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 February 17, 2024

If you think about the concept of kissing for too long, it gets kind of weird, doesn't it? I love you! Let's mash our mouths together! Recent research shows the earliest description of romantic kissing dates back about 4,500 years and was recorded on clay tablets in the region of Mesopotamia. We're also not the only species to lock lips, which is almost as baffling as the act of kissing itself. In a May 2023 study, scientists said they suspect kissing evolved as a way to evaluate the potential fitness of a mate “through chemical cues communicated in saliva or breath." Mmm, now that's true romance! 

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Our favorites this week

Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week

A common goal
Ukrainian soldiers who have lost limbs fighting against the Russian invasion of their country are finding healing and community in the game of soccer. Amputees, both civilians and soldiers, have been playing together at the Bannikov Stadium in the capital city of Kyiv every week. The sessions normally run for two hours and allow the amputees to practice skills, perform strength and conditioning exercises and play some games. The Ukrainian Football Federation organized the initiative a few months ago. “Here, these people find new friends and communication," says Dmytro Rzondkovsky, the coach of the Ukrainian amputee football team who also oversees the sessions in Kyiv. "I was really surprised by how much these people love life, football and sports. This love of life is something I’m still learning from them.”

Read the whole story here. 

Cuteness overload
Why are we such suckers for cute things? A new exhibition at London’s Somerset House aims to answer that question with history, art and ... cats. According to the curators of the exhibit, called "Cute," the human obsession with cats and their connection to cuteness has a long history.* But cuteness is also powerful: It can give us a break from the stresses of life and connect us with others. It can even be political, like in Japan, where performative cuteness was once seen as a challenge to social norms. Now, Japan's kawaii movement (kawaii means cute, by the way) has influenced every corner of the globe and spawned Hello Kitty, one of the ultimate ambassadors of cute. 

Read the whole story here. 

*Important fact, and I am not making this up: The senior curator at Somerset House is named Claire Catterall. 

Tastes like love
What does love taste like? (No one is allowed to make a kissing joke here.) A bakery in Japan used artificial intelligence to concoct several different "love breads" that ostensibly highlight flavors associated with being in love. The country’s oldest bakery, Kimuraya, teamed up with Japanese electronics company NEC Corp. for the project. NEC used its AI technology to analyze conversations from a TV reality dating show, as well as songs that include references to fruit and sweets within their lyrics. Through this analysis, they identified five key feelings of romance: first encounter, first date, jealousy, heartbreak and mutual love. The bakery then worked its magic to make corresponding snacks: 

Fateful Encounter: cotton candy, which represents the sweet, airy emotion of the first twinges of love.

First Date: zingy lime and orange peel

Jealousy: purple sweet potatoes, truffle oil and raisins.

Tears of Heartbreak: flavored with apple cider and grapes.

Mutual Love : a sweet-and-tart mix of honey, peach and dragonfruit.

A little unusual, but they all sound pretty good! 

Read the whole story here.

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A round of applause for ...

Taghi Askari, an Iranian diver who's still taking to the board at 100 years old! He completed an exhibition dive at the 2024 World Championships in Doha last week and will be the oldest competitor at this year's World Aquatics Masters Championships. Askari won two medals at the first-ever Asian Games in 1951 and has never lost his passion for the sport. "I have always loved diving," he told World Aquatic. "Nothing has changed between 1951 and now, except my performance!”

Read the whole story here. 

You gotta see this

The Magical Kenya Ladies Open at Vipingo Ridge’s Baobab golf course had to be paused for a giraffe delay. Yes, two giraffes interrupted the tournament as they sauntered onto the 18th fairway during the final round — but no one seemed to mind. After all, at Africa's only PGA-accredited golf course, animals aren't just encouraged to roam; they live here. The course is nestled within a wildlife sanctuary where a range of African species, many of them rescue animals, have free range to enjoy a few rounds. 

Read the whole story here. 

Hear, hear!

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

-Anaïs Nin, American writer and essayist,

in her private diaries published in 1966

Who knew?

Did you know that great apes tease each other just like humans do? A new study has documented “playful teasing” in orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas. Aside from being very cute to think about, this research could shed light on the evolution of certain human behaviors. “Like joking behavior in humans, ape teasing is provocative, persistent, and includes elements of surprise and play,” the study reads. These little acts included pulling hair, poking and interrupting others' activities. “Because all four great ape species used playful teasing, it is likely that the prerequisites for humor evolved in the human lineage at least 13 million years ago.”

Read the whole story here. 

Rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

Shameless animal video

There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now.

This Canadian racehorse has a passion off the racetrack: headbanging to heavy metal music. She has a favorite band, too. (Click here to view)

Made with love by CNN's 5 Things team. 

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