All News - Page 196 of 1728 - Good News Network
Home Blog Page 196

Perfectly Preserved 250-Year-Old Cherries Found in George Washington’s Cellar at Mount Vernon

By
Good News Network
-
Glass bottles of cherries found in cellar of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home – Credit: The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association
Glass bottles of cherries found in cellar of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home – Credit: The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association

Archaeologists have unearthed an astounding 35 glass bottles from the 18th century in the cellar of George Washington’s home.

The five storage pits buried in the dirt under Mount Vernon included 29 intact bottles of perfectly preserved cherries, a fruit associated with America’s first president who was touted as telling the truth after he cut down a cherry tree.

Workers discovered the stash amidst an ongoing renovation of Washington’s manor to repair sections of the framing and masonry.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine this spectacular archaeological discovery,” said Mount Vernon President & CEO Doug Bradburn. “We were ecstatic.”

“To our knowledge, this is an unprecedented find and nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America.”

The contents of each bottle, some of which contained berries like currants, have been carefully extracted and refrigerated at Mount Vernon, and will undergo scientific analysis. The bottles are slowly drying in the Mount Vernon archaeology lab, so will be sent off-site for conservation. (WATCH the video below…)

17th c. bottle found in George Washington’s home filled with cherries – Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association

“These artifacts likely haven’t seen the light of day since before the American Revolution, perhaps forgotten when George Washington departed Mount Vernon to take command of the Continental Army.”

Mount Vernon Principal Archaeologist Jason Boroughs said the extraordinary discovery “continues to astonish us.”

“These perfectly preserved fruits picked and prepared more than 250 years ago are a testament to the knowledge and skill of the enslaved people who managed the food preparations from tree to table, including Doll, the cook brought to Mount Vernon by Martha Washington in 1759 and charged with oversight of the estate’s kitchen.”

“(They) provide an incredibly rare opportunity to contribute to our knowledge of the 18th-century environment, plantation food methods, and the origins of American cuisine.”

The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA)

Mount Vernon has partnered with the US Department of Agriculture’s Research Service to analyze the contents of these historic bottles.

LOOK: Stunned Couple Finds 14th-Century Medieval Gargoyle Hidden Behind Their Toilet

54 cherry pits and 23 stems, likely of a tart variety, have already been identified thus far, and microscopy suggests that the cherries, with their stems neatly cut, were likely harvested by snipping them from trees with shears. The cherries may be candidates for DNA extraction, which could be compared against a database of heirloom varieties to determine the precise species.

The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA)

Everyone working at the 290-year-old historic monument, which is visited by thousands daily, is now crossing their fingers that some of the pits undergoing examination will be viable for growing future fruit trees—especially as the county is poised to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026.

AMAZING: ‘Secret Room’ Where Michelangelo Hid Beneath Trap Door is Covered With His Drawings–And Now Opens to Public

Bradburn says the building renovation project that uncovered the pre-Revolutionary War artifacts, is Mount Vernon’s $40 million birthday gift to America.

RAISE A GLASS TO HISTORY By Sharing The Sweet Discovery on Social Media…

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

By
Good News Network
-

Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, 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 June 22, 2024
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

 

