Motoring Madmen Drive Across Africa in Famously Unreliable Three-Wheeled Car (WATCH)

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Apr 28, 2026

Quote of the Day: “Love is a sacred reserve of energy.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Photo by: Yumu / cdd20

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?

Good News in History, April 28

This Day In History

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Apr 28, 2026

100 years ago today, Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, was born. During the two and a half years spent writing the novel in New York, the Alabama-born author became so frustrated that she tossed the manuscript out the window, into the snow—but her agent made her retrieve it! Published in 1960, the book was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize. READ More… (1926)

‘Lightning in a Bottle’ Transforms Methane into High-Demand Methanol Through Breakthrough Process

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Apr 27, 2026

- credit, Dayne Swearer Northwestern University

By harnessing tiny bursts of plasma—or “mini lightning bolts”—in glass tubes submerged in water, chemists have discovered a new way to turn natural gas into liquid fuel.

Utilizing literal “lighting in a bottle” the team from Northwestern University successfully converted methane directly into methanol in a single step.

Methanol is a versatile, high-demand industrial chemical used to make many products people use every day. It also is commonly used as an industrial solvent and is gaining attention as a cleaner-burning fuel for ships and industrial boilers.

Using just electricity, water, and a copper-oxide catalyst, the new process could offer a cleaner, electrified path to producing one of the world’s most widely used chemical building blocks.

The method bypasses the extreme heat and high pressures required for current industrial processes, which blast apart methane and rebuild it as methanol in a multi-step process. While the current method is reliable, it’s energy intensive and emits millions of tons of carbon dioxide per year globally.

“The extreme temperatures are needed to break the unreactive chemical bonds between carbon and hydrogen in methane,” said Northwestern’s Dayne Swearer, the study’s corresponding author, in a release regarding the paper’s publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

“Then, you must use high pressure to squeeze all those molecules together onto the catalyst in order to make the methanol molecule. It works, but it’s not the most straightforward path to making methanol from methane.”

While researchers have long sought a more energy-efficient, single-step solution, they have struggled to overcome two challenges. Methane is unusually stable and difficult to break apart, requiring extreme reaction conditions. Then, once methanol is formed, it continues to react, rapidly degrading into carbon dioxide. So, the challenge lies in not just starting the reaction but stopping it at exactly the right moment.

To overcome these issues, Swearer and his team turned to plasma, a highly energized state of matter filled with fast-moving, “hot” electrons. Most people might be familiar with plasma as the type of matter that makes up the Sun or lightning bolts. Those are examples of hot plasmas. Swearer’s group works primarily with cold plasmas, in which the gas molecules’ temperature is closer to room temperature, but the electrons are selectively heated to temperatures that can exceed tens of thousands of degrees.

“We’re using pulses of high-voltage electricity,” said Swearer. “If the electrical potential is high enough, lightning bolts form inside of our reactor the way they do during a summer thunderstorm. We’re taking advantage of that chemistry to break methane’s bonds without heating the entire system to extreme temperatures.”

For the new single-step process, James Ho, a PhD candidate in Swearer’s lab, built a plasma “bubble reactor,” which is essentially a porous glass tube coated with a copper oxide catalyst.

Then, the team flowed methane gas through the tube while applying electrical pulses. The electricity transformed the methane gas into plasma, splitting methane and water into highly reactive fragments. Those fragments then recombined to form methanol, which immediately dissolves into the surrounding water. That rapid “quenching” stopped the chemical reaction at the right moment, preventing the methane from decomposing into carbon dioxide.

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To further enhance the process, the team diluted methane with argon, which is typically an inert noble gas. But, after ionizing argon in the plasma, the chemists discovered it became an active and reactive participant in the chemical process, increasing electron density within the plasma and reducing unwanted byproducts.

Under the optimized conditions with argon present, the system demonstrated 96.8% methanol selectivity in the liquid mixture. In other words, of all the liquid products formed in the process, it was mostly methanol. And, of all the products formed — both gas and liquid—about 57% ended up as methanol.

“We also ended up with ethylene, which is a precursor to plastic production, and hydrogen gas, which is an important commodity chemical and a zero-carbon fuel in its own right,” Swearer said. “So, we took methane, which is a very abundant gas, and turned it into methanol along with ethylene, hydrogen and a bit of propane. These are all intrinsically more valuable products.”

If scaled, the plasma-driven system could enable smaller, distributed facilities that use electricity to convert methane into liquid fuels.

“We could treat stranded resources, like leaky well heads that naturally emit methane into the environment,” Swearer said. “Right now, the way to deal with leaked methane is to light it on fire to turn it into carbon dioxide, which warms the climate less than methane but is still clearly a problem. Instead, we could take a smaller scale reactor to the place that’s leaking methane and turn it into a transportable liquid fuel.”

