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Groundbreaking Immunization Against Lyme Disease Takes Aim at the Microbiomes of Ticks and Mosquitoes

By
Andy Corbley
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The glory days for some of the most debilitating pathogenic diseases may be numbered thanks to a new class of immunizations that change the gut microbiome of ticks and mosquitoes.

Rather than targeting the pathogen that causes a disease, the vaccine targets the microbes that the pathogen requires to survive, and a new study investigating a vaccine that did just that demonstrated it was remarkably successful in mice.

While human use for a vaccine typically takes 8-10 years of tests and development, a similar vaccine could be prepared for animals such as dogs, cats, and livestock much sooner which would have the potential to save pet owners hundreds in veterinary bills, and ranchers tens of thousands.

Lyme disease needs little introduction: it’s a debilitating condition caused by the Borrelia genus that can leave a human or animal weak and bedridden for a decade. It’s been previously discovered that Borrelia pathogens can alter a tick’s gut microbiome

A new study found that by immunizing mice with a harmless E. coli bacteria as a Trojan horse, it elicited an immune response within the tick’s gut that greatly reduced the amount of Escherichia-Shigella, a common bacterial taxa found within the guts of mice and humans.

The authors report that this greatly decreased the ability of Borrelia afzelii, one of the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, to survive within its tick host, and protected the mice as well.

This immunization is part of an emerging class of drugs called anti-microbiota vaccines, and the same concept is being applied to malaria, and the family of pathogens called Plasmodium that cause it.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: We Can Now Use CRISPR Gene Editing on Ticks – to Fight Lyme Disease in Humans

Early last year, scientists demonstrated that a vaccine targeting Enterobacteriaceae injected into domestic canaries worked with similar effectiveness. Southern house mosquitoes which fed on these birds demonstrated a gut microbiome that proved hostile to the Plasmodium relictum malaria strain.

“These antimicrobiota vaccines are interesting for other pathogens because they specifically target the vector microbiota,” Dr. Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz, an infectious disease researcher and author on both the tick and mosquito papers, told Newsweek.

“As the microbiota is essential for many vector-borne pathogens, this approach could be used to target a wide range of diseases, whether caused by viruses, parasites, or bacteria.”

MORE VACCINE SCIENCE: After 8 Years of Research World-Changing Malaria Vaccine Approved in Africa

It’s a lot to think about, since mosquitoes and ticks spread far more than just Lyme disease and malaria. It also shows, yet again, just how critical the gut microbiome is to the health of all organisms.

SHARE This Groundbreaking Work And Hope For The Future… 

Houston Woman Spent Three Days Crawling in Storm Drains Trying to Rescue Puppies

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - Callie Clemons, Facebook
credit – Callie Clemons, Facebook

All of last weekend, Callie Clemons was crawling in and out of storm drains and manhole covers in the Houston heat, searching for abandoned puppies.

Saying the area is infamous for “puppy dumping” as she refers to it grimly, she says won’t rest until all three of the black labrador-terrier mutts are located.

Clemons, whose name comes from her marriage with the son of Yankee pitching legend Roger Clemons, received a call from a concerned citizen Wednesday night that three stray puppies had fallen down a storm drain in the neighborhood of Spring Branch.

By Friday, Clemons, a dedicated group of volunteers, and her own dog Gizelle, had found two of the abandoned puppies, and she was already going back down on Saturday night to find the last one.

Clemons says in her 7 years of rescuing animals, she’s never lost one.

While she told Britain’s Daily Mail that the city of Houston was supportive—unlocking drains and moving manhole covers, she told the New York Post that her work stems from a lack of action on the part of the city and county, or the ASCPA who are too swamped with phone calls to stay on site more than an hour.

“There’s no way the puppy can get out by itself so it’s up to us and I have no shame to go down and get it,” the five-foot-tall woman told the Mail.

MORE TEXAS NEWS: Houston Has Housed 25,000 Homeless People With Apartments of Their Own

While Houston animal control did little to help, the city was able to provide Clemons with blueprints of the Spring Branch sewers to help her map her way through the cockroaches and fetid water.

“I’m not stopping, I mean, I already told my mom, “I think I’m going to keep this dog if I find it,’ I’m so invested,” said Callie.

MORE ANIMAL RESCUES: Man Heads Into Wildfire to Rescue Dozens of Pets After Northwest Territories Evacuation: ‘I didn’t want them to be forgotten’

Clemons additionally told the Post that she had been down in storm drains crawling around for around 8 hours into the small watches of the night.

WATCH the story below from Fox 26… 

SHARE This Story Of Volunteer Animal Rescue With Your Friends…

Woman Brings to Life Fashion Sketches Made By Her Grandma After 80 Years on Paper (LOOK)

By
Andy Corbley
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@boringbb on TikTok
@boringbb on TikTok

TikTok users tuning into a viral video got to see a brief glimpse into the special relationship between a young woman and her grandmother, with the former teaching herself to sew in order to bring to life fashion sketches made by the latter over 60 years ago.

Julia, (@boringbb on TikTok) a content creator with a passion for fashion, said she was so inspired by the sketches she decided to start making some of them herself.

