A gold-standard scientific trial revealed an existing mosquito control method works not only to reduce insect numbers, but also the diagnoses of dengue fever in the area.
Dengue, also known as “breakbone” fever, is a severe viral infection spread by mosquitoes that can be debilitating when caught, and lethal if caught again.
In Singapore, populations of Aedes egypti, or the Nile mosquito, are controlled by releasing captive-bred male mosquitoes carrying a kind of bacteria called Wolbachia, found on many insect genera.
The Wolbachia in this case have been modified to make any eggs born via breeding with the infected mosquitoes sterile, a technique known as Wolbachia-mediated incompatible insect technique–sterile insect technique (IIT-SIT) according to Medical X Press.
Even though IIT-SIT is practiced in different parts of the world, there has never been a randomized-controlled trial done on its effectiveness at controlling or reducing the transmission of mosquito-born diseases.
Faculty at the Environmental Health Institute in Singapore’s National Environment Agency, along with a few collaborators, selected 15 densely-populated areas of the city-state and randomly divided them into groups that would receive a transplanted swarm of IIT-SIT male mosquitoes, and others that would receive none.
The scientists didn’t know which areas saw the mosquito release when they began to use traps to catch and estimate insect population, and national health statistics to observe the number of dengue fever cases for 20 months.
By study’s end in 2024, the amount of mosquitoes recorded inside the traps set in wards where Wolbachia-infected males were released plummeted 77%. Of residents who tested positive for dengue fever, 21% were recorded in the control areas, while just 6% were found in the study areas—a transmission reduction of around 71%.
The study is the first, scientifically-robust evidence that IIT-SIT with Wolbachia is effective at controlling both dengue and the mosquitoes that spread it; invaluable as the world is living through a sort of dengue explosion.
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John Towey / Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society
John Towey / Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society
A Florida zoo team recently traveled to Zimbabwe after they were asked to help a white rhino suffering from a parasitic eye infection.
They came up with a “ridiculous idea” to corral the wild animal, earn its trust as if it were a horse or dog, and administer eye drops and other care.
It took place outside of Hwange National Park, where a special project called the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative was ongoing to reintroduce members of the southern white rhino subspecies onto communal lands to give locals a stake in the animal’s future.
The Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society CEO Margo McKnight was visiting the area in August of last year when she was alerted to a problem and asked to help: a male rhino named Thunza seemed to be on the verge of scratching himself blind.
“This rhino had bleeding eyes. He was rubbing his eyes,” said the ironically named Mark Butcher, managing director at a local safari lodge supporting the initiative.
“And I was looking at a potential where this guy was gonna lose his eyesight. And this is in a pilot project that’s got fantastic vision for a future for conservation throughout Africa.”
McKnight, along with several animal behaviorists from the Palm Beach Zoo who arrived later, proposed a method they’d been developing with their own animals, where the injured or ill creatures are desensitized to caregiving through their own volition. The essence of what that entailed, however, struck the locals as beyond the pale.
“Believe me, we didn’t think of it; it was a completely ridiculous idea to us,” Daniel Terblanche, a security manager at the safari lodge, told AP. “But without trying all of the things that we could to rectify that situation, we would have been in trouble, I think.”
It entailed coaxing the rhinos into corrals using their favorite food, before gradually helping them grow accustomed to the presence and touch of humans through squirting water on their face, petting them, and pulling gently on their horns.
Within two weeks they were able to get Thunza to come close to them, stay put while the team administered eye drops directly into the infected eye, and train the local security force to do the same in case the infection should return.
The Florida zoo team left excited both about Thunza’s long-term health prospects.
The southern white rhinoceros is the most numerous in the world, and the most widely dispersed across Africa. Like all rhino, they are at severe risk of poaching for their horns, but when measured across the whole of their range, are not considered endangered.
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In the Japanese city of Osaka, one man obviously did, and decided to cash in for the sake of his community.
The mayor and his staff were staggered when they discovered an anonymous resident had presented 21 kilograms of gold bars to the city as a contribution to fix Osaka’s dilapidated municipal water piping.
Built in the post-war economic boom, some 160 miles of municipal water pipes need replacing, and the total investment to do so is far more than the gold. But such high quality investment capital being turned over by a private citizen left the honor-conscious Japanese in the city’s government humbled.
“It’s a staggering amount and I was speechless,” Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said. “Tackling ageing water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation.”
In a statement, Yokoyama’s office said they will strictly honor the donor’s wishes that his capital go to replacing water pipes.
At current rates, the 21 kilos of gold will fetch some 560 million Japanese yen, enough to replace 1.2 miles of pipes.
The third-largest city in Japan, Osaka recorded some 92 cases of pipe leakages, some of which made their presence known by sinkholes appearing along the city’s roadway.
The Guardian’s report on the event said that Osaka’s municipal water system was built even earlier than other cities, and is now aging out that much sooner.
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Jeremy Schwartz, credit, the Cleveland Clinic via SWNS
Jeremy Schwartz, credit, the Cleveland Clinic via SWNS
A man who dreamed he died of a heart attack took it as a sign and was soon diagnosed with a dangerous heart condition.