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Grandmother Gets Help From Her Dog While Gardening: She Points and He Digs

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Apr 27, 2026

Barbara Collins and Chewy - credit, Amy Savino, family photo

An American senior recently went viral on social media while doing a bit of gardening—with the help of a 150 pound dog.

Barbara Collins has some flowers in her hand, and she points to the giant brown Newfoundland where she wants to put them.

Then Chewy the Newfy starts to dig.

Collins kneels down and puts the marigolds in the hole, covers it up, and pats down the soil.

It was all so simple, yet 11 million people watched it on TikTok, where thousands left appreciative comments of the well-trained dog and the charming relationship it has with the old woman.

“I’m so in love with your precious grandma and Chewy. Their loving relationship is priceless. I can be feeling down and watching them changes everything for me,” someone commented on an Instagram video.

Great-grandmother Barbara Collins and Chewy as a puppy – credit, Amy Savino, family photo

Collins doesn’t move like she used to. At 96, the digging would be a bit too much. But thankfully she has a lovely relationship with Chewy, her granddaughter’s dog. Granddaughter Amy Savino lives next door with her husband and three children, and their dog Chewy has practically become Collins’ dog.

“They’re just best friends,” said Savino, 39. “He’s always had such a sweet, sweet bond with her.”

MORE VIRAL STORIES:

Collins admitted to the Washington Post that she feels “very lucky” to have a friend like Chewy, who is named after Chewbacca the Wookie from Star Wars.

“He likes to do whatever I want him to do,” Collins said. “He is always looking at me and smiling. I wanted him to dig, and he just did exactly what I told him to do.”

Beyond all the cuteness, it’s a darn good idea that probably thousands of grandmothers across the country could consider availing themselves of.

WATCH the two in action below…

@chewythenewfieHe knows exactly what she's saying 🥹❤️ ♬ Anyone Else - Diamonds And Ice

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New Prince Song “With This Tear” Released to Mark 10 Years Since Superstar’s Death

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Apr 27, 2026

Prince has dropped a new track on the anniversary of his death 10 years ago last Tuesday.

The Prince official YouTube channel has said that it will be releasing 10 tunes by the superstar this year as part of a never-before-released album project.

GNN has reported at times on the advent of dead artists whose new music continues to be enjoyed, but these are usually composers like Bach or Mozart.

“With This Tear” was recorded at Prince’s Minnesota mansion Paisley Park in 1991. He offered it to Celine Dion, who recorded her own version a year later.

CBS News Minnesota reported that the track has been newly mixed and mastered and features Prince producing, arranging, composing, and performing all instrumentation as he was wont to do.

Fans have been honoring the departed pop legend in Minneapolis this month, with a large mural going up at First Avenue in the city. Outside Paisley Park mansion, tributes and remembrances have lined up along a memorial fence.

The anniversary will more or less culminate on June 3rd to the 7th when Paisley Park will feature a succession of concerts headlined by performances from The Revolution, Prince’s studio and live band, and artists Prince signed for his New Power Generation record label.

SHARE This New Prince Track With Fans You Know On Social Media…

Release the Kraken: 60-foot Octopuses Were Top Predators 100 Million Years Ago, Fossils Shows

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Apr 27, 2026

Size comparison of N. haggarti to its contemporaneous competitors – credit, Hokkaido University

The kraken: a giant squid or octopus of myth, seems to have swam in the Cretaceous oceans, a Japanese study shows.

Recovering a selection of truly revolutionary fossils from sediments in Japan and Vancouver Island, the researchers present a prehistoric octopus that could grow as long as 60 feet, and use its powerful jaws to grind bones.

Fossil evidence of cephalopods like octopuses is extremely difficult to gather because their soft bodies deteriorate quickly, having just 1 single bone that can remain to be fossilized.

Using a technique they termed “digital fossil mining,” researchers at the University of Hokkaido applied high-resolution grinding tomography to look within sedimentary rock samples from the Cretaceous period before subjecting the images to an artificial intelligence model that could exquisitely map the fossils they contained.

Those fossils were the beak and lower jaw of a creature called Nanaimoteuthis, the largest species of which Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, grew to sizes between 23 and 62 feet in length. These truly colossal invertebrates used their beaks to grind up shells and bones as evidenced by the substantial amount of wear on the largest fossil the team found, which correlated with a 62-foot body length and would have placed it beyond any of the formidable marine reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs that shared the ocean with it.

“Within this ecosystem, Nanaimoteuthis likely used its large body and long arms to capture prey, and its powerful jaws to process hard food,” study coauthor Yasuhiro Iba, an associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Japan’s Hokkaido University, told CNN. “Like modern octopuses, it may have relied on intelligence to find, capture and consume its prey.”

The giant squid of our oceans today, stretching 30 feet in length and bearing 3 inch jaws, is the largest invertebrate living or extinct that’s known to science. N. Haggarti wielded jaws around 150% larger, and could be 23 feet longer. Its discovery also places it as the oldest Cirrata, or finned octopus. The fins itself would be as wide as an average man is tall.

