The Cool Down

Petey the 'Seeing Eye Donkey' uses his voice to guide his blind horse friend to play

Petey has become a source of comfort and guidance for Luna, a blind horse who relies on his soft voice and steady presence to ...
The Cool Down

Publix recalls GreenWise frozen berries over possible E. coli O145 contamination

Publix shoppers across eight Southern states may want to check their freezers after the grocery chain expanded a recall of ...
thecooldown

Houston homeowner gets Sunrun solar quote, then learns a 2.9% escalator could haunt a home sale

A Houston homeowner shopping for rooftop solar and battery backup thought they had found a workable deal — until a Reddit reality check homed in on one detail that could quietly reshape the cost for ...
The Cool Down

Coco the Yorkie spent the night on a 295-foot cliff before firefighters rescued her

After making it through the night trapped on a steep coastal cliff on the Spanish island of Mallorca, a Yorkshire terrier ...
thecooldown

California shed fire is out, but battery wall hits 'thermal runaway,' prompting shelter in place

A backyard shed blaze in Visalia, California, was extinguished quickly on Wednesday, but the incident remained dangerous even after the flames were out. Firefighters found that a battery-powered wall ...
thecooldown

Texas dogs stranded by fast-rising floodwaters are airlifted, back with family a day later

Two dogs caught in fast-rising floodwaters in Crystal City, Texas, are back with their family after a dramatic air rescue that ended in a reunion with their owners the following day. The rescue ...
thecooldown

Flammable battery electrolytes may have a safer successor in water-based chemistry

Even with rapid battery advances, one major safety issue persists. Many high-performance cells still depend on organic electrolytes, and those flammable materials can ignite during thermal runaway.
The Cool Down

After pneumonia deaths, Tennessee bear rescue is cleared to take orphaned cubs again

Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, Tennessee has once again been cleared to take in orphaned black bear cubs, restoring an ...
thecooldown

After 40 years performing, Portugal's last circus elephant reaches the country's first sanctuary

Portugal's final circus elephant is no longer in the ring: after 40 years of performances, Julie, an African elephant captured as a calf in the late 1980s, has been moved into retirement and into a ...
The Cool Down

18 python hatchlings found around a house in 2 days, and residents fear more nearby

A homeowner in southwest India got a startling surprise after 18 python hatchlings were discovered around a single property in just two days.
thecooldown

At a wedding in Malaysia, a DJ paged a car owner, and a giant python was under the hood

A wedding in Malaysia was unexpectedly interrupted after the DJ announced that local officials had discovered a massive python coiled inside the engine compartment of one guest's car. AsiaOne said the ...
thecooldown

San Francisco roommates heard scratching in bedroom walls, then learned a raccoon had given birth

Two roommates in San Francisco were plagued with scratching sounds coming from inside the walls of a bedroom for months. After an inspector investigated the noises, they discovered a whole family of ...