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After 5 Year Ban on Direct Flights Between China and India, Border Relations Thaw as Planes Resume

By
Andy Corbley
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An Air China Airbus A330 - credit: Can Pac Swire, CC 2.0. Flickr
An Air China Airbus A330 – credit: Can Pac Swire, CC 2.0. Flickr

There are few things as important for global human flourishing as keeping the two most populous nations, which happen to be two of the 5 largest national manufacturers, at peace.

That’s exactly what foreign ministry delegations from India and China have worked towards for a number of months, culminating in a recent agreement to resume the commercial flight traffic that once totaled 500 direct trips per month.

Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have remained frosty since a 2020 clash high in the Himalayas.

Along a disputed border over 12,000 feet above sea level in a Himalayan region called Ladakh, both sides claim territory the other considers theirs. This dispute hasn’t boiled over into conflict since the 1960s. However, in 2020, squadrons of troops clashed while running into each other on patrol. No shots were fired, in keeping with a ceasefire agreement from the ’70s, but the forces opted to engage in something like a street brawl, leaving over 20 dead.

Direct flights between India and China were suspended, Indian Buddhist pilgrims were prevented from visiting Tibet, numerous Chinese apps, products, and investments were banned in India, and security presences along the disputed “Line of Actual Control” in Ladakh grew menacingly dense.

But the Asian giants are set for a defrost after high-level meetings led by foreign ministers Wang Yi and S. Jaishankar.

A map from the CIA World Factbook annotated with border disputes between India and China.

“The improvement and development of China-India relations is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

MORE POSITIVE DIPLOMACY: Historic Prisoner Swap Frees Americans Held in Russia After Years-Long, Multi-Nation Diplomacy

Flights were interrupted by COVID-19 restrictions, and though service between India and Hong Kong resumed, those of the mainland did not.

Other restrictions, including controls on the grazing rights of the Himalayan cultures in Ladakh, and Chinese-imposed restrictions on access to Tibet, have also been lifted recently.

OTHER INDIAN NEWS: India Law Allows Villagers to Claim 2000 Acres of Bamboo Forest to Turn Poverty into Prosperity

On the Hindu holiday of Diwali, Chinese military units visited the Indian border checkpoints loaded with presents to offer their counterparts as a preview of these warming relations on the very brow of the world

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A Breath Closer to Alzheimer’s Cure: How Xenon Gas Could Transform Treatments

By
Andy Corbley
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Xenon gas is a common general anesthesia - credit, CC 2.0. ISAF Photo by US Air Force Senior Airman Rylan K. Albright)
Xenon gas is a common general anesthesia – credit, CC 2.0. ISAF Photo by US Air Force Senior Airman Rylan K. Albright)

A general anesthetic has been found to have the potentially added benefit of stimulating a neuroprotective effect against Alzheimer’s disease.

Xenon is a colorless, odorless noble gas used for many purposes in science, but a recent study in mice found it stimulated the brain’s resident immune system, which can protect against Alzheimer’s, leading to reduced neuroinflammation and minimized brain atrophy, and promoted protective neuronal states.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in humans. Believed to be caused by the build-up of toxic proteins called tau and beta-amyloid in the brain, drugs that clear these snags haven’t been able to slow the progression of the disease. As a result, neither the driver nor the cure is well-understood.

Microglia, the brain’s most common immune cell, play a critical role in preventing cognitive decline throughout life, and coupled with cerebral spinal fluid, actually help remove tau and amyloid proteins.

Inhaled Xenon gas was found in laboratory work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to treat a mouse model of Alzheimer’s in which one group was suffering from a build-up of tau, and a second from a build-up of beta-amyloid.

Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, Xenon gas seemed to perk the mice right up, which became particularly active in the building and maintaining of their nests. Post-trial examinations found that the gas induced and increased a protective microglial response typical of the kind that clears tau and beta-amyloid proteins.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: A Deep Sleep Clears the Mind at Night Like a Dishwasher Cleaning–But Beware of Sleeping Pills

“It is a very novel discovery showing that simply inhaling an inert gas can have such a profound neuroprotective effect,” said senior and co-corresponding author Oleg Butovsky, PhD and director of the lab where the research took place at Brigham and Women’s.

“One of the main limitations in the field of Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment is that it is extremely difficult to design medications that can pass the blood-brain barrier—but Xenon gas does. We look forward to seeing this novel approach tested in humans.”

MORE ALZHEIMER’S NEWS: Alzheimer’s Memory Loss Reversed in Mice After Scientists Discover Method to Form New Brain Cells

“It is exciting that in both animal models that model different aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid pathology in one model and tau pathology in another model, that Xenon had protective effects in both situations,” said senior and co-corresponding author David M. Holtzman, MD.

Healthy volunteers are currently being enrolled at the hospital for a phase 1 trial on dosage and safety. Sci Tech Daily reports the team is also devising technologies to help use Xenon gas more efficiently as well as to potentially recycle it.

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New Class of Matter Behaves Like a Solid and a Granule in Way Never Seen Before

By
Andy Corbley
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Credit: Professor Daraio Chiara / Caltech
Credit: Professor Daraio Chiara / Caltech

From the depths of the engineering department at California Technical Institute comes a big one: a new class of matter.

Though scientists are trained not to be, maybe laboratory director Chiara Daraio was being hyperbolic when she described the new material as such, but she and the team that invented it claim it behaves as both a solid and a grain.

The materials are called polycatenated architectured materials, or PAMs, and when they are compressed, they act like the hard crystalline latticework in a solid, but when they are subjected to sheer force or lateral force, they behave like a Newtonian liquid, or more specifically, like a grain—such as sand or rice—simply reorganizing their structure to accommodate the motion.