The Nanaimoteuthis haggarti fossil that was used to calculate the 60 foot body length – credit Hokkaido University

In their study, the authors hypothesize that the animal, like modern octopuses, was intelligent, as evidenced by asymmetric wear on its beak, though some scientists who weren’t involved with the study said to CNN that this claim requires more evidence.

COLOSSAL NEWS: Colossal Squid Filmed in Deep-Sea Natural Habitat for the First Time

For their part, the authors state that the asymmetric wear reflects brain lateralization, or the division of the brain into hemispheres with unique specializations that manifest in the dominant application of one side of the body for various tasks. In the case of this Kraken of the Cretaceous, it’s grinding down the bones or shells of its prey, which it preferred to do on one side of its jaw.

Whatever the case, the largest jaw, which would have been attached to a 60-foot-long animal, had lost 10% of its total chitinous mass from wear, suggesting an extremely active hunting behavior.

OTHER REVOLUTIONARY FOSSILS: A Burrowing Dinosaur? More Evidence from Utah Suggests that Some Dinos Were Happier Underground

It was clearly a top predator: how couldn’t it be? The question next will be what was its relationship with the mosasaur: the top marine vertebrate predator. Was it an uneasy stalemate, or could one prey on the other?

While the kraken certainly had the body size to compete with the mosasaur, viewing it as prey is a different question. Would it have benefited or even been able to have consumed such large animals, which could grow themselves to beyond 30 feet in length?

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“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” – Benjamin Franklin

Quote of the Day

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Apr 27, 2026

Quote of the Day: “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” – Benjamin Franklin

Photo by: Andria Elia Photography – in Cyprus

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?

Good News in History, April 27

This Day In History

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Apr 27, 2026

Rocky Marciano 1953 cropped public domain wikipedia — Rocky Marciano 1953 – Public domain / Wikipedia

70 years ago today, Rocky Marciano retired as an undefeated boxing champ at age 32, becoming the only person to hold the heavyweight title without a tie or defeat during his entire career. Born to Italian immigrants in Brockton, Massachusetts, he worked out as a youth on homemade weightlifting equipment at home and dropped out of school in the tenth grade. His knockout percentage of 87.75 is one of the highest in heavyweight history. READ more about the famous boxing figure… (1956)

Scientists Discover How the Iconic ‘Twelve Apostles’ Rock Formations Were Created in Australia

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GEOLOGY GEMS!
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• Geologists Found a Mega-Structure Built by Ice Age Hunters Submerged in the Baltic Sea
• Man Finds Meteorite After Seeing Green Light in Sky: It was Warm and Burnt and ‘May Be From Halley’s Comet’

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Apr 26, 2026

The Twelve Apostles in Victoria, Australia – Credit Michael J Fromholtz (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Research from the University of Melbourne for the first time has confirmed the ancient impetus that formed the iconic Twelve Apostles, 25 miles of rock formations along Australia’s southern coast.

The evidence is in: tectonic plate movements over millions of years lifted the giant limestone landmass out of the sea.

“Until now, the evolution of the Twelve Apostles had not been well known,” said the lead researcher, Associate Professor Stephen Gallagher from the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

The “landmark” study, published this week in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, revealed that while the Twelve Apostles were pushed out of the sea over millions of years by shifting tectonic plates.

The tectonic event, followed by 20,000 years of erosion from wind and waves, helped shape the Twelve Apostles into one of the world’s best-preserved and accessible records of ancient climates and sea levels.

“Much like an environmental time capsule, each layer of these giant structures preserved information about the Earth’s climate, tectonic activity, plants and animals over millions of years, including a key time about 13.8 million years ago when the climate was much warmer than what it is today,” Associate Professor Gallagher explained in a media release.

He continued, “We are using this ‘window back in time’ to understand where temperatures and sea levels may be heading on our current path of climate change.”

Loch Ard Gorge in Port Campbell National Park in Australia – Credit: Diliff (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Like tree rings, the layers have provided scientists with a clearer idea of the Apostle’s age than ever before. The researchers say they are actually younger than previously understood.

“Early preliminary research indicated the ancient limestone layers ranged between seven to fifteen million years old, but we discovered microscopic fossils that more accurately dated the layers as 8.6 to 14 million years old,” said Gallagher.

“We also uncovered that the tectonic movements didn’t push up the Apostles perfectly straight. Instead, they forced layers to tilt and break along the way.

“If you look closely at the cliffs around the Twelve Apostles today, you can see the limestone layers are not flat but are, in fact, tilted by a few degrees. Small fault lines can also be seen, which are records of ancient earthquakes.”