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I suspect you may have metaphorical resemblances to a lightning rod in the coming weeks. Just in case I’m right, I urge you not to stroll across open fields during thunderstorms. On the other hand, I recommend that you be fully available to receive bolts of inspiration and insight. Put yourself in the presence of fascinating events, intriguing people, and stirring art. Make yourself ready and eager for the marvelous.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
“It’s hard to get lost if you don’t know where you’re going,” said experimental filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. He’s implying that there’s potential value in getting lost. Unexpected discoveries might arrive that contribute to the creative process. But that will only happen if you first have a clear vision of where you’re headed. Jarmusch’s movies benefit from this approach. They’re fun for me to watch because he knows exactly what he wants to create but is also willing to get lost and wander around in search of serendipitous inspirations. This is the approach I recommend for you in the coming weeks, dear Leo.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Does any person or institution own a part of you? Has anyone stolen some of your power? Does anyone insist that only they can give you what you need? If there are people who fit those descriptions, Virgo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to fix the problems. According to my understanding of life’s rhythms, you can summon the ingenuity and strength to reclaim what rightfully belongs to you. You can recover any sovereignty and authority you may have surrendered or lost.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In ancient Greek myth, Sisyphus was a forlorn character punished by the gods. He was required to push a boulder from the bottom to the top of a hill. But each time he neared the peak, the big rock, which had been enchanted by the crabby god Zeus, slipped away and rolled back down the hill. The story says that Sisyphus had to do this for all eternity. If there have been even minor similarities between you and him, Libra, that will change in the coming months. I predict you will finally succeed—is this your fifth attempt?—in finishing a task or project that has, up until now, been frustrating.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Is it possible to reap spiritual epiphanies while playing your favorite sport? Can intense physical pleasure be a meditation that provokes enlightened awareness? Can joy and bliss bring learning experiences as valuable as teachings that arise from suffering? Here are my answers to those three questions, Scorpio, especially for you during the next four weeks: yes, yes, and yes. My astrological ruminations tell me that you are primed to harvest divine favors as you quest for delight.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Your animal magnetism and charisma could be wildly potent in the coming weeks. I’m worried that as a result, you may be susceptible to narcissistic feelings of entitlement. You will be extra attractive, maybe even irresistible! But now that you have received my little warning, I hope you will avoid that fate. Instead, you will harness your personal charm to spread blessings everywhere you go. You will activate a generosity of spirit in yourself that awakens and inspires others. Do not underestimate the electrifying energy pouring out of you, Sagittarius. Vow to make it a healing medicine and not a chaotic disruptor.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I’ve had thousands of crucial teachers. There would be no such thing as me without their life-changing influences. Among that vast array have been 28 teachers whose wisdom has been especially riveting. I feel gratitude for them every day. And among those 28 have been five geniuses who taught me so much so fast in a short period of time that I am still integrating their lessons. One of those is Capricorn storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade. I offer you these thoughts because I suspect you are close to getting a major download from a guide who can be for you what Meade has been for me. At the very least, you will engage with an educational source akin to my top 28.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In one of my previous lifetimes, I was a bricoleur—a collector and seller of junk who re-used the castaway stuff in new ways. That’s one reason why, during my current destiny, I am a passionate advocate for recycling, renewal, and redemption—both in the literal and metaphorical senses. I am tuned in to splendor that might be hidden within decay, treasures that are embedded in trash, and bliss that can be retrieved from pain. So I’m excited about your prospects in the coming weeks, Aquarius. If you so desire, you can specialize in my specialties.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Some people imagine that being creative means having nonstop spontaneous fun. They think it’s primarily exuberant, adventurous, and liberating. As a person who prizes imaginative artistry, I can testify that this description is accurate some of the time. But more often, the creative process involves meticulous organization and discipline, periods of trial-and-error experimentation, and plenty of doubt and uncertainty. It’s hard work that requires persistence and faith. Having said that, Pisces, I am happy to say you are now in a phase when the freewheeling aspects of creativity will be extra available. You’re more likely than usual to enjoy spontaneous fun while dreaming up novel ideas and fresh approaches. Channel this energy into an art form or simply into the way you live your life.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I love being logical and reasonable! The scientific method is one of my favorite ways to understand how the world works. I am a big fan of trying to ascertain the objective facts about any situation I am in. However, I also love being intuitive and open to mystical perceptions. I don’t trust every one of my feelings as an infallible source of truth, but I rely on them a lot to guide my decisions. And I also believe that it’s sometimes impossible to figure out the objective facts. In the coming weeks, Aries, I suggest you give more weight than usual to the second set of perspectives I described. Don’t be crazily illogical, but proceed as if logic alone won’t provide the insights you need most.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In their book Your Symphony of Selves, Jordan Gruber and James Fadiman propose a refreshing theory about human nature. They say that each of us is a community of multiple selves. It’s perfectly natural and healthy for us to be an amalgam of various voices, each with distinctive needs and forms of expression. We should celebrate our multifaceted identity and honor the richness it affords us. According to my analysis of astrological omens, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to exult in your own symphony of selves and make it a central feature of your self-understanding.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013, you launched a journey that will finally culminate soon. What a long, strange, and interesting trip it has been! The innovations you activated during that time have mostly ripened, though not entirely. The hopes that arose in you have brought mixed results, but the predominant themes have been *entertaining lessons* and *soulful success*. I hope you will give yourself a congratulatory gift, dear Gemini. I hope you will luxuriate in a ritual celebration to commemorate your epic journey. The process hasn’t been perfect, but even the imperfections have been magical additions to your life story.

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)

SHARE The Wisdom With Friends Who Are Stars in Your Life on Social Media…

“Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.” – Juvenal 

By
Good News Network
-
Credit: Professor Habits

Quote of the Day: “Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.” – Juvenal 

Photo by: Professor Habits

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?

 

Woman Raises $233,000 to Give 90-year-old Veteran Still Working in the Heat the Option to Retire

By
Andy Corbley
-
credit - Karen Swensen
credit – Karen Swensen

A former news reporter recently organized a fundraiser so that a 90-year-old Air Force veteran, who had to work to pay his bills, could retire.

Coming upon him pushing carts in the parking lot of a Louisiana grocery store in humid 90°F weather, the reporter shot a video that inspired over $200,000 in donations.

Karen Swensen was a New Orleans news anchor, and would have no doubt presented some amazing stories in her career, but was nevertheless stunned when she saw 90-year-old Dillon McCormick pushing carts in the Metairie store parking lot.

A former Air Force member who served in Colorado and Greenland, McCormick told Swensen that he needed about $2,500 to make ends meet, but got only half of that from his Social Security checks, which is why he took the job.

Interviewing other shoppers in the parking lot, they told Swensen that he had been working there a long time and is always rounding up shopping carts. Two men said they sometimes stopped to help him, leaving Swensen moved and motivated to do something.

“He is a veteran of the United States Military. It’s Memorial Day. It’s hot. Mr. McCormick was born in 1933, making him a part of the Silent Generation. Please, America, let us be his voice. We can do this,” she wrote in the introduction of a GoFundMe with a target of $35,000.

MORE CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS: Students Surprise Nigerian Security Guard Who’s ‘Part of the Family’ with a Trip Home–Raising $30K

In just 24 hours, two hundred grand rolled in through private donations—she eventually had to cut the donation button off after it passed $233,000.

MORE CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS: Students Raise $270,000 So 80-Year-Old Janitor Can Retire from Texas High School

“No longer will the 90-year-old veteran have to push shopping carts in triple-digit heat to put food on his table,” Swensen wrote in an update posted to the GoFundMe page. “Should he choose to remain working, it will be just that—his choice.”

“Tomorrow we will begin the process of transferring the funds. What a delightful day awaits for him!”