Jeremy Schwartz had a “vivid” dream in which he suddenly died of a heart attack while climbing Ama Dablam, a 22,000-foot mountain he was due to climb during the then-upcoming month of October, in 2025.
Earlier that year, he rode a bicycle across the whole 1,000 mile length of Italy, and completed a solo, 120‑mile circumnavigation of a mountain range in Albania. In short, he was the last 63-year-old you would imagine suffering a heart attack.
Nevertheless, after waking from his dream, Schwartz immediately searched online for a consultant cardiologist and went for an appointment two days later.
“I’ve never had anything like a premonition before. But this dream was so strong and so clear that it left me with an overwhelming sense of importance and urgency,” Schwartz said. “It was so vivid, clear and memorable.”
Schwartz underwent a heart scan, blood tests, an MRI, a CT scan, and an echocardiogram, before being told he had an aortic aneurysm, a dangerous, weakening and bulging of the aorta that can rupture, just a few days before his flight to the mountain in Nepal.
He was transferred from the consultant to Cesare Quarto, a cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic’s London location, and successfully underwent the David procedure: an open-heart surgery that replaces a diseased aortic root.
Schwartz said his diagnosis came as a “complete shock.”
“I am not a tarot card reader or a spiritualist, and I’m not religious,” said the former executive turned motivational speaker. “I think my subconscious helped make sure I became aware of something that might otherwise have remained hidden.”
The 6-hour surgery was completed without complications, and the staff at the Cleveland Clinic got Schwartz walking almost immediately after surgery.
“It is not the first time I have heard a similar story,” said Dr. Quarto. “I strongly believe some patients have an internal alarm bell that starts ringing. Some are able to hear it, and some aren’t.”
Looking back, Schwartz believes several factors may have contributed to the intuition he felt about his upcoming climbing expedition.
About a year earlier, while on a business trip, he recorded a higher‑than‑normal blood pressure reading.
Additionally, a friend from his local cycling club had died suddenly of a heart attack while riding. And later, he learned on the very day he was scheduled to climb Ama Dablam, another climber on the mountain collapsed and died from a heart attack.
“One of the challenges for men is we often delay taking important medical action,” Schwartz opined. “A lot of these conditions are preventable or treatable if you catch them early.”
“If something feels wrong, it’s not clever or manly to pretend it isn’t. Don’t wait, don’t rationalize, don’t tough it out. Get it checked out. It’s how you get to keep living the life you love.”
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Quote of the Day: “The wish for healing has always been half of health.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Photo by: Blue Diamond Photography (CC license)
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140 years ago today, an American inventor used electrolysis to extract aluminum from aluminum oxide, a process that eventually resulted in reducing the price of aluminum by a factor of 200, making it affordable for many practical uses from soda cans to the Wright Flyer. As small grains amid clay, it was thought by medieval alchemists to be the grains of dirt from a second, currently forming, earth. Today, more aluminum is produced than all other non-ferrous metals combined. The process was discovered by Charles Martin Hall, who helped found the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which became the Aluminum Company of America. READ more… (1886)
Getting out of an abusive relationship is vital, yet packing up and moving out is more than daunting. But, thanks to Meathead Movers, it’s much easier—and doesn’t cost a dime—to leave a spouse or partner behind and start a new future.
For 25 years, California’s largest independently-owned moving company has been helping end domestic violence in their state by offering their moving services for free to those who need it.
Even better, they launched a coalition in 2015 that attracted eight other moving companies in the United States to join them in their mission.
The program they launched, #MoveToEndDV, has inspired over 200 businesses to pledge free services for domestic violence survivors–from moving to self-storage, and even security companies in three California cities that will send a guard during your move.
Last year alone, Meathead Movers completed 106 domestic violence-related moves for free, including eight emergency moves in the cities they serve: San Luis Obispo, Ventura County, Orange County, Fresno and Bakersfield.
Founded by brothers Aaron and Evan Steed, the company is a powerful example of how businesses can create tangible community impact through service.
Courtesy of Meathead Movers
“These moves became very personal to us,” Aaron told GNN in 2015 when we wrote our first story about the CEO of Meathead Movers. “They made all the employees so proud, and became part of our mission statement.”
Aaron’s compassion inspired the owner of a local moving company in Fort Worth, Texas, to reach out and ask how they could offer free services when they were unable to afford the cost. Aaron suggested dedicating just one day per month, with employees volunteering their labor—the most significant expense. Nearly the entire team stepped up.
Today, that company, Veterans Moving America, works with shelters to provide moving services to survivors in Fort Worth—creating a Texas-sized ripple-effect in their own community.
Other moving companies that have joined #MoveToEndDV include:
Veterans Moving America – Fort Worth
Helping Hands Moving and Maids – Salt Lake City, Utah
We Help! Cincinnati Movers – Cincinnati, Ohio
Elite Moving Services – Des Moines, Iowa
Gentle Giant Moving Company – Boston, Massachusetts
Parks Moving & Storage – Pittsburgh, Harrisburg & State College, Pennsylvania
Always Professional Moving – Phoenix, Arizona
Brown Box Movers – Dallas, Texas
How it works
The moving companies are advised to work with local domestic violence-prevention shelters that will screen victims who are requesting a free move. This is to ensure that the victim—whether male or female—is supported throughout the transition—and to keep movers safe.
