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After Fracking is Halted, the Site’s Drill Hole is Now A Source of Clean Geothermal Energy

By
Andy Corbley
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Gateshead facility - Britain's Coal Authority
A similar heating station in Gateshead – Britain’s Coal Authority

In England’s North Yorkshire, locals opposed a fracking project vigorously enough to get the whole thing canceled, but the almost 2-mile deep borehole had already been made.

Rather than simply letting it lie as an ugly testament to the picket line, Third Energy converted it into a geothermal heating station prototype that could heat 300 homes in the village of Kirby Misperton if commercially developed.

Every 3,000 feet or so one drills down into the Earth, the rock warms by 54°F or thereabouts. At 2 miles, the rock is very hot, and Third Energy can pump water to those depths to heat it up naturally before drawing it back up to the surface and using it to power home radiators and water heaters.

In volcanically active regions, supercritical water or steam can power turbines to generate electricity. Britain has power stations like this, but in the case of Kirby Misperton, it’s just heating homes and water taps.

However, it’s doing so in a more environmentally friendly way than channeling gas or using electric ventilation and heating oil.

When water is used in homes and loses its heat, it’s pumped back down to the bowels of the Earth to reheat where that force then brings the already-heated water to the surface in a cycle that requires almost no electricity.

“When we were campaigning, we had to say what the solution was,” said Steve Mason, then-head of anti-fracking group Frack Free United, and now director of Third Energy. “You can’t just say ‘No, no, no’ all the time. We need to be telling people this can be done and this is a solution.”

Years of European governments hounding fossil fuel companies with regulations and promises that they will be replaced by renewable energy has driven the price of home heating on the continent and in Britain incredibly high. The War in Ukraine and the destruction of the Nord Stream II pipeline didn’t help either.

Yet despite this, Third Energy’s managing director Russell Howe doesn’t see his firm going back to natural gas or the prices they’re no commanding.

MORE GEOTHERMAL ADVANCEMENTS: The Perfect Energy Source Is Already Here – Endless Geothermal Is Poised for Release From Deep in the Earth

“I think once you’ve seen what the potential is and you see people in the community come and feel the radiator and see the excitement, there’s no interest in the company going back to fossil fuels,” Howe told Sky News.

Per Sky News, there are 680 wells drilled for fossil fuels in Britain that could be converted into these geothermal heating stations.

MORE GEOTHERMAL ADVANCEMENTS: Geothermal Power is Finally a Reality After the Next-Generation Breakthrough of Carbon-Free Energy in Nevada

It has recently been discovered that deep in Britain’s network of abandoned coal mines, water has been heated to useable temperatures by the Earth’s core, and it too can be utilized in home heat pumps.

One such project is already heating a host of commercial real estate and 350 apartments in the town of Gateshead.

SHARE This Gas To Green Story With Your Friends Concerned About The Climate…

“To be free is to have achieved your life.” – Tennessee Williams

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “To be free is to have achieved your life.” – Tennessee Williams

Photo by: Ken Brown, CC License

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Tai Chi Can Curb Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms for Years and Lower Needed Drug Doses–Study

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - Kristoffer Trolle, CC 2.0.
credit – Kristoffer Trolle, CC 2.0.

Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art involving sequences of slow controlled movements meant to cultivate one of the three kinds of vital energy, called qi, was found to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disorder in 147 seniors.

Patients who already had the debilitating disorder and who took up Tai Chi also needed lower doses of the required drugs, according to the findings published by the BMJ Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

The disease, characterized by slowness of movement, resting tremors, plus stiff and inflexible muscles, is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, with the number of those affected projected to reach nearly five million by 2030 in China alone, and 1.2 million in the US.

There is no cure as yet for Parkinson’s, and while drugs can improve symptoms, they don’t treat all the manifestations of the disease.

Any visitor to China will have undoubtedly seen old folks doing Tai Chi in the park. The slow coordinated movements are a favorite of those trying to keep themselves limber in their silver years, especially in winter.

Previously published research suggests that Tai Chi eases Parkinson’s symptoms in the short term, but whether that improvement could be sustained over the long term wasn’t known.

To find out, Chinese researchers monitored two groups of patients with Parkinson’s for over five years from January 2016 to June 2021.

One group of 147 patients practiced Tai Chi twice a week for an hour, aided by the provision of classes to improve their technique.

The other group of 187 patients continued with their standard care but didn’t practice Tai Chi.

Disease severity was formally assessed in all the participants at the start of the monitoring period, and disease progression, including increases in the need for medication, was then monitored once a year until 2021.

MORE POSITIVE PARKINSON’S DEVELOPMENTS: New Blood Test Could Diagnose Parkinson’s Before it Begins Damaging the Nervous System

A variety of other symptoms were also monitored, such as sleep quality and autonomic nervous system activity.

“Disease progression was slower at all monitoring points in the Tai Chi group, as assessed by three validated scales to assess overall symptoms, movement, and balance,” said study author Dr. Gen Li from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

“The number of patients who needed to increase their medication in the comparison group was also significantly higher than it was in the Tai Chi Group. Cognitive function deteriorated more slowly in the Tai Chi group as did other non-movement symptoms, while sleep and quality of life continuously improved,” he added.

The prevalence of complications was significantly lower in the Tai Chi group than in the comparison group.

Dr. Li said falls, dizziness, and back pain were the three side effects reported by study participants, but they were all “significantly lower” in the Tai Chi group.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: Get Your Body Moving to Put the Brakes on Early Parkinson’s, Study Says

“Our study has shown that Tai Chi retains the long-term beneficial effect on [Parkinson’s disease], indicating the potential disease-modifying effects on both motor and non-motor symptoms, especially gait, balance, autonomic symptoms, and cognition,” said Dr. Li.

