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Writing in Science Advances, researchers from Bar-Ilan University and leading institutions around the world call for a fundamental shift in coral conservation by integrating science with art, design, culture and community engagement to inspire public awareness and meaningful action.

The paper was co-authored by Prof. Oren Levy of Bar-Ilan University's Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, together with researchers from universities and organizations across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and island nations throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Beyond restoration and research

According to the authors, coral reefs provide food security, coastal protection, livelihoods and cultural identity for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Yet they continue to decline because of climate change, overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. Addressing this crisis, they argue, requires more than scientific innovation and ecological restoration—it also demands stronger public engagement and political commitment.

The researchers propose using artistic expression and creative design to translate complex scientific knowledge into experiences that resonate emotionally with diverse audiences. By making environmental challenges more tangible and personally meaningful, art can help motivate broader participation in coral reef conservation.

The paper highlights a wide range of successful examples, including environmental art installations, documentary filmmaking, music, dance, graphic design, product design and public art projects that have helped communicate complex environmental issues to the public.

Design in everyday life

The authors devote particular attention to the role of design as a powerful tool for environmental communication.

Graphic design can transform complex ecological data into compelling visual stories; product designers can incorporate reef-inspired concepts into everyday objects and biomimetic technologies; fashion designers can raise awareness through textiles and campaigns that connect ecological beauty with consumer choices; and landscape architects can bring coral-inspired forms into parks, waterfronts and public spaces.

Together, they argue, these disciplines can help integrate coral reefs into everyday culture and public consciousness.

"Coral reefs are far more than marine ecosystems," the authors write. "For many communities, they are central to livelihoods, cultural heritage and local identity." Bringing together scientists, artists and local communities, they say, can expand public engagement and strengthen support for reef conservation and restoration.

A hub for global collaboration

As part of this vision, the researchers, led by Prof. Levy, Dr. Or Ben-Zvi from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Prof. Mónica Medina from UCLA, have established the Coral Art-Science Consortium, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to advancing coral reef awareness, conservation and restoration through collaborations among scientists, artists, educators, policymakers and communities worldwide.

The consortium's new website serves as a hub for global participation, creative projects, educational resources and collaborative opportunities.

The Coral Art-Science Consortium seeks to connect and amplify existing efforts around the world while fostering new collaborations. Planned activities include exhibitions, public events, educational programs, digital storytelling initiatives, citizen participation projects and partnerships that elevate reef conservation in public discourse.

The authors conclude with a call for scientists, artists, educators, policymakers and local communities to work together to transform awareness of the coral reef crisis into collective action.

Through the Coral Art-Science Consortium, they hope to build a global movement that fosters collaboration, education, public engagement and philanthropic support to help secure the future of the world's oceans and coral reefs.

Publication details

Monica Medina et al, Communicating coral: Art and science for global reef action, Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aej6847. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aej6847

Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: International team says science alone won't save coral reefs (2026, July 8) retrieved 13 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-international-team-science-wont-coral.html

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Ross has been an actor on stage, in commercials, and in independent films since childhood, and has written hundreds of articles and essays on genre literature and cinema for Barnes & Noble, Gizmodo, Kotaku, and Yahoo! Entertainment.

Ross produces the Swan Songs film podcast and hosts The Sound of Tomorrow, a pop culture and current affairs radio show based in Rochester, New York, where he lives with his husband and dogs and supports the local arts and cinema scene. You can find him on Bluesky.

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July 8, 2026

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Credit: Off Campus, Prime Video

This is Streamalikes, where you can find a curated list of recommendations to stream based on what you already like.

Table of Contents

If TV can tell us anything, it's that sex and hockey are a winning combination—first with the steamy drama of Heated Rivalry, and more recently in the streaming smash Off Campus, an adaptation of the sports romance novels by Elle Kennedy. The latter stars Ella Bright as Hannah Wells, a music student who has a meet-cute with Boston Bruin-in-waiting Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) when she accidentally walks in on him naked in the gym showers. He needs a tutor, she needs to make the guy she has a crush on jealous...you get the picture. Off Campus is streaming on Prime Video, and once you've binged it, you can catch these other tales of young, horny, and occasionally athletic love.