A little like the autolock on a seatbelt, only when the compressive force is ended completely do the PAMs revert to their granular, or liquid state.

“We all have a clear distinction in mind when we think of solid materials and granular matter,” Daraio told Caltech Press. “Solid materials are often described as crystalline lattices. This is what you see in the classic ball-and-stick models of atomic, chemical, or larger crystalline structures.”

“It is these materials that have formed our conventional understanding of solid matter. The other class of materials is granular, as we see in substances like rice, flour, or ground coffee. These materials are made up of discrete particles, free to move and slide relative to one another,” she said, adding that PAMs defy this binary classification.

“With PAMs, the individual particles are linked as they are in crystalline structures, and yet, because these particles are free to move relative to one another, they flow, they slide on top of each other, and they change their relative positions, more like grains of sand.”

On a very technical level, the team behind their design used computer modeling to mimic how the lattice-work structure in a solid is formed while replacing the fixed particles at the level of the joints with linked ones which allow for dynamic movement and interchangeability between the elements in an essentially infinite number of possible configurations.

There’s something in the invention reminiscent of medieval chain mail, which was designed to prevent the shearing force of blades with hardness, and absorb and disperse incoming energy like water.

PAMs were brought to life in Daraio’s lab using 3D printing after experimenting with different materials, from acrylic polymer to metal.

CONTINUE EXPLORING THIS TOPIC: Shape-Shifting Fiber Produces Fabrics That Shrink or Expand in Real-Time and Fit into Existing Manufacturing

“We started with compression, compressing the objects a bit harder each time. Then we tried a simple shear, a lateral force, like what you would apply if you were trying to tear the material apart,” explained Wenjie Zhou, a postdoctoral scholar in Daraio’s lab.

“Finally, we did rheology tests, seeing how the materials responded to twisting, first slowly and then more quickly and strongly.”

MORE FUTURISTIC INVENTIONS: Holographic 3D Printing Has the Potential to Revolutionize Multiple Industries, Researchers Demonstrate

Daraio herself described them as really a “new class of matter” and said that they can take the form of squishy substances or metal substances as the case may be.

In terms of applications, the potential is vast, but soft robotics, biomedical tech, and a variety of protective, insulative gear and equipment appear as obvious fields and products for PAMs.

WATCH how these materials move in one’s hand…

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“America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense… human rights invented America.” – Jimmy Carter

By
Good News Network
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By Andrej Lisakov for Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense… human rights invented America.” – Jimmy Carter

Photo by: Andrej Lisakov 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?

By Andrej Lisakov for Unsplash+

California Fire Chief Saves Altadena Homes from Blaze with Nothing but Milk and ‘a Couple Beers’

By
Andy Corbley
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Fire Chief Brian Fennessy - supplied to GNN by the Orange County Fire Authority
Fire Chief Brian Fennessy – supplied to GNN by the Orange County Fire Authority

A California fire chief single-handedly saved his brother’s house and that of his neighbor, armed only with a carton of milk and a few beers.

Brian Fennessy said that was a first despite an almost 50-year career in firefighting.

As soon as Fennessy heard about the Eaten Fire springing in the canyon above Altadena, he was on his way to check on his brother. Unable to get in contact with them, the fire chief was going to help if he could.

But as he arrived in Altadena he got the phone call he so desperately wanted: confirmation that his brother and family had safely evacuated. Already in the area, Fennessy told KACB and CBS’ 60 Minutes that he thought he might as well check on his brother’s property.

Passing building after building either completely on fire or already burnt to the foundations, he found his brother’s home unengulfed along with the neighbor’s. However, he soon saw the gas meter in the back of the house had caught fire. Nearby, there was a hose, but no water came out.

“I thought I’ll check the refrigerator and all that was in there was some milk and a couple beers,” Fennessy told KABC.

MORE FIREFIGHTING STORIES: Hundreds Credit Hero’s Early Weather Predictions for Saving Them from the Eaton Fire

“Went back out and kind of ran back there and cooled it off and pulled it back a little bit,” he added. “It wasn’t completely out, so I wasn’t sure if it was going to rekindle, but it was all I could do.”

ELSEWHERE IN CALIFORNIA: Guitar Center is Replacing Instruments Lost in L.A. Wildfires With New Initiative

As it turned out, it was enough, and the two homes remained the only ones in the whole neighborhood not burned down.

WATCH the story from ABC7 News… 

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Two Hundred Companies Sign Up for Permanent Four-Day Work Week in the UK

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit Anna Dziubinska on Unsplash
– credit Anna Dziubinska on Unsplash

A group of 200 UK businesses and charities have signed a pledge that company work weeks will be shortened to 4 days without a loss in pay

Including marketing and advertisement; tech, it, and software; and charity groups as well, the companies employ more than 5,000 people.

Organized by the 4 Day Week Foundation, it follows something less than a trend but more than a fad in which a mixture of employees and executives believe that a happier, more balanced workforce is key to driving productivity.

That balance, they would argue, can be achieved by far more people through the reduction of the 5-day work week to a 4-day one.

“[With] 50% more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives,” Joe Royle, the foundation’s campaign director, told the Guardian.

“As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers.”

This sentiment isn’t shared by all workplaces, but market competition should demonstrate over time whether or not firms that implement unorthodox work hours are in fact as productive or more so than traditional ones.