“What’s good about that is, they can be vetting the requests for help, supporting the women with counseling, and making sure when we went in, the proper restraining orders were in place, or police were on hand if necessary,” explained Aaron.
In 2020, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence took over #MoveToEndDV and assumed facilitation of the program. With NCADV’s national resources and support services for shelters and survivors, this partnership has enabled Meathead Movers to reach and support even more individuals impacted by domestic violence.
MoveToEndDV – Credit: Meathead Movers
If you or your business can donate products or services, or funding for #MoveToEndDV, whether for moving support, security services, handyman work, or auto repair, visit their website here.
That sense of doing good becomes contagious, inspiring employees and communities alike to take part in meaningful acts of kindness.
“These women are completely abandoning their life as they know it and trying to rebuild from scratch, and businesses are rallying together for them,” Aaron said. “We want them to know that people in the community have their back. We want to do this is communities all over the country.”
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A morning after Mardi Gras - credit, Grounds Krewe supplied
A morning after Mardi Gras – credit, Grounds Krewe supplied
Flung plastic beads, coins, and other trinkets can seem like treasures in the heat of a Mardi Gras moment, but if you’ve ever seen the streets of New Orleans the morning after, you’d recognize only trash.
That’s why a coalition of government agencies and nonprofits is creating “seed beads,” biodegradable party favors, and culturally-smart alternatives like bags of Jambalaya spices, as a way of cutting back on this mountain of party waste.
It’s not just about removing this unnecessary burden of 1,123 tons per year from the landfill; it’s a climate necessity, as the countless plastic objects have been found time and time again to clog the stormwater system.
It’s been 22 years since Hurricane Katrina caused one of America’s largest and most destructive weather-related disasters, and anything that impedes the city’s drainage capacity is considered far more than an inconvenience.
Grounds Krewe, one of the nonprofits working to reduce the environmental footprint of Mardi Gras, operates within a coalition organized by the city’s tourism association called Recycle Dat.
At first, the coalition would work to gather up all the Mardi Gras waste, whether drink cans or plastic beads, and either repackage them or recycle them. Founder of Grounds Krewe Brett Davis realized that, unfortunately, the work was clearing the streets of toxic, cheap crap no one wanted and preparing it only to clutter the streets again.
Since the 2024 Mardi Gras season, he’s managed to sell $1 million of interesting and or environmentally sound “throws.” Davis, a New Orleans native, told the New York Times that when he was a kid, there was desperation to catch anything that came off the parade floats that ply the city center.
After regulations came into effect that prevented any logo or identifiable image on objects thrown from the floats, the name of the game became the cheapest, least valuable stuff participants could afford. It led to a kind of “bead fatigue,” and now, most of what’s thrown from the floats is neither caught nor desired.
Davis’ opinion is that this could all change if what’s thrown off the floats is actually interesting. So far he has assembled a large team of volunteers of all age groups to put together tiny burlap sacks of Jambalaya spice, native flower seed mix, or plant-based glitter.
It’s not a totally new idea to throw things of value. In the Carnival culture of Mardi Gras, some floats bring really interesting things like hand-painted coconuts, and the idea of scarcity—of throwing something that people actually want—something rare and interesting, not only reduces the ecological footprint of the event, but brings back some of the animus it had when Davis was young.
Volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of New Orleans assembled throw packets – credit, supplied to the Times by Grounds Krewe
The Times report also covered the work of two University of Louisiana scientists who began experimenting with creating beads from algae. One of the scientists, Naohiro Kato, used 3D printers to form the algae beads, which he filled with okra seeds. This not only helps the beads break down faster as the okra germinates, but encourages those who’ve caught them to pay attention to what it is they’re actually holding.
Another LSU scientist, Qinglin Wu, approached the bead problem differently: using a byproduct of sugarcane production called begasse. These sugarcane beads were thrown out for the first time this year by a long-time float organizer.
“The city used to measure the success of Mardi Gras based on the trash collected,” said Kevin Ferguson, chief of staff for the New Orleans mayor. “But there are a lot of reasons we have to make a change.”
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In northern Alberta, a restorative justice program is making a huge difference in a closely-knit community.
With just 68,000 residents, putting someone from Fort McMurray in prison or juvenile detention has a big impact. Instead, a restorative justice program established for the town’s youth in 2022 has been expanded to include adults, and the results are hugely positive.
Out of 115 participant offenders, only 1 has gone on to re-offend, a demonstration that personal responsibility mixed with forgiveness works when punishment may not.
One case study is that of a young resident called Sam (not his real name) who was “irked” by a comment made by his brother, and in response took a swipe at him with a kitchen knife.
Sam’s brother fortunately disarmed him, while their mother called the police who arrived and arrested the minor for aggravated assault. But instead of a conviction and a criminal record, he was offered a second chance through the restorative justice program.
To be part of the program, the offender must admit fault, and the victim has to agree to be present at that admission. While in the program, Sam got a driver’s license, a job, and, if it can believed, repaired his relationship with his brother such that they still live together in the big logging town.
