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Asteroid Sample Delivered Back to Earth in a ‘Brilliant Feat’–a Time Capsule of Ancient Solar System

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Andy Corbley
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The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

In huge spacefaring news, NASA has its hands on a capsule containing about half a pound of material taken from a large asteroid called Bennu.

The first extraterrestrial soil sample brought back by Americans since the Apollo Missions was accomplished as part of the years-long OSIRIS-REx Mission, the first-ever asteroid sample-and-return mission NASA has undertaken.

Touching down in a DoD Test Range in Utah at 10:52 a.m. EDT on Sunday, the OSIRIS-REx capsule represents the culmination of 7 years of hard work that started when a small spacecraft was launched in 2016, remotely directed to the asteroid Bennu where it arrived and sought a safe landing area in 2019, collected a sample in October of 2020, and then headed for home in 2021.

The Bennu sample—an estimated 8.8 ounces, or 250 grams—was transported in its unopened canister by aircraft to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday.

Curation scientists there will disassemble the canister, extract and weigh the sample, create an inventory of the rocks and dust, and, over time, distribute pieces of Bennu to scientists worldwide.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: NASA Just Found an Ocean World with Atmosphere–The Best Place to Look for Life in Our Galaxy

Moving as fast as possible to get the canister under a “nitrogen purge,” as scientists call it, was one of the OSIRIS-REx team’s most critical tasks yesterday.

Nitrogen is a gas that doesn’t interact with most other chemicals, and a continuous flow of it into the sample container inside the capsule will keep out earthly contaminants to leave the sample pure for scientific analyses.

“For us, this was the World Series, ninth inning, bases-loaded moment, and this team knocked it out of the park,” said Rich Burns, project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “The whole team had butterflies today, but that’s the focused anticipation of a critical event by a well-prepared team.”

FUTURE BIG SPACE MISSIONS: India Becomes Fourth Nation to Touch Down on the Moon In Mission to Study its South Pole

The returned samples collected from Bennu will help scientists worldwide make discoveries to better understand planet formation and the origin of organics and water that led to life on Earth, as well as benefit all of humanity by learning more about potentially hazardous asteroids.

WATCH a NASA explainer video below… (Note: GNN has no affiliation with any ads displayed) 

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Norway Rewilds Arctic Coal Mining Town in Largest Operation of its Kind, Gives New Hunting Ground for Polar Bears

By
Andy Corbley
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The listed buildings Saloonen and Vinboden are leased to the University Center in Svalbard (UNIS) for research and teaching purposes. Photo: Eva Therese Jenssen/Sysselmesteren på Svalbard.
The listed buildings Saloonen and Vinboden are leased to the University Center in Svalbard (UNIS) for research and teaching purposes. Photo: Eva Therese Jenssen/Sysselmesteren på Svalbard.

On the arctic island of Svalbard, the Norwegian government has just completed the largest re-wilding project in its history.

Polar bears, reindeer, Arctic fox, and many sea birds are now moving back into the Sveagruva mining town, where the depths of the island were plumbed for coal for 100 years.

Sveagruva was an industrial community nestled in a remote fjord, which before its closure had its own power station, wharf, water supply, and everything else that was necessary to house up to 300 workers and run mining operations on a large scale.

The Storting, or Norwegian parliament, decided in 2017 to wind down operations and clear the area to return it to its natural state. All traces of human activity since mining began in 1910 were to be removed, with the exception of cultural monuments and buildings from before 1946.

It’s now so empty and pristine that no passing polar bear could ever have imagined humans had ever been there apart from three red houses spared by their monument designation.

“This is Norway’s largest nature restoration ever, and an expression of a long-term and consistent Norwegian policy to preserve wilderness nature on Svalbard,” said Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.

“There is less and less untouched nature in the world, and the restoration of nature and ecosystems is therefore one of the most important goals in the new global nature agreement. The clean-up in Sveagruva is an important contribution to this.”

MORE ISLAND CONSERVATION: Invading Rats Were Finally Eradicated on 2 Galapagos Islands Thanks to Drone Partnership

Before the re-wilding began 12 people from NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research) spent six weeks scanning and photographing the entire town of Sveagruva. Around 170,000 images and 6,000 scans, in total more than 18 terabits of raw data, have become a huge digital 3D model that can be experienced at a nearby tourist outpost.

Project manager Morten H. Johansen at Store Norske and climate and environment minister Espen Barth Eide in today’s Sveagruva with a picture of how it looked before. Photo: Eva Therese Jenssen/Sysselmesteren på Svalbard.

“In many ways, the clean-up of Svea and Lunckefjell has been a project that has involved the entire population of Svalbard,” said Lars Fause, the head of civil affairs in Svalbard. “I am impressed by how the various companies and units have worked together. This has been one of the success factors for the project being carried out so efficiently and cost-effectively.”

ANOTHER STORY LIKE THIS: Norway Closes Down Its Last Arctic Coal Mine and Transforms Land into Giant National Park

While 2.5 billion Norwegian Krone, or around $230 million was budgeted for the project, the project came in at merely $83 million.

7 national parks and 23 nature reserves cover the island of Svalbard, making it by percentile one of the most well-conserved island ecosystems in the Arctic at around 66%.

SHARE This Massive Action On Behalf Of A Wild Island With Your Friends… 

 

“A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.” – Stendhal

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Quote of the Day: “A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.” – Stendhal

Photo by: public domain

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

Thousands of Dolphins Form ‘Mega Pod’ in California’s Monterey Bay – WATCH

By
Andy Corbley
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Instagram Even Brodsky – screen capture

In early September, a video surfaced at Monterey Bay Whale Watch’s Evan Brodsky’s Instagram of a dolphin “mega pod”—where thousands of these marine mammals school together in one massive pod that stretches from one end of Brodsky’s video camera lens to the other.

