Amazing Video of Giant Phantom Jellyfish from Deep in the Dark Fathoms at 3,200 Feet – WATCH

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Dec 14, 2021

Giant Phantom Jellyfish-released-Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) — Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

Researchers in California recently captured footage of one of the most striking sea creatures you’ll ever see: Stygiomedusa gigantea, aka the giant phantom jellyfish.

Seen only nine times by the researchers over the span of thousands of dive trips to the lightless depths of the ocean, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) unmanned submersible encountered what scientists described as a “billowing crimson curtain,” and a “ghostly giant.”

Never has a creature been so accurately depicted, and rarely has there been a name so befitting its owner, as the giant phantom jelly, with a three-foot-long head, or bell, and four thirty foot-long tentacles, could substitute a stage curtain in an abstract photo and no-one could tell the difference.

The first specimen ever collected was in 1899, and it’s been seen about a hundred times since. As rare and special as the giant phantom jelly is, it’s widely distributed, capable of living in all oceans bar the Arctic, and at all depths, though it’s typically found between 3,200 and 12,000 feet, in a zone known as the bathypelagic where light can’t reach and the underwater pressure is immense.

Scientists know very little about this amazing animal, but they assume it feeds on plankton or small shrimps. During this particular dive the MBARI’s submersible, called Doc Rickets, spotted a small fish called a brotula hover above the bell of its host and swim in and out of the jelly’s voluminous arms.

“The wide-open waters of the midnight zone offer little shelter, so many creatures find refuge in the gelatinous animals that are abundant in this environment,” the researchers write.

LOOK: Spectacular Coral Event This Year Spawns Hope –And Billions of Babies For Great Barrier Reef (Photos)

Previously, deep sea specimens could only be studied via trawl net, which has its uses for sturdier creatures like the colossal squid, one of the method’s most famous entanglements, but jellies turn to an unidentifiable mush in a net.

“High-definition—and now 4K—video of the giant phantom jelly captures stunning details about the animal’s appearance and behaviors that scientists would not have been able to see with a trawl-caught specimen.”

Someone had the bright idea to put ominous piano music over the footage, setting Stygiomedusa gigantea in an audio landscape befitting its name and beauty.

Other animals of stunning make and model were captured on the dive, and MBARI put the photos together in a slideshow and shared the video below that will make your jaw drop.

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“It’s not that some people are lucky, it’s that some people are looking.” – Moshe Gersht

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Dec 14, 2021

Quote of the Day: “It’s not that some people are lucky, it’s that some people are looking.” – Moshe Gersht

Photo: by Dim Hou

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Brits Reveal Their Best-Loved Holiday Traditions, Like Christmas Jumpers on Boxing Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 13, 2021

Brits have revealed their best-loved Christmas traditions, including watching festive films, wearing Christmas jumpers—and tucking into turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day.

A survey of 2,000 adults found Christmas dinner to be the top tradition over the festive period, while listening to Christmas songs and putting a mince pie out for Santa on Christmas Eve also featured in the top 20.

The poll also found 53 percent believe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made them value Christmas traditions more than they’d realized.

But going to a pantomime, shopping in-store, and going out for drinks on Christmas Eve were among the loved traditions that Brits now feel uncomfortable doing following lockdowns

The survey further revealed that 41 percent believe the traditions they follow have changed over the years—with 35 percent having adapted their traditions in a bid to be less materialistic, while 32 percent have altered their traditions for their children.

Francesca Savage, Head of Christmas at Save The Children, which commissioned the poll to celebrate its tenth Christmas Jumper Day this Friday (December 10), said, “For many of us, the traditions we take part in at Christmas are what make the festive period something we look forward to.

MORE: Elderly Couple Living in UK’s Darkest Village Lights Up the Sky With Huge Christmas Tree They Planted in 1978

“However, COVID-19 has meant that we’ve had to adapt, and in doing so, people have swapped materialistic traditions for ones that bring joy to their children.

The poll, commissioned via OnePoll, found that one in five have bought a second-hand Christmas sweater before, while one in eight (13 percent) have made their own.

The survey also found almost seven in ten agreed people should make more of an effort to be more sustainable this Christmas, such as not using glitter wrapping paper or buying plastic toys.

And surprisingly, this year over half (53 percent) plan to buy second-hand gifts in a bid to be more sustainable than ever before.

However, almost three-quarters (73 percent) agreed that there was still a stigma about buying second-hand presents—while three-fifths admitted that if they did buy a second-hand present, they would conceal this from the recipient in fear of their reaction.

British high-street retail expert and founder of ‘Mary’s Living and Giving for Save the Children’ shops, Mary Portas, said, “With £42m worth of unwanted Christmas presents sent to the landfill each year, there’s no better time for the nation to opt for a thoughtful, less consumerist Christmas by buying pre-loved gifts.

“Charity shopping offers savings and the chance to buy personalized presents for loved ones, but most importantly, it gives back to those who need vital support.

LOOK: Christmas Fanatic Turns Her Office Cube Into Incredible Life-Sized Gingerbread House

“Whether you buy sustainably for this year’s tenth Christmas Jumper Day, or want to find a hidden gem to gift, please remember that by buying second-hand from a Save the Children shop, you can help protect the magic for children everywhere.”

The money raised goes toward helping disadvantaged children get the food, healthcare, and education they need.

BRITS’ FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS:

1. Christmas dinner
2. Giving and receiving presents
3. Putting the Christmas tree up
4. Eating with all the family on Christmas Day
5. Putting up Christmas decorations
6. Watching traditional Christmas films
7. Eating Turkey on Christmas Day
8. Listening to Christmas songs on the radio
9. Sending Christmas cards
10. Getting an advent calendar
11. Eating Turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day
12. Wearing Christmas jumpers
13. Going out for a Christmas meal with friends
14. Watching the Queen’s speech
15. Getting dressed up on Christmas Day
16. Hanging a wreath
17. Putting a mince pie and glass out for Santa, and carrots for Santa’s reindeer
18. Drinking Bucks Fizz on Christmas morning
19. Lounging around in your Christmas pyjamas on Christmas Day
20. Going to a pantomime

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World’s Vast Networks of Underground Fungi to be Mapped for First Time to Protect Trillions of Miles

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 13, 2021

Ten thousand fungal samples will be taken from hotspots around the globe, and cataloged as part of a project to map out the vast bulk of the most-valuable fungal biomass of the planet.

