2 Bears Figure out How to Make a ‘See-Saw’ in Playful Moment Caught on Video (WATCH)

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Dec 14, 2025

The Queens Zoo released a short, heart-warming video this week featuring two young Andean bears having fun with a tree branch.

The video captured by a guest at the zoo shows the moment the bears found a limb and discovered how to turn it into a playful see-saw.

The pair includes Coya a female bear almost two years old (right), and Ransisku, a male almost four years old (left).

“As young bears, Coya and Ransisku are curious about everything in their environment,” said Mike Allen, Director of the Queens Zoo.

“While this particular interaction with the branch is unique and fun to watch, it’s very much in line with their natural instinct to explore, climb, and test their surroundings.”

“They’re learning about their habitat—and each other—every day.” (See the video below…)

Also known as spectacled bears for the distinctive white or cream-colored markings around their eyes, Andean bears are the only bear species native to South America.

Adults typically measure 5-6 feet long, and since they are highly arboreal, they rely on trees for nesting, foraging, resting—and playing, apparently.

MORE ZOO-TOPIA:
• Unlikely Animals Snuggling Together at the Denver Zoo Have Melted the Internet with Their Cuteness
• Bear Shocks Vets By Going into Remission From Terminal Cancer After Taking Meds in Honey–a Rare Treat That Delights Her

In the wild, you can find this bear species frolicking in the Tropical Andes mountains across Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

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The Moment a Girl Says ‘Daddy, I’m Getting a Heart’ After a Year on the Waiting List

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Dec 14, 2025

Girl tells dad shes getting heart - SWNS — Girl tells her dad she’s getting a new heart - SWNS

Girl tells her dad she’s getting a new heart – SWNS

The emotional moment an 11-year-old girl broke the news to her father that she’s getting a heart transplant was captured on video.

“Daddy, I’m getting a heart!”

Ava was born in 2014 with several heart defects, and was just six days old when she had her first open heart surgery.

Last year when she was ten, a sinus infection escalated, pushing her into heart failure—so she was put on the transplant list.

Ava spent more than 200 days waiting for an organ donor at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital in Ohio.

But in March 2025, her mom, Jamie, received the news that Ava would be getting a new heart.

Ava immediately wanted to call her dad, Sean, who was at home with his younger daughter.

“I was so excited and couldn’t believe it was actually happening,” Ava recalled later.

The heart transplant took place that month, performed by pediatric and congenital heart surgeon Dr. Hani Najm.

And, Ava was able to return home after eight months in the hospital.

“Hearing Ava say those words, ‘I’m getting a heart’, was overwhelming.

“After everything she’d been through, we were finally one step closer to coming home for good.”

LOOK: Infant’s Organ Donation Creates Lifelong Bond for Two Families, Lets Mom Hear her Late Daughter’s Heart

WATCH the heartwarming moment below…

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“No one has ever loved anyone the way everyone wants to be loved.” – Mignon McLaughlin

Quote of the Day

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Dec 14, 2025

Quote of the Day: “No one has ever loved anyone the way everyone wants to be loved.” – Mignon McLaughlin

Image by: Oziel Gómez

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Good News in History, December 14

This Day In History

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Dec 14, 2025

46 years ago today, The Clash released their third studio album London Calling. The double album, certified platinum in the US, received widespread acclaim and sold over five million copies worldwide. With this LP, the band expanded into styles beyond punk, including reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock—and reflected themes like unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood. WATCH Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, and Stevie van Zandt perform the title track, live at the Grammy Awards in a 2003 Joe Strummer tribute… (1979)

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Photographer Captures Incredible Luminous Event Over His Italian Town–For the Second Time (LOOK)

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Dec 13, 2025

First red ring ELVES phenomenon over Italy captured by Valter Binotto - Enhanced by SWNS

First red ring ELVES phenomenon over Italy captured by Valter Binotto via SWNS

Incredible images captured by an amateur astrophotographer show a bizarre red ring, 143-miles wide, floating in the sky.

Valter Binotto not only managed to capture the otherworldly sight over his hometown of Possagno, amazingly, it’s the second time he has recorded the rings from his location in northern Italy, nestled in the foothills of Monte Grappa.

The doughnut-shaped red rings are known as ELVES, an upper-atmospheric lightning event sometimes caught in long-exposure images above distant thunderstorms. (ELVES stands for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources).

They’re a type of ‘transient luminous event’ which occurs in the lower ionosphere, dozens of miles above the Earth, directly above powerful lightning storms.

Valter Binotto says he’s spent almost a decade tracking such high-altitude displays and secured his first ELVES image in 2023 above a storm 177 miles from his home (285 km).

“It took almost three years before I managed to capture another one,” said Valter.

He spotted it last month on November 17 from his home.

This time, it was triggered by a negative lightning strike of 303 kA, according to SWNS news. The lightning occurred above the Cinque Terre in Liguria, 186 miles (300 km) away from his location—with a calculated diameter measuring 200 km (124 miles).

“Another great thrill!

Third red ELVES ring with sprites in the sky over Possagno, Italy by Valter Binotto via SWNS

“Less than a week later, I captured a third. The thunderstorm was over the Adriatic Sea this time, in front of the Marche regional coast, 380 km (236 miles) from my home.