WATCH McCormick push his final carts…

SHARE This Amazing Act Of Kindness For A US Veteran With Your Friends… 

Millions Who Suffer Back Pain Can Ease Symptoms Simply by Walking More–For ‘Huge Benefits’

By
Andy Corbley
-
Back Pain-CC Esther Max
Back Pain-CC Esther Max

Millions of people who suffer back pain can ease their symptoms simply by walking more, claims new research.

Adults with a history of lower backache went nearly twice as long without a recurrence if they walked regularly, according to the findings of the first-ever study of its kind.

Around 800 million people worldwide suffer low back pain which in 7 out of 10 people tends to be recurring, and therefore a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life.

A clinical trial recently conducted by Macquarie University’s Spinal Pain Research Group in Sydney, looked at whether walking could be an effective, cost-efficient, and accessible intervention.

The Australian researchers followed 701 adults who had recently recovered from an episode of low back pain, allocating them to either an individualized walking program and six physiotherapist-guided education sessions over six months, or to a control group.

The participants were followed for between one and three years, depending on when they joined.

Senior author Mark Hancock, Macquarie University Professor of Physiotherapy, says the findings, published in The Lancet, could have a “profound” impact on how back pain is managed globally.

WALK FOR HEALTH: Brisk Walking for Just 11 Minutes a Day Slashes Risk of Premature Death by 23% Says Study of 30 Million People

“The intervention group had fewer occurrences of activity limiting pain compared to the control group, and a longer average period before they had a recurrence, with a median of 208 days compared to 112 days,” said Hancock. “Walking is a low-cost, widely accessible and simple exercise that almost anyone can engage in, regardless of geographic location, age or socio-economic status.”

“We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain, but it is likely to include the combination of the gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and stress relief, and release of ‘feel-good’ endorphins,” he added.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: Scan of 27 Million Compounds Identified a New One that Outperforms Pain Medications

“And of course, we also know that walking comes with many other health benefits, including cardiovascular health, bone density, healthy weight, and improved mental health.”

Study lead author Dr. Natasha Pocovi says that as well as providing participants with longer pain-free periods, the program was also very cost-effective.

“It not only improved people’s quality of life, but it reduced their need both to seek healthcare support and the amount of time taken off work by approximately half.”

The research team now plans to explore how they can integrate the preventive approach into the routine care of patients who suffer recurrent back problems.

SHARE This Simple Program With Anyone You Know Who Suffers Back Pain… 

Iberian Lynx Slinks Back From Brink of Extinction Within Just Two Decades of Conservation

By
Andy Corbley
-
credit - LIFE project NAT E 008609, Lynx pardinus, European Environment Agency
credit – LIFE project NAT E 008609, Lynx pardinus, European Environment Agency

The greatest feline conservation success story isn’t the doubling of the world tiger population, nor the rescues of the Amur tiger and Northern lion from falling into the abyss of biological history—it’s the comeback of a lynx species on the Iberian Peninsula.

This scrawny, mottled cat with characteristic pointed ears and tufts of fur all over its face and feet has grown from 62 individuals counted in a 2002 survey to around 2,000 in the latest estimates.

For a beast that ranges across the rarely wild countries of Spain and Portugal, it’s a remarkable achievement that has come from the work of many individuals.

“The greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation (…) is the result of committed collaboration between public bodies, scientific institutions, NGOs, private companies, and community members including local landowners, farmers, gamekeepers, and hunters,” Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, who coordinates the EU-funded LIFE Lynx-Connect project, said in a statement.

The collapse in the Iberian lynx population coincided with a fall in the population of the European rabbit, their main food source, as the latter was persecuted for the damage it caused to agriculture.

Restoring the rabbit population was coupled with habitat restoration and breeding programs for the lynx.

Groups like the IUCN also worked closely with ranchers and landowners to help get them onside with the idea of recovering and protecting the lynx, further reducing their deaths from poaching, reprisal killings for taking livestock, and roadkill.

GET EXCITED: ‘The Javan tiger still exists’ – DNA Found May Herald an ‘Extinct Species’ Comeback

Since 2010, AP reports that more than 400 Iberian lynx have been reintroduced to parts of Portugal and Spain, where over 600 adult lynx are now raising cubs and roaming across over 1,200 square miles.

As a result of all this coordinated work, a recent update to the IUCN Red List saw the animal lowered from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’—and only just vulnerable at that.

THE GREAT TIGER RECOVERY: Great News For Tiger Populations Surging in India and Discovered in Thailand – On World Tiger Day 2020 

The only thing keeping the world’s leading conservation organization from declaring the lynx a species of ‘Least Concern’ is the lynx’ vulnerability to sudden threats, including wildfires, a dramatic drop in the rabbit population which can happen through disease, or a sudden rollback in any of its existing protections.

SHARE This Truly One-Of-A-Kind Success Story With Your Friends…

Videos of Fans Being Awesome Flood Social Media as High Stakes European Championship Matches Draw Crowds

By
Andy Corbley
-
credit - Munich Police, retrieved from X.
credit – Munich Police, retrieved from X.

In the U.S. where soccer takes a backseat to other sports, most stories about football fans in Europe make it across the Atlantic because of their hooliganism.

What’s missed are the heartwarming, sometimes tear-jerking, scenes of European culture and neighborliness playing out during their international country-vs-country tournament, the European Championships.

With a week’s worth of matches already concluded, GNN has created a round-up of videos and stories of fans having fun, obeying the law, and being sweethearts—from Scotland down to Slovenia.

