At Tampa’s NHL Win the Loudest Cheer Went to Opposing Fans Who Came Down 2 Weeks Early to Help Fix Power Lines

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Oct 18, 2024

The Tampa Strong flag - credit, Tampa Bay Lightning

On Tuesday, the NHL season opened with the Tampa Bay Lighting claiming a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, giving hockey fans in the twice-battered city something to cheer about.

Additionally, as sporting events often do, the occasion helped to channel the best of human potential, as the match was marked by a food drive, a raffle/fundraiser, and a horde of Canucks fans who came down from Canada several weeks in advance to help work on the power lines.

44 of the fans flew in to cheer on their team, Tampa’s opponents, but they arrived more than two weeks in advance of the match to help work on the power lines following Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

At the end of the second period, the 44 men in the traveling fans section appeared up on the big screen over center ice, resulting in the biggest ovation of the game.

“How about the ovation that the Vancouver [power] linemen got when they showed them on the big screen?” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper.

“I’m normally not looking up there a ton but that was a pretty moving moment for me. And it just shows you there’s a lot of good out there. When people come out and help each other it does make you feel good.”

Outside the Amelie Arena, a collection drive was organized for the first two home games, with fans encouraged to bring in non-perishable foods, cleaning and baby supplies, hygiene products, and other household necessities.

The collections have been completed and donated to Feeding Tampa Bay, Metropolitan Ministries, and the University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC).

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Tampa Bay Lighting, like several other sports franchises, donated $2 million through the Lighting Foundation to contribute towards relief efforts. On Tuesday night, the foundation announced that because of the proceeds of its 50/50 raffle, it would be able to increase that commitment to $3 million.

Lighting Captain Victor Hedman also personally donated $150,000 to the Tampa Police Department and the Coast Guard Foundation. Fans can donate to hurricane relief through the Lighting Foundation here.

MORE HURRICANE RELIEF STORIES: ‘It’s Been Amazing’ the Outpouring of Support From Pilots, Business, Celebrities and Government After Hurricane

Additionally, in partnership with Ticketmaster, Lighting reduced the prices of home game tickets for the first three games of the season. The franchise also set aside hundreds of tickets for first responders and their families as a thank-you from the city.

At the end of the day, when the team took to the ice, captain Hedman led them out flying the “Tampa Strong” flag before leading his men to a barnstorming 4-1 win backed by a superb performance from their goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who made 21 saves and faced 14 penalty minutes conceding zero goals.

WATCH The local news report below, and a video of the Vancouver powerline workers (relevant content ends at 0:26)…

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Herd of Bulls Headed to the Highlands to Recreate Effect of Ancient Auroch Oxen on Scottish Soil

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 18, 2024

Cattle in the Maashorst nature reserve, The Netherlands. — Cattle in the Maashorst nature reserve, The Netherlands - credit, Nelleke de Weerd/Rewilding Europe © supplied.

Cattle in the Maashorst nature reserve, The Netherlands – credit, Nelleke de Weerd/Rewilding Europe © supplied.

A rewilding charity in the UK aims to bring the first herd of tauros to the British Isles in order to replace a lost giant.

The aurochs is the ancestor to all domestic cattle species, but before it was bred into everything from the Hindu cow, to the Black Angus, to Scotland’s Highland bull, it was a keystone species that kept the ecosystems of Eurasia dynamic and biodiverse.

The Tauros Program began almost two decades ago. Started in 2008 in the Netherlands, it brought together international cattle breeding experts in the hope of “back-breeding” an animal with the closest possible genetic resemblance to a wild aurochs.

Unlike the program to resurrect the woolly mammoth through gene alteration in modern elephants, the Tauros Program, now considered a major success, identified ancient domesticated cattle breeds that maintained the largest amount of aurochs DNA, and interbred them over time whilst gradually habituating them and their offspring to living wild lives.

The result is the tauros—a remarkable animal that stands six feet tall at the shoulder and possesses horns that measure 32 inches long. With slender legs, powerful muscles, and a black coat, they are aurochs in nearly all but name.

Tauros are now set to be introduced to the Dundreggan Estate in Scotland to be the first herd of large wild bovine roaming the countryside since the early 17th century. Sitting on almost 10,000 acres of Highland country near Loch Ness, the hope is that they will improve biodiversity and ecotourism.

The tauros will do this, as GNN has reported numerous times during introduction campaigns of European bison in countries like the UK, Spain, and Portugal, through its unique habits and characteristics.

Their grazing creates a mixed ecosystem, rich in forest verges where birds thrive and trails through the understory which other animals utilize. Their dung, placenta, hair, and dead bodies contribute to the landscape in many ways, through enhancing soil biodiversity, feeding a variety of scavengers, and providing material for birds’ nests.

REWILDING THE OLD CONTINENT: Primeval Sturgeon Swim Again in Sweden After Scientists and Anglers Unite to Bring Them Back

Their grazing activity turns up the earth, stamps down overproductive plants, and opens the soil for seeds to germinate.

“Our tauros project is about looking forwards while learning from the past as we restore nature-rich landscapes that support wildlife and people, and are resilient to future environmental challenges,” said Steve Micklewright, the chief executive of Trees for Life, the charity undertaking the program.

“We also want to give people the chance to experience in a safe way the awe and wonder of getting close to an animal that feels really wild.”

The Scottish heritage cattle breed present on the landscape is known as the Highland bull, but wasn’t used in the Tauros Program due to a lack of aurochs DNA.