“This third event was different from the previous ones because, in addition to the ELVES, the lightning also produced a beautiful sprite.”

Sprites are sparkly, red, firework-like phenomena created by extremely powerful lightning between the ground and the edge of space.

Even better, he grabbed a photo (above) that contained both of the luminous events in the same frame—which he believes could be a first.

“When I saw it on the display, the emotion was overwhelming—I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was witnessing something unique, never seen before.”

Red Sprites in sky over Possagno, Italy by Valter Binotto via SWNS

He reported that the positive lightning had a power of 387 kA. And, thanks to the star field, he was able to calculate its position to be 52 miles high (85 km), measuring 143 miles wide (230 km).

WANT MORE? Watch An Astrophotographer Capture Giant Red ‘Jellyfish Sprites’ on Colorado Mountain

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Gift of Tiny Home Reunites Veteran With His 2-yo Daughter Thanks to a New Current Address

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Dec 13, 2025

Tim with his daughter at their tiny home Village – Courtesy of Veterans Community Project

When his 2-year-old daughter Majesty fell into the foster care system, a U.S. Navy veteran faced a significant barrier in his fight to assert custody: He didn’t have a permanent address.

At that point, Tim had gotten his life back on track after a struggle with substance use. He’d built up nearly two years of sustained recovery in a Missouri residential treatment program—but his group living arrangement in that program wasn’t designed for children nor did it meet family court requirements.

“I just remember thinking: ‘How can I rescue my daughter?’”

Luckily, a tiny blue home became available at Veterans Community Project (VCP), a nonprofit village that features several slightly larger family units to house couples or help residents regain parental rights of their children.

A program manager at Tim’s rehab group home who was familiar with VCP made the connection and, in a matter of days, Tim was able to move into his own home in the village. Soon after, he got full custody and moved to a family unit complete with a bunk bed fit for a toddler.

“Majesty loved the place,” he recalled. “She would run around dressed like princess Elsa. Everyone there doted on her.”

In the meantime, Tim focused on building them a future together. Over their year and a half living in the Village, he put in the work to become a licensed drug counselor. In his first day on the job, he found himself in a courtroom sitting in the box next to the judge, thinking, “I never thought I’d be on that other side, you know, considering who I used to be.”

In the early 2000s, he’d struggled with the military-to-civilian transition—and reminders of childhood trauma—after serving three and a half years in the Navy. What followed was a two-decade stretch of substance issues during which he became one of the more than 30,000 Veterans sleeping on streets.

CHECK OUT: Millionaire Builds 99 Tiny Homes to Cut Homelessness in His Community–He Even Provides Jobs On Site for Them

“I was lost,” he said. “I lived under bridges. Slept in abandoned cars. It’s hard to explain how exhausting it is to just survive.”

But then came his turning point: An awakening moment in which he rediscovered his faith and accepted that he needed help, saying, “The opposite of addiction is connection—and that’s what I found.” At the rehab center, he remembers feeling “like Scrooge in a Christmas Carol”, experiencing a love he’d never before felt—first, from others praying with him, and then, within himself.

It was the second pivotal moment in his life in which he credits an element of divine intervention. The first was his decision to enlist in the military: “So, get this: I had a dream in which God told me I should become a journalist in the Navy.” He explains it with a laugh, yet he’s also dead serious.

Although he wasn’t particularly spiritual or patriotic at the time, he interpreted the dream as a calling toward his future—and away from his troubled youth. So, he walked into a recruiting office, scored extraordinarily well on the ASVAB test, and joined the Navy in a journalistic public affairs role.

MORE GOOD HOUSING NEWS:
• A Portland County Transcends its Rehousing Goals With 65% Drop in Homelessness
• Homeless For 28 Years, Linda Gets Miracle Reunion With Her Family & Moves Back Home

Today as a drug counselor, Tim draws on those communication skills as well as aspects from the rougher chapters of his life. In his office, near the city hall in Kansas City, he meets with his clients with a tattoo above his eyebrows that reads “Killa City.” It’s a relic of a different time, but he also says that it gives him a bit of clout. “I’m very relatable,” he quipped.

He recently experienced a profound moment when appearing at a presentation for dozens of past clients: “I don’t think I realized how many lives I’d affected until I’d walked into that room to 40 or 50 people grinning and yelling ‘Tim!’”

Back home, there’s a 7-year-old daughter who’s now thriving in second grade, and simply calls him ‘dad’.

Majesty and her father love exploring together. Cooking together. Drawing together. Reading together. Being together.

VCP tiny home village – Veterans Community Project

“She’s bright, she’s loving, she’s got a wonderful imagination,” said Tim.

He says that’s all possible because, at 40 years old, he moved into a place of his own at Veterans Community Project—a fresh start with, notably, a current address. VCP, he said, surrounded him with love and provided him with a plan. And it worked.

GREAT JOB: Kansas City Gives Jobs to its Most Vulnerable Residents—And Housing Soon Followed

“I’m just so very thankful to have Majesty in my life,” he smiled.

Learn VCP’s six tiny home villages across the US by visiting their website at VCP.org.

