This is the ‘magical’ moment subway station passengers broke out into a spontaneous round of applause for a London Marathon runner.
Liam Williams ran the recent race in honor of his niece Freya, who passed away last year from a brain tumor.
After an emotional day, the 38-year-old took the wrong train back to his hotel, and found himself at Monument station.
But, when the train pulled away, he realized that there was a huge crowd on the platform across from him—and they all started clapping.
A video taken by his wife shows the strangers cheering and erupting with admiration while Liam becomes overcome with emotion.
“It was quite a surreal moment really,” said the man from Leeds, England. “One person started cheering and clapping and before you know it the whole platform was cheering. It was this amazing, magical moment.
“Some people were shouting ‘speech’. It was incredible. That moment just felt epic after all the emotions of the day.”
“My partner was in stitches laughing at me because this isn’t really my comfort zone. I don’t enjoy being the centre of attention at all.”
Liam decided to run his first marathon to raise money for ‘Young Lives vs Cancer’, which helped his family throughout Freya’s cancer battle.
In September, Liam began running to train for the event and decided he wanted to give back to the charity, who provided a place for the family to stay, along with toys, counseling, and emotional support.
Despite getting a stitch around mile 15, he still managed to complete the race in three hours and 45 minutes, only slightly longer than he had aimed for.
“What really stuck out to me across the whole day was that everyone is cheering you on. Everyone backs you and it is nice because you put a lot of training in.”
Liam ended up raising over £10,000, since his video went viral, with thousands rolling in beyond his goal of 2,500.
Forever Fresh, a group of female DJs all over the age of 60 has been turning up the volume after a pop festival in Cologne, Germany, started looking for ways to involve older demographics.
“It was a summer booking meeting and we gathered to discuss and brainstorm what our lineup might look like the following year,” the C/O Festival’s Pia Leohart told RTL West, a German TV station. “We realized there really wasn’t anything for women over 60.”
That gave the festival promoters a notion: Would older ladies want to DJ?
The organizers soon sent out a query. Senior women who were interested would learn all the intricacies of being a DJ—mastering mixes, transitions, volumes, fades, and all the buttons and sliders of the audio equipment. Then, they would hit the stage. (See the videos below…)
The task is even more impressive considering some of the women who responded had never even owned a computer before.
“The challenge is part of the appeal,” DJ Sedaction, one of the group’s instructors, told the German news agency DPA. “Several women said they hadn’t faced something this demanding in years—and that’s exactly why it was so exciting.”
One of the mixmasters is DJ Miss Crazy Irma, who is the group’s oldest member at 90 years old. She travels through her daily life with a walker, but once she gets on stage, she’s fully upright, moving and grooving with her hands in the air.
“I don’t do things halfway, you know” Irma said in a translated video from CNN.
The Forever Fresh DJ collective was finalized in April of 2025 and has now performed seven different gigs, including this year’s festival in Cologne in late April.
While the seniors benefit from the well-documented effects of dancing—weight loss, improved blood pressure and better mental health—everyone in the building is having a blast, too.
“It’s exciting because we thought only our families and friends would come,” said Uschi Ophir, the group’s youngest member at 64. “But the younger people were amazing! Really, really great.”
“I’ve been waiting for this, even though I didn’t know I’ve been waiting for this,” Edeltraud Stecher-Breckner said. ”I thought, this is exactly what I want to do now.”
Of the selections played on stage, there was EDM (Electronic Dance Music) from David Guetta, pop from Pink and Miley Cyrus, and of course “Dancing Queen” from Abba. The eclectic mix of music in the air and women on the stage seemed to be a massive hit with everyone in attendance.
“To be honest, it was fantastic,” one partygoer told RTL. “I really didn’t expect it to be so captivating.”
“The girls on stage had such good energy,” another spectator added. “It swept us all away. I’m sweating!” (Watch the full 4 minute news report below…)
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Lori Peek works with youth volunteers in Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina with the SHOREline program-courtesy of CU Boulder Today
Lori Peek works with youth volunteers in Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina with the SHOREline program-courtesy of CU Boulder Today
Edited From original article in CU Boulder Today by Lisa Marshall
At the peak of the pandemic in 2021, teenagers from Sackets Harbor, New York, got certified as ambulance drivers and took over running the local emergency medical service when the usual, much older, volunteers had to step away due to COVID-19 concerns.
In Los Angeles, youth with the nonprofit Teen Line fielded texts and calls around-the-clock from peers struggling with mental health issues amid isolating school lockdowns.
Elsewhere, kids as young as 5 years old assembled care packages for community members in need, while teens fired up their schools’ 3D printers to churn out face shields for protecting essential workers.