Credit Mark Cuthell – RELEASED with study

Although the limestone sea stacks 120 miles southwest of Melbourne were named ‘the Twelve Apostles’, there may have only been nine. Only seven remain today, after the collapse of one that was 50-meters-tall (160 ft) in 2005, and another in 2009, leaving only stumps in the protected area within Port Campbell National Park.

The new research along this 40 kilometers (25mi) of continuous sea cliffs, employed photographic and digital imagery, with field mapping, and stratigraphic and microfossil analyses, to reveal that their geology spans 15 million years of Earth history.

Flooding since the Last Glacial Period 23,000–20,000 years ago created the sea stacks, cliffs, and estuaries, as extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone, weakening cracks in the cliffs, causing them to form caves in the cliffs, which then become arches that eventually collapsed, forming free-standing stacks.

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$20M Awarded to Louisiana Idea For Ensuring Health Clinics Stay Open During Hurricanes Across 4 States

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Apr 26, 2026

An innovative solution that would guard against natural disasters facing the Gulf Coast region has won a $20 million infusion to make its vision a reality.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Futures Challenge has awarded $20 million to the Louisiana Public Health Institute for its ‘Gulf Hub initiative’.

The initiative brings together a powerful, multi-state partnership between Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida to transform community health centers into energy-independent, climate-adaptive health care facilities that remain operational before, during, and after disruptions and disasters.

These hubs will deliver uninterrupted care to more than a half million residents across the four Gulf states, which are increasingly under siege from hurricanes.

“We asked the people of the Gulf for their visions for a brighter future, and they responded with a flood of exciting proposals,” said Lauren Alexander Augustine, executive director of the Gulf Research Program.

“The Louisiana Public Health Institute’s project is exemplary in combining fresh ideas with innovative partnerships.”

Some of the partners on board include: Primary Care Associations, the Louisiana State University School of Public Health, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Southern University’s School of Social Work, Crescent Care, the Mississippi Public Health Institute, Collective Energy, and 504HealthNet.

“Community health centers are deeply trusted local health care anchors that communities across the Gulf Coast rely on, especially in times of disruption and disaster,” said Shelina Davis, CEO of the Louisiana Public Health Institute.

“Through Gulf Hub, we have the opportunity to equip these centers to remain open, connected, and responsive when care is needed most, while generating and sharing data that strengthens coordination, continuity, and long-term resilience across the region.”

HURRICANE RESILIENCE: Thousands of Circular Homes Are Surviving Hurricanes Across the US Thanks to North Carolina Company (LOOK)

Through an open competition launched in June 2024, the Gulf Futures Challenge aimed to leverage the inherent talent and knowledge of the people of the Gulf region by supporting ideas and solutions from those who understand it best.

The challenge received 164 proposals from innovators in the four Gulf Coast states mentioned above, plus Texas — and more than 100 reviewers directly evaluated science‑driven ideas that addressed real problems facing their communities.

“The caliber of the proposals we received demonstrates how rigorous science can be translated into practical solutions and real-world resilience,” said Kristen J. Molyneaux, president and co-founder of Lever for Change, which managed the Challenge and is helping all 10 finalists raise their visibility, and increase their potential to secure funding.

HURRICANE SUPER HOME: This Hurricane-Proof Florida Development Easily Endured Helene, Ian, and Idalia–Proving Climate Designs Work

“Donors interested in supporting these projects with additional funding can contact Lever for Change to continue advancing this work.”

The Gulf Hub health initiative—along with another project dealing with offshore oil rigs—both received $20 million each. Additionally, all 10 finalist teams received an initial project development grant of $300,000 and received technical assistance to strengthen their proposals.

The remaining eight finalists will each receive up to $875,000 in additional project development support. To learn more about the Gulf Futures Challenge and the awarded projects, visit Lever for Change.

SPREAD THE NEWS So Gulf State Health Workers Can Get Involved…

Once Extinct in the Wild, Bandicoot Marsupial to be Released Across Australia After Being Bred For Survival (LOOK)

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Apr 26, 2026

Released only for use with this SWNS story – Once-extinct marsupial released in Australia after being bred for survival — Eastern barred bandicoot back in the wild – SWNS Released only for use with SWNS story SWCRbandicoot

Eastern barred bandicoot back in the wild – James D Morgan /SWNS

In Australia, the eastern barred bandicoot was declared extinct in the wild in 1991, after the population dwindled to just 60 living at a landfill site in Victoria.

But now, the marsupial has been “bred for survival” and will be released into a half dozen reintroduction sites across the country after previous attempts to reintroduce it failed because of inbreeding.

In the world-first gene-mixing approach, mainland Australian bandicoots have been bred with those from Tasmania—two genetically distinct populations isolated from each other for more than 10,000 years.

The small, native marsupials became extinct after the ecosystem was devastated by invasive species like rabbits, along with feral cats and foxes that became predators across the huge island.

