All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?

Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart. This time, wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida. It was not immediately known whether the spacecraft’s self-destruct system had kicked in to blow it up.

We do the animal kingdom an enormous disservice when we believe that specific characteristics are limited to our species. Throughout history, it’s been assumed that humans were the only creatures on Earth to exhibit empathy, rational thinking, consciousness, and the ability to use tools. But the more we learn about other species, the more those assumptions have fallen by the wayside.A new study from the University of Southern California shows that when a mouse encounters another unconscious mouse, it will aid the mouse in a way that resembles human CPR. The researchers accidentally observed this behavior while studying why a mouse’s tongue protrudes under anesthesia. “They start with sniffing, and then grooming, and then with a very intensive or physical interaction,” Li Zhang, a physiologist at USC and one of the study’s authors, told New Scientist. “They really open the mouth of this animal and pull out its tongue.” The mice were also found to lick the anesthetized mouse’s eyeballs and bite its mouth as part of the care behavior. In more than half of the interactions, the mouse pulled the tongue out of the unresponsive partner to clear the airway. “If we extended the observation window, maybe the success rate could be even higher,” team member Huizhong Tao told New Scientist.Do mice give CPR? - YouTube www.youtube.com The behavior looks a lot like CPR, but researchers are careful not to anthropomorphize or assume that the animal is behaving as a human would. Zhang says the behavior is more of an attempt to wake the unresponsive mouse up as if he were using smelling salts or a slap to bring them to consciousness. However, they believe that tongue repositioning is done to ensure the mouse’s airway is clear. The study also found that mice familiar with the unresponsive mouse are more responsive to the animal. This could show that mice care more for those they are familiar with than those they have never met. “These findings add to the evidence that an impulse to help others in states of extreme distress is shared by many species,” neuroscientists William Sheeran and Zoe Donaldson wrote in a commentary accompanying the study.This story cheered me in the context of current human news. I for one look forward to welcoming our mouse overlords. Mice seen giving 'first aid' to unconscious companions | New Scientist https://t.co/3rV1SstCvm— Nick Spencer (@theosnick) March 4, 2025 The behaviors were driven by the release of oxytocin in the amygdala and hypothalamus regions of the brain. The hormone is associated with caring behaviors in various vertebrate species. James Burkett, a neuroscientist outside of the study research group, says that the release of oxytocin in the mouse’s brain is evidence of an “altruistic impulse” that appears to be born into mice.The caring behavior exhibited by the mice has also been found in other species. Dolphins have been known to bring an ailing member of its pod to the surface for air when sick or injured. Elephants are known to support wounded or ailing relatives. This study is another reminder that the line between human and animal intelligence and emotions is far blurrier than we think. The evidence continues to show that even species as small as mice—a species we call pests—have a natural impulse to help one another. The more we learn about the animal kingdom, the more we need to reconsider the uniqueness of many characteristics we call “human.”

With an estimated net worth of $85 million, Friends star Matt LeBlanc has the kind of monetary success many dream of, but very few actually have. And yet, people are calling how he’s chosen to live with his windfall “refreshingly” down to earth and relatable. At the height of Friends fame, LeBlanc (along with his coasters) famously made an unprecedented $1 million per episode. And let’s not forget the estimated $20 million a year the cast earned through reruns of the hit sitcom. While LeBlanc did go off to lead in the Joey spin-off for two years—as well as appearing in Episodes, and starring in the now cancelled Man With A Plan—he didn’t seem to be quite as busy as the other Friends stars. But perhaps this was by design. Recently the TikTok account Outstanding Screenplays shared a now viral compilation video of a few of LeBlanc’s interviews throughout the years, in which he shares his love of “doing nothing.” For instance, in the clip from his 2017 appearance on Conan, he explained that he actually wanted to retire “earlier rather than later” fo the simple reason that “I think I would like to do not a fucking thing, that’s what I would like to do. Just nothing, absolutely nothing, zero.” @outstandingscreenplays #MattLeBlanc loves to do Nothing ? #Joey #friends #screenwriting #screenwriter #screenplay #fyp #shorts #filmtok #author #writer #movies #films ♬ original sound - Outstanding Screenplays And just what does “nothing “ look like, according to LeBlanc? It looks like “sleeping as long as you want,” or “getting up as early as you want” any given day, not having “to be somewhere” or have “someone else telling you what to do,” having the choice to “go to the gym or not go to the gym,” and of “having nine cups of coffee or none.” In a nutshell: no rules. As one viewer astutely noted, “he is describing freedom.” Similarly, in a later interview on a Scandinavian TV show called Skavlan, expounded upon how he got this impulse. “My plan was, I did 10 years of Friends, then two years of Joey, and then I said: ‘Right, I’m gonna take a year off, I wanna take a year off and just relax. I had such a good time I said ‘I’m gonna take another one,’ right? And then that one was even better. So I said ‘maybe one more,’ and then it turned into five or six years.” After realizing that his "favorite thing to do in the world is nothing,” LeBlanc has pretty much been doing just that. God bless him. One might think that this video, which has been viewed about 1.2million times, had the potential of stirring up some unsavory feelings, as even those among who can afford to retire likely will not do it in the style that LeBlanc does. But by and large people came into the comments to commend him for lifestyle choice. “If I had his money I would do exactly the same," one of the top comments read. “Nothingers unite!” exclaimed another. What people really seemed to resonate with was the fact that his take is very counterintuitive to how celebrities often react to success. As one viewer put it, “So refreshing seeing someone really not caring about chasing more and more fame.” Another person echoed, “I love that Matt LeBlanc knows he has had the fame, earned the money and now can enjoy it and does not still seek the limelight.” There’s a lot to be said about how hard it is for this clearly common dream to come to fruition, but for now, let’s just take stock that collectively, in our heart of hearts, we all long for peace and freedom. Much of the other stuff is kind of arbitrary.