“It is true that the pandemic was a very difficult time for many young people,” said sociologist Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. But there is also a quieter, equally important story that needs to be told, reports UC Boulder Today.
“For some young people, it was also an awakening—a realization that they had the capacity to do something in the face of a crisis.”
For a new paper, published in the Journal of Hazard Literacy, Peek and her colleagues analyzed more than 115 pandemic-era news articles to offer a fresh take on what some have referred to as the COVID generation.
Having grown up in the shadow of a global pandemic, with increased threats of natural disasters and mass shootings, today’s kids and young adults have often been framed as victims. But through her latest research, Peek—who has spent her career studying how disasters impact children and youth—illustrates the oft-overlooked strengths they bring to bear in times of crisis.
For instance, they can relate to young people in ways that adults can’t. They are fluent in digital technologies. And they often have more available energy and free time than busy adults can muster, she said.
Youth Food Bank for the poor – AmeriCorps / NCCC (supplied)
They also can identify who needs help, and come up with creative solutions to address a problem, a quality the authors described as ‘more disaster literate’.
“With the rise in the number of disasters globally, we are growing a more disaster-literate generation,” said Peek. “The question now is, how do we harness what these young people have to offer?”
For the study, Peek worked with Zoe Lefkowitz and Melissa Villarreal, both research assistants at the Natural Hazards Center and doctoral candidates in the sociology department, to develop a database of pandemic-related news articles from 2020 to 2023.
Most of the thousands of articles they found focused on kids’ vulnerabilities and what adults were doing to help them. They then conducted a qualitative analysis of 115 stories that included children’s voices, which they analyzed and coded.
They found eight distinct ways kids behaved altruistically—ranging from making or collecting and distributing supplies, money and food, to creating art, offering emotional support for peers, or participating in vaccine research.
Peek noted that the children featured in the stories tended to, almost instinctively, recognize that some groups were hit harder than others—like the elderly, people with disabilities, lower-income families, and the homeless.
“Disasters are not equal opportunity events, and kids realize this,” said Peek.
Lefkowitz also pointed to other “micro” acts of altruism. Around the country, children painted rocks with messages like, The best is yet to come, and This will pass, and placed them along sidewalks around their neighborhood.
Another produced a “mini prom” for his babysitter to help her celebrate the milestone she missed during school lockdowns.
One 17-year-old, Shashank Salgam, described the experience this way. “Me and my peers were hit hard by the isolation of quarantine, but we’re rebounding with a resolve to connect beyond boundaries.”
It’s unclear how these experiences are shaping children’s lives today, but research on adults offers clues.
One study looked at adults who volunteered to help after the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Years later, they reported that the experience had helped them heal from their own trauma and made them feel more connected to their community and empowered to create change.
“I would like to think that these children in our study understand the impact they made and that it changed their opinion of themselves,” said Lefkowitz. “I also hope they will remember the empathy they felt and, as they grow older, that will encourage them to address other inequalities that they see.”
She advises policymakers to create and support youth advisory boards to give young people a voice on pressing community issues and crises.
For parents who may be uncertain how to talk to their children about an ongoing disaster, she offered this advice: Ask them what they would like to do to help.
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Quote of the Day: “Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.” – Plautus
Photo by: Becca Tapert
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Rescue on the Pit River Bridge, Virginia Schau, public domain
73 years ago today, two men were rescued from a semitrailer that crashed over the side of the Pit River Bridge before it fell into the Sacramento River. At the same time, amateur photographer Virginia Schau photographed the effort and won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography as a result. She became the first woman to win the award. She captured the photo with a Kodak brownie. READ more… (1953)
English Heritage Assistant Curator Matty Cambridge examines returned Medieval floor tiles – English Heritage / SWNS
English Heritage Assistant Curator Matty Cambridge examines returned Medieval floor tiles – English Heritage / SWNS
A man who stole 700-year-old floor tiles from a Medieval monastery when he was a child has finally returned them to English Heritage after finding them inside a candy tin where they’d been kept for nearly 60 years.
Simon White was a nine-year-old boy when he took the pieces as a souvenir from Wenlock Priory, in Shropshire, England during a family vacation in 1967.
The retired surveyor’s family kept the three decorative tiles—dating from the late 13th to early 14th century—stored inside a 1920s Thorne’s Creme Toffee tin.
Thursday the missing pieces were handed back to the heritage site after Simon rediscovered them recently in the attic while rummaging through some of his belongings.
Simon said he had always felt guilty about stealing the historic tiles as a boy after being encouraged by his dad, so he was delighted to return them to their rightful home at the 12th-century Anglo-Saxon priory.
