Although love is a universal language, it may not always stand the test of time.
That’s why Great Big Story decided to talk to nine couples from around the world about what it has been like for them to be married for more than 30 years.
From Michigan to São Paolo; from Ghana to the Philippines—each couple was asked about their own personal gripes, romances, and advice from decades of marriage.
Although not all of the smitten seniors admitted to falling in love at first sight, they all agreed that the magic of their marriage has only gotten better with age.
(WATCH the Great Big Story video below)
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Photo by Guder Research Group/Imperial College London
Researchers from Imperial College London have invented a first-of-its-kind health tracking sensor for pets and people that can monitor vital signs through fur or clothing.
The new type of sensor, which can detect vital signs like heart and breathing rates through fur—and as many as four layers of clothing—could help make everyday wearables for pets and livestock a reality.
Such devices could help owners keep track of their pets’ health, and help vets monitor animals during surgery without the need for shaving.
They could even help improve the work of sniffer dogs used to detect bombs and missing persons.
For human use, they could provide a new way to measure vital signs over clothing without direct contact with the skin.
Lead author Dr Firat Guder, of Imperial’s Department of Bioengineering, said: “Wearables are expected to play a major role in monitoring health and detecting diseases early. Our stretchy, flexible invention heralds a whole new type of sensor that can track the health of animals and humans alike over fur or clothing.”
Unlike in humans, for whom there are many fitness tracking devices, there aren’t currently many “wearable” options for pets and other animals. The researchers suggest that one reason for this is that current trackers cannot monitor vital signs through fur.
The new Imperial-developed device is made of a silicone-water composite material which houses a microphone that picks up sound waves, like a watery, squishy stethoscope. It is flexible and stretchy enough that it tightly moulds to the shape of the fur, clothing, or body part it is placed on, squeezing out any sound-sucking air bubbles and preventing them from re-forming.
First author Yasin Cotur, of Imperial’s Department of Bioengineering, said: “The sensor works like a watery stethoscope, filling any gaps between it and its subject so that no air bubbles get in and dampen the sound.”
The sound is converted to a digital signal which is then transmitted to a nearby portable computer so that people can track an animal’s physiology in real-time.
When the researchers tested their device on five humans and one dog, they found that it works through up to four layers of clothes, and that the sensor works best when the clothing or fur sits right up against the skin.
Photo by Guder Research Group/Imperial College London
Dogs with jobs
As well as health tracking, the researchers say the sensors could help turn findings from sniffer dogs into measurable data.
Sniffer dogs are trained to exhibit behaviors like sitting or barking when they detect a target object such as an explosive device or person stuck inside rubble following an earthquake.
When dogs “alert” to target objects, such as bombs, their heart and breathing rates increase because they are excited to be rewarded for correctly identifying their target.
However, “alerting” behavior can be difficult to quantitively measure.
The researchers say their new sensor could establish baselines of normal heart and breathing rates from which to quantify the level of excitement for each dog. This would be measured by how much their vital signs diverge from the norm.
By measuring how excited the dogs are, an inbuilt algorithm might even be able to tell the strength of the dog’s reaction to the smell it detects and work out how ‘sure’ the dog is of finding the desired object.
Photo by Guder Research Group/Imperial College London
Animal AI
The sensors have been tested only on dogs and humans so far, but the researchers will next try to adapt them for use on other types of pets, as well as horses and livestock.
Yasin said: “The next step is to validate our system further with animals, primarily focusing on sniffer dogs and then horses and livestock later on.”
They are also integrating motion sensors to the system so they can track animals’ movements in real time. The software could use an artificial intelligent algorithm to indicate when pets are standing, sitting, or lying, as well as which direction they are facing and how their vital signs diverge from the norm. This could hook up to a smartphone app that will tell owners how—and where—their pets are in real time.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s newly-released Electric Power Monthly, the exciting milestone means that wind is now the top renewable source of electricity generation in the country—a position previously held by hydroelectricity for several decades.
Annual wind generation totaled 300 million megawatthours (MWh) in 2019, exceeding hydroelectric generation by 26 million MWh. Wind generation has increased steadily during the past decade, in part, because the Production Tax Credit (PTC)—which drove wind capacity additions—was extended. Annual hydroelectric generation has fluctuated between 250 million MWh and 320 million MWh in the past decade, reflecting a stable capacity base and variable annual precipitation.