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Shoes That Adapt to Uneven Surfaces Help Folks With Mobility Issues Walk Easier – Now For Sale Online

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Dec 13, 2025

A robotics specialist in physical therapy has unveiled the world’s first shoe that can reduce frictional forces and adapt to uneven surfaces, ensuring a smooth walking experience for the elderly and those dealing with multiple sclerosis and stroke rehabilitation.

The breakthrough technology was developed by Dr. Tyler Susko, an engineering professor at the University of California who realized his machine design skills could aid everyday people with mobility disorders.

His new company, Cadense, is the first to sell modern adaptive footwear using ‘variable friction technology’ to help individuals walk more safely, confidently, and independently.

An estimated 40 million Americans live with some form of functional disability, caused by conditions ranging from MS, and Parkinson’s to ‘drop-foot’ and post-stroke mobility challenges.

“Cadense bridges the gap between medical necessity and modern style—combining patented gait-improving outsole technology with fashion-forward design,” said Dr. Susko, who holds a PhD in engineering from MIT and now teaches at UC Santa Barbara.

Cadense worked directly with MS, stroke, and cerebral palsy patients to engineer the ‘Variable Friction’ outsole to smooth gait irregularities, reduce tripping, and support safer ambulation.

A Prevention Magazine review called Cadense’s Original Women’s Adaptive Shoe a “literal lifesaver” for those with walking difficulties, citing smoother strides and improved confidence. Users echo those results.

“Sidewalks in my town are uneven with huge tripping zones,” said Jess Cantwell, who lives with secondary progressive MS. “Cadense shoes help me get around. They give me independence in a place that isn’t built for people with mobility challenges.”

Jess also shared a video demonstrating why Cadense improved her daily mobility. (Watch it below…)

Cindy, who was diagnosed with MS in 2016 said, “On bad days I can shuffle-walk, but Cadense lets me slide-walk over obstacles. They’re a true game-changer.”

A Parkinson’s patient named Glenn has also had incredible results. “I can count four or five times now where I would have tripped, but Cadense helped me recover. My gait is slow and shuffling, and I have tremors, but these shoes genuinely help.”

Dr. Susko’s passion began in high school after volunteering at a school for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. His doctoral work at MIT in rehabilitation robotics, although fulfilling, made him realize that large robotic systems don’t scale to everyday life. So, Cadense was founded to deliver clinical-grade mobility, without the machinery.

MORE ADAPTIVE BREAKTHROUGHS:
• Man Living with Tremors for 30 Years Is Cured by Ultrasound Beam Paid by Medicare: ‘It’s unbelievable!’
• A Smart Keyboard for Parkinson’s Patients Wins 2025 James Dyson Global Award

Beyond shoes and sandals and just in time for Christmas, the latest offering on the Cadense website is a plush-lined suede slipper that the company says “glides when you want them to and grips when you need them to—whether you’re padding across hardwood floors or stepping outside for fresh air.”

True to its name, the company is fulfilling its empowering mission to improve the cadence of life for everyone. (See the results below…)

