 Beavers were brought to the desert to save a dying river. Six years later, here are the results.

Their engineering feats are pretty dam incredible.

By Evan Porter

It's not easy being a river in the desert under the best of circumstances. The ecosystem exists in a very delicate balance, allowing water sources to thrive in the harsh conditions. These water sources in otherwise extremely dry areas are vital to the survival of unique wildlife, agriculture, and even tourism as they provide fresh drinking water for the people who live nearby.

But man-made problems like climate change, over-farming, and pollution have made a tough job even tougher in some areas. Rivers in Utah and Colorado part of the Colorado River Basin have been barely surviving the extremely harsh drought season. When the riverbeds get too dry, fish and other aquatic creatures die off and the wildfire risk increases dramatically.

10 Thanksgivings ago, an accidental text led to an unexpected friendship. 🦃

🎙️ James Brown and opera legend Pavarotti thrillingly revamped a soul classic live in 2002

The pairing sounds bizarre on paper, but it works brilliantly.

By Ryan Reed

"The King of the High Cs" and "The Godfather of Soul"—they were both in the realm of music royalty, even where nicknames are concerned. But it probably didn’t seem like an obvious pairing for operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti to share his stage with funk legend James Brown. They were speaking different languages, both literally and musically.

Nonetheless, the duo came together for an incredible collaboration back in 2002, with Brown joining Pavarotti during a star-packed concert aiding the UN refugee agency’s work in Zambia. The show featured a number of major pop and rock stars, including Sting, Lou Reed, and Grace Jones—but the highlight was probably Pavarotti adding a multi-lingual, more cinematically orchestral spin on Brown’s 1966 song "It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World."

🦝 Researchers found one tiny change in raccoons that could bring them closer to being our pets

People, unsurprisingly, are very much on board with this.

By Heather Wake

If you have ever watched a raccoon confidently tiptoe across a fence or dive into a trash bin like it owns the place and felt utter delight, you might be thrilled to learn that new research has found these little bandits are cooking up new ways to melt our hearts…including picking up physical traits we associate with pets.

Scientists say city raccoons may be showing early signs of domestication, an idea that first sparked Raffaela Lesch, a zoologist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, when she tossed a can into a campus bin.

Instead of the usual metallic clank, she heard a muted thud. Then a raccoon head popped out—comfortably, fearlessly. Something a bit out of character for a “wild” animal.