“I can still remember the day this all happened as a youth with my father ‘standing guard’,” the 68-year-old told SWNS news agency. “Heaven knows what he would have said if we’d been caught.”
“He literally stood over me while actively encouraging me to take these tiles. I stole three of them, which in hindsight was a dreadful thing to do.”
“Back then there was no visitor centre or CCTV and you could wander around these places willy-nilly for free.
Simon White returns Medieval floor tiles –English Heritage / SWNS
“What happened to the tiles afterwards I’m not really sure, but they survived numerous house moves and assorted family upheavals only to turn up in my loft three months ago in a battered tin.
“It was first time I’d laid eyes on them in 59 years.
“The delicious irony of this is, now that I’m retired, one of my hobbies is archeology and the local society I’ve joined is likely to take a dim view of this.”
When Simon first rediscovered the tiles while searching for an old jacket he was unsure exactly where they had come from, having visited several heritage sites across Shropshire as a boy while living in Stoke-on-Trent.
After setting to work to find out where they might have come from, he was able to narrow down their origin thanks to his mother’s diaries.
Detail of the 13th century medieval tiled floor at Wenlock Priory – English Heritage / SWNS
After contacting English Heritage, it was confirmed the three decorative clay tiles had been part of Wenlock Priory’s striking Medieval floor.
“My mother used to keep detailed diaries and I used these diaries to pinpoint a day in 1967 when we visited the priory,” said the father-of-two, from Hampshire.
“All the other tiles there have been walked upon but mine are still in pristine condition, I was very pleased to hand them back.
“It was an awful thing to do, as I believe we are all custodians of these heritage sites and we should preserve them for future generations.”
Matty Cambridge, assistant curator at English Heritage, said: “We are thrilled to see the safe return of these pieces of history to Wenlock Priory and are very grateful to Mr White for coming forward with his discovery.
Assistant Curator Matty Cambridge looks for similar patterns on the tiled floor at Wenlock Priory – English Heritage / SWNS
“Tiles of these designs are only known at Haughmond Abbey, Bridgnorth Friary, and Wenlock Priory and would have been locally-made in Shropshire.”
“There is one tile design of a dragon for which we haven’t yet found an exact parallel which in itself is exciting as it adds to our knowledge of the site.
“It’s very similar to a known fragment of tile showing a swan and could indicate that this is the other half of the same design or part of a set.”
The tiles will be kept at Wenlock Priory but may be moved to the English Heritage archaeology store for further analysis.
“The beautiful tiled floors on site feature various designs including heraldry, floral motifs and animals,” explained curator Cambridge. “They are one of the highlights of visiting this special place.
“It is unusual, in this case, that the artifacts were kept so well for so long—and preserved.
“If Mr. White’s example pricks anyone else’s conscience from years ago, we’d love to hear from them.”
Wenlock Priory has a history stretching back to AD 680 when it was founded as an Anglo-Saxon monastery, and subsequently re-founded as a Cluniac priory after the Norman Conquest.
Today the impressive ruins are cared for by English Heritage and are known for their architectural remains and elaborate decorative features, including the 12th century Chapter House and Cloister Garden with an unusual octagonal lavabo, used for ritual hand washing during religious ceremonies.
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Plastic film of polycarbonate uses CBD – Credit: Gregory A. Sotzing (CC BY-SA)
Plastic film of polycarbonate uses CBD – Credit: Gregory A. Sotzing (CC BY-SA)
A surprisingly robust, yet green, alternative to plastic packaging has been developed from the hemp plant–an age-old form of the cannabis plant that doesn’t get people high.
The non-toxic plastic alternative is a stretchy thermoplastic that can extend up to 1,600% of its size.
The material also has a high “glass transition temperature”—a quality that allows plastics to stay durable when it comes into contact with boiling hot water—according to a study published this week in the journal Chem Circularity.
“Very few, if any, plastics made from natural resources have this quality,” said study co-author University of Connecticut Professor Gregory Sotzing in a media release.
The research team hopes that cannabidiol (CBD) from the hemp flower can replace bisphenol-A, the synthetic industrial chemical found in today’s processed plastics, because bisphenol-A is “a known endocrine disruptor”—meaning it can disturb the delicate balance of our hormones.
Prof. Sotzing says the hemp material is suitable for producing transparent plastic films, coatings, and other common materials currently made from petroleum-based materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used in single-use water bottles, food packaging, and substrates for flexible electronics.
Those applications require medium- to high-temperature stability and melt processability, so the material can be formed and shaped—which the team has achieved in a hemp-based polycarbonate for the first time.