HELP PEOPLE MOVE By Sharing The Breakthrough on Social Media…

Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

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Dec 13, 2025

Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of December 13, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Leonardo da Vinci painted his iconic Mona Lisa on a thin panel of poplar wood, which naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Over the centuries, this movement has caused a crack and measurable warping. One side of the classic opus is bending a bit more than the other. Let’s use this as a metaphor for you, Sagittarius. I suspect that a fine quality you are known for and proud of is changing shape. This should be liberating, not worrisome. If even the Mona Lisa can’t remain static, why should you? I say: Let your masterwork age. Just manage the process with grace and generosity. The central beauty may be changing, but it’s still beautiful.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
“Apoptosis” is a word referring to programmed cell death. It’s a process by which your aging, damaged, or obsolete cells deliberately destroy themselves for the benefit of your organism as a whole. This “cellular suicide” is carefully regulated and crucial for development, maintenance, and protection against diseases. About 50-70 billion cells die in you every day, sacrificing themselves so you can live better. Let’s use this healthy process as a psychospiritual metaphor. What aspects of your behavior and belief system need to die off right now so as to promote your total well-being?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Which parts of your foundations are built to strengthen with age? Which are showing cracks? The coming months will be an excellent time to reinforce basic structures so they will serve you well into the future. Don’t just patch problems. Rebuild and renovate using the very best ingredients. Your enduring legacy will depend on this work, so choose materials that strengthen as they mature rather than crumble. Nothing’s permanent in life, but some things are sturdier and more lasting than others.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Along the Danube River in Europe, migrating storks return each spring to rebuild massive nests atop church steeples, roofs, and trees. New generations often reuse previous bases, adding additional twigs, grass, roots, and even human-made stuff like cloth and plastics. Some of these structures have lasted for centuries and weigh half a ton. Let’s make this a prime metaphor for you in the coming months, Pisces. I see your role as an innovator who improves and enhances good traditions. You will bring your personal genius to established beauty and value. You will blend your futuristic vision with ancestral steadiness, bridging tomorrow with yesterday.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Home is a building you live in. It’s also a metaphor for the inner world you carry within you. Is it an expansive and luminous place filled with windows that look out onto vast vistas? Or is it cramped, dark, and in disrepair, a psychic space where it’s hard to feel comfortable? Does it have a floor plan you love and made yourself? Or was it designed according to other people’s expectations? It may be neither of those extremes, of course. My hope is that this horoscope will prod you to renovate aspects of your soul’s architecture. The coming months will be an excellent time for this sacred work.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
During the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1872, workers made an uncanny discovery: They could detect approaching storms by observing vibrations in the bridge’s cables. The massive metal structure was an inadvertent meteorological instrument. I’m predicting that your intuition will operate with comparable sensitivity in the coming months, Taurus. You will have a striking capacity to notice subtle signals in your environment. What others regard as background noise will reveal rich clues to you. Hot tip: Be extra alert for nuanced professional opportunities and social realignments. Like the bridge workers, you will be attuned to early signs of changing conditions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Sloths are so energy-efficient they can survive on 160 calories per day: the equivalent of an apple. They’ve mastered the art of thriving on minimal intake by moving deliberately and digesting thoroughly. Life is inviting you to learn from sloths, Gemini. The coming weeks will be a good time to take an inventory of your energy strategies. Are you burning fuel frantically, or are you extracting maximum nourishment from what you already possess? However you answer that question, I urge you to experiment with being more efficient—but without depriving yourself. Try measuring your productivity not by speed and flash but by the diligence of your extraction. Dig deep and be thorough. Your nervous system and bank account will thank you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The Danish concept of arbejdsglæde refers to the happiness and satisfaction derived from work. It’s the joy found in labor itself, not just in its financial rewards and prestige. It’s about exulting in the self-transformations you generate as you do your job. Now is an excellent time to claim this joy more than ever, Cancerian. Meditate with relish on all the character-building and soul-growth opportunities your work offers you and will continue to provide.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In the deep Pacific Ocean, fields of giant tube worms thrive in total darkness around hydrothermal vents, converting toxic chemicals into life-sustaining energy. These weirdly resilient creatures challenge our assumptions about which environments can support growth. I suspect your innovative approach to gathering resources in the coming months will display their adaptability. Situations that others find inhospitable or unmanageable will be intriguing opportunities for you. For best results, you should ruminate on how limitations could actually protect and nurture your development. You may discover that conventional sustenance isn’t your only option.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
For a long time, scientists didn’t understand why humans have an organ called the appendix. Most thought it was useless. But it turns out that the appendix is more active than anyone knew. Among other functions, it’s a safe haven for beneficial gut bacteria. If a health crisis disrupts our microbiome, this unsung hero repopulates our intestines with the helpful microbes we need. What was once considered irrelevant is actually a backup drive. With that in mind as a metaphor, here’s my question, Virgo: How many other parts of your world may be playing long games and performing unnoticed services that you haven’t understood yet? Investigate that possibility!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In the coming months, you’ll be asked to wield your Libran specialties more than ever. Your allies and inner circle will need you to provide wise counsel and lucid analysis. For everyone’s sake, I hope you balance compassion with clarity and generosity with discernment. Certain collaborations will need corrective measures but shouldn’t be abandoned. Your gift will lie in finding equilibrium that honors everyone’s dignity. When in doubt, ask: “What would restore harmony rather than merely appear polite?” True diplomacy is soulful, not superficial. Bonus: The equilibrium you achieve could resonate far beyond your immediate circle.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The Hubble Space Telescope is a school bus-sized space observatory orbiting 320 miles above the Earth. There, it observes the universe free from atmospheric distortion. Its instruments and detectors need to be recalibrated continuously. Daily monitors, weekly checks, and yearly updates keep the telescope’s tech sharp as it ages. I believe it’s a good time for you Scorpios to do your own recalibrations. Subtle misalignments between your intentions and actions can now be corrected. Your basic vision and plans are sound; the adjustments required are minor. For best results, have maximum fun as you fine-tune your fundamentals.

WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.” – Joseph Joubert

Quote of the Day

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Dec 13, 2025

Quote of the Day: “When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.” – Joseph Joubert

Image by: Ezequiel Junoe

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Good News in History, December 13

This Day In History

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Dec 13, 2025

Dick Van Dyke in Coldplay Video-youtube — By Coldplay (via Youtube)

Happy Birthday to beloved entertainer Dick Van Dyke, who turns 100 years old today. Known for his beaming smile, physical dexterity, impeccable comic timing, and unforgettable screen roles, the actor, comedian, writer, singer, dancer, and producer starred in films such as Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—and on television in The Dick Van Dyke Show. Last year, Coldplay released a music video of frontman Chris Martin playing a tune off their then-new album, to which Van Dyke dances and sings along. ‘All My Love’ extends for 7 minutes, and includes interviews with the great entertainer about his life as well. WATCH the video and read more… (1925)

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Drop-Dead Gorgeous Road in Theodore Roosevelt Nat. Park Finally Repaired After 6 Years

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 12, 2025

One of the most beautiful drives in the Midwest, the South Unit Scenic Road in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) has finally reopened after a 6-year closure.

The reconstruction required a $51 million investment from an important park fund and the Dept. of Transportation, as well as a level of engineering that a North Dakota Senator described as “remarkable.”

Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the South Unit Scenic Road passed through TRNP and allowed visitors to reach sites like the Scoria Point Overlook and Badlands Overlook.

It grew into one of the most popular attractions inside the park, which itself is the most popular attraction in North Dakota. Over time, however, the precarious terrain of the roadway began to break down.

The project repaired the section of the loop from the East River Road intersection to the Old East Entrance Station pull-off, about 6 miles in total. Due to rain damage and ongoing landslides along the road, the roadway was closed in 2019.

To reopen it again, crews had to enhance the old drainage systems, rebuild the road base, and conduct asphalt resurfacing along the 6-mile corridor. In addition to the restoration work, construction has improved emergency response capabilities on the park’s East side, enhancing both visitor and staff safety.

“It’s almost like building a bridge,” John Hoeven, US Senator for North Dakota, told the North Dakota Monitor. “You are building this stuff on the side of a butte, very steep, and it’s on sandstone, so the structural engineering that went into this is pretty remarkable.”

MORE NATIONAL PARK NEWS:

Each year, approximately 100,000 vehicles explore the South Unit Road as part of their park visit. In 2024, the park’s 733,000 visitors contributed an estimated $56 million in local communities, according to the National Parks Service.

The ribbon cutting ceremony at the South Unit Scenic Loop – credit, National Parks Service

The Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA) provided the bulk of the funding. Supported by revenue from energy development, it provided the NPS with up to $6.5 billion over five years to make address a massive backlog of deferred park maintenance across the country.

It was almost 2 decades before he became president that Theodore Roosevelt fell in love with the Badlands region of the Dakotas. He eventually credited the rugged landscape with restoring his health and building his rugged character.

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London Soccer Team Switches Beef Burger for Sustainable Venison to the Fans’ Delight

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 12, 2025

My flat overlooks a football stadium we watch games for free. — The view over Brentford FC's East Stand - credit SWNS

The view over Brentford FC’s East Stand – credit SWNS

An English football team has replaced the beef patties in the stadium hamburgers with wild British venison, a change that’s proving popular with the fans, and better for the environment.

Some forms of cattle ranching produce significant greenhouse gas emissions among food supply chains, while others sequester more carbon than is emitted by the animals.

Living a wild or semi-wild existence though makes venison among the lowest-impact meats available, and Levy UK, the hospitality manager for some 20 stadiums and sports parks across the country, say it will slash an estimated 85% of the carbon emissions from their supply chains.

The venison was available already at the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final at the Twickenham ground in London in September, a month that saw 5,500 venison burgers sold.

At the home of the English Premier League soccer team Brentford FC, it could even be said the burger is doing better than the team.

“Our fans really like it,” James Beale, the Head of Sustainability and Community at Brentford, told Reuters. “It’s more popular than the beef burger from last year.”

Levy UK manages other major venues including London’s O2 Arena, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the National Theater, and the Oval cricket ground, and is taking measures to reduce the carbon footprint of their menus. Aside from venison, they make condiments out of surplus or misshapen vegetables that would otherwise be sent to landfills to decay.

Some 2 million deer roam wild across the UK with no natural predators, just 20% or so less than the number of cattle, dairy and beef, in the country. The lack of natural predators presents a risk, as American readers will likely know or have heard, of disease.

With no major predator populations of any kind across most of their range, American mule and whitetail deer have been decimated by chronic wasting disease, a prion disease similar to Mad Cow, that poses substantial threat to the populations.

ALSO CHECK OUT: City’s Experiment with Reusable Cups at Chain Restaurants Is Smashing Success as Diners Return Them All Over Town

Excess deer numbers, at least in the US, have also been linked to increases in Lyme disease and traffic collisions, and the injuries and fatalities stemming from them.

The major environmental nonprofit Rewilding UK has for years been trying to return the lynx to Great Britain, a native predator that will prey on deer but which has never caused a human fatality.

HUNTING HELPING: Missouri Deer Hunters Donate 350,000 Pounds of Venison to Food Banks Across the State

Until then, venison presents as the perfect alternative to beef in UK restaurants, as it’s leaner than beef, richer in protein than poultry, supports rural economies, and is gathered sustainably from animals able to live their best life in the wilds of the UK rather than languishing on a feedlot.

WATCH the story below from Reuters…

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‘Dancing Wheelchair’ Helps Paralyzed Teen Feel ‘Cool’ Being a Different Sort of Dancer (WATCH)

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 12, 2025

With a little ingenuity, and some modifications to an old piece of tech, 11-year-old Desa Kaiser is back where she belongs: on the dance floor.

Being paralyzed from the waist down is no impediment to the girl from Pennsylvania, who suffered the debilitating injury in a crash that saw her spend Thanksgiving of 2022 at the hospital.

She can spin around—just like she did in ballet, jazz, and funk dance classes before her injury. She can lean all the way back and touch the ground in this flexible “dancing wheelchair.”

Speaking with CBS News 3 Philadelphia, Kaiser said it’s cool to be different.

“It’s cool to be different from other people and more unique in different ways. It’s an amazing chair that’s different from others, because you can be more free in it and you can express a lot more in it.”