The genetic rescue program was led by the Odonata Foundation, Cesar Australia, and the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Recovery Team.

Animal survival isn’t the only benefit—the land will improve too. Burrowing by the chipmunk-sized bandicoots improves soil health and strengthens landscapes against flood and drought.

The latest plan to reintroduction aims to build a population of at least 500 animals across a minimum of five different locations. (Watch the excellent video at the bottom…)

Eastern barred bandicoot released at night – SWNS / Right Now Climate Fund / James D Morgan

It ensures animals are geographically dispersed and less likely to be wiped out by natural disaster.

That goal of climate resilience resonates with Amazon.com’s Right Now Climate Fund, which donated $2.5 million to help restore endangered species in Australia

“Thirty years ago, these bandicoots were gone from mainland Australia,” said Michael Miller, an Amazon VP for the fund, which was established in 2019 with $100 million to help communities in Europe become more climate resilient, using nature-based solutions to enhance biodiversity, along with their key partner The Nature Conservancy.

“What makes their recovery incredible is the science behind it—a genetic rescue program which is science-backed, scalable, and transformative for conservation.”

Eastern barred bandicoot – James D Morgan /SWNS

“The same methodology could help save endangered animals all over the world.”

The three-year project will help save the eastern barred bandicoot and other species including the eastern quoll and southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby.

Dr. Andrew Weeks, director of Cesar Australia and science advisor to Odonata perfectly summed it up.

“We’ve built a fit, feisty bandicoot population with far greater genetic health and a much better chance of survival than their inbred predecessors.”

SHARE THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUCCESS With Nature Lovers On Social Media…

“In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty.” – Christopher Morley

Quote of the Day

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Apr 26, 2026

Quote of the Day: “In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty.” – Christopher Morley

Photo by: Katarina Branovacki

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?

Good News in History, April 26

This Day In History

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Apr 26, 2026

106 years ago today, the Smithsonian Museums in the nation’s capital held the first of its Great Debate series, with the topic being whether spiral galaxies and nebulae were relatively small and part of the Milky Way. Arguing in the affirmative was Harlow Shapely, head of the Harvard College Observatory. Arguing in the negative was astronomer Heber Curtis. A year later the two sides of the debate were presented and expanded on in independent technical papers under the title “The Scale of the Universe.” READ more about the Great Debate… (1920)

Researchers Develop Way to Get Natural Gas That’s Renewable Directly From Sewage

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Apr 25, 2026

Sewage wastewater treatment plant – File photo by Getty Images for Unsplash+

A pilot study employing a new method for treating sewage sludge efficiently created renewable natural gas while slashing in half the cost of the treatment.

The Washington State University team described the process this week in Chemical Engineering Journal, touting it as a way to help communities sustainably clean up their waste while providing renewable natural gas for their energy needs.

When the researchers pretreated sludge collected from a nearby wastewater facility, they produced 200% more renewable natural gas compared to current practices—and cut the cost of disposal by nearly 50%.

“This technology basically converts up to 80% of the sewage sludge into something valuable,” said Professor Birgitte Ahring of WSU’s School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, and one of the authors of the paper.

The renewable gas can be used in the same way as fossil-fuel based natural gas—for electricity generation, home heating, or transportation—all without the heavy climate imprint left by fossil fuels.

Addressing the giant energy drain from current methods of processing waste

Wastewater treatment facilities use large amounts of electricity to clean up municipal wastewater, making up between 3% and 4% of the total electricity demand in the U.S.

They are often the largest user of electricity in a small community. Their treatment processes also contribute to global warming, adding about 21 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere annually.

About half of the approximately 15,000 wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. use anaerobic digestion to reduce sewage waste and make biogas, but the process, in which microbes break down the waste, is inefficient and struggles to break down all the complex molecules in the sludge.

Additionally, the biogas composed of carbon dioxide and methane has limited use—while the leftover sludge, called biosolids, most often ends up in landfills.

Biogas reactor converts waste into renewable natural gas – Courtesy of WSU

For their study (funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office), the WSU team added a pretreatment step, treating the sludge at high temperature and pressure with oxygen added before the anaerobic digestion process. The small amount of oxygen under high-pressure conditions acts as a catalyst to break down the long polymer chains in the material.

The researchers showed that their pretreatment resulted in reduced cost to treat the sewage from $494 to $253 per ton of dry solids.

WASTE WONDER: Study Shows Vaporizing E-Waste Makes it Easy to Recover Precious Metals at 13-Times Lower Costs

The team then used a novel bacterial strain that they discovered and isolated to upgrade the biogas, converting carbon dioxide with hydrogen into methane or renewable natural gas. The researchers analyzed and verified the renewable gas, showing that it was 99% pure methane.

“This (bacterial strain) bug doesn’t need anything—it is a workhorse,” said Ahring in a news release. “It doesn’t need organic additives or a lot of nursing. It does well with water and a vitamin pill.”