Consisting of trillions of miles of filaments that transmit nutrients, water, and information throughout earth’s soils and the plant life therein, fungi is as vital to the world ecosystem as the plants they sustain.

SPUN, or the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, is aiming to expand our understanding of mycorrhizal networks to put them more in focus of climate science and modern environmental policy.

As fungus collect nutrients, particularly carbon, they build networks of very tiny filaments called mycelium, that make up their vast presence on our planet. The more recognizable mushrooms that mark their comings and goings are a tiny percentage of the organism’s total size.

LOOK: Dutch Man Invents Coffin That Turns Bodies Into Mushrooms: ‘We are nutrients, not waste’

Research from biologists, mycologists, and forestry experts has shown that these filaments form vast networks that when seen under a microscope, look just like information or electricity moving through cabling, and when viewed together look as active as the neuronal networks in our brain.

The networks interconnect trees and other plants, exchanging information about parasites, nutrient dearth or density in the environment, and even facilitate trading whereby a fungus, which cannot make its own sugars, will take some from a tree in exchange for a metal like phosphorous.

Comprising of scientists from Canada, Holland, the U.K., the U.S., France, and Germany, SPUN aims to take mycorrhizal samples from 10,000 hotspots of fungal diversity, from which they hope to get a better understanding of where the largest threats are to biodiversity.

Ecologies with thriving mycorrhizal networks have been shown to store eight-times as much carbon as depleted ones.

“An understanding of underground fungal networks is essential to our efforts to protect the soil, on which life depends, before it is too late,” said renowned conservationist Jane Goodall, a member of the project.

So far, ten hotspots have been identified, with the first samples to take place in Patagonia 18 months from now. Other sites include the tundra in Canada, high altitudes in South America, the Negev and Sahara deserts in Israel and Morocco, the Mexican highlands, the Russian taiga forest, the steppes of Kazakhstan, and the lowlands of Tibet. Which should make for an excellent road trip.

MORE: The Many Health Benefits of Eating Mushrooms That Are Wild – And Picking Them Doesn’t Deplete Supply

“Just below our feet lies an invaluable ally in mitigating climate change: vast hidden fungal network,” said Jeremy Grantham, a billionaire-backer of SPUN. “Billions of tons of carbon dioxide flow annually from plants to fungal networks.

“Yet these carbon sinks are poorly understood. In working to map and harness this threatened but vital resource for life on earth, SPUN is pioneering a new chapter in global conservation.”

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The Only Monkeys That Soak in Hot Springs to Lower Their Stress: Japan’s Bathing Monkey Mystery

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 13, 2021

snow monkey public domain pexels-david-hansche-4463805 — David Hansche

Humans love spas, sauna bathing, hot baths; after a cold day what could be better? Japan has a famous troupe of wild monkeys that also love a relaxing soak in the country’s hot springs, and after delighting tourists for decades, scientists have decided to finally sort out the behavioral particulars of this fascinating trait.

What they found was that monkeys not only use the hot springs for warmth in their frigid winter environment, but that they serve to bring down the levels of stress hormones in the monkeys’ brains.

Near the site of the last Winter Olympics lies the town of Nagano. Here ,Japanese macaques exhibit a strange behavior.

Bathing monkeys is a more common sight in India and China, but only in Nagano have monkeys been recording bathing in hot water.

Other macaques live further north than Nagano, so it’s clear the species is adapted to cold weather, however despite the fact that the local environment is filled with natural hot springs, the 140° F water temperature is too hot.

Nearby hotels use cool water to bring that scalding temperature down to one that guests find enjoyable, and in 1963, a female monkey was found relaxing in one such pool.

Eventually it caught on, and the monkeys became a nuisance and a health hazard; so a park was built nearby where the monkeys had exclusive access to several 104° pools.

Having obvious use as a therapy for the cold, recent tests have aimed to determine whether there was any other driver of this novel behavior.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering primates’ strong social bonds, a stress hormone called glucocorticoids, which is known to be elevated by cold weather, were considerably lower in the animals’ fecal matter after periods of bathing.

MORE: Jaguars in Mexico are Growing in Number, a Promising Sign That Conservation Strategies are Working

Rafaela S.C. Takeshita from the University of Kyoto admitted that spending so much time watching the macaques relax in the hot springs rubbed off on her.

“I confess that during my research, many times after, I jumped into one of the hot springs pools,” she told the New York Times, adding that it was the humans-only pool.

(WATCH the New York Times video featuring those snow monkeys.)

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Hedgerows Are 2,000 Times More Valuable For Ecosystems Than We Could Imagine

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 13, 2021

hedgerow wikimedia commons cc license Andrew Smith _ Hedgerow above Rake Bottom _ CC BY-SA 2.0

Andrew Smith/Hedgerow above Rake Bottom; CC license

The humble hedgerow is a staple sight in any countryscape in Europe and parts of North America. A British mainstay, some scientists suspect they act as ecosystem anchors that can play host to more than 2,000 different species of plants and animals in a single year.

Indeed, one journal published an English ecologist’s report on an old hedgerow near his house that throughout the year contained 2,070 species, from badgers to many hundreds of insects.

“Hedgerows define our countryside and provide many environmental services, but are also vitally important for wildlife as a refuge, a source of food, and as corridors along which they can move through the landscape,” write the National Hedgelaying Society, the only charity dedicated to maintaining the traditional skills of hedgelaying and encouraging the use of hedgerows for wildlife and landscape.

There are 435,000 miles of hedgerows in Britain, stretching and winding farther than the entire British road network. Sometimes built to keep people out, other times to keep animals in, there are 30 recognized traditional styles of hedgerows, some of which date back an astonishing 800 years.

Home, hotel, and highway all in one

While appearing like a manicured wood wall, or a tangled mess, the species richness of hedgerows in Belgium was actually found to be higher than in the nation’s forests; 30% higher. This can partly be explained by hedgerows being a microcosm of the forest ecosystem. A high reaching canopy shades and keeps moist an understory that attracts a variety of fungi and animals. This in turn stimulates competition and diversity among plants battling for light, pollinators, and other resources.