Dolphin pod size varies wildly between place and individual species, but in general they range from between several dozen to a hundred, with membership being a fluid affair and inter-pod migration common.

In places with a high abundance of food, pods can merge temporarily, forming a superpod; such groupings may exceed 1,000 dolphins.

“On this day we saw thousands and thousands of long-beaked common dolphins spread out for miles! Literally every splash you see is a dolphin,” Brodsky said, filming the march with his drone.

WATCH the mega pod go below…

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Farmers Show off Mammoth Produce at County Fair Headlined by 1,300 lbs. Pumpkin

By
Andy Corbley
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The first prize pumpkin at 1370 pounds - via SWNS
The first prize pumpkin at 1370 pounds – via SWNS

At last weekend’s Malvern Autumn Festival in the UK, growers from across the Isles showed off the truly frightening proportions that vegetables can grow to, headlined by massive pumpkins brought in on a forklift.

4th place winner Tim Saint transported his whopping 667 lbs. pumpkin in a trailer to display at the event held over the weekend in England’s Worcestershire.

Even though he needed a pallet, trailer, and industrial strapping to move the thing, his was a small fry compared to Curtis Leach’s 1st prize-winning pumpkin that arrived at weights usually reserved for cars.

At 638 kilograms, or 1,373 lbs, the gargantuan gourd was 40 kilograms more than the second-place entry, but half as heavy as the current Guinness World Record for heaviest pumpkin, which was 2,700 pounds.

“I grew a 667 lbs. pumpkin this year which I’m delighted at,” said Mr. Saint. “I’ve been growing pumpkins for 20 years and that’s the biggest I’ve ever done It’s got to be over 3ft tall at least, I’m 6ft tall myself and it’s big.”

“The secret is just plenty of water and manure, plenty of cow manure especially,” added Mr. Saint, who did take 1st prize for largest beetroot. “It takes a lot of water, I normally give it five watering cans of water a day.”

Peter Glazebrook with his 1st prize for the longest cucumber and David Robson with his 4th placed leak – via SWNS
Ian Stott with his cabbage – via SWNS
Lesley and Wayne Price from Hereford with their giant zucchini-like fruit known as a marrow – SWNS

One of the largest harvest festivals in the UK, there are 35 categories for giant or long vegetables, and this year 8 new world records were set, including for Largest Runner Bean Leaf, Heaviest Runner Bean, Tallest Tomatillo Plant, Longest Luffa, Heaviest Bell Pepper, Heaviest Cucumber, Heaviest Broad Bean, and Longest Broad Bean.

Ian Stott brought along a 49-pound cabbage which secured him second spot on the winner’s podium this year.

MORE GIANT VEGETABLES: Nebraska Man Makes World’s Longest Journey by Pumpkin Boat on 60th Birthday

“It’s 22kg and about four-and-a-half feet wide,” he said proudly, adding that “it’s not been a good year for cabbages, it was so hot at the beginning of the season.”

MORE GIANT VEGETABLES: Monster Pumpkin Weighing 2,350 Pounds is Crowned Largest Grown in North America

“You’ve got to have the right seed and Mother Nature needs to be on your side… They weren’t that big this year. I’ve had them 6ft across and it’s a bit hard to not break leaves off him,” said Mr. Stott, who lost out on 1st prize to Annette Stone, who managed to break 54 pounds with her cabbage.

Ian Neale 80 with his 1st Place for his giant swede and 1st place for giant celery – via SWNS

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NASA May Have Just Cracked the Code for Replacing Lithium in Batteries: ‘Double or even triple the energy’

By
Andy Corbley
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NASA researchers John Connell and Yi Lin (seated) from SABERS. credit NASA
NASA researchers John Connell and Yi Lin (seated) from SABERS. credit NASA

Along with routinely launching robots across the final frontier, NASA is also involved in sustainable aviation research, and this division may have cracked the code to creating a lighter, safer battery back with multiple times more discharge power than lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries, the current industry standard for electric vehicles, contain liquids that make them vulnerable to overheating, fire, and loss of charge over time. By contrast, NASA’s SABERS (Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety) project is developing experimental solid-state battery packs that do not suffer from these drawbacks.

SABERS receives funding from NASA’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project, which is designed to investigate certain technologies to solve aviation’s biggest challenges: in this case, battery-powered flight.

Carbon from air travel equates to around 2% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Batteries are hypothesized as a potential ameliorating solution to emissions-heavy jet fuel.

During the past year, SABERS’ solid-state batteries have been honed to produce a discharge rate much higher than any other example on the market by a factor of 10—and then again by a factor of 5.

Inside the battery, sulfur and selenium cells stacked directly on top of one another without casings allow for greater weight savings. Along with the cells themselves, multiple batteries can be stacked without any separation between them.

“Not only does this design eliminate 30 to 40 percent of the battery’s weight, it also allows us to double or even triple the energy it can store, far exceeding the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries that are considered to be the state of the art,” said Rocco Viggiano, principal investigator for SABERS at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

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It has so far allowed the SABERS team to power objects at 500 watt-hours per kilogram–double that of an electric car.

This year, the main objective for SABERS was to show the battery’s properties meet its energy and safety targets while also demonstrating it can safely operate under realistic conditions and at maximum power, NASA writes.