Annual changes in hydroelectric generation are primarily the result of variations in annual precipitation patterns and water runoff. Although weather patterns also affect wind generation in different regions, capacity growth has been the predominant driver of annual changes in wind generation.
Both hydroelectric and wind generation follow seasonal patterns. Hydroelectric generation is typically greatest in the spring when precipitation and melting snowpack increase water runoff. Seasonal patterns in wind generation vary across the country, but wind generation is usually greatest in the spring and fall.
Wind capacity additions tend to come online during the fourth quarter of the year, most likely because of tax benefits. Wind capacity additions totaled 10 gigawatts in 2019 (3.8 GW installed in the fourth quarter), making 2019 the second-largest year for wind capacity additions, second only to 2012.
As of the end of 2019, the United States had 103 GW of wind capacity, nearly all of which (77%) were installed in the past decade. The United States has 80 GW of hydroelectric capacity, most of which has been operating for several decades. Only 2 GW of hydroelectric capacity has been added in the past decade, and some of those additions involved converting previously non-powered dams.
Although total installed wind capacity surpassed total installed hydroelectric capacity in 2016, it wasn’t until 2019 that wind generation surpassed hydroelectric generation. The average annual capacity factors for the hydroelectric fleet between 2009 and 2019 ranged from 35% to 43%. The average annual capacity factors for the U.S. wind fleet were lower, ranging from 28% to 35%. Capacity factors are the ratio of the electrical energy produced by a generating unit for a specified period of time to the electrical energy that could have been produced at continuous full power operation during the same period.
A compassionate architect is going above and beyond mere neighborliness to deliver a heap of family memories to their rightful owners.
Brian Bononi, based in Kansas City, Missouri, was taking some measurements on a recently-shuttered photo shop at the local shopping mall when he saw a stack of more than 160 photo enlargements and knick-knacks by the back door.
The memorabilia featured photo shoots celebrating peoples’ graduations, baby announcements, and family reunions—and the whole pile was on the way to the landfill because the store had closed.
After Bononi got permission to take home the store’s unpaid or abandoned orders, he and his family got to work documenting each of the items so they could finally be reunited with the people who ordered them.
Since the architect’s family began their labor of love last month, they have managed to deliver more than 20 different orders to their grateful families—and he doesn’t plan on stopping until each order has been fulfilled.
“These are people’s photos from graduation, newborns… If anyone knows anything about getting family portraits taken, [there’s] coordinating outfits, a Saturday when everyone can make it,” Bononi told ABC News. “Can you imagine getting there… and then never getting the canvas from this photoshoot?”
(WATCH the news coverage below)
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Quote of the Day: “The cardinal virtues are self-control, moderation, kindness, generosity, justice, and truthfulness tempered by discretion.” – Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature
Photo: by Toa Heftiba – public domain
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Mick and Tracey Hepworth wedding photograph from 1985. SWNS.
Mick and Tracey Hepworth, now 60 and 55 years old. SWNS
This married couple was recently stunned to be reunited with photographs that had been stolen from their wedding reception 35 years ago.
Back in 1985, Mick and Tracey Hepworth had been celebrating their recently-officiated wedding with family members during a party when a pair of thieves swiped a handbag that contained a roll of film from the ceremony.
The handbag, which belonged to Tracey’s cousin Karen Williams, was thrown on the ground as family members chased the thieves who fled the scene.
The couple gave up all hope of ever seeing the sentimental photographs again. Unbeknownst to them, however, a woman named Angie McHale had found the empty handbag with the roll of film that very same night—and she had the snapshots developed.
Since she had no way of tracking down the people in the photographs, she stored them away.
Angie picks up the story: “I was walking down the street when I spotted the hand bag. The bag was empty, but there was a roll of film. There was no internet then, so I just didn’t know how I would find who was in the pictures… (but) I would have never thrown the photographs away.”
After Angie posted the photos on Facebook, it seemed like everyone in Leeds had shared it—and there were 400-500 comments on the post.
Then Karen got a message from an acquaintance saying, “I think I have spotted you on some old photographs.”
Karen couldn’t believe it—the photographs on Facebook were indeed the missing ones from 1985.
(L-R) Angie McHale with Karen Williams, SWNS photo
Angie offered to deliver them to the house, and the whole family was waiting for her with flowers.