MORE: China Pledges to Plant Forests of Trees Equal to the Size of Belgium – For Each of the Next 5 Years Straight

This diverse environment attracts pollinators to spring and summer blossoms, which can lead to bees making it their home and increasing adjacent crop yields. The sheltered habitat attracts insect-devouring birds, which in California was found to save $4,000 a year in insecticide costs for a 1,000 foot hedgerow. They also attract insects like wasps and hornets which eat aphids and other unwelcome diners in a vegetable garden.

Hedgerows are essentially highways of countryscapes. Badgers, hazel dormice, and hedgehogs use them as cover to move around stealthily. In agricultural areas, one study found that hedgerows are the single best way to connect fragmented stretches of forest or unmanaged fields, and as such can be critical for keeping populations of animals healthy.

Nocturnal animals like moths and bats use hedgerows as flight paths to safely navigate built up rural areas. Two-thirds of observed moths were sitting on or traveling parallel to a hedgerow during their movements at night.

RELATE: Government Saves Rare Old-Growth Trees From Further Logging on 10,000 Sq-Miles of BC Forest

Like all plants, the growth that makes up a hedgerow stores carbon, and the British government suspects that the since hedgerows can live so long, they could be a good way to absorb greenhouse gas emissions rather than simply planting trees. But that’s not the only protective effect they have. Hedgerows act as a strong defense against soil erosion by preventing rains or winds from dispersing the soil in a paddock out into streams or streets. One study even found they can help reduce the spread of disease between livestock.

For all these reasons, many countries are acting to increase their hedgerow coverage. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron committed €50 million to planting 4,300 miles of hedgerows. In Britain, a non-profit action group representing the government’s official conservation watchdog has a petition going to expand Britain’s hedgerow network by 40%, approximately 120,000 miles, based on recommendations from the country’s Climate Change Committee.

Most of the ways humans artificially engineer the land tends to be seen as negative, but back in the dawn of the modern period, the obsessive habit of farmers separating their paddocks from the neighbor’s created an almost magical feature of the environment that all living things congregate in.

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“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” – John Quincy Adams

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Dec 13, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” – John Quincy Adams

Photo: by Ariel Pilotto

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?

Elderly Couple Living in UK’s Darkest Village Lights Up the Sky With Huge Christmas Tree They Planted in 1978

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Dec 12, 2021

Christmas lights on Tall tree neighborhood holiday-SWNS — The Rowlands neighborhood tree - SWNS

The Rowlands neighborhood tree in the village of Inkberrow, Worcs – SWNS

This tree-mendous pine is becoming known as The Little Tree That Could.

Planted by an elderly couple long ago when it was shorter than them, it has grown to more than 50-feet and provides a majestic light to a town with little illumination on any horizon.

Avril and Christopher Rowlands bought the fir costing £6 at a garden center shortly after moving into their home, using it as their first Christmas tree.

They planted the 6-foot tree in the front garden and took a photograph to commemorate the occasion.

The tree took root and thrived.

Today it towers, 43 years later, over the village of Inkberrow, Worcs.

The village—with its 17th century pub that inspired The Bull in Radio 4’s The Archers—is one of the darkest places in the UK as one of the only towns without any street lights.

But last week its 2,000 residents turned out to see the switching-on ceremony, which lit up the huge tree that can be seen from miles around.

“The switching on of the lights has become quite a village tradition,” said Avril. “A lot of people in the village say that it’s the start of their Christmas.”

This year was quite special because last year the Rowlands had to do the switch-on by themselves due to Covid restrictions.

“We had fireworks, too, this year, plus a friend who brought down a trailer that had Christmas music on.”

LOOK: Australian Woman Finds Koala Hanging Out in Her Christmas Tree – And the Photos are Adorable

The tree has grown so big that a cherry picker is needed to help the couple decorate it with 3,000 lights ahead of the big unveiling.

“It’s been wonderful to see so many people enjoy the lights this year,” said the 75-year-old retired TV writer.

And, since the tree is getting more and more attention, they decided to ask people to donate to a Cancer Research charity online, in memory of a close friend who died this year.

The couple say they are still stunned by the size of the tree which grows more than a foot each year: “We had no idea just how big it would grow. It’s absolutely huge now and towers over our house.”

Drone aerial view of the giant Christmas tree in 2019 –SWNS

Avril swooned, “We even get cards addressed to the tree, which is quite sweet.”

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Finally, a Fusion Reaction Has Generated More Energy Than Absorbed By The Fuel

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Dec 12, 2021

Preamplifiers boost laser beams at US National Ignition Facility-LLNL:Damien Jemison — LLNL / Damien Jemison

Researchers at a lab owned by the U.S. government have passed a crucial milestone on the way to their ultimate goal of achieving self-sustaining nuclear fusion.

On Aug. 8, 2021, an experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) made a significant step toward ignition, achieving a yield of more than 1.3 megajoules. Researchers said this advancement puts them at the threshold of fusion ignition, which is defined as a sustainable and never-ending powerful energy source.

The experiment was enabled by focusing laser light—the size of three football fields—onto a target which is the size of a BB that produces a hot-spot the diameter of a human hair, generating more than 10 quadrillion watts of fusion power for 100 trillionths of a second.

“These extraordinary results advance the science,” said Jill Hruby, DOE under secretary for Nuclear Security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Experiments in pursuit of fusion ignition are important for providing data in an experimental regime that is extremely difficult, and is an important gateway to enable access to high fusion yields in the future.

While a full scientific interpretation of these results will occur through the peer-reviewed journal/conference process, initial analysis shows an 8X improvement over experiments conducted in spring 2021 and a 25X increase over NIF’s 2018 record yield. It also marked the first time the output exceeded the energy absorbed by the fuel used to trigger it, according to Science Alert.

“This result is a testament to the innovation, ingenuity, commitment and grit of this team and the many researchers in this field over the decades who have steadfastly pursued this goal,” said LLNL Director Kim Budil. “For me it demonstrates one of the most important roles of the national labs – our relentless commitment to tackling the biggest and most important scientific grand challenges and finding solutions where others might be dissuaded by the obstacles.”

The experiment built on several advances gained from insights developed over the last several years by the LLNL’s National Ignition Facility team, including new diagnostics; target fabrication improvements in the hohlraum, capsule shell and fill tube; improved laser precision; and design changes to increase the energy coupled to the implosion and the compression of the implosion.