Economics says that with all else being equal, if enjoying more free time leads to greater employee retention and motivation, then these 4-day work week firms will begin to out-compete the old ones, which in turn will be forced to adapt or risk losing market share.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Iceland Trots Out Service That Lets Horses Reply to Work Emails While You’re On Vacation

London firms have been the most enthusiastic, with 59% of the 200 workplaces being located in the capital. With so many firms for talented workers to choose from, it’s no wonder that some are looking to seek advantage in attracting this talent through more desirable working terms.

IN THE SAME VEIN: Instead of To-Do Lists, Your Wellbeing May Be Crying Out for a ‘To-Don’t’ List

Last year, GNN reported extensively on a report that was released by a county government in Washington called San Juan, detailing their one-year experiment with a 32-hour, or 4-day work week. In the report, quitting and retiring decreased by 48%, while 55% of employees said their workflow wasn’t interrupted even though they lost an entire working day’s worth of time to complete it.

Even in the famously hard-working nation of Japan, a 4-day workweek seems to strengthen productivity.

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Courtship, Escaping Predators, or Just for Fun: Why Do Stingrays Jump Out of the Water?

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit: Ross Long, supplied to ABC News
– credit: Ross Long, supplied to ABC News

String rays and manta rays don’t just have wings for show—they actually use them to fly out of the water and through the air.

Described as “one of the most remarkable sights in the sea” by researchers studying ray breaching, it is as remarkable as it is mysterious; no one knows for sure why rays breach.

– credit: Maria Brava, supplied to ABC News

In the pristine tropical waters around Heron Island in southeast Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef, Associate Professor Ian Tibbetts from the University of Queensland’s School of Environment has studied rays for years.

The stingrays in the area commonly find it in their interest to breach, leaping over 10 feet above the water before plunging back down. Both the large-bodied manta ray and the smaller stingrays, especially eagle rays, will breach, and the working hypothesis is that it helps remove parasites stuck to the ray’s skin.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Fish Swim in Schools for Stealth–as 100 Fish Make Less Noise Than an Individual Swimming Alone

However, it’s also theorized as being a courtship ceremony, a dominance display between rival males, and even a fun way to pass the time.

“I rather like the fun idea, right? if you can, why not?” Dr. Tibbets said to ABC News Down Under. 

– credit: Mathias Di Prospero, supplied to ABC News
Heron Island – credit: University of Queensland

Tibbets said that it’s the eagle rays that are the most common “fun jumpers” but mobula rays also jump—sometimes to confuse predators chasing them in shallow water.

“It’s seldom caught on camera because it’s quite a rapid event, but sometimes rays will have a series of jumps,” he said.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Watch a Huge Spotted Eagle Stingray Glide Majestically Around Scuba Diver

Yet another theory posits that multiple belly-flopping stingrays help send a loud underwater message to any itinerant rays that may have strayed from the group.

ABC News reports that the waters around Heron Island are a hotspot for watching ray jumping. This tiny never-before-inhabited spit of land is the center point of a national marine sanctuary that protects thousands of acres of lovely ocean habitat for reef sharks, sea turtles, colored fish of every description, and 12 species of ray.

SHARE This Great Diving Destination And Its Enigmatic Rays With Your Friends…

New Base Editing Gene Therapy Cures its First Patient: A Sickle-Cell Sufferer Now in the ‘Gym Every Day’

By
Andy Corbley
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Branden Baptiste - credit: Michael Goderre / Boston Children’s Hospital.
Branden Baptiste – credit: Michael Goderre / Boston Children’s Hospital

Though GNN has reported that several sickle cell disease patients have already been successfully treated with CRISPR gene editing technology, a new method of addressing this debilitating condition has been successfully demonstrated.

Braden Baptiste has had sickle cell crises since he was a toddler. It left him missing large chunks of school, left him repeatedly hospitalized, forced him to get replacement hips, and even threatened his life when his blood cells, through forming sickle shapes, had trouble reaching his heart.

“Now I’m going to the gym every day, doing cardio and weight lifting,” said Baptiste, the 20 year old recipient of a more precise gene editing protocol called base editing.

Put simply, wherein CRISPR involves the artificial facilitation of a break across one or both strands of DNA, base editing utilizes enzymes to modify single amino acids at the most foundational unit of DNA, called a base.

Boston Children’s Hosptial, where Baptiste was treated, describe base editing as a spell check. Using the targeting ability of a CRISPR product, physicians were able to reach a single base. There are four: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).

The experimental pharma company Beam Therapeutics has a base editing treatment that chemically transform one base into another—changing C to T, or A to G, for example. These small changes can correct a point mutation, silence a disease-causing gene, or help activate a specific gene.

In this case, it was correcting for a mutation in the hemoglobin that’s part of an ancient human adaptation to protecting the body from the malaria parasite and which has the occasional side effect of causing red blood cells to change into sickle shapes and get caught in the blood stream.

“Sickle cell disease has a broad spectrum of severity, and the severity and frequency of complications can wax and wane,” Matthew Heeney, MD, Baptiste’s long-time hematologist at Boston Children’s Hospital said in a news release.

“Unfortunately, Branden was quickly acquiring many of the chronic complications of sickle cell disease, including organ dysfunction affecting his kidneys, lungs, joints, and eyes.”

Baptiste became eligible for an experimental trial of base editing called BEACON. By October 2023, after a year of tests to ensure he was physically capable in his diminished state to handle the procedure, it began with a sample of his blood stem cells.

OTHER NEWS LIKE THIS: ‘Exciting’ New CAR T-cell Treatment for Lupus Could End the Need for Lifelong Medication

These were then transferred to a separate facility where the base editing would take place. Using chemotherapy, his team then killed off all the diseased blood stem cells in his bone marrow, after which he was ready to receive his own stem cells back in November.