“It was a thoughtful gesture for what was a complete stranger,” she said.
“It just shows Facebook can be used for good,” concluded Tracey, who was also very surprised at how many commenters on the post wanted to know if she and the groom were still together.
The timing could not have been better for the photos’ return, because Mick and Tracey will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary this July.
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This week, Sabrina Ionescu made sports history by becoming the first NCAA basketball player—male or female—to score 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists in a career.
Not only that, the 22-year-old Oregon Ducks guard helped her team achieve their 74-66 victory against Sanford just hours after delivering an emotional speech at the memorial of her mentor Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who was also killed in the same helicopter crash which claimed Bryant.
“I wanted to be part of the generation that changed basketball for Gigi and her teammates. Where being born female didn’t mean being born behind. Where greatness wasn’t divided by gender,” said Ionescu. “‘You have too much to give to stay silent.’ That’s what he said. That’s what he believed. That’s what he lived—through Gigi, through me, through his investment in women’s basketball.”
Photo by Sabrina Ionescu
The game was also notable due to how Ionescu recorded the 26th triple-double of her career—and she had missed most of the team’s warmups because she had been battling the flu.
Ionescu took particular notice of the fact that her historic milestone took place on 2/24/20—which are the jersey numbers of Gianna, Bryant, and Ionescu respectively.
“That one was for [Kobe],” Ionescu told ESPN after the game. “To do it on 2/24/20 is huge. We had talked about it in the pre-season. I can’t really put that into words. He’s looking down and really proud of me and just really happy for this moment with my team.”
Photo by Grahm S. Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Photo by Grahm S. Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
In a groundbreaking scientific breakthrough, two cheetah cubs have been born through an in vitro fertilization process with the embryo transferred to a surrogate mother.
The births took place this week at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium after years of careful planning. With in vitro fertilization, or IVF, sperm and eggs are fertilized in a laboratory and then incubated to create embryos. The embryos are implanted into a female’s womb, where they may develop into fetuses. IVF has become a more common process with humans and some other species, but it previously has been unsuccessful in large cats, including cheetahs and lions.
In this case, however, the two cubs were delivered by an older cheetah named Isabelle (Izzy) on February 19th—although the cubs’ biological mother is Kibibi.
The cheetahs’ care team observed the births through a remote camera and continue to monitor Izzy and her cubs closely. Izzy, a first-time mom, has been providing great care to her cubs at this time. The care team performed a well check on the cubs on Friday and determined that Izzy gave birth to a male cub and a female cub, both of which have been observed nursing.
“These two cubs may be tiny, but they represent a huge accomplishment, with expert biologists and zoologists working together to create this scientific marvel,” said Dr. Randy Junge, the Columbus Zoo’s Vice President of Animal Health. “This achievement expands scientific knowledge of cheetah reproduction, and may become an important part of the species’ population management in the future.”
Kibibi first received hormone injections on November 14th, 2019 to stimulate follicle development. Eggs (oocytes) were taken from the 6-year-old big cat a few days later, as her genes are considered to be valuable in maintaining a strong lineage of cheetahs in human care. Izzy’s bloodline is already well-represented in the genetic registry, so she was selected as a surrogate. After the age of 8, cheetahs’ ability to reproduce declines significantly, and because Izzy is 3 years old, she has a better chance of safely delivering healthy, full-term cubs.
Once Kibibi’s eggs were extracted, the eggs were then fertilized on November 19th in a Columbus Zoo laboratory using thawed semen originally collected in February 2019 from two cheetahs: a male from Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas and another from Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia.
On November 21st, the early-stage embryos from Kibibi were then implanted into Izzy. It was only the third time scientists had ever attempted this procedure.
On December 23rd, an ultrasound revealed the remarkable news: two fetuses were growing in Izzy, the father of which is 3-year-old Slash from Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.
“I am very proud of the team for this accomplishment,” said Jason Ahistus, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center Carnivore Curator. “It gives the cheetah conservation community another tool to use in cheetah management, both in situ and ex situ. It really opens the door to many new opportunities that can help the global cheetah population. This is a big win for the cheetah.”
Photo by Grahm S. Jones / Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), cheetahs have a population classification of “Vulnerable” and a decreasing population trend in their native range of Africa. Due to threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, conflict with livestock and game farmers, as well as unregulated tourism, cheetahs now inhabit just 10% of their historic range. This geographic separation has left the species genetically “bottlenecked,” creating the potential for inbreeding. Scientists estimate that the cheetah population has declined to only approximately 7,500 individuals.