“Gaining experimental access to thermonuclear burn in the laboratory is the culmination of decades of scientific and technological work stretching across nearly 50 years,” said Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thomas Mason. “This enables experiments that will check theory and simulation in the high energy density regime more rigorously than ever possible before and will enable fundamental achievements in applied science and engineering.”

Looking ahead, access to this new experimental model will inspire new avenues for research and provide the opportunity to create further benchmarks. Plans for repeat experiments are well underway, although it will take several months for them to be executed.

MORE: China’s ‘Artificial Sun’ Brings Nuclear Fusion One Step Closer, Breaking World Record

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Scientists Excited by Odd Fish Sounds Recorded in a Restored Coral Reef—the Coolest Thing You’ll Hear All Week

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 12, 2021

Few things are better than a natural mystery—and the rich diversity of chirps, croaks, and chit-chat captured in a recent recording at a newly-restored coral reef has delighted marine biologists with its audible mystery.

The recordings, made three years after a massive rebuilding of coral reef on a 10-acre plot in Indonesia, revealed an oceanic equivalent of an urban hum. It proved not only that the reef had recovered, but that soundscapes of fish here are far richer than ever expected.

The coral reef had been devastated by dynamite fishing off the Spermonde Archipelago in central Indonesia, but after bending steel rebar into hexagonal shapes called “reef stars”, the Mars Coral Reef Restoration project produced the growth of millions of tiny animals called polyps.

The Reef Stars stabilized loose rubble and kickstarted rapid coral growth, however, researchers were unsure whether this welcoming fresh start would revive an entire reef ecosystem.

The video below, recorded as the months passed, clearly shows how installing 20,000 of these supportive reef stars and planting over 300,000 corals brought the entire area back to life in just three years.

Despite the clear visual wealth of corals now present on the reef, scientists knew that much of reef life is difficult to see, remaining out of sight with adept camouflage.

But, a new study led by researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Bristol, used special microphones called hydrophones, instead of cameras to measure just how diverse the restored reefs had become—and discovered diverse sounds, many of which have never been recorded before.

“Some of the sounds we recorded are really bizarre and new to us as scientists,” said Professor Steve Simpson of Bristol. “It’s amazing to be able to hear the ecosystem come back to life.”

“This study provides exciting evidence that restoration really works for the other reef creatures too,” said lead author Dr. Tim Lamont from Exeter. “By listening to the reefs, we’ve documented the return of a diverse range of animals.”

Mochyudho Prasetya, and the Mars Coral Reef Restoration Project, have been restoring and monitoring these reefs here in Indonesia for many years. “Now it is amazing to see more and more evidence that our work is helping the reefs come back to life,” he said.

The sounds have been described variously as ‘laughs, purrs, growls, croaks, raspberries, whoops, foghorns.’

But exactly which fish making these calls remains a mystery.

“The foghorn one really blew our minds,” Lamont told The Guardian. “I got really enthusiastic about trying to work out exactly what fish was making it. So I downloaded the noise onto an MP3 player and… I was swimming around blasting it out, trying to get a call and response going.”

“I thought I got it replying a few times, but I never saw the fish itself swim out to meet the call. So the mystery continues.”

WATCH the extraordinary video to hear the sounds and see the reef grow…

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After Raising $2.8M to Make Wishes Come True for Sick Kids, The ‘Night of a Million Lights’ Holiday Tour is Back

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Good News Network

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Dec 12, 2021

Christmas disply-Night of a Million Lights-released — Give Kids the World Village / Night of A Million Lights

The Night of A Million Lights is back—the holiday spectacular that delights thousands of visitors and raises millions to give sick children and their weary families a vacation.

Give Kids the World Village / Night of A Million Lights

‘Give Kids The World Village’ has launched their second annual holiday lights extravaganza, running until Jan. 2

Illuminating the Central Florida skyline, the 52-night open house will once again provide the public with a rare glimpse inside Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort that provides critically ill children with magical weeklong wish vacations at no cost.

What began as an inventive pandemic pivot for Give Kids The World has evolved into Central Florida’s most beloved new holiday tradition. More than 92,000 guests attended Night of a Million Lights in 2020, named by USA TODAY the “Number One Thing To Do In Orlando In December.”

A new dancing lights show, tram tours, and unique behind-the-scenes experiences are guaranteed to make this year’s Night of a Million Lights in Kissimmee, Florida, another dazzling success.

“Last year’s event grossed $2.8 million to make wishes come true for children struggling with illness and their families,” spokesperson Cindy Elliott told GNN.

Tickets, which start at $25 but vary depending on the date and special add-ons, such as dessert parties, enable guests to immerse themselves in an exquisitely decorated fairytale neighborhood—the place where wish families call home during their stays.

LOOK: Christmas Fanatic Turns Her Office Cube Into Incredible Life-Sized Gingerbread House

Guests can explore a sparkling tree trail, take photos at one-of-a-kind step-in frames and backdrops, and enjoy a guided storytelling tour of 100 magnificently lit villas from the comfort of a tram—all of which are included in the price of the ticket.

The display features 1.25M linear feet of lights, including 3.2 million lights that were donated by Walt Disney World.

The event will run from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, with entry times staggered to prevent crowding. Guests will be required to follow all safety protocols and posted instructions established by Give Kids The World Village, in accordance with the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.)

“Children with critical illnesses face countless appointments, treatments and hospital stays, and they are often told “no,” due to the limitations of their illness. We feel privileged to give wish children and their families a week of “yes” where they can forget their worries, experience joy, and spend precious time together,” said Give Kids The World President and CEO Pamela Landwirth, who reopened the facility this year following the pandemic shut-down. “Raising funds will enable us to continue creating the happiness that inspires hope for these precious families.”

Since 1986, Give Kids The World Village has welcomed nearly 177,000 families from all 50 states and more than 76 countries.

Taking nearly two months to set up, and run by volunteers contributing more than 30,000 volunteer hours, this year’s Night of a Million Lights enhancements will include a 360-degree dancing lights show encompassing 21 fully-programmed buildings set to music, with six 3-minute holiday vignettes playing each hour that feature testimonials by GKTW wish children and their artwork.

