Finalists Win Big Laughs in The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards – LOOK

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Oct 4, 2026

Squirrel by Udo Harms-Nikon Comedy Wildlife Award USE ONLY WITH THIS CONTEST — Udo Harms / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Award

©Udo Harms / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Award

It’s that time of the year again, when the cutest, most spontaneous snapshots that capture the amusing side of nature, compete in a bid to win the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

The Nikon sponsored awards just released its finalists for the 2026 competition, featuring 40 individual feel-good finalists.

(Make sure you’re not sipping a drink when surprised by these laugh-out-loud moments.)

This year, the competition received more than 10,000 entries—the highest number in its history from 112 countries.

Photographers are competing for the top prize: a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Alex Walker Serian in the Masai Mara, along with many great camera prizes from Nikon.

Every year, the free competition is open to wildlife photography novices, amateurs, and professionals. Visit their website for details www.comedywildlifephoto.com.

Here’s our favorites…

Preying mantis relaxing – by Diego Perez / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

Elvis

Angry Bird

The different one

Credit: ©Dirk Koster, Netherlands / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

Warning: A ‘Spicy’ Orangutan below…

Wild orangutan in a Borneo rainforests ©Tanner-Mansell / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

Are You Kidding Me?

Ahhh…

Thong Duy Vu / The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2026

Did you hear the one about… 😀

Credit: Charles Janson / Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards

SEE MORE COMEDY PHOTO AWARD-WINNERS: The Funniest Wildlife Photos of 2022 Win Big Laughs in Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

“We use humor to get people to feel empathy towards wildlife—and it’s that empathy that creates behavioral change for the better,” said Competition Co-Founder Tom Sullam.

The People’s Choice Award is now accepting public voting, so you can vote on your favorite—and one lucky voter will be picked at random to receive $500.

EVERYONE WILL THANK YOU – When You Share The Laughs on Social Media…

Rare 1-in-100M ‘Ghost Lobster’ Goes to School to Help Scientists Crack Genetic Mystery–in Time for Halloween

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Oct 4, 2026

University of New England’s Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center

A ‘ghost’ lobster so rare that the odds of finding one are 1 in 100 million is going to school, and its new home is Maine’s Marine Science Center—arriving just in time for Halloween.

The rare white crustacean was welcomed to the University of New England after being donated by the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay.

‘Casper’ the lobster will be donating a bit of its DNA to the school’s first-of-its-kind study into the genetic causes of rare lobster coloration—joining a collection that has included orange, blue, yellow, purple, calico, and the crazy split-colored lobsters, like the one that was found in April.

“The research program uses noninvasive methods to collect and analyze genetic material without harming the lobsters, so Casper will be studied without injury,” promised the school in its media release.

Led by Markus Frederich, Ph.D., professor of marine sciences, researchers are working to uncover the molecular mechanisms that cause some American lobsters to develop dramatically different shell colors from the species’ typical mottled brown appearance.

Casper arrived at University of New England’s Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center (released)

UNE launched the effort in 2024 after several rare-colored lobsters arrived at the Girard Marine Science Center, including Peaches, an orange lobster estimated to occur in just 1 in 30 million animals.

Peaches later produced offspring ranging in color from typical brown to orange and blue, giving UNE researchers an unusual opportunity to study how rare coloration may be inherited.

Researchers subsequently collected genetic samples from the juvenile lobsters and are analyzing more than 15,000 genes as they work to identify differences associated with shell color.

Casper’s donation from the Maine State Aquarium was coordinated by UNE alum Rue Motulsky, whose work on the DNA project as a student has led to new insights into lobster coloration.

Casper’s arrival now gives the research team an opportunity to examine the rarest coloration in the spectrum.

CHECK OUT THIS ONE: Red Lobster Employee Saves a Rare Blue Lobster And Restaurant Finds a Zoo To Adopt It

“Animals like Casper capture people’s attention because they are so rare and beautiful,” said Frederich, director of the Invertebrate Physiology Lab at UNE. “But, for us, they also provide an amazing opportunity to ask fundamental biological questions.”

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AI Chatbots Will Never Replace Advice From Elders, Say Seven of 10 in New Poll

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Oct 4, 2026

Senior Actress Sue Johnston for Maltesers- SWNS — Actress Sue Johnston leads ‘Age Intelligence panel’ for Maltesers - SWNS

Actress Sue Johnston leads ‘Age Intelligence panel’ for Maltesers – SWNS

More than seven in 10 Brits believe AI will never replace advice from their elders.

A study of 2,000 adults found while 21 percent use these artificial intelligence tools for help several times a week, 92 percent believe some forms of wisdom can only be gained through lived experience.

In fact, 71 percent feel AI advice will never replace genuine human connection, with mums (39 percent), female friends (20 percent) and sisters (12 percent) ranked among the most trusted sources of advice.

It also emerged those polled go to older people for tips on how to make a relationship last (19 percent), coping with stress (19 percent) and navigate a career change (13 percent).

Older generations are also valued for their practical know-how, including weeding the garden (16 percent), bleeding a radiator (18 percent) and removing stains from clothes (25 percent).

The research was commissioned by Maltesers, the candy company, which is encouraging people to submit their questions to its ‘Age Intelligence panel’, a playful spoof on AI hosted by British actor Sue Johnston—as part of the malted milk ball confection’s 90th anniversary.

“AI is very handy for quick answers,” said the actress. ”But it can’t tell you what a real person would say, remind you to take a cardigan sweater, or confirm that you’re definitely not overreacting (when you probably are).”

“Real wisdom comes from living through life’s ups and downs – and from the people who’ve been there with you, armed with a story, an opinion and a cup of tea they insist you have before making any decisions.