The achievement at the Columbus Zoo brings the potential to help ensure the survival of cheetahs in their native range. Conservation scientists have long sought ways to boost the numbers and help maintain genetic diversity of the species. Yet, attempts to artificially inseminate cheetahs often have not been successful, with the last one occurring in 2003.
IVF previously had been somewhat successful in small domestic cats and African wildcats, but it is still rare in larger cat species, with only the birth of three tiger cubs reported back in 1990. These breakthrough births mark a significant advancement in the field, and may provide valuable information to boost future conservation efforts in cat species.
“The first thing we had to do is show that this technique works,” said Dr. Junge. “Then we have to become proficient in it, so we can do it efficiently and reliably. With experience, we may be able to freeze embryos and transfer them to Africa.”
The Columbus Zoo’s animal care team is limiting access to the cheetahs’ private birthing area. As a cheetah’s gestation is typically 93 days and her due date was estimated to be February 22nd, Izzy’s care team put her on a 24-hour birth watch beginning Sunday, February 16, and the Zoo’s veterinary team stood ready with an incubator warmed up in case the cubs arrived early. Because complications during a birth can occur, the team also was prepared to perform an immediate Caesarean section if Izzy or the cubs became distressed.
The Columbus Zoo has extensive experience with cheetahs, having raised many cubs. Izzy and Kibibi are two of the Zoo’s ambassador cheetahs, most of whom arrived at the Zoo to be raised by hand when their mothers were unable to care for them. As a result, the cheetah ambassadors are accustomed to humans and have formed extremely close bonds with their care providers. The cheetahs are trained to voluntarily allow ultrasounds, X-rays, blood draws and other medical procedures, so the risks of anesthesia often can be avoided. Their training also allowed Zoo staff to be near Izzy during the delivery to assist, if needed.
“In the 19 years that I’ve worked with cheetahs, one of the big challenges is that we have no idea if a female is pregnant until at least 60 days following a procedure or breeding. Working with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was a game-changer because their females are highly cooperative. We knew that Izzy was pregnant at five weeks by ultrasound and we continued to collect ultrasound data throughout her entire pregnancy. It was a remarkable opportunity and we learned so much,” said Adrienne Crosier, cheetah biologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, one of the scientists who performed the embryo transfer.
Through conservation projects in Africa, the Columbus Zoo works with communities in cheetahs’ natural range, reducing farmers’ livestock losses to cheetahs by introducing Anatolian shepherd guard dogs; assisting with cheetah health exams; and learning more about cheetah populations through camera traps, scat analysis and habitat monitoring.
Reprinted with permission from World At Large, a news website of nature, politics, science, health, and travel.
Probiotics have already been identified in published studies as providing an ability to help alleviate allergy symptoms. Now, the same can confidently be said of regulating mental health.
Some of the most extensive research into the human microbiome has revealed that the diversity of certain bacterial species in your gut can help, sometimes significantly, with many of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD.
This includes work from the American Gut Project, which sources the world’s largest collection of gut microbe samples—more than 11,000—for use in scientific research. The project findings, while purely observational, suggest that bacterial diversity and richness in the human gut has the capacity to improve a variety of depressive symptoms.
In this paper that was recently published in the journal Nutrition, Iranian scientists found that markers for depression were reduced when taking a probiotic supplement containing particular microbes called lactobacillus casei and lactobacillus acidophilus.
In this small randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial, 40 people with major depressive disorder were given an 8-week course of probiotics. Diet and exercise activity were reported and controlled for, and after the 8 weeks ended, self-administered questionnaires revealed that the patients who had received a probiotic supplement had significantly lower scores on a Depression Inventory than those who had received placebo.
Blood tests also tended to show decreased insulin levels and insulin resistance, increased glutathione levels, and lower inflammation markers of C-reactive protein concentration in the probiotic group.
C-reactive proteins are compounds produced in the liver in response to inflammation. High levels can indicate anything from a simple bacterial infection to cancer. This is typical of inflammatory molecules in our bodies, as several have been linked with almost every known disease—including depression and anxiety—and low levels of inflammation have been suggested as a potential corollary of longevity in humans.
