January 14th Marked the Longest Period Without a Nuclear Detonation Since the Atomic Age Began

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Feb 2, 2026

The mushroom cloud from the thermonuclear explosion resulting from Operation Crossroads Baker

The mushroom cloud from the thermonuclear explosion resulting from Operation Crossroads Baker

8 years, 4 months, and 29 days—that’s how long it’s been since the last nuclear weapon was detonated on Earth—and it’s also the longest such timespan since the nuclear age began.

Since that fateful day in the sands of America’s southwest in 1945, it’s actually rather mind-boggling how many nuclear weapons have been donated.

Dylan Spaulding, a senior member at the Union of Concerned Scientists who saw fit to mark this long, inter-detonation period with a blog post, explained that since the Trinity test, 2,000 nuclear weapons have been detonated by 8 nations.

Being that the 21st century has been largely explosion-less, that means that some of those early Cold War Years would have seen over a hundred nuclear test explosions in a single year; two did, in fact.

Yet January 14th marked the longest period humankind has gone without one or another part of the whole exploding one of these deadly weapons, stretching back to the last North Korean test in September, 2017. All other nuclear armed states conducted their last nuclear tests between 1990 and 1998 when Pakistan ceased its nuclear testing.

“In 1996, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) opened for signatures and has since been signed by 187 nations and ratified by 178—an overwhelming global majority,” reports Spauling, describing the result of the CTBT as creating one of the strongest “taboos” in modern statecraft.

An actor (North Korea being the only such example) who violates the test ban treaty is labeled a rogue state and excluded from the vast majority of world affairs. Though the United States has signed, but never ratified the treaty, it nevertheless has maintained the ban on supercritical testing of any kind.

Any potential benefits from posturing or technical expertise gained from a nuclear test is certain to be outweighed by the detriment to national reputation and future diplomatic leverage against developing or aspiring actors.

When discussing nuclear weapons policy, it’s important to keep a long frame of mind. Today, despite this long period without a detonation, there are many reasons to be fearful of nuclear exchanges between armed states. That has always been the fear because then, as now, there were plenty of reasons to be thusly fearful.

There was more than one occasion, if the mind permits the thought, when nuclear war between the USSR/China and NATO was a reality that stood just minutes away, or was separated by the mere click of a single button, by a chance malfunction, or by the split second decision-making of a stressed-out commanding officer.

EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE WORLD:

The world is never that far from those days, but substantial progress has been made, and more still could be made if—just as back in the day—cooler heads prevail.

As for nuclear testing and the documented, deleterious health effects that accompany it, every day that goes by can be celebrated as a new record, and a new reason to continue to hope that cooler heads can, will, and someday—perhaps ultimately—prevail.

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At 67,800-years-old, These Handprints Just Discovered in Indonesia Are Oldest Example of Rock Art

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Andy Corbley

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Feb 2, 2026

The discovery of stylized handprints dating back at least 67,800 years in a limestone cave in Indonesia has broken the country’s own record for the world’s oldest-known example of rock art.

It provides direct evidence that humans have been crossing the sea intentionally for nearly 70,000 years, as Man traveled from the Asian continent across Australasia to the land Down Under and beyond.

Adhi Agus Oktaviana, a researcher at the BRIN Research Center for Archaeometry, revealed that the minimum age of the rock art is 16,600 years older than the previously discovered rock art from Muna Island, which GNN reported on in 2024.

This rock art is also 1,100 years older than the handprints from Spain that were previously associated with Neanderthals and had long been considered the oldest cave art in the world, and 22,200 years older than the depiction of the Sulawesi warty pig, discovered on the same island as the other two, in 2021.

In other words, in the last five years, 3 of the 4 oldest cave artworks ever found on Earth were identified on the same small island off Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Oktaviana explained that to determine the age of this rock art, the research team applied the laser-ablation uranium-series (LA-U-series) dating technique to the microscopic calcite layer covering the cave paintings and produced a date that would be the earliest possible production time of the handprints.

As news releases that regarded the previous two discoveries stated, the artworks elevate Indonesia to one of the most important centers in the early history of symbolic art and modern human sea exploration in the world.

This discovery confirms that Wallacea, a sunken landmass that exists above sea level today as the Indo-Pacific, was not only a route to Australia, but also a major habitat for early modern humans. It also reinforces the long chronological model, which states that humans reached the Sahul landmass (Australia–Papua) at least 65,000 years ago.

“It is very likely that the creators of these paintings were part of a population that later spread further east and eventually reached Australia,” said Oktaviana. “This research provides the oldest direct evidence of modern humans on the northern migration route to Sahul, which involved sea exploration between Kalimantan (Borneo) and Papua—an area that remains relatively unexplored archaeologically.”

AWESOME ROCK ART:

Meanwhile, Professor Adam Brumm from the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, said that the handprints found in the rock art on Muna Island also have globally unique characteristics, with modifications that narrow the shape of the fingers to resemble claws, reflecting a mature symbolic expression. According to him, the symbolic meaning of this narrowing of the finger shape is still speculative.

“However, this art could symbolize the idea that humans and animals have a very close relationship. This is already evident in the earliest paintings in Sulawesi, including at least one scene that we interpret as a representation of a half-human, half-animal creature,” he explained.

With the discovery of Pleistocene rock art sites in the karst region of Sulawesi, this brings a great responsibility in preserving irreplaceable cultural heritage. Therefore, researchers are calling for the protection of karst areas containing ancient rock art sites to be an integral part of spatial planning and natural resource management policies.

WATCH Professor Brumm explain…

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New Ultrasonic Imaging System Can Detect Deadly Defects in All Types of Concrete

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Andy Corbley

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Feb 2, 2026

- credit Fujikawa et al. with background / SWNS

If a physician needs to see what’s gone wrong inside a human body, it’s easy enough to order an ultrasound scan. But if the structural engineer wants to do the same in a block of concrete, his options are of limited effectiveness.

The range of materials that concrete contains, such as stone, clay, chalk, slate, iron ore, and sand, scatters normal sound waves, making clear images difficult to obtain.

Now, Japanese and American scientists have teamed up to develop a system that can identify interior defects in concrete buildings and bridges without destroying their structure.