Following the car collision, Kaiser was treated at Shriners Children’s Hospital, where she still undergoes physical therapy for her trunk and arms. It takes a lot of puff to spin that chair around to the beat of the music, and physical therapist Maggie Reilly is helping her build up the strength for it.

“We wanted to bring her a chair that would allow her to dance and do what she loves,” Reilly said. “One thing that we strive most to do here at Shriners is letting children achieve their goals in whatever way that may be possible.”

Kaiser’s parents said that unlike 3 years ago, this Thanksgiving they had a lot to be thankful for.

WATCH Desa go on CBS News below…

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Chopstick Robot Building Kit Delighting Underfunded STEM Classes Around the World

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 12, 2025

Stick 'Em Creations - credit, Stick 'Em, released

In Singapore, a pair of self-described “tinkerers” have made headlines around the world for their simple educational toy set to help low-income families introduce their children to robotics.

More than just robotics, the stick-in-socket building set encourages kids to manifest the wonders they create in their minds, so long as they can be made with chopsticks.

Called Stick ‘Em, the wildly-successful child STEAM playset consists of geometric connectors, chopsticks, and simple electronics that can be controlled by any phones, tablets or even the ancient computers that some schools might have.

“We started Stick ‘Em because we saw that traditional STEAM education wasn’t developing true problem-solvers and was inaccessible to many students worldwide,” the founders, named Adam Huh Dam and Chong Ing Kai explained in a press release.

“As builders and tinkerers growing up in Singapore, we had access to great resources, but realized that most schools, especially in underserved regions, lacked affordable, hands-on learning tools. With backgrounds in robotics and STEAM education, we created Stick ‘Em to provide a simple, low-cost solution that empowers students to learn through play and creativity, regardless of their background.”

For Kai and Dam, the mission wasn’t just to train the next generation of robotics engineers and coders, but to train the next generation of problem solvers. Witnessing the pace of technological advancement, they couldn’t say for sure what jobs will be needed in 20 years, but whatever they are, the ability to think creatively, to problem-solve, and to be adaptable in the face of change and limitation—these are evergreen skillsets that Stick ‘Em helps cultivate.

Seeking to offer something that anyone could afford, Kai, who came up with the original kit design, needed the cheapest, most logical components possible. Milling over the question of what materials could be used, Kai walked into his kitchen, opened a drawer, and found a pile of unused takeaway chopsticks—cue the eureka moment.

“What if we use chopsticks to build robots? These are everywhere, and they’re strong, and easy to cut and shape,” Kai told the Straits Times.

It was the images of the chopstick robots on social media that Adam Dam saw when he decided, immediately, that he wanted to be involved.

The start-up grew from a two-man job in 2020 to a 14-member strong venture, including employees, with offices at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the National University of Singapore.

Stick ‘Em kits have become part of classroom STEAM activities in 90 schools across 11 countries, reaching an estimated 12,000 kids across mostly Southeast Asia, but also in Africa.

Stick ‘Em creations from around the world – credit, Stick ‘Em, released

They’ve been used as educational and enrichment tools in floating schools for stateless children in Sabah, a village 240 miles away from Uganda’s capital, military-run Thailand-Myanmar border schools, and a series of orphanage schools in Cambodia.

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This year, Stick ‘Em won the prestigious Hult Prize for educational innovation, which Kai and Dam claimed over and above 15,000 other presenters and ideas.

Adam Dam and Chong Kai hold the Hult Prize aloft alongside their stick robots – credit, Stick ‘Em, released

“When our name was announced, we were in shock, but we immediately thought about how this prize could help us reach more schools, empower more teachers, and provide STEAM education to more children worldwide,” they wrote in the release.

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“This win is just the beginning, and with the $1 million prize, we’re excited to scale our impact, increase awareness, and build sustainable teacher communities.”

Visit the Stick ‘Em store here, and consider joining the movement.

WATCH the story below from The Straits Times

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“It’s not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts.” – Will Rogers

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Dec 12, 2025

Quote of the Day: “It’s not what you pay a man, but what he costs you that counts.” – Will Rogers

Image by: Javad Esmaeili

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Good News in History, December 12

This Day In History

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Good News Network

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Dec 12, 2025

162 years ago today, Edvard Munch was born. The greatest Norwegian painter, who blighted and delighted the world’s consciousness with The Scream, would live a long troubled life that manifested in dozens of breathtaking works in pastel, oils, canvases, and cardboards, one of which would command the highest figure ever summoned for a painting at auction when it moved for $119 million in 2012. His familiarity with death and tragedy and his inability to love a woman healthily were feelings that set themselves deep in his subconsciousness. They found their way out through his brush, and the world has recoiled and marveled at them ever since. READ more about Munch… (1863)

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Textile Waste and Forgeries Cut from Indian Supply Chains with Brilliant Desk-Top Spectroscope

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 11, 2025

FibreSENSE - credit, courtesy of Kosha.ai (2) — FibreSENSE - credit, courtesy of Kosha.ai

FibreSENSE – credit, courtesy of Kosha.ai

An Indian initiative is utilizing a scientific technique known as spectroscopy to prove the authenticity of traditional, handwoven silken garments over forgeries.