“It has changed my view on how things could be done and how it actually heals the community as a whole,” Nicole Chouinard, manager of the region’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) victim services and restorative justice programs, told CBC, admitting she used to consider it too “soft.”
Mark Hancock, RCMP chief superintendent, pushed for the program’s expansion to include his Wood Buffalo region and Fort McMurray after seeing its positive impact in Labrador.
“You have to face the person you’ve done the harm to, you have to hear how it affected them and how it affected their supporters as well,” added Hancock, who recounted one man saying that it would be harder than just going to court.
Alberta program data shows that restorative justice is effective at keeping people out of the criminal justice system, and there are now 21 organizations in 11 communities across the province that administer it.
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Quote of the Day: “To fail to love is not to exist at all.” – Mark Van Doren
Photo by: Blue Diamond Photography (CC license)
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?
Advanced 3D printer - Courtesy of MIT scientist Luis Fernando Velásquez-García and team
Advanced 3D printer – Courtesy of MIT scientist Luis Fernando Velásquez-García and team
A broken motor can bring an automated machine factory to a halt—and instead of ordering a replacement part that could take days or weeks to arrive, with costly production delays, it may soon be easier, faster, and much cheaper to make a new motor onsite.
MIT researchers announced on Wednesday that they have developed a multi-material 3D-printing platform that could be used to fully print electric machines in a single step, with 3D materials costing just 50 cents.
They used their new system to produce a fully 3D-printed electric linear motor in a matter of hours using five materials. They only needed to perform one post-processing step for the motor to be fully functional.
The assembled device performed as well or better than similar motors that require more complex fabrication methods or additional post-processing steps.
Their system processes multiple functional materials—including electrically conductive materials and magnetic materials—by using four extrusion tools to handle varied forms of printable material, with the printer squeezing them through a nozzle as it fabricates a device one layer at a time.
In the long run, this 3D printing platform could be used to rapidly fabricate customizable electronic components for robots, vehicles, or medical equipment with much less waste.
“This is a great feat, but it is just the beginning. We have an opportunity to fundamentally change the way things are made by making hardware onsite in one step, rather than relying on a global supply chain. With this demonstration, we’ve shown that this is feasible,” said Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, in MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratories, and the senior author of a paper describing the 3D-printing platform, published in Virtual and Physical Prototyping.
To fabricate an electric machine, the researchers needed to be able to switch between multiple materials that offer different functionalities. For instance, the device would need an electrically conductive material to carry electric current and hard magnetic materials to generate magnetic fields for efficient energy conversion.
Most multi-material extrusion 3D printing systems can only switch between two materials that come in the same form, such as filament or pellet, so the researchers had to design their own. They retrofit an existing printer with four extruders that can each handle a different form of feedstock.
They carefully designed each extruder to balance the requirements and limitations of the material. For instance, the electrically conductive material must be able to harden without the use of too much heat or UV light because this can degrade the dielectric material.
At the same time, the best-performing electrically conductive materials come in the form of inks which are extruded using a pressure system. This process has vastly different requirements than standard extruders that use heated nozzles to squirt melted filament or pellets.
“There were significant engineering challenges. We had to figure out how to marry together many different expressions of the same printing method — extrusion — seamlessly into one platform,” Velásquez-García told MIT News.
The researchers utilized strategically-placed sensors and a unique control framework so each tool is picked up and put down consistently by the platform’s robotic arms, and so each nozzle moves precisely and predictably, ensuring that each layer of material lines up properly—because even a slight misalignment can derail the performance of the finished machine.
Making a motor for 50 cents in materials
After perfecting the printing platform, the researchers fabricated a linear motor, like the ones used in applications like pick-and-place robotics, optical systems, and baggage conveyers.
They fabricated the motor in about three hours, with a total material cost of about 50 cents.
Their 3D-printed motor was able to generate several times more movement than a common type of linear engine that relies on complex hydraulic amplifiers. They only had to magnetize the hard magnetic materials after printing to enable full functionality.
“Even though we are excited by this engine and its performance, we are equally inspired because this is just an example of so many other things to come that could dramatically change how electronics are manufactured,” says Velásquez-García.
In the future, the researchers want to integrate the magnetization step into the multimaterial extrusion process, demonstrate the fabrication of fully 3D-printed rotary electrical motors, and add more tools to the platform to enable monolithic fabrication of more complex electronic devices.
Map showing the results of the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819 - Citynoise, CC 2.5 SA-BY
207 years ago today, Spain sold Florida to the United States as part of the Adams-Onis Treaty. It settled a standing border dispute between the two countries and was considered a triumph of American diplomacy. The cost was equivalent to $537.8 million in today’s dollars priced in gold, but was just 5 million Spanish dollars at the time. Spain had long rejected repeated American efforts to purchase Florida. But by 1818, Spain was facing a troubling colonial situation in which the cession of Florida made sense. READ how it happened… (1819)
Rouble Nagi – submitted to GEMS Education 2026 Global Teacher Prize
Rouble Nagi – submitted to GEMS Education 2026 Global Teacher Prize
An Indian teacher who has established more than 800 learning centers across India for children who have never attended school has been named the winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize from GEMS Education.