She started by watching YouTube videos on various techniques of sewing and stitching, and playing around with different items she would thrift until she had something like what she saw in the sketches.

Her grandmother dropped out of fashion and design school in the 1940s to support her family financially and never returned to the career she fancied.

“It’s one thing to see it in a drawing but it’s—when you’re putting it together and I see it in real life it kind of makes me want to cry a little bit,” her grandmother said in the video with about 20 million views, after Julia unveiled a black and blue “Moulin Rouge” ballet dress.

While that was just one moment on TikTok, Julia has been doing this for years, and imagined erroneously that people would get bored after the third or fourth dress. People have continued to enjoy the videos in large numbers.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: 6 ‘Memory Bears’ Sewn With Love and Grandpa’s Flannels For Widow’s Grandchildren

Regardless, the brief spurt of social media stardom isn’t what Julia is after. She thoroughly enjoys making the dresses as a way of connecting with her grandmother—both to her Depression-era fashion sense and to who she is today.

“Now, she talks to me more about fashion and her interests, more of an adult sort of friendship relationship that we have now,” Julia told GMA. “I think that she’s now able to not only see me as her granddaughter but also see me as a friend.”

WATCH the video from Good Morning America below…

SHARE This Sweet, Stylish, Family Connection With Your Friends… 

Palm Beach County Smashes All-Time Record for Sea Turtle Nests: 21,800 and Counting

By
Andy Corbley
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File photo by Elisa Peterson, CC license
File photo by Elisa Peterson, CC license

Palm Beach County has already shattered the record for the number of turtle nests recorded during a single nesting season on Juno Beach, with three months of counting still to come.

By Sunday, the 9.5-mile Juno Beach in the northern part of the county had seen 21,872 mostly-loggerhead sea turtle nests, compared to an end-season total of 18,132 nests last October.

“We are so excited to break this all-time nesting record and can’t wait to see if each sea turtle species breaks its individual record,” Dr. Justin Perrault, vice president of research at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, said in the news release.

The overwhelming majority, around 15,000 of the nests, belong to the loggerhead species, but green and leatherback sea turtles also nest there. All of these species are considered vulnerable or endangered.

“Ocean conservation efforts that have been practiced for decades are finally coming to fruition, and we need to make sure that we continue to protect these animals and their ecosystems,” he said.

The counting was done by the Center on Juno Beach, Jupiter-Carlin Park, and Tequesta.

MORE REPTILE CONSERVATION: Baby Galápagos Pink Iguanas Seen for the First Time Ever—Offering So Much Hope to Scientists

Joyously, it’s not only Florida that is having a bumper crop of turtles.

On the beaches of Baldwin County in Alabama, experts believe they are on pace for a banner year. Unlike Florida, the end of August heralds the end of the nesting season, and the 13 nests of loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and green sea turtles are already 2 more nests than the whole of the 2016 and 2017 nesting seasons.

MORE TURTLE NEWS: After 10 Year Absence, World’s Most Endangered Sea Turtle Nests on Texas Beach, With a Little Help From Friends

“Those were our benchmarks and being ahead of that already at this point, it’s very exciting,” said the program director for Share the Beach, a volunteer organization that stakes and marks out turtle nests.

In recent years, some US Gulf Coast and Atlantic states have seen record increases in turtle nests, projecting an image of the United States as a turtle sanctuary since any turtle that hatches there will return year after year to lay their eggs on the same beach they were born on.

SHARE This Rousing Reptilian News Report With Animal Lovers You Know… 

“There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing.” – Lorraine Hansberry

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing.” – Lorraine Hansberry

Photo by: Benjamin Brunner

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?

In Frigid Maine So Many Heat Pumps Were Sold the State Passed its Clean-Energy Target Two Years Early

By
Andy Corbley
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Heat pump installation – Efficiency Maine
Heat pump installation – Efficiency Maine

Governor Janet Mills announced that Maine has, two years ahead of time, surpassed its goal of installing 100,000 new heat pumps by 2025, a milestone that represents significant progress in reducing Maine’s reliance on heating oil, lowering heating costs, and curbing harmful carbon emissions.

To continue Maine’s momentum, Governor Mills also unveiled a new target: installing another 175,000 additional heat pumps in Maine by 2027, thereby bringing the number of heat pumps installed in Maine homes, businesses, and public buildings during her time in office to 275,000.

If this target is achieved, Maine would have more than 320,000 heat pumps in total installed across the state.

Heat pumps can be thought of as temperature recycling machines. They are filled with refrigerant fluid and contain a compressor, and they work by extracting excess heat and moving it around, either in or out of a house depending on whether it’s hot or cold.

It’s believed they work best in hot weather, but in February, Maine’s temperatures in some places plummeted during a cold snap to -60°F. Efficiency Maine which aided in the state’s adoption of heat pumps by organizing rebates for customers under the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, did a survey of owners they had helped the previous year.

Many of them reported they were comfortable and warm, and offered to bring up the fact that by February they had already saved hundreds of dollars on home heating systems, over boilers, gas furnaces, and heating oil.