“The long-term beneficial effect could prolong the time without disability, leading to a higher quality of life, a lower burden for caregivers, and less drug usage.”

Tai Chi isn’t as complicated as it might look like. There are fundamental movements that flow in and out of one another to make it seem that there are many different movements when the basics are just eight forms.

As much yoga as there is on the internet, there are also plenty of Tai Chi lessons and practices.

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When Builders in Maui Constructed Tiny Homes for Man’s Family, it Grew into Crowdfunded Rehousing Project

By
Andy Corbley
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William Fincher (second from left) standing on part of his new home built and supplied by local builder Juan Ricci (center). credit - Andreas Alfaro, GoFundMe
William Fincher (second from left) standing on part of his new home built and supplied by local builder Juan Ricci (center). credit – Andreas Alfaro, GoFundMe

Buried under the 24-hour news cycles of the last few months, recovery in Lahaina is progressing, one tiny house at a time.

William Fincher, an owner of two restaurants in the historic Maui town which tragically burned down this August, is receiving help from neighbors and friends to build a pair of tiny homes for his family of a wife, two kids, and two dogs.

Fincher lost both restaurants and his home in the fires, but within three or four days, local builder Juan Ricci was ordering materials to help the Fincher family construct the tiny houses. He did it all from his own pocket until the build team, including Fincher, Ricci, and some more friends had to set up a GoFundMe to look for the money.

Javier Barberi, a close friend, told Good Morning America in no uncertain terms that Fincher was Lahaina through and through, and he simply had to stay in order to help rebuild and recover the spirit of the town. Barberi gave Fincher space on his land to build.

With Barberi’s help and Ricci’s instruction, the tiny homes started coming together. Fincher knew a bit about woodshop, but laying insulation, framing doors, and roofing, were all skills he didn’t have. Ricci and his workers provided free labor and instruction.

“He [Ricci] started building these homes out of the goodness of his own heart and paying everything out of pocket. He trusts that the money will come,” writes volunteer Andreas Alfaro on the GoFundMe page which has so far raised $13,000 of its goal of $100,000.

credit – Andreas Alfaro, GoFundMe

What started as a few guys coming together to support their neighbor in Fincher has turned into a bold grassroots effort to raise money to build small, long-term homes for displaced residents, and pay locals who lost their jobs in the fires to do it, with Ricci providing on-the-job training from 20 years experience building on Hawai’i.

MORE STORIES FROM LAHAINA: A 5-Year-Old’s Lemonade Stand in Seattle Raised Over $17,000 for Victims of Maui Wildfires

“That’s the idea, to raise some money and keep going and start paying the guys that have been working,” Ricci told GMA.

MORE STORIES FROM LAHAINA: Oprah And Dwayne Johnson Giving $1,200 Per Month To Maui Wildfire Survivors

“Lahaina is the best place in the world without a doubt, and now it’s still there,” said Fincher.

SHARE This Inspiring Community Coming Together To Help Those In Need… 

Google Launches Tool to Predict Floods–That Already Aided in Early Evacuations in Chile

By
Andy Corbley
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screenshot of the Flood Hub homepage
screenshot of the Flood Hub homepage

Google doesn’t just use satellite data and machine learning to help you find Vietnamese food in the city you’re visiting, it’s actively protecting developing countries from flooding.

This August, the Chilean areas of Constitucion and Maule witnessed devastating floods that left thousands homeless, but many were able to gather critical belongings and evacuate because Google sent out warnings 2 days in advance of the flooding through their Flood Hub modeling tool.

Riverine floods, when heavy rains cause rivers to overflow their banks, happen all over the world all the time, and are a little like the unsung villain of natural disasters.

It was long thought impossible to predict these foods because of the number of factors beyond simple weather reports and forecasts, such as soil composition, topography, potential infrastructure failings, and so on.

“This was really kind of a moonshot, in a way,” said Yossi Matias, vice president of engineering and research at Google. “Can we use machine learning and other technologies in order to try to predict floods at some level of accuracy that would be valuable?”

The answer is, since Flood Hub was launched in 2018 in India, yes, you can—very well in fact.

The baseline unit of analysis in the tool is thousands of detailed satellite images of waterways that can build a topographical understanding of the river’s course and gather scientific information on flooding rates, soil composition, history of erosion, and so on. This is then treated to a deep-learning program that creates flooding models based on the addition of weather forecasts and rainfall data.

The result is what they call their global hydrologic model, and has been in use across dozens of countries for the last five years, and was recently introduced in the US and Canada. This monsoon season in India and Bangladesh, Flood Hub sent out 45 million alerts.

“It allowed us to provide flood forecasting information even in places where the historical data is quite scarce,” Matias told Adele Peters of Fast Company Magazine, reporting on the tool.

OTHER SOPHISTICATED SYSTEMS LIKE THIS: NASA Technology to Map The Stars Could Now Help Save World’s Largest Fish

“For example, [we’re in] 23 countries in Africa, many of which actually don’t have enough data, but because we can learn the patterns of floods and then map them to places that have certain similarities, it allows them to get to the right level of quality that we needed.”

When Flood Hub predicts an oncoming flood, it has a variety of ways to send out alerts. Some countries receive alerts right on their phones similar to the Amber Alert system in the US, but in other cases it’s sent to government departments who may use their own lines of communication, even going so far as knocking door to door, or sending out WhatsApp messages.