The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021 – 2025)

Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) is an endlessly naïve scholarship student; Bela (Amrit Kaur) is an aspiring comedy writer on the make for the hottest guys; Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is an overachieving athlete and senator’s daughter; and Leighton (Reneé Rapp) is a closeted sorority girl. They're all randomly assigned to room together as freshmen at the fictional Essex College in Vermont. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, this comedy-drama isn't nearly as salacious as its title suggests. There's sex for sure, but like Sex and the City before it, it's a funny, queer-friendly show that's a little less about one overarching romance than it is about growing up, and the value of female friendship. Stream The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max.

Maxton Hall (2024 – )

A bit more soapy than the frothier Off Campus, this is a thoroughly addictive campus romance all the same, the German import being Prime Video's top non-American series launch ever. Damian Hardung is James Beaufort, wealthy heir to his family's fashion line, star athlete, and imposingly muscular physical specimen. Harriet Herbig-Matten is Ruby Bell, a scholarship student at the elite Maxton Hall, and one who doesn't mind being invisible—the rich snobs don't interest her, and she's more interested in keeping her top marks. Ruby stumbles onto a secret involving James' sister, which she also doesn't care about, except that James pisses her off by trying to buy her silence. The situation escalates until they're forced to work together and, if you can't see where this is going, you're watching the wrong genre of show. Stream Maxton Hall on Prime Video.

Heartbreak High (2022 – 2026)

There’s a lot of backstory here that you don’t really need to know to enjoy the show, but in brief, Heartbreak High is a sorta soft-reboot of a popular, long-running 1990s Australian show, which was itself a spin-off from a 1993 movie. It's a solid blend of teen drama (sealing with issues related to gender identity, race, and teen sexuality) and comedy (the main characters are corralled into the Sexual Literacy Tutorial, with the unfortunate acronym SLT). It all starts with Amelie and Harper, two students at a diverse Sydney high school, who set off a firestorm when they create a detailed map of the sexual exploits of the student body. Stream Heartbreak High on Netflix.

Nevertheless (2021)

A complicated, messy relationship sits at the center of this addictive, if also slightly messy, South Korean miniseries. Art student Na-bi (Han So-hee) is coming off a borderline abusive relationship and no longer believes in love, which is not to say that she's entirely lost interest in sex. Convenient, then, that she meets flirty fellow student Jae-eon (Song Kang), similarly disinterested in anything long-term—at least initially. With impressive chemistry between the leads and a strong supporting cast of characters with their own issues, the show solidly depicts a modern situationship that slowly turns romantic despite its leads' best intentions. Stream Nevertheless on Netflix.

Overcompensating (2025 – )

Comedian Benito Skinner plays himself, kinda, in this buzzy comedy that sees a former high school jock facing his freshman year in college while desperately trying to convince himself and everyone else that he's as straight as they come (relatable, except for the jock part). Much of the appeal is in its deft blending of tones: It's both a frequently raunchy college comedy, and a sweet coming-of-age story about accepting yourself without worrying about what everyone else thinks. The cast includes Adam DiMarco (The White Lotus) and Rish Shah (Ms. Marvel), and there's a romantic component, even if the emphasis is more on what not to do when it comes to young love. Stream Overcompensating on Prime Video.

Normal People (2020)

Heavier than Off Campus but no less romantic, this one is based on Sally Rooney's bestselling novel about the appropriately steamy coming-of-age romance between Marianne (Daisy Edgar Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), two characters (and actors) with impressive chemistry. She's rich but lonely, he's popular but the son of the housekeeper. As time goes on and their roles start to shift, life and love only grow more complicated. The plot isn't groundbreaking, but there's an uncommon intelligence here, as well as a frankness about sex and sexual violence that sets it apart. Stream Normal People on Hulu.

What do you think so far?

Boarders (2024 – 2026)

While not exclusively a romantic drama (though several do bubble up), this British import features a scholastic setting and a talented cast of young stars-in-waiting (including leads Josh Tedeku and Jodie Campbell). At the (fictional) prestigious boarding school St. Gilbert’s, five Black teens are newly attending on scholarships, but their integration into the existing cliques is less than smooth—especially given that they're there largely as a PR stunt on the school's behalf. Boarders blends teen romance, coming-of-age drama, and a delightful willingness to take the piss when it comes to the whole "rich private school" thing. Stream Boarders on Tubi.