MORE HOME HEATING IMPROVEMENTS: Airbnb Will Chip In for Its Hosts’ Green Upgrades

“We are setting an example for the nation,” said Mills at the announcement event. ​“Our transition to heat pumps is… curbing our reliance on fossil fuels, and cutting costs for Maine families, all while making them more comfortable in their homes—a hat trick for our state.”

The transition began in 2019 with bipartisan support of the Legislature, when Governor Mills enacted laws setting ambitious targets for transitioning to renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

SHARE This Good Maine News With Your Friends…

Double Supermoons and the Most Popular Meteor Shower of the Year Coming in August Stargazing

By
Andy Corbley
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By Bill Dickinson, CC license
By Bill Dickinson, CC license

On the night of Tuesday, August 1st, a supermoon will rise over the Earth, with 99% illumination occurring during the night.

A supermoon is when the moon reaches peak illumination at a time that coincides with its closest approach to the Earth in its orbit, arriving at just over 220,000 miles from the surface of our planet. This is called its perigee, as opposed to apogee.

Called the “Sturgeon” Moon, after the prolific fish species of North America, other Native American tribes use names related to grains, such as corn, rice, or harvest moon. It will be the first of two full moons in August, with the second appearing on the 30th, called the Blue Moon.

The Blue Moon will be the biggest full moon of the year, while the Sturgeon Moon will be the second-biggest.

Out of the northeastern sky on August 13th come the Perseid Meteor Shower. At nearly 150 fifty meteors a night thanks to the Earth passing through a stream of debris left by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are the most popular in the world, thanks to their great position of observation in the Northern Hemisphere, and the warm summer weather.

August 13th will be a near-moonless night, meaning much less native light pollution for spotting shooting stars.

Lastly in August, there are three great chances to see Saturn with the aid of binoculars or a telescope. The first comes on August 3rd during the pre-dawn hours when it comes to within 2°15′ of the moon.

At this time it will be visible with the naked eye, but with binos you can see its rings. This almost exact occurrence will come about again on August 30th.

Then on August 27th, Saturn will be in opposition to the sun from the perspective of the Earth, meaning it will be exceptionally lit up. The Moon will be bright, so using a moon chart will help one with a pair of binoculars or a telescope find and enjoy its rings in the blackness.

SHARE These Excellent Stargazing Opportunities With Your Friends… 

 

The Largest Landfill in Latin America has Been Turned into a Mangrove Forest

By
Andy Corbley
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The Gramacho dumping ground - credit Tânia Rêgo, Agência Brasil
The Gramacho dumping ground – credit Tânia Rêgo, Agência Brasil

At nearly 150 acres, the Jardim Gramacho landfill in Rio de Janeiro was one of the largest and most infamous in all of Latin America. Now it’s a mangrove forest teeming with life.

Decommissioned 11 years ago, between 1970 and 2012 the dump, bordering Rio’s famous Guanabara Bay, received 80 million metric tonnes of trash from the area’s Gramacho neighborhood.

Now, a public-private partnership led by the Rio Municipal Cleaning Company has returned the area to nature, specifically mangroves, one of the most valuable of all ecosystems.

Planting 24 acres of mangroves at a time, today the forest stretches out more than 120 acres and is the largest mangrove area of the bay.

“Before, we polluted the bay and the rivers. Now, it’s the bay and the rivers that pollute us,” a lead official on the project told Africa News. “Today, the mangrove has completely recovered.”

Other organizations have taken action to restore mangroves along the bay as well. The non-profit Ocean Pact funded the Green Guanabara Bay Project which successfully restored 12.5 hectares or around 25 acres of mangroves.

According to some estimates, 1 acre of mangrove forests can store more carbon in roots and soil than 4 acres of even the most biodiverse rainforest, making them paramount to any world climate mitigation strategy.

MORE LANDFILL NEWS: South Korea Created A Program that Reuses 90% of the Country’s Food Scraps–to Grow Crops Instead of Landfills

Furthermore, their impressive lattice work of roots and insane durability means that storm surges impacting mangroves lose about 66% of their kinetic energy without even destroying the trees.

Lastly, coastal fishing communities, in two words, cannot exist without mangroves. They act as nurseries and perfect habitat for all kinds of fish and crustaceans that small-scale fishermen rely on for their daily bread.

WATCH the story below from Africa News… 

SHARE This Unreported Accomplishment From Brazil With Your Friends… 

Man Heads Into Wildfire to Rescue Dozens of Pets After Northwest Territories Evacuation: ‘I didn’t want them to be forgotten’

By
Andy Corbley
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Jason Card rescued pets from Northwest Territories wildfire
Jason Card rescued pets from Northwest Territories wildfire

As town after town in Canada receive evacuation orders, one man from the town of Yellowknife drove toward the fires: on a mission to rescue any pets left behind.

Square in the fire’s path was the town of Behchokǫ, in the country’s province called the Northwest Territories, and when it received an evacuation order Jason Card drove to the nearby SPCA, loaded up his truck with dog crates, and headed off for the fire zone.

Onboard were his teenage child and 80-year-old stepfather. They drove the 63 miles from the city of Yellowknife up the highway to Behchokǫ where they found people in the midst of evacuation. By 8:00 pm they had a truck filled with pets.