MORE BIG TECH STORIES: Samsung Cuts Energy Usage of Their Computer Chips by 50% In Big Market Innovation

Google has also partnered with a disaster recovery NGO called Give Directly, which is pioneering a platform that allows them to send money directly to people who receive Flood Hub evacuation alerts, giving them funds to afford a relocation.

SHARE This Example Of Big Data Using Their Powers For Good… 

Chicken Feathers Can Replace ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Renewable Hydrogen Fuel Cells, Lowering Cost

By
Andy Corbley
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credit Ashlee Marie - Unsplash
credit Ashlee Marie – Unsplash

With a brilliant idea that could clear two hurdles in one leap for renewable energy sources, scientists at ETH Zurich have discovered a way to use chicken feathers to manufacture a critical component for hydrogen fuel cells.

Hydrogen fuel cells can generate both emissions-free energy and a portable fuel similar to diesel, but at the moment they are manufactured with so-called “forever chemicals” that are toxic in certain quantities and don’t biodegrade in any way.

On the other hand, chicken is an invaluable part of the food supply but comes with 40 million metric tons annually of feathers that are incinerated as a waste product that produces CO2 and other problematic gases as well.

This is where the team at ETH in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has come up with a brilliant solution of using the feathers instead of the chemicals, thereby sparing the environment on both ends in two different ways, and potentially lowering the cost of hydrogen adoption.

“I’ve devoted a number of years to researching different ways we can use food waste for renewable energy systems,” says Raffaele Mezzenga, Professor of Food and Soft Materials at ETH Zurich.

“Our latest development closes a cycle: we’re taking a substance that releases CO2 and toxic gases when burned and used it in a different setting: with our new technology it not only replaces toxic substances, but also prevents the release of CO2, decreasing the overall carbon footprint cycle,” he adds.

Fuel cells create hydrogen fuel by separating the hydrogen from the oxygen in water. At the heart of the fuel cell lies a semipermeable membrane that allows protons to pass through but leaves electrons behind to escape via an external circuit from the negatively charged anode to the positively charged cathode: thereby creating a current that can be harnessed for electricity.

CLOSING THE LOOP: Designer Works to Erect First Modern Village to Generate its Own Electricity–and Food–in 100% Sustainable Loop

Chicken feathers are made up of 90% keratin, a protein in our hair and fingernails that Mezzenga et al. converted to ultra-fine fibers called amyloid fibrils by breaking the feathers down in an environmentally friendly way. The fibrils can be used to make the membrane between the anode and cathode of the fuel cell three times cheaper than synthetic materials.

But better still, this fibril membrane can also be used to create pure hydrogen (as in H without the 2 and the O) which doesn’t exist on Earth naturally but which can be used like diesel fuel to power heavy machinery like planes and trains.

MORE HYDROGEN INNOVATION: Researchers Make ‘Giant Leap’ to Produce Affordable Renewable Hydrogen

In this case, a current is sent directly through water as part of a method called electrolysis. Under conditions inside the fuel cell, oxygen this time escapes at the positively charged anode and leaves hydrogen to exit at the negatively charged cathode. The membrane in this case allows protons to pass through even when it’s pure water, which typically isn’t conductive enough for electrolysis.

Per UTH Zurich press, the researchers’ next step will be to investigate how stable and durable their keratin membrane is and to improve it if necessary. The research team has already filed a joint patent for the membrane and is now looking for investors or companies to develop the technology further and bring it to market.

SHARE This Truly Circular Solution With Your Friends… 

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver

Photo by: Alex Guillaume

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?

Students Build World’s First Off-Road Solar-Powered SUV–and Drive it Across Morocco

By
Andy Corbley
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Stella Terra - TUE/Bart van Overbeek
Stella Terra – TUE/Bart van Overbeek

Students in The Netherlands have designed a solar-powered SUV that doubles as a small camper van to produce the ultimate concept car for off-grid adventure in sunny climes.

Driving it 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) across Morocco, the Stella Terra as it’s called showed a wide variety of advantages over existing electric SUVs.

“Morocco has a huge variety of landscapes and different surfaces in quite a short distance,” says Thieme Bosman, events manager for the TUE team. He told CNN the car was tested “on every type of surface that a car like this could encounter.”

The wide sloping roof has inbuilt solar panels that charge the electric battery while the car is driving. This allowed the creators, students from Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), to shave off the weight of the battery packs, creating a lighter car that used less electricity to power.

By shaving off weight wherever possible and crafting the Stella Terra’s body panels to have an aerodynamic shape, the car is just 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms), about 25% less than similar electric SUVs.

It’s also added up to a longer range of around 710 kilometers (441 miles) on roads, and around 550 kilometers (342 miles) off-road, plus or minus 50 for cloudy or sunny weather, plus or minus a bit more because car makers are notoriously untrustworthy when reporting range.

The team drove it from Tangier through the Rif Mountains, down to Fes and up the high mountain tracks near Midelt, Morocco’s highest town, and back down to the Sahara Desert area where it faced loose sandy tracks.

MORE SOLAR-POWERED CARS: World’s First Solar Car Goes into Production – a 4 Passenger EV That Can Run on the Sun

When it was time to call it a day, the rooftop solar array expanded outward to maximize recharging in the remaining daylight as well as creating an awning like one would find in a camper van. The seats also fully recline to form a bed.

Early on in the trip the steering system broke, but far from needing a medivac to their laboratory in The Netherlands, they repaired it in a countryside workshop with parts they found.

