1 Million Turtle Nests Counted on India’s Coast– ‘Crazy High’ Number is 10x More Than Decades Ago

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Dec 8, 2025

Olive ridley sea turtles nesting en masse on Costa Rica beach Credit- NOAA Fisheries Michael Jensen — Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting on Costa Rican beach – Credit: NOAA Fisheries / Michael Jensen

Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting on Costa Rican beach – Credit: NOAA Fisheries / Michael Jensen

Sea turtles continue rebounding all over the world, with a recent report from NPR claiming that 1 million turtle nests have been counted along the western coastline of India, a number 10-times as high as 20 years ago.

Olive ridley sea turtles are the most populous species in the world, but is still listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. At the Velas Turtle Festival, thousands of tourists and locals watched and cheered as baby turtle after baby turtle flopped, flipped, and flumped along the beach to reach the sea last April.

The festival is one method that a coalition of hard-working turtle lovers have employed to raise awareness and share the majesty of the olive ridley turtles that nest along the coast of Maharashtra, Odisha, and other states.

Cameras record where females dig their nests in January. Volunteers and conservationists then go excavate the nest and place the eggs in large hatcheries to protect them from birds, lizards, and dogs which scavenge unhatched eggs from the shoreline.

Once it’s time for the little ones to emerge and make what in nature is quite straightforwardly a break for it, they find themselves escorted by the Velas Festival team, until every last one feels the salt on their scales for the very first time, the roar of the waves matched by the roar from the onlookers.

It’s been a long road to get to this point. Kartik Shanker, a leading Indian sea turtle expert, told America’s NPR that 20 years ago, there might be 100,000 nests counted along the entire Indian coastline. It might seem like a lot, but considering that only 1 in 1,000 baby turtles survives to adulthood, that count doesn’t equate to robust repopulation.

Shanker and others thought the olive ridley sea turtle had vanished forever from their town of Velas, until in the year 2000, a solitary egg was discovered on the beach. Shanker knew that meant there were turtles somewhere in the ocean that would someday return to Velas to nest, and he argued this to the town council in a bid to implement conservation measures, including a ban on coastal construction.

MORE TURTLE TAKES: Sharp Increase in the Numbers of Nesting Sea Turtles Rewards a Generation of Hard Work in Greece

This was followed by seasonal fishing bans, protected coastal zones, and a paid custodial staff to keep the beaches clear of plastic trash which the turtles can mistake for jellyfish—their favorite food.

“[W]hen some measure of protection was put in place, these turtles, olive ridley turtles, have rebounded,” said Shanker. During the past winter’s nesting season the turtles dug “about a million nests, which is crazy high.”

It follows an announcement in October from the IUCN, the world’s international conservation authority, that the green sea turtle is no longer Endangered. These graceful giants nest from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, and have consistently recovered since the 1970s.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Locals Release 10 Endangered Siamese Crocodiles into Laos Wetlands to Save Species from Extinction

It’s difficult to know how many turtles of any species exist in the seas. Conservationists have only their nests to use as proxies for population.

“We went from being pretty worried about green turtle populations to watching their numbers increase over the last few decades,” Bryan Wallace, part of the team that prepared the recommendation for the IUCN, told NPR’s Morning Edition.

“Not entirely out of the woods yet, of course, but what the report shows that, generally speaking, when we do the right things, conservation works.”

WISH These Turtles Well On Their Journey AND SHARE This Story With Your Friends…

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good gets better, and your better gets best.” – Richard Bell (college football coach)

Quote of the Day

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Dec 8, 2025

Quote of the Day: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest, ’til your good gets better, and your better gets best.” – Richard Bell (college football coach)

Image by: Alex Sheldon

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

Good News in History, December 8

This Day In History

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Dec 8, 2025

100 years ago today, Sammy Davis Jr., the popular singer, dancer, actor, and drummer was born. An entertainer on stage since he was 3 years old, Sammy was Tony-nominated for his role in the 1964 musical Golden Boy, and joined The Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the original film Ocean’s 11—and together the blockbuster stars toured internationally. SEE his incredible talent in this comedy bit with impressions of famous 60s singers… (1990)

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Diets Rich in Tea, Coffee, Berries and Nuts Linked to Better Long-term Heart Health in New Study

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Dec 7, 2025

People who regularly consume polyphenol-rich foods and drinks, such as tea, coffee, berries, cocoa, nuts, whole grains, and olive oil, may have better long-term heart health, according to a new study.

The research, led by King’s College London, found that those with higher adherence to polyphenol-rich dietary patterns had lower predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Polyphenols, natural compounds found in plants, are linked to a variety of health benefits, including improved heart, brain, and gut health.

Researchers followed 3,100 adults from the TwinsUK cohort for over a decade and, for the first time, the researchers also analyzed a large number of metabolites in the urine that are produced when the body breaks down polyphenols.

They found that diets rich in specific groups of polyphenols were linked to healthier blood pressure and cholesterol profiles, contributing to lower CVD risk scores.

These biomarkers confirmed that higher levels of polyphenol metabolites—especially those derived from specific groups of polyphenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids—had lower cardiovascular risk scores. They also had increased HDL cholesterol, also know as ‘good cholesterol’.

The study, published recently in BMC Medicine, used a newly developed polyphenol dietary score (PPS) to capture intake of 20 key polyphenol-rich foods commonly consumed, ranging from tea and coffee to berries, olive oil, nuts, and whole grains.

