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I’ve written tons of things about minimum wage, backed up by fact-checkers and economists and scholarly studies. All of them point to raising the minimum wage as a solution to lifting people out of poverty and getting folks off of public assistance. It’s slowly happening, and there’s much more to be done.

But when it comes right down to it, where the rubber meets the road is what it means for everyday workers who have to live with those wages. I honestly don’t know how they do it.

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Ask yourself: Could I live on this small of a full-time paycheck? I know what my answer is.

(And note that the minimum wage in many parts of the county is STILL $7.25, so it would be even less than this).

This story was written by Brandon Weber and was originally appeared on 02.26.15

The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their season come to an end on Monday afternoon. Despite getting within one score of the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter of their Wild Card matchup in Orchard Park, the Steelers were just unable to get over the hump, as the Bills were able to pick up a 31-17 win to earn a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday.

As for Pittsburgh, the team will now enter the offseason on the heels of a 10-7 campaign where they just managed to sneak into the postseason. There are still big questions that need to be answered, though, like how the team will break its ongoing playoff losing streak and whether or not Mike Tomlin will stick around long-term. Tomlin has only one year left on his contract after this season, and perhaps unsurprisingly, he wasn’t in much of a mood to discuss the future.

One very good way to get across that you do not want to answer something is, certainly, to just get up and leave while the question is being asked. Regardless, with Bill Belichick leaving the Patriots, Tomlin is now the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, as he’s been at the helm of the Steelers since 2007. He’s never had a losing season, but Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since making the AFC Championship Game in 2016.

The 75th Primetime Emmys have finally arrived, several months behind the originally scheduled September 18 airdate. That’s what happens when an entire industry goes on pause for several months, but red carpets are back, baby, and now, it’s time for the next celebration of TV shows.

Black-ish actor and comedian Anthony Anderson hosts tonight’s ceremony, which begins at 8:00pm EST. Succession, Beef, and The Bear should all figure prominently, and perhaps Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie wears suits now) will have another Taylor Swift shoutout to offer for the Swifties to relish. We could also see some representation from Wednesday, Jury Duty, Better Call Saul, The Last Of Us, The White Lotus, and House of the Dragon.

Below, you can find the full list of winners in reverse order of announcement, with the winner listed first in bold.

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie
Niecy Nash-Betts, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Annaleigh Ashford, Welcome to Chippendales
Maria Bello, Beef
Claire Danes, Fleishman Is In Trouble
Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales
Camila Morrone, Daisy Jones & the Six
Merritt Wever, Tiny Beautiful Things

Best Scripted Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Saturday Night Live

Best Actor In A Comedy Series
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Bill Hader, Barry
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
Phil Dunster, Ted Lasso
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
James Marsden, Jury Duty
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry

Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Michael Imperioli, The White Lotus
Theo James, The White Lotus
Alan Ruck, Succession
Will Sharpe, The White Lotus
Alexander Skarsgård, Succession

Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus
Sabrina Impacciatore, The White Lotus
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron, Succession
Simona Tabasco, The White Lotus

Best Actress In A Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Best Drama Series
Andor
Better Call Saul
The Crown
House of the Dragon
The Last of Us
Succession
The White Lotus
Yellowjackets

Best Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
Barry
The Bear
Jury Duty
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
Wednesday

Best Limited Or Anthology Series
Beef
Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Daisy Jones & the Six
Fleishman Is in Trouble
Obi-Wan Kenobi

Best Actor In A Drama Series
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
Brian Cox, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Best Actress In A Drama Series
Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Sarah Snook, Succession

Best Actor In A Limited Anthology Series Or Movie
Taron Egerton, Black Bird
Kumail Nanjiani, Welcome to Chippendales
Evan Peters, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Daniel Radcliffe, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Michael Shannon, George & Tammy
Steven Yeun, Beef

Best Actress In A Limited Anthology Series Or Movie
Lizzy Kaplan, Fleishmann is in Trouble
Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Dominique Fishback, Swarm
Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things
Riley Keough, Daisy Jones & The Six
Ali Wong, Beef

Best Actor In A Limited Series, Movie Or Anthology
Murray Bartlett, Welcome To Chippendales
Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Richard Jenkins, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Joseph Lee, Beef
Ray Liotta, Black Bird
Young Mazino, Beef
Jesse Plemons, Love & Death

Best Reality Competition Program
The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Voice

Best Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Problem With Jon Stewart

Best Animated Program
Bob’s Burgers
Entergalactic
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal
Rick And Morty
The Simpsons

The 75th Primetime Emmys have finally arrived, several months behind the originally scheduled September 18 airdate. That’s what happens when an entire industry goes on pause for several months, but red carpets are back, baby, and now, it’s time for the next celebration of TV shows.

