World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD) is an annual event that encourages people around the world to get outside and garden in the nude. Celebrated on the first Saturday of May, the event has been gaining popularity since its creation in 2005 by Jacob Gabriel, Liz Miller, and Mark Storey.
The purpose of WNGD is to promote body acceptance and encourage people to connect with nature. Many participants find that gardening in the nude is a liberating and relaxing experience that allows them to feel more in tune with the environment.
While the event is primarily celebrated by naturists and nudists, gardeners of all kinds are welcome to participate. Some people choose to garden in the nude while others opt for clothing-optional gardening.
World Naked Gardening Day
WNGD is not only a fun and unique way to connect with nature, but it also has some health benefits. Gardening can be a great form of exercise, helping to build strength, increase flexibility, and reduce stress. Additionally, exposure to sunlight can provide the body with vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth.
However, it’s important to note that WNGD is not an invitation for inappropriate behavior. The event is meant to be a positive and respectful experience for all participants. It’s also important to be aware of local laws and regulations regarding public nudity.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just looking for a new way to connect with nature, World Naked Gardening Day is an event worth celebrating. So grab your gardening tools, shed your clothes, and get ready to experience the joys of nudist gardening.
Why Phoenix’s Skyline Has Stayed Low — And How It Compares to Los Angeles
Discover why Phoenix’s skyline lacks supertall skyscrapers, from FAA flight path limits near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to how it compares with Los Angeles’s skyline growth.
Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the United States, yet its skyline doesn’t resemble other major metros like Los Angeles, Chicago, or Dallas. Despite rapid population and economic growth, downtown Phoenix has long lacked supertall skyscrapers — and until recently, didn’t even have a building tall enough to qualify as a true “skyscraper” under standard definitions.
The Basics: Phoenix’s Height Reality
The tallest structure in Phoenix for decades has been Chase Tower, rising to about 483 feet. Under the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat definition, a skyscraper reaches at least 492 feet — which means Phoenix has technically lacked one — despite its size and population.
Why doesn’t Phoenix have super tall skyscrapers? 🤔🌵 It’s not what you think… ✈️ From FAA flight paths over Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to the city’s sprawling growth, there’s a hidden reason the skyline stayed low for decades. But that might be changing… 👀🏙️ Phoenix Arizona CityFacts UrbanPlanning Skyline DidYouKnow Infrastructure RealEstate USCities #STMdailynews♬ original sound – STMDailyNews – STMDailyNews
A new project, the Astra Tower, is planned to rise around 540+ feet when it breaks ground, potentially giving Phoenix its first true skyscraper.
Airport Proximity: The FAA’s Height Grid
FAA Obstacle Evaluation & Downtown Limits
Phoenix’s skyline constraints are rooted in aviation safety.
📍 Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport sits just a few miles from downtown.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates building heights near airports so they don’t obstruct flight paths, require planes to alter approaches, or interfere with climb-out safety.
In Phoenix, this results in a layered set of height limits that vary by location and elevation above sea level — often measured in feet above mean sea level (MSL) rather than simply building height from ground.
The city’s zoning code divides downtown into multiple contour zones with distinct maximum elevation values (e.g., 1,275 ft, 1,525 ft, 1,700 ft MSL), each tied to how close it sits under airport flight paths.
That means in some blocks you can’t build above a specific elevation even if ground levels are lower — a regulatory “roof” that varies across downtown.
City zoning also explicitly states that no building can exceed the FAA’s airport height limits, even if other bonuses or zoning allowances exist.
Phoenix vs. Los Angeles: A Quick Comparison
Los Angeles: Higher Limits, Different Constraints
Cities like Los Angeles also have nearby airports (e.g., Los Angeles International Airport), but their key business districts aren’t directly under major flight corridors.
LA’s downtown has:
Taller office and residential towers
A financial core with dense development
Fewer FAA-driven overlays because the flight paths stretch past the downtown edge
Los Angeles’s tallest buildings — including Wilshire Grand Center (~1,100 ft) and U.S. Bank Tower (~1,018 ft) — were built where FAA restrictions don’t force low ceilings. FAA evaluations were conducted but didn’t cut as deeply into downtown zoning compared to Phoenix.