Team members explain in a news release that their method sends sound waves into the material and captures the waves that echo back to create images of what’s inside, just like an ultrasound.

“In our approach, the ultrasonic wave is broadband, using a wide range of ultrasonic frequencies rather than operating around a single, fixed frequency,” said Professor Yoshikazu Ohara from Tohoku University in Japan.

“The receiver is capable of accepting an even broader range of frequencies. By automatically adapting the frequency to the material, our system improves the contrast between defects and background material in concrete.”

Tohoku and his colleagues joined the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Texas A&M University to create the system.

A chief challenge is that it’s hard to know which frequencies of sound waves will survive traveling through concrete, as different material therein may interfere with different wavelengths.

To accommodate the uncertainty, the team used two devices: one to generate a wide range of frequencies to send into the material and another, called a vibrometer, to capture the outcoming waves.

MORE PHYSICS: Spider-Inspired Design Makes Metal Tubes ‘Unsinkable’–A Breakthrough in Maritime Engineering

The system, described in the journal Applied Physics Letters, can handle a wide range of frequencies, which means that even if ultrasonic waves are scattered by materials in the concrete, those that do make it through are still detected, regardless of what frequency they are.

“As the concrete filters out certain frequencies, the laser Doppler vibrometer simply captures whatever frequencies remain,” said Professor Ohara. “Unlike conventional systems, we don’t have to swap transducers or adjust the frequency beforehand. The system adapts automatically.”

CONCRETE STORIES: Cement Supercapacitors Could Turn the Concrete Around Us into Massive Energy Storage Systems

The result is a high-resolution 3D image of the defect and its location in the concrete.

For a repair planner or field technician, this provides ‘concrete’ information: how deep the defect is from the surface, how large it is, and how it extends in three dimensions, making it possible to plan repairs more efficiently.

SAHRE This Advancement In Materials Sciences On Social Media…

Astonishing 1,400-year-old Tomb Featuring Giant Owl Sculpture Discovered in Mexico

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Andy Corbley

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Feb 2, 2026

The owl statue - Luis Gerardo Pena Torres, INAH - released — The owl statue - Luis Gerardo Pena Torres, INAH, released

It’s being called the most significant archaeological discovery in a decade: a tomb dating back 1,400 years decorated with murals and carvings of exquisite preservation.

Belonging to one of Mexico’s non-Mayan native cultures, the Zapotecs, its most striking feature is a frieze of an enormous owl head, with a man’s face trapped in its beak.

Luis Gerardo Pena Torres, INAH, released

The Zapotecs are a pre-Colombian people who inhabited areas making up the modern Mexican state of Oaxaca as far back as the 6th century BCE, around the time this tomb dates to.

The earliest Spanish chronicles speak of the Zapotecs existing in a state of war with the Aztecs, and today, their descendants make up a recognized racial group in the modern Mexican state numbering in the hundreds of thousands, speaking a language of the same name.

Located in San Pablo Huitzo, the tomb is decorated with murals in green, white, blue, and red pigments that show scenes associated with funerary traditions, a statement from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) explains.

“It’s the most significant archaeological discovery of the last decade in Mexico due to the level of preservation and the information it provides,” said President Claudia Sheinbaum in a press briefing in the days following the discovery’s announcement.

The standout detail by far is the owl sculpture. In Zapotec myth, owls were symbols of both the night and death, and the beak of the bird contains a stone head—perhaps representing the one belonging to the man buried in the tomb, INAH said.

At the threshold to the burial chamber there are carvings of two human figures holding various artifacts in their hands, who may have been the guardians of the tomb, according to the INAH.

GNN recently reported on a LiDAR study that identified a collection of structures on the hills near the modern town of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec was actually a Zapotec fortress, complete with ball courts.

The entrance to the tomb – Luis Gerardo Pena Torres, INAH, released

Pedro Guillermo Ramón Celis, organizer of a LiDAR survey, plans to return to conduct more research there, telling the press team at McGill University that as a point of reference and pride for the Zapotec people, the fortress could provide key insights into their ancestors’ ways of living, as well as an example of a civilization that resisted the Aztec’s conquering push southward.

MORE CENTRAL AMERICAN HERITAGE: Latin American States Protect Second-Largest American Rainforest as the ‘Great Mayan Reserve’

Regarding the owl-fronted tomb, Mexico’s culture secretary, Claudia Curiel de Icaza said something similar, noting how the Zapotecs alive today will be eager to hear what the tomb and its murals and carvings will tell of their ancestors’ social organization, funerial rituals and belief system.

For now, critical conservation work will be undertaken first, as the tomb and its artworks are at risk of insects, tree roots, and deleterious effects from exposure to the local climate.

SHARE This Discovery Of The Century With Your Friends On Social Media..

“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Feb 2, 2026

Quote of the Day: “There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Photo by: Aidamarie Photography (public domain)

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, February 2

This Day In History

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Good News Network

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Feb 2, 2026

150 years ago today, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs was formed. The older of the two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the US and Canada, it is the oldest professional team sports league still in existence in the world. The American League was founded 25 years later and after much consternation, they agreed to recognize each other as major leagues. They drafted rules and each established a team in New York City, and they decided to compete against each other (beginning in the Fall of 1903) in a championship tournament—the first “World Series”. READ the league charter clubs… (1876)

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Nebraska Woman Learns to Row, Then Becomes First Female to Cross the Atlantic Alone in 3,000 Mile Race

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Nathan Frederick

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Feb 1, 2026

Taryn Smith – Credit – The World’s Toughest Row

The ocean dreams took hold of Taryn Smith when she was living in landlocked Nebraska, craving open-water adventures as a young adult in Omaha.

Smith, who’s now 25, read an article about an all-female rowing team that set a world record in the Great Pacific Race in 2022, rowing from Monterrey, California to Hawaii in just 34 days—and something stirred deeply within Smith.

“I just remember thinking it sounded like the most amazing thing in the entire world,” Taryn told PEOPLE, recapturing her thoughts about the rowing team’s record. “I wanted to do something big in my 20s. I wanted to spend the rest of my life knowing that I was capable of something like this.”

