Teens invent electricity-free refrigerators that run on a common household item

The solution was sitting on their kitchen tables.

Sometimes teenagers come up with the best ideas. Three teens from Indore, India have found a way to help their parents who work in the medical field. Using their brains and ingenuity, they have developed a mini-fridge that can keep vaccines and other medicines cold and preserved without the need of an electrical outlet or battery. Their secret? Salt.

Their “Thermavault,” as they call their invention, was so innovative and successful that they won $12,500 from the 2025 Earth Prize. While many teens would understandably spend the prize money on themselves, Dhruv Chaudhary, Mithran Ladhania, and Mridul Jain have decided to spend the money on creating 200 more Thermavaults and distribute them among 120 hospitals for further testing. The hope is that this new invention will help hospitals in rural areas keep vaccines and even organs preserved for transport.

The big reason why '90s restaurants were loud and fun and now everything is beige

The evolution has been complicated—and fascinating.

When you think back to the atmosphere of '90s restaurants, you may feel a certain nostalgia for the flashy decor—the loud lamps and checkered tablecloths—at big chains like T.G.I. Friday’s, Chili’s, and Applebee’s. But where did it all go? According to one YouTuber’s fascinating deep dive, this "blessed mess" style has devolved into the "same dull beige," and it’s all been an act of generational rebellion, dating back much further than the boomers and millennials.

Phil Edwards explains it all in a 15-minute video titled "How restaurants lost their personality," launching with a clip from a wacky T.G.I. Friday’s commercial starring a very famous actor. "This is the definition of 'chaotic good,'" he says. "Bryan Cranston is selling you a vision of a life lived on Friday, where the walls are covered with the most random crap you can imagine, botanists are in heaven, and servers are dressed in stripes, like they escaped from the Gangs of New York. How did restaurants get so boring? We went from an insane aunt to a Beige Robot, from pictures, lamps, and brass to a millennial Airbnb with a passion for graphic Design. I mean, seriously, did Dwight Schrute design this? What went wrong?"

Biggest difference between millennials and boomers? One loves taking PTO. The other feels guilty.

Who's entitled now?

Taking time off of work is something that is meant to be enjoyed and looked forward to. It’s meant for people to rest, recover, rejuvenate, and other words that start with “re.” Well, one poll found that millennials tend to feel one other “re” word that boomers don’t: regret. A recent survey by YouGov on behalf of Halfday, the iced tea brand, found that 58% of workers aged 29 to 44 felt some form of guilt for taking paid time off (PTO), while only 40% of workers aged 55 and older did.

The online survey of 3,767 adults showed quite the divide among generations regarding taking time away from the office. Along with the data collected from millennials and baby boomers, 55% of Gen Z said they felt some level of guilt about taking time off for personal wellbeing, followed by 48% of Gen X. It should be noted that the question regarding PTO was aimed at vacations and excluded time away from work to go to doctor’s appointments, jury duty, or sick leave.