SWEET TIP: Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure in Older People by Changing Their Oral Microbiome

This score showed stronger associations with cardiovascular health than estimates of total polyphenol intake, likely because it captures overall dietary patterns rather than individual compounds.

This finding suggests that considering the whole diet provides a more accurate picture of how polyphenol-rich foods work together to support long-term heart health.

“Our findings show that long-term adherence to polyphenol-rich diets can substantially slow the rise in cardiovascular risk as people age,” said Professor Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, Professor of Human Nutrition at King’s College London.

“Even small, sustained shifts towards foods like berries, tea, coffee, nuts, and whole grains may help protect the heart over time.”

Dr. Yong Li, first author of the study, said the research provides “strong evidence that regularly including polyphenol-rich foods in your diet is a simple and effective way to support heart health.”

HAVE YOU HEARD? Black Coffee is Linked to Lower Risk of Death – So Hold the Cream and Sugar

Additionally, while cardiovascular risk naturally increases with age, higher polyphenol intake was associated with a slower progression of risk over the 11-year follow-up period.

SHARE THE DIETARY TIPS With Good Friends on Social Media…

Amputee Thrilled With Hand Transplant is Now Left-handed: ‘Feels so incredible, as if I’ve had it my whole life’

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Dec 7, 2025

Amputee Kim Smith pre and post her hand transplant SWNS — Amputee Kim Smith pre- and post-transplant – SWNS

Amputee Kim Smith pre- and post-transplant – SWNS

A woman who lost all her limbs after contracting an infection and getting sepsis while on vacation in Spain eight years ago is now thrilled after receiving a new hand.

Kim Smith and her doctors were trying for a double hand transplant during the 14-hour surgery, but the right hand had to be abandoned. Despite that, she’s ‘over the moon’ and has declared herself now to be left-handed.

“I was right-handed, but now I just do everything left-handed and it came naturally,” said the 64-year-old. “I have even written with my left hand.”

“I am absolutely over the moon about my new arm, because it feels so incredible, almost as if I’ve had it my whole life.”

The woman from Buckinghamshire, England, even joked how her husband Steve was going to buy her new wedding and engagement rings because the fingers of her new hand were slightly bigger.

“I’ve gone full-on glass-half-full now—just grateful that at least one transplant worked,” Kim told SWNS news agency.

“The hand itself is perfect—and beautiful—and looks like it’s meant to be mine.”

Kim described how she was overjoyed when she first saw her new hand, and has been amazed how quickly she’s been able to use it.

“I honestly didn’t expect to be able to do so much so soon, even though motor skills can take a year or so to come back—four years until I get full feeling.

“I’m already picking things up and managing to clean my teeth, do my hair, and put on my makeup.

“The day after the operation, when they finally unbandaged the arm and let me very gently move my fingertips, it felt absolutely incredible because I could feel myself moving it, and from that moment it has just gone from strength to strength.”

“I was most excited to brush my teeth and feed myself again because holding a toothbrush or a fork—and actually being able to use it—felt like the loveliest little miracle after being told for so long that ‘it might never work’.

“The first time I picked up a glass of wine with no problem and then held an ice cream without dropping it, I was in disbelief at how far I’d already come.”

Kim has pretty much given up on her dream of having two hands, but is happy with her lovely new left hand.

BABY OVERCOMES ZERO ODDS: Guinness Record Holder for Most Premature Baby is Thriving at 1-Year Old–and All Giggles After ‘Zero Odds’ to Live

“While I never say never about a right-hand transplant, I’m 64, now and it would mean waiting another year even to be considered.”

“I’m honestly just happy to have this one for the rest of my life because it’s already giving me so much independence.

“I don’t know who the donor was, but I’ve written to their family to say how grateful I am, knowing they’re grieving and (they) might not reply.

“Meanwhile I’m regaining strength little by little, able to hold my phone, type on it, and wear my Pandora bracelet again.”

DOCTORS RESTORE HIS PASSION: Conductor with Parkinson’s Gets Brain Stimulation Device to Stop Shakes so He Can Lead Orchestra Once Again

Kim’s transplant was carried out by Professor Simon Peter Jabir Kay OBE at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who commented on the surgery.

“Hands are so much more than mechanical parts, they play an irreplaceable role in human communication and connection, and so it is always an honor to be able to carry out such a life-changing surgery.

“Kim faced unexpected and severe complications during surgery which meant we could only successfully complete one hand transplant, not the double replacement we had hoped to carry out.”

“Nonetheless her recovery has been remarkable.”

AMAZING: Schoolgirl With Severely Bowed Legs Gets Life-Changing Surgery to Straighten Them–And is Now 5 Inches Taller (LOOK)

“It is heart-warming to see how much her life has changed with her new hand, thanks to the generosity of her donor and their family.”

Kim’s journey of overcoming tragedy is the subject of The Gift, a powerful new Sky News documentary released a week ago. You can watch it here on YouTube, or watch the trailer below…

SHOW PEOPLE HOW TO BE GRATEFUL By Sharing Her Inspiring Spirit on Social Media…

Mesmerizing Lantern Display Lights Up December With Mile-Long Homage to Wildlife

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Dec 7, 2025

Twycross Zoo Holiday Lantern display Earth globe -SWNS — Twycross Zoo Holiday Lantern display – SWNS

Twycross Zoo Holiday Lantern display – SWNS

A stunning display illuminated by more than 2,000 lanterns spread over a mile is being called Britain’s largest Holiday lights display.