Partnering with Georgia Tech, SABERS has been able to use different methodologies in their work which has so far benefitted the batteries.

MORE BATTERY BREAKTHROUGHS: The Biggest EV Battery Recycling Plant Opens in the US

“Georgia Tech has a big focus on micromechanics of how the cell changes during operation. That helped us look at the pressures inside the battery, which then helped us improve the battery even more,” said Viggiano.

“It also led us to understand from a practical standpoint how to manufacture a cell like this, and it led us to some other improved design configurations,” said Viggiano.

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Early Man Was Building Lincoln Log-like Structures 500,000 Years Ago, New Preserved Wood Shows

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Andy Corbley
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Professor Geoff Duller, Aberystwyth University
Professor Geoff Duller, Aberystwyth University

In a true paradigm shift, persevered timbers show that early man, and potentially older species than Homo sapiens, were building wooden structures 476,000 years ago.

Wikipedia lists the earliest carpentry assemblage ever found previously as a water well cover carved from oak boards from 5,600 BCE. The oldest wooden tool ever found was a carved spear from about 416,000 years ago.

These 5-foot-long logs had clear signs of woodworking with stone tools, with the end of one set atop another at a right angle. There are notches cut into the ends to allow them to fit into one another, a technique that makes them seem a little like Lincoln Logs.

Nothing of the sort has ever been found from this period and is rarely found from the Neolithic period.

Professor Larry Barham at the University of Liverpool led the excavations on a river bank near Kalambo Falls in the southern African country of Zambia, and said that it changed how he views our early ancestors.

“This find has changed how I think about our early ancestors, they made something new, and large, from wood,” Professor Barham told the BBC. “They used their intelligence, imagination, and skills to create something they’d never seen before, something that had never previously existed.”

While unlikely to have been a hut or a cabin, the researchers believe it could have been part of a platform that hosted other structures on top of it, or, because of its proximity to the river, a kind of jetty to go fishing from.

MORE OF OUR EARLY HISTORY: Prehistoric Human Footprints Unearthed in Spain are Nearly 300,000 Years Old and Unique in All of Europe

While ancient wooden digging sticks were found during the excavations, no bones of any hominid have been unearthed. Homo sapiens fossils begin to appear around 315,000 years ago, leading to the possibility that we either haven’t dug in the right place for Homo sapiens, or a previous species of our genus was intelligent enough to use stone tools to perform basic carpentry techniques.

“But it could be a different species—[perhaps] Homo erectus or Homo naledi—there were a number of hominid species around at that time in southern Africa,” said Geoff Duller, professor of geography at the University of Aberystwyth, and co-author on the study.

SHARE This Quite Extraordinary Back-Dating With Your Friends… 

“The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare

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Quote of the Day: “The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare

Photo by: Sherise Van Dyk

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

Man Takes His Turkey Everywhere: Inseparable Companions Even In the Pub and Sleeping at Home (Watch)

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Dave Brooker with pet turkey – SWNS on YouTube
Dave Brooker with pet turkey – SWNS on YouTube

Animal lover Dave Brooker goes everywhere with his beloved pet turkey that has followed him everywhere from the pub to the dentist since she was born two years ago on his farm in England.

He named the chick Trouble Version Two—or, T2 for short.

The unlikely duo’s story began when the turkey’s mother was sitting on a dozen eggs and the weather turned foul (no pun intended). The first two that hatched died, so he set up a heated brooder to get the turkeys strong enough to go back under their mum.

“T2 was the first one out, and I fed her for 10 or 11 hours. She was on her own, with me checking on her, and must have thought I was her parent.

The others all went back under the mother quite easily, but not T2.

“Ever since, she literally goes everywhere with me.”

Locals in Maidstone, Kent are often baffled as they see the 56-year-old sitting alongside T2 in his car when they stop at traffic lights, or when he feeds her a favorite snack—the sausage meat from a scotch egg—in the middle of a parking lot.

She can often be seen casually sitting in the White Horse pub with a packet of chips and very well-behaved.

FINALLY—> ‘World’s Loneliest Lion’ Returns to Africa After Years Alone in Zoo–WATCH His First Steps

“At the pub, she sits on her blanket and stays there. Unlike most dogs who would run around, you sit her down with a pack of cheese & onion crisps and she’s happy.

Dave Brooker shopping with his pet turkey T2 – SWNS

Although some people find their undeniable bond a little unorthodox, the pair are inseparable and even sleep in the same room together at their home.

“She’s like my child,” Brooker admitted. “She’s good company and entertaining—sometimes I even think she’s part human.”

“I’ve got a video of her walking on the bar as a little chick,” said Brooker, who also owns three horses.

The only time the pair are separated is when Brooker goes to work as an online order picker for Tesco.

“I was at the dentist recently and I asked the receptionist if she could turkey-sit for me. She thought it was a joke, but then I brought T2 in. They all loved it.

He now finds himself talking to people he wouldn’t normally be having conversation with—and she’s had a lovely effect on her owner.

HILARIOUS: Farmer Filmed the Adorable Moment His Newborn Quails Caused a Mini Stampede in His Home

Dave Brooker in the car with his pet turkey T2 in Kent, England – SWN

A Somalian man recently noticed T2 in the pub and said she reminded him of his childhood days when he kept turkeys on his family’s farm.

“She draws quite a fair bit of attention from people,” he admitted. “But, she’s very tame, very sociable and she lets people pet her.

“Quite often I’ll be feeding her in Tesco car park and kids will come over. It just helps people think about turkeys in a different way, because most people actually haven’t seen a live turkey.”