Located in over 100 slums and villages, Rouble Nagi’s classrooms offer safe, inspiring spaces to help overcome the challenging conditions shaped by poverty—child labour, early marriage, irregular attendance, and a lack of infrastructure.
Rather than seeing these realities as barriers, Ms. Nagi designs education around real life: flexible schedules for working children, hands-on learning using recycled materials, and practical skills that demonstrate immediate value to families.
As a result, her programs have reduced dropout rates by more than 50% and significantly improved long-term school retention.
Rouble plans to use the $1 million prize money to build a free vocational institute and digital literacy training program to help transform the lives of millions more marginalized young people.
It all started after she was asked to do an art workshop as an artist in her early 20s. “I met a child who’d never seen a pencil, and it was the turning point of my life.” (Watch the video below…)
Rouble Nagi drawing with children – Credit: Apeksha Roy (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Over the last two decades, she has helped bring more than one million children into the formal education system—and one of her not-so-secret weapons is art.
She has transformed abandoned walls into large interactive murals that teach everything from reading, math, and science, to hygiene, history, environmental awareness, and social responsibility.
The murals, funded through her nonprofit Rouble Nagi Art Foundation, are not decorative artworks, but open-air classrooms that draw children into learning, engage parents, and turn entire neighborhoods into partners in education.
“Rouble Nagi represents the very best of what teaching can be – courage, creativity, compassion, and an unwavering belief in every child’s potential,” said Sunny Varkey, who founded the annual Global Teacher Prize and GEMS Education.
Slums of Jaffer Baba Colony were painted bright colors by Rouble Nagi’s Misaal Mumbai project – by Pburka (CC BY-SA 4.0)
“By bringing education to the most marginalized communities, she has not only changed individual lives, but strengthened families and communities.”
Now in its tenth year, the Global Teacher Prize—which collaborates with UNESCO—is the largest award of its kind, with Nagi selected from over 5,000 nominations and applications from 139 countries.
“This moment reminds us of a simple truth: teachers matter. UNESCO is honored to celebrate teachers like you, who, through patience, determination, and belief in every learner, help children into school—an act that can change the course of a life,” said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.
Rouble, who is also the author of the book, The Slum Queen, travels extensively across India, working directly with children in the learning centers and mentoring the teachers who lead them.
She has recruited and trained more than 600 volunteer and paid educators, creating a scalable model that meets children where they are—academically, socially, and economically.
Alongside her work in education, Rouble is an internationally recognized artist. Through the Rouble Nagi Design Studio, she has created more than 850 murals and sculptures and exhibited in 200 shows worldwide, with her work selected for the President of India’s permanent collection.
“Her work reminds us that teachers are the most powerful force for progress in our world.”
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Lake Belton High School volleyball team join seniors at Woodland Cottages
What started as a simple chair volleyball game at a senior living community in Belton, Texas, has grown into a meaningful intergenerational friendship.
The sporty seniors, who proudly call themselves “The Hit Squad,” regularly host friendly chair volleyball matches with members of the Lake Belton High School volleyball team.
The games have become a highlight for both groups, filling the community with energy, laughter, and spirited competition.
“We just laugh and laugh when we practice,” said Hit Squad member Charlotte Wheeler.
And, the relationship has expanded in heartfelt ways beyond the chairs of Woodland Cottages.
The residents traveled to one of the girls’ games recently, cheering from the stands and surprising eight senior athletes with personalized goodie bags during the school’s ‘Senior Night’ celebration.
In return, students have embraced the connection with enthusiasm, visiting often to build friendships—and the impact has been tangible for families and staff.
Girls from Lake Belton High School volleyball team with seniors – Woodland Cottages
“I’m ready to get some wisdom and skills from those who know more than I do,” high schooler Thia Allsion told the Belton Journal.
And, the number of students eager to interact with the senior community has grown.
Seniors make signs of support at Woodland Cottages
“After word of the matches spread across campus, the undefeated Lady Broncos basketball team asked to schedule their own chair volleyball game with residents.”
The story continues to unfold with lively matches, groups cheering in the stands, post-game hugs, and smiles that span generations.
Meanwhile, residents report increased physical activity, stronger social engagement, and a renewed sense of purpose, a Woodland Cottages spokesperson told GNN.
OPEN CONNECTIONS IN YOUR HOMETOWN By Sharing The Idea on Social Media…
Eugene was born to parents Lily and Rocket—and it’s Lily’s first calf.
“Since he was introduced to the rest of the giraffe herd, everybody has been getting along well and they’re really interested in him—and he’s interested in them.
“He’s growing into his own personality, too.”
Eugene’s signature hair-do has made him an instant social media favorite, but having a quirky name like Eugene has added to the charm.