Black-ish actor and comedian Anthony Anderson hosts tonight’s ceremony, which begins at 8:00pm EST. Succession, Beef, and The Bear should all figure prominently, and perhaps Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie wears suits now) will have another Taylor Swift shoutout to offer for the Swifties to relish. We could also see some representation from Wednesday, Jury Duty, Better Call Saul, The Last Of Us, The White Lotus, and House of the Dragon.

Below, you can find the full list of winners in reverse order of announcement, with the winner listed first in bold.

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie
Niecy Nash-Betts, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Annaleigh Ashford, Welcome to Chippendales
Maria Bello, Beef
Claire Danes, Fleishman Is In Trouble
Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales
Camila Morrone, Daisy Jones & the Six
Merritt Wever, Tiny Beautiful Things

Best Scripted Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Saturday Night Live

Best Actor In A Comedy Series
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Bill Hader, Barry
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
Phil Dunster, Ted Lasso
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
James Marsden, Jury Duty
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry

Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Michael Imperioli, The White Lotus
Theo James, The White Lotus
Alan Ruck, Succession
Will Sharpe, The White Lotus
Alexander Skarsgård, Succession

Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus
Sabrina Impacciatore, The White Lotus
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron, Succession
Simona Tabasco, The White Lotus

Best Actress In A Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Best Drama Series
Andor
Better Call Saul
The Crown
House of the Dragon
The Last of Us
Succession
The White Lotus
Yellowjackets

Best Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
Barry
The Bear
Jury Duty
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
Wednesday

Best Limited Or Anthology Series
Beef
Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Daisy Jones & the Six
Fleishman Is in Trouble
Obi-Wan Kenobi

Best Actor In A Drama Series
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
Brian Cox, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Best Actress In A Drama Series
Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Sarah Snook, Succession

Best Actor In A Limited Anthology Series Or Movie
Taron Egerton, Black Bird
Kumail Nanjiani, Welcome to Chippendales
Evan Peters, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Daniel Radcliffe, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Michael Shannon, George & Tammy
Steven Yeun, Beef

Best Actress In A Limited Anthology Series Or Movie
Lizzy Kaplan, Fleishmann is in Trouble
Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Dominique Fishback, Swarm
Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things
Riley Keough, Daisy Jones & The Six
Ali Wong, Beef

Best Actor In A Limited Series, Movie Or Anthology
Murray Bartlett, Welcome To Chippendales
Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Richard Jenkins, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Joseph Lee, Beef
Ray Liotta, Black Bird
Young Mazino, Beef
Jesse Plemons, Love & Death

Best Reality Competition Program
The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Voice

Best Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Problem With Jon Stewart

Best Animated Program
Bob’s Burgers
Entergalactic
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal
Rick And Morty
The Simpsons

The schedule for next weekend’s NFL Divisonal Round had to wait an extra day to be released due to the weather in Buffalo, as typically the league would hope to have that done by Sunday, but with Bills-Steelers not able to be played until Monday afternoon, they had to wait.

With the Bills getting a 31-17 win over the Steelers on Monday afternoon, the Ravens and Chiefs were no longer waiting to know their opponents, as Baltimore will host Houston and Buffalo will host Kansas City. With two Monday games, next week’s game featuring those teams were guaranteed to be the Sunday games to give them 6 days in between game days. Unsurprisingly, the latest in the Chiefs-Bills budding rivalry was given the primetime placement, while Detroit will host either the Bucs or Eagles in the early window.

The two top seeds will play Saturday, with the opener in Baltimore between the Ravens and Texans and the 49ers hosting the Packers in San Francisco. The full TV schedule for the Divisional Round can be found below.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers, 8:00 p.m. ET (FOX)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions, 3:00 p.m. ET (NBC)
Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers took care of business on Monday afternoon against the Houston Rockets. The reigning NBA MVP went for 41 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes of work as Philly picked up a 124-115 win.