CHECK HIM OUT: Newborn Calf with Smiley-Face Markings is Named ‘Happy’ and Will Graze on a Farm For Rest of His Life

“Turkeys are interesting birds and they look prehistoric. T2’s my little velociraptor.”

“I went through a bad spell of anxiety and depression back in 2014, and it’s helpful to have a bond like this with an animal.

Mr Brooker’s companion has made such an impression on him in their short two years together that he now chooses to abstain from eating turkey at Christmas, and refers euphemistically to December as the month when all the turkeys ‘go on holiday’.

Watch the SWNS video below…

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Concrete Made 30% Stronger by Adding Waste Coffee Grounds–Cutting Emissions and Mining in the Process

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Good News Network
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Engineers in Australia have found a way of making stronger concrete by utilizing coffee grounds, giving the roast a “double shot” at life and reducing waste going to landfills.

The RMIT University team developed the technique that makes concrete 30% stronger by adding waste coffee grounds after it is turned into biochar using their “low-energy process”.

Globally, 11 million tons of spent coffee is generated annually. Disposing of organic waste poses an environmental challenge because it emits large amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which is 21 times worse than CO2 for the climate.

Furthermore, concrete used in construction projects around the world requires 50 billion tons of natural sand mined every year. Coffee biochar can replace a portion of that sand, which is a finite resource, explained research team leader Professor Jie Li.

“The ongoing extraction of natural sand around the world–typically taken from river beds and banks–to meet the rapidly growing demands of the construction industry has a big impact on the environment.”

“With a circular-economy approach, we could keep organic waste out of landfill and also better preserve our natural resources like sand,” said Li.

CHECK OUT—> Shoes Made From Coffee Grounds and Recycled Plastic Bottles Are Not Only Waterproof But Super Comfy

“The inspiration for our work was to find an innovative way of using the large amounts of coffee waste in construction projects rather than sending it to landfills,” said Dr. Rajeev Roychand, lead author of the research paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

He said the study is the first to prove that waste coffee grounds can be used to improve concrete—and several local governments battling with the disposal of organic waste have shown interest in their work.

“They have already engaged us for their upcoming infrastructure projects incorporating pyrolysed forms of different organic wastes.”

MORE COFFEE UN-WASTE: Football Fans Can Now Eat Their Coffee Cups After They’re Done Sipping

Pyrolysis involves heating organic waste in the absence of oxygen at 350 degrees Celsius.

“Our research team has gained extensive experience in developing highly optimized biochars from different organic wastes, including wood biochar, food-waste biochar, agricultural waste biochar, and municipal solid-waste biochar, for concrete applications,” said co-researcher Dr. Mohammad Saberian, who is working with his team next on field trials.

These exciting findings offer an innovative way to greatly reduce the amount of organic waste that goes to landfill—and the construction industry could play a role in transforming it into a valuable resource to ensure sustainability. . . Watch their video below.

MORE: This Brilliant Low-Income Housing in Colombia is Made From Coffee Waste

POUR A CUP of INNOVATION For Eco-Buddies—Share on Social Media…

Playing Video Games Improves These Aspects of Daily Life Say Gamers in New Poll

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SWNS / OnePoll
SWNS / OnePoll

Nearly three-quarters of gamers are certain that video games have improved their lives.

A recent survey of 2,000 American gamers revealed how video games are more than just hobbies—72% of respondents attested to the positive impact of the pastime on various aspects of daily life.

Sixty-eight percent credit games for enhancing relaxation, and 67% say they improve problem-solving skills. More than six in ten believe they also sharpen critical thinking and enhance better hand-eye coordination.

38% of respondents said gaming helps them with the ‘soft skill’ of cooperating with others.

More than two-thirds (68%) could feel their moods change when playing video games—with 51% feeling more relaxed, 27% feeling happier and 19% feeling sharper.

RELATED: Video Games Are Not Associated with Harming Brains of Preteens, According to a New Study

The random double-opt-in survey commissioned by the mobile game Solitaire Grand Harvest (by Playtika) was conducted by OnePoll.

“Research reinforces video games are far more than entertainment; they’re a powerful force for personal growth and positive change,” said Amir Coifman, general manager of Solitaire Grand Harvest.

“Our goal is to meticulously craft immersive experiences to offer relaxation, challenge problem-solving skills and foster community, allowing players to become better versions of themselves.”

10 THINGS THAT GAMING MAY HELP WITH

– Relaxing – 68%
– Problem-solving – 67%
– Critical thinking skills – 62%
– Hand-eye coordination – 61%
– Cooperating with others – 38%
– Playing sports – 19%
– Driving – 17%
– Cooking – 16%
– Physics – 14%
– Surviving the apocalypse – 14%

Bats Hold Vital Clues for Cancer Prevention as Scientists Study Their ‘Extraordinary’ Immunity

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Jamaican fruit bat – SWNS license
Jamaican fruit bat – SWNS license

A new study shows that bats evolved to avoid cancer and the data may uncover how humans can treat or prevent viruses as well as cancer.

A rapid evolution in bats, the only winged mammal, may account for their “extraordinary” ability to both host and survive infections and even to avoid cancer—and that success is in their genes.

Bats are exceptional among mammals for not only their ability to fly but also their long lives, low cancer rates, and robust immune systems.

The ability of bats to tolerate viral infections may stem from unusual features of their innate immune response—and these characteristics may have implications for human health.