Hosted in Germany this year, the police have already made dozens of arrests for disorderly conduct—but they’ve often swirled at the center of a good-natured party. Check out this officer enjoying a spot of traditional dance with the Albanian fans.

German police dancing with Albanian fans
byu/Minute-Cash8119 insoccer

 

The police also have been the first ones to salute fans for creating “a special atmosphere” like in Munich, where nearly 200,000 of Scotland’s supporters descended on the city in advance of the tournament’s opening match—Germany vs Scotland.

A Scottish newspaper, The National, spoke with one German fan who said they tried to create “a very relaxed and happy atmosphere” in Munich. Another said the Scottish fans were “people of honor”.

More on Scotland later… Also from the British Isles, English fans decided to boogie with an old woman they met on the streets in advance of England’s first game against Slovakia. And, can she boogie!

England fans having a dance with a German lady this afternoon.
byu/Callum0598 insoccer

 

Elderly folks would become a theme of fan interactions this year—like these Austrian fans who were conducted by a German senior from her balcony.

 

Austrians were captured on video straining national relations with the French, ahead of their opening game against France, taunting their opposition by snapping baguettes in front of them while jeering. And, quickly hugging afterward.

Austrian fans snapping baguettes in front of French fans
byu/Callum0598 insoccer

 

Displaying their disrespect for Italian cooking with equal cheek, Albanians decided to taunt the Italian fans in a similar way—by demonstrating exactly how they cook spaghetti.

From funny to emotional, the Washington Post shared a video from a fan zone in Berlin that captured the beautiful sunset singing of Spanish, Croatian, and German fans standing shoulder to shoulder.

Spanish, Croatian and German fans singing together outside of the Olympiastadion in Berlin
byu/el_rompe_toyotas_19 insoccer

 

Featured at the European Championships for the first time in the nation’s history, Georgia lost their opening match 3-1 against Turkey. But when the Georgians tied it up when down 1-0 in the first half, one journalist couldn’t hold back the tears.

Now, back to Scotland: The world’s oldest formalized international team arrived in stunning fashion, with visiting fans saying the Berlin Airport might as well have been Glasgow.

Whatever atmosphere they created ahead of their match against Germany, it paled in comparison to their Scottish invasion of Cologne where they took on the Swiss. They descended in a giant parade of the ‘Tartan Army’ led by dozens of bagpipes, walking shoulder to shoulder with the police towards the cathedral and stadium (where the nations played to a draw, 1-1).

 

The fun and the kindness have been ongoing—from one young local who decided to empty his fridge of beers and drop them to thirsty Scots from his balcony, to an old man with a walker kept dry when Scottish umbrellas came to the rescue.

Scotland fans sheltering this old man from the rain as he walks through the street.
byu/Callum0598 insoccer

 

SHARE This Fantastic Collection Of Football Fandom With Your Friends…

“Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.” – Stewart Udall (Happy Solstice!)

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.” – Stewart Udall (Happy Solstice!)

Photo by: Karl Fredrickson

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?

Robot Mimics Human Sense of Touch to Better Sort Through Litter

By
Andy Corbley
-
Tsinghua University in Beijing (via SWNS, cropped and rearranged)
Tsinghua University in Beijing (via SWNS, cropped and rearranged)

A robotic sorting system that mimics the human sense of touch to sort through litter achieved a 98.85% accuracy rate in recognizing various domestic waste items.

The inventors believe this state-of-the-art automaton could eventually lead to better treatments for people with hand disabilities aside from better outcomes at recycling facilities.

Sorting robots are already present at over 40 of the United States’ 600 recycling centers. Many of these sorting systems are twice as fast, and even more accurate than humans.

Recently, a research team at Tsinghua University in Beijing explained that tactile sensing and logical reasoning can aid a robot’s ability to recognize and classify objects, even when equipped with sophisticated visual sensing.

They say today’s intelligent robots can accurately recognize many objects through vision and touch, but tactile information, obtained through sensors, along with machine learning algorithms, also enables them to identify objects previously handled.

But when presented with objects similar in size and shape, or objects unknown to the robot, the sensing is often confused.

The team at Tsinghua worked to break through the difficulties of robotic recognition of several common, yet complex, items through the endowment of “thermal feeling.”

“Humans possess many different types of touch sensing, one of which is thermal feeling,” said study author Professor Rong Zhu.

“This allows us to sense the wind blowing, perceive hot and cold, and discriminate between matter types, such as wood and metal, because of the different cooling sensations produced.”

Zhu and his team aimed to mimic that ability by designing a robotic tactile sensing method that incorporated thermal sensations for more robust and accurate object detection.

“We propose utilizing spatiotemporal tactile sensing during hand grasping to extend the robotic function and ability to simultaneously perceive multi-attributes of the grasped object, including thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, surface roughness, contact pressure, and temperature.”

MORE ROBOTIC ADVANCEMENTS: Sharp-Shooting Farm Robot Can Treat 500,000 Plants Per Hour With 95% Decrease in Chemical Sprays

The team created a layered sensor with material detection at the surface and pressure sensitivity at the bottom, with a porous middle layer sensitive to thermal changes.

They paired the sensor with an efficient cascade classification algorithm that rules out object types in order from easy to hard, starting with simple categories—such as empty paper cartons—before moving on to orange peel or scraps of cloth.

When installed in an intelligent robot tactile system the arm picked up a range of common trash items, including empty cartons, scraps of bread, plastic bags, plastic bottles, sponges, napkins, orange peels, and out-of-date drugs.