Of course there will also be an opportunity for children to meet Santa in his elaborately decorated Florida home. Also new this year, guests can choose to add-on exclusive balcony experiences—providing a stunning setting for marriage proposals, vow renewals, birthday and anniversary celebrations.

All proceeds from Night of a Million Lights will support Give Kids The World, rated Four Stars by Charity Navigator 15 years in a row.

Tram tours for the Night of a Million Lights

When wish-granting organizations receive a request from a critically ill child who wants to visit Central Florida (or Disney World), Give Kids The World fulfills the wish – providing every child and his/her family with an all-inclusive dream vacation that includes transportation; accommodations in one of the Village’s 166 storybook villas; all meals and snacks; donated theme park tickets; nightly entertainment; daily gifts; and priceless experiences at the Village, featuring accessible rides and attractions.

Discounts are available for groups of 25 guests or more. To learn more and purchase tickets before they run out, visit www.gktw.org.

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“Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become.” – Chris Hadfield

Quote of the Day

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Dec 12, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become.” – Chris Hadfield (astronaut, author, musician)

Photo: by Kristopher Roller

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?

Revolutionary Technology Neutralizes Radioactivity Around Chernobyl by 47% – Using Only the Processes of Earth

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Dec 11, 2021

Exlterra co-founders install final tubes in Chernobyl soil 2020-Released — Exlterra co-founders install final tubes in Chernobyl soil, September 2020

Exlterra co-founders install final tubes in Chernobyl soil, September 2020

As they committed to doing last April, on the occasion of the 35th commemoration of the Chernobyl accident, the Swiss-based company Exlterra has reported spectacular results after one year of decontamination on a 2.5 acre plot of land (1 hectare), located in the radioactive exclusion zone around the plant in Ukraine.

Exlterra announced last month that radioactive pollution in the soil decreased by 47%, and in the air above the ground by an average of 37%, one year after the installation of its NSPS technology (Nucleus Separation Passive System).

The company believes total remediation of the area is “seriously conceivable within four years”—without moving any earth or using any chemicals.

Sustainability is what it’s all about at Exlterra (pronounced excel–terra), which was co-founded in 2013 by Polish-American Andrew Niemczyk. So far, its novel technologies are not only able to safely clean radiation-scarred landscapes—with promising prospects for the treatment of radioactive waste—but also transform hydraulic power and boost the nutrition levels of trees.

The NSPS underground technology was installed at Chernobyl between November 2019 and September 2020, and it significantly accelerated the decay of radioactive elements by harnessing existing energy in the ground in a sustainable process. It uses a series of tubes that are a specific shape, with a designated length and distance between each other, which enables the radionuclides to naturally decontaminate at a much faster pace than the 24,000 years, it would take on its own.

Twelve months after its deployment, the radioactive substances Cs137, Sr90, and Am241, were reduced by 47%, on average.

The methodology and rigorous measurement process were carried out by Ukrainian experts like Sergiy Kireiev, who have been in charge of caring for the plant since it was capped for safety decades ago.

“These results are remarkable,” says Kireiev, General Director of SSE Ecocentre in Chernobyl. “It is the first time in 35 years that such any technology has succeeded in reducing the level of radioactivity in the soil and air so significantly. This is a real hope for the whole area.”

“This 12-month reduction in radioactivity will allow us to bring this parcel back to its original radioactivity level over a 5-year period,” explains Frank Muller, co-founder and CEO of Exlterra. “We also want to quickly offer our solution at other problematic sites around the world, including Fukushima in Japan.”

Harnessing nature’s own high velocity particles

The NSPS technology uses scientific concepts of particle physics and nuclear energy to solve the problem of severe contamination. It leverages in particular high velocity particles, also known as positrons, to direct this naturally occurring force towards radioactive isotopes in the soil and breaks the bonds holding them together. This is done safely under the surface of the soil and no radioactivity is released further into the ground or above the ground in the air, according to Exlterra. Once the positron comes into contact with the radioactive isotope, it rejoins an electron and annihilates back to its original matter.

“What seemed impossible is now a reality,” said Exlterra President and CTO Niemczyk in the company announcement. “NSPS is an innovation that allows positrons to naturally accelerate in a passive system to remove contaminated areas. It harnesses renewable energy sources present in nature to considerably accelerate the natural decomposition process of contaminants in the soil.”

“That’s what makes this invention unique – it uses natural energies to solve an industrial pollution without resorting to chemical substitutes or soil manipulations.”

A scientific revolution with multiple applications

In addition to treating radioactivity, NSPS technology can also be used to treat other types of soil contamination, including heavy metals and perfluoroalkyl substances, which are highly problematic for the environment.

“We are only at the beginning of the virtuous application of such a technology,” says inventor Niemczyk. “As with our other successfully commercialized technologies, we have demonstrated that we can use nature’s resources to heal the wounds we inflict on it. The common denominator of our technologies, installed underground, is the use of natural and renewable forces to achieve tangible results.”

Other positive aspects to this technology include being energy-passive and maintenance-free. For a detailed description of the NSPS technology, contact the company at www.exlterra.com.

Niemczyk’s breakthrough NSPS technology is featured in a new book, Grounds for Freedom: Saving Chernobyl, by journalist R.J. King, who also set up a website SavingChernobyl.com.

WATCH the video from Exlterra…

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This Week’s Inspiring Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny’s ‘Free Will Astrology’