Co-author Dr. Mukerrem Cakmak, of Purdue University, said their work has established CBD-based polycarbonates as sustainable replacements for widely used thermoplastics such as PET.
“We have developed a rigorous processing science framework that links molecular architecture to melt processability, orientation development, and stretchability without compromising manufacturability.”
Dr. Cakmak explained that PET requires large quantities of fossil fuels—specifically, crude oil and natural gas—and, once discarded, breaks down into tiny particles called “microplastics” that leach chemicals (including PET) into water, air, and food, which are linked to inflammation and cell damage.
While scientists have been searching for greener alternatives to PET, most polymers made from plants or plant waste lack hemp’s glass transition temperature and stretchability, and are more expensive to produce—especially with oil and gas prices skyrocketing.
The catalysts used to produce bio-based plastics have also usually required high temperatures and have posed challenges for catalyst removal and final product purification, making them impractical for large-scale production.
To overcome the challenges, Prof. Sotzing and his colleagues used hemp, which was finally legalized in the U.S. in 2019, to develop a plastic film and tested the processing parameters that give it the right structure and properties for widespread use.
“This polycarbonate has, as a smooth film, a very high contact angle with water. We were not expecting our polyCBD-carbonate to have a higher contact angle than most polyolefins (thermal plastics).”
He added that materials with these properties can also be used as nanoparticles for drug delivery and for catheter coatings.
The researchers are also working to develop a version of the hemp-derived plastic with greater mechanical strength and to pilot a scaled-up version of their manufacturing process.
Not enough CBD is currently being produced worldwide to fully replace PET for plastics, according to the study—but with hemp becoming a popular material in clothing, building, and food products, its cultivation is on the rise, and it is a fast growing weed.
Prof. Sotzing says the plant can be grown across a range of climates, with relatively little water and little to no pesticides, and can be rotated with corn, soybeans, and other food crops, making it a versatile choice for farmers, helping to revitalize their fields.
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During Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoff series in Buffalo, New York, it wasn’t the winning play on the ice that stole our hearts—it was the spontaneous singing in the stands.
The atmosphere was already electric as the national anthem singer took the mic. Indeed, the Buffalo Sabres were set to clinch their first playoff series win in nearly two decades.
But when Cami Clune began the opening notes of “O Canada”, a technical glitch caused her microphone to cut out.
In most arenas, the malfunction may have led to an awkward silence. Instead, thousands of Americans who came to see Boston vs Buffalo immediately stepped in to finish the song in unison.
The sports town also known as the ‘City of Good Neighbors’, didn’t miss a beat. The sold-out crowd joined together in a massive, impromptu choir, belting out the lyrics and leaving players on both benches visibly moved.
Ms. Clune told CBC News it was “a cool community moment” that gave the singer chills.
Unique 2-anthem tradition goes back 50 years
The Sabres have maintained a dual-anthem tradition which is unique to hockey in Buffalo. Located just minutes from the Canadian border, the Sabres have played two national anthems, regardless of the opponent, before every home game since 1970.
It’s a heartfelt nod to the thousands of fans who cross the Peace Bridge from Ontario to support the team.
While the Sabres ultimately lost 2–1 in overtime, the team went on to win the series in Game 6, marking the franchise’s first playoff series win since 2007.
But the anthem rescue was a poignant moment; there were no borders—just hockey and a whole lot of heart.
Watch the moment below, courtesy of the NHL (but keep the tissues handy). And follow along with the lyrics at the bottom…
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of May 2, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
May is Free Thinking Month for you Tauruses. It’s also Free Feeling, Free Wheeling, and Free Healing Month. Wow! To observe this festive grace period, indulge in any of the following jubilant acts: 1. Declare your independence from anyone who tries to tell you how you should live your life or who you are. 2. Declare independence from your history, especially recollections that dampen your sense of possibility and old self-images that impede your yearning to explore. 3. Declare independence from groupthink and conventional wisdom. 4. Declare independence from your former conceptions of freedom so you’ll be free to arrive at fresh understandings of it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
The Navajo practice hózhó means “walking in beauty”: living in balance and harmony with life. But hózhó isn’t a static state you achieve once and possess forever. You must continually restore and reinvent it. I suspect you’re in a phase like that now, Gemini. Too much thinking and not enough feeling? Too much future and not enough present? I recommend you take corrective measures. Start by taking one physical action that grounds you. Have a conversation from the heart instead of the head. Spend an hour not planning the story to come, but simply loving what’s here right now. Refresh your hózhó!