Often making headlines in the study of planets and nebulae in our galaxy, the spectroscopy device allows for quick and indisputable textile analysis at the molecular level—giving traditional weavers the authority to market their products with the premium their generational knowledge and renowned abilities deserve.

This unique story comes by way of Bengaluru, where two men working at the cutting edge of technology have set out to help a centuries-old technology.

For the sake of the unknowing, in the Indian fashion world, the Banarasi saree is the most valuable of its kind, and among those, the Kadwa saree, translating literally to “difficult,” stands as the most supreme example of the Indian silk-weaving artform.

A single Kadwa saree can take months to finish. They involve weaving the intricate patterns and images into each line of the handloom rather than stitching or embroidering them on after the fact. Done by hand on traditional looms, filaments of gold or silver are sometimes woven in, and unlike other forms of Banarasi sarees, there are no loose threads on the reverse face.

Vijaya Krishnappa and Ramki Kodipady—the former an software engineer, and the later and electronics engineer—met in 2020 and shared a unique sense of injustice: that weavers of Kadwa sarees were getting pushed out of the market by counterfeiters selling inferior knock-offs.

At the same time, each man on his own saw fast fashion and synthetic textiles as a major contributor of landfill waste, and sought to use technology to alleviate some of the problem.

Vijaya Krishnappa and Ramki Kodipady (left) and a traditional Kadwa saree maker – credit, courtesy Kosha.ai

They launched the start-up KOSHA.ai to market their first flagship device they saw as a solution to both problems.

Called “WeaveSENSE” the book-sized device uses near-infrared spectroscopy paired with AI-driven chemometric modelling to identify the fiber composition of the fabric placed atop it.

WeaveSENSE first bombards the fabric with near-infrared electromagnetic waves, then records how that fabric—and more importantly the materials made to construct it—react to the waves.

The device captures loom-specific signatures, weaving rhythms, and manufacturing timestamps which are together converted into “a tamper-proof digital provenance trail.” A QR code on the final product allows customers to view real-time clips of how their saree or fabric was woven.

“We saw Kadwa sarees being sold for nearly 50,000 [rupees, approximately $553] but the artisans who wove them struggled to earn even a fraction of that,” Krishnappa told the Better India. “Weavers told us that customers simply didn’t believe them anymore. And without trust, their livelihood collapsed.”

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Krishnappa and Kodipady were satisfied with their attempt to prove authenticity, and turned their attention to how their new desk-top technology could aid in textile recycling.

Through an analysis of the light reflected off the material, WeaveSENSE can reveal exactly how the material was made, and how expensive it should be according to that method. The same tech—near-infrared spectroscopy—needed just a little tweak to become FibreSENSE, a parallel device designed specifically to detect with extreme detail the exact material composition of a fiber—either from a finished cloth or as yarn.

“Every fiber speaks a different language,” Kodipady told the Better India. “FibreSENSE is the interpreter. In seconds, it tells you whether a fabric is cotton, polyester, wool, silk, viscose, or a blend, and in what proportion.”

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Non-destructive, cost-effective, and immediate, FibreSENSE would allow textile workers to do with 100% accuracy what they used to do just by sense of touch and an educated guess—to determine what kind of thread, yarn, or cloth they were actually using.

“FibreSENSE helps us supply exactly what recyclers or paper-makers need, like 80 to 90 percent polyester, or specific cotton–poly ratios for felt. It has made us more accurate and more confident in what we do,” said Gopika Santhosh at Green Worms Waste Management, in testimony of the project.

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It allowed recyclers and manufacturers to know exactly what they were holding, and therefore exactly what they could do with it. To date, this has saved some 22,000 pounds of textiles from being thrown away due to this confusion. For the saree makers, some 1,200 are now represented by merchants empowered by WeaveSENSE to demand the premium their weavers’ skills demand.

More impact and testimony regarding KOSHA’s products can be found at the Better India.

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Singing with Other People Improves Health More Than Singing Alone

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Good News Network

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Dec 11, 2025

Singing has been linked to numerous benefits for health, wellbeing, disease resistance, and recovery from injury, but when singing in a group, these benefits are seen to be superior to those seen in solo singers.

The research, though not new, still makes for a pretty darn good reason to join a caroling group or church choir for the holidays, or to take New Year’s Eve as an opportunity for some karaoke.

In this era of research into health and wellbeing, with more information available than ever, and expert voices contradicting recommendations at every turn—even those long thought to be made up of ‘settled science,’ it pays to set down some first principles.

Here’s one that serves as an effective guiding light in almost all situations: human health is the most resilient when existing in accord with our species’ evolutionary history.

Homo sapiens is a social animal, with virtually every facet of his lifestyle dependent in nature on his fellow man. Given that social isolation is deadly to our species, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that harmonizing our voices together makes us feel better than belting out a song on our own.

Some scientists believe humans actually sang before we could speak: that we gradually expanded our capacity for vocalizations by mimicking the tones of nature.

Singing activates the vagus nerve, which modulates our body’s ability to calm itself. The activation is done through long and slow expirations and inhalations needed to sing whole verses and long notes, which doubles up with a thorough activation of numerous neural pathways on both sides of the brain, and a release of feel-good endorphins.