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Good News Network

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Dec 11, 2021

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

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week beginning December 10, 2021
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
A fashion company called Tibi sells a silver mini dress that features thousands of sequins. It’s also available in gold. I wonder if the designers were inspired by poet Mark Doty’s line: “No such thing, the queen said, as too many sequins.” In my astrological estimation, the coming weeks will be a fun time to make this one of your mottoes. You will have a poetic license to be flashy, shiny, bold, swanky, glittery, splashy, sparkling, and extravagant. If expressing such themes in the way you dress isn’t appealing, embody more metaphorical versions.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
“I have pasts inside me I did not bury properly,” writes Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo. Isn’t that true for each of us? Don’t we all carry around painful memories as if they were still fresh and current? With a little work, we could depotentize at least some of them and consign them to a final resting place where they wouldn’t nag and sting us anymore. The good news, Capricorn, is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do just that: bury any pasts that you have not properly buried before now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In February 1967, the Beatles recorded their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in London. A man claiming to be Jesus Christ convinced Paul McCartney to let him weasel his way into the studio. McCartney later said that if by some remote chance it was Jesus, he didn’t want to make a big mistake. I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I suspect that comparable events may be brewing in your vicinity. My advice: Don’t assume you already know who your teachers and helpers are. Here’s the relevant verse from the Bible: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
According to Professor of Classics Anne Carson, ancient Greek author Homer “suggested we stand in time with our backs to the future, face to the past.” And why would we do that? To “search for the meaning of the present—scanning history and myth for a precedent.” I bring this to your attention, Pisces, because I think you should avoid such an approach in the coming months. In my view, the next chapter of your life story will be so new, so unpredicted, that it will have no antecedents, no precursory roots that might illuminate its plot and meaning. Your future is unprecedented.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Aries filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986) was experimental and innovative and influential. His imagery was often dreamlike, and his themes were metaphysical. He felt that the most crucial aspect of his creative process was his faith. If he could genuinely believe in the work he was doing, he was sure he’d succeed at even the most improbable projects. But that was a challenge for him. “There is nothing more difficult to achieve than a passionate, sincere, quiet faith,” he said. In accordance with your astrological omens during the next 12 months, Aries, I suggest you draw inspiration from his approach. Cultivating a passionate, sincere, quiet faith will be more attainable than it has ever been.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware,” said philosopher Martin Buber. How true! I would add that the traveler is wise to prepare for the challenges and opportunities of those secret destinations . . . and be alert for them if they appear . . . and treat them with welcome and respect, not resistance and avoidance. When travelers follow those protocols, they are far more likely to be delightfully surprised than disappointingly surprised. Everything I just said will apply to you in the coming weeks, Taurus.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini sleight-of-hand artist Apollo Robbins may be the best and most famous pickpocket in the world. Fortunately, he uses his skill for entertainment purposes only. He doesn’t steal strangers’ money and valuables from their pockets and purses and jackets. On one occasion, while in the company of former President Jimmy Carter, he pilfered multiple items from a secret service agent assigned to protect Carter. He gave the items back, of course. It was an amusing and humbling lesson that inspired many law-enforcement officials to seek him out as a consultant. I suspect that in the coming weeks, you may have comparable abilities to trick, fool, beguile, and enchant. I hope you will use your superpowers exclusively to carry out good deeds and attract inviting possibilities.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Many sportswriters regard Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player ever. He was the Most Valuable Player five times and had a higher scoring average than anyone else who has ever played. And yet he confesses, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life.” He says the keys to his success are his familiarity with bungles and his determination to keep going despite his bungles. I invite you to meditate on Jordan’s example in the coming days.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In his poem “Song of Poplars,” Leo author Aldous Huxley speaks to a stand of poplar trees. He asks them if they are an “agony of undefined desires.” Now I will pose the same question to you, Leo. Are you an agony of undefined desires? Or are you a treasury of well-defined desires? I hope it’s the latter. But if it’s not, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problem. Learning to be precise about the nature of your longings is your growing edge, your frontier. Find out more about what you want, please.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Black is your lucky color for the foreseeable future. I invite you to delve further than ever before into its mysteries and meanings and powers. I encourage you to celebrate blackness and honor blackness and nurture blackness in every way you can imagine. For inspiration, meditate on how, in art, black is the presence of all colors. In printing, black is a color needed to produce other colors. In mythology, blackness is the primal source of all life and possibility. In psychology, blackness symbolizes the rich unconscious core from which all vitality emerges.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In the tenth season of the animated TV series South Park, its two creators produced an episode called “Make Love, Not Warcraft.” The story lovingly mocked nerds and the culture of online gaming. Soon after sending his handiwork to executive producers, Libran co-creator Trey Parker decided it was a terrible show that would wreck his career. He begged for it to be withheld from broadcast. But the producers ignored his pleas. That turned out to be a lucky break. The episode ultimately won an Emmy Award and became popular with fans. I foresee the possibility of comparable events in your life, Libra. Don’t be too sure you know which of your efforts will work best.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Nobel Prize-winning Scorpio author André Gide (1869–1951) had an unusual relationship with his wife. Although married for 43 years, they never had sex. As long as she was alive, he never mentioned her in his extensive writings. But after she died, he wrote a book about their complex relationship and said, “I believe it was through her that I drew the need for truthfulness and sincerity.” I’d love for you to be lit up by an influence like Madeline Rondeaux, Scorpio. I’d be excited for you to cultivate a bond with a person who will inspire your longing to be disarmingly candid and refreshingly genuine. If there are no such characters in your life, go looking for them. If there are, deepen your connection.

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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Cardboard Habitat Pods Give a Fighting Chance to Animals Displaced by Wildfires

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Good News Network

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Dec 11, 2021

cardboard pod animal shelter pyramid- Photo credit Alexandra Carthey — Photo credit: Alexandra Carthey

New habitat pods developed by an Australian University scientist might be the salvation of small animals trying to survive after wildfires sweep through.

Macquarie University’s Dr. Alexandra Carthey developed the biodegradable wildlife shelters after seeing bushland ravaged by fire and hearing that more animals might die from predators in the post-fire period than during the burn itself.

Her habitat pods have been designed as a safe house for fauna such as bandicoots, possums, antechinus, bush rats and reptiles—ground-dwellers, that she felt, were missing life-saving refuge.

The cardboard shelters are six-sided pyramids, 24 inches wide on each side and 24 inches tall (60cm). They come in easy-to-assemble flat packs.

The pod’s internal structure is three triangles that intersect at a central axis, creating a kind of honeycombed space big enough for the larger animals and providing nooks and crannies for smaller creatures and invertebrates such as beetles, native cockroaches and lizards.

The holes—150 per pod—are also there to let light in, to help vegetation regenerate and eventually take over the site, leaving the pods to biodegrade in situ.

The pods can be anchored with rocks, sandbags or wooden stakes by using a “skirt” of cardboard around the base.

Carthey has long had a fascination for the dynamics between wild predators and their prey. Seeing vulnerable, exposed wildlife being picked off by hordes of predators after the Black Summer bushfires in 2019 was a call to action.