Boston Children’s Hospital write that while waiting for the effects of the infusion to kick in, Baptiste watched all eight seasons of Netflix’ legal drama, Suits. 

Apart from being seemingly cured, Baptiste was back at home in time for Christmas Eve to everyone’s surprise.

MORE GENETIC MODIFICATIONS: Gene Therapy at Duke Improves NC Dad’s Failing Vision Just in Time for His Baby’s Birth

“In my opinion, I’m perfect. I never felt fine before—before, ‘fine’ was moderate pain I could take deep breaths through. Now I’m more than fine. I’m operating in every way possible.”

“I used to always try to exercise, but every little movement would cause joint pain, and exhaustion would also cause pain,” he says. “Now I’m going to the gym every day, doing cardio and weight lifting.”

SHARE This Inspiring Breakthough Moment In Genetic Therapy… 

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” – Indira Gandhi

By
Good News Network
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By Mel Lituanas

Quote of the Day: “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” – Indira Gandhi

Photo by: Mel Lituañas

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?

By Mel Lituanas

Officer Crowdfunds $40K for Pizza Driver Who Only Got $2 Tip in Snowstorm Delivery

By
Andy Corbley
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Conner Stephanoff - credit Officer Craig, via TikTok
Conner Stephanoff – credit Officer Craig, via TikTok

When a pizza delivery driver walked away from the door of an affluent house with nothing but a $2 tip, he didn’t realize it would change his life.

$2 dollars doesn’t sound like much, but it earned the attention of a local police officer, who, astounded and distraught with the lack of generosity shown to the driver, set up a GoFundMe to try and help him out.

A blizzard was belting Brownsburg, Indiana, and out in the middle of it was Conner Stephanoff, trying to keep the mail-like delivery standard of local pie-maker Rock Star Pizza.

In nothing but some sweats and a pair of Nikes, Stephanoff walked half a mile when the road to the address was closed. He got the $40 order to its buyer, and got $2.15 as a reward.

Nearby was police officer Richard Craig who was stopped by a crash. Seeing Stephanoff walking through the drifty sidewalk, Craig whipped out his phone and started recording an impromptu interview for his popular TikTok account.

After hearing how far he had walked, and the extent of the tip, Craig lost it.

@officercraig $2 TIP SHOULD BE A CRIME! Whoever did this: #SHAMEFUL ROCKSTAR PIZZA HAS A ROCKSTAR DRIVER. (Brownsburg, IN.) This guy is a RARE breed. During today’s all day snowstorm, crashes and slideoffs were coming in near 30 calls an hour. This school bus had a minor crash. The bus slid backwards and sideways down a hill and gets stuck, blocking this neighborhood street, and making it completely impassable. The roads were so bad, it took us 20 min. to get 3-4 miles. THIS #DELIVERYDRIVER pulled up before officers arrived. The delivery was about 1/4 mile past where the bus was blocking the street. This young man did not allow this to discourage him. He didn’t call his manager to complain, he didn’t call the customer and tell them their $40 pizza order could not be delivered. Oh no. THIS MAN IS BUILT DIFFERENT. He would not be discouraged by the obstacles he was encountering, which included a 1/2 mile hike round trip in the cold, wet snow. He parked his vehicle at the top of the hill, got out, wearing grey sweats, Nikes, and NO COAT nor GLOVES. He grabbed this #RockstarPizza, and took off hiking thru the very cold, and wet snow with the pizza in tow. It was the beginning of his shift at 4:30p on a Friday afternoon, BUT he was determined this family got their pizza. This is in a more affluent neighborhood, and I’m sure he thought he would be rewarded properly for his RARE display of PRIDE and DEDICATION to his work- that is often times not seen by some of his generation. But more so, he wanted to ensure this family got their pizza to their door! So they did not have to leave the confines of their warm, comfortable, AND VERY NICE home. He got my attention as I see him walking in the middle of street after he made the delivery. I said outloud “what does this guy think he is doing?” As I initially thought he was a neighbor coming to “rubberneck” the crash. The bus driver told me he walked by once and was delivering a pizza. I didn’t believe that fully because what young pizza delivery guy in 2025 would do this??? None that I know! Not believing it completely, I hit RECORD and ask this young man. I was dumbfounded and in disbelief when he confirmed. But most of all - I was impressed- AND STILL AM! I’m proud to witness this firsthand. But my excitement and pride quickly turned to frustration when I asked him about his tip. WHO TIPS A GUY WHO RISKS EVERYTHING TO DRIVE FOOD TO YOUR DOOR LIKE THIS?? Let alone, gets out to hike it to you while every road was nearly impassable! I REALLY HOPE this algorithm is good enough that whomever DID THIS, SEES THIS! You should be ashamed of yourself whoever u are!! SHAME ON YOU. A $40 pizza delivered and a $2 tip! EVERYONE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD CAN AFFORD IT. AND IF THEY CANT, STOP ORDERING PIZZA YOU CANT AFFORD! After processing he only received $2, and what I just witnessed, I reached for my own wallet. To PAY THE TIP FOR SOMEONE THAT PROBABLY MAKES DOUBLE MY SALARY. But I did not want this young man discouraged. Unfortunately my wallet was in my Tahoe, which was at the top of the big hill. I quickly as I could chased him down up the hill giving him the little cash I had in my wallet. (About $15) HE DESERVED MUCH MORE. Not sure who this guy is, BUT IF YOU DO, PLZ TAG HIM, SHOW HIM SOME ❤️❤️❤️ AND GIVE HIM THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVES! Well done sir.🫡#IncredibleWork #Rockstar #Brownsburg #Indiana #delivery #Driver #snow #PizzaGuy #pizza @Dave Portnoy #LifeLawAndFootball #dedicated #workethic @Pat McAfee Show Clips ♬ original sound - Officer Craig

“Look at this man. This man walked through hell and high water to deliver a pizza!” Officer Richard Craig said.

