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Oceanographers Explore Underwater Mountain Bigger Than Mount Olympus Teeming with Wonders

The Casper octopus - credit, Schmidt Ocean Institute, released (Copy)
The Casper octopus – credit, Schmidt Ocean Institute, released

900 miles off the coast of Chile in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a scientific expedition recently found a plethora of wonders hidden under the waves.

Clustered around several seamounts, or underwater mountains, oceanographers at the Schmidt Ocean Institute discovered what are believed to be 20 new species, including a ghostly octopus and a sea urchin.

They also captured priceless pics of a rare squid and what appears to be the flying spaghetti monster—all hovering around a seamount taller than Mount Olympus.

“Across the three expeditions, we managed to map and explore 25 seamounts, which is quite a number to explore,” Jyotika Virmani, the institute’s executive director, told CNN. “I think we’ve got some good data as a community that could be put forward to make the case that this is a really interesting region for protection.”

Located on the Nazca ridge, the seamount rises more than 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) from the seafloor, and it was there the institute research team aboard the vessel Falkor (too) caught a glimpse of a blue and white octopus which they nicknamed the ‘Casper octopus.’

“The (Casper) octopus has never been captured, so it doesn’t actually have a scientific name yet,” Virmani said.

A close-up photo of bubblegum coral – credit, Schmidt Ocean Institute, released

They recorded the first footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid, known only from a few collected specimens. It’s a small, weakly muscled squid that lives in the deep ocean. They also snapped photos of a rarely seen Bathyphysa conifera, which is nicknamed the flying spaghetti monster because of its likeness to the internet creation.

Separate photos of a Promachoteuthis squid and a Bathyphysa conifera, filmed during the expedition – credit, Schmidt Ocean Institute, released

The expedition was something of a contribution to an ambitious international scientific objective called the Ocean Census, which aims to discover 100,000 new species under the ocean waves in the next ten years to demonstrate the incredible biodiversity and value found in the 70% of the planet’s surface covered in seawater.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Rare ‘Doomsday’ Fish Surfaces in California–Just the 20th Discovered in the State Since 1901

100,000 would be just 5-10% of the species the Ocean Census claims are believed to remain undiscovered underwater.

CNN reports that in 2023, the United Nations agreed on the framework of a treaty, now undergoing ratification, that would allow the world parliament to designate marine protected areas in international waters.

MORE AMAZING MARINE EXPEDITIONS: Thar’ Be a Kraken! First Video Footage of a Possible Colossal Squid in its Own Habitat Captured

The protection that Director Virmani was referring to would be the kind established by the treaty.

WATCH some footage from their expedition…

SHARE These Wonderful Discoveries With Your Friends On Social Media… 

Tennessee Veterans Find Healing Working with Horses That are ‘Bio-feedback Machines’

A veteran enrolled in the CERV program handles her horse - credit DoVA
A veteran enrolled in the CERV program handles her horse – credit DoVA

In Tennessee, the US Department of Veterans Affairs is having success with the tried and true rehabilitation method of equine therapy.

The Department recently shared some of their stories of success using the healing power of horses to confront past trauma.

Joanne Parchetta is one of many veterans helped by the Center for Equine Recovery (CERV), a program at Middle Tennessee State University. The idea behind the program was to bring veterans in from the Tennessee Valley VA and help them learn about the behaviors of horses through interactions and learning.

Veterans also learn about themselves through their development in class, in part because horses are so emotionally sensitive to their handlers that in order to be safe working with them, one more or less must be in a state of calm. One of the class organizers described them as “big bio-feedback machines that’ll tell you like it is.”

“I know that you are not defined by chronic illness or physical disability but it can demoralize you and cause you to give up. This class with horses showed me that I can still achieve and I can still dream,” Parchetta said.

According to CERV, horses mirror their guide or rider and provide a physical reflection of a veteran’s emotions. With this feedback, a veteran can better see, process, and work through their behaviors.

“The program is set up to safely assist and encourage veterans to succeed in overcoming some of the fears we might have of large animals or horses but also to build our self-confidence and learn to trust others and ourselves again,” said Lee Farris, who has been a part of CERV since 2023.

“My horse Penny showed me patience,” said Parchetta who has been a part of CERV since 2024. “She wasn’t judgmental, but expected me to do my part with confidence. The staff were the experts and took their time to ensure I was confident.”

Confidence, patience, and courage are vital skills that are tantamount to the VA’s Whole Health Service. CERV works with the recreational therapy portion of Whole Health. The class walks veterans through both classroom and hands-on demonstrations.

How to groom, care for, and get to know the horse are part of the initial few weeks of the 10-week program. veterans learn how to walk and guide their horses while dismounted and then how to lead their horses through various obstacles.

“You have to work as a team with your horse emotionally and physically for it to work,” said Parchetta. “When trusting in this amazing animal, it makes you trust in yourself and rediscover things in yourself you thought were lost.”

For Farris, the professionalism of the instructors provided a place for him to feel comfortable to grow.