Guests checking in to the habitat pods

Most tiny creatures will die by predation rather than old age, she maintains. “A lot of their life is about trying not to get eaten.

Dr. Alexendra Carthey demonstrates the interior design – Photo credit: WWF

“They are hardwired to seek the safety of cover. And if you provide it, they will find it. After a bushfire, the thick grasses, leafy bushes, dropped bark, and leaf litter that small critters normally hide under have been burnt away. For the predator, it’s like suddenly spotting your prey across a mown grass lawn.”

And, cats and foxes are known to kill more prey than they can eat, she says. “For 10 bandicoots killed, for example, they might eat only one.

The need for cover is not a new idea, of course. “Chicken wire tunnels, sawn logs and piles of burnt logs have been used in the past. But most solutions involve dragging heavy things around, damaging fire grounds and preventing bush regeneration.”

“It’s not anticipated that the animals will seek cover and hide until the coast is clear,” says Carthey. “We suspect the animals will use the pods more as an escape hatch, that they will run in and out the other side and into another pod, using the network of cover to thwart the predator.

“The pods will be obstacles that block the predator’s line of vision and slows them down – giving the prey a better chance of getting away.”

Know when to fold ’em

The flat-pack project has evolved in collaboration with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The key merit of the habitat pods, says Carthey, is their biodegradability, the idea that they are only there for as long as needed.

North Head Sanctuary in Manly where, in October last year, a hazard reduction burn destroyed 62 hectares of bushland, was the location for the first field trial.

The headland is also the site of a mammal reintroduction program run by Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Three small mammal species, which were locally extinct and have been restored since 2017, are likely contenders to benefit from the shelters.

Some 200 habitat pods will be deployed there. A further 100 will be used in a field trial in the Marramarra National Park, led by a student of Carthey’s, comparing the effectiveness of the pods in recently burnt areas with nearby unburnt areas.

LOOK: Australian Firefighters Pose With Adorable Rescued Wild Animals for Sizzling Charity Calendar

Remote sensing wildlife cameras, triggered by motion and heat, will capture the comings and goings. Surveys of both the pods and vegetation regrowth will be assessed monthly during what is expected to be a 12-month project.

“Pods like these have a huge potential to make a difference,” says the research fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences.

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“When you engage your brain, it just keeps getting fatter and richer and wonderful.” – Rita Moreno (turns 90 years-old today)

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 11, 2021

library philosophy thinking books wisdom-pubdomain-Giammarco Boscaro — Credit: Giammarco Boscaro

Quote of the Day: “When you engage your brain, it just keeps getting fatter and richer and wonderful.” – Rita Moreno (turns 90 years-old today)

Photo: by Giammarco Boscaro

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?

Probiotics Improve Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy, Study Shows

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Dec 10, 2021

two hands in heart shape-lovers-couple-pregnant-motherhood-cc-jordy clarke — jordy clarke (cc license)

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that probiotics significantly improve the symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, vomiting, and constipation.

Nausea and vomiting affect about 85% of pregnancies and can significantly impact quality of life, particularly during early pregnancy.

“The cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is unknown to this date. Various theories have been proposed, but none of them is conclusive,” said Albert T. Liu, lead author for the University of California – Davis study and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

“Nausea, vomiting and constipation during pregnancy can significantly diminish the quality of patients’ lives. Once nausea and vomiting during pregnancy progress, they can become difficult to control, and sometimes the patient even needs to be hospitalized,” Liu said.

Beneficial microbes

Probiotics are referred to as “beneficial bacteria.” They can be found in foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, and tempeh. Probiotics are also available as food supplements. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, other than vitamins, probiotics or prebiotics were the third most commonly used dietary supplement for adults.

Probiotics are thought to support the community of different microbes, often referred to as the “gut microbiome,” found in the gastrointestinal tract.

During pregnancy, hormones like estrogen and progesterone increase, bringing about many physical changes. These increases can also change the gut microbiome, which likely affects the digestive system functions and causes unwanted symptoms like nausea, vomiting and constipation.

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The researchers set out to determine whether supplementing with a probiotic could be beneficial for gastrointestinal function during pregnancy.

The study lasted for 16 days. A total of 32 participants took a probiotic capsule twice a day for six days and then took two days off. They then repeated the cycle.

The probiotics were available over-the-counter and mainly containedLactobacillus., a type of good bacteria. Each capsule contained approximately 10 billion live cultures at the time of manufacture.

Participants kept 17 daily observations of their symptoms during the duration of the study, for a total of 535 observations for the researchers to statistically assess.

What the researchers found was that taking the probiotic significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. Nausea hours (the number of hours participants felt nauseous) were reduced by 16%, and the number of times they vomited was reduced by 33%. Probiotic intake also significantly improved symptoms related to quality of life, such as fatigue, poor appetite and difficulty maintaining normal social activities, as scored by questionnaires.

CHECK OUT: One Man Set Out to Make the Perfect Pasta Shape, And it’s So Popular That Orders are Backed Up for Months

Probiotics were also found to reduce constipation significantly.

“Over the years, I’ve observed that probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting and ease constipation. It’s very encouraging that the study proved this to be true,” said Liu. “Probiotics have also benefited many of my other patients who weren’t in the study,” said Liu.

New clues from gut microbes and byproducts

Participants also contributed fecal specimens before and during the study, the findings of which were published in Nutrients. The samples were analyzed to identify the type and number of microbes and the different byproducts of digestion.

This allowed the researchers to examine whether biomarkers in the fecal specimens corresponded with more severe nausea and assess how the probiotics affected participants who began the study with different baseline biomarkers.

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One finding was that a low amount of bacteria that carry an enzyme named bile salt hydrolase, which generates bile acid to absorb nutrients, was associated with more pregnancy-related vomiting. Probiotics increase bile salt hydrolase-producing bacteria, which may explain why the supplements decreased levels of nausea and vomiting.

Another finding was that high levels of the gut microbes Akkermansia and A. muciniphila at the beginning of the study were associated with more vomiting. The probiotic significantly reduced the amount of those particular microbes and also reduced vomiting. This suggests Akkermansia and A. muciniphila may be reliable biomarkers that can predict vomiting in pregnancy.

Another finding was that vitamin E levels increased after taking probiotics. Higher levels of vitamin E were associated with low vomiting scores.