For years, people have been eating cheese as a digestive assistant after meals, particularly in Europe where cheese holds a more prominent place in local culture and eating habits. Europe also has far less restrictive laws for the manufacturing and distribution of raw milk products.
L. casei and L. acidophilus, which can be found in supplements, are also common microbes found in raw or unpasteurized cheeses and yogurts, or in pasteurized dairy products which have been cultured. In fact, researchers have hypothesized that cheese can be an easier, less-expensive, and effective way of offering probiotic supplements to the public, since many cheesemakers use L. acidophilus and L. casei as lactic-acid starters in cheese production.
In one of the two most thorough reviews of probiotic–depression literature, Roumen Milev and Caroline Wallace found that out of 7 studies that sought to establish whether probiotics can help alleviate MDD, anxiety, and improve cognition and mood, all but 2 found that it did. Across all 10 studies analyzed, the most common probiotic strain used was L. casei.
The study acknowledged that the increased expressions of C-reactive proteins, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines (like TNF-A, IL-1B, and IL-6), are recurring motifs in patients with symptoms of a mental or anxiety disorder, and suggested this might be due to increased gut-permeability, also known as “Leaky gut syndrome”.
It is hypothesized that probiotic food and supplements improve the stomach and gut lining, reducing permeability and therefore inflammation, just as was found in the Iranian paper.
A 2-year-old boy’s simple gesture of love towards a pizza delivery driver has generated a ripple effect of kindness for the man and his family.
Last week, Lindsey Sheely was receiving a pizza delivery order at her home in West Warwick, Rhode Island, when her son Cohen felt compelled to run out to the driver on the porch and offer him a hug and kiss on the cheek as a thank you for their dinner.
“We thought it was so sweet and funny,” Sheely later wrote on Instagram. “Then [we] realized that our doorbell might have caught the interaction on camera—and it did!!”
Sheely then posted a video of the hug to social media in hopes that it would make other people smile. To her surprise, the 20-second clip ended up on the timeline of Ryan Catterson, the delivery driver Cohen had hugged.
Catterson contacted Sheely and told her how delighted he was to find that there was a video of the exchange. Not only that, he told her that he only recently lost his 16-year-old daughter—and Cohen’s hug had meant the world to him.
“After losing my daughter this past week, it touched me because it was like she was there,” Catterson told WLNE. “It really just meant a lot to me.”
Since the heartwarming story of the incident has been shared across social media and local news outlets, Catterson’s GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his daughter’s funeral expenses has surged past its original goal, garnering more than $28,000 in donations.
(WATCH the quick video clip below)
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Quote of the Day: “When everything around you is crazy, it is ingenious to stay calm.” – Mehmet Murat ildan
Photo: by Robert Pearce – public domain
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Since the bushfires and flooding across southern Australia have left dozens of communities without power, several tech companies have begun installing solar panels and electrical grids with astonishing speed thanks to a philanthropist couple.
Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes have donated $12 million towards the creation of the Resilient Energy Collective—a coalition dedicated to setting up sustainable microgrids across Australia.
The collective, which utilizes electrical batteries from Tesla and solar systems from 5B, has already deployed two clean energy grids for rural sites in New South Wales and Victoria. Prior to their installation, firefighters and locals had been depending on diesel generators for electricity during the bushfire season. In addition to these generators being particularly costly and high-maintenance, they also emit large amounts of pollutants.
The collective is now working with energy providers across the country to prioritize 100 more sites for microgrid installation.
The initiative is similar to how Tesla used solar-powered grids to restore electricity across Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Now, Mr. Cannon-Brookes—who is also the co-founder and CEO of the Atlassian tech company—says that the coalition has been installing their own microgrids in as little as two days.
“In three weeks we’ve come together, found the technology, adapted it, put it on trucks and right now, it’s operating, generating electricity,” Cannon-Brookes told Eco Generation in a statement.
“That’s what this collective is all about; getting the best tech and the best ingenuity together to solve a massive problem, in days, not months or years.”
Photos by Resilient Energy Collective
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This 16-year-old dog may be blind and deaf, but she still managed to survive being carried off by a hawk last week.
Porschia the toy poodle was snatched up by the bird-of-prey as she was sitting on her porch in Whitehall, Pennsylvania.