“I learned how to trust the staff—not only because they were the experts—but they patiently took their time to ensure I was confident with the skills I was learning. I was able to be myself and not worry about being judged for my mistakes.”

ALL THE WAYS ORINDARY PEOPLE SUPPORT AMERICAN VETERANS: 

If nothing else, being out in nature wearing a cowboy hat is bound to help in some way.

CERV is the only program of its kind in the nation, but more are likely needed. Veterans of all ages, including veterans of World War II, are at substantially higher risk of suicide than the general public.

Animal therapy methods have been used for decades as part of rebab and therapy for prisoners, with GNN just featuring a story about prisoners in Las Cruces Federal Correctional Facility in New Mexico working alongside hard-to-adopt dogs to try and make these neglected and nervous animals more trusting and welcoming.

In 2023, GNN reported on “therapy sheep” being used in cases of mental health deterioration in children, adolescents, and adults. EWE Talk utilizes the animals’ dog-like behavior and wooly cuddling skills to help melt down barriers erected by overly stressed members of society.

SHARE This Important Therapy Going Well For Veterans In Tennessee…

Town Is Missing its Clothing as 4-Pawed Cat Burglar Pilfers Items from Neighbors and Brings Them Home

Taboo pictured with her stash of hot property - credit SWNS
Taboo pictured with her stash of hot property – credit SWNS

There are cat burglars, then there are cat-burglars.

Taboo, a 12-year-old black and white resident of West Yorkshire in England, has stolen gloves, socks, underpants, and shoes from properties across the area.

Her owner, Sandra Danskin has now been forced to share regular pictures of the loot on social media so residents can reclaim their stolen items.

But Danskin, who works night shifts, said sneaky Taboo is rarely caught and has become a master of her criminal trade.

“Whenever I come home from my shift there are all sorts of things waiting for me, either dragged in through the cat flap or left on the drive,” Danskin told the British news media service SWNS. “This morning I had four pairs of socks and a pair of underpants. She loves bringing back items of clothing like that, but also we’ve had a mop head and kitchen rolls.”

“We even had half a dozen eggs once, still in their box, but all broken. We think she must have taken them off someone’s doorstep when the milkman dropped them off.”

Neighbors have joked that they changed the locks of their houses, and that Danskin should figure out how to train her little thief to discern worthless goods from high-end goods like Rolexes.

Sandra believes that Taboo steals clothes from people’s washing lines or sneaks into their houses if their doors are left open. The little Lupin has only been caught once so far when a neighbor spotted her trying to take a T-shirt from his clothes dryer in the kitchen.

SIMILAR TROUBLEMAKERS: Cat Who Sneaks into School Gets His Class Photo Taken – And Portrait Packet is Sent Home to Mom

“If she brings back a sock she will always go back and get the matching one so there’s a pair,” Danskin said. “I have a box full of stuff she’s brought for me and every now and then I go on Facebook and post a photo of it all so people can claim it.”

Taboo was originally a house cat and belonged to Sandra’s daughter, Gemma. Eventually, Gemma could not bear the kleptomaniac cat any longer, and Taboo went to live with Sandra and her three other cats.

THE BRITS LOVE THEIR CATS: England Team Players Adopt ‘Big Dave’ the Stray Cat Who Made Himself a Social Media Star Like a Mascot

Now the cat burglar loves to let her current owner know when she’s pulled off a successful heist by emitting a signature howl.

“Whenever she gets something she sits outside and makes this high-pitched whining noise to let me know,” says Danskin. “I’ve tried talking to her about it but she doesn’t change her ways. Underwear, socks, shoes… she just keeps bringing them.”

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAW: ‘Cat-ching Criminals’ Just Became a Lot Easier Thanks to New Method for Analyzing Cat Hair

“I can’t tell you how many pairs of gardening gloves she’s brought me. I’ve never heard of a cat doing anything like this before, and she shows no signs of stopping.”

Evidently, she’s never heard of Charlie, the Klepto-Cat of Bristol. Charlie became famous some years ago for stealing toys from the houses around her owner’s home in very similar circumstances. Must be something with tuxedo cats.

SHARE This Hilarious Story With Your Friends Who Love A Cat With Attitude… 

“Misunderstandings and lethargy produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Quote of the Day: “Misunderstandings and lethargy produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Photo by: Luke Stackpoole

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?

Tuscany’s New Airport Terminal Will Have a Vineyard on the Roof, Obviously

The Florence Airport International Terminal - credit, Rafael Viñoly Architects.
The Florence Airport International Terminal – credit, Rafael Viñoly Architects.

With more visitors than ever before, the new airport terminal in Florence will have a green roof and sport a vineyard.

The Italians are passionate about greening their buildings, with the famous Bosco Verticale in Milan being the flagship example.

To celebrate its heritage as one of the wine capitals of the world, the Amerigo Vespucci International Airport in Florence will feature an eight-hectare (19-acre) vineyard on top of its long, sloping roof.

A local, prestigious wine company will harvest the grapes and manage the green vineyard roof, and the vinting will also be done on-site in a cellar on the airport grounds.