MORE RECYCLING ROBOTS: Robot Named Sorty McSortface Uses Mechanical Claws and AI to Sort Tons of Recyclables in Minutes

It sorted the litter into separate containers for recyclables, food scraps, hazardous waste, and other waste.

Their system achieved a classification accuracy of 98.85% in recognizing various waste items not encountered previously, according to the findings published in the journal Applied Physics Reviews.

“By combining this sensor with brain-computer interface technology, tactile information collected by the sensor could be converted into neural signals acceptable to the human brain, re-empowering tactile perception capabilities for people with hand disabilities,” Professor Zhu added, expounding on where he thought future research would go.

SHARE This Great Advancement In Robotics With Your Friends… 

Archaeologists Uncover 900 Ming Dynasty Artifacts From Shipwrecks in South China Sea

By
Andy Corbley
-
credit - National Cultural Heritage Administration
credit – National Cultural Heritage Administration

More than 900 artifacts have been retrieved from two ancient shipwrecks discovered in the South China Sea, the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China (NCHA) said Thursday.

Consisting of piles and piles of porcelain, along with other pottery works, copper pieces, ebony lumber, and animal parts, the wrecks are a testament to the vast maritime trading network overseen by the Ming Dynasty.

The excavation, conducted from 2023 to 2024, was a joint effort by a pair of research institutes and a local museum on Hainan Island, and involved sending manned and unmanned submersibles down to collect the relics and document the wrecks.

The archaeologists believe that the shipwrecks both date to different periods of the Ming Dynasty, (1,368-1,644) either side of the year 1,500 CE.

In the long history of China, the most important dynasties were always interrupted by intervening periods of foreign conquest and strife. The Ming Dynasty was born out of fire and rebellion, and when it centralized control it took Chinese civilization to many of the heights it’s most known for.

credit – National Cultural Heritage Administration
credit – CCTV handout

A new era of monumental architecture was rung in with Beijing’s Forbidden City, while the iconic, blue and white Ming Dynasty porcelain was coveted all over the world, as these shipwrecks bear witness.

Made by using particular forms of clay like kaolinite, alabaster, or feldspar, porcelain is painted with mineral pigments, glazed, and baked in kilns at over 2,000°F. It is one of three forms of pottery and is the most difficult and highly valued for its translucence, strength, and the skill level required to make it.

MORE UNDERWATER TREASURES: 76,000 Gold and Silver Artifacts Recovered from Chinese River Charts Infamous 17th Century Warlord’s Conquests

10,000 items in total were documented, one-tenth of which were pulled to the surface. The excavators also scanned the wrecks with 3D laser scanners to allow for more study on land.

MEANWHILE ON LAND: Stunning Tomb With Skylights in a Carved Chamber Uncovered From the Jin Dynasty – LOOK

The two ships lie 12 miles apart, around 90 miles off the coast of Hainan. The cargo was probably loaded in Jingdezhen and intended for export. By the 14th century, Jingdezhen had become the largest center of production of Chinese porcelain.

The NCHA said the excavation was a landmark effort by the nation’s maritime archaeology programs.

SHARE This Incredible Discovery Off The Coast China With Your Friends… 

Austrian Heiress Appoints Fifty Citizens to Give Away Her €25 Million Fortune

By
Andy Corbley
-
Marlene Engelhorn – by Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0 license
Marlene Engelhorn – by Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0 license

Move over McKenzie Scott, there’s a new philanthropic heiress in town.

This is Marlene Engelhorn, a Millennial member of one of the richest families in Austria, and the proud owner of several receipts demonstrating how she gave away her inheritance.

The heiress, whose forebearers founded the BSAF pharmaceutical company, and who would come to acquire Boehringer Mannheim, allowed 50 members of the Austrian public to determine how her money would be divided and donated—to various charitable and non-profit organizations.

Her €25 million share of the family’s $4.2 billion fortune was portioned out to 77 such groups by 50 randomly chosen citizens of Salzburg, who formed a working group that met over the course of 6 weeks to make the determination.

Designated the Good Council for Redistribution, the members, selected at random from a pool of 10,000 people, were offered “a series of lectures including from philosophers and economics professors to inspire their choices,” Euro News reports.

Once the committee was formed, Englehorn withdrew entirely from the process.

MORE PHILANTHROPIC GIVING: Patagonia Gives Away Its Entire $3 Billion Worth To Fight Climate Change

Among the recipients, the two largest were the Austrian Nature Conservation Association and Nuenerhaus, (a homeless assistance org) which were each awarded more than $1.5 million

Two political think tanks, the Momentum Institute and Attac Austria, were also awarded €1 million.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: Instead of Taking Millions for Their Land, Texas Family Makes a Park Instead

€300,000 was donated to the Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters, and €100,400 went to the nature restoration charity the Común Foundation, for further examples.

Austria is one of the only countries in Europe that doesn’t have an inheritance tax law on the books, so Englehorn is a passionate advocate for the ultra-wealthy of the country to give away as much as they can.

SHARE This Woman Putting Her Money Where Her Mouth Is…

Students Invent Leaf Blower Silencer Attachment–Corporation Expects to Be Selling Them Soon

By
Andy Corbley
-
Michael Chacon, Madison Morrison, Andrew Palacio, and Leen Alfaoury - credit WILL KIRK JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Michael Chacon, Madison Morrison, Andrew Palacio, and Leen Alfaoury – credit WILL KIRK JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Engineering students at Johns Hopkins have created a silencer module for the campus leaf blowers, reducing the overall noise pollution of the devices by 37%, while they succeeded in almost completely removing the high-pitched whining that annoyed them the most.