Porschia’s owner, Deborah Falcione, was frantic with worry over her dog’s disappearance. She spent hours searching the surrounding area—but to no avail. When the evening temperatures fell below freezing, she feared the worst.
Just 28 hours after Porschia was dognapped, however, Falcione was shocked to receive a call from the local veterinary clinic saying they had the senior pup in their care.
“I said, ‘That’s impossible.’ She could not have survived 28 hours in the bitter cold weather, in 10-degree weather,” Falcione told reporters in the interview below. “This is a 6-and-a-half-pound dog. She’s blind, she’s deaf, she’s 16 years old. I went down there, and sure enough, this is the dog.”
As it turns out, a neighbor had found Porschia after the hawk had dropped her into a nearby yard just four blocks away from Falcione’s house. Although the disabled dog was relatively lethargic in the clinic’s heating tank following her harrowing ordeal, she was in surprisingly good health.
“How she got away, I have no idea,” said Falcione. “How she survived it, I will never know. But I know one thing: By the grace of God, this dog is still alive.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by KSEE News
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Researchers from Cornell University have found a new species of soil bacteria that is particularly adept at breaking down organic matter—including the cancer-causing chemicals that are released when coal, gas, oil and refuse are burned.
The newly-discovered “madseniana” bacteria was named after Gene Madsen—the Cornell microbiology professor who first started the research and discovered the microbe. He died in 2017, before he could confirm the discovery.
All plants and animals, including humans, host a collection of friendly bacteria that help us digest food and fight infection. The bacteria living in soils not only help plants grow, cope with stress and fight off pests, they’re also essential to understanding climate change.
The bacteria belong to the genus Paraburkholderia, which are known for their ability to degrade aromatic compounds and, in some species, the capacity to form root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen. The species name, madseniana, reflects the legacy of Madsen’s work in the field of environmental microbiology.
Madsen’s research focused on biodegradation—the role microbes play in breaking down pollutants in contaminated soils—with a special focus on organic pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). His work was groundbreaking in providing natural tools to address hazardous waste in areas where contaminated soils can’t easily be dug up and removed.
“Microbes have been here since life began, almost 4 billion years. They created the system that we live in, and they sustain it,” said Dan Buckley, professor of microbial ecology in the Section of Soil and Crop Sciences in the School of Integrative Plant Science. “We may not see them, but they’re running the show.”
“Gene was a humble man and a great scientist. I am so happy to see his legacy live on in this way,” said Esther Angert, professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology. “It’s so apt that a bacterium with these traits would be named after this remarkable environmental microbiologist. I think Gene must be smiling.”
The work started in a Cornell experimental forest on Turkey Hill, a natural area stewarded by Cornell Botanic Gardens. Madsen isolated the new bacteria from the forest soil; Buckley’s team brought the project to completion.
The first step was sequencing the bacterium’s ribosomal RNA genes, which provided genetic evidence that madseniana was a unique species. In studying the new bacteria, the researchers noticed that madseniana is especially adept at breaking down aromatic hydrocarbons, which make up lignin: a major component of plant biomass and soil organic matter. Aromatic hydrocarbons are also found in toxic PAH pollution.
This means that the newly-identified bacteria could be a candidate for biodegradation research and an important player in the soil carbon cycle.
Buckley’s lab focused on the bacterium’s role in the carbon cycle: the natural cycling of carbon through the Earth and the atmosphere, which scientists say has been thrown out of whack by excess human carbon emissions.
“We know remarkably little about how soil bacteria operate,” Buckley said. “Soils, every year, process about seven times more carbon than all of the human emissions from cars, power plants and heating units, all over the world, just in their natural work of decomposing plant material. Because it’s such a large amount of carbon going through the soil, small changes in how we manage soil could make a big impact on climate change.”
In the case of madseniana, Buckley’s lab wants to learn more about the symbiotic relationship between the bacteria and forest trees. Initial research suggests that trees feed carbon to the bacteria, and in turn the bacteria degrade soil organic matter, thereby releasing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus for the trees.
Understanding how bacteria break down carbon in soil could hold the key to the sustainability of soil and the ability to predict the future of global climate.
The research was supported the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through a McIntire Stennis grant.
An Ohio church pastor’s 3-minute sermon on multiplying blessings has managed to wipe out millions of dollars in medical debt.