“It really does seem to fit his personality,” says Brassil, who is watching the newborn really “grow into” his name every day.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of February 21, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Big bright transitions are at hand: from thrashing around in the educational mire to celebrating your sweet escape; from wrangling with shadows and ghosts to greeting new allies; from messing around with interesting but confounding chaos to seizing fresh opportunities to shine and thrive. Hallelujah! What explains this exhilarating shift? The Season of Dazzling Self-Adoration is dawning for you Pisceans. In the weeks ahead, you will be inspired to embark on bold experiments in loving yourself with extra fervor and ingenuity.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Saturn has entered Aries. I see this landmark shift as being potentially very good news for you. Between now and April 2028, you will have enhanced powers to channel your restless heart in constructive directions. I predict you will narrow down your multiple interests and devote yourself to a few resonant paths rather than scattering your intense energy. More than ever before, you can summon the determination to follow through on what you initiate. My Saturn-in-Aries prayer: May you be bold, even brazen, in identifying where you truly belong, and never settle for a half‑certain fit.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
I am issuing a Wow Advisory. Consider this your high-voltage wonder alert. Your future may offer you thrilling quests and epic exploits that could be unnerving to people who want you to remain the same as you have been. You will have a knack for stirring up liberating encounters with lavish pleasures and rich feelings that transform your brain chemistry. The rousing mysteries you attract into your sphere may send provocative ripples through your own imagination as well as your web of allies. Expect juicy plot twists. Be alert for portals opening in the middle of nowhere.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, you find anatomical drawings next to flying machine designs, mathematical calculations alongside water flow observations, and philosophical musings interrupted by grocery lists. He moved from painting to engineering to scientific observation as curiosity led him. Let’s make him your inspirational role model for now, Gemini. Disobey categories! Merge categories! Mix and match categories! Let’s assume that your eager mind will create expanded knowledge networks that prove valuable in unexpected ways. Let’s hypothesize that your cheerful rebellion against conventional ways of organizing reality will spawn energizing innovations in your beautiful, mysterious life.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
In falconry, there’s a practice called “weathering.” It involves regularly exposing trained birds to the wild elements so they don’t become too domesticated and lose their wildness. The falconer needs a partner, not a pet. Does that theme resonate, Cancerian? Is it possible that you have been too sheltered lately? Either by your own caution or by well-meaning people who think they’re protecting you? Let’s make sure you stay in touch with the fervent, untamed sides of your nature. How? You could expose yourself to an experience that scares you a little. Take a fun risk you’ve been rationalizing away. Invite touches of rowdiness into your life.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The loudest noise in history? It was the 1883 volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia, heard thousands of miles away. The pressure wave circled the Earth multiple times. I am predicting a benevolent version of a Krakatoa event for you in the coming months. Not literal loudness, but a shiny bright expression of such magnitude that it redefines your world and what people thought was possible from you. Can you be prepared for it? A little. You’ll be wise to cultivate visionary equanimity: a calm willingness to stay focused on the big picture. I predict your big boom will be challenging but ultimately magnificent and empowering.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Buddhism teaches about “near enemies”: qualities that may appear to be virtues but aren’t. For example, pity masquerades as compassion. Clingy attachment pretends to be love. Apathy and indifference pose as equanimity. In the coming weeks, Virgo, I hope you won’t get distracted by near enemies. Your assignment: Investigate whether any of your supposed virtues are actually near enemies. After you’ve done that, find out if any of your so-called negative emotions might harbor interesting powers you could tap into.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Many intelligent people think astrology is dangerous nonsense perpetrated by quacks. For any horoscope writer with an ego, this affront tends to be deflating. Like everyone else, we want to be appreciated. On the other hand, I have found that practicing an art that gets so much disdain has been mostly liberating. It’s impossible for me to get bloated with excess pride. I practice astrology for the joy it affords me, not to garner recognition. So in a backhanded way, a seemingly disheartening drawback serves as an energizing boon. My prediction is that you, Libra, will soon harvest an analogous turnabout. You will draw strength, even inspiration, from what may ostensibly appear to be a liability.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Mycologist Paul Stamets claims mushrooms taught him to think in networks rather than hierarchies. He sees how everything feeds everything else through vast webs of underground filaments. This is Scorpio wisdom at its most scintillating: homing in on the hidden circuitry working below the surface; gauging the way nourishment is distributed incrementally through many collaborative interconnections; seeing the synergy between seemingly separate sources. I hope you will accentuate this mode of understanding in the coming weeks. The key to your soulful success and happiness will be in how well you map the mycelial-like networks, both in the world around you and in your inner depths. PS: For extra credit, study the invisible threads that link your obsessions to each other, your wounds to your gifts, and your rage to your tenderness.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The peregrine falcon dives at speeds exceeding 240 miles per hour, making it the fastest animal on Earth. But before the dive, there’s often a period of circling, scanning, and waiting. The spectacular descent is set up by the patient reconnaissance that precedes it. I believe you’re now in a phase similar to the falcon’s preparatory reconnaissance, Sagittarius. The quality of your eventual plunge will depend on how well you’re tracking your target now. Use this time to gather intelligence, not to second-guess your readiness. You’ll know when your aim is true.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
There’s a certain miracle you could really use right now, Capricorn. But to attract it into your life would require a subtle and simple shift. In a related development, the revelation you need most is concealed in plain sight. To get these two goodies into your life, you shouldn’t make the error of seeking them in exotic locales. Ordinary events in the daily routine will bring you what you need: the miracle and the revelation that will change everything for the better.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Over the last 4,000 years, a host of things have been used as money in addition to precious metals and paper currency. Among them have been cows, seashells, cheese, tobacco, velvet, tulips, elephant tusks, and huge stone wheels. I hope this poetic fact will inspire your imagination about financial matters. In the coming weeks, I expect you’ll be extra creative in drumming up new approaches to getting the cash you need. Here are questions to guide you. Which of your underused talents might be ready to boost your income? What undervalued gifts could you be more aggressive about giving? What neglected treasures or underutilized assets could you use to generate money?