For example, by better understanding the mechanisms of the bat immune system that allow bats to tolerate viral infections, researchers may be better able to prevent disease outbreaks from animals to people.

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Comparative genomic analyses of bats and cancer-susceptible mammals may eventually provide new information on the causes of cancer and the links between cancer and immunity. Studies of bats and other organisms complement studies based on mouse models; mice are more amenable than bats to experimental manipulation but exhibit fewer characteristics with implications for human disease.

In a paper published in Genome Biology and Evolution by Oxford University Press
this week, researchers used the Oxford Nanopore Technologies long-read platform, and bat samples collected with help from the American Museum of Natural History in Belize, to sequence the genomes of two bat species—the Jamaican fruit bat and the Mesoamerican mustached bat.

The researchers at of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York carried out a comprehensive comparative genomic analysis with a diverse collection of bats and other mammals.

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They found genetic adaptations in six DNA repair-related proteins and 46 proteins in bats that were cancer-related, meaning that researchers have previously found such proteins suppress cancer.

Notably, the study found these altered cancer-related genes were enriched more than two-fold in the bat group compared to other mammals.

“By generating these new bat genomes and comparing them to other mammals we continue to find extraordinary new adaptations in antiviral and anticancer genes,” said the paper’s lead author, Armin Scheben.

CHECK OUT: Scientists Make Breakthrough, Stopping the Spread of Cancer by Repurposing Drugs Used for Other Illnesses

“These investigations are the first step towards translating research on the unique biology of bats into insights relevant to understanding and treating aging and diseases, such as cancer, in humans.”

Founded in 1890 and home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the not-for-profit Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory furthers biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Additional funding came from National Institutes of Health and Simons Center for Quantitative Biology.

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“The only fight that matters is the struggle to take the world’s chaos and make it mean something.” – Joe Hill

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Quote of the Day: “The only fight that matters is the struggle to take the world’s chaos and make it mean something.” – Joe Hill 

Photo by: Mayer Tawfik

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

Adorable ‘Graduation’ Held for 22-Week Preemie Twins Who Beat the Odds to Go Home

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The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio held adorable graduation for babies Kimyah and DJ on their discharge NICU – graduation of preemie twins– Kimberly Thomas / SWNS
The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio held adorable graduation for babies Kimyah and DJ on their discharge NICU – graduation of preemie twins– Kimberly Thomas / SWNS

An adorable ‘graduation’ was held for a pair of twins born at just 22 weeks who beat the odds—and finally were allowed to go home.

Babies Kimyah and DJ were given as little as a 10% chance of survival when they entered the world.

The siblings were the smallest babies some of the Ohio nurses have ever seen, as they could fit in their mother’s hands.

But, miraculously, they battled through and were released from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio after around four months in intensive care.

The staff held a ‘graduation’ for the family to celebrate the special moment—with the 11-month-old siblings given caps and gowns to mark the occasion.

“I was super excited when I found out they were able to come home,” said mom Kimberly Thomas.

Nurse Becky Stuart said it was “a huge celebration.

“During their time in the NICU, I treated them as if they were my own children. I love them and formed a bond with them that will stick with me forever.”

The 25-year-old mother from Bedford, Ohio, says she first knew something was wrong when she started leaking amniotic fluid, which protects the fetus during pregnancy. She called her doctor, who found she was already in labor, and four centimeters dilated.

ALSO SEE: Baby Born Weighing 1.18-lb Has Finally Come Home After Spending 4 Months in Hospital Fighting for Life

At just over five months pregnant, Kimberly was told her twins would have a slim chance of survival—around 10%.

Growing twins with mom Kimberly Thomas – Cleveland Clinic / SWNS

Once the twins were delivered, they were immediately resuscitated and intubated. Nurses say they could fit each twin in the palm of their hands—and the smallest-size diapers were still too big for them.

“These were the smallest babies I had ever seen, much less taken care of,” said nurse Sara Perrin.

Their parents was not allowed to hold her babies for the first month of their lives because their skin was too fragile to touch. But she spent every day and night with them in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) until they were discharged.

“I don’t think there was one day I didn’t spend at least a few minutes with them, just to talk to my babies,” said mom. “I pretty much lived in the NICU for four-and-a-half months.”

CHECK OUT: Scientists Find Flute Music That Helps to Build the Brains of Premature Babies

While in the NICU, DJ suffered a lung collapse and Kimyah had a small bleed on her brain – but they still managed to meet their milestones despite this.

After 138 days, the twins were allowed to go home with Kimberly and father Damante Jackson. Now, almost one year on from birth, the twins are catching up to their height and weight goals.

Kimberly with DJ and Kimyah in the clinic on Valentines Day 2023 – Cleveland Clinic / SWNS

Although they remain on target with achieving their developmental milestones, it will still be a few years before they can tell if the twins will experience any developmental delay, the Cleveland Clinic said.

But Kimberly can now hold her children whenever she wants—and continue to celebrate milestones with them.

MORE SUCCESS: World’s Smallest Baby, Born the Size of an Apple, Finally Leaves Hospital as Healthy 5-Pound Infant

“Kimyah and DJ are very active and love exploring,” said mom. “Thinking about everything they’ve been through, it was hard to imagine us ever getting to this point.

“It was unclear if they would be able to do anything by themselves. Now, they’re trying to do everything by themselves.

“You have to stay positive and focus on the outcome you want.

DID YOU KNOW? ‘Man With Golden Arm’ is Finally Retiring After Saving the Lives of Over 2 Million Babies

Dr Firas Saker, a medical director at the clinic, added: “It’s amazing to see the twins thriving. It serves as a reminder to all of us here why we do what we do every day.”