Phoenix, by contrast, sits right under approach and departure corridors — leading to consistent FAA involvement in almost every proposed mid- or high-rise downtown.
Economic and Planning Philosophies
Beyond FAA rules:
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Phoenix developed in the automobile era, with vast inexpensive land encouraging horizontal growth.
Los Angeles grew earlier with heavier investment in centralized neighborhoods and higher density.
Phoenix’s village plan long encouraged multiple smaller hubs instead of concentrating all growth in one downtown core.
These historical differences mean Phoenix didn’t have the same economic “pressure” to build up — even with zoning that allows significant height if FAA permits are met.
What This Means for Phoenix’s Future
Phoenix still has room to grow vertically — but:
FAA height contours will remain the ceiling unless flight paths change
Developers must secure determinations of no hazard from the FAA before going taller
New projects like Astra show demand for taller buildings is rising
As Phoenix’s urban core densifies and land becomes scarcer, its skyline may yet reach higher — but always within the invisible grid drawn by aviation safety.
Dive into “The Knowledge,” where curiosity meets clarity. This playlist, in collaboration with STMDailyNews.com, is designed for viewers who value historical accuracy and insightful learning. Our short videos, ranging from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, make complex subjects easy to grasp in no time. Covering everything from historical events to contemporary processes and entertainment, “The Knowledge” bridges the past with the present. In a world where information is abundant yet often misused, our series aims to guide you through the noise, preserving vital knowledge and truths that shape our lives today. Perfect for curious minds eager to discover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of everything around us. Subscribe and join in as we explore the facts that matter. https://stmdailynews.com/the-knowledge/
Meet Irene Curie, the Nobel-winning atomic physicist who changed the course of modern cancer treatment
Artemis Spyrou, Michigan State University and Andrea Richard, Ohio University The adage goes “like mother like daughter,” and in the case of Irene Joliot-Curie, truer words were never spoken. She was the daughter of two Nobel Prize laureates, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie, and was herself awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1935 together with her husband, Frederic Joliot. While her parents received the prize for the discovery of natural radioactivity, Irene’s prize was for the synthesis of artificial radioactivity. This discovery changed many fields of science and many aspects of our everyday lives. Artificial radioactivity is used today in medicine, agriculture, energy production, food sterilization, industrial quality control and more.Frederic Joliot and Irene Joliot-Curie.Wellcome Collection, CC BY We are two nuclear physicistswho perform experiments at different accelerator facilities around the world. Irene’s discovery laid the foundation for our experimental studies, which use artificial radioactivity to understand questions related to astrophysics, energy, medicine and more.
Early years and battlefield training
Irene Curie was born in Paris, France, in 1897. In an unusual schooling setup, Irene was one of a group of children taught by their academic parents, including her own by then famous mother, Marie Curie.Marie Curie and her daughter Irene were both scientists studying radioactivity.Wellcome Collection, CC BY World War I started in 1914, when Irene was only 17, and she interrupted her studies to help her mother find fragments of bombs in wounded soldiers using portable X-ray machines. She soon became an expert in these wartime radiology techniques, and on top of performing the measurements herself, she also spent time training nurses to use the X-ray machines. After the war, Irene went back to her studies in her mother’s lab at the Radium Institute. This is where she met fellow researcher Frederic Joliot, whom she later married. The two worked together on many projects, which led them to their major breakthrough in 1934.