Shortly after that, Officer Craig posted another video of himself in the snow explaining how he ran back to his car to give Stephanoff all the cash he had in his wallet.

GREAT CROWDFUNDING STORIES:

“Look at these homes, they absolutely had the means to tip this young man. Absolutely insane. Do better folks!” he said, announcing in the video description that he had set up a GoFundMe to try and get Stephanoff a $500 reward.

An anonymous donor dished out $1,500, while almost 2,000 people raised $39,000 at the time of publishing: all to show a delivery driver they appreciated him.

“I still don’t believe it’s real but it is,” Stephanoff told WRTV Indianapolis. The owner of Rock Star Pizza, Ron Mathews, says Stephanoff is well deserving of the attention.

“He wasn’t here in the restaurant; he had no idea people were watching him. But he got out, walked it to the house, and came back without any expectations,” Mathews said.

SHARE This Wronged And Richly Rewarded Delivery Driver With Your Friends…

Rare Pterosaur Fossil Bears a Crocodile Bite from 76 Million Years Ago

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit: University of Reading, released.
– credit: University of Reading, released.

76 million years ago, a young pterosaur dropped down from the skies to the water’s edge. Perhaps looking for a snack in the form of a prehistoric fish, the juvenile almost ended up becoming a meal itself.

Or it may actually have, we’ll never know for certain, but a punctured vertebrate fossil uncovered in Canada shows that ancient crocodilians preyed, or at least scavenged, on pterosaurs; a remarkable discovery.

– credit: Brown et al, University of Reading

Excavated in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, during a 2023 study trip led by Dr. Brian Pickles from the University of Reading, the single cervical vertebrate bore a smooth, conical puncture at one end.

CT scans and analysis of the bite mark suggest it was a crocodile, but the researchers were not able to deduce whether the croc was feeding on a carcass as modern crocs commonly do, or was ambushing the flying reptile after it descended.

Several species of ancient crocodiles inhabited the region covered by Dinosaur Provincial Park in the Late Cretaceous period when the pterosaur, called Cyrodrakon boreas, existed there.

“Pterosaur bones are very delicate—so finding fossils where another animal has clearly taken a bite is exceptionally uncommon. This specimen being a juvenile makes it even more rare,” said Dr. Caleb Brown from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology and lead author of the paper.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Near-Complete Pterosaur Skeleton Obtained in Police Raid Reveals Stunning Details About the Species

C. boreas would have been one of the largest flying animals ever. An adult stood tall as a giraffe, with a wingspan as long as a small bus. But the juvenile that Pickles and his study group found probably had a wingspan of just over 6 feet, making it well within the prey size for ancient crocs.

MORE FASCINATING FOSSILS: A Burrowing Dinosaur? More Evidence from Utah Suggests that Some Dinos Were Happier Underground

In the study, the authors detail how despite being one of the most widely dispersed clades of prehistoric reptiles, pterosaurs rarely feature in well-documented paleoecologies. Their hollow bones and habitat make it difficult to ascertain their place in the food web and the relations they had with the surrounding species.

The crocodile puncture mark is a violent, and suddenly crystal clear insight into at least one of these relations: pterosaurs, if they were small enough, or already dead, were definitely on the menu.

SHARE This Fascinating Discover From The Age Of The Dinosaurs… 

After Ravens Player Drops Ball to End Playoff Hopes, Opposing Bills Fans Honor Him, Raise $140k for His Charity

By
Good News Network
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Ravens tight end Mark Andrews – By Maryland GovPics via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews in the end zone – By Maryland GovPics via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Losing football games often leaves fans wounded, no matter which team you root for—and Baltimore Ravens supporters are all too familiar with the feeling. But out of their blues came this sweet story from the NFL playoffs last week, after a heartbreaking loss to the Buffalo Bills in the final minutes of the Divisional Round game.

The next day, a Buffalo Bills fan group set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised a ton of money for a charity in honor of the Ravens player that fans were relentlessly blaming for the loss.

Late in the 4th quarter of the Bills’ home game, the Ravens put together a 7-play drive to score a touchdown with less than two minutes on the clock.

Needing a two-point conversion to tie the game, Ravens’ tight end Mark Andrews made his way into the end zone, then caught—but dropped—a pass from his star quarterback.

A barrage of hate was hurled at the tight end, both online and in the stadium.

Meanwhile, the fan base of the victorious New York team (who call themselves ‘the Bills Mafia’) are known for cheekily donating to charitable causes held dear by players on opposing teams that the Bills defeat. And this week, a pair of sympathetic young men wanted to show some love to Mark Andrews, the tight end who dropped that ball.

Andrews is one of several players in the NFL born with type-1 diabetes, and his success has seen him make donations to a global research effort called Breakthrough T1D that works to find a cure for the cureless disease.

Bills Mafia member Nicholas Howard set up the fundraiser, writing on GoFundMe, “As many of you know, the Ravens tight end wasn’t able to catch the game-tying 2-point conversion… On top of that, he has been receiving death threats and nasty comments after his performance last night. We want Bills Mafia to donate to Mark’s charity for Juvenile diabetes.”

Setting their goal for $5,000, the call to donate went viral after it was retweeted by the Ravens franchise, which replied, “Shout out to Bills Mafia for showing support to our guy Mark Andrews and donating to the organization, which works towards curing and improving the lives of those dealing with type 1 diabetes.”