SEND SOME HOPE to Preemie Families By Sharing on Social Media!

New Ohio Factory to Produce Electric Air Taxis That Carry 5 Passengers With Vertical Take-off and Landing

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Good News Network
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Electric air taxi by Joby Aviation
Electric air taxi by Joby Aviation

A company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for passenger service, announced it plans to locate its first major aircraft production facility in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation.

The Wright Brothers, who invented and flew the first powered aircraft in the U.S., lived and worked in Dayton and opened the first American airplane factory there in 1910.

Just miles away, Joby Aviation’s new facility will be capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year at the Dayton International Airport, supporting up to 2,000 new jobs.

The California based company plans to invest up to $500 million to pair with state incentives and a possible loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“We’re building the future of aviation right where it all started, in Dayton, Ohio,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby. “The Wright Brothers harnessed revolutionary technology of their time to open up the skies, and we intend to do the same—this time, bringing quiet and emissions-free flight that we hope will have an equally profound impact on our world.

Joby’s production aircraft is designed to transport a pilot plus four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph (322-kph), with a maximum range of 100 miles and a “revolutionary quiet noise profile” that is barely audible against the backdrop of cities.

MORE HIGH FLYING NEWS: Hydrogen-Powered Swiss Jet May Herald Return of Supersonic Flight–And Cut Travel Time By 75%

The company hopes to redefine urban transportation by operating these aircraft as part of aerial ride-sharing networks in cities around the world, starting in 2025, building on partnerships with Delta and Uber.

Hovering eVTOL Electric air taxi by Joby Aviation

Hiring Soon

Joby plans to start hiring in the coming months, with early roles expected to focus on the build out of the scaled facility and the machining of parts that will initially be incorporated into Joby’s California low-volume production line. Those interested in applying for roles at Joby’s Ohio facility can do it here at www.jobyinohio.com.

The company’s headquarters, research and development, and pilot production facility will remain in California. With 150 open positions across three Northern California sites, the flying car company continues to grow its presence in the state.

Toyota is a long-term investor in Joby and worked with them on the design and successful launch of their Pilot Production Line in Marina, California—and plans to continue to advise them on scaling production of the air taxi in the new Midwest location.

WATCH: Flying Taxi Takes Off for the First Time in Public Display From XPeng Motors – VIDEO

Dayton is also home to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories which has played a key role in supporting Joby’s development.

“Our partnership with Ohio is a great example of how successful public-private partnership amongst industry, local, state and federal government can bring important new technology to life,” said Joby CEO Bevirt.

“This will mark the largest aviation job creation deal in Ohio history,” said JobsOhio President J. P. Nauseef. “Today, we continue Ohio’s historic legacy as the past – the present – and the future of aviation innovation and further affirm we are in the midst of an economic renaissance of the American Midwest.”

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Little Boy Reunited With LEGO Man After Creating a ‘Missing Person’ Poster – LOOK

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The missing poster for the Lego figure. Release date, 18/9/23. See SWNS story SWLSlego. A school boy who created a 'missing person' poster after he lost his beloved Lego man has been reunited with the figure. Jack Steel, ten, was left devastated after he lost his Lego figure, which is based on himself and is also called Jack. To help find the figure, the school boy created a missing poster and even offered a £2 reward for whoever found it. The poster read: "Lost: has anyone seen this Lego man?

A ten-year-old who lost his beloved ‘Lego man’ has been reunited with the figure, after creating a ‘missing person’ poster for it.

Missing: Lego man – Lorna Walker / SWNS

Jack Steel was left devastated after he lost the figurine, especially because it actually represents himself and is named Jack throughout all his Lego adventures.

To help find the missing piece, the British schoolboy created a ‘LOST’ poster—and even offered a reward of £2 for whoever found it.

The poster begins: “Has anyone seen this Lego man?”

“He is very special to me,” Jack added.

Alongside a drawing of the figure, Jack pointed out the visual features: “Light brown quiff with matching eyebrows. (Quiff being a hair style, in the parlance of the region.)

“Hawaiian Shirt (blue with palm trees and an orange stripe on the bottom. Dark green pants.”

LEGO figurine based on Jack Steel – by Lorna Walker / SWNS

Luckily, Jack’s Lego man was found in the park where he plays in Ulverston, Cumbria, by a local schoolgirl.

NEWS FROM LEGO: Lego Finally Sells Braille Bricks – For Learning a New Skill While Playing With Fully Compatible Pieces

The girl’s mom then contacted Jack’s mom, Lorna Walker, after seeing his missing poster on Facebook.

Lorna said her son was quite distraught when he realized he had lost it.

“He came to me very upset that he had lost it and thought it must have fallen out of his bag.

“After school we retraced our steps home, (but) with no luck.

That’s when he came up with the poster and Lorna shared it on Facebook, explaining to all that he had designed the figurine himself during an interactive exhibit at the Lego Discovery Centre in Manchester on a recent family trip.

LOOK! Man Finds Tiny Dolls Cozied-up in the Back of His Mailbox – The Scene Keeps Changing but Mystery Remains Unsolved

“He took great care in picking the perfect parts.”

Jack Steel at the Lego Discovery Centre in Manchester – Lorna Walker / SWNS

The boy had placed the little guy in the front pocket of his bag to take it to his grandma’s after school to show her, but forgot to zip it and it had fallen out.

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The family was so relieved it all worked out brilliantly, and Lorna gifted the girl an extra box of chocolates for finding the missing piece.