Bosman and the TUE team are aware that these sorts of concept cars are a major challenge to bring to the mass-produced market. What will the ultimate price point be, who will be interested in buying it, where should it be most marketed, these are all difficult questions that many concept car manufacturers simply can’t resolve satisfactorily.

MORE SOLAR-POWERED CARS: Aptera Solar-Powered Car With ‘1,000-Mile’ Range Gets 7,000 Preorders for Delivery in 2021

“We aim to also inspire not only everyday people, but also the automotive industry, the Ford and Chryslers of the world, to think again about their designs and to innovate faster than they currently do,” says Bosman.

“It’s up to the market now, who have the resources and the power to make this change and the switch to more sustainable vehicles.”

The TUE innovators behind the Stella Terra see it as a potentially great choice for drivers far away from reliable power grids, or for emergency workers in these areas for reaching distant locales over multi-day journeys to transport critical supplies or medical personnel

SHARE This Pretty Impressive Feat of Automotive Engineering And Innovation…

Madonna Shines in ‘Celebration’ Tour After Near-Fatal Illness

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Good News Network
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(LEFT) Madonna performs during the 65th Grammy Awards, February 5, 2023 – REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo (RIGHT) Live Nation video/Reuters
(LEFT) Madonna performs during the 65th Grammy Awards, February 5, 2023 – REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo; (RIGHT) Live Nation video October 21, 2023 /Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – Madonna kicked off her “Celebration” tour in London on Saturday, with a performance that proved her energy, charisma, and appetite for controversy were little dimmed after four decades of pop super-stardom and a brush with death earlier this year.

The 65-year-old’s greatest hits show was pushed back from its original July start date after she was hospitalized in intensive care for a serious bacterial infection.

“I’m really damn surprised I made it this far. And I mean that on so many levels,” she told fans at the O2 arena.

Wearing the corset and chains that defined her breakthrough, she sang “Into The Groove” and even brought several of her children (ages 11-29) on stage to perform.

1983’s “Holiday” recreated the hedonistic joy of a New York club before the onslaught of AIDS, marked by a tribute to those who had died.

Religious imagery that accompanied Madonna’s rise from pop star to cultural icon was the backdrop to “Like a Prayer”, while “Vogue”, the hit that powered her into the 1990s, saw one of the stages become a catwalk.

IT’S A GAS, GAS, GAS: Rolling Stones Launch Their First Album in 18 Years Performing in NYC With Guest Lady Gaga

Madonna addressed the situation in the Middle East. “There’s a lot of really crazy things happening in the world that are so, so painful to witness,” she said. “But even though our hearts are broken, our spirits cannot be broken.”

On her health scare, she said: “It was a crazy year for me as well. And I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

SWIFTY GOOD NEWS: Taylor Swift is a Hero to Food Banks Across the U.S. at Each Stop of Her Eras Tour

With more than 40 songs in the show, some like “Papa Don’t Preach” were dispatched in seconds, but all of her re-inventions, from Catholic Madonna to Country Madonna, were featured.

The seven-time Grammy Award winner has rescheduled the tour’s North American leg to start in December after her European concerts.

Check out the concert’s video highlights below…

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by William Mallard)

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Hero Bus Driver Saves Boy From Choking on Coin, Rushing Him to Safety–WATCH

By
Andy Corbley
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Not all heroes wear capes, some like Raquel Radford Baker, drive school buses.

Baker, a veteran driver for Dallas Independent School District, was on a routine route for the kids at Seagoville North Elementary School when one of them, a boy just 7 years old began to choke.

First-grader Preston motioned to Baker that he needed help. Surveillance camera footage showed that he had swallowed something just a moment before. Thinking he needed to throw up, Baker opened the bus door and told him to go let hurl, but Preston gesticulated that wasn’t the problem.

Baker saw the correction that was needed, took Preston off the bus, and performed the Heimlich Maneuver in time.

Preston called her his “hero” and “a bus stop angel.”

Recently, Preston’s mother Gia, and Baker were able to meet for the first time since the incident, and tears were understandably shed.

WATCH the story below from GMA… 

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Young Driver Fatality Rates Have Fallen Sharply in the US, Helped by Education, Restrictions

By
Andy Corbley
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Jan Baborak, unsplash
Jan Baborak, unsplash

A new report from a non-profit coalition of highway safety offices shows that rates of fatal traffic collisions of drivers under the age of 21 have fallen dramatically.

The most at-risk demographic is now 38% less likely to be involved in a fatal collision, and 45% less likely to be the victim of a fatal collision according to data gathered from 2002 to 2021.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) still finds young drivers to be the riskiest cohort behind the wheel, but their report lists a number of factors that have helped and can be further improved upon.

When this author was going through driver’s re-education after lightly damaging the bumper of a car in front of him within the first 12 months of getting his license, a video was shown in the class consisting of the interior footage of a car involved in a serious collision.

A group of four under 21s was inside, and the video showed a very real scenario, when, one minute they were laughing and chit-chatting, and the next, they were all unconscious having slammed into something during the collision.

“Young drivers are the riskiest age group on the road, and the reasons are straightforward — immaturity and inexperience,” Pam Shadel Fischer, author of the GHSA report told the Associated Press. ”Many young drivers simply don’t have the behind-the-wheel experience to recognize risk and take the appropriate corrective action to prevent a crash.”

Education was cited by the GHSA as one of two major factors that have influenced the drop in fatal collisions, particularly when parents were involved. The other one was staggered privileges.