Then, just like the avalanche of criticism online, the kindness snowballed to amass $140,000 for Mark’s favorite charity.

LATEST GOOD NEWS IN SPORTS: Ichiro Suzuki Continues Crushing Baseball Records with Nearly Unanimous Hall of Fame Election

Mark Andrews –Courtesy of Breakthrough T1D

The diabetes charity said in a statement to GNN, “Breakthrough T1D greatly appreciates the generosity of the Buffalo Bills community and the many fans who were compelled to donate after Sunday’s game. These donations will support research on behalf of the 1.6 million Americans who, like Mark Andrews, live with type-1 diabetes.”

GOODFundMes: High Schoolers Surprise Janitor From Ghana with Dream Car: a Red Jeep in Time for His Birthday

Football fans summed up the heartwarming campaign, after donating: “Tough game Mark. Bills Mafia has your back,” wrote Matt Beland.

“Thanks for your hard work on and off the field!” wrote Jarrod Caprow. “A true community player!”

WATCH the Andrews drop and a news report about the heartwarming donations…

SHARE This Awesome Display Of Generosity (And Cheek) With Your Friends… 

Latest Digging from Pompeii Turns Up Large Private Spa Built to Spoil Wealthy Visitors

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit Archaeological Park of Pompeii Press Office, released.
One of the spa rooms with mosaic flooring – credit Archaeological Park of Pompeii Press Office, released.

Though it is a pretty standard piece of Roman civicscape, a spa unearthed in Pompeii is dazzling archaeologists with its level of detail and preservation.

Decorated in sumptuous mosaics and featuring hot and cold rooms as well as bathing pools, the spa was found in a largely unexplored region of the Pompeii site called Regio IX.

– credit Archaeological Park of Pompeii Press Office, released.

Several major discoveries in the last 4 or 5 years have come from Regio IX, which is revealing so much about how the Classical Romans lived, organized society, and vied for power.

“We have here perhaps the largest thermal complex in a private house in Pompeii,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological park. “The members of the ruling class of Pompeii set up enormous spaces in their homes to host banquets.”

“It was an opportunity to show the wealth in which they lived and also to have a nice thermal treatment,” he explained to AP.

The spa had a cold pool and a steam room. In total 30 people could do a full bathing and steaming routine before a banquet, which Zuchtiegel said was the typical order of an important evening.

POMPEII PROVIDES: 

Having a spa in your house was a great way of impressing those needing to be impressed, but the Romans were masters of pre-motorized hydraulics, and such installations were more normal than might be supposed.

The Baths of Antoninus (Pious) built overtop the ruins of Carthage in North Africa, could accommodate hundreds of bathers, had swimming pools meant for exercise as well as relaxation, and multiple hot and cold rooms accessible exclusively from male and female changing rooms.

Evidence of underfloor furnaces and other devices to heat and move water has been found in many Roman villas, such as those in Bath, Somerset, or Sirmione, in Lombardy.

SHARE This Latest Wonderful Discovery With Your Friends Who Love The Romans…

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

By
Good News Network
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Credit: Flavio Teixeira (flaviotx)

Quote of the Day: “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

Photo by: Flavio Teixeira (flaviotx)

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?

Credit: Flavio Teixeira (flaviotx)

Dogs in UK Are First to Be Trained to Sniff Out Bowel Cancer–After Nailing Parkinson’s and COVID

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Good News Network
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Jodie the yellow Labrador sniffs out cancer – Medical Detection Dogs Charity / SWNS
Jodie the yellow Labrador sniffs out cancer – Medical Detection Dogs Charity / SWNS

These clever dogs are the first in the UK to be trained to sniff out bowel cancer.

The Medical Detection Dogs charity began a groundbreaking study in 2024 to teach seven pooches how to detect tumors simply by smelling urine in pots.

Following the first part of their training, the cocker spaniels, Labradors, and retriever are showing real signs of success.

SWNS news reported the results have proven to researchers that they can sniff out bowel cancer in urine. But in a few months they will face a new stage of double blind tests, before the results are confirmed 100%.

The charity hopes the dogs will deliver an accurate and more sensitive early-stage bowel cancer detection method quicker than humans, which could improve healthier outcomes and help save lives.

All the bowel cancer dogs and the other pups at Medical Detection Dogs are trained to sniff out Parkinson’s disease, pseudomonas, COVID-19, Addison’s disease, and heart conditions like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

“The charity has been investigating the odor of diseases for 15 years,” said Gemma Butlin, head of communications at the charity in Milton Keynes, 50 miles north-west of London. “The bowel cancer study is new to us, but detection is not.”

The training program involved early scent training, learning the “game” in which they had to detect a disease in sample pots of urine. The sample sizes got smaller, and the dogs eventually needed to learn to sniff the disease out in samples from patients with other conditions.

Cocker spaniel sniffing urine to detect cancer – Medical Detection Dogs / SWNS

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Sample pots from Hull University Teaching Hospitals are placed on interactive metal stands designed by The Open University, which feed through to a computer. Every sniff is logged, and the dogs tell humans with a signal—like standing still—if they detect cancer.

“When they sniff the odor, they give us a signal such as sitting or standing to indicate the smell.

“If they identify a positive sample, which takes less than 10 seconds, they’ll get lots of treats, cuddles, and affection.”

Gemma said that each pup also spends time bonding with their trainer, having “lots of fun” in the process.

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“The first and most important thing is that we need to prove that they can smell cancer from the samples. At the moment, we’ve got them smelling 1ml of urine per pot—which, as you can imagine, is a minimal amount.