Smith started researching opportunities that might present an equally daunting challenge and soon discovered the World’s Toughest Row—a 3,000-mile rowing race from the Canary Islands on the western edge of Africa to Antigua in the Caribbean Sea.

Taryn was going to do it alone.

Her grandparents both had sailing experience, but she had a lot to learn. She quit her job in human resources and trained for three years, spending time in the United Kingdom, and living exclusively on her rowboat for several weeks at a time.

She needed to become one with the water because that would soon be her only company.

“Taryn seems to know no fear,” Shelly Smith, Taryn’s mother, told Nebraska Public Media. “She has always been a kid that thrives on adventure. She just really likes that challenge.”

And so, on December 14, Taryn faced 42 other teams from 20 different countries at the starting line of a race across the Atlantic. The journey was expected to take about two months, with Taryn rowing 10 to 12 hours by herself each day.

Taryn Smith at the starting line – Credit: The World’s Toughest Row

Obstacles arose every day—but Day 27 pushed her to the brink. She developed hives from sun exposure and hadn’t slept soundly for two straight nights. She spent the morning sobbing, fighting the fatigue and exhaustion, as her boat bounced up and down on waves that kept growing bigger from an impending storm. (Watch a video at the bottom…)

“Absolutely, huge waves,” she said in an Instagram video from Day 27. “A wave would come just gushing over the deck and would literally knock me out of my shoes. It was scary. It was really, really, scary. I think this is the first day I felt properly terrified since being out here.”

And to make matters worse, a menacing marlin stalked her boat and oars for miles. Nevertheless, she persisted. By day’s end, she had overcome every last challenge the Atlantic could muster, while still making considerable progress.

“It’s been a really hard day, but I am really proud of the effort that I put in today because it’s been a fast day and I’ve covered a lot of ground and I kept rowing and now it’s more comfortable to row than it is to try to sleep,” she said on Instagram at the end of the day.

“I’m listening to Harry Potter (in my headphones). So all in all, life is good…”

She partnered with Girls on the Run throughout her journey, raising money for the nonprofit that empowers girls in grades 3-8 through running, physical activity, and confidence-building programs.

With each row, Taryn was unleashing a powerful example of what those girls can do with a goal in front of them and the grit to chase it.

AN AMAZING SAILOR: Frenchman Battling Cancer Named Sailor of the Year After Winning Treacherous Around-the-World Race

She arrived in Antigua on January 29th, becoming the first female to finish the World’s Toughest Row alone. She even beat her own expectations in the process, finishing the race in 46 days, three hours, and 37 minutes, a few days before her own optimistic predictions.

Taryn pulled into the harbor with a flare in her hand as an American flag billowed behind her on the boat. (Watch the video below…)

The girl from the landlocked plains of the midwest had just completed a bold 3,000-mile crossing of the Atlantic—and her ocean dreams that began with a magazine article had become a reality, and a powerful reminder of the untapped potential that lies inside us all.

“Everything is more within reach than we think,” Taryn told PEOPLE. “I hope people understand that you should take on your biggest challenges, even if it means being alone. Even if it’s scary. You can do it—and you probably won’t be alone for very long.”

SEND TARYN’S STORY SAILING ACROSS THE WORLD By Sharing It To Your Social Media Feed…

Teens Build Igloo That Brings Together the Neighborhood After Difficult Ice Storm – LOOK

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Good News Network

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Feb 1, 2026

Adeline Sutich and Maeve Ritchotte built an igloo for the neighborhood-submitted — Adeline Sutich and Maeve Ritchotte in their igloo

Adeline Sutich and Maeve Ritchotte in their igloo – reprinted with permission

While millions of Americans hunkered down in their homes after ice storms encrusted the mid-Atlantic, two young teens got busy building community spirit—by building an igloo.

They constructed their igloo in front of a house that was destroyed by a house fire a few months ago.

Adeline Sutich and her friend Maeve Ritchotte carved dozens of ice bricks with a flat shovel, and used a sled to move them to the symbolic spot on Helena Drive.

“We built an igloo to create unity in the community and bring people together,” Adeline told GNN by phone.

“It brought joy to all the neighbors when the snow was frustrating and very difficult to cope with.”

“I feel like this igloo is a good representation of hope—and how things can be rebuilt.”

Reprinted with permission of Adeline Sutich and Maeve Ritchotte

Her whole family got involved when the sun began to set Thursday in the Sligo Woods neighborhood in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

Her dad, Stefan, outfitted the group with headlamps to work in the dark—and her mom shot videos and photos—until the roof was finally laid.

They built chairs and a table out of ice, so people could hang-out inside the snow cave.

“We even made a guest book for people to write in and their messages were so heartwarming,” said Adeline.

“I did this as a kid, too,” one guest name Melinda wrote.

“My three kids love it!” Jen wrote.

Adeline said it was “so nice” to see people smiling at the girls when they passed by.

“Many neighbors have come up and talked with us about the igloo and how much they’ve enjoyed it.”

Reprinted with permission of Adeline Sutich

“We’ve had more visitors sign the book today!” she added on Friday.

MORE SNOW STORIES:
• Watch Giddy Florida Man Experiencing Snow for the First Time–And Making a Snow Angel
• Woman Defrosts Frozen Kitten Nursing it Back to Health Using a Hairdryer (Watch Video)

One of the neighbors enjoyed watching the construction from her window as the girls spent hours building the cozy community hub, but she finally ventured out on Friday under blue skies to leave a message.

“It brought back so many childhood memories”.

SEND THE INSPIRING PHOTOS to Snow Fort Buddies on Social Media…

Math Teacher Becomes UK Scrabble Champ, Reveals the 2-Letter Words Experts Use to Win

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Good News Network

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Feb 1, 2026

Champion Scrabble player Natalie Zolty - SWNS

A math teacher recently became the top female Scrabble champion in the UK—scoring 1,000 points more than her opponents.

Natalie Zolty outsmarted scrabble grandmaster Gary Oliver to claim the top spot by playing the word ‘zendiks’, which means heretics or unbelievers.