LOOK: Absolutely Epic: Watch the Release of a Wild Bison Herd onto Blackfeet Tribal Land

Since the start of the Tauros Program, the breeding of tauros has been ongoing in Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Czechia, Romania, and the Netherlands. For each breeding area, different breeds are selected that best represent and combine aurochs traits with a good adaptation to local habitats, such as to food, local climate, and dealing with predators.

2027 will be the 400th year since Europe last had a massive wild bovine trampling, rooting, and stamping about through its grasslands and forests, but thanks to the dedicated efforts of hundreds of ecologists across the continent, 400 is likely to be the last such milestone.

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Pilot of Rescue Flight for Pets Impacted by Hurricanes Adopts Kitten, Finding ‘Love at 30,000 Feet’

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 18, 2024

Avery the cat with Southwest Airlines’ Captain Matthew Prebish – credit, Southwest Airlines/Stephen Keller

On October 12th, a Southwest Airlines pilot fell in love with a little kitten named Avery while transporting him and 150 other shelter animals out of the path of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Partnering with a charity and an animal rescue, the plan was to take the dogs and cats to Milwaukee from Florence, South Carolina, where they could continue their goal of finding homes for them.

However, Avery couldn’t wait ’till landing, and managed to latch onto Captain Prebis before he made it to Milwaukee.

“It was love at 30,000 feet. I don’t think Captain Matt was expecting to adopt a hurricane evacuee from Tennessee when he agreed to fly this amazingly special flight, but some things are meant to be,” Lucky Dog Animal Rescue CEO Mirah A. Horowitz said in a statement to PEOPLE.

“Avery the kitten is definitely a Lucky Cat and was right at home with his new dad in the cockpit once we landed and parked.”

The over 150 cats and dogs had been in the care of animal shelters in eastern Tennessee and Florida prior to the two hurricanes. To secure their safety and ensure the impacted organizations could serve the needs of their communities, the shelter pets were transferred to Lucky Dog Animal Rescue’s Rescue Campus in Florence.

credit – Greater Good Charities/Ray Aguilar

Once in Florence, the animals then boarded the emergency flight, done pro bono by Southwest, in partnership with Greater Good Charities to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Wisconsin.

Earlier in the week, Greater Good Charities delivered humanitarian aid, including shampoo, hygiene products, and emergency packs filled with mylar blankets, socks, laundry sheets, and more for displaced and impacted families in Asheville, NC, and surrounding communities. These emergency packs were included in 6,000 pounds of aid items flown via Southwest Cargo free of charge.

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE: North Carolina Sports Come Together to Support Victims of ‘Unprecedented’ Hurricane Helene

According to news releases from both the nonprofit and Southwest Airlines, the animals were transported to various shelters around the state and are ready to be adopted.

They can be found at Wisconsin’s Humane Animal Welfare Society, Elmbrook Humane Society, The Washington County Humane Society, the Humane Society of Jefferson County, the Dane County Humane Society, Eau Claire Community Humane Association, Green County Humane Society, and Illinois’ One Tail at a Time, among others.

MORE HURRICANE STORIES: ‘It’s Been Amazing’ the Outpouring of Support From Pilots, Business, Celebrities and Government After Hurricane

“We are truly grateful to Southwest Airlines for making this flight possible because it gives breathing room to shelters dealing with unprecedented numbers of animals displaced by the storm who need care until they can be reunited with their owners,” Horowitz added.

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“Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” – George Eliot

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Oct 18, 2024

Quote of the Day: “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” – George Eliot

Photo by: Jeremy Bishop

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

This Robot Expertly Takes Apart E-Waste So Their Components Can Be Reused

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 17, 2024

Credit - Molg, released to the media (2)

A former tech hardware entrepreneur has refocused his talents on tackling the problem of electronic device waste.

His startup manufactures and programs precision robots to delicately take apart products and separate still-useable components for reuse, not recycling.

Rob Lawson-Shanks is his name, and having just been bankrolled by some of the biggest names in stakeholder venture capitalism, he’s not only helping recycling facilities disassemble electronics that would previously be scrapped, but also working with companies like Dell to design new devices that are easier for his robots to unmake.

“I started to realize I was contributing to this massive, 60-million-ton problem of e-waste because of how we were designing, manufacturing, and ultimately not recovering

,” he told Fast Company’s Adele Peters.

His company Molg makes and programs robots that use multiple arms and cameras with extraordinary delicacy to remove panels, unscrew fasteners, and extract chips all on their own.

“We use really high-precision, non-destructive [equipment], and really care about what we’re touching and then moving so that we can retest, re-qualify, and redeploy,” Lawson-Shanks says. “Ultimately, it’s to try and keep things at the highest value possible.”

The small systems—10 feet by 3 feet by 10 feet tall—are designed to fit inside existing e-waste processing facilities. They can take apart some devices in as fast as five minutes. At the moment, the machines are excellent at taking apart old servers to recover components to make new units for data centers.

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The idea is that each time a Molg “microfactory,” as they’re called, disassembles something, the components inside are tracked and databased before being used in a mid-tier market item. When that item is broken down, the same components can be used to make a simpler electronic product, and all the way until its material structure breaks down and goes to be recycled.

Ideally, Lawson-Shanks said, devices in our society should be built with components that can be scavenged 4 to 5 times before needing to be recycled.

Partnering with companies like Dell, Molg has rolled out a whole new set of snaps, press-fits, latches, and other modular connections that can help bind laptops and other devices together but that can be easily disengaged, removed, or unsnapped by its microfactories.