A radioactive discovery
Isotopes are variations of a particular element that have the same number of protons – positively charged particles – and different numbers of neutrons, which are particles with no charge. While some isotopes are stable, the majority are radioactive and called radioisotopes. These radioisotopes spontaneously transform into different elements and release radiation – energetic particles or light – in a process called radioactive decay. At the time of Irene and Frederic’s discovery, the only known radioactive isotopes came from natural ores, through a costly and extremely time-consuming process. Marie and Pierre Curie had spent years studying the natural radioactivity in tons of uranium ores. In Irene and Frederic’s experiments, they bombarded aluminum samples with alpha particles, which consist of two protons and two neutrons bound together – they are atomic nuclei of the isotope helium-4. In previous studies, they had observed the different types of radiation their samples emitted while being bombarded. The radiation would cease when they took away the source of alpha particles. In the aluminum experiment, however, they noticed that even after they removed the alpha source, they could still detect radiation. The amount of radiation decreased by half every three minutes, and they concluded that the radiation came from the decay of a radioisotope of the element phosphorus. Phosphorus has two additional protons compared to aluminum and was formed when the alpha particles fused with the aluminum nuclei. This was the first identification of an artificially made radioisotope, phosphorus-30. Because phosphorus-30 was created after bombarding aluminum with alpha particles – rather than occurring in its natural state – Irene and Frederic induced the radioactivity. So, it is called artificial radioactivity.In Irene and Frederic’s experiments, an isotope of aluminum was hit with an alpha particle (two neutrons and two protons bound together). The collision resulted in two protons and a neutron from the alpha particle binding to the aluminum, making it an isotope of phosphorus, which decayed, releasing a particle called a positron.Artemis Spyrou After her major discovery, Irene stayed active not only in research but in activism and politics as well. In 1936, almost a decade before women gained the right to vote in France, she was appointed under secretary of state for scientific research. In this position, she laid the foundations for what would become the National Centre for Scientific Research, which is the French equivalent of the U.S. National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health. She co-created the French Atomic Energy Commission in 1945 and held a six-year term, promoting nuclear research and development of the first French nuclear reactor. She later became director of the Curie Laboratory at the Radium Institute and a professor at the Faculty of Science in Paris.
Medical uses of artificial radioactivity
The Joliot-Curie discovery opened the road to the extensive use of radioisotopes in medical applications. Today, radioactive iodine is used regularly to treat thyroid diseases. Radioisotopes that emit positrons – the positive equivalent of the electron – are used in medical PET scans to image and diagnose cancer, and others are used for cancer therapy. To diagnose cancer, practitioners can inject a small amount of the radioisotope into the body, where it accumulates at specific organs. Specialized devices such as a PET scanner can then detect the radioactivity from the outside. This way, doctors can visualize how these organs are working without the need for surgery. To then treat cancer, practitioners use large amounts of radiation to kill the cancer cells. They try to localize the application of the radioisotope to just where the cancer is so that they’re only minimally affecting healthy tissue.
An enduring legacy
In the 90 years since the Joliot-Curie discovery of the first artificial radioisotope, the field of nuclear science has expanded its reach to roughly 3,000 artificial radioisotopes, from hydrogen to the heaviest known element, oganesson. However, nuclear theories predict that up to 7,000 artificial radioisotopes are possible. As physicists, we work with data from a new facility at Michigan State University, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, which is expected to discover up to 1,000 new radioisotopes.Scientists graph the known isotopes in the chart of nuclei. They have discovered roughly 3,000 radioisotopes (shown with cyan boxes) and predict the existence of another 4,000 radioisotopes (shown with gray boxes).Facility for Rare Isotope Beams While the Joliot-Curies were bombarding their samples with alpha particles at relatively low speeds, the Michigan State facility can accelerate stable isotopes up to half the speed of light and smash them on a target to produce new radioisotopes. Scientists using the facility have already discovered five new radioisotopes since it began operating in 2022, and the search continues. Each of the thousands of available radioisotopes has a different set of properties. They live for different amounts of time and emit different types of radiation and amounts of energy. This variability allows scientists to choose the right isotope for the right application. Iodine, for example, has more than 40 known radioisotopes. A main characteristic of radioisotopes is their half-life, meaning the amount of time it takes for half of the isotopes in the sample to transform into a new element. Iodine radioisotopes have half-lives that span from a tenth of a second to 16 million years. But not all of them are useful, practical or safe for thyroid treatment.The iodine radioisotope used in cancer therapy has a half-life of eight days. Eight days is long enough to kill cancer cells in the body, but not so long that the radioactivity poses a long-term threat to the patient and those around them.Artemis Spyrou Radioisotopes that live for a few seconds don’t exist long enough to perform medical procedures, and radioisotopes that live for years would harm the patient and their family. Because it lives for a few days, iodine-131 is the preferred medical radioisotope. Artificial radioactivity can also help scientists study the universe’s mysteries. For example, stars are fueled by nuclear reactions and radioactive decay in their cores. In violent stellar events, such as when a star explodes at the end of its life, they produce thousands of different radioisotopes that can drive the explosion. For this reason, scientists, including the two of us. produce and study in the lab the radioisotopes found in stars. With the advent of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams and other accelerator facilities, the search for new radioisotopes will continue opening doors to a world of possibilities. Artemis Spyrou, Professor of Nuclear Physics, Michigan State University and Andrea Richard, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Ohio University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A Short-Form Series from The Knowledge by STM Daily News
Every Friday, STM Daily News shines a light on brilliant minds history overlooked.