The 61-year-old won the top division during the UK Open competition held January 9th in Reading, England, after she was triumphant in 12 out of 15 games.

Despite admitting she doesn’t know what many of her winning words mean, Natalie spends hours a day learning thousands of words from the dictionary and practicing 500 anagrams while watching TV.

Now she has revealed her top tips for budding players wanting to take the next step towards becoming a master player—and it all starts with simple two letter words.

There are 107 acceptable 2-letter words listed in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 6th Edition. (See the top 10 below…)

“It’s not too difficult to learn all of them,” said the teacher from Solihull, West Midlands.

“Some of them sound weird and wonderful. Things like Xi and Za, so learn those two-letter words and you’ll be surprised at how you can rack up points.”

A NEW GAME: Kurt Vonnegut’s Lost Board Game Finally Published After 70 Years–It Turned Out to be ‘Deep and Very Fun’

Natalie took up the hobby on Facebook around 17 years ago and now she’s hoping more women start competing after noticing a clear male dominance in recent competitions.

“I just really got into it. There’s a lot of word learning and studying,” the mother-of-one told SWNS news agency. “You learn basically the entire dictionary, but you learn it in what is most valuable in a game—what words create the best points.

Read Natalie’s advice and the top 2-letter words, below:

“Always hold on to some one-point letters because you can go for a bonus, where you use all seven tiles which gives you an extra 50 points.

“Scrabble players who play at a high level are looking to try and do that maybe two or three times a game. I average around two and a half bonuses a game.

“There is also an option every turn where you can exchange letters and forfeit a turn. This frightens a lot of players and they will try to keep going, but don’t be scared to change some tiles if you really are in trouble with your letters.

“Sometimes even if you still play a word you will be left with terrible letters on your rack and you won’t score anything. There’s no point going on with dreadful letters, it will only get worse.”

“Also, keep on your rack one point letters. People think they are not worth much, but they go together to make bonus words. We call them stems.

“Another thing to be aware of is what we call hooks. A hook is a letter that will go on to the end or the beginning of a word to make another word.

“Like an s at the end to make a plural, that’s pretty straightforward. You could put s on the end of princes to make princess or h on the front of airline to make hairline. But sometimes they can be a little less obvious to spot.

“When someone plays a word, have a think about what could go on to the front or end of it and you might be able to take them by surprise.

TOP 2-LETTER SCRABBLE WORDS

ZA (11)
QI (11)
AX (9)
XU (9)
XI (9)
JO (9)
EX (9)
OX (9)

TREASURE FROM OLD GAMES: Boxes of Pokémon Cards Were Almost Thrown Away But Have Since Raised $50,000 for Family

“It’s only men that have won the world championships. I think women are a bit less competitive than men. Maybe they have a lot less free time.

“But I do wish more women would take it up—even just to try and play it. It’s great for your brain and keeping you thinking.”

SHARE THESE TIPS With Scrabble-Playing Friends on Social Media…

Acupuncture for Rescued Elephants Provides Relief from Chronic Pain and Nerve Damage in India Care Center

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Good News Network

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Feb 1, 2026

Bani getting alternative medicine treatment – Photo © Wildlife SOS

The largest wildlife rescue organization in India has started using acupuncture to help elephants recover from chronic pain, nerve damage, and mobility issues after their years of captivity or hard labor.

Their veterinary team sought training in alternative medicine so the techniques could be used alongside conventional veterinary medicine and found they boosted recovery rates when the usual treatments proved inadequate.

Founded 30 years ago, Wildlife SOS now runs 12 rescue and rehabilitation centers across the country, including the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, where veterinarians were first introduced to the potential of acupuncture while searching for ways to help Bani (pictured above), an orphaned calf who was left paralyzed after a tragic accident.

Determined to restore her ability to walk, the team began exploring alternative healing methods—from ayurvedic oil massages to hydrotherapy. Their search eventually led them to Thailand and the ancient art of acupuncture.

There, they connected Dr. Porrakote Rungsri, a Veterinary Acupuncture Specialist at Chiang Mai University and Dr. Huisheng Xie, Founder of the Chi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the USA.

Under their guidance, Bani’s veterinarians learned the fundamentals of acupuncture and how this ancient practice could be adapted to treat various conditions in our resident elephants.

Acupuncture points and meridians on an elephant from the Chi University-Courtesy of Wildlife SOS

With roots tracing back 2,000 years, acupuncture tries to unblock the flow of energy through the body’s meridians, or energy channels. While the concept of invisible energy may sound abstract to many, its application of needles inserted along the meridians has shown practical benefits in veterinary—and human—medicine. By stimulating specific points along the body, acupuncture can help improve circulation, reduce pain, restore nerve function, and promote natural healing.

When the body is injured, damaged cells release chemicals such as prostaglandins, bradykinin, and substance P, which alert the nervous system. These chemicals activate nociceptors, special nerve sensors that convert the chemical signal into electrical signals. The pain signal is then carried by nerve fibers, and once the signal reaches the spinal cord, neurotransmitters in the brain interprets the signal, making pain both a physical and emotional experience.

“Many elephants rescued by Wildlife SOS have pain pathways overstimulated by years of abuse, poor nutrition, and untreated injuries, making chronic pain a major challenge to treat,” says the organization’s Natasha Ashok.

“Once our team gained expertise in acupuncture principles, we began applying it at our Elephant Hospital Campus, yielding remarkable improvements in several elephants.”

She says it has proven effective in alleviating pain, improving digestive issues (such as colic and constipation), and reducing inflammation in their elephants.

Holly gets elephant acupuncture – Photo © Wildlife SOS

Chronic Pain and Arthritis in Holly and Zara

Many elephants rescued from exploitation, especially those used in the begging trade, suffer from severe joint and foot disorders such as osteoarthritis and stiff joints. These conditions are often the result of forced standing on hard surfaces or walking long distances on unnatural terrain.

Two such pachyderms, Holly and Zara, experience chronic arthritis and severe hindlimb pain that makes walking difficult. To ease their discomfort, our team applied electro-acupuncture (pictured above) and dry needling.