Back in November, Crossroads Church senior pastor Brian Tome told his Cincinnati-based congregation that they could help alleviate medical debt for American families by donating $1 via a text hotline. For every dollar donated, the church’s partnering charity RIP Medical Debt could pay off $100 worth of medical debt.
Since Tome’s lecture was also livestreamed online, donors from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee collectively managed to raise $465,000—which abolished more than $46.5 million in debt.
Because RIP Medical Debt wipes out debt based on the zip code of individual donations, the bulk of the donations was used to free 41,233 Ohio households of their debts across 103 ZIP codes.
Although the fundraiser took place back in November, the church only recently announced the full impact of their campaign this week.
Victor Martinez, a staffer from the church’s Oakley location, told TheCincinnati Enquirer that church officials neglected to publicize the initiative because they wanted to keep the focus on their compassionate congregation.
“Jesus, before we knew who he was, he died for us, to forgive our debt,” said Martinez. “And here, we don’t know who these people are, and we are putting this money for their debt to be forgiven.”
A longtime Minnesota bus driver was given the sendoff he always wanted after he was buried in a casket decorated like a yellow school bus.
For 55 years, Glen Paul Davis worked as a loyal bus driver for the Grand Meadow school system; he often bragged that he never once had an accident over the course of his career.
He also always joked that he wanted to be buried in a casket that resembled his beloved buses.
It was only a joke until his friend, a funeral director named Jim Hindt, commissioned his niece to paint a casket like a school bus. It was even emblazoned with the #3 of Davis’s first bus—and he was incredibly touched by the gesture.
“When we showed it to Glen, he was speechless—almost brought him to tears,” Hindt told KARE 11.
Davis loved the decorated coffin so much, he would often bring people to the Hindt Funeral Home in order to show off its colorful design.
The casket drew its biggest crowd of admirers, however, when dozens of students, school staffers, and community members showed up for Davis’s funeral at St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church last week after he passed away at the age of 88.
Photo by Hindt Funeral Home
His online obituary has since sparked an outpouring of tributes and messages of support. One reader wrote: “I met Glenn more than 10 years ago. He was such a cheerleader for me. Such a sweet man. I so appreciated his kindness.”
“Everyone who worked at the Grand Meadow School knew and loved Glen!” added a woman named Mary Anderson. “He was so generous to the kids, staff, and and his donations to the school. When I retired, he hand-polished field stones for my flower garden and decorated a piece of granite with a newspaper article—still on display in my living room!”
A neighboring school district even paid homage to Davis with a message reading: “Rest in peace, fellow school bus driver. May your final stop be peaceful. Your students will not forget you.”
(WATCH the heartwarming KARE 11 news coverage below)
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Quote of the Day: “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Photo: by Kevin Delvecchio – public domain
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This 42-year-old Zamboni driver is being hailed as a hockey hero after he stepped in as a visiting team’s emergency goalie and helped them win the game.
LISTEN to the inspiring story told on the radio by our GNN founder in the Good News Guru podcast below—or READ the full story after that…
Dave Ayres, who is the Zamboni driver for the Toronto Maple Leafs, was tapped to play against his home team for the Carolina Hurricanes after both of their goalies were injured on the ice during the previous games.
Ayres then went on to block 8 of the 10 shots that were made against him during the final 30 minutes of the game, which helped to secure the Hurricanes’ 6–3 victory.
Although Ayres is a designated backup goalie, this was the first time he ever got the chance to play, making it his first ever NHL game.
When reporters asked him what he will remember from the experience, he simply said: “These guys, how great they were to me, how fun. The crowd in Toronto is unreal. Even though I was on the other team, they were so receptive and so awesome. Every time I made a save I could hear them cheering for me.”
Since Ayres underwent a kidney transplant 15 years ago, he never believed he would play hockey again. Now, however, the Hurricanes are selling an official Ayres jersey with a portion of the proceeds being donated to a kidney transplant charity of his choice.
According to the NHL, Ayres’s weekend performance also made him the second-oldest hockey player to make their professional debut in the NHL following 43-year-old Lester Patrick’s game in 1927.
(WATCH the heartwarming interview below) – Photo by NHL
This cozy little Canadian community may seem like an ordinary village on the outside—but in actuality, it is the country’s first village designed specifically to accommodate people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The British Columbia community, which is simply called The Village, hosts several dozen cottages, businesses, and shared living spaces for up to 78 patients.