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Your New Horoscope From Rob Brezsny: A ‘Free Will Astrology’

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Our partner Rob Brezsny 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 September 23, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
My favorite creativity teacher is author Roger von Oech. He produced the Creative Whack Pack, a card deck with prompts to stimulate imaginative thinking. I decided to draw one such card for your use in the coming weeks. It’s titled EXAGGERATE. Here’s its advice: “Imagine a joke so funny you can’t stop laughing for a month. Paper stronger than steel. An apple the size of a hotel. A jet engine quieter than a moth beating its wings. A home-cooked dinner for 25,000 people. Try exaggerating your idea. What if it were a thousand times bigger, louder, stronger, faster, and brighter?” (PS: My analysis of the astrological omens suggests it’s a favorable time for you to entertain brainstorms and heartstorms and soulstorms. For best results, EXAGGERATE!)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
If you buy a bag of popcorn and cook it in your microwave oven, there are usually some kernels at the bottom that fail to pop. As tasty as your snack might be, you may still may feel cheated by the duds. I will be bold and predict that you won’t have to deal with such duds in the near future—not in your popcorn bags and not in any other area of your life, either literally or metaphorically. You’re due for a series of experiences that are complete and thorough and fully bloomed.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Writer George Bernard Shaw observed that new ideas and novel perspectives “often appear first as jokes and fancies, then as blasphemies and treason, then as questions open to discussion, and finally as established truths.” As you strive to get people to consider fresh approaches, Sagittarius, I advise you to skip the “blasphemies and treason” stage. I think that if you proceed with compassion and good humor, you can go directly from “jokes and fancies” to “questions open to discussion.” But one way or another, please be a leader who initiates shifts in your favorite groups and organizations. Shake things up with panache and good humor.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Novelist and astrologer Forrest E. Fickling researched which signs are the worst and best in various activities. He discovered that Capricorns are the hardest workers, as well as the most efficient. They get a lot done, and they are expeditious about it. I suspect you will be at the peak of your ability to express these Capricornian strengths in the coming weeks. Here’s a bonus: You will also be at the height of your power to enjoy your work and be extra likely to produce good work. Take maximum advantage of this grace period!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
The British band Oasis has sold over 95 million records. The first song they ever released was Supersonic. Guitarist Noel Gallagher wrote most of its music and lyrics in half an hour while the rest of the band was eating Chinese take-out food. I suspect you will have that kind of agile, succinct, matter-of-fact creativity in the coming days. If you are wise, you will channel it into dreaming up solutions for two of your current dilemmas. This is one time when life should be easer and more efficient than usual.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
“When sex is really, really good,” writes Piscean novelist Geoff Nicholson, “I feel as though I’m disappearing…” Hmmmm. I guess that’s one version. If you want it, you can have it in abundance during the coming weeks. But I encourage you to explore other kinds of wonderful life, as well—like the kind that makes you feel like a genius animal or a gorgeous storm or a super-powered deity.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
So it begins: the Building and Nurturing Togetherness phase of your astrological cycle. The next eight weeks will bring excellent opportunities to shed bad relationship habits and grow good new ones. Let’s get you in the mood with some suggestions from intimacy counselors Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Vélez: “No matter how long you’ve been together or how well you think you know each other, you still need to romance your partner, especially in stability. Don’t run off and get an extreme makeover or buy into the red-roses-and-champagne bit. Instead, try being kind, receptive, and respectful. Show your partner, often and in whatever tender, goofy way you both understand, that their heart is your home.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
From May 2023 to May 2024, the planets Jupiter and Uranus have been and will be in Taurus. I suspect that many Taurus revolutionaries will be born during this time. And yes, Tauruses can be revolutionaries. Here’s a list of some prominent rebel Bulls: Karl Marx, Malcolm X, activist Kathleen Cleaver, lesbian feminist author Adrienne Rich, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, artist Salvador Dali, playwright Lorraine Hansberry, and dancer Martha Graham. All were wildly original innovators who left a bold mark on their cultures. May their examples inspire you to clarify and deepen the uniquely stirring impact you would like to make, Taurus.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini writer Joe Hill believes the only fight that matters is “the struggle to take the world’s chaos and make it mean something.” I can think of many other fights that matter, too, but Hill’s choice is a good one that can be both interesting and rewarding. I especially recommend it to you in the coming weeks, Gemini. You are poised at a threshold that promises substantial breakthroughs in your ongoing wrangles with confusion, ambiguity, and enigma. My blessings go with you as you wade into the evocative challenges.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Author Crescent Dragonwagon has written over 50 books, so we might conclude she has no problem expressing herself fully. But a character in one of her novels says the following: “I don’t know exactly what I mean by ‘hold something back,’ except that I do it. I don’t know what the ‘something’ is. It’s some part that’s a mystery, maybe even to me. I feel it may be my essence or what I am deep down under all the layers. But if I don’t know what it is, how can I give it or share it with someone even if I wanted to?” I bring these thoughts to your attention, Cancerian, because I believe the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to overcome your own inclination to “hold something back.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In her book Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface, psychologist and author Martha Manning says she is more likely to experience epiphanies in “grocery stores and laundromats, rather than in the more traditional places of reverence and prayer.” She marvels that “it’s in the most ordinary aspects of life” that she is “offered glimpses of the extraordinary.” During these breakthrough moments, “the baseline about what is good and important in my life changes.” I suspect you will be in a similar groove during the coming weeks, Leo. Are you ready to find the sacred in the mundane? Are you willing to shed your expectations of how magic occurs so you will be receptive to it when it arrives unexpectedly?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
“These are the bad facts,” says author Fran Lebowitz. “Men have much easier lives than women. Men have the advantage. So do white people. So do rich people. So do beautiful people.” Do you agree, Virgo? I do. I’m not rich or beautiful, but I’m a white man, and I have received enormous advantages because of it. What about you? Now is a good time to tally any unearned blessings you have benefited from, give thanks for them, and atone by offering help to people who have obtained fewer favors. And if you have not received many advantages, the coming months will be an excellent time to ask for and even demand more.