The research also found 55 percent of those who believed that AI will never replace advice from older generations say it’s because they offer real-life experience that technology simply cannot replicate.

Almost half believe advice from older people is more authentic, with 43 percent believing they’re better able to understand the nuances and emotions behind a situation.

Additionally, respondents value the personal stories and life lessons they provide, according to the OnePoll findings.

Among the most valued pearls of wisdom cited by those surveyed were “save for a rainy day” and “treat others as you would like to be treated”, as well as “life is too short to hold grudges”.

However, 64 percent of AI users admitted they have sought help from a chatbot when they could have, instead, spoken to a real person.

Like many of us would, 4 in 10 chose AI because it provided immediate answers. 25% appreciated the anonymity they felt, and another quarter preferred AI because it can sometimes explain things more simply.

Despite this, trust remains a challenge when it comes to personal topics— with just 18% relying on AI-generated parenting advice and 17% for relationship advice.

By comparison, 77% prefer advice from real people on personal topics.

Claire Norgate from Maltesers, which is also celebrating its long-standing partnership with Comic Relief which has raised more than £8.5 million for charity.

“There are some things it simply can’t replicate—the stories, perspective, humor and connection that come from real-life experience.

Whether it’s a parent, sibling, friend, or someone from an older generation, sometimes the best advice comes from simply having a conversation.

TOP ADVICE WE ASK OLDER PEOPLE FOR

1. How to cook a family recipe
2. How to make an important life decision
3. How to stay healthy as you get older
4. How to deal with disappointment or setbacks
5. How to grow fruit and vegetables
6. How to raise children
7. How to carry out basic DIY repairs
8. How to remove a stain from clothes
9. How to budget and manage money
10. How to handle a disagreement with a friend
11. How to choose a reliable tradesperson
12. How to make a relationship last
13. How to cope with stress and anxiety
14. How to maintain a long-term relationship
15. How to bleed a radiator
16. What the best Victoria sponge recipes are
17. How to look after a car
18. How to buy a house
19. How to unblock a sink
20. How to build confidence
21. How to weed the garden
22. How to achieve a good work-life balance
23. How to change a tyre
24. How to get rid of unwanted guests without being rude
25. How to navigate a career change

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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – Les Brown

Quote of the Day

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Oct 4, 2026

Quote of the Day: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – Les Brown

Photo by: Evelina Mitev for Unsplash+

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?

Good News in History, October 4

This Day In History

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Oct 4, 2026

22 years ago today, SpaceShipOne, funded by Microsoft’s Paul Allen, became the first private manned spacecraft to fly into sub-orbital space. That same year, its innovative design won the $10 million Ansari X Prize. Piloted and returned to Earth by Mike Melvill, he became the first-ever licensed US commercial astronaut. WATCH a Smithsonian video about the ship’s innovative hinged wing design that made it perfect for reentry… (2004)

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Underwater Umbrellas Could Protect Coral Reefs From Heat Damage

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Oct 3, 2026

Installing underwater Coral umbrellas by Nova Southeastern University in Florida-SWNS — Installing underwater coral umbrellas by Nova Southeastern University in Florida / Journal Frontiers in Marine Science

Installing underwater coral umbrellas by Nova Southeastern University in Florida / Journal Frontiers in Marine Science

Underwater umbrellas could protect coral reefs from heat—and even partly reverse the bleaching, according to a new study by Florida scientists.

Temporary shades placed over particularly vulnerable Caribbean corals can mitigate damage from high sea temperatures driven by global warming, which turns them ghostly white—and eventually kills them.

Restoring dead reefs is possible, but the process is difficult and expensive, and still leaves them vulnerable to future heatwaves. Now, scientists believe they’ve found a new way to protect them—at least, on a small scale.

Study lead author Dr. Karen Neely explained that shading can’t cool the water, but it prevents ultraviolet (UV) and irradiance damage, which worsens the heat damage.

“The 2023 coral bleaching event in Florida essentially wiped out branching corals, and at some inshore sites had a devastating impact on brain corals,” she explained.

“This study stemmed directly from that event: we wanted to provide proof of concept for tools to save targeted corals in similar future events.”

So, in the summer of 2024, Dr. Neely and her team from the Nova Southeastern University in Florida set up twenty custom-made shades overtop 10 different colonies of two species of brain coral, Pseudodiploria clivosa and Colpophyllia natans—along with 20 matching corals to act as controls.

The parasol-like shades, made of pvc pipe and nylon fabric, were temporarily fixed to the seabed with cord and floated a foot above each coral (30cm).

They reduced light by 60%, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

Divers visited every two weeks to track color changes and take tissue biopsies at Newfound Harbor in the Florida Keys, to monitor the algae living inside the coral.

Neely explained that corals have a “symbiotic” relationship with the algae: the coral provides the algae with a home and the algae provides the coral with most of its nutritional needs.

She said algae also lend corals their color, so when corals turn white under heat stress, scientists know that the relationship has broken down and the coral is starving.

Although the heat stress measured at Newfound Harbor that summer was the second-highest on record, the corals shaded by fabric lost less color than expected.

Underwater Coral umbrella by Nova Southeastern University in Florida / Journal Frontiers in Marine Science (SWNS)

And the differences were greatest during the most intense periods of thermal stress.

Not only that, Dr. Neely found another salient benefit.

“Shaded corals even recovered some of their color, after the shades were installed.”

They also saw less bleaching than expected overall, and no dead coral.

“Shades reversed the observed bleaching, but the event wasn’t severe enough to cause mortality on control or shaded corals.