For Holly, whose knee (stifle joint) was injured in a fall, veterinarians also used a method called ‘circle the dragon’, where needles are placed in a circular pattern around the joint. This technique improves blood flow, reduces inflammation, and encourages healing.

Colic and Digestive Issues in Raju and Taj

Raju and Taj were rescued from captivity, suffering from long-term digestive problems. Poor diets, unnatural feeding practices, and limited movement can result in conditions like colic and constipation that persist even after rehabilitation.

Raju struggled with recurrent colic, while Taj frequently experienced constipation. To support their recovery, veterinarians inserted fine acupuncture needles into acu-points related to digestion for about 20 minutes.

They also used ‘moxibustion’ with burnt mugwort to warm meridian pathways near the skin at specific points. The integrative approach stimulated circulation and promoted bowel movement and gut health, which helped improve their digestive function.

Another arrival at the Wildlife SOS center, Vayu, had ventral edema (an abnormal collection of fluid under the skin) in the perineal and abdominal regions, and the team treated points along his belly and chest with moxibustion acupuncture to improve circulation, helping reduce the edema.

Elephant acupuncture workshop in 2025 – Photo © Wildlife SOS

“Acupuncture has become a valuable therapy that works well alongside modern veterinary medicine in ways previously thought impossible,” the group wrote. “Its integration has brought significant improvements.”

MORE GOOD ELEPHANT NEWS:
• Quick-Thinking Zoo Elephant Rescued a Drowning Gazelle with its Trunk (WATCH)
• Houston Elephants Do Yoga 7-days a Week to Stay Flexible and Healthy
• Elephant Fitted With a Prosthetic Foot So He’s Able to Walk Again – LOOK

A year ago, Wildlife SOS held an elephant acupuncture workshop in their Mathura Care Center to get more people involved.

From baby Bani’s improving movement after paralysis to Holly, Zara, Raju, Taj, and Vayu gaining relief from debilitating conditions, these success stories affirm the power of combining holistic approaches appropriately with science-based treatments.

If you’d like to donate to care for these rescued elephants, visit their website.

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“Children are the keys of paradise.” – Eric Hoffer

Quote of the Day

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Feb 1, 2026

Quote of the Day: “Children are the keys of paradise.” – Eric Hoffer, American philosopher

Photo by: Robert Collins

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, February 1

This Day In History

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Feb 1, 2026

125 years ago, the African-American writer, poet, and playwright Langston Hughes was born on what would become the first day of Black History Month. Hughes became a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, writing often for The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP, as well as a weekly column in a primarily black newspaper called the Chicago Defender. He was also one of the earliest pioneers of what would become jazz poetry. Rather than simply taking an anti-segregation stance in his work he focused often on the divisions and prejudices within the black community itself, as well as many other cultural and societal aspects of America between the 1920s and the 1960s. READ more about Hughes and catch one of his poems… (1901)

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One Armed Golfer Gets Hole-in-One After Learning the Game Since His Accident: ‘Golf Gave me the Will to Live’

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Good News Network

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Jan 31, 2026

One-armed golfer Patrick Duke -SWNS — One-armed golfer Patrick Duke gets hole-in-one (SWNS)

One-armed golfer Patrick Duke gets hole-in-one (SWNS)

Golfers as old as 103 have hit holes-in-one—but have you ever heard of the feat being achieved by someone with only one arm?

But recently, an Irish golfer celebrated sinking his first ever hole-in-one, after learning how to play the game since an accident left him with only one arm.

A physically-challenged golfer is celebrating sinking his first ever hole-in-one, after learning how to play the sport after an accident left him with only one arm.

Patrick Duke beat the odds of 100,000 to 1 when he hit the perfect tee shot on the fourth hole at Overstone Park, in Northamptonshire, England.

The 67-year-old had been playing with friends on the 120-yard par-3 when he slotted his first ace with a seven iron.

The feat was even more remarkable, considering how new he was to the game, having learned how to play following his accident in 2012.

Pat credits golf with “saving his life” over the past 7 years while he has undergone serious physical and mental health challenges.

“I’m not very good at golf, but it’s saved my life,” Pat told SWNS news agency.

One-armed golfer Patrick Duke on the green – SWNS

“Golf is not my game: I’m 280 pounds and 6-foot-2; my games were always rugby, Gaelic football, soccer and cricket.

“I’ve also worked all my life since I was 15, so I was very active until a workplace accident changed my life. I couldn’t see a way back for me, at times, but then a friend asked me if I had ever played golf.

“I had some lessons with a pro and told him to treat me as a blank canvas and I’ll do what you tell me to.

“He said, what works for me would not work for others—so I sort of developed my own technique.”

He managed to birdie on the hole before, a few weeks earlier, but this one had always been a problem for Pat.

“Eight times out of ten I knock it in the water—and it starts getting into your head. My clubs have very nearly gone in the lake there on a number of occasions.

“So I thought, this time I’m going to aim straight for the flag instead of the green.”

“If anyone else used a seven iron on that hole it would have been about 100 yards past the flag.

“As soon as I hit it, I knew I had caught it sweet. Kevin was telling me, ‘that’s on the button that is’.

“We watched it get nearer and nearer. It actually landed about a foot past the hole and rolled back, I got backspin on it but I’ve no idea how.

“People on the fifth hole walking by were applauding me. Kevin threw his club in the air; I couldn’t quite believe it, I was gobsmacked.”

That’s when he said to his playing partner Kevin, “Fancy getting beaten by a one-armed man?”

“I was told the odds of somebody with a disability getting a hole-in-one was 0.001% or 1 in 100,000.”

Pat had worked in the road surfacing industry for more than 30 years before his jacket became caught in a machine, ultimately leading to the loss of his arm. He later developed post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

“I was in a really bad place. I had suicidal thoughts and lost confidence, self-worth, and relationships.”

Pat first tried golf in 2018 after he was introduced to Overstone Park’s PGA professional Brian Mudge. He quickly found both confidence and community at the club.

GOOD GOLF NEWS:
• Golf Buddies Sink Consecutive Holes-in-One on Same Tee-Shot–Beating 17 Mil to 1 Odds
• Cute Dog Walking Around Golf Course has Collected 6,000 Lost Golf Balls Which Are Donated to Charities
• Dentist Who Caddied There as a Kid Just Qualified to Play in the US Open on the Same Course: ‘It’s a Dream Come True’

“The people I’ve met have been phenomenal. It gave me confidence and a reason to get out of the house.