Thousands of visitors have been flocking to Twycross Zoo, in Warwickshire, England, to see their dazzling spectacle called Lanterns Of The Wild, since it opened on November 14.

Thousands of hand-crafted and hand-painted lanterns lead visitors along the mile-long trail meandering through the zoo to transport visitors into rainforests and ocean habitats and plants.

Depicting thousands of animals, the zoo installations depict ten immersive wild habitats inspired by tropical rainforests, icy tundras, deep oceans, and African savannas.

The trail also includes a giant Mount Rushmore display in six sections, with a bison and moose grazing in the foreground.

Enjoy the show…

Twycross Zoo lantern lights display of Mount Rushmore, redwood, and American West –SWNS

The illuminated wonderland represents “the newest, most spectacular and densely illuminated trail of its kind”—and took more than 99,000 hours to create.

It was brought to life by a team of over 30 Chinese artists using a staggering 25,000 bulbs and 70,000 meters of strip lights.

“The craftsmanship is outstanding,” said Jamie Turner, marketing director at Twycross Zoo.

“Every lantern is a work of art.”

Sunflowers and farmland – Twycross Zoo / SWNS

For those who visit, there’s even a giant version of the much-loved character, The Gruffalo, from children’s books.

See more photos and learn about tickets on the zoo’s website.

MUST-SEE: Italian ‘Ghost Town’ Rescued by Instagramable Street Art Which Attracts Thousands

(Inspire Some Whimsy By Sharing This With Friends on Social Media…)

New Underwater Tool Lets Ecologists ID Fish From Their Sounds–46 Species So Far (LISTEN to 5 of Them)

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Dec 7, 2025

The FishEye Collaborative / Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Underwater coral reefs are filled with thumps, pops, and snaps from shrimp and fish, and ecologists often use underwater microphones to monitor the health of marine environments.

But until now, ecologists have largely been unable to interpret these sounds because reefs are crowded with hundreds of different species—very few of which have had sounds accurately attributed to them.

A new tool from the FishEye Collaborative combines underwater sound recordings and a camera equipped with a 360° view to pinpoint the sounds made by individual fish.

The collaboration between bioacoustic researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Aalto University have already identified 46 fish species from the coral reefs of Curaçao in the Caribbean—more than half of them were never known to make sound.

The findings culled from their eavesdropping along with a description of their invention, the Omnidirectional Underwater Passive Acoustic Camera (UPAC-360), were published recently in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution.

“The diversity of fish sounds on a coral reef rivals that of birds in a rainforest,” explained Marc Dantzker, lead author and the Director of FishEye Collaborative. “In the Caribbean alone we estimate that over 700 fish species produce sounds. The same biodiversity we aim to protect is also our greatest challenge, when it comes to identifying sounds.”

“Spatial Audio lets you hear the direction from which sounds arrive at the camera,” explained Dantzker. “When we visualize that sound and lay the picture on top of the 360° image, the result is a video that can reveal which sound came from which fish.”

Now the most extensive collection of fish sounds ever published—and the growing library—is available to everyone at fisheyecollaborative.org/library.

The researchers say that identified sounds from the library can be used to automatically train machine learning systems to detect fish species in underwater recordings.

The technology is similar to smartphone apps like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin Bird ID that automatically identifies bird species by song or call, but no one needs to be on site. The UPAC-360 can be placed in reefs and left to collect data without the need for a diver or boat to be present.

“We are a long way from being able to build ‘Merlin’ for the oceans, but the sounds are useful for scientists and conservationists right away,” says Aaron Rice, a senior author of the study and principal ecologist at the Cornell Lab.

Dantzker adds, “We’re making it possible to decode reef soundscapes, transforming acoustic monitoring into a powerful tool for ocean conservation.”

“By discovering the identity of these hidden voices, acoustics will become a powerful indicator of reef health and a strategy to monitor wider and deeper,” said Matt Duggan, co-author and PhD candidate at Cornell.

“The fact that our recording system is put out in nature and can record for long periods of time means that we’re able to capture species’ behaviors and sounds that have never before been witnessed,” said Rice.

The researchers are expanding the research, growing the library for the Caribbean, and broadening their efforts to other reefs around the world, including Hawai’i and Indonesia, in the coming months.

THESE AREN’T FISHY:
• Fish Rescued From Garden Pond After it Grew to be 6-feet, From Just 6 Inches (LOOK)
• Fishermen Sacrifice Daily Catch to Rescue Huge Whale Shark Found in Their Net (WATCH)

LISTEN to 5 fish sounds below… [NOTES: It’s loud at first. Also, be sure to read the text.]

SHARE THE NEW SOUNDS With Divers on Social Media…

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” – Harriet Braiker

Quote of the Day

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Dec 7, 2025

Quote of the Day: “Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” – Harriet Braiker

Image by: Julia Caesar

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

Good News in History, December 7

This Day In History

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Dec 7, 2025

527 years ago today, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was born. This Italian master sculptor and architect created the Baroque style, one of the four great European architectural styles. Praised by lords, celebrated by peers, patronized by Popes and cardinals, and hailed as the next Michelangelo and as the equal to Shakespeare in contribution to his art, Bernini’s sculptural works dot the houses of European royalty and the finest museums. READ about some of his pieces… (1498)

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Retired Cop Rehabs Bus into Mobile Laundry: He Now Washes Clothes for the Homeless

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Nathan Frederick

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Dec 6, 2025

Former police officer Wade Milyard started Fresh Step Laundry to serve the homeless

Wade Milyard heard the voice from “out of nowhere” and knew he needed to listen—he thought it was God, or some other higher power, calling him into action.