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Hydrogen-Powered Car Fueled by Sewage Attempting to Break Land Speed Records

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 17, 2024

Waste2Race Le Mans Prototype race car - credit, SWNS

A hydrogen-powered car fueled by sewage and manufactured with various recycled materials may soon attempt to break several land speed records.

The car was built by students at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick and will run off a byproduct of wastewater from the utilities company Severn Trent Water.

The Waste2Race Le Mans Prototype race car (LMP3) has been built from a selection of spare and unused parts to further its sustainable street cred in a world little-regarded for its sustainability—motorsport.

The car itself will be used to try to break one of several land speed records depending on how it performs, including the fastest standing and flying starts for both a mile and a kilometer. Its creators hope to have the car fully up and running in the next 6 to 12 months.

The parts themselves come from Ginetta, a British specialist builder of racing and sports cars based in Leeds. Among its green bits and bobs are materials made from recycled carbon fiber and a wing mirror made from beetroot waste.

The steering wheel is also 100% natural, while the firm ENRG Motorsport contributed a battery recovered from a crashed road car.

“These sorts of collaborations are a great example of how businesses, universities, and the endless curiosity of our students can break barriers and push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Head of the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Research Group at WMG, Professor Kerry Kirwan.

“We’re incredibly proud of the ingenuity of our students and wish them all the best of luck in their land speed record attempt.”

GREEN ENDEAVORS IN SPORT: Madrid’s Iconic Football Stadium Now has a 4-Story Underground Greenhouse to Store ‘Retractable’ Grass Field

WMG staff and students aim to complete the car in 2025 and use it to showcase a wide range of sustainable concepts that are being worked on across the university and industry.

“We have a firm commitment to support technologies that have positive impacts on our environment, from reducing the process emissions at our sites, to developing the circular economy in our region and helping partners like the University of Warwick to realize potentially game-changing new technologies like this,” Richard Walwyn, Head of Asset Intelligence & Innovation at Severn Trent Water, said in a statement.

The project, ‘Waste2Race’, comes as manufacturers such as Alpine and Toyota are exploring hydrogen as a fuel for racing cars of the future. BMW recently announced plans for its first hydrogen car to go on sale in 2028.

Typically hydrogen fuels are investigated for their potential to power heavy machinery like planes, trains, and construction equipment.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the most famous motorsport events in the world, said they are opening the race to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2026 as a way of greening the event.

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Like Indiana Jones, Archaeologists Find a Tomb with a Grail Underneath the Treasury at Petra

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 17, 2024

exu-petra-select-1 — Dr. Fares Braizat (from left), Fadi Balawi, Josh Gates and Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman look into the newly discovered tomb at Petra - credit, Discovery's Expedition Unknown.

Dr. Fares Braizat (from left), Fadi Balawi, Josh Gates, and Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman look into the newly discovered tomb at Petra – credit, Discovery’s Expedition Unknown.

Even at the foot of one of the most visited ancient monuments on Earth, there are discoveries waiting to be made.

Doubling as the film set for the final act of Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, the Treasury of Petra in Jordan is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Despite its fame, an archaeological dig conducted by American and Jordanian researchers uncovered a hidden tomb featuring 12 human skeletons and a variety of grave goods.

The incredible rock-carved city set into the pink sandstone cliffs was made by a nomadic Arabian people called the Nabataeans, of whom little is known. Over the centuries, travelers seeking shelter in Petra and floodwaters permeating the porous sandstone have ruined human remains entombed in the city, preventing archaeologists from learning about them.

The twelve skeletons uncovered are likewise in a delicate condition, but are at least intact, and the excavation team is hoping to gain DNA samples to figure out what they might have looked like, who they were, how old they were when they died, what their diet was like, and so on.

“This is a hugely rare discovery—in the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before,” said Josh Gates, an archaeologist and dramatist who hosts Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown, which joined the excavation team.

“Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world … there are still huge discoveries to be made.”

(Spoiler alert:) in The Last Crusade, the famous Hollywood action archaeologist played by Harrison Ford follows a trail of Renaissance clues to find the Holy Grail. At the end of the film, venturing inside the treasury building of Petra, he comes upon a large collection of grails, and is quizzed by a ghost as to which one is the real cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper.

In an utterly delightful coincidence, the excavation team found among the grave goods a ceramic goblet that looks for all the world like the grail from the film—a fact not lost on the excavation team, some of whom wore fedora-like sun hats.

“It really was this awesome moment of history imitating art,” Gates told CNN.

The facade of the Treasury of Petra – Ahmad Qaisieh, Unsplash.

Standing right on top of it

When people think of Petra, they mostly picture one building—the most famous one, known as the Khaznah, or Treasury.

Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research, organized the excavation based on work that led him to believe there were chambers concealed underground.

ARCHEOLOGY AT WORK: How a Chatty Motorist Led to One of the Biggest Finds in Greek Archaeology–the Lost 2,800-year-old Temple of Artemis

The theory was based on ground-penetrating radar scans he had performed in the areas to the left and right of the space in front of the Khaznah that detected unnaturally-shaped empty spaces. This was the evidence that when presented to the Jordanian government, helped them secure permission to excavate at the site that sees hundreds of thousands of visitors a year in peacetime.

The artifacts, which included bronze, iron, and ceramic grave goods, were in much better states of preservation than the skeletons, some of which actually had mold on them.

A ceramic cup, reminiscent of the Holy Grail – credit, Discovery’s Expedition Unknown.

“We were hopeful to find anything that might tell us more about the ancient people and place—human remains can be a really valuable tool in that regard,” Dr. Creasman told CNN.

