@fullofsam @troybflying_photography

On a quiet morning in 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless stepped into the void. No tether, no lifeline, just a nitrogen‑powered backpack holding him above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. It became one of the most iconic moments in space history. Drifting 320 feet from the shuttle, McCandless became the first human to truly fly in space - A lone white figure suspended above the blue curve of Earth. It looked effortless. It wasn’t. Behind that famous photo is a story of risk, failure, and extremely large boll*cks.

The “coin” tossed at the Super Bowl this Sunday was unlike any other. Now set to join the Smithsonian’s National Numismatic Collection, the object wasn’t a coin at all but a small silver medal whose story began 250 years ago. Originally conceived by Benjamin Franklin, the medal commemorated America’s victories in the Revolutionary War.

Greenland sharks can live for hundreds of years. Scientists figured their eyesight had to be terrible, given the darkness, the parasites stuck to their eyeballs, and, well, being 400 years old. Turns out, these ancient sharks still see surprisingly well. Their secret? Supercharged DNA‑repair genes that keep their retinas running for centuries. Now researchers think the same tricks that help a shark spot dinner in the Arctic gloom might one day help humans fight vision loss.

Highlands, Scotland
@anoud_radaideh