It started a few years ago when the former canine officer for the Frederick Police Department in Maryland was responding to a domestic dispute at a homeless camp.

Soon after he investigated the disturbance, the voice rang out.

“Ask them about their laundry…”

Milyard heeded the voice, asked the question, and unknowingly set the course for a prayer-fulfilling future. The homeless couple he interviewed told him they typically washed their laundry in a nearby creek.

The cop never forgot that response, nor his call to service. He pooled multiple donations with some of his own money and went to work creating a full service laundromat on wheels. Fresh Step Laundry was born—with a mission “to help restore dignity to the unhoused community by providing free, accessible, and hygienic laundry.”

Since retiring from the police force in January, the 45-year-old has been traveling around his Maryland city, which is near D.C., making a difference—one load of wash at a time.

He’s set a schedule so people can meet him to take advantage of his laundry service, and his email is at the bottom of the web page.

He never charges a single cent, but his work yields substantial dividends.

“If you’re clean, you just feel better,” a man named Chris Washington told Steve Hartman in the CBS video below.

“You feel a little bit more proud of yourself.”

“That’s the thing,” Milyard said “ You’re doing it to maybe give them a little bit of a boost. If having clean clothes can help them just a little bit, then my mission is fulfilled.”

In the last several weeks alone, Fresh Step has washed more than 2,000 pounds of laundry and his next goal is to add a second vehicle so he can double the number of people he can serve.

COMPASSIONATE COPS:
• Watch Ohio Cop Save Woman Trying to Jump off 5th Floor: ‘There’s an Angel for You’
• Illinois Deputies Save Pregnant Driver Whose Runaway Car Was Heading Straight for a Lake

The mission that started with a voice from out of nowhere keeps spinning forward—and there will be even more impact in the next cycle.

HELP WADE’S MISSION SPIN ACROSS THE WEB—>Share it on Social Media…

Trucker With 5 Million Accident-Free Miles Wins Custom Semi and $50,000 as the 2025 Road Warrior Champion

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Dec 6, 2025

Stacy Batiste awarded as Road Warrior Winner 2025 -Submitted — Stacy Batiste awarded as Road Warrior Winner 2025 – Submitted by Pilot

Stacy Batiste awarded as Road Warrior Winner 2025 – Submitted by Pilot

Truck drivers are among the most overlooked workers in America, yet almost everything we buy is delivered on a truck—from the gifts we’re buying, to the turkey on the table, and the gas we need for holiday traveling.

But one deserving driver, Marine Corps veteran Stacy Batiste, was just awarded a custom-built semi-truck and a check for $50,000 after his best friend (hugging him in the photo above) nominated him for the Road Warrior contest.

After reviewing thousands of entries, the trucker from Lafayette, Louisiana, was selected for his tireless dedication and commitment after driving over 5,000,000 accident-free miles during his 34 year career as a pro driver.

Batiste was “shocked” to win the largest prize in the history of the contest, sponsored by Pilot, the nation’s largest ‘travel center’ chain and third largest tanker fleet operator in the U.S.

He said he needed the discipline that military service provided: “I learned a lot from that. and I just transitioned that into my life.”

“With the military training, I’m alert,” he told the host of ‘What the Truck?’ on YouTube.

“You have to watch everyone out there: Sometimes you can tell, ‘Hey, he’s gonna to do this, or he’s gonna cut in front of you at the first opportunity’.

“I back off and take my time. I’m always early.”

The custom Kenworth semi-truck built by the Diesel Brothers was even in Stacy’s favorite color, red.’

Stacy Batiste awarded $50,000 check and new truck as Road Warrior Winner 2025

A bonus second-place winner, Bobby Peeker of Woodruff, South Carolina, is being awarded a $10,000 cash prize and a $25,000 donation to a charity of his choice supporting veterans. Bobby is also a Marine Corps veteran, and has driven more than 1 million accident-free miles

“They both are prime examples of the positive impact professional drivers have on and off the road,” said Jordan Spradling, senior vice president of transportation at Pilot Company.

Batiste considers trucking to be his calling, and he routinely goes the extra mile to mentor younger drivers and serves as a pillar in his local community.

“I love what I do and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

“I’m gonna ride til I die or they take me out this truck, I’ll be honest with you on that part… I got diesel in my veins.”

MORE HONOR FOR TRUCKERS:
• Truck Driver Intervenes in Highway Shootout, Wins Goodyear Highway Hero Award
• Texas Trucker is Named ‘Highway Angel’ for Stopping to Rescue a Police Officer Pinned in Vehicle

Pilot surprised Batiste with his prize while he was working on the road, inviting him to stop at a Flying J in Texas, where his family and best friend were hiding in the store, ready to pop out when the Diesel Brothers handed over the keys.

As an owner-operator, the cherry red semi will further his passion for trucks that he’s held in his heart since he was a kid.

“I was speechless. It was a shocker, but I was very, very happy.

“It speaks to the time I’ve put in—and a lot of people appreciated it.”

If you know a deserving truck driver, or want to read stories of other Road Warriors, check out Pilot’s contest webpage, which has been celebrating truckers going the extra mile for over 10 years.

