Hiking Half Dome at 93, roads made from recyclables, and more

(Image credit: George Rose / Getty Images)

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1. 93-year-old summits Half Dome with son and granddaughter by his side
2. University of Missouri researchers working on road pavement made of plastic waste
3. Kansas man surprises wife with 1.2 million sunflowers for their 50th anniversary
4. Endangered golden lion tamarins rebounding in Brazil's Atlantic Forest
5. Professors use drone-delivered sensors to identify birds in the rainforest

published 3 August 2023

1. 93-year-old summits Half Dome with son and granddaughter by his side

Everett Kalin has become an adventurer in recent years, going skydiving at 91 and now climbing Half Dome at 93. In late July, with the help of his son, Jon, and granddaughter Sidney, Kalin made it to the top of the Yosemite landmark, becoming one of the oldest people to ever achieve this feat. Kalin spent several months training for the trek, going on long strolls and walking up the steps in his Oakland, California, apartment building. Once he began climbing Half Dome, he realized "how tricky" it would be, he said, especially in areas that do not have cables for assistance. When he successfully arrived at the top of Half Dome, the other hikers cheered and snapped photos. "The power of seeing him [brought] so much joy and inspiration," his son told SF Gate. Finishing the climb felt "fantastic," Kalin said. "Just super. When you're 93, it's a little extra special."

Researchers at the University of Missouri are using nine different types of recycled materials in the creation of asphalt pavement, hoping to discover a combination that is sustainable and will hold up as road pavement. The Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) added old tires, plastic waste and three kinds of polyethylene, which is commonly found in plastic bags, into a mixture that was poured along a portion of Interstate I-55. Researchers are studying how the rock, asphalt, and recycled materials "behave in the real world and gel together to build a road," MAPIL Director Bill Buttlar said in a press release. "Asphalt is liquified with heat, and when you put an additive in like a plastic or rubber material, you must get everything to bond together with good adhesion." His team is testing for durability and ensuring the mixture is compliant with current Environmental Protection Agency standards.

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A farmer in Kansas found a fitting way to surprise his wife on their golden anniversary. Lee Wilson planted 1.2 million sunflowers — his wife Renee's favorite flower — across his 80-acre field in honor of their 50th anniversary on August 10. With help from his son, he started his secret project in May, so the flowers would be in bloom by the big day. Renee said she had no idea what her husband and son had been planning, and said the surprise "made me feel very special. It couldn't have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers." This is also a gift for people in the Pratt, Kansas, area — the flowers are visible from Highway 54, and drivers have been pulling over to take in the beautiful sight.

The golden lion tamarin has made a dramatic comeback in the Brazilian rainforest. In the 1970s, there were only about 200 in the wild, and now, it's estimated there are 4,800, according to a new study by the conservation nonprofit Golden Lion Tamarin Association. This comes in the wake of a yellow fever outbreak, which dropped the population from 3,700 in 2014 to 2,500 in 2019. "We are celebrating, but always keeping one eye on other threats, because life's not easy," the association's President Luís Paulo Ferraz told The Associated Press. Golden lion tamarins are small monkeys only found in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Scientists believe there are a few reasons why the population has rebounded, including a campaign to vaccinate the monkeys against yellow fever and an increase in habitat. Ayrton Violento is planting native fruit trees on his land as part of reforestation efforts, and he told AP "it makes me so happy to see the tamarins playing free on my farm."

Welcome to the Jungle, a team comprised of several American engineering professors, is one step closer to winning the prestigious XPRIZE Rainforest competition. The global contest runs for five years, with the goal of finding ways to enhance understanding of the rainforest ecosystem. Led by Illinois Tech Prof. Matthew Spenko, Welcome to the Jungle has been using drones to deliver and retrieve sensors to the rainforest that can identify birds and other species through audio and visual data. Welcome to the Jungle member Jinha Jung, a professor at Purdue University, said in a statement that by "working collaboratively, our team has been able to obtain crucial insights about the health and biodiversity of the rainforest. Our joint efforts illustrate the power of inter-university collaboration in addressing critical environmental challenges." Welcome to the Jungle has made it to the XPRIZE Rainforest competition finals, set for 2024, and if the team wins, it will receive a $10 million prize.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.