Excavating to the right of the Treasury’s facade, the tomb was found more or less in the same place where a tomb had been found years earlier to the left. However, the Jordanian government’s excavation never entered any data on the number of skeletons found in the tomb to the left, leaving gaps in the understanding of the practices of burial at Petra.

MORE FAMOUS MONUMENTS: Mystery of Nazca Lines Deepens as AI Survey Doubles Number of Geoglyphs and Alters Their Meaning

The Nabataeans have been hypothesized as being a more egalitarian society, with kings and nobles living arm in arm with the common folk. This belief has been reflected in the limited knowledge of burial practices at Petra, where scant little clues have been found suggesting which tombs and remains are those of the upper strata of society.

These skeletons are hoped to provide at least a modicum of explanation for this mystery.

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New Cervical Cancer Treatment Regime Shows ‘Biggest Gain in Survival Since 1999’

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 17, 2024

Targeting the fourth most common cancer in women globally, a new treatment regime combining chemo and chemoradiation therapy has reduced the rates of death by 40%.

Cervical cancer affects over 300,000 women worldwide, and the regime has been heralded as “remarkable”— “the biggest gain in survival since the adoption of chemoradiation in 1999.”

Those were the words of Dr. Mary McCormack, the lead investigator of the trial at University College London.

The trial of the new treatment plan was conducted over 10 years and recruited patients in Italy, Brazil, the US, India, and Mexico. It featured a short course of traditional chemotherapy before chemoradiation, the standard treatment for cervical cancer involving a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Though it doesn’t sound like much, this small reorganization reduced rates of death from cervical cancer by 40%, and rates of the cancer returning by 35% over a five-year time horizon.

Called the Interlace trial, it was funded by Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre. 500 women were given the choice between the novel treatment plan and a standard plan. They all had advanced, localized cervical cancer that hadn’t spread to other organs.

After five years, 80% of those who received chemoradiation which started with this short course of chemotherapy first were alive, and 72% of the women had neither relapsed nor seen their cancer spread.

MORE HOPEFUL DEVELOPMENTS: Cancer Vaccine Triggers Fierce Immune Response to Fight Malignant Brain Tumors in Human Patients

Cervical cancer is particularly nasty, as it typically affects women in their 30s, and has a high recurrence rate.

The novel treatment uses drugs that are both cheap and already approved for use worldwide.

FIGHTING CANCER: Lung Cancer Drug Elicits Unprecedented Results in New Trial

“The simple act of adding induction chemotherapy to the start of chemoradiation treatment for cervical cancer has delivered remarkable results,” said Dr. Iain Foulkes, the executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK.

“A growing body of evidence is showing that additional chemotherapy before other treatments, like surgery and radiotherapy, can improve the chances of successful treatment for patients. Not only can it reduce the chances of cancer coming back, it can also be delivered quickly, using drugs already available worldwide.”

SHARE This Great Innovation In Already Existing Treatment Methods…

Once a woman has forgiven her husband, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast. – Marlene Dietrich

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Oct 17, 2024

Quote of the Day: Once a woman has forgiven her husband, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast. – Marlene Dietrich

Photo by: Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash+

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Seven New Frog Species Were Named After Star Trek Captains: ‘To Boldly Croak’

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 16, 2024

New tree frogs in genus Boophis named for Trekkies-SWNS — New tree frogs in genus Boophis named for Star Trek captains – SWNS

New tree frogs in genus Boophis named for Star Trek captains – SWNS

Picture this: knee-deep in the stingy, bitey, steamy jungles of Madagascar, you and your research team discover 7 new species of frog—what do you name them?

Inspired by the various sounds of American sci-fi films and television, 7 tree frogs that make otherworldly sounds were named after characters from Star Trek.

The international team of scientists said their high-pitched whistling calls are like sound effects from the iconic sci-fi series.

All 7 new animals come from the frog genus Boophis, and emit “bird-like” whistling sounds in their communication with other frogs, rather than croaks. According to Professor Miguel Vences, a Trekkie to some degree, such whistling sounds are used often in the classic sci-fi franchise.

“That’s why we named the frogs after Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, and Pike, seven of the most iconic captains from the sci-fi series,” said Professor Vences.

Assistant Professor Mark Scherz of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, joked that while there weren’t any phasers or stars in the rainforests of Madagascar, there was quite a lot of “trekking.”

“A few species are found in places accessible to tourists, but to find several of these species, we had to undertake major expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks,” said Scherz. “There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.”

He explained that the otherworldly calls of the frogs are known as “advertisement calls,” a type of self-promotion that may convey information about the male frog’s suitability as a mate to females.

Scherz says that particular group lives along fast-flowing streams in the most mountainous regions of Madagascar, a noisy background that may explain why the frogs call at such high pitches.

CHECK OUT THESE FROGS: Newly-Identified Species of Transparent ‘Glass’ Frogs Unveiled in Amazing Photos From Ecuador

He said some of the frog calls might remind Star Trek fans of sounds from the so-called “boatswain whistle” and a device called the ‘tricorder.’ But, to other people, they may sound like a bird or an insect.

“If the frogs just croaked like our familiar European frogs, they might not be audible over the sound of rushing water from the rivers they live near,” said Dr. Jörn Köhler, who played a key role in analyzing the calls among the study team. “Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out against all that noise.”

WILD MADAGASCAR: Giant Millipede Lost to Science for a Century Rediscovered in Madagascar with 20 More Species in World-First Expedition

The calls also lined up with the genetic analysis the team performed, according to their findings published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology. Madagascar is renowned for its biodiversity, and research in its rainforests continues to uncover hidden species.