“Literally as soon as we got into town and people heard that we were rescuing dogs, we had people coming up to us asking us to get the dogs and if we had room. We filled every kennel that we had,” Mr. Card told national news.

Despite being after dark, they unloaded the crates of mostly dogs, turned around, and went straight back to Behchokǫ, this time returning to Yellowknife at 5:00 am.

Dr. Michelle Tuma, with Vets Without Borders Canada in Yellowknife, heard what Card was doing, and got in touch in order to try and find temporary accommodation for the animals in Yellowknife whilst their owners safely evacuated.

MORE ANIMAL RESCUES: Kind Stranger Rescues Kitty Frozen to the Ground in a Storm–and He Now Looks Amazing

Meanwhile, after a few hours of sleep, the trio of rescuers headed out yet again, only to find the highway closed. While planning to see how many dogs they could fit on a plane, they heard the highway was reopening and so carried on rescuing like before, saving more than 30 dogs and some cats as well.

MORE FROM RURAL CANADA: Leslie Dart has Planted 372,290 Trees Across Canada Over the Past 3 Summers and Inspired So Many Others

Tuma called the Cards efforts “insanely heartwarming.”

“It just shows, I mean, the sense of community that is in the North and the lengths that people will go to,” she said.

SHARE This Insanely Heartwarming News With Your Friends…

“We live in a rainbow of chaos.” – Paul Cezanne

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “We live in a rainbow of chaos.” – Paul Cezanne

Photo by: Katie Rainbow

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?

People With Heart Failure Can Step Their Way to Significantly Better Health: New Study

By
Good News Network
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(By Wedding Dreamz)

People with heart failure who increase their daily step count saw improvements in their health in just 12 weeks, according to a peer-reviewed study published last week.

The research suggests that physical data from wearable devices, such as FitBits and step counters, can be clinically significant.

Consumer wearable devices to track health status and progress are commonly used and part of a growing trend of mobile health technology. However, how to interpret data from wearable devices is at times unclear.

“Our research showed increased step counts were significantly associated with improvements in health status, suggesting that increases in step count over time as assessed by a wearable device may be clinically meaningful,” said Dr. Jessica Golbus, first author of the paper published in JACC: Heart Failure.

Golbus’s team at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, sought to determine the relationship between daily activity and patient outcomes for people with heart failure. Researchers used data from a randomized controlled trial that provided 425 participants with a Fitbit and asked them to complete questionnaires through a smartphone application.

The questions measured physical symptoms, quality of life, and social limitation, scored on a scale of zero to 100 with higher scores indicating better health. Changes in scores of five points or more are considered “clinically significant” and have previously been shown to be associated with heart failure outcomes.

TECH TO THE RESCUE: Apple Watch Saves Woman from Pulmonary Embolism While She Slept

After two weeks, the mean physical limitation score was 55.7 and the total symptom score was 62.7. Physical limitation scores increased by four points on average through 12 weeks and total symptom scores increased by 2.5 points.

Higher daily step counts equated with increased scores for both physical limitation and total symptom scores. People with total symptom scores of zero-24 averaged 2,473 steps per day and those with scores of 75-100 averaged 5,351 steps per day.

When comparing results to differing step counts, people who walked 1,000 steps per day had total symptom scores that were 3.11 points lower than people who walked 2,000 steps per day. And people who walked 3,000 steps per day had total symptom scores that were 2.89 points higher than those who walked 2,000 steps per day.

However, little association was seen once step counts reached higher than 5,000 steps per day.

2023 GOOD NEWS: People Over 70 Who Walk Just an Extra 500 Steps a Day Lower Risk of Heart Failure or Stroke by 14 Percent

Changes in step count over time were also significantly associated with changing scores, suggesting that step count data from a wearable device may be leveraged to inform clinical care.

The study found participants whose step counts increased by 2,000 steps per day saw a 5.2-point increase in their total symptom scores and a 5.33-point increase in their physical limitation scores when compared to participants with no change in step count.

People who saw a decline in their step count had numerical declines in their physical limitation score that were not statistically significant, when compared to participants with no change in step count.

CHECK OUT: One Stem Cell Injection to Target Inflammation Slashed Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke By 58%

“What does this mean at the end of the day? If providers see improvements in step counts, then that is a good thing, however, seeing a decrease in step counts does not necessarily mean the converse.”

WALK This Encouragement to Pals With Heart Issues on Social Media…

Armless 7-Year-old Boy Gets to Finally Go Fishing–After Donation of a New ‘Hero Arm’ (LOOK)

By
Good News Network
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Alexander Sparkes fishing with his new Hero Arm (SWNS)
Alexander Sparkes fishing with his new Hero Arm (SWNS)

A seven-year-old boy born without an arm has been able to hold a fishing rod with two hands for the first time.

Alex Sparkes spent birthdays ‘wishing his arm would grow’, but now he’s happily casting alongside his dad using a new ‘life-changing’ $16,000 prosthetic limb.

The Black Panther-themed arm was a gift from ‘Britain’s kindest plumber’ James Anderson, a 55-year-old who was touched by Alex’s tale.