It was Embiid’s first game since Jan. 5, as he’s been dealing with a lingering knee injury. So far, Embiid has missed 10 games during the 2023-24 campaign, which presents a bit of a problem: The NBA, in its push to keep teams from resting guys during the regular season, instituted new games played requirements that players need to hit to be eligible for awards. MVP is one of those awards, and Embiid can only miss seven more games between now and the end of the regular season to be eligible to defend his title — the minimum number of games played, with a few exceptions, is 65.

When asked about this on the heels of Monday’s win, Embiid said that the plan is to do what he has to do to remain healthy, and if that costs him a chance to go back-to-back, he’s fine with it.

“No, I’ve already done it,” Embiid said. “I’ve always said, I wanted … if I have a chance to get a second one, I’ll do it. But I’m not gonna force myself or push for it. My game is always gonna speak for itself. We’re winning, that’s the main thing. We gotta keep winning, and obviously, you put the stats out to be in the conversation, that’s great, too. That’s great.

“But at the end of the day, if there’s something going on and I can’t meet the requirement for the amount of games played to qualify for that, then so be it,” Embiid continued. “But one thing we’re not gonna do is push for it to try and make the requirement. If I’m healthy enough and these guys are letting me play, then I’ll play. But if they tell me you gotta chill, then I’ll chill.”

Embiid is in the midst of the best season of his career, as he’s been as efficient as ever, is playing great defense, and entered Monday averaging more points (34.6) than minutes (34.1) per game. But of course, the big issue over the course of his career hasn’t been regular season excellence, it’s been the fact that he hasn’t gotten past the Eastern Conference Semifinals in large part due to his inability to remain healthy once the postseason rolls around.

The Bills and Steelers finally got to play their Wild Card game on Monday afternoon in Buffalo, as they were clear of the blizzard that covered the stadium in snow over the weekend.

With the field clear, no snow falling, and the wind dying down, the hopes Pittsburgh had of mucking up the game and dragging the Bills into the mud were dashed as the Buffalo offense came out flying. Josh Allen had a tremendous first quarter throwing the ball, hitting both of his tight ends for touchdowns to push the Bills ahead by 14 in the early going, but it was in the second quarter where he got it done on the ground, taking off from just beyond midfield and just never got brought down before he hit the end zone 52 yards later.

It was nearly a historic run from Allen, as his 52 yard scamper through the Steelers defense was four yards shy of the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in playoff history, as Colin Kaepernick had a 56-yarder for the Niners back in 2012.

The Steelers defense did not seem up to the task in the early going in the secondary, as tackling (and coverage) was rough, and Allen took advantage of that through the air and on the ground to open up a 21-0 first half lead.

Does Donald Trump ever stay permanently mad at anyone? Not really. The former president may be petty, but he also has zero scruples. For instance, he’s currently going after fellow GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, despite the pharma bro being a total kiss-up he’s even praised him recently. But he’ll probably let him back in his good graces when he thinks he can do something good for him. That’s how he rolls. Another example: He finally said something nice (sort of) about longtime nemesis Ron DeSantis.

Per Mediaite, the former president, who’s duking it out with people doing far worse than him in the polls for the Iowa caucuses, railed against who he sees as his biggest enemies, namely Ramaswamy and his former employee Nikki Haley. He’s so mad at them that, in one of his deranged Truth Social post, he threw some light praise the Florida governor’s way.

“Nikki Haley can never win in the General Election because she doesn’t have MAGA, and never will! Ron DeSanctimonious, at least, is MAGA-Lite,” he wrote.

He then wrote some fairly bone-chilling words about his grip on the formerly not entirely insane Republican party:

“Remember, I think MAGA is almost ALL of the Republican Party. The days of the RINOS and non-AMERICA FIRST candidates are OVER! Nikki is a Globalist RINO, backed by American’s for Chinese Growth, the Charles Koch con job. It’s not going to happen for her, or DeSanctimonious! Vivek Votes are wasted, should come to “TRUMP.” MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Trump and DeSantis used to be buds, but ever since the governor threatened to become the GOP’s great, very white new hope, Trump has singled him out for abuse. He never quite found the write mean name for him, though, forsaking the far funnier one he swears he didn’t come up with nor will ever use.

Alas, DeSantis’ polling has never come close to overtaking him. Haley’s, though, has. She’s now in second place, and nipping at Trump’s heels, which is probably why Trump has turned his anger towards her and away from Meatball Ron. But for DeSantis, maybe it’s not a good omen that Trump is no longer mad at him. That might just mean Trump no longer sees him as a threat, which might be the real sign that his campaign is truly and finally kaput.