MORE POSITIVE TRENDS: Deaths by Extreme Weather and Aviation Accidents Have Never Been Lower than Now

These programs topped the list of effective solutions, and consist of placing limits on driving privileges that phase out as the driver ages. These could involve driving at night, driving on Interstate Highways, or having other passengers in the car.

In Maryland and New Jersey, the report adds, these programs extend even until the driver’s 18th and 20th birthdays.

SHARE This Great News About Avoidable Deaths Of Children With Your Friends… 

“Maybe that’s enlightenment enough—to know there is no final resting place of the mind.” – Anthony Bourdain

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Maybe that’s enlightenment enough—to know there is no final resting place of the mind.” – Anthony Bourdain 

Photo by: Katerina Kerdi

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?

Old Coal Mine Filled With Warm Water Has Been Heating a Town with Green Energy for 6 Months

By
Andy Corbley
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Treated mine water - Britain's Coal Authority
Treated mine water – Britain’s Coal Authority

Britain’s deep coal mines have become a surprising source of green energy, one that’s been heating the town of Gateshead successfully for 6 months.

The scheme is believed to be replicable in areas with extensive abandoned mine works, and offers a kind of renewable redemption for a nation with a long history of dirty energy.

Gateshead Council’s mine water project launched in March 2023 and now has a large central heat pump that provides low-carbon heating to 350 high-rise buildings, an art gallery, a college, an industrial park, and several office buildings.

As oil and gas gradually replaced coal, Britain’s hundreds of miles of coal mining tunnels were gradually abandoned over the decades. Inundated by flood waters that became heated by the Earth’s core, Britain suddenly had a semi-naturally occurring geothermal energy source to harvest.

At certain depths, mine water can sit at over 100° Fahrenheit, or precisely 45°C. The renewable energy use here involves pumping the water into home heat pumps which further raises the temperature.

The super-hot mine water then heats the interior space and home water supply. After the heat is expended the water is sent back down to the mine where it’s naturally reheated. Huge advantages come with this kind of heating, including the fact that the water isn’t affected by the winter or the summer, and the water can also be used to cool homes.

“Recovering heat from mine water below the ground within abandoned coal mines provides an exciting opportunity to generate a low carbon, secure supply of heat, benefitting people living or working in buildings on the coalfields,” Gareth Farr, head of heat and by-product innovation at the Coal Authority, told Euronews.

MORE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES: Engineers Have Just Finished Drilling the First Geothermal Well in the UK to Use Renewable Energy

The authority owns and manages the disused coal-mining infrastructure on behalf of the UK government, and their water resources amount to about two billion cubic meters, or half the amount of water in Loch Ness.

Gateshead facility – Britain’s Coal Authority

“With many millions of people living upon abandoned coalfields in Great Britain, the potential for mine water heat could be significant.”

OTHER GOOD BRITISH ADVANCEMENTS: Britain’s Royal Mint is Salvaging Gold from E-Waste – Recycling Precious Metals for Green Investors

While the Gateshead project is the largest in Europe, it’s not the only such setup, nor was it the first. Reclaimed coal mine water projects for heating have been established in The Netherlands and Spain, as well as across the Atlantic in Canada.

SHARE This Unexpected Font Of Green Energy With Your Friends… 

19 Wildcats Set to Bring Back Scottish Highland Species – They’re Thriving in a Reintroduction Program

By
Andy Corbley
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credit Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
credit Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

A recent generation of captive-bred Scottish Wildcats that were released into Cairngorms National Park are thriving in their natural habitat.

The Saving Wildcats project was in charge of the release that saw 19 wildcats re-enter the wild this summer, tracked via GPS collars.

Solitary hunting cats have high mortality rates in winter months, and it’s not expected that all 19 will survive the winter. Already one has succumbed to an infection.

However, the breeding and reintroduction program, supported by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, and the Cairngorms National Park Authority, has another thirteen kittens growing up in captivity in conditions that mimic the Cairngorms for future releases.

The iconic species was declared “functionally extinct in the wild” due to habitat loss and interbreeding with domesticated cats, but a herculean effort by various conservation groups has given the cat a rosier outlook in the decades ahead where they hope to reintroduce 60 juveniles between 6 and 8 months old.

In addition to reintroductions Saving Wildcats is working closely with landowners who have wildcats on their territories to ensure they are free to roam and unenticed to mate with domestic cats.

PEOPLE HELPING WILDCATS: Adorable Photos Show a Newborn Litter of Critically-Endangered Scottish Wildcat Kittens

“The time is now to give the ‘Highland Tiger’ the best chance of survival and I am thankful for the work of our team members, partners, and supporters in making this happen,” said David Field of Saving Wildcats in June when the first reintroductions took place.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Millionaire Turned Quadriplegic Jon Ayers is Giving it All to Save Wild Cats, After Finding a New Purpose

“I am also particularly grateful for the support of our local community in the Cairngorms as, without their engagement, we would not have reached this exciting milestone.”

Visitors who happen to glimpse this feline in the wild are urged not to share the location of the sighting.

WATCH the story below from the BBC…

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Amateur Astronomer Saw Never Before Seen Collision Event in Data Where the Professionals Didn’t

By
Andy Corbley
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Artist's impression of the collision out of which shards of rock and dust fly off towards the distant sun. credit - Mark Garlick. Released by Univ. of Bristol
Artist’s impression of the collision out of which shards of rock and dust fly off towards the distant sun. credit – Mark Garlick. Released by Univ. of Bristol

A chance social media post by an eagle-eyed amateur astronomer sparked the discovery of an explosive collision between two giant planets, which crashed into each other in a distant space system 1,800 light years away from planet Earth.