SEND THE HERO DRIVER ON A ROAD TRIP: Share This With Drivers on Social Media…

Tiny Disabled Puppy Found in Dumpster Gets New Home in Time for Christmas

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Dec 6, 2025

Dennis the newly adopted terrrier puppy runs happy - SWNS — Dennis the newly adopted terrier puppy runs happy - SWNS

Dennis the newly adopted terrier puppy runs happy – SWNS

An adorable disabled pup that was left in a dumpster has been rehomed in time for Christmas after being rescued and nursed back to health.

After being discovered abandoned in South Oxfordshire, England, the tiny six-week-old, which is deaf and half-blind, was rushed to a veterinarian.

The terrier named Dennis weighed just 1.75 kg (under 4 pounds) and was growing weaker by the minute when he was admitted to the Blue Cross’s rescue center in Burford, where it underwent treatment, including antiseptic ointment for his wounds, and intravenous nutrition to build up his strength.

“I didn’t expect him to be so small,” said Anouska, the admissions coordinator at Blue Cross Burford. “He was absolutely tiny.”

“I’ve never seen a dog of his age quite so little and thin, and with so many injuries, as well.”

The animal charity said the injuries may have been caused by coming into contact with sharp objects in the bin or he may have sustained them beforehand.

Dennis was so scared upon arrival, he couldn’t even cope with a bath, so the team used damp towels to clean him up, as he was “really, really worried by the water”.

“His eyes couldn’t focus on you very well, and he couldn’t really hear what you were saying, or work out where he was.”

Dennis the disabled terrier puppy after it was found in dumpster – SWNS

“He would sort of go to the corner of the room or try to nestle into you in order to feel safe.

“For those first couple of days, he was so shut down and so nervous, and obviously, poor Dennis didn’t really have great eyesight and couldn’t hear.

“We weren’t able to do the normal things that you would do with a puppy. We had to teach him different cues.

“If we came into the room, we’d sort of tap our feet on the floor so he would get the vibrations to let him know we were approaching—and when we’d go to pick him up, we’d tap him gently so that he knew what these things started to mean.

“It was a whole different thing for us to learn. We’ve dealt with deaf puppies and we’ve dealt with blind puppies, but putting the two together was such a different experience for us and something that we had to learn along the way.”

LOOK: A Pile of Puppies Treatment Cheers Up Seriously Ill Kids with Bundles of Cozy Joy

He was placed into foster care where he continued to make a remarkable recovery before finding a loving home in Derbyshire in time for his first Christmas with new owners.

Anouska said Dennis learned to navigate in his foster home which became crucial in his journey toward being adapted.

Dennis the terrier puppy in his foster home – SWNS

#1 PUP: Stray Pooch Just Won 2025 Hero Dog Award for Soothing Families After School Shooting

“He would sort-of charge around, and within the first couple of days, he’d really laid out a map of his foster carer’s home,” she added.

“I think he did have breed on his side, in that terriers do something once and they go, ‘Oh, right, won’t do that again, that wasn’t very fun’.

“So, he’d walk into the corner of a room and know not to do it again. He would rush into things and learn as he did it.

“He really just came into his own in foster. As time went on, he became quite confident, and his personality very quickly came out.

“He’s now got a whole new incredible life ahead of him—but it could have gone down a completely different trajectory.”

OVERCOMING PUPPY HOARDER: Dogs Rescued from ‘Squalid’ House are Being Retrained as Police Sniffer K-9s

More than 25,000 pets have come through Blue Cross’s fostering and rehoming services in the last five years—and the charity has launched its annual Christmas appeal to support pet homelessness for those who’d like to donate.