Many of the samples will also have other diseases the dogs will need to sniff through. The same method has already been used to detect prostate cancer and bladder cancer from these urine samples.

The dogs joined the charity when they were eight weeks old and came from breeders or rescue organizations—but now the champs are having their own pups.

CHECK THIS OUT: Dog That Won’t Stop Digging Saves Entire Neighborhood After They Find Dangerous Gas Leak Underground

“We’ve just welcomed our second-ever litter of puppies from our dogs, so we’re hoping to source more of them ourselves.”

SHARE THE CANCER HEROES With Dog Lovers On Social Media…

Is the Food at a Super Bowl Party More Exciting Than the Game? Survey Ranks Top Menu Items

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Good News Network
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Photo by No Revisions
Photo by No Revisions

Less than half of Americans actually care which football team wins the Super Bowl—but a large majority will be gathering with friends for the annual big game.

According to a new survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, one in four respondents are more interested in the food being served than watching the game on February 9th.

54% of those polled believe the food spread has the power to make or break the entire experience. In fact, the food was voted to be more exciting than the commercials by 38%, and more anticipated than the halftime show by nearly half.

Conducted by Talker Research, the survey aimed to rank the best foods to pair with football across a variety of categories.

When asked to name the top food necessary to have on hand for a successful watch party, buffalo or hot wings came out on top with 49% choosing them. Barbecue took second place with 37% of the vote and seven-layer dip was the must-have, according to 36%.

Six in 10 respondents said they participating in a game day party—either hosting or attending. If hosting, more than half were planning the menu weeks in advance.

According to the survey, the menu should be a mix of sweet and savory snacks, with necessary players to include nachos (30%), cookies or brownies (25%) and potato chips (24%).

Chicken tenders or nuggets (22%) and pizza (20%) also made the top 10 foods people would want on their plate.

TheFoodJunk, CC license

Commissioned by TUMS, the survey also found that some big game food favorites often come with a price: heavy snacking on spicy foods like buffalo wings, hot chili, and jalapeño poppers, can lead to consequences like heartburn, indigestion, or upset stomach. Nearly one in four experience occasional heartburn from such foods, and some even bring antacids to the party.

GOT A PRE-GAME RITUAL? A Third of American Sports Fans Believe Their Pre-Game Ritual Increases Chances Their Team Will Win

But, watch out, because you may get heartburn from your team’s performance—especially if you’re rooting against the Kansas City Chiefs, as they try to three-peat as three time world champs.

MORE: Most Americans Say the BEST Part of the Super Bowl is Not the Actual Game

Diver Fulfills His Dream to Photograph the Cutest Sea Creature Ever – Discovered Just 30 Years Ago

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Good News Network
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The adorable Costasiella sea slug by Yusuke Fukami (via SWNS)
The adorable Costasiella sea slug by Yusuke Fukami (via SWNS)

This may be the most adorable sea creature in the world—and seeing one face-to-face has been on the bucket list for a Japanese scuba diver until now.

Yusuke Fukami fulfilled that dream by capturing underwater photographs of the cartoon-like Costasiella sea slug recently while in Bali.

He traveled to a diving spot in Tulamben, a small fishing village on the north-east coast.

“Meeting this creature was why we visited Tulamben, so when we finally found one, I was really delighted to have achieved my purpose.”

Yusuke, from the Japanese coastal city of Kanagawa, went on his trip in December hoping to run into one of the pink-tipped sea slugs found only in the tropical island waters of Southeast Asia. His reservations at the Noble Bali diving resort paid off.

“It was so cute that I was like ‘Ahhhhhhhh it’s cuuuuuuute’ when I was taking photos of it in the sea.”

A leaf sheep sea slug (Costasiella kuroshimae) by Christian Gloor (cropped) Wikipedia / CC BY 2.0

WORTH A GRIN: Comedy Wildlife Photo Winners for 2024 Are Positively Adorable 

The tiny sea slug species Costasiella kuroshimae was first discovered only 30 years ago off the coast of a Japanese island.

A mollusk without a shell, it has two dark eyes and two sensing organs called ‘rhinophores’ that emerge from the top of its head and look like sheep’s ears—thus its apt nickname ‘leaf sheep’.

MUST SEE! Farmer Filmed the Adorable Moment His Newborn Quails Caused a Mini Stampede in His Home

The slugs measure only about 1⁄4 to 3⁄8 inch in length (5-10 mm). They feed on algae which allows them to indirectly perform photosynthesis, one of the few animals that can derive energy much like a plant.

SHOW THIS ‘SHEEP SLUG’ TO YOUR FRIENDS BY Sharing On Social Media…

She Hasn’t Purchased Groceries in 4 Years–All Her Food Comes From Dumpsters Behind Supermarkets–LOOK

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Good News Network
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Sofie Juel-Andersen with dumpster diving groceries – SWNS
Sofie Juel-Andersen with dumpster diving groceries – SWNS

A woman has found a positive side to the problem of food waste—and now gets all her groceries for free from supermarket dumpsters.

Sofie Juel-Andersen began her dumpster diving saga while living in Sydney, Australia, taking only fresh produce from designated bins, but soon realized she could find everything she needs.

“My sister sent me a photo of some hidden treasures she’d found dumpster diving. I knew about it, but I’d never seen it as an option to put food on the table.”

She went with a friend to scout some supermarket bins around Sydney and was instantly converted. They found a lot of veggies, and even though the 30-year-old has always been able to afford food, she realized this could be a very cost-effective way to fill her shelves at home.

“It was always supermarket dumpsters,” she explained. “Never in the back of restaurants or private homes (because depending on where you live, it could actually be illegal to do that).”