The design is patent-pending and Stanley Black & Decker, who sponsored the students, expects to be selling them in two years.

It’s not uncommon for leaf blowers to be banned by homeowners associations or following apartment tenant protests—their endless, up-and-down caterwauling of various frequencies is the delight of no one, and worse, landscapers often use them in the early morning to avoid the heat of the day.

“The sound that comes out of this leaf blower is very complicated and it contains a lot of different frequencies,” said team member Andrew Palacio. “A lot of different notes on a piano would be a good analogy.”

At the moment, the Johns Hopkins campus uses battery-powered leaf blowers which are already quieter than gasoline-powered ones. Since last September, Palacio and his team members Michael Chacon, Leen Alfaoury, and Madison Morrison have been examining the devices in depth—how many sounds are there, and what is causing them.

Overall they workshopped more than 40 versions of a leaf blower silencer. Many of them worked but diminished the power of the air coming out. They eventually came up with an easy-to-secure suppressor that functions much like the ones fitted to firearms.

MARKET-READY INVENTIONS: Alaskan Inventor is 3D Printing Tidal Power Generators for Houseboats: Just Drop Anchor and Power On

“Our product takes in a full blow of air and separates it,” Alfaoury told Johns Hopkins. “Some of that air comes out as it is, and part of it comes out shifted. The combination of these two sections of the air makes the blower less noisy.”

“It ultimately dampens the sound as it leaves, but it keeps all that force, which is the beauty of it,” adds Chacon.

MORE GREAT INVENTIONS: Indian Engineers Tackle Water Shortages with Star Wars Tech in Kerala

It’s one thing to come up trumps in a class project, but this invention isn’t designed to win them any science fairs, but rather for going on the shelves of Home Depot or Lowe’s.

“It’s not just some cool theoretical thing that will sit on a shelf and never be heard from again—this is ready to be mass manufactured,” said Nate Greene, senior product manager at Stanley Black & Decker, who graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2017 with an engineering degree. “This is a really rare and dramatic level of success.”

WATCH the story below from JH University Press…

SHARE These Intrepid Inventors And Their Noise Cancelling Device… 

“If you don’t love me, it does not matter… I can love for both of us.” – Stendhal

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “If you don’t love me, it does not matter… I can love for both of us.” – Stendhal

Photo by: Paola Chaaya

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?

Lung Cancer Drug Elicits Unprecedented Results in New Trial

By
Andy Corbley
-
File photo by James Heilman, MD, CC license
File photo by James Heilman, MD, CC license

With lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, news of the unprecedented success of a new drug is sure to be celebrated.

The five-year results of a phase III trial present the longest progression-free survival data ever reported when treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a single targeted intervention.

Called lorlatinib, the drug is from a class of pioneering medications known as anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors or ALK-inhibitors. ALK is a protein that can be utilized by tumor cells to help lung cancers, including NSCLC to spread, and is present in about 3 to 5% of cases—typically in young people with little or no smoking history. ALK-positive NSCLC is also more aggressive.

Lorlatinib is a third-generation ALK-inhibitor that was recently tested in a trial at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia, of 296 patients with previously untreated, advanced ALK-positive NSCLC.

New Atlas called the findings remarkable, while the study lead author Ben Solomon told the Guardian they were unprecedented.

Five years after treatment, 60% of patients given lorlatinib were still alive without signs of disease progression, compared to 8% of patients in the control group who were given crizotinib, a first-generation ALK-inhibitor.

“This updated analysis shows that lorlatinib helped patients live longer without disease progression, with the majority of patients experiencing sustained benefit for over five years, including nearly all patients having protection from progression of disease in the brain,” Solomon told the press at the Peter Mac Center.

MORE SUPER CANCER NEWS: Glowing Dye Clings to Cancer Cells Giving Doctors ‘Second Pair of Eyes’

“These improvements in outcomes for patients with ALK-positive NSCLC represent a remarkable advancement in lung cancer.”

The most recent paper extends the follow-up window to 5 years, and consistent with the findings of the 2-year follow-up, lorlatinib is associated with a higher rate of non-cancer adverse health events than crizotinib, which is hypothesized to be a result of the drug increasing triglycerides and cholesterol.

STORIES OF SIMILAR IMPORTANCE: CAR-T Cell Therapy Achieves Near-Complete Tumor Regression in Brain Cancer After Five Days

However, adverse cardiovascular events are the same between the two, and it was found that the increase seen in lorlatinib could be eliminated by reducing the dose—all without reducing the effect it had on the NSCLC.

SHARE These Unprecedented Results In Fighting Off Non-Smoking Lung Cancer With Your Friends… 

College Lab Makes 3D Printed Arms to Help 12-Year-old Amputee Reach Her Drumming Goals

By
Andy Corbley
-
Tennessee Tech students create prosthetics for 12-year-old drummer Aubrey Sauvie
Tennessee Tech students create prosthetics for 12-year-old drummer Aubrey Sauvie

12-year-old Aubrey Sauvie never let her lack of hands interfere with the pursuit of her interests, whether that was Tae Kwon Do, art, or doing her own makeup.

Born a triple congenital amputee and missing both arms from below the elbows and several toes on one of her feet, it was from a very early age that she demonstrated to her family that there’d be very little necessity to accommodate her.