The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022 – 2025)

Adapted from the trilogy of YA bestsellers by Jenny Han, this series focuses on the coming-of-age of teenager Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), who is 16 as the series starts. Belly and her family spend every summer at Cousins Beach with the Fisher family, a tradition that's all well and good until she starts to develop a romantic attraction for first one Fisher brother (Christopher Briney), then the other (Gavin Casalegno), planting the seeds for a love triangle that unfolds over the course of several summers, and that sees Belly grow into young adulthood to a soundtrack made up largely of Taylor Swift tunes. The three-season run is over, but there's a continuation movie on the way. Stream The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video.

Heated Rivalry (2025 – )

Obviously I need to mention the other steamy hockey romance. Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are professional ice hockey players who compete on rival fictional teams, the Montreal Metros and the Boston Raiders. Even as their public relationship remains contentious over a period of years, the two develop a casual (at least at first) sexual relationship that grows increasingly sweaty, ice notwithstanding. The book series on which Off Campus is based has been around for a while, but Heated Rivalry set off a wave of interest in sports-related romances (because the takeaway from the show's success was apparently "people like hockey"), so it's not hard to draw a line between the two. (If you want to narrow your recommendations to more shows like Heated Rivalry, we've got a list for that too—along with the books, movies, and video games to explore next.) Stream Heated Rivalry on HBO Max.

Forever (2025 – )

Who does teen drama better than Judy Blume? This adaptation of her widely censored 1975 novel updates the setting to current-ish day Los Angeles, and expands the novel's exploration of the complexities of teen love and sex to include the challenges of being young, exceptional, and Black in 2020s America. Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) attends a predominantly Black private school and is working toward a track scholarship at Howard, while Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) goes to school with white kids and is on his parents' track to go to Northeastern, ideally on a basketball scholarship. The smart show follows their budding romance in a way that feels real and compelling. Stream Forever on Netflix. %!s()

For those whose knowledge of emoji doesn’t extend beyond the smiley face, a spot of explanation may be in order. Buried in the emoji alphabet is the poop emoji, which, though it can take many guises IRL, is shaped like a sort of conical tower made up of coiled ropes of faeces. The Emojipedia website helpfully compares it to “soft-serve ice cream”, which, in these heatwave-addled times, is a frankly monstrous image to put into people’s minds.

Readers who saw the 2017 cinematic triumph The Emoji Movie may recall that the poop emoji was a significant supporting character, its voice provided by none other than Shakespearean starship captain Patrick Stewart. We therefore encourage you to imagine that the rest of this item is being read by Stewart in his most stentorian tones.

The press release directed us to a study of the physics of lugworm poop, published in Nature Communications in April. The authors explain that many animals produce coiled poop, as illustrated by the emoji, including earthworms and some mammals. This shape emerges from “the coiling of fluid ‘ropes’ falling onto a rigid surface”, which is controlled by a combination of gravity, inertia and viscosity.

Lugworms are an interesting exception, because they defecate upwards, against gravity. They live in U-shaped burrows in intertidal sand flats. At low tide, each lugworm positions its anus just below the burrow entrance and poops upwards, leaving a deposit on the surface of the sand flat.

Yet despite defecating in the opposite direction to most animals, the lugworms still manage to produce a coiled poop. Somehow, this manages to hold its shape despite the risk of “buckling instabilities”. Resistance, at least to buckling instabilities, is apparently not futile.

Furthermore, the radius of the coil is “determined solely by material properties and rope geometry”, unlike in animals that defecate downwards, where the height of the fall is a key factor.

The researchers go on to describe this in great mathematical detail, and to show that the same model can accurately describe the coiling of other substances, such as rice noodles and spaghetti. There is something oddly beautiful about all this: it turns out the universe isn’t so badly designed.

A qeux for Bayeux

Queueing, and how to optimise it for maximum fairness and efficiency, is an intriguing little area of applied maths. If one train is late arriving at a station, should it be prioritised – perhaps causing a delay to another train – or made to wait? What would be fairest to the people on the trains, and the most efficient way to run the railway system?