The island, around the size of France, is home to about 9% of the world’s frog species.

“We’ve only scratched the surface of what Madagascar’s rainforests have to offer,” said Professor Andolalao Rakotoarison, of the Université d’Itasy, Madagascar. “Every time we go into the forest, we find new species, and just in terms of frogs, there are still several hundred species we haven’t yet described.”

She and the rest of the team have described around 100 new species from the island in the last 10 years alone.

The research team hopes their latest discovery will strengthen conservation efforts in Madagascar’s rainforests.

SHARE These Star Trek-Inspiried Scientists And Their Discoveries On Social Media…

New Wearable Cuff ‘Rewires’ Brains of Stroke Patients by Stimulating Nerves

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 16, 2024

A discreet and flexible armband made of electrodes has been found in a small study of stroke patients to aid in restoring flexibility in their disabled arms.

Manufactured by a startup called Neubond the device is intended to seamlessly integrate into daily routines, allowing patients with impaired motor functions to maximize time spent performing rehabilitation activities.

Neubond, led by co-founders Jumpei Kashiwakura and Patrick Sagastegui Alva, has been working with patients from a stroke support group in London near the Imperial College London campus to hone their device. The results were published in a recent paper in the journal NYU Scholars.

The prototype armband is worn around the upper forearm and embedded with electrodes that detect muscle activation commands and stimulate nerves to help restore their connection with the brain.

Co-founder Kashiwakura says the device works by promoting neuroplasticity, or the reorganization of the brain around new neural pathways to regain control of the limb.

After just 8 sessions, Reuters reports, Lisa Vincent’s left arm has gone from completely rigid to being able to bend and flex with much more control.

“My granddaughter, she’s 8 months old, and she was only allowed to sit on my lap because I couldn’t hold her. But 3 weeks ago my daughter put her on my lap and I held her with this arm because I felt in control of the wrist and I was confidant enough,” Vincent told Reuters.

CONTINUE EXPLORING THIS TOPIC: Chef Returns to Kitchen Thanks to Floating Seat Invented After a Motorcycle Injury Made Him Immobile (WATCH)

“I cried myself to sleep that night. It was amazing to be able to do that.”

Neubond came in as one of 5 finalists at the Imperial College’s Venture Catalyst Challenge (VCC), an entrepreneurial endeavor that helps alumni and early-stage business ventures to develop their innovative ideas for eventual commercialization.

OTHER AWESOME WEARABLES: ‘Wearable Muscles’ Restore Mobility in Those Who Have Trouble Moving Their Arms

VCC takes 25 teams through a 3-month program of coaching, meetings with experts, workshops, and pitch training, before the five finalists compete for a Grand Prize of £20,000. The total prize pool is £100,000, making it the largest university contest focused on entrepreneurialism in the UK.

WATCH the story below from Reuters…

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SpaceX Lands its Rocket On a Dime– So it Can Be Reused and Launched Back into Orbit

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 16, 2024

The 5th test launch of the SpaceX Starship vehicle came with a party trick—a landing—which it stuck.

Not since the Moon landings has an American been able to say with as much certainty that they witnessed something straight out of science fiction—a vessel coming down from space and landing on the Earth using jet propulsion.

The footage is unforgettable and documents a truly staggering accomplishment, as not only is the Starship the first reusable rocket to land using propulsion, but the Starship is the largest, heaviest, and most powerful flying object ever made by humans.

The videos below show footage from different angles.

The maneuver saw the Starship’s enormous first-stage booster, the rocket component needed to push the craft out of the atmosphere, glide in free fall down from the sky before activating thrusters to slow and guide its descent; eventually parking on a dime next to the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms which literally grab it.

“This is a day for the engineering history books,” Kate Tice, SpaceX manager of Quality Systems Engineering, said during live commentary as SpaceX employees screamed and cheered at the company’s Hawthorne, California headquarters behind her.

“This is absolutely insane! On the first-ever attempt, we have successfully caught the Super Heavy booster back at the launch tower.”

“Are you kidding me?” SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot added from the launch site. “Even in this day and age, what we just saw—that looked like magic.”

pic.twitter.com/TRbXqFpGpr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2024

Sometimes things do work after all https://t.co/ApGw5wLHHD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2024

The second component of the Starship rocket made it to orbit as intended, before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, activating 3 of its 6 boosters as it hovered over the Indian Ocean—another demonstration success, before exploding.

This is Starship’s 5th test flight. The vehicle has been designed according to SpaceX Founder Elon Musk’s dream of landing humans on Mars during his lifetime. NASA has piggybacked on his ambition, ordering several Starships for the upcoming Artemis missions that aim to return humanity to the Moon with the purpose of establishing a semi-permanent lunar presence.

The historic moment comes just one month after a member of the crew onboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule performed the first-ever civilian spacewalk, proving the design of SpaceX’s new lightweight spacesuits, worn by the crew to travel seamlessly in and out of the capsule.

An analysis by NASA found that the SpaceX Falon 9 has reduced the cost of a rocket launch by a factor of 20. The cost of a Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule mission to ISS is about $140 million with a payload of 6,000 kg, $23,300/kg, compared to the Space Shuttle which was about $1.5 billion.

The analysis was made when Falcon 9 rockets fell back down to Earth to be destroyed. To aid in humanity becoming a multi-planetary species, that cost has to continue to fall substantially, and a rocket that needs only to be refueled rather than rebuilt is a major step toward making space travel around the same cost structure as commercial aviation.

THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS CELEBRATORY PROFANITY…

Watching this one over and over pic.twitter.com/NODBkBaerd
— piet (@piet_dev) October 14, 2024

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Girl Submits Drawing to Upgrade Playground for Little Kids–And the City Enacted Her Advice

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Andy Corbley

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Oct 16, 2024

Girl-Draws-Playground-092724-tout-e3f1a177fd8948939505052736379476 — Utah resident Rosili Olson's playground drawing - credit, Clearfield City/Facebook

Utah resident Rosili Olson’s playground drawing – credit, Clearfield City/Facebook

A young Utah resident has had her classroom civics lessons suddenly explode into life after some crayon drawings she made of a better playground became reality.

Her mom brought her to city hall along with her drawing, and being that a new playground was already budgeted for, they followed 11-year-old Rosili Olson’s lead.

The new Bicentennial Park – credit, Clearfield City/Facebook

Olson, now 12, had made the drawings to sketch out what she thought would be the best playground for her and her younger sisters to play on.

“Rosili realized the playground by her house was suited for ages 5-12 and was not geared toward her younger sister,” Clearfield County officials wrote in the caption of a Facebook video showing off the creation process. “After seeing her initiative and detail, we knew we had to make her dream happen.”

Olson’s mother called city hall and asked if it were possible to bring them in. They agreed, and soon were in the office of Eric Howes, the city’s head of parks and recreation, to make the pitch.

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“It was budgeted but we didn’t have any specifics,” Howes said to local paper the Standard-Examiner.

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“After seeing all the effort she put into all of those drawings knowing we’d already ordered the playground for the park right by her house, the next best thing was to say, ‘We’ve got a playground coming in next year,’” he said, with the Facebook statement adding that they “reviewed multiple versions until we had checked all her boxes and got the colors right.”

Olson, second from right, cuts the ribbon – credit, Clearfield City/Facebook

The collaborative process saw Olson and Howes meet four or five times, right up until the Septebmer 24th ribbon-cutting ceremony which Olson was of course a part of.

SHARE This Cute Story Of Civic Engagement With Your Friends…

“The way of truth is along the path of intellectual sincerity.” – Henry S. Pritchett

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Oct 16, 2024

Quote of the Day: “The way of truth is along the path of intellectual sincerity.” – Henry S. Pritchett

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+ (cropped)

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

These Bird Feeders Have Onboard Cameras That Deliver Close-Ups and Live Streaming of Feathered Friends

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 15, 2024

For every bird-lover out there, these “smart” feeders are bringing the popular hobby into the 21st century, allowing you to watch your feathered friends like never before.

With just 40 days until the Christmas shopping season—with its songs about turtle doves, french hens, and calling birds—we found a great gift idea for the birdwatcher in your life.

Smart feeders include cameras allowing you to watch live streaming of all the action and better identify the wildlife whenever it swoops in to eat your nuts and seeds. Many use AI to offer identifications of the birds you see—bolstering your own knowledge and ability to identify the different species in your yard.

Some are solar-powered, but all include a camera mounted in the glass of the feed reservoir, and a platform beneath to ensure winged visitors are always in the picture frame. Here are four examples from Amazon.com…

NetVue Birdfy

A recent article on Nat Geo reviewed a number of smart feeders, and the clear overall favorite was the NetVue Birdfy®.

There are several options to choose from, with the basic model including a feeding deck and a reservoir for seed. It uses AI to identify 6,000 different species. The rechargeable camera battery can run for six months on a single charge. The camera is 1080p resolution, with color night vision.

More expensive models are either powered by solar, or feature both trays for feeding hummingbirds and seed-lovers. Another model includes a suet attachment, a mini hummingbird feeder, and a fruit holder with jelly feeder for attracting orioles. Still another offers a seed guard to keep squirrels out.

For all the models, the app allows 20 different devices to view the feeding camera at once—bringing together whole families, neighborhoods, or birding groups, to drop-in and see the feeder.

The basic model of the NetVue Birdfy is available for a limited time for $144—ninety dollars less than the listed retail price, but the cost goes up for “Pro” versions featuring solar panels, hummingbird options, or squirrel-blockers.

BIRD BUDDY

The BIRD BUDDY® Smart Birdfeeder was Nat Geo’s second favorite pick because its AI algorithm not only included 1,000 species, but had an exceptional track record at getting the identifications correct. By comparison, the NetVue Birdfy seemed to get some IDs wrong.

It has a better camera, capturing 5 megapixel photos and 1080p HD video, and a rotatable solar panel built-in to take better advantage of the sun, if you don’t want to recharge with their USB cable.

The BIRD BUDDY app, which is needed to view the pics and video, delivers arrival notifications that will buzz your phone whenever a bird arrives. Uniquely, it will take a picture of every bird that lands to help you take your birding identifications into the field.

The BIRD BUDDY costs $279, but some customers on Amazon don’t like paying the additional $5.99 per month fee ($59/annually) required to use the app.

Osoeri Bird Feeder

The Osoeri Bird Feeder has several points that could make it more appealing than the others listed here. For starters, the AI identification software claims to be able to ID 11,000 species. That’s more or less every known avid on the planet, but the app does cost $5 a month.

One advantage is the initial price point. At $99, it’s substantially cheaper than the other options. The camera is 135 millimeter, 1080p HD resolution, has color night vision, and 4x magnification. It also has a wider view than the Bird Buddy (135 degrees compared to 120).