“It’s just one part of me,” Aubrey Sauvie told WKRN. “It doesn’t make me, me. It definitely was a challenge to learn, but as time went on, it became easier and easier until it wasn’t difficult at all.”

Indeed the family photo album is packed with pictures of her in dance competitions, breaking boards with a flying side-kick, or lined up in front of her snare drum with her school band, the drumsticks stuck in the creases of her elbows.

But that’s where even her dexterity and determination couldn’t succeed in producing the results she wanted—the sound of the snare just wasn’t right.

Aubrey’s middle school band teacher recommended her as a candidate for the Tennessee Tech University program, Engineering for Kids, where 10 students decided to make it a class project to create a pair of custom prosthetics so the firebrand could play the drums.

3D-PRINTING STORIES: This Cheap, Amphibious, 3D-Printed Prosthetic Means That Amputees Can Now Enjoy the Water Without Stress

“So she plays the drums; does she also play the mallets?” Tennessee Tech mechanical engineering student Zakary Henson told the ABC affiliate as he recalled his thought process. “Does she play a xylophone? Something like that. So like is it going to have to have different handles? How is it going to be secured to the hand? All of these are questions we are thinking through.”

The solution as they saw it was a 3D-printed pair of durable yet flexible customized prosthetics with interchangeable grips, something which Tennessee Tech Professor of Mechanical Engineering Stephen Canfield said was a one in a million shot.

MORE INSPIRING AMPUTEES: Amputee Who Can Only Walk for 20 Minutes at a Time Climbs England’s Three Highest Peaks

The students proceeded to work the entire semester taking measurements and testing prototypes before their one in a million shot turned out to be a home run—startling them as much as it delighted Aubrey.

Now the young drummer gets to hear the nice hard snap of a proper snare hit, which now has her envisioning a full drum kit.

WATCH the story below from WKRN News 2…

SHARE These Hard Working Students And Their Brilliant Work For Aubrey… 

Coldplay’s New Album Is Made of Plastic Collected from Rivers by The Ocean Cleanup

By
Andy Corbley
-
Boyan Slat with Coldplay album made of river plastic - THE OCEAN CLEANUP
Boyan Slat with Coldplay album made of river plastic – THE OCEAN CLEANUP

Coldplay has a new album announced: Moon Music, and in keeping with both the rise in conscious consumerism and the vinyl revival, there’s a limited edition record made using plastic removed from Rio Las Vacas in Guatemala.

The eco-conscious band has collaborated with Dutch non-profit The Ocean Cleanup, who have a mission to rid oceans and waterways of plastic. Much of their most publicized work takes place around the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean.

However the organization is also deeply active in the world’s river systems, deploying floating barricades and special boats to trap and collect dumped plastics and prevent them from entering oceans in the first place.

Their Interceptor 006 floating barricade system was deployed in the Rio Las Vacas in 2023 to stop plastic emissions into the Gulf of Honduras.

“Interceptor 006 made significant impact and captured large quantities of plastic—which has now been sorted, blended, tested, and used to manufacture Coldplay’s limited edition physical release,” stated The Ocean Cleanup.

The final product, dubbed the Notebook Edition LP, consists of 70% river plastic intercepted by The Ocean Cleanup and 30% recycled waste plastic bottles from other sources.

The Interceptor 006 floating boom barricade system operating near the Gulf of Honduras – SWNS
The Ocean Cleanup’s River-going Interceptor – SWNS

Coldplay provides financial support for the non-profit’s cleaning operations, sponsors Interceptor 005 in the Klang River, Malaysia, and shared The Ocean Cleanup’s mission with millions of their fans during their record-breaking Music of the Spheres tour.

“Coldplay is an incredible partner for us and I’m thrilled that our plastic catch has helped bring Moon Music to life,” said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup.

MORE GREAT CLEAN-UPS: Nonprofit Diverts an Ocean Plastic Tide, Removing 2 Million Pounds of Trash From Waterways

“Ensuring the plastic we catch never re-enters the marine environment is essential to our mission, and I’m excited to see how we’ll continue innovating with Coldplay and our other partners to rid the oceans of plastic—together.”

Coldplay’s Moon Music album is set for release on October 4th.

SHARE This Story With Anyone You Know Who Enjoys Coldplay…

In Just First Year of State’s Ban on Plastic Bags, 1.5 Billion Fewer Have Been Used

By
Andy Corbley
-
Plastic Bags-CC velkr0
credit – CC 0.0 velkr0

At the beginning of 2023, Colorado began enforcing a 10-penny charge on all single-use plastic and paper bags at major retailers in the hope it would encourage the use of reusable ones. This hope sprung into a massive success.

A report from 9News claims that Colorado used 1.5 billion fewer plastic or paper shopping bags since the implementation of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act of 2021 that entered into force at the beginning of last year.

The 10-cent charge amounted to $5 million in revenue for the state, which was spent on a variety of programs including the free distribution of durable reusable shopping bags and educational resources for community groups.

Only stores with three or more locations were required to charge the bag fee.

“It took many years to get it passed, but we have become now a leader in the nation,” said Randy Moorman director of policy and community campaigns at Eco-Cycle, the non-profit advocacy group that came up with the 1.5 billion figure.

“…We’ve seen dramatic change in how we as customers go into our stores and use products like this. It’s become a pretty easy and regular change that we have accepted.”

Eco-Cycle finds that the usespan of your average plastic grocery store bag is about 12 minutes, while the petroleum-based plastic material takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, all while releasing harmful chemicals into whichever environment it is left in.