His mother Dionne, now 33, said she’d had a normal pregnancy but Alex was born without a limb. It was heartbreaking, especially later, when the boy went to school and young kids were afraid of him because of his missing arm.

He’d been on the list of UK patients due to receive a prosthetic arm from the National Health Service before the pandemic, but three years later, he was still waiting in Lancashire, England.

After his parents attended an event by Open Bionics, which makes a robotic arm so advanced it allows wearers to pick up a pin with its fingers, they launched a crowdfunding bid to raise the £12,700 ($16,000) needed to purchase the arm, which they said would be life-changing for Alex.

When plumber James saw the online appeal he ‘fell in love’ with Alex and offered to pay for the arm.

SO SWEET! 70 Million People Cheer on Young Texan Boy Who Rang A Doorbell Asking for Help Finding Friends

Since receiving his Black Panther-themed arm, Alex has been able to put toothpaste on his toothbrush for the first time and will learn how to tie his shoelaces.

And Alex is ecstatic to have finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of holding a rod for the first time during a fishing trip with his dad to nearby Cornfield Fisheries.

Alexander with dad Robin Sparkes – SWNS

“With his new hero arm, he’s a lot more independent, I don’t have to be there by his side all the time with the fishing rod. He can handle the rod on his own and he’s able to catch his own fish.

“We’re realizing what he couldn’t do before, rather than what he can do now.”

CHECK OUT: A Trip to Delaware Hardware Store Turns into Life-Changing Moment

Alex said the new arm they picked up last week is ‘amazing’.

“I can now pick up stuff. I feel happy when I’m fishing with two hands and I can reel the rod.”

Dionne said Alex ‘had the biggest smile on his face’ when they picked up his new bionic arm on July 24.

Alexander Sparkes with his new Hero Arm – SWNS

“Now that he’s got the arm, every half an hour he’s asking me if I can believe he’s got his arm.

GNN posted a story in 2022 about the plumber James, who runs DEPHER, the social benefit organization that normally provides free services to the elderly and others struggling with rent and housing problems.

“It’s also given him the independence of pouring a drink himself and not needing any help—and he can fully get dressed by himself.

PROSTHETICS POWER! 13 Years After Losing Both Legs in Afghanistan, Veteran Summits Everest Establishing World Record

“He could do it before, but now he’s got his arm he can do it normally.

“To me, that’s him feeling like he’s complete.”

HOOK This Inspiring Story For Fishermen By Sharing on Social Media…

The ‘Do Good Fest’ Raised Nearly $1.5 Million for Vermont After Historic Flooding

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Good News Network
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Flooding in Montpelier, Vermont – Photo by Bob Fitch
Flooding in Montpelier, Vermont – Photo by Bob Fitch

The National Life Insurance Company was founded 175 years ago in Montpelier, Vermont—and, following historic flooding, they are still living up to their motto: ‘Believe in tomorrow. Do good today.’

They were set to hold their annual benefit concert, the Do Good Fest, historically held on the company’s back lawn, when disastrous flooding hit the area.

Within three days, they transformed the event to an indoor acoustic performance that was live-streamed so that viewers across Vermont, the nation, and globally, could support the rebuilding of Vermont through online donations.

The Do Good Fest fundraiser exceeded expectations and the company raised their original promise to match $500,000, when donations poured in.

During the July 15 event, company CEO Mehran Assadi announced that National Life will match donations, now nearing $750,000 for a total of $1.5 million, making it the largest gift so far to the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund 2023.

The money will go to the Vermont Community Foundation’s VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund 2023, with the first $500,000 dispersed to local relief agencies immediately.

The tax-exempt public charity, as of ten days ago, had collected more than $2.5 million in gifts or commitments to the Recovery Fund since in its first week, but donations are still being accepted.

“National Life Group is an insurance company with a soul,” Mr. Assadi said. “We have been a part of this community since 1848, and this is what a good company does – it takes care of its neighbors.”

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Volunteers in Vermont (National Life)

Dan Smith, president of the Vermont Community Foundation said, “Vermont is at its best when we look out for each other and our neighbors.

“As an employer and a neighbor, National Life has embodied that for over a century and has done so again with this incredible commitment.”

“We are so grateful to be able to put these resources to work for families, farms, and small businesses affected by this catastrophic storm. Together we remain Vermont-strong.”

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You can watch the telethon-type event and donate to the rebuilding at DoGoodFest.com/Vermont.

INSURE THAT Others Have an Opportunity to Contribute By Sharing on Social Media…

An Infinitely Recyclable Plastic Could Solve the World’s Pollution Problem

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Good News Network
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Jenny Nuss / Berkeley Lab
Jenny Nuss / Berkeley Lab

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a new infinitely recyclable plastic that could be the answer to the world’s growing pollution problem.

They’ve engineered microbes to make the ingredients for a sustainable alternative to the 90% of plastics that can’t currently be recycled, many of which use finite, polluting petrochemicals as the building blocks.

The California research team has successfully engineered microbes to make biological alternatives for the starting ingredients in an infinitely recyclable plastic known as poly(diketoenamine), or PDK.