SHARE THE SWEET STORY With Dog-Lovers on Social Media…

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

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Dec 6, 2025

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

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of December 6, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The world’s oldest known musical composition is the Hurrian Hymn No. 6. It was discovered etched on clay tablets in Syria, dating back to 1400 BCE. When finally decoded and performed, it revealed harmonies that still resonate with modern listeners. Your projects in the coming months could share this timeless quality, Sagittarius. You will have an enhanced power to bridge your past and your future. A possibility you’ve been nurturing for months or even years may finally ripen into beautiful completion. Watch for opportunities to synergize tradition with innovative novelty or deep-rooted marvels with sweet, breezy forms of expression.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I’m taking a risk here by urging you cautious Capricorns to at least flirt with the Finnish tradition of drinking alcohol at home alone in your underwear with no intention of going out. I’m certainly not encouraging you to get so hammered that you can’t safely wander outdoors. My point is to give yourself permission to celebrate your amazing, mysterious, beautiful life with a bout of utterly uninhibited relaxation and totally indulgent contentment. I authorize you to be loose and free and even slightly irresponsible. Let your private pleasures reign supreme.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In the Quechua language, the word ayllu refers to a kinship system not just of people, but of animals, ancestors, dreams, and nature. To be aligned with one’s ayllu is to live in reciprocity, in the ongoing exchange of care and meaning among the entire web of life. “We belong to what we love,” the Quecha elders say. Aquarius, I believe you’re being asked to focus on your ayllu. Who or what comprises your circle of belonging? Which beings, places, and unseen presences help weave the pattern of your treasured destiny? Whom do you create for—not as audience, but as kin who receive and answer your song? As you nourish your connections in the coming weeks, pay special attention to those who respect your idiosyncrasies. It’s not your birthright to simply fit in. Your utter uniqueness is one of your greatest gifts, and it’s your sacred duty to give it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In Yoruba cosmology, the divine spirit Oshun presides over rivers, love, beauty, and sweet water. But her sweetness isn’t a weakness. It’s a sublime power, as evidenced by how her waters once restored life to the barren earth when every other force had failed. You Pisceans are now channeling extra strong currents of Oshun energy. Your tenderness is magnetic. Your imaginative flourishes are as valuable as gold. And your love, when rooted in your sovereign self-respect, is healing. But don’t let your nurturing be exploited. Choose wisely where you share your bounty. The right people will honor your flow, not judge it or try to change it. Your duty is to be uninhibitedly yourself and let your lyrical truths ripple freely.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Here are two of your birthrights as an Aries: to be the spark that ignites the fire and the trailblazer who doesn’t wait for permission. I invite you to embody both of those roles to the max in the coming weeks. But keep these caveats in mind: Your flame should provide light and warmth but not rouse scorching agitation. Your intention should be to lead the way, not stir up drama or demand attention. Be bold and innovative, my dear, but always with rigorous integrity. Be sensitive and receptive as you unleash your gorgeous courage. In my vision of your future, you’re the wise guide who inspires and includes, who innovates and reflects. You fight for interdependence, not dominance.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Here’s a key theme: microdoses of courage. You don’t need to summon splashy acts of epic heroism. Subtle rebellions against numbness and ignorance may be all that’s required. Your understated superpowers will be tactful surges of honesty and gentle interventions in challenging transitions. So be brave in ways that feel manageable, Taurus. Don’t push yourself to be a fearless warrior. The trembling truth-teller is your best role model. As an experiment to get started, say yes to two things that make you nervous but don’t terrify you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Your inner ear contains three canals filled with fluid. They act like gyroscopes, telling you which way is up, how fast you’re moving, and when to stop. Your ability to maintain your balance depends on their loyal service. Without them, you couldn’t orient yourself in space. Moral of the story: You stabilize yourself through constant adjustment. Let’s make this a metaphor for your current assignment. Your ability to remain poised, centered, and grounded will require ongoing adaptations. It won’t work to remain still and fixed. You will have to keep calibrating and adapting.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Let’s extol the value of productive confusion: the disorienting state when your old maps no longer match the territory. Your beloved certainties shudder and dissipate, and you don’t know what you don’t know. This isn’t a failure of understanding, but the ripe precondition for a breakthrough. The caterpillar doesn’t smoothly or instantly transition into a butterfly. First it dissolves into chaotic goo and simmers there for a while. Conclusion: Stay in the not-knowing a little longer.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Coffee from Java, orchids from Iceland, and grapes from Vesuvius, Italy: What do these bounties have in common? They flourish in the extra fertile soil created by volcanic eruptions. The molten lava that initially leveled everything in its path later cooled and became a repository of rich nutrients. I expect a milder version of this theme for you, Leo. Events and energies that at first cause disruption will eventually become vitalizing and even healing. Challenges will lead to nourishment.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Gardeners in Japan spend years training bonsai trees to grow into elegant shapes. The process requires extraordinary patience, close listening, and an intimate relationship with an ever-changing life form. I invite you to approach your current projects with this mindset. You may feel tempted to expedite the growth that’s unfolding. You might feel pressure to “complete” or “optimize.” But the flourishing of your work depends on subtle attunement, not brute progress. Pay tender attention to what wants to emerge slowly. Tend to it with care. Time is your collaborator, not your enemy. You’re weaving lasting beauty.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The Swedish concept of lagom means “not too much, not too little, but just right.” It suggests that the best option may be in the middle rather than in the extremes. Yes, sometimes that means an uneasy compromise. But more often, it’s how the power and virtue come fully alive and thrive. Many people don’t like this fact of life. They are fixated on the delusion that more is always better. In the coming weeks, Libra, I invite you to be a connoisseur of *lagom*. To do it right, you may have to strenuously resist peer pressure and groupthink.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In Bangkok markets, elderly women sell caged birds. Why? For the specific purpose of releasing them. Those who buy a captive sparrow or dove immediately open the cage door and let the creature fly away in a symbolic gesture of compassion and spiritual aspiration. It’s a Buddhist act believed to bring good karma to the person who sets the bird free. I invite you to imagine yourself performing this sacrament, Scorpio, or perhaps conducting an actual ritual with the equivalent purpose. Now is a fun and fertile time to liberate an outdated belief, a conversation you keep replaying, or a version of yourself that’s no longer relevant. Take your cue from the signs that appear in the Bangkok market: *Letting go is a form of prayer.*

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

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible. Never treat life casually.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 6, 2025

Quote of the Day: “Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible. Never treat life casually.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

Image by: Diego PH

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

Good News in History, December 6

This Day In History

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Good News Network

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Dec 6, 2025

61 years ago today, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the animated stop-motion Christmas special, was first broadcast on CBS television. The beloved Rankin/Bass production chronicles the bullying endured by Rudolph (at reindeer school) and a misfit elf named Hermey, who wants to be a dentist. WATCH the reprise finale below… (1964)

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900 Acres Bordering Yosemite Returned to Tribe That Was Expelled 175 Years Ago

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 5, 2025

Tribal Secretary Tara Fouch-Moore at the western edge of the property - credit Pacific Forest Trust

Nearly 900 acres of land bordering Yosemite National Park have been transferred back to tribal ownership after 175 years,

The transfer from Pacific Forest Trust to the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation provides the tribe with ownership of the naturally and culturally significant Henness Ridge, site of a traditional Native American trail from the Central Valley to Yosemite, and a key migration corridor for deer and other mammals.