With help from WSU’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship the researchers have patented the bacterial strain, and are now working with an industrial partner to develop a larger scale project.

“This approach not only enhances carbon conversion efficiency and methane yield but also enables direct production of pipeline-quality renewable natural gas with minimal CO2 content — addressing two major limitations of existing sludge-to-energy systems into a single, scalable methodology,” said Ahring.

BRILLIANT BIO-BABY: Packet of Fungi Inside New Diapers Breaks Them Down in Landfill Turning it to Mycelium

“By successfully bridging advanced pretreatment with biological biogas upgrading, this work provides a new, integrated paradigm for sustainable sludge treatment maximizing energy recovery while contributing to the circular bio-economy.”

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#1 in NFL Draft – And in Charity: Fernando Mendoza Just Pledged Half Million to Fight MS, Honoring Mom

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Apr 25, 2026

Courtesy of Mendoza Family Fund / MS Society

The newest Heisman Trophy winner was chosen as the #1 pick in the NFL draft Thursday, but the young quarterback is also a #1 charitable giver.

Fernando Mendoza announced this week a commitment of $500,000 to the National MS Society to accelerate progress toward a world free of multiple sclerosis.

The new Mendoza Family Fund builds on years of creative fundraising for MS undertaken by Fernando and his brother Alberto, who’s continuing his collegiate football career at Georgia Tech, while his sibling moves on to the pros.

For years, in honor of their mother, Elsa, who lives with MS, the brothers have spearheaded grassroots fundraising that has already tallied more than $360,000.

When he was still a little known quarterback locked in a battle for the starting job at University of California, he launched the ‘Mendoza Burrito’ partnering with Berkeley’s La Burrita, with all proceeds going to the National MS Society.

After moving to Indiana and becoming a Midwest football hero, he partnered with Buffalouie’s and Gables Bagels to create another Cuban-themed dish to honor his heritage—the “Mendoza Burger”—donating a percentage from each sandwich sold.

The delicious result was over $150,000 going to the MS Society in 2025, says Sports Business Journal.

Fernando Mendoza, quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers, with his CFP Offensive Player of the Game trophy after winning the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship versus Miami – Credit: Bobak Ha’Eri (CC BY 3.0)

Inspired by Elsa’s strength and resilience, Fernando and Alberto have used their platforms to raise awareness, mobilize communities, and support others affected by the disease.

In a touching example, at Christmastime he gave four families affected by MS $10,000 each to go on a shopping spree at the Adidas store.

His personal donation this week of $500,000 to the National MS Society will fund MS research at the University of Miami Health System and Miller School of Medicine.

“This fund is about my mom and the millions of people living with MS,” said Fernando.

“My mom has taught our family strength, resilience, and positivity. My brothers Alberto and Max, my dad, and I – we’ve all learned from her example.”

“She’s the reason we fight, and the reason we believe we can do something bigger than ourselves. Together, we can bring us closer to a cure and a future free of MS.”

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza wins 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship for Indiana – by Bobak Ha’Eri (CC BY 3.0)

As the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza is projected to earn roughly $9.9 million in his first season. This is part of a fully guaranteed four-year, $54.56 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

MORE NFL CHARITY HEROES:
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“The Mendoza Family Fund gives us the opportunity to turn that inspiration into real impact by advancing groundbreaking research and helping families like mine navigate this disease,” he added.

“The Mendoza family has built more than a fundraiser – they’ve built a movement rooted in love and purpose,” said Dr. Tim Coetzee, President of the National MS Society.

Together with their brother Max and parents Fernando and Elsa, the family aims to expand their impact and inspire even greater participation in the movement to end MS.

Supporters can contribute to the Mendoza Family Fund, here.

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Mystery of the ‘Golden Orb’ Found Two Miles Deep on Ocean Floor is Finally Resolved

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Apr 25, 2026

Golden orb found on deep sea floor-NOAA SWNS — The mysterious ‘golden orb’ spotted by NOAA exploration of ocean floor two miles below the Alaska sea – NOAA / SWNS

The mysterious ‘golden orb’ spotted in 2023 by NOAA exploration of ocean floor two miles deep – NOAA / SWNS

The mystery of the ‘golden orb’ found at the bottom of the ocean has been solved by scientists after two-and-a-half years.

U.S. researchers from NOAA—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—were left confused and excited by the sighting in 2023 made during their Ocean Exploration program.

During live video footage of the deep sea floor, a member of the Seascape Alaska 5 expedition crew is heard muttering, “It’s like the beginning of a horror movie”. Another commented, “I’m pretty sure this is how the first episode of the X-Files started.”

“It’s common for scientists to find organisms they don’t immediately recognize,” said a NOAA spokesperson in a media statement this week about the discovery made by their Okeanos Explorer ship.