“This is the first time that bioproducts have been integrated to make a PDK that is predominantly bio-based,” said project leader Dr Brett Helms.

“And it’s the first time that you see a bio-advantage over using petrochemicals, both with respect to the material’s properties and the cost of producing it at scale.”

He explained that, unlike traditional plastics, PDK can be repeatedly deconstructed into “pristine” building blocks and formed into new products with no loss in quality.

PDKs initially used building blocks derived from petrochemicals, but those ingredients can be redesigned and produced with microbes instead.

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Now, after four years of trying, the researchers have manipulated E. coli to turn sugars from plants into some of the starting materials – a molecule known as triacetic acid lactone, or bioTAL – and produced a PDK with roughly 80 percent bio-content.

“We’ve demonstrated that the pathway to 100 percent bio-content in recyclable plastics is feasible, said Jeremy Demarteau, a project scientist on the team. “You’ll see that from us in the future.”

He said PDKs can be used for several products—including adhesives, flexible items such as computer cables or watch bands, and even building materials.

Researchers were surprised to find that incorporating the bioTAL into the material expanded its working temperature range by up to 60 degrees Celsius compared to the petrochemical version.

They say that opens the door to using PDKs in items that need specific working temperatures, including sports gear and automotive parts such as bumpers or dashboards.

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“We can’t keep using our dwindling supply of fossil fuels,” said Professor Jay Keasling, senior faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Biosciences Area. “We want to help solve the plastic waste problem by creating materials that are both biorenewable and circular – and providing an incentive for companies to use them.

“Then people could have the products they need for the time they need them, before those items are transformed into something new.”

FASCINATING: Microbes that Digest Plastic at Low Temps Are Discovered in the Alps and the Arctic

The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, also builds on a 2021 environmental and technological analysis, which showed that PDK plastic could be commercially competitive with conventional plastics if produced at a large scale.

Corinne Scown, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Energy Technologies Area, added: “Our new results are extremely encouraging.

“We found that with even modest improvements to the production process, we could soon be making bio-based PDK plastics that are both cheaper and emit less CO2 than those made with fossil fuels.”

SHARE The Recycling Breakthrough On Social Media… (With writing by Stephen Beech, SWNS)

“Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.” – Gertrude B. Stein

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.” – Gertrude B. Stein

Photo by: Diana Spatariu

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?

German Shepherd Becomes a Surrogate Dad to Abandoned Ducklings

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Good News Network
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(SWNS)
(SWNS)

A German Shepherd has taken a clutch of abandoned ducklings under his wing and become their ‘very protective’ surrogate dad.

The dog named Ben recently had a BFF relationship with an adult duck that flew away unexpectedly, so perhaps he sensed that the newly-hatched ducklings were related.

Ben and the fledgling brood bonded immediately and now he spends most of his days watching over them as they sleep, eat, play, or have a bath.

He even barks at the family tabby cat if it dares get too close to his fluffy little family.

Julie McGuire lives in Motueka, New Zealand where the ducklings were found abandoned in a stream by orchard workers who watched for eight hours but the mother duck never returned.

So the 35-year-old woman agreed to care for them in her home until they could survive outdoors on their own.

Julie says their dog Ben is “extremely curious” and immediately wanted to know what was going on in the room where the newborns were being fed and napping in a cage.

“He’s very protective. He watches over them and makes sure the cat doesn’t get too close.”

“They deserve the best life and I am just happy we could help some of them survive, and Ben has had fun with them growing up.”

Now that their bigger, Julie lets the ducklings roam free on her property.

“If they decide to fly away. I’m happy with that,” she says.

We can’t believe the same about Ben.

PRETTY FUNNY: Dog Learns the Hard Way Not to Mess With Porcupines–or Disagree With Dad on Car Ride to Vet (WATCH)

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Geothermal Power is Finally a Reality After Next-Generation Breakthrough of Carbon-Free Energy in Nevada

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Fervo Energy
Fervo Energy

A commercial pilot project confirmed a record production of geothermal energy in northern Nevada this week.

Fervo Energy announced it had successfully completed the well test at its full-scale commercial pilot, ‘Project Red’, accelerating the deployment of next-generation geothermal power.

The successful well test confirms the commercial viability of Fervo’s drilling technology and establishes Project Red as the most productive enhanced geothermal system in history.

The 30-day well test, a standard for geothermal, achieved a flowrate of 63 liters per second at high temperature that enables 3.5 MW of electric production, setting new records for both flow and power output from an enhanced geothermal system.

Fervo is the first company to successfully drill a horizontal well into thermal reservoirs of heat to produce commercial geothermal energy, thus “reducing drilling risks”.

“By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce 24/7 carbon-free energy resources in new geographies across the world,” said Tim Latimer, Fervo Energy CEO and Co-Founder.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Researchers Successfully Turn Abandoned Oil Well into Giant Geothermal Battery

“The incredible results are the product of many years of dedicated work and commitment from Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google.”

In 2021, Fervo and Google signed an agreement to develop the next-gen plant with the goal of powering Google’s Cloud servers in Las Vegas with an “always-on,” carbon-free resource that will reduce the company’s hourly reliance on fossil fuels.

