Your Positive Weekly Horoscope: ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

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Oct 24, 2026

Quote of the day: “Trust yourself. Have confidence that you can draw the best, not the worst, to yourself.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Photo by: Jason Blackeye

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Good News in History, October 24

This Day In History

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Oct 24, 2026

Happy 41st Birthday to Wayne Rooney, former Manchester United talisman and captain of the England national team. Part of a golden generation that helped to cement the English Premier League as the best in the world, Rooney made 559 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 253 goals from a variety of forward positions. Rooney is the record goalscorer for both the England national team and Manchester United and holds the record for the most appearances of any outfield player for the national team. WATCH his best goals below… (1985)

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Rescuers Ensure Orphaned Baby Walrus Gets a Second Chance (LOOK)

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Oct 23, 2026

A USFWS Intern and Annautaq - - credit, supplied to GNN by SeaWorld Orlando, Stephanie Bechara (cropped)

A local wildlife researcher and Annautaq – credit, supplied to GNN by SeaWorld Orlando, Stephanie Bechara

Found alone and oppressed by scavengers on a remote northern Alaska beach, an orphaned Pacific walrus calf now has a new home at SeaWorld Orlando.

Weighing approximately 220 pounds, the 5-month-old male calf, named Annautaq, is receiving around-the-clock attention from SeaWorld’s dedicated animal care and veterinary team—one of only four US institutions currently capable of housing walruses.

Annautaq’s rescue is quite remarkable. Violet Anniskett, a wildlife research intern and local community member, and US Geological Survey scientist Tony Fischbach discovered the calf on a remote beach in Northern Alaska after a walrus herd departed during heavy surf.

They found the orphaned calf hiding between the older remains of two adult walruses, already being targeted by scavenging birds and unlikely to survive without intervention.

The distance between the beach and human civilization meant that those who could cared for him over several days before he could be flown to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.

The community supported Annautaq’s rehabilitation, knowing he would remain in human care and could help people better understand Pacific walruses. Anniskett named him Annautaq (pronounced “ah-now-tuq”), meaning “axe” in Iñupiaq, in honor of her father’s Iñupiaq name.

SeaWorld sent animal care and veterinary staff experienced with walruses to Alaska to help provide care for Annautaq, and to help the calf prepare for his 4,000-mile journey to Florida, where he would become one of 43,000 orphaned, injured, rejected, or otherwise needy animals since its establishment.

Dr. Stacy DiRocco and Annautaq in transit to SeaWorld – credit, supplied to GNN by SeaWorld Orlando, Stephanie Bechara

Bottle feeding the calf – credit, supplied to GNN by SeaWorld Orlando, Stephanie Bechara

In part, it was because the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined he could not be released back into the wild. Pacific walruses rely solely on their mothers’ milk for nutrition throughout their first year of life and depend on their mother for protection and the development of essential survival and social behaviors.

With his mother out of the picture, his placement at SeaWorld Orlando was guided by long-term care and social needs, including the opportunity to grow up alongside other walruses, 3 others being housed at the center.

“Annautaq’s story shows why having specialized marine mammal rehabilitation capacity in Alaska is so important,” said Jane Belovarac, wildlife response curator at the Alaska SeaLife Center. “Getting Annautaq to this point took an incredible network of people, and we’re proud the ASLC could provide the specialized care that helped carry him from rescue in Alaska to his next chapter.”

RESCUING MARINE LIFE:

At SeaWorld Orlando, Annautaq is receiving up to 6 bottle feedings a day, veterinary care and 24-hour support during a planned 30-day quarantine to help protect the health of the resident animals.

Walruses Kaboodle and Garfield at Seaworld – credit, supplied to GNN by SeaWorld Orlando, Stephanie Bechara

“As he settles in, we’ll make introductions to Garfield, Kaboodle and Uki at his pace,” said Jim Kinsler, curator at SeaWorld Orlando. “Kaboodle’s experience caring for rescued calves and the opportunity to connect with 2-year-old Uki, herself a rescued walrus, make this herd a promising setting for him to learn, build relationships and grow.”

As he acclimates, Annautaq will join Uki in playing an essential role as an ambassador for their species, educating the public on the challenges Pacific walruses face in the wild. His story, like those of many other animals rescued by SeaWorld Orlando, emphasizes the park’s ongoing mission to inspire action toward the protection and preservation of marine life.

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One Teacher’s Idea for Daily Positivity Practice Sweeps Through His Elementary School

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Oct 23, 2026

A Kansas Elementary School teacher is earning the praise of his community for sending children home full of positive affirmations.

“I am kind!”

“I can do hard things.”