“However, we know that even bleaching that doesn’t cause mortality can impact corals’ future disease susceptibility and reproductive capacity.

The research team found no differences in density of algae occupation or algae species between the control and shaded groups. They believe that if they’d been installed earlier in the heating event, the shades might have been more effective.

The study found a “significant” positive impact, except for the method’s limitation of scaling it.

“We found it was effective on two highly-susceptible coral species, so it is likely to be useful for most others,” she concluded—but additional studies are needed to answer more questions.

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Ancient Christian Complex Reopens in Syria After 14 Years, a War, and an Earthquake

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Oct 3, 2026

Saint Simeon church by Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums-SWNS — Saint Simeon church complex reopened by Syria’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (via SWNS)

Saint Simeon church complex reopened by Syria’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (via SWNS)

A 5th-century Christian heritage site has reopened to visitors in Aleppo, Syria, after rehabilitation, restoration, and clearing the remnants of war.

Syria’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums officially reopened the Saint Simeon church complex on October 2 with a ceremony, welcoming visitors after 14 years of closure.

Restoration of the Byzantine-era site included clearing landmines, reinforcing fragile structures, and repairing damaged structures and facilities.

The reopening is part of the government’s plan to capitalize on the exceptionally rich history and religious heritage of the country and boost international tourism “from Damascus to Palmyra”.

The site had been damaged during Syria’s civil war, including in a 2016 airstrike, and later by the 2023 earthquake.

The complex was originally built to honor Saint Simeon Stylites, who sought prayerful isolation by parking himself atop a tall pillar for 37 years until his death in 459—believing he gained spiritual proximity to God (while his followers brought him food and water—and carried away the saint’s human waste in a bucket—using a ladder attached to the stone pillar).

Following his death, the Byzantine Emperor Zeno commissioned the construction of a massive sanctuary (built between 476 and 490 AD) to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims who flocked from across the Christian world to seek blessings.

At the dead center of the octagonal rotunda sits the boulder-like base of Saint Simeon’s original column.

Over the centuries, pilgrims chiseled away at the pillar for relics, reducing it from its original 15-meter height (49 feet) down to a remaining three-meter (9-ft) stub. (See the gorgeous footage in the video below…)

New pilgrimage routes were added during renovation leading to the mountaintop complex.

Significance of the site

Part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, it is one of the oldest surviving church complexes, founded in the 5th century. Its size was not surpassed by a Christian church until the construction of Hagia Sophia was finished in 537.

Born in a mountain village, Saint Simeon entered a monastery at the age of 16, but he was judged to be unsuited for monastic life due to his extravagantly severe denial of physical pleasures. He attempted to live the life of a hermit ascetic in the wilderness, but his feats of physical endurance and self-denial attracted pilgrims seeking religious instruction and others who became devotees.

In an effort to escape from such distractions, he resolved to live on a small platform atop a 3-meter column. The height of the column was raised over time to 18 meters. From his perch, Simeon preached twice a day to the crowds who gathered to witness this spectacle of self-mortification.

The ladder also allowed messengers to bring written notes to Simeon, and pick up letters he wrote to his followers. (Check out the video, especially at the end, capturing the scene at night with the church all lit up…)

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Fan ‘Storms Out’ as Team Loses on TV, Only to Become Hero for Woman Stuck in Mud Chest-high

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Oct 3, 2026

mudhole rescue by Alastair Cass via SWNS — Alastair Cass / SWNS

Just after Alastair Cass stormed out of his house because his football team lost he become a hero for a woman in dire need of a win—to save her life.

The 40-year-old left home in “frustration” after his beloved Arsenal team was hammered by Brighton 3-0.

When he got outside, he heard a woman’s cries for help from the valley behind his house in Devon, England.

She had become stuck in mud up to her chest and couldn’t move for four hours.

“Thanks to Arsenal for being rubbish at football!” she exclaimed in a card thanking him for saving her.

Alastair raced down with his 4-wheeled ATV with planks and rope to secure her until emergency services arrived in Chulmleigh, and workers dragged her to safety.

“Just due to the game and how it went was the only reason why I stepped out the house, as I’d had enough!” the business owner told SWNS news.

“If it went differently I would have stayed and watched post-match interviews and so on, but luckily that wasn’t the case on this day!”

Alastair, who runs his own vintage restoration business called UK Restoration, recalled hearing a curious sound coming from across the valley.

“As I live on a 150-acre property, you do hear things now and then, but I was walking over to one of my barns and I heard the same noise again and was like ‘something’s up’.

“I jumped on the quad bike and started to head down to the river and then heard it again, and kept going down and that was when I could finally hear the word ‘help’ clearly.”

The first rescue teams at the scene – by Alastair Cass via SWNS

He started looking for her, driving around and stopping telling her to speak again and again.

“It’s such an unkempt and dangerous area to go in. But I eventually came across her, down a ditch, stuck in mud up to her chest line, shivering.

“I swore when I saw her because I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing after living here for 28 years.”

Alastair found Sallie at 5:00pm, and raced back home to gather rope and wooden boards so he could spread his weight across the mud hole.

“I attempted to get her out, but the suction of the mud was just incredible and the painful noises she gave off when I was pulling her meant I just had to abandon it.”

Alastair told Sallie he’d drive back to the house and call emergency services, as there was no signal where she was trapped.

First on the scene was the Chulmleigh fire brigade, followed by specialist teams, South Molton police, boat rescue service, four ambulance crews and multiple helicopters.

But just getting the emergency crews down into the gully was a big task.

“I had to make multiple trips up and down whilst showing them each time where she was on the other side of the ditch and carrying the equipment to her.”