According to a company statement, Fervo achieved lateral lengths of 3,250 feet, reaching a temperature of 191 °C.

Fervo implemented an induced seismicity mitigation protocol following best practices established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and completed the project without incident. Data collected through the course of this pilot will enable rapid advancement in geothermal deployment, with Fervo’s next horizontal well pair planned to achieve more than double the power output of the pilot design.

Google’s Senior Director for Energy and Climate, Michael Terrell, said, “Achieving our goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy will require new sources of firm, clean power to complement variable renewables like wind and solar.”

Fervo says their results show that geothermal energy could supply over 20% of U.S. power needs and compliment wind and solar to achieve a fully decarbonized grid. “With Fervo’s breakthrough, no technological barriers to geothermal deployment remain.”

POPULAR: Newly Discovered Enzyme Turns Air Into Electricity, Promising a New Clean Source of Energy

Jesse Jenkins, leader of the Zero-carbon Energy systems Research and Optimization (ZERO) lab at Princeton University, said, “Fervo’s successful commercial pilot takes next-generation geothermal technology from the realm of models into the real world and starts us on a path to unlock geothermal’s full potential.”

United Downs Geothermal Well in the UK

Currently used in 26 countries, geothermal technology produces electricity by pumping cold water underground, where it is heated up by the Earth’s temperature, and brought back to the surface without emitting carbon or other harmful pollutants.

RELATED: UK Debuts Geothermal Plant Using Heat From the Earth to Power 10,000 Homes

This summer, Fervo broke ground on its first greenfield development in southwest Utah, adjacent to the DOE’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE). Revenue and learnings from Fervo’s Utah project will go toward the development of other projects in new geographies.

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New August 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 July 29, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
There are two kinds of holidays: those created by humans and those arising from the relationship between the sun and earth. In the former category are various independence days: July 4 in the US, July 1 in Canada, July 14 in France, and June 2 in Italy. Japan observes Foundation Day on February 11. Among the second kind of holiday is Lammas on August 1, a pagan festival that in the Northern Hemisphere marks the halfway point between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. In pre-industrial cultures, Lammas celebrated the grain harvest and featured outpourings of gratitude for the crops that provide essential food. Modern revelers give thanks for not only the grain, but all the nourishing bounties provided by the sun’s and earth’s collaborations. I believe you Leos are smart to make Lammas one of your main holidays. What’s ready to be harvested in your world. What are your prime sources of gratitude?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
For many of us, a disposal company regularly comes to our homes to haul away the garbage we have generated. Wouldn’t it be great if there was also a reliable service that purged our minds and hearts of the psychic gunk that naturally accumulates? Psychotherapists provide this blessing for some of us, and I know people who derive similar benefits from spiritual rituals. Getting drunk or intoxicated may work, too, although those states often generate their own dreck. With these thoughts in mind, Virgo, meditate on how you might cleanse your soul with a steady, ennobling practice. Now is an excellent time to establish or deepen this tradition.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I’m wondering if there is a beloved person to whom you could say these words by Rumi: “You are the sky my spirit circles in, the love inside love, the resurrection-place.” If you have no such an ally, Libra, the coming months will be a favorable time to attract them into your life. If there is such a companion, I hope you will share Rumi’s lyrics with them, then go further. Say the words Leonard Cohen spoke: “When I’m with you, I want to be the kind of hero I wanted to be when I was seven years old.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Your theme for the coming weeks is “pleasurable gooseflesh.” I expect and hope you’ll experience it in abundance. You need it and deserve it! Editor Corrie Evanoff describes “pleasurable gooseflesh” as “the primal response we experience when something suddenly violates our expectations in a good way.” It can also be called “frisson”—a French word meaning “a sudden feeling or sensation of excitement, emotion, or thrill.” One way this joy may occur is when we listen to a playlist of songs sequenced in unpredictable ways—say Mozart followed by Johnny Cash, then Edit Piaf, Led Zeppelin, Blondie, Queen, Luciano Pavarotti, and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Here’s your homework: Imagine three ways you can stimulate pleasurable gooseflesh and frisson, then go out and make them happen.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
“Fire rests by changing,” wrote ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. In accordance with astrological omens, I ask you to meditate on that riddle. Here are some preliminary thoughts: The flames rising from a burning substance are always moving, always active, never the same shape. Yet they comprise the same fire. As long as they keep shifting and dancing, they are alive and vital. If they stop changing, they die out and disappear. The fire needs to keep changing to thrive! Dear Sagittarius, here’s your assignment: Be like the fire; rest by changing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
There’s ample scientific evidence that smelling cucumbers can diminish feelings of claustrophobia. For example, some people become anxious when they are crammed inside a narrow metal tube to get an MRI. But numerous imaging facilities have reduced that discomfort with the help of cucumber oil applied to cotton pads and brought into proximity to patients’ noses. I would love it if there were also natural ways to help you break free of any and all claustrophobic situations, Capricorn. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to hone and practice the arts of liberation.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
“Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone,” said Aquarian author Gertrude B. Stein. She was often quirky and even downright weird, but as you can see, she also had a heartful attitude about her alliances. Stein delivered another pithy quote that revealed her tender approach to relationships. She said that love requires a skillful audacity about sharing one’s inner world. I hope you will put these two gems of advice at the center of your attention, Aquarius. You are ready for a strong, sustained dose of deeply expressive interpersonal action.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
According to the International Center for Academic Integrity, 95 percent of high school students acknowledge they have participated in academic cheating. We can conclude that just one of 20 students have never cheated—a percentage that probably matches how many non-cheaters there are in every area of life. I mention this because I believe it’s a favorable time to atone for any deceptions you have engaged in, whether in school or elsewhere. I’m not necessarily urging you to confess, but I encourage you to make amends and corrections to the extent you can. Also: Have a long talk with yourself about what you can learn from your past cons and swindles.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
You are about to read a thunderbolt of sublime prophecies. It’s guaranteed to nurture the genius in your soul’s underground cave. Are you ready? 1. Your higher self will prod you to compose a bold prayer in which you ask for stuff you thought you weren’t supposed to ask for. 2. Your higher self will know what to do to enhance your love life by at least 20 percent, possibly more. 3. Your higher self will give you extra access to creativity and imaginative powers, enabling you to make two practical improvements in your life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
John Kilcullen began publishing books with “for Dummies” in the title: for example, Time Management for Dummies, Personal Finance for Dummies, and my favorite, Stress Management for Dummies. There are now over 300 books in this series. They aren’t truly for stupid people, of course. They’re designed to be robust introductions to interesting and useful subjects. I invite you to emulate John Kilcullen’s mindset, Taurus. Be innocent, curious, and eager to learn. Adopt a beginner’s mind that’s receptive to being educated and influenced.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
“I could be converted to a religion of grass,” says Indigenous author Louise Erdrich in her book Heart of the Land. “Sink deep roots. Conserve water. Respect and nourish your neighbors. Such are the tenets. As for practice—grow lush in order to be devoured or caressed, stiffen in sweet elegance, invent startling seeds. Connect underground. Provide. Provide. Be lovely and do no harm.” I advocate a similar approach to life for you Geminis in the coming weeks. Be earthy, sensual, and lush. (PS: Erdrich is a Gemini.)