The cherubic chorus of voices coming out of Tyler Richards’ first-grade classroom seems nice—quaint, even. Yet the simplicity belies the change this daily practice has brought to Rex Elementary School, in Haysville.

“I love it,” Rex Elementary Principal Shane Paulus told KSN News 3. “It’s a great way for them to feel loved, feel appreciated, know they’re welcomed here and to end their day on a good note before going home.”

Mr. Richards says that it’s every educator’s hope to make a good impact on their pupils’ lives, and that the simple positive affirmations help them to feel they ended the school day in a safe, positive place.

They may be going home, or out to an extra-school activity, but the declarations of kindness and competence help the day’s next chapter start from a place of positivity.

The practice has quickly spread throughout the school, with teachers across the grades implementing similar ideas. Principal Paulus said a clear sign it’s having the intended effect is how quickly the children are taking ownership of the daily positivity practice by coming up with new ideas of how to implement it.

“I think these are just one of those ways that they feel even more connected with us and know that school is a safe place for them,” Richards said.

WATCH the story below from KSN…

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3 Italian ‘Hobbits’ Searched for Irishman’s ‘Precious’ Wedding Ring for Days Before Bringing it to His Home

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Oct 23, 2026

Irishman Patrick Mohr, second from left, holds up his wedding ring alongside the three Italian friends who found it - - provided to CBC by Patrick Mohr — Irishman Patrick Mohr, second from left, holds up his wedding ring alongside the three Italian friends who found it - provided to CBC by Patrick Mohr

A man’s misfortunate on vacation turned into a story fit for a fantasy novel, as complete strangers came to his rescue inspired by The Lord of the Rings.

Losing his wedding ring in a mountain stream, 3 young men summoned a determination worthy of Tolkien’s masterpiece to not only find the man’s ‘precious’ golden ring, but go ‘there and back again’ to return it.

Hobbit puns satisfied for the moment, the story begins with Patrick Mohr, visiting Italy with his children and wife of 16 years. While playing in the fast-flowing water, one of his kids grabbed Mohr’s hand in such a way as to slide the 18-karat wedding band right off and away downstream.

Mohr stood paralyzed, realizing that it was gone forever, and with it the memories and sentiment accumulated through its 16-year stay on his finger. Explaining the disaster to his wife, the couple quickly diverged on the next step. Mohr admittedly felt like moping, while his wife hurried downstream to ask the only other people around for help.

Rather than Tolkien’s 4 hobbits or 13 dwarves, she found i tre ragazzi: Filippo Palagi, Nicola Malloggi, and Edoardo Poggi. Hearing what had happened, the three young friends were pessimistic at best, and they didn’t have any swimming goggles to lend for the search.

When it was all over, Mohr would tell CBC News’ As it Happened that “sometimes you have to let go of control.”

“Sometimes you have to put things out into the universe and ask for help,” he said. “And sometimes, you get an answer.”

That day, he and his wife got an answer.

From where it came, few could say, but Poggi, Malloggi, and Palagi summoned from within themselves a remarkable spirit of empathy and fellowship: promising Mohr and his family that, like Frodo Baggins and his friends (characters from The Lord of the Rings) they would find the ring and bring it all the way to Ireland in a summertime quest fit for novel.

The friends/hobbits began their search with kayaks and had no luck for 2 days. How many, even Good Samaritans, would have thrown in the towel by then? Yet they persevered: roping themselves to boulders on the third day and searching with snorkeling gear at a particularly fast flowing portion.

Malloggi, holding Mohr’s wedding ring – provided to CBC by Patrick Mohr

It was Malloggi who, seeing a glint of light among the river sand, felt the welling up of an unreal excitement in his stomach. Seizing the sand and returning to the surface—just like in the films—he found that a golden ring was sitting on his palm.

Mohr, meanwhile, had continued his vacation, and was eating dinner with his family in Tuscany when he received a text message from an unfamiliar Italian number. Opening it he saw the caption to a photo of a golden ring.

“Hi Sméagol, look what we found.”

“I put the phone back in my pocket and kept stirring the pasta pot in shock,” Mohr told As it Happened. “My wife looked at my expression on my face and asked me what happened.”

When he showed his family the news, “chaos ensued.” Yet things would get stranger.

CRAZY WEDDING RING RECOVERIES: Man Reunited with Class Ring 56 Years After Losing it in the Long Island Sound: ‘It’s a Miracle’

Rather than rush to return the ring in Italy, the 3 young Italian heroes offered to deliver it personally to Ireland so Mohr could continue to enjoy the rest of his vacation. And that’s exactly what happened.

Rather than needing around 18 months as Frodo did, Palagi, Malloggi, and Poggi required just a short Ryanair flight to cross the continent and arrive at Mohr’s door—where they were given a heroes welcome, entering dressed as hobbits, and singing songs from The Lords of the Rings film.