As the adage goes, there's an exception to every rule, and the exception to the rule of retail employment being a hellscape of low pay and high turnover is the warehouse giant Costco. It seems not everyone is aware of Costco's reputation as an employer, though, since a woman sharing her triumph at landing a job there was initially met with surprising derision on social media. But the critics were quickly corrected by both Costco employees and people familiar with the company's employment practices, launching a celebration of Costco as a responsible business that takes care of its employees.A woman named Doreau shared a selfie from her car holding up her Costco employee badge with a caption that read, "After almost 3 months. I'm officially hired." Whether she'd been searching for a job in general for 3 months or had been in the hiring process with Costco for that long isn't clear, but her smile and triumph emoji indicated that she was proud of the accomplishment. — (@) Not everyone was so enthusiastic, though, in what appears to be a misunderstanding by some about what it means to work at Costco. Some commenters mocked the woman, indicating that working at Costco was nothing to boast about, as if it's just another retail job. As one example, someone wrote, "Who tf spends 3 months chasing a job at Costco." But people in the know shut that idea down immediately."They must not know that Costco’s employee turnover rate…She hit a lick on that one!!""Costco pays their employees INCREDIBLY well and has benefits unlike any other grocer. I’m so happy for her!!!""Man i’ve been trying to get a job at costco for sooo long i know somebody who works at the door checking receipts and makes $25/hour""The best employee benefits, satisfaction, retention and upwards mobility in American retail. God bless her.""My guy has been at Costco for 20yrs, makes 6 figures and has almost 1M in his 401k. No stress at work, tons of PTO, and has a wonderful work/life balance. Y'all still struggling with basic life stuff.""People don’t leave Costco when they find employment there. It’s getting your foot in the door that’s the hard part. Good for her." — (@) Reposts with hundreds of thousands of likes showed that she had every right to be proud of landing that Costco badge, especially in an economy where people seem to be having a hard time finding jobs despite low unemployment rates. What makes Costco a great place to work?Of course, you can find people who will complain about any job, but the numbers at Costco speak for themselves. According data cited in the Harvard Business Review, Costco's turnover rate—the percentage of employees that leave—is only 8%, a notably small fraction of the retail industry average rate of 60%. There's a reason for that extraordinary statistic—several of them, in fact. Costco prioritizes paying employees well—including good benefitsAccording to an Ethics Unwrapped case study, Costco pay tends to be around 40% more than Walmart and Target and the company provides more comprehensive health and retirement benefits as well. Part of what enables them to do that is the money they save with their low turnover rate, as it costs a lot to hire and train new employees. Costco cofounder Jim Sinegal rejected the idea that a company had to either take care of its shareholders or its workers, calling that "a false choice.""It's really pretty simple. It's good business," Sinegal said in 2009. "When you hire good people, and you provide good jobs and good wages and a career, good things are going to happen."It truly is that simple. Costco's philosophy hasn't changed since Sinegal's retirement in 2012; it's all about the reciprocal care between employee and employer: "Costco’s success depends on the well-being of employees within all areas of our business. Our operational practices, benefits, and paid time-off policies acknowledge and reward employees for their continued contribution to our culture and success."According to Investopedia, Costco's average wage is over $30 per hour, around $5.50 per hour higher than the national retail average. Its minimum wage is $19.50/hr. Costco is known in the retail world for its excellent pay and benefits. Curlyrnd/Wikimedia Commons Costco provides lots of opportunity for advancementLook no further than Costco's new CEO, Ron Vachris, for proof of Costco's internal promotion philosophy. Vachris began as a forklift driver at Costco as a teenager (technically when it was known as Price Club, before it became Costco). Now, at 58, he runs the whole company. He's an extreme example, but Costco has purposefully opportunity baked into its employment model, encouraging employees "to view Costco as a place for a long-term career rather than just a job." As the company website states:"When it comes to employee development, our goals are to: ● Provide all employees with training, education and opportunities for career development and advancement. ● Ensure there is fair access and resources to help employees succeed. ● Encourage leaders to continue to teach and mentor employees, so that employees will be prepared for opportunities and greater responsibility. ● Encourage employees to take advantage of opportunities for development and advancement."From the stories people tell of moving up the ranks in their Costco careers, that's not just lip service. Costco has a well-earned reputation as an ethical companyCostco is often held up as an ethical example of capitalism in the way it treats the people it employs, serves, and works with. Internally, the company abides by a 4-rule code of ethics, which seems remarkably simple on the surface: 1. Obey the law. 2. Take care of our members. 3. Take care of our employees. 4. Respect our suppliers.But when you dig into what each of those rules entails in the company's Mission Statement and Code of Ethics, it's easy to see why it works. "At the core of our philosophy as a company is the implicit understanding that all of us, employees and management alike, must conduct ourselves in an honest and ethical manner every day," the document reads. "Dishonest conduct will not be tolerated. To do any less would be unfair to the overwhelming majority of our employees who support and respect Costco’s commitment to ethical business conduct… If you are ever in doubt as to what course of action to take on a business matter that is open to varying ethical interpretations, TAKE THE HIGH ROAD AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT." Well, that's quite clear. Costco demonstrated its own commitment to its own ethics when it resisted pressure to abandon its DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives in late 2024, saying, "Our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary." — (@) Perhaps most importantly, Costco emphasizes that abiding by this code of ethics is what enables shareholders to be rewarded, and at this point, they've proven that to be true. A good business practicing good ethics ultimately leads to good results—it really does seem to be that simple. This article originally appeared in January

The masterpiece he would kill for.

He took it personally.