It is equipped with an adjustable solar panel, but for owners who don’t get enough sun, some complain about the battery life. However, 86% of the reviews are 4 stars or above. Instead of being made of plastic like the NetVue, it is metal so less likely to be damaged by squirrels.

The feeder can store bird videos and pictures in the cloud for free for up to 30 days, but you can extend the storage time by subscribing.

Wasserstein Bird Feeder Camera Case

If you already have a Ring, OG, Wyze, or Blink camera, you can save a hundred dollars or more by buying the Wasserstein Bird Feeder Camera Case, which attaches to your own camera.

The upgraded model with a solar panel included with the feeder costs just $79, and uses whatever features you already know your camera can do, so it doesn’t come with an accompanied app.

Customers like the functionality, design, and ease of assembly of the wildlife feeder, commenting that it works well, is an example of innovative design, and is easy to assemble. It’s also all metal, so has been noted for its stability. The non-solar model is $59.

Compare all the models of smart feeders on Amazon, here.

SHARE These Great Gift Ideas With People You Know Who Love Birdwatching…

Scientist Shows Fungi Are ‘Mind-blowing’: They Have Memories, Learn Shapes, Can Make Decisions and Solve Problems

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 15, 2024

170_do_fungi_recognize_shapes_fig1 — Credit - Dr. Fukusawa el al., released.

Can organisms without a brain still show signs of intelligence? Researchers at Tohoku University had this question in mind when conducting a study to measure the decision-making processes in fungi.

While it may sound like science fiction, this level of basal cognition is possible even in fungi, which created these shapes above.

“You’d be surprised at just how much fungi are capable of,” Yu Fukasawa of Tohoku University, told his university press team. “They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions. Quite frankly, the differences in how they solve problems compared to humans is mind-blowing.”

Appreciation for the fact that not only are fungi their own kingdom of life, but one that’s more similar to animals than plants, is growing in the public consciousness, particularly among scientists.

Fungi grow by releasing spores, which can germinate and form long, underground, spidery threads known as mycelium. We typically only see the tiny mushrooms on the surface without realizing that there’s a vast network of interconnected mycelium beneath it. Single mycelia have been found growing across 900 hectares of ground—one organism, stretching over 2,000 acres.

It’s through this network that information can be shared, somewhat like neural connections in the brain, and GNN has reported before that electrical signals very similar to human vocabulary have been detected running along mycelial networks.

The present study examined how a wood-decaying mycelial network responded to two different situations: wood blocks placed in a circle versus an X arrangement. For example, if the fungi didn’t display decision-making skills, they would simply spread out from a central point without consideration for the position of the blocks. Remarkably, this is not what the researchers witnessed.

For the X arrangement, the degree of mycelial colonization was greater in the outermost four blocks. It was hypothesized that this was because the outermost blocks can serve as “outposts” for the mycelial network to embark on foraging expeditions, therefore more dense connections were required compared to the five blocks inside the X.

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In the circle arrangement, the degree of mycelial colonization was the same at any given block. However, all the empty space inside the circle remained clear. It was proposed that the mycelial network did not see a benefit in overextending itself in an already well-populated area.

These findings suggest that the mycelial network was able to communicate information about its surroundings throughout the entire network, and change its direction of growth accordingly based on the shape.

MORE FUNGI DEAS: Scientists Have Used Mushrooms to Make Biodegradable Computer Chip Parts

To avoid wasting energy growing into the center of the circle, for example, each mycelial tip would have to have some information that the center of the circle was an unwise place for growth—which it could only gain from information from the mycelial cells on the other side of the circle.

Our comprehension of the mysterious world of fungi is limited, especially when compared to our knowledge of plants and animals. This research will help us better understand how biotic ecosystems function and how different types of cognition evolved in organisms.

SHARE With Your Friends Who Fungi Can Have Spacial Recognition…

Six Rare Turtles Blown Off Course Are Returned to Original Habitat Thanks to Royal Navy

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 15, 2024

After being blown thousands of miles off course, cold-stunned, and beached, six exhausted sea turtles hitched a ride back to their home in the Azores onboard a Royal Navy ship.

The 6 loggerhead sea turtles, whose home lies in the warmer seas far to the south of the British Isles, were likely blown off course by a storm before being stunned into lethargy by the cold North Atlantic waters.

They may even have died after washing up on the beaches of Cornwall and Devon, but were rescued by members of two local marine sanctuaries who nursed them back to health.

Once fit again, the carers at Newquay Blue Reef Aquarium and Anglesey Sea Zoo weren’t sure what to do with these tropical mariners. They couldn’t be released back into the North Atlantic, but neither of the aquariums had the resources to transport them intercontinentally.

Enter the HMS Medway en route to the Caribbean on counternarcotics patrol and disaster relief via the Azores.

Alongside her regular cargo of food supplies, spare parts for machinery, and disaster relief/aid kits Medway also loaded Jason, Gordon, Perran, Hayle, Holly and Tonni the 6 loggerhead turtles.

She departed Plymouth last week on a mission to replace her sister ship HMS Trent, and had a little stopover in the Portuguese islands for a turtle ‘repatriation.’

MORE TURTLE RESCUES: Watch 2,200 Cold-Stunned Turtles Being Released by Volunteers Back Into the Gulf

“As professional mariners, many of us are keen to do what we can to reduce the loss of biodiversity at sea,” said Rod Jones, the Royal Navy’s Senior Maritime Environmental Protection Adviser.

“Encountering marine wildlife is one of the great joys of seafaring and if we can assist, even in a small way, to make that more likely in the future we are pleased to be able to do that.”