The creative minds behind the project are Rafael Viñoly Architects, an American firm that was tasked with redesigning the international terminal as part of renovations to reorient the existing airport runway which is inadequately short and adversely affected by nearby hills.

Linear structures of precast concrete contain the soil and irrigation to sustain the vineyard and are held aloft by a network of branching columns, inspired by the vines they hold up.

The Florence Airport International Terminal and its branching columns – credit, Rafael Viñoly Architects

The columns shade most of the terminal areas, which will help reduce energy from heating. Skylights will flood these areas with natural light.

“This enormous surface, which hides the airport terminal when viewed from Brunelleschi’s Duomo and other prominent vantage points in the city, will not only serve as a new landmark for the city’s sustainable future, but also as a symbol of the traditions, history and innovative spirit that continue to drive the Italian economy into the 21st century,” the firm wrote on their website. 

GREAT SYMBIOTIC ARCHITECTURE AROUND THE WORLD:

Speaking with CNN, Román Viñoly, director of Rafael Viñoly Architects, said that heat exchanger technology will allow for low-emission heating and cooling by using the thermal properties of the soil embedded in the roof above.

“In the summer, when you need to cool the interior of the space, you do heat exchange into that mass of earth,” he says. “It holds that temperature very effectively for a very long time such that when winter comes and you need to warm the interior, you can do heat exchange again and pull the heat out of that soil and put it into the terminal.”

Buone Notizie explains that green roofs in Italy have a history dating back to Roman times, when the cover of the Domus Aurea near the Colosseum in Rome was covered in gardens.

SHARE This Amazing Reason To Visit Florence With Your Friends… 

Michigan’s Robust Renewable Energy Powered 1 Million Homes in 2023 from Wind and Solar

Wind farm near Pigeon, Michigan in Huron County – Photo by eXtension Farm Energy, via Creative Commons license
Wind farm near Pigeon, Michigan in Huron County – Photo by eXtension Farm Energy, via Creative Commons license

Michigan, a state once famous for carbon-heavy automotive manufacturing, is now among the leaders of renewable energy installation in America.

A recent report shows that the state added 350 megawatts of solar power in 2023, increasing the total renewable resources in the state by 10%.

Combined with an existing inventory of 3,500 megawatts of solar and wind, the state’s green energy covered the power demands of 944,000 Michigan homes last year.

Michigan is by no means a leader in renewable energy generation in the country, but it is looking to become one. By various metrics, Michigan ranks between 25th and 15th for renewable capacity.

MORE RENEWABLE NEWS: NFL Scores Touchdown for Renewables: The Super Bowl Was 100% Solar Powered

Michigan relies heavily on wind power from its arsenal of turbines along the coast of Lake Huron, where strong onshore winds create consistent electricity.

MORE GREEN STATES: Solar-Rich California Hits 95% Renewable Energy On a Recent Day Across 80 Percent of the State

Midwest Today reports that another 630 megawatts of solar energy are slated for installation by 2025.

The growth in renewable energy is part of Governor Gretchen Witmer’s Clean Energy and Jobs Act signed in November 2023, which aimed to expand green energy and make utility bills more affordable for consumers. While this hasn’t happened (electricity and gas bills have remained constant), there are more renewable installations on the horizon that could achieve that goal.

SHARE This Gust Of Good News With Your Friends From The Great Lakes State…

LEGO Invests to Make Half the Plastic in Its Bricks from Renewable Materials by 2026

Markus Spiske - public domain.
Markus Spiske – public domain.

LEGO has announced it will pay out of pocket to increase the amount of recycled plastic in its bricks to 50% by 2026.

Estimated to increase the production costs by around 70%, the company’s CEO stated its bottom line will bear the burden as it hopes continued investment by LEGO will allow companies that make recycled plastic monomers to expand and reduce these high costs.

In a bleak year for the toy industry, LEGO’s operating revenue grew 26%. Its strategy of targeting all age groups with sets ranging from Star Wars and Harry Potter scenes to limited-edition sets based on community creativity, to bonsai trees and Lamborghinis for adults, led it to announce record profits this year.

“Our portfolio continues to be relevant for all ages and interests, and this is driving significant demand across markets. We used our solid financial foundation to further increase spending on strategic initiatives which will support growth now and in the future to enable us to bring learning through play to even more children,” Niels Christiansen, CEO of LEGO, said according to the Guardian. 

But this isn’t enough for Christiansen, who hopes that an 8-year investment strategy amounting to over $350 million will allow them to replace up to half of the fossil fuels in their plastics with a sustainable resin made out of used cooking oil and food industry waste fats, or outright recycled plastic.

The market, Christiansen says, is still developing, which means these alternatives are two to three times as expensive as using fossil fuels. If you’ve bought a LEGO set recently, you’ll know they aren’t exactly cheap—they’ve really never been cheap, and passing on such high additional costs to the consumer is not an option.

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So Christiansen and the board have decided to take it all out of the company’s revenue, hoping that through financial support and broad publicity, the firms making these sustainable alternatives to oil-based plastics can grow and innovate until such a time when costs may be at parity with fossil fuels.