Shortly after construction began on The Village in March 2018, Elroy Jespersen—the vice president of special projects at Verve Senior Living and the mastermind behind the Village, told CTV News that he wanted dementia patients to feel the same amount of independence as their able-bodied counterparts, saying: “We believe that it’s really important for people to be connected to nature and life and the outdoors.”
The Village now gives them a controlled space in which to live their lives, free of the stressful feeling of always “running into a locked door”.
Although residents are free to roam throughout the gardens, restaurants, and facilities of The Village, the 7.5-acre community is protected by an 8-foot fence around the perimeter of the property.
Residents are also required to wear “wellness bracelets” which uses Bluetooth technology to keep track of their locations.
The initiative draws inspiration from Hogeweyk, a similarly-designed community in the Netherlands which was declared the world’s first village for dementia patients. The compound features everything from supermarkets and stores to restaurants and gardens.
Since The Village opened in Langley back in August, it has already welcomed several dozen residents. Not only that, CBC says that there are similar initiatives now being implemented in South Vancouver and Comox.
Although housing rates for The Village range between $7,300 to $8,300 per month, its management is now conducting research on the project’s efficacy in hopes that it will eventually spur the government to help fund its operations and make its care model more affordable to the Canadian public.
(WATCH the video tour of The Village below)
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Photo by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
This video captures the stunning moment that a patient at King’s College Hospital in London played the violin while surgeons removed a tumor from her brain.
The unusual approach was taken to ensure areas of the patient’s brain responsible for delicate hand movement and coordination—crucial components when playing violin—were not inadvertently damaged during the millimeter-precise procedure.
53-year-old Dagmar Turner, a former management consultant from the Isle of Wight, was diagnosed in 2013 with a large grade 2 (slow-growing) glioma after suffering a seizure during a symphony.
The committed violinist, who plays in Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and various choral societies, underwent biopsy and then radiotherapy at her local specialist hospital to keep the tumor at bay. When it became apparent in autumn 2019 that the tumor had grown and become more aggressive, Turner—who has a 13-year-old son—was keen for surgery to remove it.
A consultation was arranged with Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, a highly-recommended neurosurgeon at King’s College Hospital, in order to discuss her options.
Turner’s tumor was located in the right frontal lobe of her brain, close to an area that controls the fine movement of her left hand. Precise and skilled use of this hand is essential for playing the violin as the fingers regulate the length of the strings by holding them against the fingerboard, producing different pitches. Turner explained her love of the violin and was aware of Professor Ashkan’s mutual passion for music. The brain tumor specialist holds a degree in music and is an accomplished pianist.
After explaining her concerns over potentially losing the ability to play the violin, Professor Ashkan and the neurosurgical team at King’s devised a plan. Prior to Turner’s operation they spent two hours carefully mapping her brain to identify areas that were active when she played the violin and those responsible for controlling language and movement.
Photo by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
They also discussed with Turner the idea of waking her mid-procedure so she could play. This would ensure the surgeons did not damage any crucial areas of the brain that controlled Dagmar’s delicate hand movements specifically when playing the instrument. With her agreement, a team of surgeons, anesthetists, and therapists went on to meticulously plan the procedure.
During the operation, Prof Ashkan and the team performed a craniotomy (an opening in the skull) while Turner was brought round from the anesthetic. As her tumor was removed, Turner played her violin while closely monitored by the therapist and anesthetists.
“King’s is one of the largest brain tumor centers in the UK. We perform around 400 resections (tumor removals) each year, which often involves rousing patients to carry out language tests, but this was the first time I’ve had a patient play an instrument,” said Ashkan following the procedure.
“We knew how important the violin is to Dagmar so it was vital that we preserved function in the delicate areas of her brain that allowed her to play. We managed to remove over 90% of the tumor, including all the areas suspicious of aggressive activity, while retaining full function in her left hand.”
“The violin is my passion; I’ve been playing since I was 10 years old,” says Turner. “The thought of losing my ability to play was heart-breaking but, being a musician himself, Professor Ashkan understood my concerns. He and the team at King’s went out of their way to plan the operation—from mapping my brain to planning the position I needed to be in to play. Thanks to them, I’m hoping to be back with my orchestra very soon.”
Three days after the procedure, Turner was well enough to go home to her husband and son. She will continue to be monitored by her local hospital.