Words must have failed at the sight.

The ‘hobbits’ at Mohr’s home for dinner – provided to CBC by Patrick Mohr

The heroes were rewarded with a tour to Glendalough, the Wicklow Mountains’ 1,000-year-old abbey and lake, as well as the nearby Glenmalure Valley, some of finest natural scenery the east of Ireland has to offer.

After a round of Guinness in the local pub, they returned home for a traditional Irish dinner, and promises of eternal friendship.

TRUSTING THE UNIVERSE: Friends Miraculously Get Car Keys Back When Ocean Returns Them in Big Wave–VIDEO

Palagi admitted the whole saga had amazed him, but as Bilbo would say, “you step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you’ll be swept off to.”

As Mohr would say, “sometimes you have to put things out into the universe and ask for help.”

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Vines Produce Bigger, Healthier Wine Grapes When Grown Under Solar Panels

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Oct 23, 2026

Solar panels grown above grapevines substantially increased the development and fruit production of the crop—all while generating clean energy.

The technique, known as agrivoltaics, has been well-studied in other settings, but how it would effect the delicate science of viticulture has not.

Researchers from the University of Bari conducted a study on a vineyard in southern Italy’s Puglia region (think the heel of the boot) where intense sunlight and the hot Mediterranean climate produces exceptional growing conditions for all sorts of Italian favorites like olives, tomatoes, and grapes.

Previous research into agrivoltaics shows that growing crops under banks of solar panels produces a synergistic effect: the partial shade helps plants focus on growing and less on protecting themselves from the Sun. The partial shade also increases ground-level humidity under the panels, which in turn radiates up and helps to moderate the temperatures of the panels’ circuitry, modestly increasing their energy output.

Whether this phenomenon would provide a beneficial change to the growth and development of the Primitivo, or Zinfandel grapes on the researchers’ test field wasn’t immediately clear, so they set about installing solar panels over a section of a 2.2-acre vineyard of 8-year-old grape vines.

Giuseppe Ferrara, a professor at the University of Bari’s Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, told PV Magazine that the results suggest agrivoltaics can work wonders on vineyards, yet should not be considered a catch-all technique as shade tolerance will vary between regions and grape varietals.

“Certainly, this applies to grapevines, particularly in a hot, dry climate such as Puglia in summer,” Ferrara said. “We believe similar results can also be expected for other species under comparable climatic conditions, while always considering the shade tolerance of the species being studied.”

The results were striking. The shoots produced during the growing season by the partially panel-shaded grapevines were more than twice as long as those grown under full-sun. The weight of each grape bunch produced by the panel-shaded vines was almost thrice as heavy by harvest time as the sun-grown grapes.

ITALY’S WINE CULTURE:

The berries also developed lower sugar concentrations and greater amounts of organic acids like polyphenols. In other words, the grapes were healthier as well when grown under the panels. This is because there is less heat stress, photosynthesis can occur more easily, and the plant can invest more energy into other metabolic processes.

Lastly, with limited rainfall, irrigation in Italy’s southern regions can be a challenge. The reduced watering demands of the partially shaded grapes can relieve pressure from aquifers and other local water sources, and lower a grower’s utility bills.

ANOTHER SMART VINEYARD: Coastal Winds Not Only Ripen Grapes, They Power Vineyard’s Winemaking Sustainably

Ferrara and his colleagues cautioned that there are vine-growing regions in Italy, like the morainic-grown grapes of Italy’s lake district, that would not benefit from agrivoltaic setups.

Viticulture in Italy goes back to the Bronze Age, and grape varietals grown on the peninsula have experienced millennia of change and evolution. From the Etruscans and visiting Greeks to the Romans and beyond—up to present day—this process of refinement, experimentation, and continual adaptation continues.

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“Fortify thyself with contentment: That is an impregnable stronghold.” – Epictetus

Quote of the Day

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Oct 23, 2026

Quote of the day: “Fortify thyself with contentment: that is an impregnable stronghold.” – Epictetus

Photo by: Submitted for GNN

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

Good News in History, October 23

This Day In History

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Oct 23, 2026

Deadpoll and Ryan Reynolds in 2019-Dick Thomas Johnson-cc

Happy 50th Birthday to Ryan Reynolds, the always-handsome and hilarious Canadian actor who first starred in the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl in 1998, then rose to fame in a range of films like The Proposal and Green Lantern. His biggest financial and critical success came when he played the smack-talking superhero Deadpool in two films. READ some more about the man… (1976)

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A Towering Figure of Tolerance From 2,500 Years Ago Has Found a New Home in Atlanta

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Oct 22, 2026

This week, crews installed a 29-foot bronze statue of Cyrus the Great in Atlanta, an ancient Persian king might seem like an unlikely addition to the city

To the people who spent years bringing him here, however, there’s no more fitting place in America for a man who authored what’s sometimes called the worlds “first human rights declaration” over 2,500 ago.