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“Assisting turtles to return to warmer waters may not be the Royal Navy’s primary role but as a government body we are very pleased to be able to support the UK’s ambition for more healthy and diverse seas.”

SHARE These Turtles’ Helping Hand From His Majesty’s Navy…

A Celebrated Ocean Liner Is Being Turned into the World’s Largest Artificial Reef

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 15, 2024

credit - USS United States Conservatory, supplied

credit – SS United States Conservatory, supplied

For decades, the SS United States has been moored off Philadelphia as a reminder of the nation’s seafaring past, but looking now to the future, it will be sunk to create a natural wonder—the world’s largest artificial reef.

While coral reefs are in danger worldwide, features like concrete blocks and shipwrecks can offer vital shelter and habitat to dozens of marine species, and many old vessels in many different countries have gone to rest in this way.

The United States was built in the 1950s with the aim of ferrying troops around the country in case of a war. After it proved unnecessary, it was converted to a luxury ocean liner that became the fastest vessel on the high seas, and it still holds the Transatlantic speed record.

Celebrities and heads of state like John F. Kennedy routinely promenaded along its decks, being shuttled to and from Europe, until 1967 when it was decommissioned, two years after the death of her chief designer and engineer.

Now, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners has approved a contingent contract to see the United States off on her final voyage to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where she would be sunk to join a collection of 500 other artificial reefs that provide a true spectacle for divers.

Two processes: a District Court mediation, and an environmental review, stand in the way of the conversion from liner to reef, but both are expected to conclude without issue.

The deal will “also come with money from the county to open a land-based museum dedicated to the ship, one that would be run by the conservancy,” reported the New York Times.

“To have an opportunity to have the SS United States right here by our shore is a heritage and a legacy that is generational,” said Okaloosa County Commissioner Mel Ponder. “I’m very excited for not only what it does for the diving community, but also the fishing community, but the community at large.”

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The deal might cost as much as $10 million, as the ship is owned by the SS United States Conservatory, run by Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship’s main designer who had previously dismissed the idea. However, she (the boat) isn’t getting any younger, and there is an ongoing dispute with the City of Philadelphia over rent and mooring fees which must now be substantial after 28 years of parking.

There are also signs that Gibbs has changed her tune.

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“The SS United States has inspired millions the world over as a symbol of American pride and excellence,” said Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy, the nonprofit working to preserve the vessel. “Should the ship be converted into an artificial reef, she will become a unique historic attraction above and below the waterline.”

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for every dollar spent on artificial reefs in the Florida Panhandle, the conservative overall economic benefit of the artificial reef system over its life span is $138, a 13,800% return on investment. This includes job creation in the construction and maintenance of reefs and increased economic activity in related sectors such as charter boats, dive equipment rentals, and local retail.

SHARE This Innovative Idea For The Famous Ship’s End Of Life…

“All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.” – Sean O’Casey

Quote of the Day

By

Good News Network

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Oct 15, 2024

Quote of the Day: “All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.” – Sean O’Casey

Photo by: Kyle Head

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Chinese Couple Created ‘Cancer Kitchen’ in Their Alley to Let Family Members Cook for Loved Ones in Nearby Hospital

By

Andy Corbley

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Oct 14, 2024

The cancer kitchen alley - supplied to China Daily

In the city of Nanchang, in an alleyway near a cancer hospital, two senior citizens run a “community cancer kitchen” to support those caring for their loved ones.

Earning the gratitude and goodwill of their nation now that they’ve made national headlines behind the confines of their alley, Wan Zuocheng and Hong Gengxiang have been doing this charity work for two decades.

“No matter what life throws at you, you must eat good food,” Mr. Wan told South China Morning Post.

For just 3 RMB, the equivalent of around $0.32, anyone can use the kitchen spaces they’ve set up in the alleyway to cook meals. Sometimes it’s for the patients so they can eat something familiar rather than hospital food, while sometimes it’s for the people who care for the patients.

In 1993, Wan and Hong ran a restaurant in a building next to the Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, but after it was demolished, they opened a breakfast stall in front of the site.

“There was a couple who came to us with their child,” Wan said, talking about the day in 2003 they decided to start their charity kitchen.

“They said he didn’t want treatment, he just wanted a meal cooked by his mom. So we let them use our kitchen.”

As time passed they added more utensils, appliances, stoves, and ovens to their stall. This came with gradually increasing use of water, electricity, and coal, but as the costs rose, so too did the community, supporting the couple and their efforts to provide the invaluable service they relied on.

Donations began to outpace expenditures, and now nearly 10,000 people come to cook in the cancer kitchen.

“We and the patients are inseparable now. For us, without the patients, we would feel lonely, and for the patients, they would encounter difficulties without us,” Wan told China Daily. “Many of those coming here are cancer patients and their families who are going through tough times.”

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“I will help them as long as I am able to,” said Wan.

Food is incredibly important in Chinese culture, as is the case in most places on Earth. Rather than asking how things are going, in parts of China it’s a common greeting to instead ask someone if they’ve eaten yet.

It’s been thoroughly observed in medicine that the odds of beating cancer can be improved with positivity, and what could be more positive than a loved one bringing you a home-cooked meal?

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In 2019, the local government funded a renovation of the cancer kitchen, moving it indoors and equipping it with more than 20 cooking positions and ventilators. In 2020, they were accorded the honor of being named first among the “People Who Move China,” a popular television recognition similar to CNN Heroes.

WATCH the story below from SCMP…

SHARE This Touching Charity Operation And These Two Hardworking Souls With Your Friends…

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