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
If a honeybee colony becomes too crowded, scout bees search for potential new hive sites. When they return, they perform waggle dances for their colleagues to convey specific information about different locations. Negotiations ensue. Various possibilities are offered and considered through more dancing. Eventually, the swarm collectively makes a choice and heads out to its new home. Your challenge right now, Cancerian, is to be like a scout bee who facilitates your group’s decision-making process. I invite you to carry out a reconnaissance mission and then perform your waggle dances for your people. Make your case with vigor and precision. Trust the group’s emergent wisdom to make the best decision.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Like all of us, Leo, you have persistent aches from old losses, absences, and wounds. They may seem like permanent burdens you will never be able to shake or transcend. But here’s some very good news: In the coming months, there’s a greater chance than usual that you’ll discover new approaches to healing them. The remedies won’t necessarily be logical or obvious. They may involve you conducting rituals, taking symbolic actions, or ambushing the pain from unexpected angles. Be alert for interventions that may seem too simple or unexpected to work.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Your restlessness is building. How much longer will you pretend you don’t sense the pull of bright temptations and appealing sanctuaries? At what moment will you finally stop resisting your urge to slip past the usual boundaries and roam? The astrological omens hint that this pivot is close at hand. In the borderlands of your imagination, a daring journey is already taking shape. Where might it carry you? Here’s my guess: down into the raw, unfiltered depths of the future you secretly dream about.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In fairy tales, when heroes are rewarded for their help and kindness, their gifts are often tools of protection: a cloak that renders them invisible, a magic club that chases off foes, or enchanted shoes that enable them to outrun any threat. In other stories, the reward is meant to deepen the hero’s delight in living: a genie’s lamp, a cauldron that cooks up exquisite food, or a horn that calls forth marvelous companions from the fairy world. I mention this, Libra, because I believe rewards for your past and recent generosity are on their way. If you have any say in what form they take, I suggest you request something from this second, pleasure-giving category.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Poet Marie Howe wrote, “I don’t think we can love anything more intensely than we love a secret.” Many Scorpios feel this way. You understand that mystery is often a joy to be savored. Some truths reveal themselves only to those who summon the patient intelligence to be at peace amidst the confounding riddles. Non-Scorpios may be desperate to leave nothing hidden, but you like to learn from the teasing prickles. You know that some transformations need darkness to carry on their work. Your next assignment: Decide what truth needs more time in the deep before it’s ready to surface.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Diamond is the hardest natural substance, while graphite is soft and slippery. Yet they’re both made of pure carbon. The difference is in their structure. Let’s extrapolate from this fact as we ruminate on your life, Sagittarius. I’m 97-percent certain that you already have everything you need. Maybe you imagine you lack key resources and powers, but from what I can tell, you are well set-up. So I propose that you simply reorganize what’s available to you now. Take the “carbon” of your life and arrange it in new patterns. Your task isn’t further accumulation but reconfiguration.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
My Capricorn grandfather was a master artisan. He told me that the best furniture is built twice: first in the imagination, then with wood. Let’s apply that theme to you. I believe you have mostly finished the first step of visualizing what you want. Now you’re almost ready to launch the actual work. I’m eager to see the practical effects that will bloom from your detailed fantasies. The rest of the world is excited, too. These days, we all especially need your talent for turning beautiful dreams into vivid realities. You have extra power to inspire us to convert our idealistic notions into dynamic actions.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I invite you to imagine a time in the past when you were almost perfectly content. Visualize that magical confluence of satisfying feelings. Where were you? Who was or wasn’t there? What could you see, hear, smell, and feel in your body? What made that moment so right? Next step: Make a vow to rebuild as many of those conditions as you realistically can over the next three weeks. Maybe you can’t recreate the exact scene, but you can approximate its essence.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The astrological factors now in effect are tending to generate useful and valuable cosmic jokes. I believe they may be disruptive and catalytic in helpful ways. In this spirit, I offer you the following affirmations, borrowed from internet memes: 1. “You may call me ‘melodramatic.’ I describe myself as a ‘creative problem-solver with flair and panache.’” 2. “I’m not overthinking; I’m overriding simplistic answers that hide the real truths.” 3. “You shouldn’t think of me as chaotic; the fact is that I’m generously non-linear.” 4. “I have a solid plan, but it’s always evolving to keep up with reality’s crazy insistence on ceaseless change.” 5. “Please dismantle your low expectations; I need ample room to exceed them.” 6. “I trust my instincts; they have often been wrong in interesting ways.”