The statue, located in Pardis Park, is now one of the largest Iranian monuments anywhere outside of Iran. The bronze figure alone weighs about 8,000 pounds, and that doesn’t even include its limestone base, which is shaped like his tomb.

This Saturday, it will be formally dedicated during Iran Unveiled, a free, family-friendly festival celebrating Persian culture. “The festival is organized by the Persian Cultural Center of Atlanta and PCC’s Executive Director, Azadeh Vatanpour.

Why Atlanta

Cyrus founded the Persian Empire roughly 2,500 years ago, but he’s remembered less for conquest and more for tolerance. The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay artifact now in the British Museum, is often called one of the earliest declarations of human rights.

It reflects a policy of religious freedom and respect for the dignity of every people under his regime. Cyrus also freed the Jewish people held captive in Babylon and let them return home to rebuild their temple—earning him recognition as a messiah, the only non-Jew to be considered as such.

That legacy is exactly why Rostam Zafari, co-founder of the nonprofit Nimruz and the driving force behind the statue, wanted it in the city of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“It’s so fitting in the home of Martin Luther King,” Zafari told Atlanta’s 11 Alive this week. “This is a message for freedom and peace and coexistence between people, and justice as well.”

The setting reinforces the message. Pardis Park, which Zafari led the effort to create, already honors champions of human rights from around the world, including Cuban poet José Martí and Hungary’s freedom fighters. Cyrus stands on a replica of his own tomb in Iran. Even the park’s name fits: Pardis means “paradise” in Persian, and the word traces back to the walled gardens of ancient Persian kings.

There’s an American connection, too. Thomas Jefferson owned two copies of the Cyropaedia, an ancient account of Cyrus’s life and leadership, and pushed his grandchildren to study it. Zafari sees the statue as a reminder of ideals the two countries share.

“We have to go back to our roots as people and the ideals that both of our nations were founded on,” he said.

Why Now

The statue, sculpted by Atlanta artist Stan Mullins, took several years and more than 40 people to complete. Funding was a constant struggle, and an earlier version of the statue suffered complications before the final bronze was cast. Zafari says he took a big personal risk to see it through.

“I believed it was something that would outlast me and my family,” he said.

With Cyrus finally standing, organizers decided the moment deserved a party. The statue of Cyrus will be unveiled at a festival aptly named Iran Unveiled. “We wanted to celebrate this,” Zafari said. “It’s a big deal.”

Iran Unveiled event poster – courtesy of Rostam Zafari

It was also personal, with Zafari dedicated the project to his grandparents. “They taught me what it means to be a human being and to be an Iranian,” he said, calling the statue a gift to Atlanta, to his grandparents’ hometown in Iran, and to them.

Zafari hopes the statue offers a different picture: Iran as its people actually are, not as it’s often portrayed in the news.

READ ABOUT ANOTHER UNEXPECTED COLLABORATION: Unprecedented Collab Between China and The Met Uncovers Secrets of Huge Chinese Mural in NYC

“I want [Americans] to know that [Iranians are] very similar to American people,” he said. “In freedom, in plurality, in music, in joy. That is what it means to be Iranian.”

That’s also the mission of Nimruz, which Zafari co-founded with his cousin, Sepanta Mohseni, to bring together Iranians of every background, faith and point of view to celebrate Iranian culture and share it with their neighbors.

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‘World’s Largest Deforestation Project’ Halted Early, Saving Potentially 4 Million Acres

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Oct 22, 2026

Indonesian authorities have paused, and perhaps ended, the “world’s largest deforestation project.”

Having achieved self-sufficiency in rice cultivation some 3 years ahead of a government schedule, around 4 million acres of rainforest, swamps, and peatlands across large Indonesian islands will be spared from deforestation.

Though the ultimate destiny of these vast areas remains unclear, a decision was made between the agriculture and forestry ministries and the Indonesian National Economic Council that any further agriculture projects will take place on land that’s already been converted into productive use.

The Indonesian president’s younger brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo is also the special envoy for climate and energy, and he told a sustainability forum in the capital of Jakarta in early October that 4.4 million acres of forest areas which had previously been slated to become rice plantations would remain untouched.

An executive effort to make the nation self-sufficient in rice was expected to extend across those acres and at least to 2029, but the target has been achieved earlier than expected off the back of incentives, improvements in crop varieties, and government fertilizer subsidies.