“If just one person could see this, even if its not golf, I just want people to know that there can be a life after something like this.

“To come from having suicidal thoughts, my self-worth going out the window—no courage, no confidence, no nothing—and then to find golf and friendship, I think everything happens for a reason.

“If I can do it, anybody can.

“Golf gave me confidence, friendship, and the will to live.”

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Helping with Grandkids May Protect Against Cognitive Decline, Shows New Research

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Good News Network

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Jan 31, 2026

Being an involved grandparent is good for the brain, according to a new study which showed that caring for grandchildren may serve as a “buffer” against cognitive decline and dementia in older adults.

“Many grandparents provide regular care for their grandchildren—care that supports families, and society more broadly—but an open question is whether caregiving for grandchildren may also benefit grandparents themselves,” said lead researcher Flavia Chereches.

This researchers wanted to see if providing grandchild care might benefit grandparents’ health, potentially slowing down cognitive decline.

Ms Chereches, a doctoral candidate at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and her colleagues examined data from 2,887 English grandmas and grandads all older than 50, with an average age of 67.

The participants answered survey questions and completed cognitive tests three times between 2016 and 2022.

The survey asked whether they had provided care for a grandchild at any point in the past year—and how frequently.

Were they watching grandchildren overnight, caring for them when they were sick, playing or engaging in leisure activities, helping with homework, driving them to school and activities, or preparing meals?

Overall, the researchers found that grandparents who provided childcare—regardless of the frequency and type of care they provided—scored higher on tests of both memory and verbal fluency compared with those who didn’t, even after adjusting for age, health and other factors.

grandkids-in-yellow-w-gramps — Courtesy of Sun Star

The findings, published in the journal Psychology and Aging also found that grandmothers who provided care saw less decline on cognitive tests over the course of the study compared with those who didn’t.

“What stood out most to us was that being a caregiving grandparent seemed to matter more for cognitive functioning than how often grandparents provided care or what exactly they did with their grandchildren,” said Chereches.

“More research is needed, but if there are benefits associated with caregiving by grandparents, they might not depend on how often care is provided, or on the specific activities done with grandchildren, but rather on the broader experience of being involved with caregiving.”

Around five million grandparents in the UK regularly take on childcare responsibilities, with just under 90% of them babysitting at least once a week, according to the nonprofit Age UK.

CREATES YOUR OWN GRANDPARENT: When a Family Welcomed a Man into Their Home at Christmas, They Never Thought He’d Stay for 45 Years

One in 10 look after their grandchildren at least once a day, with the majority getting involved to help their own children save money to support their young family.

Age UK says “gran-nannying” has enormous benefits for older couples, keeping them mentally and physically active and combatting loneliness, if that caregiving is not stressful or a burden.

CHECK OUT: 10 Questions You Will Want to Ask Your Grandparents on Grandparents Day

One CBS news host says his mom helps with their kids, and asked her on the air what she thought of the new study showing it benefits grandparents—and she wasn’t surprised.

“They energize me, more than drive me down,” she said in the cute video below…

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Polar Bears are in Better Physical Shape than 25 Years Ago, Despite Sea Ice Losses

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Jan 31, 2026

Arctic polar bear on ice near Svalbard by Trine Lise Sviggum Helgerud via SWNS — Arctic polar bear near Svalbard by Trine Lise Sviggum Helgerud via SWNS

Arctic polar bear near Svalbard by Trine Lise Sviggum Helgerud via SWNS

Polar bears are in better physical health than they were 25 years ago, despite the decrease in sea ice, reveals new research.

The well-being of the iconic white mammals living around the Norwegian island of Svalbard has improved in the face of climate change, likely due to better opportunities to hunt.

The scientists were ‘surprised’ that the bears’ fat reserves have increased since the year 2000, even while sea ice levels decreased.

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, are in contrast to previous observations of polar bear population declining across the Arctic.

Previous research shows temperature increases in the Barents Sea around Svalbard of up to two degrees Celsius per decade since 1980.

The Barents Sea polar bear population numbered around 2,650 individuals in a 2004 census—and the population appears not to have shrunk in size, although the reasons for that have been unclear.

So, Dr. Jon Aars, senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute, investigated with his colleagues the potential reasons for the stability of the Svalbard populations.

The team used data from 1,188 body measurement records of 770 adult polar bears taken on Svalbard between 1992 and 2019.

Svalbard polar bear with cub by Trine Lise Sviggum Helgerud via SWNS

They compared changes in the bears’ body composition index (BCI), an indicator of fat reserves and body condition determined by tape measurement, to the number of ice-free days in the region across the 27-year period.

LOOK: Polar Bear Adopts a Cub That Isn’t her Own – Extraordinary Behavior Caught on Camera

The research team found that although the number of ice-free days increased by around 100 over the study period—at a rate of about four days per year—the mean BCI of the adult polar bears sampled actually increased after the year 2000.

“This indicates that fat reserves increased as sea ice levels decreased,” said Dr. Aars.

The researchers suggest that improvements in the body conditions of Svalbard polar bears could be attributed to the recovery of populations of land-based prey sources—such as reindeer and walrus—that were previously over-exploited by humans.

They also believe that sea ice loss may have lead to a food source, like ringed seals, concentrating on smaller areas of sea ice, which may increase the efficiency of polar bear hunting.

MORE GOOD NEWS FOR POLAR BEARS:
• Norway Rewilds Arctic Coal Mining Town in Largest Operation of its Kind, Gives New Hunting Ground for Polar Bears
• Orphaned Polar Bear That Loved to Hug Arctic Workers Gets New Life
• ‘Life Finds a Way’: Polar Bears Successfully Adapt Even Without As Much Sea Ice

But Aars speculated that this trend may be shaky.

“Further reductions in sea ice may negatively affect the Svalbard populations by increasing the distances they need to travel to access hunting grounds.”

“More research is needed to understand how different polar bear populations are adapting to a warming Arctic in the future.”