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In the 19th century, Aries photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904) resolved to settle a debate about whether galloping horses ever have all four hooves off the ground. He developed a system to capture rapid sequential images, which ultimately helped lead to the invention of motion pictures. His answer to a narrow technical question opened up an entirely new art form. Moral of the story: Solving a specific problem may create unforeseen revolutions. In the coming weeks, Aries, I invite you to stay alert for how your focused efforts to address one challenge might birth even more significant breakthroughs. Don’t get so fixated on your immediate goal that you miss larger innovations emerging from your work.
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
Quote of the Day: “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” – Mother Teresa
Photo by: Sander Weeteling
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Raising a flag over the Reichstag - credit, Public Domain
81 years ago today, the Third Reich surrendered Berlin, the Wehrmacht surrendered in mass, and World War II ended in the West as more than 1,000,000 German soldiers officially surrendered across their positions in Italy, Germany, and Austria. A Red Army soldier was famously photographed draping the flag of the Soviet Union down over the Reichstag. READ a bit more of what happened on May 1-2… (1945)
Mining is heavy business, and this giant Komatsu excavator is too.
It weighs 2 million pounds, but comes standard with fully-electric drive mode, allowing even the world’s largest mining operations to suddenly zero-out emissions from excavation vehicles.
The PC9000-12 is the largest excavator Komatsu has ever built. It can move 80 tons with a single movement of its giant scoop, and having undergone successful testing at Suncor Mining’s Alberta sand mine, it’s now ready for order and delivery around the world.
The behemoth’s party trick, reports Electrek, is that you can plug it in like you’d plug in and use a vacuum, only you need grid-scale power rather than a home electrical outlet.
Once it is plugged it, a face-frying 4 megawatts of power are drawn into 2 electrical motors that crank out the equivalent of 5,300 horse power.
“The PC9000-12 sets a new benchmark for global surface mining operations,” explains Peter Buhles, Komatsu Vice President, Sales and Service. “With its versatile configurations – including face shovel and backhoe, as well as diesel and electric drive options – we can efficiently serve all major mining operations worldwide.”
“The PC9000-12 delivers the power, performance and reliability our customers expect, while supporting higher productivity, lower emissions per-ton and seamless integration with autonomous haulage systems.”
Imagine if you will a giant hole in the ground. Now place this imaginary hole 150 kilometers from any city, and fill the bottom of it with large hauling trucks. Now consider if you will, that to get the truck from the bottom of the hole to the top, it must drive up a long series of ramps at 40 degree angles.
How much diesel does it use to get that truck from the bottom to the top 8 times every day?
The recent disruption in worldwide diesel production and refining from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has significantly impacted certain mining operations that can’t get around the need to power their fleet and generators with diesel.
Electric excavators and haul trucks would help insulate the industry—certain parts of which are currently enjoying record-high margins, from future oil shocks, and the PC9000-12 could do exactly that.
Mining would be one of the hardest sectors to de-carbonize, but opportunities are there to reduce its carbon footprint in tandem with the leaps and bounds the industry has made reducing its environmental footprint in other ways such as tailings storage and disposal, and reclamation costs being budgeted upfront.
For example, Electrek also reported that an electric haul truck—remember the ones at the bottom of the hole—has already been produced and proven, and is ready for action in the next generation of mines.
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5 Mississippi middle school students leapt into action when their bus driver lost consciousness while driving, and are being hailed as heroes.
Driver Leah Taylor from Hancock County School District was on her usual route with a busload of students on board when she suffered a serious asthma attack and lost consciousness.
Not one, not even two, but five students jumped out of their seats and got a handle on the situation.
First was Jackson Casnave who grabbed a hold of the wheel when he felt the bus veering off road.
While Jackson had the wheel, it was 6th grader Darius Clark who hit the breaks in fits and starts.
8th grader Kayley Clark called 911, while classmates Destiny Cornelius and McKenzie Finch helped Taylor the driver.
McKenzie propped her head up which allowed Taylor to regain some awareness, and that’s when she immediately began reaching for something, which Destiny noticed was almost undoubtedly medication on the dashboard.
“I can’t thank these students enough,” Taylor told WLOX News, “for saving everybody’s life, because it could have turned out so much worse.”
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Przewalski's horses in Hustai Nuruu National Park - credit Chinneeb CC 4.0. BY-SA
Przewalski’s horses in Hustai Nuruu National Park – credit Chinneeb CC 4.0. BY-SA
In China, whether on Earth or in the Heavens, it’s the Year of the Horse.
This year is the 40th anniversary of one of the country’s earliest conservation efforts: the Wild Horse Return Program, which since 1986 has been breeding, relocating, and protecting the famous Przewalski’s horse on the country’s vast grasslands.