The intense rescue operation took two hours—and Sallie was eventually freed.

She summed it up in her thank-you card: “I have never been so happy to see another human being as I was you that day!”

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

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Oct 3, 2026

Our partner Rob Brezsny, whose latest book is Enlightenment for Rebels: Celebrating Our Wild and Sacred Earthly Selves, 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 October 3, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Let’s make Libran writer Ursula K. Le Guin your patron saint. She believed that any human arrangement, however permanent it seems, was made by people and can therefore be unmade and remade by people. The divine right of kings once seemed eternal and inevitable, she liked to remind us. Be like her in the coming weeks, Libra. Refuse to accept that the way things are is the way they must continue to be. Imagine more beautiful, more just, and more loving arrangements in every area of your life, including your relationships, your work, and your inner life. Then take three steps toward making it so.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Volcanologists distinguish between two different eruptions. In the effusive type, lava flows slowly and steadily, while the explosive eruptions eject material fast and hard. What does this have to do with you? In my astrological estimation, you currently contain building pressures that need release. Here’s the good news: You can maneuver yourself in the direction of effusive expression and thereby make the explosive kind unnecessary. So my advice is to find small, controllable outlets for what’s gathering inside you. Don’t wait until the only option is a massive, sudden discharge.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
You’ll flourish in the coming years if you ask daring questions and befriend sweet ambivalence and welcome adorable uncertainty. You’ll stumble upon weird but interesting success and project potent authenticity if you let your curiosity lead you to situations outside of your cozy bubbles and velvet ruts. On the other hand, you’ll flounder if you cling to folk wisdom foisted on you by the algorithms, treat all your opinions as facts, or pretend you always know what the heck is going on in this dazzling mess of a world. Keep it generous and exploratory, Sagittarius. Seek out wide-ranging conversationalists and playful skeptics.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
A river delta is where a river finally meets the sea. Instead of arriving as one bold channel, it fans out into dozens of branching streams, depositing the rich silt it has carried for many miles. Deltas are fertile places because of everything the river gathered along the way and finally lays down. You’re approaching a metaphorical delta, Capricorn. All the experiences, emotions, and impressions you’ve been carrying are ready to be released and turned into fertile ground. Abundance wants to grow from all you’ve gathered.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In the 17th century, Aquarian astronomer Johannes Hevelius mapped the moon with surprising accuracy. Yet he worked with funky homemade telescopes perched on a homemade observatory that he built on the rooftops of his three connected houses. I recommend you borrow his approach, Aquarius. You might feel tempted to postpone action until conditions are ideal, but I hope you’ll begin with what you already possess. Prediction: As you proceed, your tools and strategies will evolve. Momentum will become one of your key resources.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In traditional Chinese medicine, wei qi is a protective energy that circulates beneath the skin, forming a shield against harmful influences. To nourish it, you revel in sleeping and eating well. You work diligently, with tender discernment, to maintain healthy boundaries. How are you doing with that, Pisces? Is it possible you’ve been working so hard on your deep transformations that you’ve semi-neglected this outer layer of strength? I hope that in the coming weeks, you’ll nurture the subtle shields that prevent you from absorbing every stray particle of psychic weirdness in your environment. Think of this task not as building walls, but tending to your garden’s edges.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Orchids may lure pollinating insects with ingenious illusions rather than nectar. Some mimic the look or fragrance of other flowers. Others resemble female insects so convincingly that hopeful males unknowingly assist with pollination. From this, we might conclude that nature can be as duplicitous as humans. But rather than being bummed out by the facts of life, let’s use this as a lesson for you to wield in the coming days. Appearances can be deceiving—for both better and worse. If a situation initially seems disappointing or confusing, linger before drawing conclusions. Likewise, if something looks irresistibly attractive at first glance, investigate further. I predict your intuition will be extra skilled at distinguishing authentic richness from glamorous distraction.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
I propose we make 93-year-old Taurus musician Willie Nelson your patron saint and role model for the foreseeable future. Earthy, unflappable, and unhurried, he has kept making his distinctive, soulful music for over 70 years, devoted all the while to the land and the people who work it. He has never pushed to sound like anyone else; he has patiently, inexorably become more fully himself. It’s your birthright to live like Nelson, Taurus, with a steady, sensual, enduring devotion to what you love. In the coming weeks, I invite you to tend to your deepest roots.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
I may be preaching to the choir here, but there’s a fun kind of magic that thrives when you decline to be consistent. You Geminis are least likely, of all the signs, to exhaust yourself in trying to maintain a unified self-presentation. Like the Gemini poet Walt Whitman, you’re often pleased with the fact that you contain multitudes. It’s a potential superpower! The you who loves solitude and the you who craves connection can both be true. The skeptic and the mystic can coexist in the same nervous system. Your assignment: Honor three contradictory impulses without trying to make them coherent. You’re boisterously excused from having to make too much sense.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
In certain caves, like the Cave of the Crystals in Naica, Mexico, crystals grow to astonishing sizes. Why? Because the environment remains stable for thousands of years, with steady temperatures, minimal disturbances, and slow mineral flow. Under these stable conditions, ordinary molecules assemble into lavish structures. I believe you’re cultivating a similar sanctuary, Cancerian, as you invoke the powers of steadiness and devoted dedication. Even if progress appears slow, the underlying process is gradually generating a beautiful strength and/or lasting treasure. Now’s a good time to redouble your faith in your good work.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The cosmic powers have granted you a license to be magnificent. Not arrogant, please note, but majestic, resplendent, and marvelous. You know the difference, right? Arrogance is parasitic, demanding that everyone reflects your glory back at you. Magnificence is expansive, making everyone feel more vital and attuned to their own splendor. The second option is far more nutritious and delicious for you in the long run. In the coming eons, and especially now, I hope you’ll be lavish with your praise and generous with your attention. Glow and dazzle in ways that inspire others to glow and dazzle.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
A Zen teaching says, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” But being the post-Zen teacher I am, I protest and say, “No, the chopping and the carrying ARE the enlightenment. There is no separate ‘after.’” The sacred is ALWAYS lurking in the mundane, disguised as ordinary tasks. And you Virgos are potentially the zodiac’s supreme master of this controversial truth. Others may chase after astral bling and transcendent glitter, but you know that divinity lives in the earthy details that are right in front of you. That’s how you transmute seemingly unremarkable stuff into the sublime. It’s time to wield your superpower to the hilt, please!