“This research provides key insights about the impact of gut microbes on gastrointestinal function during pregnancy. Our gut microbiota explains why we are what we eat, and why bacteria-generated metabolites and products have a huge impact on our health,” said Wan. “They affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as skin health and neurological function.”

Although the findings are intriguing, the researchers caution that due to the small sample size, further studies will be needed to confirm the effects of the probiotics.

“Our previous work showed the benefits of probiotics in preventing liver inflammation. The current study might be one of the first to show the benefits of probiotics in pregnancy,” said Wan. “It would be interesting and important to further test whether probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients.”

Source: University of California – Davis Health

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New Simple Therapy Offers Potentially Groundbreaking Treatment Option for ALS and Other Autoimmune Diseases

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 10, 2021

A man with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) had the advance of his disease slowed, and even halted altogether, thanks to a new trial that could offer hope to the 12,000 to 15,000 patients who currently suffer from the disease.

At 70 years of age, John Lay was diagnosed with ALS, the incurable progressive motor neuron disease known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—which Stephen Hawking had.

It was a cruel blow for a man in his golden years when things like playing with grandchildren, passing knowledge onto younger generations, and picking up new hobbies tend to be the features of one’s week to week, but Lay took it in his stride.

“I was disappointed to have a diagnosis like that, but I was also very grateful to be 70 years old and to have lived a wonderful, rewarding life and to have so many great people in my life,” Lay said. “This was something that we would learn to deal with and to learn from it and to contribute something if we could.”

In order to contribute, Lay was enrolled in a phase 2a trial from Coya Therapeutics at Houston Methodist Hospital, who are currently designing a novel treatment for ALS that involves seeing if T-regulatory cells, or “Tregs,” could potentially be re-trained to halt the attack on one’s own cells which characterize autoimmune diseases like ALS, and also neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Coya’s phase 1 trial halted ALS progression with no adverse side-effects in all three patients, while the data from Lay and the other patients of the phase 2a trial is being prepared for peer review.

Back on track

“We found that when we expanded the cells outside the body, we found that those cells became normal, they became suppressive,” said Dr. Stanley H. Appel, renowned ALS researcher and lead-author of the phase 2a trial.

“They put out the fires that are caused by other cells that are too inflamed. This gave us the idea and the inspiration: why don’t we take these out our patients, expand them, and then give them back to the patients. What was amazing is it appeared that we stopped progression.”

Tregs are a vital part of the combined-arms attack of our immune system, working as something like a coordinator. Coya Therapeutics have found that Tregs are suppressed in Alzheimer’s Disease, but that when introduced, like in the ALS trial, from outside the body, their immuno-modulatory properties are restored.

Coya Therapeutics has pioneered a way in isolating a patient’s dysfunctional regulatory T-Cells (Tregs) and converting them to “Super Tregs”, conferred with potent immunosuppressive and neuroprotective features.

Moreover, Coya has developed and patented the methods of freezing the cells from one manufacturing run for future infusions and reinfusing them back into the same patient over a year on an ongoing basis. Repairing the dysfunctional Tregs holds great promise based on the seminal findings that dysfunctional and decreased levels of Tregs are critical drivers of the neurodegenerative disease process.

MORE: New Research Shows That Gut Microbes May ‘Significantly’ Slow the Progression of ALS

When Lay’s clinical trial finished, the progression of his ALS sped-up, offering further evidence of the treatment’s efficacy.

“This has made us a lot more appreciative of every day when the sun comes up,” Lay said. “Being able to participate in a clinical trial during this period that marks the transition point in my life has been terrifically rewarding. Because my hope is that whatever we’ve contributed can be built upon and that other patients can benefit in the near future if I’ve benefited during the trial.”

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Meet the Sustainable Alternative to Concrete that Caught the Eye of Dior and Louis Vuitton

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 10, 2021

Irene Roca Moracia and Brigitte Kock released — Irene Roca Moracia and Brigitte Kock

What do an American crayfish, a Japanese weed, a French fashion label, and a British designer have in common? They are coming together to create a more sustainable bio-concrete.

Using Japanese knotweed and shells from American signal crayfish to replace the sand and rocks that make traditional concrete strong but extremely emissions-heavy, a pair of British designers—Brigitte Kock and Irene Roca Moracia—have created a truly unique material that’s caught the eye of LVMH, a conglomerate which includes luxury brands Dior and Louis Vuitton.

Inspired by a hefty price tag of £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) for the annual cost of removing invasive species like these two from the UK, Kock and Moracia discovered they could instead be used as the reinforcing agents in concrete.

Japanese knotweed has no predators in the UK, and because it slowly destroys asphalt and other surfaces, it is collected by specialist removers and incinerated. This ash is used like sand according to old recipes the Romans once used to make concrete, while the pulverized shells of the crayfish act like the gravel or rocks.

American signal crayfish undercut river banks and can lead to erosion and over sedimentation of waterways.

“We have played with the percentages and ratios to obtain really strong results,” Moracia explained to Dutch publication Dezeen. “The final colors and textures depend on the curing time and the aggregate’s chemical reactions with the binder and the water.”

MORE: Design Students Use Art to Reimagine Plastic Recycling – Creating Lamps, Seat Covers, and More

“We want to showcase the absurdity of the classification and disposal rules here in the UK that do not allow anything to be done with those species after they are treated and sealed in bags, while you can easily order those byproducts online and import them from China for example,” said Moracia.

Jade green, dark burgundy, marbled colors, natural stone, or unpolished concrete, patrons can have their bio-concrete in many striking colors and textures.

Their project was commissioned by the Maison/0 graduate program at Central Saint Martins, an arts and design college based in London.

Organized by LVMH, the project aims to create sustainable versions of building materials for use in their luxury stores. Just to create cement, with which one must mix sand, gravel, and water to get concrete, the process creates 0.6 tons of CO2 per ton of cement. Sand mining is incredibly carbon-intensive as well, as are other forms of mining to acquire the gravel.

Any structurally-viable alternative would be welcomed by firms worldwide looking to reduce their emissions. But rather than simply inventing a less-bad alternative, Moracia and Kock wanted to make one that actively improved the environment.

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“Whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.” – Paulo Coelho

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 10, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.” – Paulo Coelho

Photo: by Benjamin Davies

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?