Forgotten Genius Fridays is a weekly collection of short videos and articles dedicated to inventors, innovators, scientists, and creators whose impact changed the world—but whose names were often left out of the textbooks.
From life-saving inventions and cultural breakthroughs to game-changing ideas buried by bias, our series digs up the truth behind the minds that mattered.
Each episode of The Knowledge runs 30–90 seconds, designed for curious minds on the go—perfect for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels, and quick reads.
Because remembering these stories isn’t just about the past—it’s about restoring credit where it’s long overdue.
Disclosure Day: Why Spielberg’s New UFO Film Has My Attention
The upcoming movie “Disclosure Day,” directed by Steven Spielberg and written by David Koepp, is highly anticipated for its exploration of sci-fi themes involving UFOs and aliens. Scheduled for a June 12, 2026 release, it features a strong cast, including Emily Blunt, and is expected to deliver a blend of wonder and emotion, reminiscent of Spielberg’s iconic films.
If there is one upcoming movie I am genuinely excited about, it is Disclosure Day. As someone who has been fascinated by science fiction, aliens, UFOs, and space since I was a little kid, this one feels like it is landing right in my wheelhouse. Add Steven Spielberg to the mix, and it becomes even more personal. Spielberg’s work helped shape the way a lot of us look at wonder, fear, and the unknown. For me, films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Jaws, and Duel were not just movies. They were experiences.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
That is why Disclosure Day already feels like one of the most intriguing releases on the 2026 calendar. Directed by Spielberg and written by David Koepp from a story by Spielberg, the film brings together a strong cast that includes Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. Blunt is reportedly playing a Kansas City TV meteorologist, which immediately adds an interesting angle for a story tied to mystery and possible extraterrestrial themes.
Disclosure Day | Official Trailer
What makes this project especially exciting is the creative team behind it. Spielberg returning to UFO territory is enough to get longtime sci-fi fans paying attention, and Koepp’s involvement adds another layer of anticipation. The film was first reported in April 2024 as Spielberg’s next project, with Universal Pictures later confirmed as distributor. Production took place from February through May 2025, with filming in New York, New Jersey, and Atlanta under the working title Non-View.
The supporting details only make it more interesting. John Williams is set to compose the score, marking yet another collaboration with Spielberg. That alone gives the film a sense of event-level importance. Williams and Spielberg have created some of the most unforgettable moments in movie history together, and for a film centered on mystery and awe, that musical partnership matters.
Right now, Disclosure Day is scheduled to hit theaters in the United States on June 12, 2026, with an IMAX release planned as well. It was originally dated for May 15, 2026, but the move to June only builds the summer blockbuster feel around it. Based on everything we know so far, this looks like a film that could blend spectacle, emotion, and that classic Spielberg sense of wonder.
From my perspective, this is exactly the kind of movie I want to follow closely. I have always been drawn to stories about what might be out there, what we do not understand yet, and how ordinary people react when the impossible suddenly feels real. Spielberg has explored those ideas before in ways that stay with you, and I am curious to see how Disclosure Day adds to that legacy.
I will be keeping an eye on this one and updating readers as more information comes out, from trailers and story details to cast insights and release coverage, all the way up to premiere day. For sci-fi fans, UFO believers, and anyone who still feels that pull of the unknown, this is a movie worth watching.
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