(Via Mediaite)

Let me hit you with a very controversial health statement: Stretching is just as important, if not more important, than your workout.

Okay, that might not seem controversial, but you would think so with how many people don’t have a solid stretching routine built into their everyday training. I understand the desire for gym-goers to pick up a dumbbell as soon as they walk into the facility or a runner just wanting to hit the pavement as soon as they are laced up. But you are doing your future self, both immediate and distant, a huge disservice by not stretching properly.

There is a reason that every single professional athlete on the planet does some stretching as part of their training regime. Not only does it increase your instant ability to perform during your workouts but it also benefits your long-term mobility, giving you the tools to do more for longer in this life. And if you like exploring the world as much as we do here at Uproxx, then we’re guessing that’s a pretty big goal on your part.

To help you accomplish that goal, we’ve targeted a few essential static stretches that you should be doing every day. Doing regular static stretches consistently can help reverse the muscle shortening that can happen when you are in the same position too long, like many of us are when we sit at our desks or on our couches. Because so many of us are sitting much of the time, we found a diverse group of stretches that will have you up on your feet.

For ease of use, we picked stretches that you can do in one place, like at your desk, without any kind of fancy equipment.

Directions:

This may seem repetitive or redundant, but it’s actually useful to warm up to some degree before you begin stretching. Even a little bit of light jogging and swinging of the arms can help activate the body so you get a better stretch. Once you start, make sure that you are taking it easy on yourself, especially if you haven’t done these kinds of stretches before. That means smooth and gentle motion, without any kind of jerkiness that would force you to overextend.

The breathing that you do during a stretch is just as key as the movement itself. Exhale as you extend or reach and inhale as you return to the starting position. Move into the stretch until you feel a slight pull then hold it for the given amount of seconds in the description. Do each of the stretches in order, moving up the body as set below. Once you feel more comfortable and confident, add one or two more repetitions to the routine.

CALF STRETCH

Start by standing an arm’s length from a wall. Keeping your feet shoulder-width apart, put your right foot back a foot-length behind your left foot. Move forward, allowing your left leg to bend while keeping your right leg straight and your right heel on the floor. Keep your back straight during the stretch, moving your hips past your right knee.

Do this until you feel it in the hamstring along the back of your leg. Hold for 30 seconds and then do the other leg. Complete this stretch, doing each side, two times.

HAMSTRING STRETCH

Start by standing shoulder-width apart, placing a large book that is long enough to support both feet and is around 2 inches below your heel. Keeping your legs straight, bend down to touch your toes, reaching as far as you can comfortably go.

Hold for a count of ten seconds and then return to the starting position. Complete this stretch five times. Once you are done, move the book to the balls of your feet, and do the same thing.

STANDING QUAD

Start by standing shoulder-width apart. Keep your left foot solidly planted in the ground, and with your back straight use your hands to help bring your right knee to your chest. Engage your glutes to get the maximum out of the stretch. Hold this position for ten seconds and then do the other leg. Don’t stress if you need to take a few attempts to regain your balance. Do this stretch five times for each side.

STANDING HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

Start by standing shoulder-width apart with your left leg forward and your right foot back, with your torso between both. Begin the stretch by lowing your torso directly down, your knee should move from behind you to nearly below your hips. The left knee should move forward until it is above your left toes. If you need to, place your hands on your waist for stability. You should feel the stretch in your thighs and glutes. Hold this position for ten seconds and then return to the starting position. Complete the stretch five times for each side.

TRICEPS STRETCH

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and arms extended above your head. Begin the stretch by bending your right elbow and reaching your right hand to touch the middle of your back. During this move, grab your right elbow with your left hand and smoothly pull your upper arm towards your head. Keep going until you feel a slight pull while staying comfortable. Hold this position for ten seconds and then return to the starting position.

Complete this stretch five times for each side.

SHOULDER STRETCH

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Begin the stretch by bringing your left arm horizontally across your body and use your right lower arm to pull your elbow closer to your chest. Keep proper posture through the motion with your head up and your back straight. Hold this position for ten seconds and then return to the starting position. Complete the stretch five times for each side.