LEGO has also expanded its Replay program—a recycled supply chain of LEGO bricks and pieces that are repurposed for LEGO sets. The bricks are mailed in by users who no longer want their LEGOS, with shipping covered by the company.

ANOTHER SWEET LEGO STORY: Teen Creates LEGO Charity to Collect and Wash Old Bricks to Give Away New Sets–For 3,000 Kids So Far

Over a million pounds of LEGO bricks have already been received through the Replay program, and over 400,000 sets of repurposed bricks have been given to children.

SHARE This Inspiring Example Of Corporate Responsibility With Your Friends… 

Norway’s Forests Have More Than Tripled in a Hundred Years

Photo by Robert Bye, Unsplash
Photo by Robert Bye, Unsplash

Over the course of the last hundred years, Norwegian forests have tripled in size according to a new report.

They have doubled in size in just the last 40 years, which the report claims is because of more CO2 and warmer temperatures in Norway than in previous decades.

Published by Statistics Norway, the survey is the 11th national land forest inventory to be conducted in the country, which achieved full independence from Sweden in 1905. The news outlet Forskning claims that Norway was the first nation-state on Earth to conduct such a survey—that measured forest cover by cubic meters of tree trunks.

Today there are over 1 billion cubic meters, or about one-30th of the water volume of Lake Mead (whether that helps with perspective at all) in Norway.

The survey from Statistics Norway shows that forest growth continued for the whole of the 20th and much of the 21st century, but has begun tapering off as spruce saplings planted by schoolchildren in the 1960s are now fully mature and beginning in some cases to die or be logged.

TREES TREES AND MORE TREES: 

“We have also had very good growth conditions for the forest over the past 10-20 years. There have been higher temperatures and longer summers,” Rasmus Astrup head of research at the firm NIBIO, told forskning.no.

Of the 47 million metric tons of CO2 that Norway released into the atmosphere last year, 18 million were taken up by the forests. But as more of the trees born in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s reach maturity, their efficiency at pulling this CO2 out will drop.

Forests provide just about everything a modern 21st-century society needs. They are fonts of raw materials, landscape engineers that keep the most nutrient-dense soils from washing away into the sea, breeding grounds for biodiversity that can be harvested for food, pharmaceuticals, and more, and they offer the key in a human’s mind to the door into our past—when we lived wild lives and depended on the landscape for everything.

As such they are endless sources of recreation and, quite simply, the perfect tool for the management of stress during a time when our wild brains have to cope with the pressures of the modern world.

SHARE This Incredible Progress On Forest Cover With Your Friends… 

“It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.” – Epicurus

Quote of the Day: “It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.” – Epicurus

Photo by: Kingsley Osei-Abrah

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?

True Story of Penguin’s Annual Return to See the Man Who Saved it From Oil Spill is Now a Feature Film (See Trailer)

My Penguin Friend theatrical release poster – use here under a fair use license.

Released to a delighted movie audience, My Pengiun Friend tells the story of a man and his long-lasting friendship with a Megallanic penguin.

But before the silver screen bore witness to the tale, it arose first on the news—in Brazil, where a retired stonemason named João Pereira de Souza discovered a penguin covered in oil from a recent spill on Proveta Beach in Rio de Janeiro state.

Taking the penguin home, João found the bird exhausted and depleted from his bout swimming through the oil spill. He nursed the penguin back to health, with plenty of soapy scrubbing and fish treats, naming it ‘Dindim’ after the toddler-speak of his son trying to say the Portuguese word for penguin (pinguim) when he was growing up.

After Dindim recovered his pomp, João released him on an island near Proveta Beach and went home; only to find that Dindim had followed him back, and remained on his lawn waiting to be let inside.

He finally left of his own accord in February of 2012. What happened then, and continued happening for years, is an annual visit following the fishing season where penguins remain at sea for months slurping squadrons of fish. Dindim would always come back to Proveta to see João, rather than travel off to a lovely summer island with his kin.

Every February he would leave, only to return in June—again and again for eight years.

Brazilian director David Schurmann embellished the story for My Pengiun Friend, at times going beyond the facts of the original story. (See the trailer below…)

“It’s lovely, lively, and guaranteed to get kids interested in the wild world around them,” writes Kate Erbland at the Indie Wire. “All the better if that also includes some outside research into what really happened with João and Dindim.”

ALSO CHECK OUT: Thousands Raised for Homeless Busker After Performance Goes Viral on TikTok (WATCH)

“I had to tell Jean Reno, a cinema legend, ‘Jean, the penguin is more important than you in this film’… he was incredibly respectful and understood,” Schurmann told the Guardian.

He tried to drop in an environmental angle with the utmost subtlety since he wanted the film primarily to “give people… a bit of relief and hope in this harsh world.” However it was the oil spill that started the story, and as director of the Voice of the Oceans Institute, an organization that combats marine pollution, Schurmann felt it needed to be highlighted.