Feedback has no idea, but we do know that history buff and chief subeditor Kelsey Hayes had a trying experience of online queueing courtesy of the British Museum. Kelsey is a paying member of the museum, so she got an email in early June notifying her that it would be showing the Bayeux tapestry from September: the first time it has been in the UK for 900 years. Members would get access to an early ticket sale, two weeks before tickets were made available to the general public.

The email advised Kelsey “to register to book” a slot. Or, as she put it, “it’s a sign-up to do a sign-up”. She booted it up, only to discover an online queue that was “over 1400 people deep and takes 20 minutes to get through”.

Once she had gone through the process, Kelsey learned it was an exercise in what she called “getting members to have their log-in details in order, so that there isn’t a register/reset password apocalypse in a couple of weeks”. Never before has Kelsey, or anyone Feedback knows, been asked to sit in a virtual queue for 20 minutes in order to reset a password.

Two weeks later, member booking finally opened. “Took me 4 hours in the queue to get a time slot,” Kelsey reports. She’s going to be so mad when she finds out it probably wasn’t made in Bayeux and isn’t even a tapestry.

Not my bag

Feedback always enjoys laughing at hubris, so it gives us considerable pleasure to deliver the news that a bag made of a trademarked substance called “T-Rex Leather” failed to sell at a Paris auction in June. The bag was expected to go for more than $500,000, but in the end the bids never even approached that.

It was apparently created using preserved collagen from a Tyrannosaurus rex femur, and Feedback is going to stop you right there. Leather is made from skin, and this “T-Rex Leather” isn’t made from T. rex skin.

Collagen is just one of many proteins and other biomolecules found in skin. To recreate T. rex skin properly, you would need a full T. rex genome in order to grow T. rex skin cells. Good luck with that: the oldest known preserved DNA is from a site in Greenland and is 2 million years old, while T. rex went extinct perhaps 66 million years ago.

We don’t have any T. rex DNA, let alone a full genome, so we can’t grow T. rex skin cells. Feedback would like to think this is why the bag didn’t sell, but we fear it might just be because it’s a distinctly unfashionable colour.

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Yet one of the most important aspects of Episode 4 is how it seals the deal on X-Men ‘97 finally giving Apocalypse a truly great adaptation outside of the comics. Despite being one of the most popular X-Men villains, versions of Apocalypse in film and television have never quite compared to his iteration in the source material. 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse featured Oscar Isaac playing the titular villain, but it failed to give him much of a character to play. Wolverine and the X-Men teased a second season about Apocalypse we sadly never got to see. The original X-Men: The Animated Series didn’t do a bad job with him, but ‘97 is delving into his personality and backstory to a far greater level than that show ever did. Let’s dig into how X-Men ‘97 is finally doing justice to this iconic Marvel character.

The Comic History of Apocalypse

If you’re watching X-Men ‘97 without knowing much about Apocalypse from the comics, a brief overview is in order. Created by Louise Simonson and Jackson Guice, Apocalypse first appeared in shadow at the very end of X-Factor #5 in 1986. Apocalypse showed up in full the very next issue, revealing himself as a tall mutant with shapeshifting powers whose body was merged with what was later revealed to be technology left behind by the Celestials – those would be the giant space gods in Marvel lore you might remember from MCU films like Guardians of the Galaxy or Eternals. Apocalypse employed a team of villains known as the Alliance of Evil to fight X-Factor, which at the time was a team of mutants composed of original X-Men members Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman and Angel.

From his first appearance, Apocalypse was one of the most striking Marvel villains to debut in years. He had a great look, a fantastic name, and an easily identifiable goal: survival of the fittest. He pushes humanity and mutants to evolve by destroying anyone he considers to be weak, fully believing that only the strong should survive. Apocalypse would become X-Factor’s most recurring nemesis, repeatedly battling the team and also transforming Angel into his Horseman of Death, forever altering that character’s life. Although Apocalypse appeared to die in battle with X-Factor in issue #68, the villain would be revived shortly after in the "X-Cutioner’s Song" storyline, where he would become more of an antagonist to the X-Men part of the Marvel universe as a whole, a role he’s fulfilled ever since.