THORACIC STRETCH

Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart in front of a desk or chair back that is over hip-height tall. Place your hands on top of the desk or chair back. Begin the stretch by bowing your torso forward, walking back, and bending your knees as needed until you feel a slight pull in your shoulders. There shouldn’t be any pull in your lower back. In order to advance the movement, flip your hands over so that the palms are upward and bring your hands closer together. If you prefer, you can also sit down cross-legged with your arms in front of you (like pictured above) to accomplish the same result.

NECK STRETCH

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart. Begin the stretch by bringing your right hand in an arc above you, grabbing the top left of your head, and pulling your head directly to the right. Bring your ear towards toward the top of your right shoulder. Keep going until you feel a gentle pull in the back left side of your neck.

Hold this position for ten seconds and then return to the starting position. Complete the stretch five times for each side.

In 1997, ecologists Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs approached an orange juice company in Costa Rica with an off-the-wall idea.

In exchange for donating a portion of unspoiled, forested land to the Área de Conservación Guanacaste — a nature preserve in the country’s northwest — the park would allow the company to dump its discarded orange peels and pulp, free of charge, in a heavily grazed, largely deforested area nearby.

One year later, one thousand trucks poured into the national park, offloading over 12,000 metric tons of sticky, mealy, orange compost onto the worn-out plot.

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The site was left untouched and largely unexamined for over a decade. A sign was placed to ensure future researchers could locate and study it.

16 years later, Janzen dispatched graduate student Timothy Treuer to look for the site where the food waste was dumped.

Treuer initially set out to locate the large placard that marked the plot — and failed.

“It’s a huge sign, bright yellow lettering. We should have been able to see it,” Treuer says. After wandering around for half an hour with no luck, he consulted Janzen, who gave him more detailed instructions on how to find the plot.

When he returned a week later and confirmed he was in the right place, Treuer was floored. Compared to the adjacent barren former pastureland, the site of the food waste deposit was “like night and day.”

“It was just hard to believe that the only difference between the two areas was a bunch of orange peels. They look like completely different ecosystems,” he explains.

The area was so thick with vegetation he still could not find the sign.

Treuer and a team of researchers from Princeton University studied the site over the course of the following three years.

The results, published in the journal “Restoration Ecology,” highlight just how completely the discarded fruit parts assisted the area’s turnaround.

The ecologists measured various qualities of the site against an area of former pastureland immediately across the access road used to dump the orange peels two decades prior. Compared to the adjacent plot, which was dominated by a single species of tree, the site of the orange peel deposit featured two dozen species of vegetation, most thriving.

In addition to greater biodiversity, richer soil, and a better-developed canopy, researchers discovered a tayra (a dog-sized weasel) and a giant fig tree three feet in diameter, on the plot.

“You could have had 20 people climbing in that tree at once and it would have supported the weight no problem,” says Jon Choi, co-author of the paper, who conducted much of the soil analysis. “That thing was massive.”

Recent evidence suggests that secondary tropical forests — those that grow after the original inhabitants are torn down — are essential to helping slow climate change.

In a 2016 study published in Nature, researchers found that such forests absorb and store atmospheric carbon at roughly 11 times the rate of old-growth forests.

Treuer believes better management of discarded produce — like orange peels — could be key to helping these forests regrow.

In many parts of the world, rates of deforestation are increasing dramatically, sapping local soil of much-needed nutrients and, with them, the ability of ecosystems to restore themselves.

Meanwhile, much of the world is awash in nutrient-rich food waste. In the United States, up to half of all produce in the United States is discarded. Most currently ends up in landfills.

“We don’t want companies to go out there will-nilly just dumping their waste all over the place, but if it’s scientifically driven and restorationists are involved in addition to companies, this is something I think has really high potential,” Treuer says.

The next step, he believes, is to examine whether other ecosystems — dry forests, cloud forests, tropical savannas — react the same way to similar deposits.

Two years after his initial survey, Treuer returned to once again try to locate the sign marking the site.

Since his first scouting mission in 2013, Treuer had visited the plot more than 15 times. Choi had visited more than 50. Neither had spotted the original sign.

In 2015, when Treuer, with the help of the paper’s senior author, David Wilcove, and Princeton Professor Rob Pringle, finally found it under a thicket of vines, the scope of the area’s transformation became truly clear.

“It’s a big honking sign,” Choi emphasizes.

19 years of waiting with crossed fingers had buried it, thanks to two scientists, a flash of inspiration, and the rind of an unassuming fruit.

This article originally appeared on 08.23.17