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 smallest good act today is a point from which you may go on to victories you never dreamed of.” – C.S. Lewis

Quote of the Day

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Oct 3, 2026

Quote of the Day: “The smallest good act today is a point from which you may go on to victories you never dreamed of.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Photo by: Dominik Lange

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?

Good News in History, October 3

This Day In History

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Oct 3, 2026

4,483 years ago today, or so it’s said, the sky above the Korean Peninsula opened and Hwanung, the mythical progenitor of Korean People descended from heaven. Today, it’s marked as National Foundation Day in both the South and the North of the Peninsula and referred to as Gaecheonjeol. READ more about this important day in the Korean calendar… (2,457 BCE)

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Hunter-Gatherers Don’t Have Trouble Sleeping: Why? and What Can We Learn from Them?

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 2, 2026

A man from the Hadza in Tanzania – credit, David Raichlen of USC and Brian Wood of UCLA

The BBC recently spoke with a sleep scientist who’s spent much of his career studying the sleeping habits of the last remaining, contactable, hunter-gatherer societies on Earth.

What he found might surprise you—it might also help you get a few more Zzz.

Much of modern society is sleep deprived, and with all the challenges our technologized, unnatural environment poses to sleep, one can only imagine how hard it must be for someone who has to sleep on the dirt floor of a jungle hut in the Bolivian Amazon, under a downpour, with snakes and spiders scurrying around outside.

Yet take a gander at what UCLA somnologist Jerome Siegel has to say about what he saw studying the scientific bedrock of bedtime among the Tsimane in Bolivia, the San in the Kalahari, and the Hadza in Tanzania.

“If you ask hunter-gatherers, ‘do you ever have trouble sleeping?’ in their native language, they have trouble understanding the concept,” he told the BBC.

Why is that? Consider that sleep has been evolutionarily conserved across every lifeform observed thus far, from the most ancient bacteria and tiniest virus to the biggest-brained animals. Natural selection would suggest that any trait which could safely be done away with, eventually would be. Yet sleep has been with organic life, as far as we know, since the beginning.

Humans come equipped with the neurological tools and triggers to sleep in rough environments, and knowing those triggers might help a sleep-challenged reader think outside the box.

The article for the BBC was put together by Amanda Ruggeri, a science, psychology and history journalist, whose book The Sleep Myth will be released in 2027.

First, light is a key determiner in hunter-gatherer sleep cycles, and we know that artificial light exposure can delay sleep onset. To help correctly set your body’s internal clocks, known as circadian rhythms, try to get natural light exposure as soon as you wake—consider taking your morning coffee outside under the open sky, or at a window facing east. Then at night, get used to keeping your house as dark as safely possible. Turn off unnecessary lights, use dimmers, and avoid ample screen time.

Second: another key factor in hunter-gatherer sleep patterns is temperature. Professor Siegel suggests that falling temperature at night and rising temperature in the morning more accurately tracks non-industrialized societies’ sleep times than light does. They often wake a few hours before sunrise when sleep-time temperatures are lowest. Try and replicate this by opening windows, set your thermostat to fall every hour, or to come on cold in the pre-dawn hours.

Third, another sleep researcher told Ruggeri that hunter-gatherers tend to engage in social activities at sundown and after dark. Without light and without electricity, there’s no chance of productive work, so all attention is turned to socializing. The easy part of replicating this is spending time with your family or friends. The hard time is resisting the urge to check your work email, as well as letting go of expectations for your employees to do the same.

Despite not understanding what “trouble sleeping” means, hunter-gatherers do, in fact, sleep less and wake more than those in modern, technologized societies. The key is that for them, it’s normal and not stressful. For us, one of Siegel’s colleagues told the BBC, “good” sleep has become the quest for 8 uniform, uninterrupted hours, a comparative fantasy to our wilder counterparts.

Fourth, therefore, is don’t expect your sleep to be identical every night. Try and let go of the anxiety of potentially waking up in the middle of the night, or of sleeping less than you’d have liked to, and it might actually help you wake up feeling better and go to sleep more easily the following night.

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UK’s National Museums to Continue 25-Year Policy of Free Entry for Foreign Visitors

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 2, 2026

After months of discussions between UK ministries, the tourism sector, and London’s museums, the government has decided that the country’s national museums will remain free to international visitors.

These 14 institutions include such renowned museums as the National Gallery, the British Museum, and the Natural History Museum among others, which together attract tens of millions of visitors every year.

The decision for them to remain free, even to foreigners, was prompted by an independent review published in December by former Labour Party minister Margaret Hodge, who said a charging model for international tourists “would align the UK with other countries, such as New Zealand and Singapore, that charge an entry fee to international visitors while retaining free entry for citizens and residents.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) considered the notion, but after months of consolations that included local community leaders, decided to keep museum entry free.