Along the way, the effort was met with fierce resistance from international environmental groups, and local organizations of activists and indigenous groups.

The government, said Mr. Hashim on behalf of the Agriculture Ministry, “sees no further need to expand rice cultivation in so-called forest areas,” referring to targeted land on Kalimantan and in South Papua on the island of New Guinea.

Mari Elka Pangestu, deputy chair of the National Economic Council, told the forum that “moving forward, we will be using degraded land. We have over [28 million acres] of degraded land that can be used for this.”

Jakarta Post said that together, Hashim, Mari, and the ministers of agriculture and forestry, agreed that any future expansion of subsidized agriculture, either for food or bioethanol production, would take place on this degraded land.

INDO-NEWSIA: Rescued Orangutans Released Into Isolated Forest Are Now Raising Babies, Creating New Wild Population

Known in the Western World as the island of Borneo, it’s mostly governed by Indonesia, whose provinces of north, south, east, west, and central Kalimantan cover 73% of total landmass, including the vast majority of the most biodiverse and pristine parts of the legendary Borneo forest ecosystem, home to orangutans, proboscis monkeys, clouded leopards, and so many more endangered and fascinating species.

However, it is the rice and sugarcane estates originally planned by the government for South Papua, on the island of New Guinea, that were the most controversial. There, peatlands and swamp ecosystems that sequester substantially more carbon than rainforest were planned to be upended for productive purposes.

SAVE THE WETLANDS: Florida is Purchasing 20,000 Acres of Everglade Wetlands to Protect It From Oil Drilling

Since 2024, around 90,000 acres of these landscapes were converted to plantations in line with the rice growing program, according to satellite data from Mighty Earth, whose CEO Glenn Hurowitz said the Indonesian government had made “a globally significant decision for people, nature and climate”.

“Mighty Earth and allies will be closely monitoring implementation and supporting work with local communities in Papua to heal the damage that’s been done. We are hopeful about the potential of this decision to drive a continued shift to protecting and restoring nature and to sustainable agriculture,” he said in a statement.

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Major Supermarket Begins Wide-Scale Tests to Bring Heritage Apple Varieties to Market

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Oct 22, 2026

(From left to right) Golden Delicious, SweeTango, Granny Smith, and Gala apples - by Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0.

(From left to right) Golden Delicious, SweeTango, Granny Smith, and Gala apples – by Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0.

See these apples here? They rank among the most consumed worldwide—and one of Europe’s largest supermarkets would like to see that changed.

The Spar Group is embarking on a project to bring heritage and heirloom cultivars to market at scale through commercialization testing of numerous alpine apples.

They feature rather interesting names, reflecting the hard work and humor of the time they were developed—in some cases over 200 years ago.

Austrian produce trader Frutura is on board the project with Spar, and the first varieties they’re testing are called the Ilzer Rose, which originates in the year 1840 from the southern state of Styria, and the Falchs Gulderling, identified in the 1870s in South Tirol.

“Many consumers today are once again taking a greater interest in where food comes from, the varieties involved and how it tastes,” Markus Kaser, Spar Austria’s deputy chair, told the Guardian.

The point isn’t just to revive a bit of Austrian farmland history, but to rigorously test these old varieties to see if they “can thrive in commercial fruit growing under today’s conditions”.

“If we succeed, we would like to offer these special varieties throughout the region,” Kaser said.

There are some 7,500 varieties of apples that are grown today, though according to the Lost Apple Project, there were around 17,000 created in just North America during 18th and 19th centuries.

NEWS FROM THE ORCHARD:

Yet there are reasons why of those 7,500 you’re likely to find between 3 and 5 at any given supermarket. Cultivars born of industrialized agriculture are specific beasts that are bred for flavor, large yields, vibrant colors, and resistance to pests, diseases, and farming chemicals.

It’s unlikely a grower could expect any of the heirloom varieties to perform so well at scale, yet Frutura and Spar’s experimental orchard in Styria now has 2,150 trees growing. The first fruits were picked this month, and are on the way for trial runs at Vienna markets.

Co-managing director of Frutura Katrin Hohensinner-Häupl told the Guardian what these two Austrian apples: the Ilzer Rose and the Gulderling, tasted like, and said that they “recall childhood.”

Quite the endorsement.

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Coconut Oil Could Make Great Sustainable Jet Fuel, Pioneering Experiments Demonstrate

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Oct 22, 2026

Great for frying, perfect for your skin, and irreplicable in a ketogenic diet, coconut oil is a wonderful product.

In the future it may even power our passenger aircraft.

Chemists in Japan recently conducted extensive experiments on whether it would be possible to create a sustainable aviation fuel out of coconut oil, and not only were they a success, they outperformed existing biofuels across several metrics.