Apocalypse would only grow in prominence during the 1990s as more of his history was revealed. He would be identified as the first mutant, originally born a slave in Ancient Egypt as a man named En Sabah Nur (translated as “The Seven Lights” or "The Morning Light"). He ruled the dark future timeline where Nathan Summers aka Cable heralds from, has a long history of working with fellow X-Men nemesis Mister Sinister, and was also the main antagonist of the fan favorite 1995 crossover event Age of Apocalypse. Yet even with all this pedigree, Apocalypse’s best adaptation up to this point was in the original X-Men: The Animated Series, with later cartoons and films failing to give him the platform he deserves. Thankfully, X-Men ‘97 Season 2 is changing this in a big way, and it all starts by pulling from the same comics we’ve discussed.

How X-Men ‘97 Changes the Game for Apocalypse

The setup for Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 splits the eponymous team into factions sent across time, with one group of mutants arriving in the 40th century where Apocalypse rules all, and another landing in Ancient Egypt before En Sabah Nur has become Apocalypse in the first place. The latter group includes Magneto, who sees an opportunity to change Nur’s destiny by mentoring him so he embraces Xavier’s ideology of human-mutant collaboration. That winds up being a dangerous game when Nur learns that the X-Men are from the future, and although he goes along with their plan to seek out the Celestial temple also sought by Rama-Tut, the inside reveals that Nur’s dark destiny cannot be avoided. The temple is Ship – the same Ship that Apocalypse uses in the future – and the walls are adorned with artwork depicting the X-Men’s role in Apocalypse’s origin.

That Xavier and Magneto tried so hard to avoid this, that Magneto hoped to finally live up to Xavier’s dream by helping the worst X-Men villain of all see the value in it, is what gives “Rise of Apocalypse: Part II” such tragic pathos. The comic that the episode is based on, The Rise of Apocalypse miniseries, was a mostly expository affair, fleshing out Nur’s origin by adding elements like Baal of the Sandstormers and Nur’s connection to Rama-Tut. X-Men ‘97 improves on the comic by turning it into a story with emotional weight, which starts by including the time-traveling X-Men. By having Xavier and Magneto be not just witnesses to Apocalypse’s rise to power but unwitting participants in it upgrades this particular incarnation of the villain into the most meaningful antagonist to the X-Men’s ideals since Magneto himself.

Although he’s always presented himself as a teacher, Xavier is, at his core, an interventionist: he seeks out mutants and tries to mold them to fit his personal philosophy. That said philosophy is benevolent in nature doesn’t change that Xavier meddles in the affairs of others to suit his own ends, and this tendency comes back to bite him here. By refusing to tell Nur the whole truth, that he will become (in his words) “the X-Men’s most diabolical foe,” Xavier hardens Nur to hearing his pleas when he needs them most, pushing Nur towards the exact fate Xavier was hoping to avoid. Xavier being partially responsible for Apocalypse becoming who he is means that he also bears responsibility for all the tragedies and victims he leaves in his wake, including his own best friend when Apocalypse ends the episode by vaporizing Magneto.

Xavier being partially responsible for Apocalypse becoming who he is means that he also bears responsibility for all the tragedies and victims he leaves in his wake.“

Thus, X-Men ‘97’s take on Apocalypse stands as a direct foil to Xavier: both seek to change the world in their own image, and will manipulate others in order to do so. The ends may be different, but the means are closer than Xavier would like to admit, if far less lethal. This kind of thematic depth is what was missing from the depiction of Apocalypse in X-Men: The Animated Series, where he was powerful and charismatic, but we didn’t fully understand why he was the way he was. Now we do: we see Nur abandoned as a baby, shunned by his peers, shackled by Rama-Tut’s troops. We understand why Nur rebukes Xavier’s ideology and why he cannot resist the call of the Celestials. As he said: “That is your destiny. Mine is to evolve, so I will never be powerless again.” From now on, all future appearances by Apocalypse in this continuity will be strengthened by the backstory presented here, a backstory that makes this adaptation of the character the best we’ve seen yet.

For more on X-Men '97, read IGN's review of the first four episodes and learn about Season 2's release schedule.

Carlos Morales writes novels, articles, and Mass Effect essays. You can follow his fixations on Twitter. %!s()

If you want to hang out with a lovely bunch of folks and chat about NYT Connections, other daily puzzle games and even the World Cup, join our Discord community!

Hey there, Connectors! I hope you’ve had a great week so far!