MORE KINDNESS TOWARDS ANIMALS: Adorable Dutch Webcam of Rescued Seals Is a Big Hit in Japan (WATCH)

The film premiered this month to mostly positive reviews, including an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Film critic Christy Lemire gave the film three out of four stars and wrote:

“There’s something radical about the old-fashioned approach of My Penguin Friend. It’s an earnest, crowd-pleasing family film – nothing snarky or self-referential, no on-the-nose needle drops – just a sweet, beautifully made movie that earns the emotion it’ll surely draw from its viewers.”

WATCH the trailer below… 

SHARE This Heartwarming Story Of A Man And His Penguin On Social Media…

Toddler Gone Missing in 10-foot-tall Corn Field Is Finally Detected During Nighttime Search for the 3-year-old

Filip Starý
Filip Starý

A little 3-year-old wandered into a cornfield behind his house, determined to catch a kitty he had seen run between the stalks.

For anyone who’s enjoyed a late summer/early autumn corn maze, they’ll know it’s an easy micro-environment to get lost in. And sure enough, the boy was in over his head within moments.

Deputies responded to calls from the child’s parents in the town of Alto, in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin on August 25th. By 7:30 p.m., they still hadn’t found him, but suspected he was somewhere among the 100 acres of ears beside their house.

As the light faded away, all nearby homes and barns had been searched, and the deputies realized they had to comb the cornfield on foot.

But fortunately they had a special electric eye in the sky—a search and rescue drone from the Pont du Lac Police Department Technology Response Group, equipped with a thermal imaging camera.

While officers entered calling out for the boy, the drone quickly spotted a thermal signature amongst the corn stalks at about 9:30. Drone operators radioed the deputies who could be guided to the boy’s position.

LOST CHILDREN FOUND: 6-Year-old Boy Found in the Forest After 150 Searched for Five Days

LOST CHILDREN FOUND: U.S. Marshals Find 200 Missing Children Across the Nation During 6-Week Special Operation

“We’re right here buddy, we’re right here for ya,” first responders said as they closed in on the boy. You’re safe now. You’re alright. We’re going to go back and we’re going to find your mom, okay?”

“He said he’d been chasing a cat into the cornfield,” said Lt. Alex Volm of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office. “So, a harmless thing, you know, but it could have turned out really bad had we not had the opportunity to use our tools and collaborate with our law enforcement partners.”

WATCH the story below from WISN 12…

Give Your Friends An EARFULL Of This Rescue Story On Social Media… 

New Process ‘Vaporizes’ Plastic Bags and Bottles to Help Make Recycled Materials

Richard Conk, a graduate student on the project, adjusting teh reaction chamber components - credit BNL/SWNS
Richard Conk, a graduate student on the project, adjusting the reaction chamber components – credit BNL/SWNS

An innovative chemical procedure turns ubiquitous waste plastic items in our society into hydrocarbon building blocks for use in making new plastics.

The scientists behind the project explained that the process works “equally well” with the two dominant types of consumer plastic waste: polyethylene, the component of most single-use plastic bags; and polypropylene, the stuff of hard plastics, from microwavable dishes to luggage—which together are called polyolefins.

It also efficiently degrades a mix of the two types of plastics, according to the findings published in the journal Science.

The research team says the catalytic process, developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, could help bring about a circular economy for many throwaway plastics, with the plastic waste converted back into the monomers used to make polymers, thereby reducing the fossil fuels used in making virgin plastic.

“We have an enormous amount of polyethylene and polypropylene in everyday objects, from lunch bags to laundry soap bottles to milk jugs—so much of what’s around us is made of these polyolefins,” said research leader Professor John Hartwig, of University of California, Berkeley.

Hartwig and his collaborators in a public sector-academia partnership developed a chemical process that employed three different bespoke heavy metal catalysts: one to add a carbon-carbon double bond to the polyethylene polymer and the other two to break the chain at this double bond and repeatedly snip off a carbon atom. However, the catalysts broke down in the liquid reaction and were rarely recoverable, making the process difficult to scale.

That was two years ago. Today, as part of a new process, the expensive, soluble metal catalysts have been replaced by cheaper solid ones commonly used in the chemical industry for continuous flow processes that reuse the catalyst, including sodium on alumina, and tungsten oxide on silica.

“You can’t get much cheaper than sodium,” Hartwig said, “and tungsten is an earth-abundant metal used in the chemical industry in large scale, as opposed to our ruthenium metal catalysts that were more sensitive and more expensive.”

THINK PLASTIC WASTE IS WITH US FOREVER?

Continuous flow processes can be scaled up to handle large volumes of material, a necessary prerequisite if this is to be used widely and at scale.

Polyethylene and polypropylene plastics make up about two-thirds of consumer plastic waste worldwide. About 80% end up in landfills, incinerated, or simply dumped in the street where they degrade into microplastics to eventually enter rivers and oceans.

To reduce waste, scientists have been looking for ways to turn polyolefins into something more valuable, such as the monomers that help to produce new plastics.

Hartwig noted that while many researchers are hoping to redesign plastics from “the ground up” to be easily reused, today’s hard-to-recycle plastics will be a problem for decades.