Compared to high pressures and intense heating required to synthesize sustainable aviation fuel out of existing biofuel feedstocks, the chemists’ co-solvent method created an aviation-compatible fuel at room temperature pressure and lower levels of heat.

This minimized the fuel’s carbon footprint even before the researchers cut it with kerosene, poured it into a micro jet engine, and set it on fire to see what would happen.

The ultimate tests—of how the mixture performed in the engine—generated “thermal efficiency… comparable to that of pure kerosene.” One drawback on pure performance metrics was that fuel consumption was slightly elevated due to the coconut oil’s lower ignition temperature.

In terms of the emissions profile, the largest observed improvements over kerosene was the release of unburned hydrocarbons. Called UHCs in the industry, or sometimes VOCs (volatile organic compounds) they include substances like butane, and result from incomplete fuel combustion and fuel vaporization.

Their creation is highly dependent on the state of the aircraft. When the aircraft is in taxi, or idling, and engine temperatures are lower, these UHCs are released in much greater proportions, yet were reduced between 5 and 40% depending on the quantity of coconut fuel that was added, with larger amounts of biofuel resulting in greater reductions in UHC emissions.

In terms of CO2 and nitric oxide, levels remained consistent with kerosene regardless of the blending ratios which ranged from 10% biofuel-90% kerosene, to an even 50-50 blend.

THE MIRACLE TREE: Teen Discovers Coconut Fungi Can Filter Plastic and Sunscreen From Sea—And Wins Science Fair

Where the coconut biofuel really proved compelling was its production process, the co-solvent method. Here, wasted coconut fruit discarded during commercial oil extraction process was used, combined with 10% acetone and an alcohol (either methylene or ethylene) and processed simply first using room temperatures followed by less-than-boiling temperatures.

Additionally, both glycerin and biodiesel fuel are created and can be harvested as byproducts, while the reagents of acetone and alcohol can both be recovered circularly.

The team from Osaka Metropolitan University described their work as the first-ever experiments creating biofuels from coconuts and testing them in a jet engine. They believe more research is needed before the process could come to commercialization, mostly because of an observed increase in carbon monoxide emissions combined with jet fuel, which could be harmful to ground crews.

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Samoan Island Witnesses Explosion of Native Wildlife Following Removal of Invasive Rats and Pigs

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Oct 22, 2026

Nu'utele, American Sāmoa-Pacific 2026 — - credit, Cozette Romero, Island Conservation ©

– credit, Cozette Romero, Island Conservation ©

Just one year after ecological restoration efforts on Samoa, forests, wildlife, and food resources are showing remarkable signs of recovery.

Nu’utele Island is considered a Key Biodiversity Area for Samoa, and is home to one of the country’s most pristine native forests teeming (usually) with native species.

Yet, like many islands across the Pacific, it has suffered from ecological degradation by invasive species—in Nu’utele’s case rats, and feral pigs which turn up the soil and prevent native vegetation from growing.

Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS), and island community members successfully removed these damaging invasive species from the island.

They were joined by the nonprofit conservation organization Island Conservation, which has worked to heal dozens of islands across the world’s oceans from the wounds sustained by invasive animals.

Now with the animals having been removed, that trajectory is beginning to reverse, and the ecological response has been swift.

“In many areas, native seedlings are carpeting the forest floor,” said Paul Jacques, Project Manager for Island Conservation. “On recent visits, I saw knee-high seedlings growing where forest regeneration had previously been suppressed. People are now able
to grow and harvest giant taro plants where crops would have failed previously. These changes point to the recovery of natural processes.”

The restoration effort was led through a partnership among local landowners, community members from nearby Aleipata, Island Conservation, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program, (SPREP) PRISMSS, and MNRE.

Forest regenerates in impacted places where seedlings could not thrive before restoration – credit, Island Conservation

Between March 2025 and May 2026, field teams conducted 12 expeditions and spent more than 130 days in the field implementing and validating restoration efforts in the island’s rugged terrain. Island Conservation are experts at eliminating rat infestations. While the rats were baited and trapped, the pigs were hunted like they are all throughout Polynesia.

Among those participating in the final phase of the operation was former New Zealand national rugby star and conservation advocate Glen Osborne, who joined expert hunting teams working to locate the last remaining feral pigs on the island.

With the rats and pigs gone, recovery of Nu’utele’s forests sets the foundation for the planned translocation of the threatened Mao, a native Samoan forest bird vulnerable to habitat loss, invasive species, and extreme storms. The establishment of a new Mao population is a critical component in a major restoration target set by Island Conservation for 2032.