“The government believes that charging overseas visitors could deter domestic visitors and that the impacts and benefits of charging would not be felt equally across the sector and therefore will not introduce charges for overseas visitors,” DCMC said in a statement.

Free admission was first instituted by Tony Blair’s Labour government in 2001.

GREAT MUSEUM NEWS: Louvre Announces Mona Lisa Will Have Her Own Building in Major Redesign to Ease Tourist Scrum

“It’s great news that the government has committed to continuing to keep museums free for everyone,” said London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.

“By keeping these important venues open to all, we will continue to educate and entertain generations to come and show why we are the culture capital of the world, as we build a fairer, more inclusive London for everyone.”

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Antarctica’s Wind Farm Saves 122,000 Gallons of Diesel Over 15 Years Powering McMurdo Station

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 2, 2026

Ross Island Wind Farm - credit, retrived from Meridian Energy — Ross Island Wind Farm - credit, retrieved from Meridian Energy

Ross Island Wind Farm – credit, retrieved from Meridian Energy

As they near the end of their productive lives, the 3 wind turbines spinning on Antarctica’s Ross Island have made an enormous impact on the energy market of the continent.

Built and commissioned over 2008-2009, the Ross Island Wind Farm was a daunting and technical engineering challenge that nevertheless mitigated roughly 122,000 gallons of diesel fuel consumption, and all the associated costs of shipping fuel there.

Powering America’s McMurdo Station and New Zealand’s Scott Base, the wind farm has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that renewable installations can survive in even this harsh environment.

It was built by Meridian Energy, a New Zealand firm which had to approach the challenge of the wind farm in stages. Diesel generation was the only source of energy for the two bases for years, but the cost of shipping the fuel down towards the southern pole was a major draw on research funding.

Yet the long Antarctic winter is no place for weak machines. Meridian needed a novel design for the wind turbines to succeed. Project managers detail how each one was bolted onto Ross Island’s Crater Hill like a spider. A set of legs were drilled into precast concrete blocks, themselves set into “Antarctic cement” which was basically a mixture of water and gravel that just freezes solid in perpetuity.

Necessitating the ability to resist fearsome winds, the turbines spin without transmissions, eliminating problems associated with oil viscosity and friction, as well as working with simply fewer moving parts. Components were robustly designed to withstand -30°C temperatures.

WIND FARMS IN UNLIKELY PLACES: Jet Engine Exhaust is Turned into Electricity to Power Dallas International Airport

The only vessels that go down to Ross Island do so at the end of Antarctic summer, which meant that unless the turbines could be assembled by penguins, they’d have to sit all winter until crews could come down the following summer to put the turbines together. This problem imposed size restraints on the design: they had to be small enough to fit in shipping containers.

Despite all these challenges, the purpose built Enercon E33 turbines, each delivering 330 kilowatts, have survived 15 years of Antarctic service. When the wind is weak, which is rare, traditional diesel generation still makes up the difference.

They will be replaced with larger, more powerful turbines with a battery storage system when they reach the end of their lives in 2030 as part of a power-sharing agreement between the US and NZ.

RENEWABLE FRONTIER: Two-Headed Wind Turbine Could Solve Every Challenge in the Offshore Industry

During the 2024/25 season, the construction team completed the first foundation for one of the new wind turbines.

For the scientists working at Scott and McMurdo, the wind farm has allowed them to substantially reduce operating costs while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions, the consequences of which many scientists who’ve lived and worked at the bases over the years will have been trying to measure. It’s estimated 1,200 tons of CO2 have been prevented by the wind turbines.

WATCH a company recap below…

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30 Years of Clean-Up and Monitoring Work at Closed Copper Mine Wins Honors for World’s Top Miner

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 2, 2026

(Left) Island Copper Mine site and pit lake looking east (right) a BHP representaive accepting the award - credit, (left) BHP, supplied (right) TRCR Awards Subcommittee, released — (Left) Island Copper Mine site and pit lake looking east (right) a BHP representaive accepting the award - credit, (left) BHP, supplied to Greg Lawrence DOI... (right) TRCR Awards Subcommittee, released

(Left) Island Copper Mine site and pit lake looking east (right) a BHP representaive accepting the award – credit, (left) BHP, supplied to Greg Lawrence DOI… (right) TRCR Awards Subcommittee, released

In British Columbia, a small award ceremony was held to commend mine operators who continue to monitor and spend on mine reclamation, years after the pickaxes are hung up.

Mining has long been the backbone of Canada’s economy, and BC was the first province to mandate by law that mine plans could only be approved if they had a reclamation operation laid out and budgeted from the start. Reclamation is the industry term for the process of returning brownfield land to productive use, either for farming or forestry, or even for rewilding.

This year, the BC Technical Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) presented its Annual Reclamation Award to BHP, the world’s largest mining company, for its work on the former Island Copper Mine near Port Hardy in the north of Vancouver Island.

At one time, the main pit spiraled down over 1,320 feet into the ground—the deepest point touched by the Sun anywhere on Earth. The resource mined there measured over 1 billion tons, with the primary mineral being copper, yet also containing ample tonnage of silver, gold, molybdenum, and rhenium. It was in operation between 1971 and 1995.

At its peak, it employed 900 local residents, and the jobs turned Port Hardy from a Podunk nothing-ville into a flourishing town of 5,000 people. When the orebody was exhausted, BHP conducted extensive environmental studies and assessments for a sophisticated reclamation plan for the gaping hole the company had dug into the ground.