“One can argue that we should do away with all polyethylene and polypropylene and use only new circular materials, but the world’s not going to do that for decades and decades,” he said. “Polyolefins are cheap, and they have good properties, so everybody uses them.”

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Elon Musk’s Starlink Offers Free Emergency Phone Coverage in Wilderness Areas Worldwide

PC: Dmitriy Suponnikov, Unsplash
Photo by Dmitriy Suponnikov, Unsplash

The satellite internet service Starlink is seeking approval to facilitate 911 calls from wilderness areas to help improve search and rescue efforts and reduce deaths.

Elon Musk’s satellite constellation has served a variety of publicized uses, like giving Ukrainians the ability to communicate during wartime. The most recent is a partnership between Starlink and T-Mobile seeking FCC regulatory approval for a direct-to-cellular service that would allow those deep in the mountains and forests to reach emergency services.

“SpaceX Starlink will provide emergency services access for mobile phones for people in distress for free,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

“This applies worldwide, subject to approval by country governments. Can’t have a situation where someone dies because they forgot, or were unable to pay for it.”

Direct-to-cellular functions would have a greater scope than just emergencies. Speaking about their application to the FCC, the chairwoman of the regulatory agency referred to it as the beginning of the “Single-network future” which she described as one in which the user “won’t need to think about what network, where, and what services are available; connections will just work everywhere, all the time.”

According to Newsweek, Musk’s proposed service aims to close mobile “dead zones” by providing extra coverage from space using T-Mobile’s PCS G Block spectrum. Wilderness areas, correctly, don’t contain terrestrial towers, but Musk’s satellites could offer service to these vast spaces if a lost hiker, explorer, or sportsman needed them.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Ukraine Receives Truckload of Starlink Terminals From Elon Musk For Uninterrupted Internet

The network wouldn’t be beamed down into the area via electromagnetic waves. Instead, the phone would reach space, and the satellites would bounce their call to emergency services.

SHARE This Lifesaving Service Soon To Be Available For Free… 

“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” – Saul Bellow 

Quote of the Day: “A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” – Saul Bellow 

Photo by: Nubelson Fernandes

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?

Inmates Training Hard-to-Adopt Dogs in New Mexico Creates Joy On Both Ends of a Leash

Deming Animal Guardians
Deming Animal Guardians

A no-kill animal shelter charity was invited to start an inmate dog training program at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility last year—and now joy and fulfillment are being created on both sides of the leash.

The ongoing program has helped the inmates to develop compassion and to comply with rules. Their task is to socialize the dogs and teach basic obedience that will get the fur-babies adopted more easily.

Eight inmates at the Las Cruces prison are now caring for 4 dogs in the program. The inmates have become so devoted to their mission that they held a fundraiser to help pay for program’s costs.

Diana Bell, a volunteer with the charity called Deming Animal Guardians, told GNN that one of the program’s requirements at the beginning was to hire a dog trainer: “This is a significant expense for our small charity but we were committed to give it a try, since we saw it as a win-win opportunity.”

They were pleasantly surprised when they received a check from the inmates themselves.

The dog trainees asked a staff member to purchase items from Sam’s Club which were then packaged and sold as “toiletry kits”. They advertised the program inside the prison and managed to net $350—especially because many inmates, even if they aren’t participating, love seeing the dogs on the grounds.

HEARTWARMING COURT APPEARANCE: Narrowly Avoiding Prison by Judge’s Leniency, She Turned Her Life Around to Win Case as a Lawyer in His Courtroom

The program teaches the dog boundaries (what it is allowed, and not allowed, like getting up on furniture), along with basic commands, like ‘stay’ and fetch.

Training the inmates – Deming Animal Guardians

The inmate learns grooming, dog first aid, and how to potty train, taught by the professional trainer in one to two sessions per week. $350 will pay for 2 weeks of the trainer’s visits.

During the week, inmates work with the dogs to teach these skills, while living together 24 hours a day. The dogs are taken outside 4 times each day to pee, play, and work on commands.

“I am changed by this experience,” wrote one of the inmates named Antoinetti, aka ‘Coolie’, in a letter. “I believe these men will go home more prepared for the world by finally owning up to being responsible, rather than careless, with another life.”

“These dogs are all amazing in their own ways. None of them are broken beyond repair.”

“We are creating something very special with this program,” said the program’s current trainer Jaime Banegas from WorkDogWork. “Dogs that were once castaways are being loved and cared for by individuals in a place where love and care are in short supply.”

SWEET: After Losing Hope of Ever Finding Their Dog, Pup is Finally Found Living Like King Among Doting Prison Inmates

“The dogs are emerging from cocoons of fear and loneliness. Inmates are pushing past mental and emotional barriers so they can become more effective at being a positive influence.”

As for the charity, the positive impact did become a win-win for all: Every pup but one that has graduated from the program has been quickly adopted.

Find out how you can help by visiting their website.