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

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Jan 31, 2026

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 January 31, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In ecology, there’s a concept called “keystone species.” This refers to organisms that have a huge effect on their environment relative to their abundance. Remove them, and the whole ecosystem shifts. I bring this up, Aquarius, because I believe you are currently functioning as a keystone species in your social ecosystem. You may not even be fully aware of how much your presence influences others. And here’s the challenge: You shouldn’t let your impact weigh on your conscience. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself as you carry out your service. Instead, ask how you can contribute to the common good while also thriving yourself. Ensuring your well-being isn’t selfish; it’s essential to the gifts you provide and the duties you perform.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I foresee a dose of real magic becoming available to you: equivalent to an enchanted potion, a handful of charmed seeds, or a supernatural spell. But owning the magic and knowing how to use it are two different matters. There’s no promise you will instantly grasp its secrets. To give yourself the best shot, follow a few rules: 1. Keep it quiet. Only share news of your lucky charm with those who truly need to hear about it. 2. Before using it to make wholesale transformations, test it gently in a situation where the stakes are low. 3. Whatever you do, make sure your magic leaves no bruises behind.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. They both said later that the climb down was as important and challenging as the ascent. The lesson: Achievement doesn’t end when you reach the peak. Aries, you may be nearing or have just passed a high point of effort or recognition. Soon you will need to manage the descent with aplomb. Don’t rush! Tread carefully as you complete your victory. It’s not as glamorous as the push upward, but it’s equally vital to the legacy of the climb.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Aurora borealis occurs when highly charged particles from the Sun strike molecules high in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing them to glow. The display that looks like gorgeous magic is actually our planet’s invisible magnetic shield and upper atmosphere lighting up under the pressure of an intense solar storm. Dear Taurus, I think your life has a metaphorical resemblance. The strength you’ve been quietly maintaining without much fanfare has become vividly apparent because it’s being activated. The protection you’ve been offering and the boundaries you’ve been holding are more visible than usual. This is good news! Your shields are working.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
“Nothing in excess” was the maxim inscribed on the ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi. “Moderation is a chief moral virtue,” proclaimed the philosopher Aristotle. But I don’t recommend those approaches for you right now, Gemini. A sounder principle is “More is better” or “Almost too much is just the right amount.” You have a holy duty to cultivate lavishness and splendor. I hope you will stir up as many joyous liberations and fun exploits as possible.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
When sea otters sleep, they sometimes hold each other’s paws to keep from drifting apart. This simple, instinctive act ensures they remain safe and connected. I suggest making their bond your power symbol for now, Cancer. You’ll be wise to formulate a strong intention about which people, values, and projects you want to be tethered to. And if sea otters holding hands sounds too sentimental or cutesy to be a power symbol, you need to rethink your understanding of power. For you right now, it’s potency personified.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
To be healthy, we all need to continually be in the process of letting go. It’s always a favorable phase to shed aspects of our old selves to make room for what comes next. The challenge for you Leos is to keep showing up with your special brightness even as parts of you die away to feed new growth. So here are my questions: What old versions of your generosity or courage are ready to compost? What fiercer, wilder, more sustainable expression of your leonine nature wants to emerge? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to stop performing the hero you used to be and become the hero you are destined to become.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
The Haudenosaunee people practice “seventh-generation thinking”: making decisions based on their impact seven generations into the future. You would be wise to incorporate the spirit of their visionary approach, Virgo. Here’s the problem: You’re so skilled at fixing what needs urgent attention that you sometimes neglect what’s even more important in the long run. So I will ask you to contemplate what choices you could you make now that will be blessings to your future self. This might involve ripening an immature skill, shedding a boring obligation that drains you, or delivering honest words that don’t come easily. Rather than obsessing on the crisis of the moment, send a sweet boost to the life you want to be living three years from now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Are you open to the idea that new wisdom doesn’t always demand struggle and strain? In the days ahead, I invite you to move as if the world is deeply in love with you; as if every element, every coincidence, every kind pair of eyes is cheering you forward. Imagine that generous souls everywhere want to help you be and reveal your best self. Trust that unseen allies are rearranging the flow of fate to help you grow into the beautiful original you were born to be. Do you dare to be so confident that life loves you?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Psychologist James Pennebaker did studies showing that people who write about traumatic experiences for just 15 minutes a day show improved immune function, fewer doctor visits, and better emotional health. But here’s a key detail: The benefits don’t come from the trauma itself or from “processing feelings.” They come from constructing a narrative: making meaning, finding patterns, and creating coherence. The healing isn’t in the wound. It’s in the story you shape from the wound’s raw material. You Scorpios excel at this alchemical work. One of your superpowers is to take what’s dark, buried, or painful and transform it through the piercing attention of your intelligence and imagination. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to do this.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In Jewish mysticism, tikkun olam means “repair of the world.” This is the idea that we’re all responsible for healing what’s broken. But the teaching also says you’re not required to complete the work; you’re only asked to not abandon it. This is your message right now, Sagittarius: You don’t have to save everyone. You don’t have to heal everything, and you don’t even have to finish the projects you’ve started. But you can’t abandon them entirely, either. Keep showing up. Do what you can today. That’s enough. The work will continue whether or not you complete it. Your part is to not walk away from your own brokenness and the world’s. Stay engaged.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The Talmud teaches that “every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’” I sense that you are now receiving the extra intense influence of your own guardian angels, Capricorn. They aren’t demanding or threatening, just encouraging. Please tune into their helpful ministrations. Don’t get distracted by harsher voices, like your internalized critic, the pressure of impossible standards, or the ghost of adversaries who didn’t believe in you. Here’s your assignment: Create time and space to hear and fully register the supportive counsel. It’s saying: Grow. You’re allowed to grow. You don’t have to earn it. Just grow.

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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Good News in History, January 31

This Day In History

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Jan 31, 2026

George Harrison All Things Must Pass LP cover

56 years ago today, My Sweet Lord by George Harrison reached number 1 on the UK pop charts. It would hold the same position in the US, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, West Germany, Japan, and others. His first single as a solo artist, the song was the first number-one single by an ex-Beatle. It was also a worldwide call to abandon religious secularism by blending the Hebrew word hallelujah with a Vedic mantra in praise of the Hindu god Krishna. READ more… (1970)

Continue

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Jan 31, 2026

Quote of the Day: “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+

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?