MORE RECLAMATION STORIES: First Permit to Clean Up Old Mine Waste Issued for WA State Under 2024 ‘Good Samaritan Act’

BHP flooded the mining pit with seawater, which formed a stratified lake with oxygen-depleted bottom waters into which the acid rock drainage generated from the chemical and biological oxidation of reactive sulﬁde minerals in waste rock could be injected and neutralized. This was a novel system at the time.

Since May 2001, BHP modified its approach to increase the oxygen depletion and heavy metal absorption by fertilizing the surface waters of the lake every 7–10 days to stimulate plankton blooms that absorb contaminant heavy metals and oxygen, before sinking to the bottom layer. The removal of oxygen is vital to prevent minerals oxidizing.

CANADIAN MINING: Canada Successfully Exploring for ‘White’ Hydrogen Gas, a Clean Power Source Beneath Existing Mines

“BHP has continued to support its reclamation through ongoing monitoring, adaptive management, and improvements to the site’s water management infrastructure,” the TRCR wrote in a statement.

“These efforts have strengthened environmental protection, enhanced the long-term reliability of the Pit Lake treatment system, improved operational flexibility through remote capabilities, reduced worker safety risks, and increased resilience to extreme weather and power outages.”

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“Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Oct 2, 2026

Quote of the Day: “Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo by: Sincerely Media

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?

Good News in History, October 2

This Day In History

By

Good News Network

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Oct 2, 2026

CapelinhosFaialAzores1 — Marlene Angeja CC 2.0. BY-SA

69 years ago today, a new island, or Ilha Novo, appeared on the edge of the westernmost island (Faial) in the Azores chain after the eruption of Capelinhos, or “little cape,” one of many submerged cone volcanoes in the area. The eruption caused no deaths, however it did wreck many houses and reduce the population of the island by half—most of whom evacuated and immigrated to the US under the Azorean Refugee Act, passed under John F. Kennedy. It did extend Faial’s land area by 3 square kilometers though, and blanketed the surrounding slopes with volcanic ash that spawned lush forests and a tourism boom. READ more… (1957)

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‘Flourishing’ Sycamore Gap Tree Has Ring of New Shoots Already 3-Feet Tall

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 1, 2026

overlooking-the-sycamore-gap-stump-on-hadrians-wall.-credit-nt-images-annapurna-mellor — Overlooking the regrowing Sycamore Gap stump on Hadrian's Wall - credit © National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

Overlooking the regrowing Sycamore Gap stump on Hadrian’s Wall – credit © National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

3 years on from the illegal felling of Britain’s famous Sycamore Gap tree, new aerial images reveal how the stump is flourishing, and the basal sprouts that emerged are growing fast.

For those who didn’t read or weren’t aware, one of the UK’s most famous trees—a 150-year-old sycamore growing in a gap along the Roman-era Hadrian’s Wall—was cut down by vandals in 2023.

It was one of the most photographed trees in England, and a symbol of the North. The vandals’ chainsaw made a clean cut which arborists supposed at the time may have the potential to allow the tree to regrow.

Now the stump, located in Northumberland, has grown a thick ring of new shoots which are between two to three feet tall.

“These flourishing shoots are really encouraging and show that the special measures we’ve taken—including reducing soil compaction around the roots and limiting human disturbance—are paying off,” said Andrew Poad, General Manager for the National Trust at Hadrian’s Wall.

“We’re grateful to all the visitors who, through the care they’re taking, are supporting our efforts to protect the tree and give it the best possible chance to thrive.”

ANOTHER TREE UNDER REPAIR: The Majestic ‘Gloucester Tree’ Reopens to Climbers in Australia After 3 Years of Repair

As the tree regrows, the Trust continues to work with partners and local communities to celebrate the tree’s legacy, which has involved 49 saplings grown from the tree’s seed, distributed to communities across the UK.

With the tree’s deep established roots, biologists estimate it could take as little as 150 years, as ironic as that sounds, to grow back to something like its former size, while hikers could be sitting under the shade of its branches in as little as a decade.

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Chinese Commercial Reactor Achieves Nuclear Fusion with Clean Hydrogen-Boron Fuel

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 1, 2026

ENN Group's EXL-50U spherical device which successfully achieved hydrogen-boron fusion reactions - credit, handout

In a world first, Chinese engineers have achieved brief nuclear fusion with a much cleaner and abundant fuel supply in what an international review team called a “significant and valuable” advance in the field.

Using hydrogen-boron as fuel, a state-backed energy company used a laser and radio waves to generate a plasma within a spherical reactor device known as a tokamak.

GNN has reported often on developments in nuclear fusion made around the world, including discoveries and advancements in the US, Japan, Europe, and China.

Nuclear fusion is a potential new energy source with increasingly real potential to solve the West’s energy needs. It replicates the process of melding two atomic nuclei together which happens at the center of our Sun, a function of physics which releases intense amounts of energy as heat through escaping neutrons.

Theoretically, it has the potential to generate enough energy to power a household for a human lifetime on a single glass of seawater, remarked MIT’s spinout fusion company. It produces no emissions, and unlike nuclear fission, the currently-used method of nuclear power, generates no radioactive waste.

There are many hang-ups and roadblocks. Discussing fusion is discussing one the most complex, albeit understood, challenges in engineering. To name one, the existing fuel source theorized as standard for the commercialization of fusion, a mixture of deuterium and tritium, produces radiation and is extremely expensive.

While deuterium is already produced in bulk seawater processing, tritium cannot be mined, is naturally radioactive, and is found only in trace amounts in nature. In contrast, ENN Group, a leading Chinese clean energy provider, has opted for the hydrogen-boron route.