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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“The most ordinary aspects of life offer glimpses of the extraordinary.” – Martha Manning

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Quote of the Day: “The most ordinary aspects of life offer glimpses of the extraordinary.” – Martha Manning

Photo by: Jeremy Thomas Photos

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Eagle Scout Leads Volunteers to Build Accessible Path Up to Beautiful Popular Overlook

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Andy Corbley
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The ramps to Sun Top Lookout - courtesy of Alvin Baptiste'
The ramps to Sun Top Lookout – courtesy of Alvin Baptiste’

From the deck of Sun Top Lookout in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washinton, a hiker can see miles of surrounding forest country with Mount Rainier sparkling in the distance.

Thanks to a prospective Eagle Scout with a big heart, that view is now available to everyone after he led a team of volunteers to build a wheelchair ramp up to the observatory.

Darren Baptiste from Auburn can remember when he decided he wanted to become an Eagle Scout, as well as when he decided to turn his enterprising gaze to helping disabled or wheelchair-bound people enjoy the same things he takes for granted.

The 15-year-old was at a Cub Scout meeting and encountered a wheelchair-bound Eagle Scout, who was doing just that. Fast forward to Baptiste’s final push toward the highest rank and he decided to sign off his application with a significant initiative of building a wheelchair ramp on the Sun Top Lookout.

John Hearing, a Forest Service volunteer who’s overseeing other accessibility projects and who chairs the Snoqualmie Fire Lookouts Association, told Russell Leung at the Seattle Times (paywall) that the Sun Top Lookout was uniquely suited for Baptiste’s idea.

“We get a lot of visitors up there,” Hearing said, estimating 3,000 hikers visited the lookout last year who get to use a parking lot that places them extremely close to the gorgeous view. “But people with mobility issues couldn’t get up there; they couldn’t make that last 150 feet to get to the lookout.”

MORE DRIVEN INDIVIDUALS: Teens Build Bus Stop Shelter for 5-Year-old Wheelchair User, Protecting Him From Harsh Weather

With Hearing’s help, and volunteer labor from other scouts and some of Baptiste’s family, they embarked on a project that would involve some geometry, carpentry, and leading a team, which he admitted wasn’t easy.

Darren Baptiste (second from right) and John Hearing (second from left) at work along with two volunteers – courtesy of Alvin Baptiste

The ramp was originally planned to be 14 feet long but had to be more than doubled in order for the project to work.

Building the ramp wasn’t exactly in line with Baptiste’s career prospects—he wants to become a commercial airline pilot—but his mother Melanie Baptiste says he’s always been a hands-on person.

MORE INSPIRATIONAL TEENS: Teens Step in to Rebuild a Jeep After Sentimental Family Project Stalled With Dad’s Death

“He loves to fix things, he loves to do things with his hands, he loves to build things. So this has been right up his alley, but it’s been challenging for him and I can’t wait for him to see it finished,” she said. “I think it’s something he’ll be able to look back on and just feel a great sense of accomplishment.”

With the ramp, and just a couple more merit badges, Baptiste’s long journey toward the goal he set for himself will be complete, saying “I stuck with it, kept trying and got through all the hardships.”

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Couple Get ‘Best Ever’ Wedding Pictures When Northern Lights Break Out Over their Big Day

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Andy Corbley
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Michael Carver / SWNS
Photographer Michael Carver via SWNS.

Chris Oman and Rebecca MacDonald were tying the knot in Scotland—with photographer Michael Carver taking pictures.

Michael was packing up when his partner texted him to say that the Northern Lights could be seen over the venue at Bogbain Farm.

Moving at breakneck speed, he asked a guest to fetch the bride and groom in the middle of their wedding afterparty while he set up for what he knew could have been the chance of a lifetime.

“I know how quickly this can come and go so I shouted at some poor guy who was smoking outside to quickly run in and grab the bride and groom whilst I set up my camera,” Michael said.

“I could see the skies flaring up and was even able to see the bright colors with my eyes. We had found Chris but Rebecca was no place to be found. Eventually someone dragged her from the dance floor and I had a few seconds to try and grab a shot while the Northern lights pulsed brightly.”

The newlyweds raced outside and got into position before the lights faded into twilight just seconds after Michael had taken a set of photos.

Newly married couple Chris and Rebecca were thrilled with their photos, which added to the already-magical night.

Photographer Michael Carver – via SWNS

MORE MAGICAL WEDDING MOMENTS: Scottish Islanders Save Couple’s Wedding Across the Ocean After Nightmare Airport Saga of Lost Luggage

“There had been rumors during the evening that there may be Northern Lights but no sign before Michael was leaving,” said Rebecca. “We’d said our goodbyes when I heard people shouting for me and saying the Lights were out. Michael got Chris and I in the perfect position and the photos have come out amazing.”

“It was just an unexpected but amazing way to celebrate our wedding! We both feel so lucky to have seen such a spectacle and have Michael capture it so beautifully.”

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