Nu’utele also supports the largest remaining population of the shy ground dove in Samoa, a species declining across the Southwest Pacific. Just one month after the invasive species removal, however, researchers discovered several active nests containing eggs in bird’s-nest ferns, a location that was highly vulnerable to invasive species.

Researchers also recorded a nest of the endemic Samoan starling and witnessed breeding activity of many other species including the endemic flycatcher and whistler, providing further evidence that native birds are already benefiting from safer breeding conditions. Rats will readily poach both eggs and chicks of any birds species they can reach.

Often, island-endemic birds evolved to nest close to the ground for lack of predators on their home island. They have no natural defenses against the cunning and adaptable rats.

The shy ground dove – Credit: Paul Jacques, Island Conservation

Signs of recovery were not limited to just the forest, but are also visible at the island-ocean boundary. Conservationists found a species of land crab not previously recorded on Nu’utele, and land crab populations are expected to increase in general as pressure from invasive predators is removed.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Eradication of Invasive Ferrets Within N. Ireland’s Largest Seabird Colony Is a World First

Nu’utele’s recovery is particularly significant because native forests and agroforestry systems involving taro serve as natural infrastructure. Healthy vegetation helps anchor soils, reduce erosion, improve watershed function, and support biodiversity that is critical to ecosystem stability.

“Nu’utele shows what’s possible when communities, governments, and conservation partners work together towards a shared vision,” said SPREP Invasive Species Adviser, Mr. David Moverley, in a news release provided by Island Conservation.

“We’re seeing forests regenerate, native wildlife return, food systems improve and vital habitat expand for species that depend on healthy ecosystems. The lessons learned from this island can help guide restoration efforts across the Pacific and beyond.”

Long-term monitoring will continue to track forest regeneration, biodiversity recovery, and ecosystem health, providing valuable data that can help guide future restoration and climate resilience initiatives in Samoa and throughout the region.

While island ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to threats from invasive species and shifting climate patterns, their isolated nature makes them unique among world biomes in their ability to recover and keep new threats away.

Island Conservation has helped communities on islands around the world remove invasive wildlife populations dozens of times. GNN has reported on many, including on the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Galapagos.

CELEBRATE Another Pacific Island Giving The Boot To Rats And Recovering Thereafter…

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

Quote of the Day

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Oct 22, 2026

Quote of the day: “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

Photo by: Kelly Sikkema

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

Good News in History, October 22

This Day In History

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Oct 22, 2026

replica of Venera 9 - credit Stolbovsky CC 4.0. SA (Copy) — replica of Venera 9 - credit Stolbovsky CC 4.0. SA.

51 years ago today, Venera 9, the Soviet Union orbiter-lander spacecraft, became the first mission to enter orbit around Venus, and to return images from the surface of another planet. The key design feature of the lander was that it had to remain operational under conditions of extreme heat. This meant that not just all the delicate instruments, but the parachute and other accessories all had to be built to withstand 900°F. READ about what it told us of our nearest neighbor… (1975)

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Strangers Help 86-Year-Old Who’s Been Building a 62-foot Boat in his Yard Since 1987 (WATCH)

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Oct 21, 2026

Dale, 86, with the boat he built by hand - credit, Laurence Benson

Dale with Laurence, Benjie, Will – courtesy of Laurence Benson

An 86-year-old man named Dale has spent nearly four decades welding a 62-foot steel boat in his front yard.

Now, a wave of kindness is bringing his long-held dream within reach—just when it seemed to be beyond his reach.

Dale, from Mineral Wells, Texas, started the project in 1987 with a clear goal: Finish the boat and sail it to Alaska. The vessel has 4 staterooms and is roughly 75% complete.

At his age, however, he can no longer keep building it on his own, and a steep hill stands between the boat and the road, meaning heavy machinery will be needed to move it.

The story reached a wider audience after 3 English visitors— Laurence Benson, Benjie, and Will—were told about the boat and stopped by unannounced. When Dale started talking about the project, his passion was unmistakable.

“The second he started talking about the boat, you could see it. He’s as passionate now as he was 40 years ago,” Benson wrote. “His dream is to see her on the water.”

Dale even climbed a ladder to show them the deck, something he hadn’t done in years.

Benson, a content creator with millions of followers, launched a GoFundMe with his friends to cover finishing work, equipment to get the boat down the hill, and transport to a launch site. Within days, the campaign raised more than $41,000 toward its $45,000 goal from over 1,500 donors.

Benson said roughly $50,000 is needed to get the boat moved and on the water, but that won’t be the end of the story. Stick with the GoFundMe page as Benson works with Dale’s family to see the old salt’s lifelong dream over the finish line.