Inside the tokamak chamber, one hydrogen proton with a boron-11 nucleus are fused to produce harmless helium nuclei (alpha particles) and energy, without releasing high-energy neutrons, i.e. radiation. World Nuclear News reports that private fusion energy companies like TAE Technologies in the US and Marvel Fusion in Germany are experimenting with hydrogen-boron fuel.

Yang Yuanming, the chief engineer who led the fusion project at ENN, explained to South China Morning Post in Hong Kong that in addition to an unorthodox fuel source, their method for generating the plasma—a 4th state of matter that gives off the energy which would be sold as electricity—was also novel.

Typically, to achieve and sustain fusion, the molecules in a reactor need to be heated to hundreds of millions of degrees using the pressure of an intense and contained magnetic field generated by superconducting magnets.

Here, ENN used a dual approach of high-energy neutral beam injection and radio frequency waves to target the exact spot in the hydrogen-boron fuel where the particles are most likely to react.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS:

“Under this mechanism, a large number of ‘fast protons’ are rapidly generated within the system,” reports Dannie Peng at SCMP. “Acting as a catalyst for the reaction, these high-energy particles triggered a chain reaction, pushing the overall fusion reaction rate beyond 100 million times per second.”

A delegation of visiting scientists reviewed the experiment and agreed unanimously it was “a significant and valuable contribution” to the field, and likely to enrich future attempts at commercializing what many, including more than one great science-fiction author, have described as the “last” energy source.

Yang, the chief engineer, shared this latest milestone on social media on Monday morning.

“[We will] strive to get the plasma to 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million degrees Fahrenheit) as soon as possible!”

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Genetic Analysis All But Confirms the Most Unique of Humpback Populations Is Actually a Subspecies

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 1, 2026

An Arabian Sea humpback whale breaches following interaction with another whale in Hallaniyat Bay, Oman - credit, Darryl MacDonald ©

This breathtaking photograph is of an Arabian Sea humpback whale—the subject of a new genetic analysis that seems to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s a totally different subspecies compared to its cousins in the Pacific or Atlantic.

Existing with a remarkably unique ecology, it’s been clear to anyone with experience that Arabian Sea humpbacks are just different, but until recently it was uncertain whether this was a recent or prehistoric development.

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, a study leveraging more than 25 years of whale research in Oman supports the recognition of a 4th subspecies of humpback.

Led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in close collaboration with Omani environmental authorities and other key local and international partners, the study compared genetic samples from Arabian Sea humpback whales with populations from across the world’s oceans, including mitochondrial DNA from 2,285 animals.

Results revealed high levels of genetic differentiation between the Arabian Sea population and the 3 currently-recognized humpback whale subspecies of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Hemisphere, indicating very limited gene flow between them.

The Arabian Sea population also showed the lowest genetic diversity among the ocean regions examined. The findings support the potential recognition of the Arabian Sea population as Megaptera novaeangliae indica, named for the type species in Iraq.

“Arabian Sea humpback whales have long been an enigma to the scientific community. Their ecology is unlike that of any other known humpback whale population, and this new genetic work represents an important milestone in understanding how that uniqueness developed,” said the study’s lead author Dr. Rita Amaral with the WCS.

“The results clearly indicate the Arabian humpback whales have followed their own evolutionary trajectory for tens of thousands of years and support their recognition as a distinct subspecies.”

Arabian humpbacks are the only group in their race which neither migrate to breed nor feed. They remain in the seas off Oman all year round, and are even genetically distinct from whales as close by as the Indian Ocean. What explains this strange, sedentary lifestyle?

The authors, citing research conducted over the decades, detail that seasonal upwelling of deep oceanic nutrients, driven by the southwest monsoon, creates hyper-productive conditions more typical of those found in temperate climates where whales would typically migrate to feed.

Other humpbacks who’ve thusly migrated to cooler waters then return to the tropics to breed, but that unique upwelling allows the Arabian sea humpbacks to feed at tropical latitudes normally associated with breeding activities.

A study published for the International Whaling Commission in 2018 reviewed Arabian Sea humpback whale singing and found that it too is unique among the species. All males within a population share the same song patterns, which also tend to change progressively over time. Populations that do not overlap or exchange individuals have distinctly different songs, the study wrote, whereas populations in contact share some, or all patterns.

This provides more evidence for a theory on a separate Arabian subspecies, because while overlapping populations of Arabian humpbacks share song patterns, the IWC study found zero overlap between Arabian humpback and Indian Ocean humpback singing, strongly indicating populational isolation.

SUBSPECIES TO GET EXCITED ABOUT: Amur Tigers Are Back From the Brink in China – Thanks to Government Policies

Now, this new study presents genetic analyses that shows the Arabian Sea whale lineages diverged between 43,000 and 113,000 years ago, depending on the group.

The study emphasized that the population’s isolation also makes it especially vulnerable. Arabian Sea humpback whales face threats from entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, underwater noise, and pollution, as well as natural stressors such as disease.

Climate-driven changes to monsoons and ocean upwelling may also affect the availability of sardines and other prey. The paper notes that the population is small, with no evidence of an increase over the past two decades, and warns that they are at risk of extirpation without concerted efforts to manage known threats.

WHALE OF A STORY: Humpback Whale Watching Surges in Brazil Where Population Has Grown 27-fold Since Whaling Ended

“The growing body of research on Arabian Sea humpback whales has given Oman an increasingly clear understanding of both the importance of this population and the pressures it faces,” said Aida Al Jabri from the Environment Authority of Oman, which contributed to the research, in a statement.

“This evidence is now helping us move from scientific understanding towards practical conservation action, including regional cooperation through the International Whaling Commission and Oman’s work to explore greater protection for important marine habitats through international mechanisms such as the International Maritime Organization’s special protection provided by Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas.”

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