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
Quote of the Day: “Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven.” – John Lubbock
Photo by: Joshua Earle 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?
February 15th, Cherokee Phoenix front page - screengrab
198 years ago today, the first issue of the Cherokee Phoenix was published using the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah. Sequoyah, also known as George Gist, was a Cherokee polymath who was one of the few people in history from a pre-literate group who created the original written system for that group’s language. Just as Sequoyah’s Cherokee language is still in use, the Cherokee Phoenix is still in print today, nearly 200 years after its first publication. READ more about its origins… (1828)
For the first time in over 180 years, a giant tortoise population is once again walking the landscapes of Floreana Island—launching the largest restoration effort ever undertaken on the Galápagos islands.
158 juvenile giant tortoises of Floreana lineage were released his week into their ancestral habitat, marking a historic milestone for the archipelago.
Driven to extinction in the mid-1800s, the Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) had been absent from the island for generations. Its return signals the beginning of a new phase of rewilding under the Floreana Ecological Restoration Project.
“The Project represents one of the greatest challenges undertaken by the Galápagos National Park,” said Lorena Sánchez, the park’s director.
“After years of sustained, science-based work—requiring rigorous studies and patience—the return of the giant tortoises reflects a long-term restoration vision focused on restoring the ecological functionality of Floreana’s ecosystems.”
The Floreana community of approximately 160 residents has been deeply involved in achieving this milestone, from participating in planning workshops to supporting long-term ecological monitoring.
Community engagement has already contributed to notable conservation successes, including the rediscovery of the Galápagos Rail, a rare bird that had not been recorded on the island since Charles Darwin’s first visit to Galápagos.
“For generations, Floreana existed without its giant tortoises,” said Verónica Mora, the community’s representative. “Their return shows what is possible when a community leads and many partners come together with a shared purpose. Our livelihoods, from tourism to agriculture and fishing, depend on the health of this island.”
The tortoises released this week are the result of decades of genetic scientific research led by the Galápagos National Park Directorate.
Genetic studies conducted in the early 2000s revealed that some tortoises living on Wolf Volcano, to the North of Isabela Island, carried ancestry from Floreana—the last living descendants of a lineage long believed to be lost—likely due to historical whaling practices that involved offloading animals before long sea voyages.
Through a carefully managed breeding program, these individuals were raised to form a population that is genetically as close as possible to the original Floreana giant tortoise.
“By identifying tortoises on Wolf Volcano with Floreana ancestry and breeding their descendants, we are returning this species to its island in a form that closely reflects the original lineage—laying a critical scientific foundation for the restoration of Floreana’s ecosystems and the future reintroduction of additional native species,” said Hugo Mogollón, President of Galápagos Conservancy.
As keystone species, tortoises help maintain open habitats, promote native plant growth, and create conditions that allow entire ecosystems to function. Their absence on Floreana altered ecological processes for nearly two centuries. Their return is expected to help restore those processes naturally and drive natural regeneration processes that support a wide range of native plants and animals.
“Habitats are the foundation for biodiversity—the home that allows species to move, live, and evolve naturally over time,” said Rakan Zahawi, Director of the Charles Darwin Foundation.
“Giant tortoises are a critical part of this system. By dispersing seeds, shaping vegetation, creating micro-habitats such as their well-known wallows, and influencing how landscapes regenerate, they help rebuild ecological processes that many other species depend on.”
Now, project partners will continue to evaluate conditions for the next phase of rewilding, which includes iconic species such as the Floreana Mockingbird, Floreana racer snake, Vegetarian Finch, and the Little Vermilion Flycatcher.
The return of the tortoises is also expected to strengthen Floreana’s land–sea connections.
The Galapagos rail – credit: Carlos Espinosa
By dispersing seeds and opening habitats, tortoises help improve nesting and feeding conditions for birds, including species slated for future reintroduction. Healthy seabird populations, in turn, contribute nutrients that support surrounding marine ecosystems, including coral reefs and fisheries.
A global example providing hope for the future
Reaching this moment has taken more than 15 years of dedicated work—and once fully restored, Floreana will stand as the largest ecological restoration project ever undertaken in the Galápagos, a global example of how restoring nature can go hand in hand with strengthening local livelihoods.
The Floreana Ecological Restoration Project is led by Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and Mines through the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD), and executed by the Charles Darwin Foundation, and Island Conservation, and Fundación Jocotoco, with support from the Galápagos Conservancy on the giant tortoise reintroduction.
“This decade of collaborative work now yields a result that couldn’t be possible without all of the partners working together. We restore islands so native species and human communities can thrive together,” said Dr. Penny Becker, CEO of Island Conservation.