MORE ACTS OF KINDNESS: Young Moviegoer Crowdfunds $146,000 for an Elderly Theater Worker

For everyone who has donated or shared the story, it’s a reminder of how far a little help can go when someone has poured decades into something they love.

WATCH the video below…

SHARE This Story of Persistence and Kindness With Someone Who Believes in Finishing What You Start…

Japan Successfully Launches Mission to Bring Home the First-Ever Martian Moon Samples

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Oct 21, 2026

solar eclipse on Mars by JPL NASA — The Martian moon of Phobos, as pictured during an eclipse - credit, JPL-Caltech / NASA, screenshot

The Martian moon of Phobos, as pictured during an eclipse – credit, JPL-Caltech / NASA, screenshot

In a stellar step forward for planetary science, Japan successfully launched a spacecraft on October 19th, headed for the mysterious moons of Mars. The mission aims to collect soil samples and bring them back to Earth for the first time in history.⁠

The Martian Moons eXploration mission, known as MMX, lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center aboard Japan’s H3 rocket at 3:41 p.m. EDT (4:41 a.m. local time the next day).

Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), this five-year, $578 million international effort brings together partners from NASA, France’s CNES, Germany’s DLR, and the European Space Agency in a shared quest to unlock secrets of our solar system.⁠

The roughly 5-ton spacecraft is expected to arrive at Mars by late summer 2027, where it will closely study the planet’s two small, potato-shaped moons—Phobos (about 14 miles or 22 km across) and the even smaller Deimos. Then it will attempt something never done before: landing on Phobos to gather samples of its surface.

Scientists are eager to understand how these curious moons formed. Were they created from debris after a giant impact on Mars, or are they asteroids captured long ago? The samples could finally settle the debate.

Even better, material from Phobos may contain grains blasted off Mars itself over billions of years, offering fresh clues about the Red Planet’s history and perhaps even the conditions that helped life take root on Earth.⁠

To help navigate Phobos’ challenging terrain and extremely low gravity, the mission carries a small French-German rover named Idefix (after the loyal white dog in the Asterix comics).

This microwave-sized, 4-wheeled scout will be released first to explore ahead, bouncing carefully across the surface at speeds measured in millimeters per second to identify a safe spot for the main spacecraft to touch down.

MORE GOOD NEWS FROM THE GALAXY:

The lander is designed to spend only about 2 hours on the surface, using both Japanese and NASA-contributed tools to drill and vacuum up at least 10 grams of material before returning to orbit.⁠

After additional observations—including flybys of Deimos—the MMX probe is scheduled to depart the Martian system in 2030 and deliver its sample capsule to the Australian desert in 2031. If successful, it will mark the first time humanity has brought home material from any moon other than our own.

The mission will also gather data that could support future human journeys to Mars. JAXA has noted that Phobos may one day serve as a natural outpost or staging point, and the experience of traveling there and back will help refine the technologies needed for astronauts.

⁠It’s the kind of bold, collaborative achievement that reminds us how far curiosity and teamwork can take us—literally, to other worlds.

WATCH the livestreamed countdown and lift off below…

SHARE This Exciting Milestone in Space Exploration With Someone Who Loves a Our Solar System…

Scientists Discover a Simple, Low-Energy Way to Recycle Acrylic Glass into Brand-New Material

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Oct 21, 2026

Researchers at ETH Zurich have found a practical new method that breaks down acrylic glass—known by the brand name Plexiglas—almost entirely into its original building blocks, making high-quality recycling realistic and affordable for the first time.

Acrylic glass shows up in everyday products like windows, car taillights, furniture, and protective barriers. Most of it has ended up as waste because older recycling methods were too costly, too energy-intensive, or too complicated for companies to adopt.

The new process changes that. Using a single, inexpensive chemical that’s already available, the team recovered up to 98% of the material as pure monomers. The reaction starts at just over 200°C—about half the heat required by previous methods—and needs no solvents.

Even when the original acrylic was dyed or contained impurities, the recovered material was pure enough to make new products of the same quality as virgin plastic.

Because it works with existing equipment and standard processes, companies wouldn’t need expensive overhauls to start using it. ETH Zurich has filed a patent and is already seeking industry partners to scale the method. The researchers also hope the same basic idea can eventually be adapted for other common plastics, such as polystyrene.

MORE OF THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS:

“What makes our new approach so exciting is its simplicity,” said Richard Whitfield, lead author of the study published in Nature Chemistry.

For a material used in millions of products around the world, this is a hopeful step toward keeping more plastic out of landfills and turning waste back into useful, high-quality goods with far less energy and cost.

SHARE This Breakthrough in Plastic Recycling With Someone Who Cares About a Cleaner Future…

10-Year-Old Dog Found After a Month Lost in Yellowstone

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