“This transfer reunites our people to this unique area of our homeland after 175 years of displacement,” said Tara Fouch-Moore, Tribal Secretary.

The Pacific Forest Trust spent two decades preparing the land for its return to tribal ownership after the organization purchased it under threat of development.

Located just west of Chinquapin/Badger Pass and State Highway 41, the property overlooks both branches of the Wild and Scenic Merced River to the south and north, the Central Valley to the west, and the main Yosemite Valley to the north.

For generations, the Southern Sierra Miwuk people cared for these forests, meadows, and springs. But with the 19th-century increase in settlements and the establishment of the Yosemite National Park, the tribe was eventually expelled.

“Having this significant piece of our ancestral Yosemite land back will bring our community together to celebrate tradition and provide a healing place for our children and grandchildren,” said Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation’s Tribal Council Chair and elder Sandra Chapman, in a statement. “It will be a sanctuary for our people.”

The transfer will enable the Southern Miwuk to restore biodiversity and climate resilience using traditional ecological practices such as cultural fire, cultivation of native plants, forest restoration, and protection of water quality feeding the two tributaries of the Merced.

In 2018, the property was heavily impacted by the Ferguson Fire. With a significant portion of the property burned, Pacific Forest Trust restored almost 500 acres by removing dangerous snags, thinning overstocked areas, improving access and other conditions for reforestation, and planting 125,000 native seedlings.

In fact, the Ferguson Fire was stopped from further spread on this Ridge, protecting the community of Yosemite West.

The project will also facilitate movement across private-public corridors for plants and animals adapting to climate change, and provide a unique platform for public education on the multiple benefits of indigenous land stewardship.

“When we were first approached to conserve this land over 20 years ago, we recognized immediately how important it was to protect and conserve. As we’ve protected it from development, strengthened its role as a buffer to Yosemite, and prioritized both conservation and cultural restoration, this is an extraordinarily fitting and positive outcome!” said Laurie Wayburn, cofounder and president of Pacific Forest Trust.

In addition to re-establishing the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation as the stewards of Henness Ridge, this project will support and strengthen the Tribe’s case for federal recognition, an ongoing pursuit since 1982.

The land transfer was facilitated by a grant from the California Natural Resources Agency Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program, which GNN recently reported helped set up another reunion a century and more in the making when the Tule River Indian Tribe celebrated the return of 17,000 acres of ancestral lands by releasing several of the region’s native Tule elk to roam the hills of the southwest Sierra Nevada.

ALSO CHECK OUT: 100 Years After Vultures Disappeared from These Mts, Their Return Completes ‘Europe’s Yellowstone’

Much like the Henness Ridge and its adjacency to Yosemite, the 17,00 acres are made up of former ranch properties that connect the Tule River Tribe’s existing reservation with a large block of US Forest Service land that connects with Giant Sequoia National Monument in Sequoia National Forest.

By turning the land, known as the Yowlumne Hills, over to the tribe, a substantial conservation corridor for animals including these Tule elk will be established.

MORE NATIVE NEWS: Yurok Tribe Celebrates Again as Ancestral Homelands are Returned–in Wake of Historic Dam Removal

As for the Miwuk, they look forward for rebuilding their identity landowners and stewards

“We will be able to harvest and cultivate our traditional foods, fibers, and medicines and steward the land using traditional ecological knowledge, strengthening our relationships with plants and wildlife, and benefiting everyone by restoring a more resilient and abundant landscape,” Fouch-Moore said in a statement.

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Having a Pet Dog Boosts Teenage Mental Health by ‘Changing Microbes in Their Bodies’

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 5, 2025

Family dogs boost kids’ mental health by changing microbes that live in their bodies, according to a new study.

Researchers found that the pets prompt changes in the human microbiome, the collection of all microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, that inhabit the human body.

Hundreds of studies have shown directly and circumstantially that this community of microbes play a crucial role in health, immunity, digestion, fertility, and emotional wellbeing.

The composition of a person’s microbiome is unique and can change based on factors such as diet, medication, and environmental exposures.

Other studies have shown dog owners have differences in their gut microbiomes, including greater microbial diversity, compared to non-dog owners.

Described in a new paper, lead author Professor Takefumi Kikusui, of Azabu University in Japan and his team found that young people who grow up with a dog from a young age and continue to have dogs later in life score higher on measures of companionship and social support.

These effects, he says, may be mediated through symbiosis with microorganisms.

In the new study, published in the journal iScience, the research team set out to explore whether some of the beneficial effects of dogs on adolescent mental health might be tied to these differences in the microbiome.

“Adolescent children who keep dogs exhibit higher mental well-being, and we also found that dog ownership alters the gut microbiota,” said Professor Kikusui “Since the gut microbiota influences behavior through the gut-brain axis, we conducted this experiment.”

The Japanese team found that whether someone owned a dog at age 13 predicted their mental health and behavioral scores. Social problems were “significantly” lower in adolescents with a dog at home compared to those without a dog.

They then looked at microbiome samples collected from the mouth.

After sequencing the microbes, the researchers found similar species diversity and richness between the two groups of teens. But the microbiome composition showed differences, suggesting that owning a dog shifted the abundances of specific oral bacteria.

They hypothesized that some of the bacteria might correlate with the teenagers’ psychological scores.

To put the theory to the test, the researchers treated lab mice with microbiota from dog-owning teens to see whether and how it affected their social behavior. Mice with the dog-owning microbiome spent more time sniffing their cage mates.