18 Outdoor Dogs Rescued from Winter Storm–and One Gives Birth Safe and Warm Inside Shelter

By

Andy Corbley

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Jan 30, 2026

In southeast Missouri, the nonprofit Animal Rescue Corps helped save a pregnant female dog along with 17 others from the snow and freezing temperatures that battered so much of the United States.

Safe and warm at their rescue center outside Nashville, the ARC staff helped her welcome a litter of 9 adorable puppies into the world.

According to ARC, following a call in Doniphan, Missouri, their responders found several adult dogs chained up and multiple litters of puppies roaming freely on the property.

This is not a criminal case, says ARC Executive Director and finalist for the CNN 2025 Hero of the Year award, Tim Woodward, as it was the property owners who took the initiative to ask for help when the winter storm was on the horizon.

“The people living on the property recognized that the number of dogs had grown beyond what they could manage and that they could no longer properly care for the animals,” said Woodward.

“These individuals also agreed to have their personal dogs spayed or neutered immediately at ARC’s expense.”

ARC team members traveled to the area on Thursday night, met with local rescuers on Friday morning and transported seven adult dogs and 11 puppies to its rescue shelter near Nashville, Tennessee later that day, KFVS 12 reported.

Some of the adult dogs that were rescued – credit, ARC

Described as a “situation of uncontrolled reproduction that got out of hand,” the property owners had only gotten hold of the first few dogs after volunteering to help a family member.

ARC doesn’t specialize in adoptions, but rather large scale rescues of multiple animals. Once mentally and medically recovered from the conditions they’re rescued from, and legal custody has been secured, ARC will work through their network of pre-approved 501(c)3 non-profit shelters and rescues where these animals will continue their journey to a loving home.

SHARE This Compassionate Organization’s Great Work With Your Friends…

Citizen Scientist Spots Earth-like Planet: Now Astrophysicists Will Focus Most Powerful Telescopes on it

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Andy Corbley

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Jan 30, 2026

NASAJPL-Caltech; Keith MillerCaltechIPAC — Artist's concept of exoplanet candidate HD 137010 b - credit, NASA/JPL-Caltech/Keith Miller (Caltech/IPAC)

Artist’s concept of exoplanet candidate HD 137010 b – credit, NASA/JPL-Caltech/Keith Miller (Caltech/IPAC)

In a story that proves you don’t have to be a star to find a star, astronomers are excited to train the next generation of telescopes at an Earth-like exoplanet discovered by a citizen scientist.

Alexander Venner, currently studying studying at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, picked his way by hand through the data collected by a now-retired NASA space-based telescope called Kepler, which was used to examine the sky for exoplanets during a survey of 500,000 stars that ended 8 years ago.

Datasets like these are huge, and often combed through with search algorithms, but the PhD student managed what others did not by rolling up his sleeves, so to speak.

“It was completely missed,” Mr. Venner told Science Magazine about his discovery, presented at the Rocky Worlds conference in Groningen. “The best way to detect it was to actually just look.”

The reason it was missed was because the exoplanet orbits a K-dwarf star designated HD 137010. At just 146 light years away, it’s close enough for Kepler to have recorded the presence of such a small planet, and for the most powerful telescopes of the day to record it in great detail.

Scientists look for exoplanets by centering a telescope on a distant star and waiting to see a dip in the star’s light, indicating there’s something orbiting the star large enough to reduce the light signal—a planet. This is called the transit method.

The first man to ever identify an exoplanet this way concluded shortly after there must be millions of them. Indeed, the number of known planets beyond our solar system has passed 6,000, yet those which are Earth-like in orbit and mass number merely a few dozen.

Most exoplanets are large and hot, making for easy detection because of the larger dips in light described earlier. Smaller, Earth-sized, rocky worlds orbiting within their star’s habitable zone are not only of the greatest interest to scientists, they’re also much harder to spot, since they’re cooler and smaller.

This is exactly why Venner was able to discover this planet, called HD 137010b. Search algorithms passed over its faint signal in the Kepler data. Venner came across the data through the Planet Hunters project which recruits citizen scientists and volunteer enthusiasts to search through data from Kepler and other planet-hunting telescopes to look for signals left behind by larger surveys.

Venner was thusly recruited during his time at the Planck Institute. Stumbling upon the signal dip from HD 137010, he and his colleagues determined that a planet—rather than a binary star—best explained the dip, and that by looking at the time between dips and the faintness of the signal, an Earth-sized world with about the same orbit as our planet fit the data.

STUDENTS LOOKING WHERE OTHERS HAVEN’T: The First Amateur Astronomer to Ever Discover a New Moon – And it’s Orbiting Jupiter

Venner and his teams’ findings were presented in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, and they propose that HD 137010b sits on the freezing edge of the habitable zone, attributable to HD 137010’s temperature of about 1,800°F lower than our Sun.

It’s doubly exciting because of the few dozen Earth-sized worlds known to science that orbit in what should theoretically be habitable zones—the not-too-hot/not-too-cold space where temperatures could support liquid water—many orbit M-type stars, which have a nasty habit of obliterating planetary atmospheres by spewing out high energy radiation.

MORE HABITABLE ZONE WORLDS: New Temperate Planet That Could Support Human Life Discovered in Pisces Constellation by UK Scientists

HD 137010b now presents as a really appealing target for two upcoming telescope missions: European Space Agency’s orbital PLATO telescope, a successor to Kepler due to launch in about 1 year, and the Isaac Newton Telescope on the Spanish island of Las Palmas, which is slated to begin the Terra Hunting Experiment in February.

“Many of these instruments are essentially proposing to observe particular stars, bright Sun-like stars, for many years,” in the hopes of randomly chancing upon a potentially habitable planet, Venner says. “The advantage of this star is that we already know there’s a planet with Earth-like properties.”

SHARE This Enterprising Young Student’s Huge Discovery Out In The Cosmos…