SHARE THE PAW-SOME GOOD WORK With Animal Lovers On Social Media Who May Want to Help…

Dad Interviews Daughter on First Day of School Every Year–And the Final Video Has Gone Viral (Watch)

Ray Petelin’s daughter through the years
Photos by Ray Petelin

A dad who interviewed his daughter on the first day of school every year has now shared the final video, as she starts her final year of high school before heading off to college.

Ray Petelin came up with the idea to ask his little girl, Elizabeth, a series of questions at the start of each new school year to see how their daughter’s ambitions would change as she grows.

In 2012, while Elizabeth waited for the bus to take her to kindergarten at five-years-old, Ray sat her down and asked what she wanted to be when she grows up.

In the new compilation video, the little girl’s answer evolves over the years from doctor to teacher, magician to waitress, and from heart surgeon to physical therapist.

“She did say magician one year, but I knew that wasn’t going to last.”

Now, after the bittersweet moment of finishing their thirteenth interview, the 47-year-old TV meteorologist shared the the final video.

“I put this together late at night so no one would be around,” Ray admitted. “Because I was just bawling the whole time.”

Ray Petelin’s daughter through the years

“I looked back at the first video, and it still feels like it was yesterday.

“I wanted to show her (the video) when she is a senior—and as she is now a senior, this will be the last one—but I will certainly get one when she moves into her own place.”

Ray’s video below, was posted on Facebook and Twitter/X where it tallied over 50 million views and led to multiple TV interviews broadcast on major networks and on his own station, KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.

He’s also received many supportive comments from people all over the world, especially moms and dads.

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“Parents have commented on the video saying that I should be ‘Dad of the Year’.”

The idea has also inspired many parents to start doing same thing with their own school children.

CHECK OUT: Dad Hilariously Struggles to Keep Triplets From Climbing Furniture 

DON’T FORGET TO SHARE THE LOVELY IDEA With Parents on Social Media…

I’m Creating Tiny Homes to End Sleeping on the Street After My Brother Became Homeless

Ryan Donais Tiny Tiny Homes on Toronto street - SWNS
Ryan Donais with his Tiny Tiny Home – SWNS

A man is making tiny homes on wheels to provide innovative shelter for unhoused people—inspired after his brother became homeless.

Ryan Donais started building the portable homes in July, concerned about the levels of homelessness in his city of Toronto, Canada, where he was seeing a huge growth in the tent cities popping up.

In a bid to provide a solution for local authorities, the 37-year-old construction manager spent 100 hours working on the prototype, and two months building the first unit.

Made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic, the homes feature a bed, a desk, a sink, and a camping toilet.

Ryan says he came up with the idea of building them after his brother became homeless five years ago, having struggled with addiction for 20 years.

“My brother has been suffering with addiction for years,” Ryan told SWNS news. “He is one of the tent people. My mom still speaks to him, but I haven’t spoken to him in years.”

Ryan is currently finishing his second unit and has successfully incorporated the project, called Tiny Tiny Homes, as an official nonprofit organization.

“The project is in its infancy. I am doing this all by myself while trying to get connected with the right people.”

Tiny Tiny Homes / Ryan Donais / SWNS

The mini homes are insulated, weatherproof, and watertight. They use solar power for the lights and fan, and come with a window, and door. The bed turns into a sofa, with 12 cubic feet of storage space underneath for personal items.

“I want every homeless person to get one of these. Tent encampments are not a healthy environment,” he said. “My latest model has a sink where people can wash and a camping toilet.”

Ryan said he doesn’t want this to be a permanent home for people but instead a midway point, until people can secure permanent housing.

“I want this to be an awakening program for the government. They need to step up and start housing people.”

Ryan Donais / Tiny Tiny Homes /
Frame for the Tiny Tiny Homes – via SWNS

Ryan is sharing his developments on TikTok @tinytinyhomes and Instagram @tinytinyhomestoronto. He’s set up a GoFundMe campaign that has raised $5,000 so far.

“I want to make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s why I am raising funds on GoFundMe to buy materials (in bulk)—after funding the first model myself. My goal is to raise $100,000 to scale production, with each unit currently costing around $5,000 to build (not including sweat equity).”

He also accepts donations of plywood, caulking, PL and rectangle tubing, and RV windows—and is looking for a larger shop space, while searching for help with social media and marketing.

Watch a tour of the tiny home…

PLEASE SHARE THE OPPORTUNITY To Help–By Spreading the Word on Social Media…

How Americans are Reinventing Retirement – They’re Choosing Travel and Hobbies Over Relaxing

SWNS / Talkers Research
SWNS / Talkers Research

Retirees are living lives that their younger selves would be jealous of, according to a new poll of 2,000 Americans who have retired, or will retire before 2029.

The ‘Benjamin Button’ effect appears to be in full play, as retirees agree they’re aging backward and feeling more vivacious than ever.

60% of respondents are planning for, or already have implemented, a “retirement reinvention”—stepping into a completely new version of themselves—with more than a quarter saying their younger self would ‘love’ to live their current life.