The confidence he had in what he saw led to an international team of astronomers being formed to investigate his claims that the light curve of an observed star showed the system doubling in brightness at infrared wavelengths some three years before the star started to fade in visible light.

The study, published in Nature by the team on the amateur’s tip-off, reports the sighting of two ice giant exoplanets several tens of Earth masses in size colliding around a sun-like star, creating a blaze of light and plumes of dust.

Its findings show the bright heat afterglow and resulting dust cloud, which moved in front of the parent star dimming it over time.

“To be honest, this observation was a complete surprise to me,” said co-lead author Dr. Matthew Kenworthy from Leiden University. “When we originally shared the visible light curve of this star with other astronomers, we started watching it with a network of other telescopes.”

“An astronomer on social media pointed out that the star brightened up in the infrared over a thousand days before the optical fading. I knew then this was an unusual event.”

Bristol University which first covered the story released no information about who the amateur was, what training he had, or if he was associated with an institution.

The network of professional and amateur astronomers studied the star intensively including monitoring changes in the star’s brightness over the next two years. The star was named ASASSN-21qj after the network of telescopes that first detected the fading of the star at visible wavelengths.

The researchers concluded the most likely explanation is that two ice giant exoplanets collided, producing the infrared glow detected by NASA’s NEOWISE mission, which uses a space telescope to hunt for asteroids and comets.

“Our calculations and computer models indicate the temperature and size of the glowing material, as well as the amount of time the glow has lasted, is consistent with the collision of two ice giant exoplanets,” said co-lead author Dr. Simon Lock, Research Fellow in Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.

MORE EXOPLANET STORIES: NASA Just Found an Ocean World with Atmosphere–The Best Place to Look for Life in Our Galaxy

The resultant expanding debris cloud from the impact then traveled in front of the star some three years later, causing the star to dim in brightness at visible wavelengths.

Over the next few years, the cloud of dust is expected to start smearing out along the orbit of the collision remnant, and a tell-tale scattering of light from this cloud could be detected with both ground-based telescopes and NASA’s largest telescope in space, known as JWST.

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The astronomers plan on watching closely what happens next in this system.

“It will be fascinating to observe further developments,” said co-author Dr. Zoe Leinhardt, Associate Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Bristol. “Ultimately, the mass of material around the remnant may condense to form a retinue of moons that will orbit around this new planet.”

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Your New Horoscope From Rob Brezsny: A ‘Free Will Astrology’

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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 October 21, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I’m not enamored of Shakespeare’s work. Though I enjoy his creative use of language, his worldview isn’t appealing or interesting. The people in his stories don’t resonate with me, and their problems don’t feel realistic. If I want to commune with multi-faceted characters dealing with fascinating dilemmas, I turn to French novelist Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850). I feel a kinship with his complex, nuanced understanding of human nature. Please note I am not asserting that Shakespeare is bad and Balzac is good. I’m merely stating the nature of my subjective personal tastes. Now I invite you to do what I have done here: In the coming weeks, stand up unflinchingly for your subjective personal tastes.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
As much as I love logic and champion rational thinking, I’m granting you an exemption from their iron-grip supremacy in the coming weeks. To understand what’s transpiring and to respond with intelligence, you must partly transcend logic and reason. They will not be sufficient guides as you wrestle with the Great Riddles that will be visiting. In a few weeks, you will be justified in quoting ancient Roman author Tertullian, who said the following about his religion, Christianity: “It is true because it is impossible.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
As a Sun-conjunct-Uranus person, I am fond of hyperbole and outrageousness. “Outlandish” is one of my middle names. My Burning Man moniker is “Friendly Shocker”. So take that into consideration when I suggest you meditate on Oscar Wilde’s assertions that “all great ideas are dangerous” and “an idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea.” Oscar and I don’t mean that interesting possibilities must be a risk to one’s health or safety. Rather, we’re suggesting they are probably inconvenient for one’s dogmas, habits, and comfort zones. I hope you will favor such disruptors in the coming days.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Some people might feel they have achieved the peak of luxury if they find themselves sipping Moët & Chandon Imperial Vintage Champagne while lounging on a leather and diamond-encrusted PlumeBlanche sofa on a hand-knotted Agra wool rug aboard a 130-foot-long Sunseeker yacht. But I suspect you will be thoroughly pleased with the subtler forms of luxury that are possible for you these days. Like what? Like surges of appreciation and acknowledgment for your good work. Like growing connections with influences that will interest you and help you in the future. Like the emotional riches that come from acting with integrity and excellence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
There are over 20 solutions to the riddle your higher mind is now contemplating. Several of them are smart intellectually but not emotionally intelligent. Others make sense from a selfish perspective but would be less than a blessing for some people in your life. Then there are a few solutions that might technically be effective but wouldn’t be much fun. I estimate there may only be two or three answers that would be intellectually and emotionally intelligent, would be of service not only to you but also to others, and would generate productive fun.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Naturalist John Muir didn’t like the word “hiking.” He believed people ought to saunter through the wilderness, not hike. “Hiking” implies straight-ahead, no-nonsense, purposeful movement, whereas “sauntering” is about wandering around, being reverent towards one’s surroundings, and getting willingly distracted by where one’s curiosity leads. I suggest you favor the sauntering approach in the coming weeks—not just in nature but in every area of your life. You’re best suited for exploring, gallivanting, and meandering.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
JooHee Yoon is an illustrator and designer. She says, “So much of artmaking is getting to know yourself through the creative process, of making mistakes and going down rabbit holes of research and experimentation that sometimes work out—and sometimes don’t.” She adds, “The failures are just as important as the successes.” I would extend this wisdom, applying it to how we create our personalities and lives. I hope you will keep it in mind as you improvise, experiment with, and transform yourself in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Sometimes, we droop and shrivel in the face of a challenge that dares us to grow stronger and smarter. Sometimes, we try our best to handle a pivotal riddle with aplomb but fall short. Neither of these two scenarios will be in play for you during the coming months. I believe you will tap into reserves of hidden power you didn’t realize you had access to. You will summon bold, innovative responses to tantalizing mysteries. I predict you will accomplish creative triumphs that may have once seemed beyond your capacities.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini novelist Meg Wolitzer suggests that “one of the goals of life is to be comfortable in your own skin and in your own bed and on your own land.” I suspect you won’t achieve that goal in the coming weeks, but you will lay the foundation for achieving that goal. You will figure out precisely what you need in order to feel at home in the world, and you will formulate plans to make that happen. Be patient with yourself, dear Gemini. Be extra tender, kind, and accommodating. Your golden hour will come.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Some astrologers say you Crabs are averse to adventure, preferring to loll in your comfort zones and entertain dreamy fantasies. As evidence that this is not always true, I direct your attention to a great Cancerian adventurer, the traveling chef Anthony Bourdain. In the coming weeks, I hope you will be inspired by these Bourdain quotes: 1. “If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” 2. “What a great way to live, if you could always do things that interest you, and do them with people who interest you.” 3. “The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough—to know there is no final resting place of the mind.” 4. “Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Author Iain S. Thomas writes, “The universe is desperately trying to move you into the only spot that truly belongs to you—a space that only you can stand in. It is up to you to decide every day whether you are moving towards or away from that spot.” His ideas overlap with principles I expound in my book, Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. There I propose that life often works to help dissolve your ignorance and liberate you from your suffering. I hypothesize that you are continually being given opportunities to grow smarter and wilder and kinder. In the coming weeks, everything I’ve described here will be especially apropos to you. All of creation will be maneuvering you in the direction of feeling intensely at home with your best self. Cooperate, please!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
“Never do anything that others can do for you,” said Virgo novelist Agatha Christie. That’s not a very Virgo-like attitude, is it? Many astrologers would say that of all the zodiac’s signs, your tribe is the most eager to serve others but not aggressively seek the service of others on your behalf. But I suspect this dynamic could change in the coming weeks. Amazingly, cosmic rhythms will conspire to bring you more help and support than you’re accustomed to. My advice: Welcome it. Gather it in with gusto.

