VATICAN CITY U.S. climate envoy John Kerry met Pope Francis on Monday, the first official to have a

Five men are on trial accused of killing council worker Ashley Dale, 28, in her Liverpool home.

With thousands of migrants still arriving in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is renewing his appeal to the federal government to help the city avert a budgetary crisis as expenses mount

Happiness is one of life’s most elusive gifts – it is an emotion that can’t be pinned down. And yet, an animation showing a protein molecule “walking along”, carrying a large sphere, is widely credited with being a visual representation of joy itself. The gif has trended online for almost a decade but continues to breed delight in those who see it. Many people believe that it is – to use the technical terms – a myosin transporting endorphins in the brain. In other words, it is a scientific portrayal of the actual processes that give us that warm and fuzzy feeling. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, though we’d hate to dampen the mood, this isn’t quite accurate. In fact, the real brain behind the original clip, medical artist John Liebler, set out the truth back in 2014. @mommyca713 AMAZING! #cells #innerlife #happiness #lookslike #facts #fact #fyi #fyp #brain #research #facts #animation #myosin #interesting #education #viral #fypシ #humanbrain #mentalhealth #science #stem He explained that he, his team at medical technology company XVIVO, and two Harvard University researchers created the 3D computer animation in 2006 for a biology classroom video called ‘The Inner Life of the Cell’, as Science Alert reports. The educational clip wasn't intended to depict a brain process at all but to take the viewer "on a journey through the microscopic world of a cell, illustrating mechanisms that allow a white blood cell to sense its surroundings and respond to an external stimulus,” according to Liebler himself. So this is all about a protein in a white blood cell, not a protein in a neuron. The Inner Life of the Cell Animation youtu.be At any rate, happiness doesn’t just come about through a single process. So even if the clip did show endorphins being delivered to our brains, this wouldn’t offer a full picture. Dopamine, other neurotransmitters (for example, serotonin), biological health and genetics all play a part in cementing our feelings of contentment. We don’t just rely on jolly little myosin proteins lugging around bundles of cheer. Still, the internet is now awash with jovial variations on the clip and it can’t be denied that the scene-stealing strutting protein is pretty damn cute. So if that’s enough to bring a smile to your face, maybe it is a representation of happiness after all. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Texas Rangers slugger Adolis García and pitcher Max Scherzer could miss the rest of the World Series after getting hurt in Game 3 against the Arizona Diamondbacks

Montenegro’s new government has been confirmed, with the prime minister promising to unblock the Balkan nation’s stalled European Union integration process as a top EU official is set to hold talks in the small NATO member country

A factory of a blacksmith was a cover for manufacturing and selling arms to criminals, police say.

'It's not over for any of us until SAG-AFTRA gets their deal,' a writer said after WGA reached a tentative deal with AMPTP

Residents of southern Ukraine braced for a second day of swelling floodwaters on Wednesday as authorities warned that a Dnieper River dam breach would continue to unleash pent-up waters from a giant reservoir

Alyssa Farah Griffin and Justin Griffin had been dating since 2017 before they tied the knot in 2021 in Vero Beach, Florida

Mike Pence says Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis do not grasp the broader implications of their call for limited military assistance to Ukraine

Michael Parkinson, a renowned broadcaster widely considered Britain’s talk show king, has died at age 88