“Most of the time, these mysteries are solved quickly as members of the scientific community chat and pool their knowledge. However, some discoveries turn into real puzzles—like in the case of the ‘golden orb’.”

(Watch the video below with puzzled researchers speculating in real time…)

Finally, however, scientists have determined that the confusing golden mass, discovered over 2 miles deep in the Gulf of Alaska (3,250 meters), is a remnant of the dead cells that formed at the base of a giant deep-sea anemone, Relicanthus daphneae.

“Mystery solved: The ‘golden orb’ is not an egg, a sponge, or remnants of a space alien, but a relic of a deep-sea anemone.”

Collecting the mysterious golden orb on deep sea floor – NOAA / SWNS

A piece of a previously unknown specimen

They believe the bright leftovers were the part of the anemone that attached to the rock substrate.

Because the enigmatic discovery had attracted a lot of speculation and public interest, the team collected the orb using a suction sampler and sent it to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for further examination and study.

“Identifying the ‘golden orb’ was a multi-year, complex effort.

“In a world accustomed to instant gratification, waiting for scientific research to provide answers can be frustrating. But science takes time.”

“I suspected that our routine processes would clarify the mystery,” explained Allen Collins, Ph.D, zoologist and director of NOAA Fisheries’ National Systematics Laboratory, which is physically located within the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

MYSTERY WHALES: These Rare Whales Had Never Been Seen Alive, Then Scientists Saw Two Near California

“But this turned into a special case that required focused efforts and expertise of several different individuals. This was a complex mystery that required morphological, genetic, deep-sea and bioinformatics expertise to solve.”

Initial DNA barcoding was inconclusive, likely due to picking up DNA from other microscopic life on the specimen. Moving deeper, whole-genome sequencing confirmed animal DNA and contained a large amount of genetic material from the giant deep-sea anemone, according to the paper published this week. Sequencing the mitochondrial genomes of both specimens confirmed they were genetically almost identical to a known Relicanthus daphneae reference genome.

Illustrating where the part is located on giant deep sea anemone – NOAA / SWNS

“While this discovery confirms the identity of the previously unknown specimen, the Earth’s deep ocean still holds many secrets.”

“So often in deep ocean exploration, we find these captivating mysteries, like the ‘golden orb’.

WOW, LOOK:
• Bizarre Deep-Sea Creature – a ‘Death Ball’ Sponge – Discovered in One of the Most Remote Corners of the Planet
• Mauritius Restores Reefs with Heat-Resistant Coral and Sees 98% Survival Rates

“With advanced techniques like DNA sequencing, we are able to solve more and more of them,” said CAPT William Mowitt, acting director of NOAA Ocean Exploration.

“This is why we keep exploring—to unlock the secrets of the deep and better understand how the ocean and its resources can drive economic growth, strengthen our national security, and sustain our planet.”