OTHER COLORADO NEWS: Group Wants Colorado Kids to Save the Bees This Summer–Giving Out 100,000 Free Packets of Wildflower Seeds

Even whilst celebrating the success of last year, Moorman and Eco-Cycle hope to see similar results with another part of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act that went into effect this year—a ban on polystyrene (Styrofoam) products used as containers for ready-to-eat food and drinks will be banned.

GNN reported that such a ban was also implemented this year in Washington, where polystyrene is a hazard to the state’s rich coastal wildlife.

MORE ENVIRONMENTAL REGS COMING GOOD: White House Issues Unprecedented Pardons After FDA Finds Cannabis to Be More Like Tylenol Than Heroin

“I think it’s just phenomenal that we have been able in a relatively short amount of time make some dramatic changes that are not only going to have an impact on the day-to-day in our environment and health but on future generations, so that’s really exciting,” Moorman said.

SHARE These Awesome Results With Your Friends On Social Media… 

“Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.” – Robert Green Ingersoll

By
Good News Network
-
Art Rachen

Quote of the Day: “Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.” – Robert Green Ingersoll

Photo by: Art Rachen

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?

Art Rachen

 

Strangers Crowdfund $54,000 for 22-Year-old Mom with Terminal Cancer Who Needs More Time with Baby

By
Andy Corbley
-
Rachel Burns, 22, and her daughter Kaeyla, 1 - retrieved from GoFundMe
Rachel Burns, 22, and her daughter Raeya, 1 – retrieved from GoFundMe

A Northern Irishwoman was able to watch her beautiful healthy girl celebrate her first birthday just before receiving expected news: she had just 4 months, give or take, left on this Earth.

After experiencing persistent dizziness and eye irritation, Rachel Burns was told she had an advanced-stage brain tumor with a rare and aggressive mutation, and probably not more than 4 months to live.

Just 22 years old, one can scarcely imagine what the young mother must have been feeling, being that her daughter, Raeya, had just turned 1, she busied herself writing birthday cards for all the birthdays she presumed she would be missing.

“I left that appointment with no real hope and I didn’t know how to tell my mum and the rest of the family, I didn’t want them to get upset. It felt like everything had just been taken away from me at that point,” Burns told Belfast Live.

But if a slim hope of dodging death remains, it’s because Burns and her partner acted fast—setting up a GoFundMe to pay for a trip to Germany for an experimental treatment called ONC201.

Discovered in the last decade when scientists screened for compounds that would induce expression of the gene encoding tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in tumors and thus cause an autocrine or paracrine-induced death in tumor cells, ONC201 may give Burns years more to live.

The results were immediate and dramatic—in just 24 hours the fundraiser had accumulated £30,000, and six days on donations have continued to arrive.

As it stands, the couple have raised £48,000 of their £60,000 goal.

MORE STORIES OF STRENGTH: A Mom’s Love Helps Woman Wake From Coma After Five Years

“I spoke with the doctor yesterday and now we are able to start making plans to go over,” said Burns.

“Belfast is such a small place but you never think that people from all over would show as much kindness as they have done for me and my family. It is a scary time to be going through all of this but this has given me more hope that I can spend some more time with my family.”

MORE STORIES OF HOPE: Experimental Cancer Treatment Gives New Jersey Mom a Chance for A Second Baby: ‘I decided to go for it’

“I just want to say thank you to every single person who has donated so far, you don’t know the difference it has made to me and my family.”

Readers can donate to the family in this desperate hour on their GoFundMe page here.

SHARE This Woman’s Unthinkable Situation With On Social Media… 

Black Birder Wrongfully Accused in Central Park Used his Fame to Make Bird Watching Show-Now it Wins Emmy

By
Andy Corbley
-

A devoted birdwatcher who landed a show on National Geographic after making headlines during a racial profiling incident has turned his fame into an Emmy Award after overcoming adversity.

It’s a beautiful culmination of four years of creative work spawned in the wake of the “Central Park Karen” incident, that has seen Mr. Christian Cooper produce a book, television show, and graphic novel series.

To readers for whom the 24-hour news cycle has swept this story under the rug, in 2020 Christian Cooper was in a wooded area of NYC’s Central Park called The Ramble, enjoying his lifelong passion for birdwatching when a woman threatened to call 911 on him after he asked her to put her dog back on its leash, as per the park rules.

Becoming irate, the woman called the police and said there was an African-American man threatening her life, all while the Harvard-educated Cooper recorded the dreadful stunt on his smartphone.

By posting it on social media, it became national news, and Cooper was asked to host a birding show on Nat Geo, while the woman was fired from her job as an investment manager.

STORIES OF JUST REWARDS: Man Ignores Naysayers to Revive Tiny Sparrow with CPR – Watch the Moment his Patience is Rewarded

On June 8th, he became a Daytime Emmy Award winner in the Outstanding Daytime Personality category for his show, Extraordinary Birder, which took viewers all over the Western Hemisphere exploring the nature and character of birds and Cooper’s lifelong hobby.

STORIES OF JUST REWARDS: Boy Offered a Dollar to Man He Thought Was Homeless, Gets Richly Rewarded for His Kindness

With birding rapidly advancing on his old career as a writer, for which he contributed to the Marvel universe, he combined the two in order to produce the critically acclaimed Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World, published by Penguin-Random House.

SHARE The Just Rewards For This Inspiring Birdwatcher With Your Friends…

1...195196197...1,728Page 196 of 1,728
© Copyright 1997–2026 GNN, LLC