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

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” – John W. Gardner

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Quote of the Day: “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” – John W. Gardner

Photo by: Claudio Schwarz

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?

Over 200 UFO Sightings This Year But They Do No Harm, Says New U.S. Government Report

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A still from a U.S. government video appearing to show unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) – SWNS
A still from a U.S. government video appearing to show unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) – SWNS

An intelligence document from the Pentagon was delivered to Congress this week detailing its ongoing UFO investigations, called “unidentified anomalous phenomena” (UAP)—over 200 sightings this year.

It reveals there have been more UFOs sighted, but they’re doing no harm, according to the annual 2023 Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.

It detailed 291 new sightings, mostly during 2022. This brought the total cases being reviewed by the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to more than 800, as of 30 April, 2023.

The AARO leads the U.S. Department of Defense’s efforts to document and analyze any potential otherworldy sightings.

Reporting from the period reflects a bias towards restricted military airspace, possibly as a result of reports from military personnel and numbers of sensors present in such areas.

This bias has been lessened by reporting from commercial pilots showing a more diverse geographic distribution of UAP sightings across the United States.

No reports have indicated that the mysterious craft interfere with normal air traffic.

“While the mere presence of UAP in the airspace represents a potential hazard to flight safety, none of these reports suggest the UAP maneuvered to an unsafe proximity to civil or military aircraft, positioned themselves in flight paths, or otherwise posed a direct threat to the flight safety of the observing aircraft,” says the document.

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A still from a U.S. government video appearing to show unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on the AARO website – SWNS

During the reporting period, AARO say they received no statements indicating UAP sightings have been “associated with any adverse health effects”.

However, they add, “many reports from military witnesses do present potential safety of flight concerns, and there are some cases where reported UAP have potentially exhibited one or more concerning performance characteristics such as high-speed travel or unusual maneuverability.”

“The safety of our service personnel, our bases and installations, and the protection of U.S. operations security on land, in the skies, seas, and space are paramount,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, who thanked the many collaborative departments and agencies involved in the report. “We take reports of incursions into our designated space, land, sea, or airspaces seriously and examine each one.”

LOOK: ‘Unusual’ Circles Spotted on Mars by the Reconnaissance Orbiter

This year’s UAP report covers the period between Aug 31, 2022, and April 30, 2023, as well as another 17 that occurred from 2019-2022, but had not been included in previous annual reports—for a total of 291 reports.

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Herbal Extract May Improve Mild Dementia Using Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, and Crocus Sativus – Study

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Spoonful of Saffron
Growing medicinal herbs, ginseng and bloodroot – by Forest Farming, CC license

Scientists conducted clinical trials into the effects of an herbal extract on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) found the herbal extract improved participants’ memory in under three months.

Sailuotong (SLT) is an herbal preparation containing standardized extracts of Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba and Crocus sativus L.

The patients also performed better during executive function tasks, such as staying focused despite distractions and multitasking.