2025’s data from the project’s monitoring arm shows that the wild horse population in China is now 900-strong and growing autonomously. This makes up one-third of the total global population of Przewalski’s horse, the last non-domesticated species on the planet.
In 1985, the species was considered extinct in the wild in China, and the animals alive today had their genesis at the hooves of a few animals kept in zoos and breeding centers in Europe.
The rare horse has become a flagship symbol of ecological restoration, and a recent cultural icon that inspired the creation of “Chengcheng,” the mascot for the 2026 Year of the Horse Spring Festival Gala.
A large portion of the 900 animals are located in Dunhuang West Lake Nature Reserve. Here, in Gansu Province, known in antiquity as the “Jade Gate”—the entrance to China proper, 200 animals roam across 28 herds.
Their numbers over the last one-and-a-half-decades have been bolstered by relocations from the Gansu Endangered Animal Protection Center in Wuwei city further east, which pioneered a long-distance road transport method called “loose relocation.”
Rather than anesthetizing and crating the animals which can sometimes lead to casualties, they are allowed more room to move in the transportation. At one point, the Wuwei center transported 28 of these wild horses over 600 miles to the reserve.
When they arrived, they underwent an acclimatization period. During this crucial phase, the animals are getting used to foraging again, and often need their diet supplemented with hay, stored on site. This is gradually reduced, and then eliminated to encourage the animals to forage.
“Around six foals are expected in 2026. We aim to build a healthy population with stable generational succession,” said Wang Hongjun, head of the center’s wildlife management department.
Additional reserves in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia also host the animal, and are all self-sustaining, though introductions continue. The Przewalski’s horse carries 60 million years of evolution with it, making it an important source of genetic knowledge for the equine family. All other wild equines are either donkeys or zebras.
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One of the coins found in the hoard - credit, Innlandet Municipal Council
One of the coins found in the hoard – credit, Innlandet Municipal Council
More than 3,150 medieval coins dating back to the Viking Age were found in a field in Norway, the largest such discovery in the country’s history.
The search is ongoing, and archeologists expect there to be more in the vicinity.
Discovered in a field near the village of Rena, in Innlandet County, they offer a rare insight into the economy, the long-distance connections, and the flow of silver in Norway during a period marked by major political change, a statement from Innlandet County Municipality read.
While coin hoards, and the metal detecting community who find them, aren’t rare in England, this kind of thing rarely happens in Norway, despite it being one of birthplaces of the Viking Age. Just once before has a coin hoard—basically a bank account for a time without banks—exceeded 3,000 units in Norway, and only 4 times has one been found with 1,000 or more.
Dating from the late 10th to early 11th centuries, they were mostly minted in England and Germany, although some were minted in Norway and Denmark. The reliefs point to minting during the reigns of the powerful Viking king Harald Hardrada, as well as Ethelred II of England and Cnut the Great.
“During Harald’s reign, royal coinage gradually replaced most of the foreign currency in circulation. This hoard appears to have been deposited at the very beginning of that transition,” said Professor Svein Gullbekk of the Coin Cabinet at the Museum of Cultural History.
Municipal authorities praised the two metal detectors, Rune Sætre and Vegard Sørlie, who had, according to the statement, completed ethical metal detecting courses organized to inform hobbyists how to best handle discoveries related to national archaeological heritage.
Sætre and Sørlie did everything correctly when they first found 19 silver coins in early April. “They have been highly cooperative and have played an active role in ensuring that the find has been secured and documented in the best possible way.”
May-Tove Smiseth, an archaeologist and adviser on the Innlandet County Council, said the treasure has drummed up excitement in the local community.
“This is an extraordinary discovery of a kind one might experience only once in a career,” Smiseth said in a statement. “To be present when something like this comes to light is a truly remarkable experience, both professionally and personally.”
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Quote of the Day: “You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
William Wilberforce, the leader of the British campaign to abolish the slave trade.
219 years ago today, the Slave Trade Act of 1807 entered into force in Great Britain, abolishing the British participation in the Transatlantic Slave Trade and pressed other nation states to abolish their own slave trades. Sometimes in history, the abandonment of a previous widespread practice occurs naturally after its practice diminishes, but the Slave Trade Act was passed at a time when slavery was still an incredibly lucrative business, demonstrating, at least partially, the resolve of the abolitionists in Britain who lobbied and campaigned for 18 years for a bill. READ more… (1807)
If you’ve ever wondered who’s underneath the costumes at Disneyland and what kind of person takes that job, one TikToker found the answer to that question is simple: sweethearts.
Jessica Moore shared an unforgettable reaction where Woody the cowboy from Toy Story realizes that her daughter was deaf, and begins to communicate in American Sign Language.