Nearly half (43%) have picked up an old hobby (or plan to), and a third (33%) believe retirement will be their time to learn a new skill.

Eleven percent are getting into sports, while others are becoming writers (17%) or learning a new language (16%)—perhaps to prepare for some of their travel plans during retirement.

Commissioned by IHG Hotels & Resorts and conducted by Talker Research, the survey explored what this “new version” looks like, and the role that travel plays in respondents making the most of their retirement years.

Four in ten people surveyed have taken, or plan to take, the trip of a lifetime to celebrate retirement—and the majority (59%) are planning on traveling more during retirement than they traveled during their working years.

This may be due in part to 36% of retirees regretting how much they worked during their careers, compared to how much time they spent doing other things.

ALSO: Survey Reveals Americans are Retiring Earlier Than They’d Expected

Respondents said their biggest roadblocks to traveling during their careers were lack of budget (49%) and job flexibility (43%). But to make up for this, half want to spend less in other areas of their budgets, so they’re able to put more money toward travel.

The survey looked at the top destinations for those who went, or will go, on a retirement celebration trip. Locations in the U.S. topped the list for 59%, Europe was the favored spot for 31%, and somewhere else in North America was chosen by 23%. A few adventurers even pointed to Antarctica for their retirement trip.

“It’s incredible to see how many people are taking advantage of their retirement to enjoy things they didn’t have time for in their working years,” said Connor Smith, a vice president at IHG Hotels & Resorts. “The reality is, people put their careers and families first. So, in their retirement era, it’s inspiring to see them live their best lives.”

Along with traveling, respondents also said they’d probably start a side gig (freelancing with a small, part-time job or business) to have a little bit of extra income (78%) and to fend off boredom (45%).

While many have big travel plans and are picking up hobbies, the survey also explored who respondents might be enjoying these activities with.

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Looking into their love lives, nearly one in six (15%) want to find love during retirement and are planning to spend more time dating to find “the one.”

But some single retirees are happy on their own — so when planning how to make the most of their retirement, 16% have (or plan to) boldly put a solo trip on the books.

Regardless of whether they’re going solo or have travel mates, for those with an upcoming trip, 25% plan to spend as much time as possible exploring and adventuring rather than resting and relaxing.

“One of people’s biggest fears when heading into retirement is being bored,” said Smith. “But now we’re seeing that retirees have countless ideas on how to make the most of their hard-earned time. Whether that’s traveling, starting a side hustle or picking up a hobby, retirement can be an opportunity for adventure and reinvention, and anything but boring.”

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RETIREES’ TOP HOBBIES

– Gardening – 43%
– Reading – 42%
– Cooking – 38%
– Baking – 28%
– Fishing – 22%
– Painting – 17%
– Writing – 17%
– Learning a new language – 16%
– Photography – 15%
– Sewing – 14%
– Learning an instrument – 11%
– A sport – 11%
– Carpentry – 9%
– Dance – 9%
– Pickleball – 9%
– Singing – 7%
– Stand-up comedy – 2%

“Nature was my kindergarten.” – William Christopher Handy

Quote of the Day: “Nature was my kindergarten.” – William Christopher Handy

Photo by: Meghan Holmes

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?

102-Year-old Woman Becomes Britain’s Oldest Skydiver–to Inspire People in Their 80s or 90s ‘Not to Give up Anything’

Manette Baillie, ready to jump at 102-years-old (SWNS)
Manette Baillie, ready to jump at 102-years-old (SWNS)

A 102-year-old woman has become the oldest skydiver in Britain after jumping out of a plane at 7,000-feet.

Daredevil Manette Baillie celebrated her latest birthday this month with a tandem skydive at Beccles Airfield in Suffolk, England—her first ever parachute jump.

She said she was ‘breathless’ after the jump, which also raised money for charity.

“It was a bit scary,” Manette admitted in an interview with BBC Radio 4. “I must admit I shut my eyes very firmly.

“I just want other people who are getting towards 80 and 90 not to give up anything.”

Manette, who served during WWII in the Woman’s Royal Naval Service (WRENS), has always had a thirst for adventure.

Two years ago, for her 100th birthday, she marked the century with a visit to Silverstone Circuit race track, where she got behind the wheel of a Ferrari, speeding along at 130 miles an hour. In fact, she still drives her own car.

“I’ve been so lucky to be fit and well that I’ve got to do something with it—that’s really the back of it.

“I can’t just waste it. Other people are crippled with arthritis, and I’m not.”

SWNS

She said her secret to living a long and fulfilling life is “community, friends and being among people”.

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To foster those values, she is raising money for renovations on her beloved Benhall Ex-Servicemen’s Village Social Club, where her birthday party will take place. It was built 80 years ago for ex-servicemen after the war.

“The Benhall Village Hall started as a rickety tin hut for those coming home from the war,” said Manette, who plays a lot of board games there.

“I want to help ‘do it up’ for the next generation.

Her advice to people reaching their elderly years? “Just keep going.”

WATCH the determined daredevil jump…

RECOMMEND THIS ROLE MODEL To Friends and Seniors On Social Media…