With the World Cup round of 16 over, Canada and Egypt join Scotland on the sidelines, and all three of the teams I was supporting are out. At the point, I mostly don’t mind which team wins it. I suppose I’d like it to be France, since I have a small wager on them (please don’t gamble!).

On the other side of the bracket, I think the idea of a Norway-Argentina semi-final would be neat. I’d like to see that. Norway-Switzerland would be pretty decent too, I think! Either of those works for me.

Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 9 are coming right up. Let’s get rolling!

Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes

How To Play Connections

Connections is a free daily New York Times game that challenges you to arrange a grid of 16 words, phrases or symbols into four groups. The categories can involve anything from simple synonyms and cultural references to words that start with homonyms for birds.

There’s only one correct answer. Connections often features red herrings and other tricks like wordplay. You can make three mistakes, but a fourth spells game over and the end of your current streak!

The categories are color coded. Yellow is supposed to be the easiest to figure out, followed by green, blue and then purple. But it’s all relative as Connections tests your knowledge and deductive reasoning skills.

You can track your stats over time and earn badges for achievements like lengthy streaks or achieving a reverse rainbow. This involves submitting the purple category first, followed by blue, green and yellow. I’m here to help players figure out which is which.

You can play Connections on the NYT website or NYT Games app. NYT subscribers can access the full archive of more than 1,100 games of Connections. Each day’s game goes live at midnight local time.

Today’s NYT Connections Word List

Scroll slowly!

After today’s Connections word list, I’ll give you a hint for each category. After that, I’ll reveal one word that goes into each group. Then I’ll reveal the categories, followed by the full answers.

Got it? Cool.

Today’s 16 words are...

A Hint For Today’s Connections Groups

The hints for today’s Connections categories are:

• 🟨 Yellow group — they help keep folks on the wagon
• 🟩 Green group — where big names are featured alongside up-and-comers
• 🟦 Blue group — these might leave you floored
• 🟪 Purple group — deluxe, torrent and vibe would slot in here

One Answer For Each Connections Group

Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory.

Let’s take a look at one answer for each group.

Here we go…

• 🟨 Yellow group — NA
• 🟩 Green group — SPIN
• 🟦 Blue group — THROW
• 🟪 Purple group — G6

Today’s Connections Categories

Today’s Connections groups are...

• 🟨 Yellow group — non-alcoholic designators
• 🟩 Green group — music publications
• 🟦 Blue group — kinds of rugs
• 🟪 Purple group — Pontiac models

What Is The Answer For Connections Today?

Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.

This is your last chance to look away.

This is your final warning!

Today’s Connections answers are...

• 🟨 Yellow group — non-alcoholic designators (NA, SPIRIT-FREE, VIRGIN, ZERO-PROOF)
• 🟩 Green group — music publications (BILLBOARD, PITCHFORK, ROLLING STONE, SPIN)
• 🟦 Blue group — kinds of rugs (PERSIAN, PRAYER, SHAG, THROW)
• 🟪 Purple group — Pontiac models (FIREBIRD, G6, GRAND PRIX, TRANS AM)

VIRGIN and PRAYER made me think of last words in Madonna song titles, but I didn’t immediately see what else might work. SPIRIT-FREE and ZERO-PROOF took me in a different direction, though. I was able to get the yellows early doors after realizing NA must mean “non-alcoholic.”

I tried the music mags next. Didn't love that, since we've definitely had similar groups more than once in the past.

I then saw what had to be types of rugs, so I submitted what I thought were going to be types of planes. Nope! I was a bit off on the purple category. The rugs wrapped up my 494th win on the spin.

How did you get on this time? Here's my grid:

🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦

Be sure to check my blog tomorrow for hints and the answer for tomorrow’s game of Connections if you need them.

P.S. Pace offer up melodic punk rock straight out of Montreal. This sounds like the kind of music I grew up listening to and I dig it. “Tribute” (which features Roxanne Izzo) is maybe my favorite song of theirs I’ve head so far:

Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and each other! Call someone you love!

Please follow my blog for more NYT Connections hints and help with other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. I’d really appreciate that as it helps me out. If you share this column with others who play Connections, that would be lovely too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column and more of my writing at my newsletter, Pastimes. %!s()