The now-viral moment has garnered over 1 million views after she posted it on her account. The interaction isn’t long—it can’t be with a line of children waiting to see Woody, but goodness knows it probably made both their days.
“My kids had so much fun. Our family saw Woody doing a meet-and-greet and waited our turn to get his picture,” Moore said about the day according to Storyful.
“I grabbed my phone as fast as I could and started recording the moment,” Jessika said, adding, “Woody made her day.”
Members of Gen Z and Millennials are attending phone-free experiences 567% more often across the globe, signaling a major shift in how people want to gather.
In a world shaped by algorithms and constant visibility, Eventbrite data shows that the generations having grown up with limited to no social media and smartphone use, and which then lead the charge to its ubiquitous adoption, is now leading the world back—away from constant connectivity.
GNN has reported before on the rise of offline events, including the Offline Club, which is exploding across Europe, and phone-free US event organizer Kanso in the US.
Phone-free events grew 567% globally between 2024 and 2025, with attendance rising 121% and expanding from 5 to 12 countries, according to Eventbrite, which monitors event listings for terms like “phone-free” “analog” or “offline.”
These events now span the full calendar year, signaling a shift from temporary reset to sustained behavior. The momentum is most pronounced in the US and UK, though each market reflects a distinct pattern of growth.
The United Kingdom has emerged as the global leader for phone-free socializing, with events growing by 1,200% and attendance increasing by 1,441%.
Of course the previous amount will have been very small, and like a biotech startup whose new medical product’s approval sees an explosion in the stock price, the overall number of phone-free events will still be low in comparison to others.
On the other hand, there is a strong focus in the UK on countering loneliness and social isolation, and messaging regarding it can be found throughout English society.
In the United States, the offline or analog movement is defined by expansive participation. While event volume grew by 388%, attendance jumped by 913%.
The growth is already accelerating. In just the first three months of 2026, phone-free experiences have reached over a third of last year’s global event volume, signaling that this is no longer a fringe behavior, but a mainstream way of gathering.
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humpback whales bubble net fishing in Alaska, 2007 - credit, NOAA
humpback whales bubble net fishing in Alaska, 2007 – credit, NOAA
Two photographers recently set a world record for the number of individual baleen whales seen in a single group at 304.
It’s not just hard rockers that can form supergroups. Humpback whales seem to like it too, though scientists don’t know why.
What they do know, however, is that they will congregate in numbers as large as several dozen, even several hundred, and that when they do, the ocean quakes.
Renowned wildlife photographers Chris Fallows and his wife Monique described to the BBC that their breaching was like “bombs going off” and said that the constant blowhole spray stank up the ocean air for miles around.
A supergroup is defined as 20 or more whales swimming within 5 body lengths of each other. They often form during the austral summer off the coast of South Africa where the major ocean current known as the Benguela upwelling brings nutrients from the cold depths up to the surface to cause major plankton and krill proliferation.
This is feeding time and tide for the whales, who gorge themselves on the tiny animals, using a special keratin plate in their mouths called a baleen to filter the krill from the seawater which they then eject through their blowholes.
Humpback whales are one of the planet’s great conservation success stories from the perilous latter days of the whaling industry. Since then, they’ve breached 125,000 known individuals worldwide, and the population recorded by the Fallows contains many new whales never documented before.
Humpback supergroups began to be documented in 2011 off the west coast of South Africa.
Scientists documenting the phenomena at the time and since have several theories. First, they supposed it could be the result of changes in prey availability leading to a novel feeding strategy, or a historically unobserved strategy that became apparent as populations recovered from whaling.
They also thought it might be that increasing whale abundance elsewhere resulted in the exploration of alternative feeding strategies or areas, or even that supergroups had always existed, and just the probability of seeing them increased as a result of population recovery.
New research measuring concentrations of chlorophyll-A in ocean plankton published in 2021 seems to indicate the second of these hypotheses has the sturdiest legs.
Whatever the reason, Simon Elwen, a marine biologist at South Africa’s University of Stellenbosch says that now the average supergroup reaches hundreds of whales, and that the surprise isn’t seeing a supergroup, but not seeing a supergroup.
The Fallows found themselves in the midst of a right mess—hundreds and hundreds of whales breaching, splashing, blowing, and making a thunderous racket. They ended up photographing 472 whales, of which 304 were individuals according to the artificial intelligence powering the citizen science project Happywhale.
“We didn’t go out with the intention of breaking a record,” Mr. Fallows told the BBC. “There were just so many whales around us. Monique and I were laughing, because there was just so much going on that you didn’t even know what to photograph. It was like rapid fire.”
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