“What I found was insane. It was filled with food—some of it had expired, but a lot hadn’t.

“It was like a treasure hunt for me. I quickly realized that there was so much good food in the dumpsters, I didn’t need to go shopping anymore.” (See for yourself in the video below…)

“There would literally be two dumpsters in the back of a supermarket filled with packaged food, like whole chickens, frozen pizzas, and drinks. We once found 300 cans of Diet Coke still in their boxes and saw an entire box of kombucha bottles which had been thrown out because one of them was damaged.”

Sofie Juel-Andersen with her dumpster haul

“Mainly, though, it’s usually food which expired one or two days ago.”

Sofie carried on dumpster diving when she moved back to Denmark in 2022 and over the past four years, the Danish woman has only bought household items such as toilet paper, dish soap, and toothpaste, at the grocery store—last year spending just $100 in supermarkets.

By sourcing her food from the piles designated for a landfill, Sofie saves thousands of dollars annually and has used that cash to travel the world.

“The money I have saved allows me the freedom to travel. I spent a lot of my money on visiting friends around the world,” the restaurant manager told SWNS news.

Over the last four years Sofie has been to Kenya, Argentina, Italy, Spain, and Dubai.

“It allows me the freedom to work less, too. I only work three days-a-week. Dumpster diving allows me the freedom to spend more on the things I love.”

LOOK AT HER FREE STUFF: She Finds Thousands in New Christmas Gifts and Decor After the Holidays in the Dumpsters Behind Big Stores

By Sofie Juel-Andersen (via SWNS)

Sofie loves dumpster diving so much that she even got her family involved—including her parents, siblings, cousins, and grandparents—and when they go on holidays, they dumpster dive as a family.

“My friends and colleagues in Sydney thought it was super gross and just didn’t understand, but when I showed them the photos and videos from my Instagram, they were blown away. They said it was just like food they’d buy at the supermarket!”

She visits her favorite dumpsters either a few times per week or every two weeks, because she finds so much. “My fridge is always full.”

Sofie said her food-rescue mission has evolved from a treasure hunt to ‘everyday activism’. “I want to create awareness about food waste, but also about how we view food and how it can still be good even though the date has expired or the vegetable has a bump on it.”

Sofie’s top tips for first-time dumpster divers:

1. In the beginning, it might be nice to take a friend with you
2. Check the law first to see if dumpster diving is illegal in your area
3. You may not always strike gold the first time–but keep going
4. Always bring wet wipes and sanitizer to keep yourself clean
5. Be kind and respectful to employees who may ask you to leave
6. If you find a big stash of the same item, share it—you never know who really needs it…

SHARE THE IDEA WITH FRIENDS–And Arrange a Dumpster Date–On Social Media

“There are never enough I Love You’s.” – Lenny Bruce

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Good News Network
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By Fellipe Ditadi / Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “There are never enough I Love You’s.” – Lenny Bruce

Photo by: Fellipe Ditadi 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?

Fellipe Ditadi for Unsplash+

‘70’ Really is the ‘New 60’ – Aging Adults Function Better Today Than Previous Generations in Both Body and Mind

By
Good News Network
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By Jan de Keijzer –(cropped / pubdomain)
Credit: Jan de Keijzer (Unsplash, public domain)

Age-related declines experienced by older adults have significantly slowed down, according to a new study published last month in Nature Aging.

Improvements in education, nutrition, and sanitation across the 20th Century likely played key roles in the improvements of cognitive, locomotive, psychological, and sensory capacities.

The study—from the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at the Mailman School of Public Health—uncovered significant improvements in the health of older adults in England when compared to previous generations.

Instead of measuring health as the presence or absence of disease, researchers applied a new approach that examined trends in people’s functioning – their cognitive, locomotive, psychological, and sensory abilities.

Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, the new analysis found that older adults today experience higher levels of physical and mental functioning than previous generations did at the same age.

“These improvements were large,” said author of the study Professor John Beard, PhD, of Columbia University.

“For example, a 68-year-old born in 1950 had a similar capacity to a 62-year-old born a decade earlier, and those born in 1940 had better functioning than those born in 1930 or 1920.” Beard noted, “If we had compared someone born in 1950 with someone born in 1920, we would have likely observed even greater improvements.”

Beard says that medical advances—such as joint replacements and better treatments for chronic conditions—were also likely to be contributing factors.

“We were surprised by just how large these improvements were, particularly when comparing people born after World War II with earlier-born groups.” said Beard.

SLOW DOWN DEMENTIA: High Levels of Physical Fitness Linked to Lower Dementia Risk in Those with Family History

“But there is nothing to say we will continue to see the same improvements moving forward, and changes such as the increasing prevalence of obesity may even see these trends reverse. It is also likely that more advantaged groups will have experienced greater gains than others. But overall, the trends were very strong and suggest that, for many people, 70 really may be the new 60.”

Aging expert Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois praised the study, stating, “This is a powerful article. It shows that intrinsic capacity—what really matters to people as they age—is inherently modifiable. With this evidence, we see that medical science can enhance intrinsic capacity, providing a hopeful message for the future.”

Beard and his colleagues undertook similar analyses in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). They found similar trends, although this analysis was limited by the much shorter follow-up period in the Chinese study compared to the English study.

Further studies in other countries could confirm if the same trends could be measured across different populations.

MUSIC FEEDS THE BRAIN: Singing or Playing Music Throughout Life is Linked with Better Brain Health While You Age

(The research was supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research at the University of New South Wales; Centre for Society and Mental Health at King’s College London; the National Social Science Foundation of China; and the National Institute on Aging.)

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS: Share The News On Social Media… 

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