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I hereby appoint myself as your temporary social director. My first action is to let you know that from an astrological perspective, the next nine months will be an excellent time to expand and deepen your network of connections and your web of allies. I invite you to cultivate a vigorous grapevine that keeps you up-to-date about the latest trends affecting your work and play. Refine your gossip skills. Be friendlier than you’ve ever been. Are you the best ally and collaborator you could possibly be? If not, make that one of your assignments.

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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“Ultimately love is everything.” – M. Scott Peck

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Quote of the Day: “Ultimately love is everything.” – M. Scott Peck

Photo by: Paul Cusick

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?

 

She Quit Her Job to Create Personal Jewelry from Ashes and Breast Milk

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Andy Corbley
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Rachel Heinze, and her boys Lucas and Michael - SWNS
Rachel Heinze, and her boys Lucas and Michael – SWNS

Rachel Heinze has an unusual side hustle, on top of her preferred work as a stay-at-home mom of 2.

After an exhausting, problem-filled first year of breastfeeding her oldest Lucas, she got a ring set with a pale-white stone made from a powdered form of her own breast milk and thought it was so cool she decided to take up the activity herself.

Working after her children are put to bed, she makes $30,000 a year since 2021 selling breastmilk jewelry.

She turns clients’ breast milk into powder before making it into the item—and can combine ashes and colored stones into designs too, with the average piece running $200.

“I thought it was weird,” said Heinze. “But having that journey myself, I can definitely see why people want to carry that little part of the journey with them. When I hit that one year of breastfeeding mark I wanted to celebrate.”

Without overly elaborating personal details, breastfeeding Lucas was a struggle in almost all the ways fellow moms have heard of.

“I did everything to continue breastfeeding for a year. It was exhausting,” said Heinze.

She wasn’t trained as a jeweler, designer, metalworker, or in any kind of craft. She was a professional neuroscientist that specialized in concussions before quitting her job to stay at home with the kids. Nevertheless, she jumped at the opportunity to launch a new venture.

“I didn’t know it would be such a big thing—I just thought it would be a little here and there to make a sale,” said Heinze, from Florida. “I had one video on social media, it kicked off, and that’s when it started becoming a big thing.”

MORE UNORTHODOX JEWELRY: Meteorite Hunter Finds Space Debris and Crafts it into Jewelry–Millions and Billions of Years Old

“I was getting breast milk given to me from all over the world. I thought: ‘I can actually make this into something big.'”

Rachel spends eight weeks making her designs while juggling her family life, explaining that her background in science helped with the preservation process for the breast milk.

MORE AT HOME CRAFTS: Making Terrariums at Home: They’re Beautiful AND Good for the Mind

She turns it into powder before allowing it to totally dry over several days, then grinds it into the piece. She has also expanded her business to make jewelry out of ashes.

“I think every stay-at-home mom can vouch for how difficult it is to both work and look after your kids. But it is so worth it to me,” she says. “My business is just a nice thing on top. Mother first, business second. If that means staying up later with a little less sleep, I am OK with that.”

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