The Australian research team behind the study also believes dementia—to which MCI is considered a precursor—could be warded off using SLT, and hope to conduct longer studies that might indicate that.

The herbal mixture has been developed as part of a long-standing collaboration between Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute and Xiyuan Hospital and the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing.

SLT was already shown to be an anti-inflammatory antioxidant, with antiapoptotic, and cholinergic-enhancing properties—and the team says previous studies have demonstrated SLT’s safety and potential cognitive benefits in vascular dementia and neuro-cognition in healthy adults.

However, this latest study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, sought to test SLT as a potential treatment for MCI, which is characterized by cognitive decline including memory and thinking difficulties, and is often viewed as a precursor to dementia, affecting 17 percent of the world population over the age of 60.

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The researchers conducted a 12-week trial of 78 participants aged 60 and older, all with previous diagnoses of MCI. The participants were randomly assigned either a 180mg capsule of SLT each day or a placebo.

Spoonful of Saffron

The team’s positive results showed significant improvement in the logical memory of the elderly adults who received the SLT, compared with those in the placebo group.

The SLT group also exhibited improved performance in executive function tasks such as planning, exercising self-control, following multiple-step directions even when interrupted, staying focused despite distractions and multi-tasking.

GREAT TIPS: Great Natural Remedies: 16 Herbs for Your Medicine Cabinet

“People with mild cognitive impairment have an increased risk of dementia—over fivefold in some cases—and at the moment we do not have any approved medications for mild cognitive impairment,” said lead author Associate Professor Genevieve Steiner-Lim, at NICM Health Research Institute.

“Our findings are very promising as they show that even after a relatively short treatment period of just 12 weeks, SLT can support important aspects of memory and thinking in people with mild cognitive impairment.”

Participants also showed few incidences of any mild or moderate side effects.

Although she admits that further research into the long-term benefits and the impact of the herbal extract on daily functioning and quality of life is needed, Dr. Steiner-Lim remains optimistic about SLT potentially helping to delay dementia.

The team hopes to conduct another trial with a larger sample size and longer treatment period to test whether SLT can be used to treat mild cognitive impairment and potentially delay a diagnosis of dementia.

ALSO SEE: Aromatherapy Is a Cheap, Easy Way to Improve Mood–Here’s the Science

A cursory search into any proven benefits of the three herbs individually shows that, for ginseng, the U.S. FDA and Federal Trade Commission have issued numerous warnings since 2019 to manufacturers of those dietary supplements for making false claims of health or anti-disease benefits.

But for Ginkgo, a meta analysis of studies showed in 2017 that evidence suggested it has potentially beneficial effects over placebo on cognitive performance.

The Crocus sativus flower is used in the culinary spice saffron, which has also been used for health purposes, especially in traditional Asian medicine. Its biologically active chemical compounds (mainly alkaloids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoid, phenolic, saponins, and terpenoids) can cause a mood-enhancing effect in persons with major depressive disorder, among other benefits including sleep and vision problems.

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Rolling Stones Launch Their First Album in 18 Years Performing in NYC With Guest Lady Gaga

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Mick Jagger performs in New York City, October 19, 2023 – REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
The members of the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood perform during a private record release party of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” in New York City on October 19 – REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

[Reuters] It was a gas, gas, gas in a club on Manhattan’s West Side late on Thursday, where the Rolling Stones held a private launch party for their first new album in 18 years.

The Stones, in their seventh decade as a rock ‘n roll band, tore through a half-dozen songs for a crowd of hundreds at the Racket NYC club in support of the album Hackney Diamonds—which has garnered the band some of its best reviews in decades.

Lead singer Mick Jagger, 80, joked that doing another New York launch was part of the motivation for getting back into the studio for the record, whose title is a reference to British slang for broken glass.

“We were missing the launches so much we had to go back and make another album,” he told the energized crowd in the middle of a set that alternated new numbers and well-known tracks including Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Tumblin’ Dice.

The band has kicked off previous albums in New York with great fanfare, once rolling down Fifth Avenue on a flatbed truck and on another occasion riding on a caboose into Grand Central Terminal.

The Stones closed with an appearance by Lady Gaga for Sweet Sounds of Heaven, a slow, blues-infused number off the new album that recalls the band’s 70s classic Moonlight Mile.

Gaga and Jagger mimicked each other’s dance movies as they alternated vocals, Gaga in a shimmering red-and-black one-sleeved jumpsuit, Jagger wearing a customarily tight black shirt.

Mick Jagger performs in New York City, October 19, 2023 – REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

“Hackney Diamonds” is the band’s first studio album of original material since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang” and first recording since longtime drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021. The surviving core consists of Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards, 79, and Ron Wood, 76.

Guitarist Wood has been a member of the band for nearly 50 years despite joining in 1975, 13 years after the Stones were formed.

Besides Gaga, the new album features guests Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Elton John, and a return appearance by longtime bassist Bill Wyman, who left the band in the 1990s, for the song “Live by the Sword,” which also features drumming by Watts before he died.

The album closes with the song “Rolling Stone Blues,” a Muddy Waters song that was the origin of the band’s name.

RELATED: Rolling Stones Play First Concert In Cuba, and it’s Free For The People

Keith Richards performs at record release party of their new album “Hackney Diamonds” on October 19 – REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

OTHER ROCKIN’ GOOD NEWS: Coldplay Adopts a Barge That Plucks Plastic Out of the River –Before it Flows to the Ocean

(Reporting by David Gaffen; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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