The animals also showed a more social approach toward a trapped cage-mate—a behavior test standardly used to test prosocial behavior in mice.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Probiotics Enhances Cognitive Abilities Through the Gut: A Key to Aging Brain Health

“The most interesting finding from this study is that bacteria promoting pro-sociality, or empathy, were discovered in the microbiomes of adolescent children who keep dogs,” said Kikusui.

“The implication is that the benefits of dog ownership include providing a sense of security through interaction, but I believe it also holds value in its potential to alter the symbiotic microbial community.”

MORE MICROBIOME RESEARCH: A Daycare Rewilded its Yard and the Children Became Healthier: Now the Whole Nation Is Doing it

Kikusui said the results suggest that a family dog can change the microbiome in ways that support mental health, empathy, and prosocial behavior.

“The benefits of living with dogs are likely the result of tens of thousands of years of human-canine coexistence.”

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14-Year-Old Wins $25,000 for Origami That Can Hold 10,000 Times its Own Weight

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 5, 2025

A young man has folded his origami hobby into to a potential career path as an innovator, having used the Japanese artform to create a structure capable of holding 10,000 times its own weight.

His demonstration, which included extensive testing and personal invention, took first prize at the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge in October, giving the lad $25,000 to fold—into his wallet.

Miles Wu has been folding origami for years – credit, Wu family photo

14-year-old Miles Wu from New York City has been folding origami animals and insects for years. He got so good at it that he has even started designing his own folding designs.

His eventual award-winning idea came from studying how origami had previously been used as a field for innovation in medicine. It was during January’s wildfires in Southern California and Hurricane Helene, when Wu familiarized himself with deployable disaster shelters that he realized he might use origami to build a better one.

He began personal experimentation with a kind of origami fold known as Miura-ori, which creates patterned parallelograms by folding a piece of paper over itself into a smaller area.

“A problem with current deployable structures and emergency structures is, for example, tents are sometimes strong, sometimes they can compact really small, and sometimes they’re easily deployable, but almost never are they all three, but Miura-ori could potentially solve that problem,” Wu told Business Insider.

“I found that Miura-ori was really strong, light, and folds down really compactly.”

He tested three different types of paper, folded into three different heights, lengths, and angles of parallelograms—creating 54 variations, which he tested over 108 trials attempting to see how much weight they could support by collapsing in on themselves.

Using every book in his small library, he eventually had to ask his parents to buy research weights to finish his trials.

ALSO CHECK OUT: New $1 Test Using Origami Paper Sensors Can Detect Infectious Diseases Like Covid–With Just a Mobile Phone

“The final statistic I got about the strongest Miura-ori that I tested was that it could hold over 10,000 times its own weight,” Wu said. “I calculated that to be the equivalent of a New York City taxi cab holding over 4,000 elephants.”

Miles with his winning Miura-ori fold – credit, Society for Science

It’s not bad for a 14-year-old.

Wu believed that less-acutely angled smaller folds with heavier material would prove the strongest, which was partially true. Counterintuitively perhaps, it was the lighter material that held up better.

MORE CHILD INNOVATORS: Teens Win 2025 Earth Prize for Refrigerator That Runs on Salt – 200 are Headed to Hospitals to Preserve Medicine

Taking first prize in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge requires being selected in a body of 300 peers and their experiments out of 2,000 entrants. Of those 300, 30 are then selected to travel to Washington, DC, for a presentation on their work. Wu’s parents have decided the money will go towards his higher education, and Wu himself is already returning to his origami research.

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Tonight’s Aptly-Named ‘Cold Moon’ is Final Supermoon of the Year

By

Andy Corbley

-

Dec 5, 2025

moon and supermoon comparison — A side-by-side comparison of two different moons - credit, Marco Langbroek, the Netherlands, using a Canon EOS 450D + Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 180mm lens / Marcoaliaslama, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A side-by-side comparison of two different moons – credit, Marco Langbroek, the Netherlands, using a Canon EOS 450D + Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 180mm lens / Marcoaliaslama, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

2025 has been blessed with three consecutive supermoons in the autumn skies, with the final one of the trio visible tonight over the United States.

It will crest the horizon at just after 5:00 pm, which depending on your latitude in the eastern United States may already be twilight, and therefore give a great chance to see it shining near the horizon where it appears largest.

A supermoon is a colloquial name for when our satellite reaches perigee, or the point of its elliptical orbit around the Earth when it’s the closest to us. This is the opposite of apogee, when the Moon reaches its farthest point.

When the Moon is full at perigee, it’s called a supermoon, and when full at apogee, it’s called a “micromoon.”

A supermoon appears 8% larger than a normal full moon, and 14% larger than a micromoon.

The cool thing is that it can appear even bigger the closer it is to the horizon, a phenomenon known as the Moon illusion.

“Being near perigee and full, this Moon can also produce slightly higher tides, known as perigean spring tides or king tides, especially along coastlines,” writes Old Farmer’s Almanac, which also detailed while the December full moon is called the “Cold Moon.”

Although it doesn’t take much detailing—it’s a cold time of the year. Cold Moon was what the Mohawk nation called it, while the Mohican referred to it as the Long Knight Moon, due to its proximity to the Winter Solstice. Other tribes associated it with nature phenomena, like frost crystals cracking tree bark, or when deer shed their antlers.

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“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” – Napoleon Hill

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 5, 2025

Quote of the Day: “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” – Napoleon Hill

Image by: Professor Habits

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?