Watch the NOAA explainer video below…

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

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Apr 25, 2026

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

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of April 25, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
You’re finished with energy-draining indulgences. No more seductive perils or cute ailments, either. Once you wriggle free from the tangles that have been hobbling your style, I suspect you will also renounce anything that resembles joyless restraint, naive certainties, pointless cravings, numbing comforts, or misplaced bravery. May it be so! Abracadabra! The emancipations that materialize after these escapes will likely stoke your holy appetite to shine more fiercely than it has in ages.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In music theory, the tritone is an interval exactly halfway between octaves. In old church music, it was considered diabolical because of its unstable, unresolved quality. But this “devil interval” is now essential to blues, jazz, and rock. The precariousness that once made it seem outrageous became the source of its potency. What was taboo became foundational. I believe you’re entering into a metaphorical tritone phase, Gemini. Lots of interesting and valuable stuff may be a bit wobbly, irregular, hectic, or ruffled.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
A treasure you have long yearned for has morphed since the day you first set out to claim it. Either it has genuinely altered its shape and flavor, or it has remained exactly what it always was while you have changed. In either case, the relationship between you and this prize is no longer the same. Its meaning and value have shifted. The strategies you’ve been using to pursue it aren’t entirely relevant. So I suggest you pause and reconsider. Decide whether you need to formulate a revised approach or identify a different version of the treasure altogether.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
My radical predictions: You will soon discern truths that have been hidden and unravel mysteries that have resisted your understanding. A limiting belief that has dulled your mind will fade away, and a so-called ally who has confused your sense of self will drift out of your orbit. And that’s just part of the renewal ahead. I foresee that you will emerge from a weird emotional haze, regaining access to feelings you’ve needed to highlight. And with that awakening, you will be blessed with beautiful realizations that until now have lingered just beyond definition.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In theater, “blocking” refers to the carefully choreographed movement of actors on stage. Every step is intentional, designed to create meaning and flow. But if an actor forgets the blocking and moves spontaneously in response to what’s happening, sometimes the scene becomes more alive. Let’s apply this idea to your life, Virgo. It may be that you have been following the blocking carefully. You know your role well. But now you’ve been authorized to forget the blocking. You can respond to what’s really happening instead of what’s scripted. I invite you to speak from your heart rather than parroting what’s expected of you. Yes, you might mess up the scene. But on the other hand, you might make it extra real and vibrant.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In the future I envision for us all, the prizes that truly matter won’t be the wealth we’ve gathered or the impressive names on our contact list. They won’t be the clever deals we’ve made or the attractiveness of those who walk beside us. What will count most is our ability to transform the messy, selfish, frightened parts of ourselves into strengths. That’s hard to do! Each of us carries a share of that leaden dross, of course, but some of us are more tirelessly ingenious in our efforts to transmute it into gold. And the coming weeks will be prime time for you, Libra, to make dynamic progress in harnessing this magic.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Is it possible there’s something you really need but you don’t know what it is? Sometimes the soul sends up subtle hints long before it sends clear demands: a vague restlessness, a mysterious sadness, or a boredom that doesn’t match your circumstances. These are often clues that an unnamed or unacknowledged need is summoning your attention. My advice to you: PAY ATTENTION! Ask your deep, sweet, sensitive self to provide unambiguous clues. To expedite the process, say the following sentence out loud, filling in the blank at the end: “I suspect I might be starving for ________.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
You have arrived at the Glorious Grunting Season, my dear Sagittarius. I hope you’re poised to sweat freely and trust the intelligence of strenuous physical effort. Your wise body, more than your fine mind, can best align you with cosmic rhythms. Whenever you throw yourself into work or play that makes you grunt—hauling, scrubbing, digging, lifting, dancing, running, making love—you will harmonize with the deeper pulse of life. I predict that you will invigorate your instinctual vitality as you clear emotional sediment and ground your energy in the earth’s rich rhythms. You will metabolize frustration into focus, inertia into momentum, and abstraction into embodiment.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
What might motivate you to become an extraordinary lover? I’m not suggesting that your romantic and erotic talents are lacking, only that there is delightful room to grow. And the coming weeks will be prime time for you to have fun with this noble experiment. I suggest you follow the clues that life and intuition will drop in your path. Keep this in mind, too: What makes a person a superb lover has a little to do with sheer technique, but is mostly due to emotional intelligence, imaginative responsiveness, and tender ingenuity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
This horoscope isn’t composed by me. It’s coming from you. I’m channeling it straight out of your own deep mind. Why now? Because your conscious ego has been so swept up in the constant swirl of tasks and distractions that it has been tuning out crucial communications from your still, small voice. And now that precious Spirit Whisperer has conscripted me as its messenger. Here’s what it wants to say: “Hey you! Remember me? Your inner guide? Also known as your higher self and the voice of your soul? You urgently need to turn your attention back in my direction. I have a backlog of messages for you, starting with how we can and should intensify our devotion to creative self-care.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In 1967, Piscean biologist Lynn Margulis proposed a revolutionary idea about life’s evolution: that many of its great leaps occurred through symbiosis. She theorized that distinct organisms have sometimes merged their identities to form entirely new beings. One example is the mitochondrion, the powerhouse within our cells. It began its existence as a free-living bacterium that later entered into partnership with the ancestral cell. Margulis’ formerly controversial idea is now mainstream science. (She was called “science’s unruly earth mother.”) With this as our guide, Pisces, let’s contemplate what separate elements of your life might merge into unprecedented blends. I invite you to consider bold experiments in merging and mixing. Hybrids might be more beautiful and valuable than the sum of their parts.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
The visible lightning bolt we see is actually the return stroke. It’s electricity racing back up from the ground to the cloud after an invisible leader stroke has created a path. So the spectacular display is actually the earth talking back to the sky. I’d love to see you adopt this phenomenon as your power symbol, Aries. In every way you can imagine, be like the earth conversing with the sky. When a hopeful sign crackles overhead, send out a bold message that you’re ready to act on it. If your ideals are vague and wispy, flying high above you, take a brave practical step to anchor them in reality. Proclaim your bright intentions to the clouds and the stars.

WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” – Martha Graham

Quote of the Day

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Apr 25, 2026

Quote of the Day: “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” – Martha Graham

Photo by: Anton Titov

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?

Good News in History, April 25

This Day In History

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Apr 25, 2026

72 years ago today, Bell Labs finished the first functional solar cell, allowing for a panel of metal and glass to refract light and heat from the Sun into it and generate a current of electricity. The inventors were Calvin Souther Fuller, Daryl Chapin, and Gerald Pearson, and their intention was to power a satellite in space where it could not have its batteries changed. Today, the photovoltaic cell is revolutionizing energy provision for humanity, with a large chunk of scientists and industrialists believing they are a key part of trying to maintain the Earth’s climate as we experience it today. READ more… (1954)