“Seeing tortoises walk freely on Floreana once again after more than 180 years shows what’s possible when local partners, global experts, and the community share a vision for recovery.”
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Spinosaurus mirabilis dinosaur Illustration by Dani Navarro for University of Chicago and Professor Paul Sereno with fossil–SWNS
Spinosaurus mirabilis dinosaur Illustration by Dani Navarro for University of Chicago (and) Professor Paul Sereno with fossil – SWNS
Scientists called “astonishing” the first indisputable evidence of a new species of Spinosaurus found in over a century—uncovered in a remote area of the Sahara Desert.
The newly discovered scimitar-crested dinosaur was described as a “hell heron” that fed on fish despite living hundreds of miles from the sea.
Paleontologists say it appears to have been a wading predator of fish like its close relatives, but its habitat was more than 600 miles inland from the Tethys Sea in present day Niger.
Study leader Professor Paul Sereno said the new species called Spinosaurus mirabilis, lived 95 million years ago as a shallow water predator alongside long-necked dinosaurs.
It was similar in size and skeletal form to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus—but was crowned with a unique scimitar-shaped bony crest.
Prof. Sereno said the discovery of the crest was so large and unexpected that the team didn’t initially recognize it for what it was when they plucked it and some jaw fragments from the desert surface.
Returning with a larger team, they found two additional crests, and realized the novelty of the new species they had unearthed.
“This find was so sudden and amazing, it was really emotional for our team,” said Sereno, a professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, who led the 20-person team.
They believe that the crest was brightly colored, curving toward the sky as a blade-shaped beacon, and sheathed in keratin. It may have been used for visual display rather than locomotion or hunting.
Illustration of Spinosaurus mirabilis dinosaur by Dani Navarro for University of Chicago-SWNS
“I’ll forever cherish the moment in camp when we crowded around a laptop to look at the new species for the first time, after one member of our team generated 3D digital models of the bones we found to assemble the skull—on solar power in the middle of the Sahara.
“That’s when the significance of the discovery really registered.”
The fossil find, described in the journal Science, may represent a ‘third phase’ of evolution of the massive, fish-eating dinosaurs, according to the research team.
Previously, spinosaurid bones and teeth had only been found principally in coastal deposits not far from the shoreline, leading some experts to believe that the fish-eating theropods may have been fully aquatic, pursuing prey underwater.
But the new fossil area in Niger documents animals that were living inland, up to 620 miles from the nearest marine shoreline.
The researchers say that the “striking” interdigitating upper and lower tooth rows made a deadly trap for slippery fish.
“I envision this dinosaur as a kind of ‘hell heron’ that that had no problem wading on its sturdy legs into two meters of water, but probably spent most of its time stalking shallower traps for the many large fish of the day,” Sereno explained.
Their proximity to partial skeletons of long-necked dinosaurs—all buried in river sediments—suggest they lived in a forested inland habitat dissected by rivers, according to the research team.
What inspired him to go to the desert in the first place–and fall in love with it
The journey that culminated in the new discovery started with a single sentence in a monograph from the 1950s: a French geologist mentioned finding a single saber-shaped fossilized tooth resembling those of the giant predator Carcharodontosaurus found in Egypt’s Western Desert at the turn of the last century.
“No one had been back to that tooth site in over 70 years,” he says.
“It was an adventure. A year and a half wandering into the sand seas to search for this locale and then find an even more remote fossil area with a new species.”
Spanish paleontologist Dan Vidal hovers over a collection of fossils, including the crest and jaw pieces of a new scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species – SWNS
The team ended up meeting a local Tuareg man who led them on his motorbike deep into the center of the Sahara, where he had seen huge fossil bones.
After nearly a full day of travel, they reached the site—where the team found teeth and jaw bones of the new species of Spinosaurus.
“There’s nowhere else like the Sahara. If you can brave the elements and are willing to go after the unknown, you might just uncover a lost world.
“Now all of the young scholars who joined me are co-authors on the report gracing the cover of Science.”
The dinosaur fossil will now be showcased in the Museum of the River, in Niger’s capital of Niamey, a zero-energy institute that Prof. Sereno founded.
“The local people we work with are my lifelong friends now, including the man who led us to Jenguebi and the astonishing spinosaur.
“They understand the importance of what we’re doing together, for science and for their country.”
Back in Chicago, his team cleaned and then CT scanned the teeth and bones, assembling a digital rendering of the skull for the research report.
Using the rendering, Prof. Sereno worked with paleo-artist Dani Navarro in Madrid to create an action scene involving a reconstruction of the new species towering over a coelacanth carcass.
Navarro then created a detailed 3D physical model of S. mirabilis by adding flesh over a skeletal reconstruction. The team also prepared a replica of the newly discovered skull and a touchable, colorful model of the scimitar crest.
Both replicas will be added to Sereno’s dinosaur exhibit at the Chicago Children’s Museum on on March 1, where youngsters will be among the first to get up close and personal with the latest dinosaur find.
“Letting kids feel the excitement of new discoveries – that’s key to ensuring the next generation of scientists who will discover many more things about our precious planet worth preserving.”
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