David Cox, exploring this topic for the BBC, wrote that singing also produces other measurable physical effects, including regulation of the heart rate and blood pressure. Singing in groups or choirs, Cox says, has even been found to boost \immune function in ways that simply listening to the same music cannot.

Some of this might be explained by the demands singing puts on the pulmonary system, which has been calculated to be as demanding as a brisk intensity walk. Where there is cardiovascular exertion, there is health and greater physiological alignment, including in the immune system.

MORE EVERYDAY HEALTH: Parents Should Sing More to Their Babies For the Positive Impact on Infant’s Mood–And Their Own

However, science has also shown that complete strangers can forge unusually close bonds after singing together in a way not seen in team sports, for example. This is called the ice-breaker effect, and very much captures the fact that singing can reveal the interior character of a person more than chit-chat can.

“I can’t speak for all the cultures of the world, but in the West, singing seems very much an extension of speech,” said GNN’s managing editor Andy Corbley, who was trained as a singer and worked as a children’s vocal coach before entering journalism.

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“In my work, I found the children who were most eager to tell me about their life outside of classes were also the ones who projected their voice the most in the studio. I had one student who was a selective mute, and who wouldn’t speak with me—couldn’t even say hello—but after 90 minutes of coaching was able to sing the words she ordinarily wouldn’t speak.”

“To my mind, it shows how singing begins with trust: trust in yourself that your words have value and power, and trust that those around you will listen to those words. That’s a very powerful, sort-of, social contract.”

SHARE This Story With Carolers You Know And Get The Band Back Together…

Genetic Mutation Could Pave the Way for Self-Fertilizing Cereal Crops and a Revolution in Agriculture

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 11, 2025

Danish researchers have found a molecular switch that lets plants partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria instead of fighting them, opening the way to self-fertilizing cereal crops like wheat and barley.

Their new research highlights an important biological clue that could help reduce agriculture’s heavy reliance on artificial nitrogen fertilizer.

Plants require nitrogen to grow, and most crop species can obtain it only through fertilizer. A small group of plants, including peas, clover, and beans, can grow without added nitrogen. They do this by forming a partnership with specific bacteria that turn nitrogen from the air into a form the plant can absorb.

In the industry, they’re known as nitrogen fixers, and crop-rotation methods dating as far back as the 17th century saw clover used to cover fields following harvests to replenish the nitrogen content of the soil.

Scientists worldwide are working to understand the genetic and molecular basis of this natural nitrogen-fixing ability. The hope is that this trait could eventually be introduced into major crops such as wheat, barley, and maize.

If achieved, these crops could supply their own nitrogen. This shift would reduce the need for synthetic fertilizer, which currently represents about 2% of global energy consumption and produces significant CO2 emissions.

That’s where the researchers at Aarhus University come in—who have now identified small receptor changes in plants that cause them to temporarily shut down their immune defenses and enter a cooperative relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

“We are one step closer to a greener and climate-friendlier food production,” said Kasper Røjkjær Andersen and Simona Radutoiu, professors of molecular biology at Aarhus University and part of the team behind the discovery.

Plants rely on cell-surface receptors to sense chemical signals from microorganisms in the soil. Some bacteria release compounds that warn the plant they are “enemies,” prompting defensive action. Others signal that they are “friends” able to supply nutrients.

Legumes such as peas, beans, and clover allow specialized bacteria to enter their roots. Inside these root tissues, the bacteria convert nitrogen from the atmosphere and share it with the plant. This partnership, known as symbiosis, is the reason legumes can grow without artificial fertilizer.

Aarhus University researchers found that this ability is strongly influenced by just two amino acids within the root protein.

“This is a remarkable and important finding,” says Radutoiu.

The root protein functions as a “receptor” that reads signals from bacteria. It determines whether the plant should activate its immune system (alarm) or accept the bacteria (symbiosis).

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The team identified a small region in the receptor protein that they named Symbiosis Determinant 1. This region functions like a switch that controls which internal message the plant receives.

By modifying only two amino acids within this switch, the researchers changed a receptor that normally triggers immunity so that it instead initiated symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in a way the plant’s natural behavior would never permit.

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“We have shown that two small changes can cause plants to alter their behavior on a crucial point from rejecting bacteria to cooperating with them,” Radutoiu explains.

In laboratory experiments, the researchers successfully engineered this change in the plant Lotus japonicus. They then tested the concept in barley and found that the mechanism worked there as well.

“It is quite remarkable that we are now able to take a receptor from barley, make small changes in it, and then nitrogen fixation works again,” says Kasper Røjkjær Andersen.

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The long-term potential is significant. If these modifications can be applied to other cereals, it may ultimately be possible to breed wheat, maize, or rice capable of fixing nitrogen on their own, similar to legumes.

“But we have to find the other, essential keys first,” Radutoiu notes. “Only very few crops can perform symbiosis today. If we can extend that to widely used crops, it can really make a big difference on how much nitrogen needs to be used.”

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“There’s a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker.” – Charles M. Schulz

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 11, 2025

Quote of the Day: “There’s a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker.” – Charles M. Schulz

Image by: Matthew Stevens (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

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