Negative stories often tend to circulate through the media, overshadowing some of the positive news in the world. Last week, a rescue dog named Hazel saved her owner from a house fire in New Zealand. Even though her new home was turned to ashes, Hazel, who had been rescued just two days before, miraculously kept herself and her owner alive.
At only nine months old, Hazel had already been abandoned by two past owners, and was not ready to lose a third family. After a life filled with rejection, Hazel was able to make a happy ending out of a disastrous situation.
The fire occurred on a Saturday morning in Whakatāne, where the fire department rushed to make it to the scene on time. When they arrived at the house, they explained how the fire had already become too big for the house to be saved.
The owner, who was still sleeping at the time of the fire, was woken up by Hazel with a bite, alarming him that they needed to evacuate immediately. While they may have lost all of their belongings, both Hazel and his owner were both able to safely make it out of the fire.
“It’s so fascinating to see how dogs are able to help us and understand us humans. Hazel and her owner truly have so much thanks to give for saving each other’s lives. Stories like this give me so much hope for the future,” said sophomore Bella Timpone.
On another note, new research based in Illinois has indicated that a drug previously used to treat asthma and allergies may also help fight off aggressive cancers. This study revealed how tumors hijack common white blood cells to evade immunotherapy.
The drug, named Montelukast, is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making the clinical testing process much quicker. The research team in Illinois explained that their core findings are linked to a molecule called CysLTR1, which is best known for its role in asthma and inflammation.
They revealed that many cancers exploit CysLTR1 to resist treatment. The tumors trick the immune system into helping them grow by increasing a group of white blood cells. Researchers tested this treatment with mouse models, and found that the drug slowed tumor growth, improved survival, and restored response to cancer-killing immunotherapy.
Professor Zang of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine cited that because drugs such as Montelukast are already FDA approved, the findings could quickly be moved on to patient trials. He explained that the next steps include confirming this mechanism in patients, identifying who will benefit most, and beginning to carefully design trials.
“It’s so amazing how research is continuing to expand so we can help save more and more people’s lives. This drug that we thought was just useful for allergies and asthma will now hopefully go on to help even more people. I hope this research continues so that people all around the world can benefit,” said sophomore Sydney Engel.
In other news, a great horned owl in Utah regained his ability to fly after being stuck in concrete in Oct. 2025. The owl was sent to The Best Friends Animal Society in Utah to recover.
The team at this nonprofit refuge realized that the young owl would need new feathers before reentering the wild. They patiently waited for the owl to molt, but the natural process didn’t go as expected. Because of this, the team took a course on how to imp, a procedure that involves replacing old feathers with new ones.
They prepared for the surgery by using feathers that were donated by a nearby wildlife rescue group. On May 1, the procedure successfully took place. The owl was set free in the wild, and flew to the highest perch of a tree. Thanks to the team’s persistence to learn how to imp and give the owl the best care possible, he was able to fly free once again.
“It’s so inspiring to see what people are able to do when they work together for the greater good. Thanks to the team, now this owl gets to rebuild his life that was taken away from him. I hope he goes on to keep flying and the team goes on to keep helping more animals,” said sophomore Maddy Rosen.