Quote of the Day: “Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in the nick of time.” – Theodore Roosevelt (paraphrased)
Photo by: Tolga Ahmetler
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?
In China, a true medical breakthrough has been achieved in a human trial that had as many as 10 children born deaf have their hearing restored through a genetic therapy method.
MIT hailed it as China’s first domestic gene therapy breakthrough, as well as “the most dramatic restoration of a lost sense yet achieved.”
Much like other gene therapy treatments, children like Li Xincheng were injected with a reprogrammed virus that carried replacement DNA into the part of her body the scientists hoped to alter—in this case the location of the inner ear canal that detects vibrations and sends that information to the brain.
In less than a month, her mother, Qin Lixue, said she was hearing out of her treated ear for the first time in her 5 years of life, and repeating various rhymes and songs back to Lixue as she sang them with her hand over her mouth to prevent lip-reading.
It bears repeating that this, according to MIT Technological Review, has never happened before.
“We were careful, and a little bit nervous, because it was the first in the world,” says Yilai Shu, a surgeon and scientist at Fudan University in Shanghai, and part of the team who treated 5 children.
“Before the treatment, if you put them in a movie theater with the loudest sound, they wouldn’t hear it,” says Zheng-Yi Chen, an associate professor at Mass Eye and Ear, a Harvard-affiliated hospital in Boston, who helped design and plan the study. “Now they can hear close to normal speech, and one can hear a whisper.”
Of Shu’s five children, 4 recovered hearing, and one did not, which the team hypothesizes could be because the child already had a developed immune response to the virus that they used.
This new gene therapy is not a cure-all, as it was designed to correct a defect in a gene that produces a protein called otoferlin that is necessary to build the special hairs that vibrate to different frequencies in the inner ear and relay that information to the brain.
MORE GENE THERAPIES: New Hope For Babies Born Without Immune System as Gene Therapy Breakthrough Looks Like Cure
This is present in only 1% to 3% of those born deaf, amounting to 900 children a year in the world’s second-most populated country. But Lawrence Lustig, a physician at Columbia University who runs studies of hearing treatments, told MIT Tech Review that this dramatic success—allowing children to hear sound for the first time—may be a “gateway drug” that spurs funding toward more causes of deafness.
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Researchers Overcome ‘Major Hurdle’ in Reversing Deafness, Discovering Gene Responsible for Crucial Cells
Genetic therapy, such as CRISPR and other methods, has also had remarkable successes with blindness, including in 2021 of a Frenchman with retinitis pigmentosa, the degradation of photoreceptive cells in their eyes, another two patients from Portland, Oregon who had Leber congenital amaurosis, or LCA, a rare mutation in the retina, and another 10 with LCA who were treated at the Perelman School of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania
SHARE This World First Incredible Medical Achievement With Your Friends…
Millions of tons of pure hydrogen have been found underneath the earth in Northern France, prompting interest in a renewables gold rush of the rarest kind.
Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is almost always attached to something else (oxygen for example). Deep underground, geologic forces can create sometimes massive pockets of hydrogen gas that if extracted like shale gas, can be burned to power airplanes, trains, heavy machinery, and steel production, all with the only direct emission being water.
The story that is now sweeping international energy headlines began when Jacques Pironon and Phillipe De Donato, directors of research at France’s National Centre of Scientific Research, were out assessing methane stores using a state-of-the-art probe in France’s Lorraine Basin.
They realized they had reached a previously unknown hydrogen gas deposit when readings from the probe showed 20% hydrogen at 3,300 feet (1,100 meters) down—much higher than they would ever imagine finding in normal conditions.
CNN broke down the “rainbow” of colors used to describe hydrogen fuels. Brown hydrogen is produced from coal operations—so little climate friendly-value there. “Green” hydrogen is made through electrolysis, or water splitting, and powered by renewable energy, yet this kind of production is small-time and expensive.
Still, at the moment pure hydrogen is the best hypothetical solution for heavy machinery that requires high-octane fuels for long-distance transportation.
That’s why interest in geologic hydrogen like the kind found in France, known as both “white” and “gold” hydrogen, can reach feverish intensity: just look at Mali.
In 1987, in the village of Bourakébougou, a driller was left with burns after a water well unexpectedly exploded as he leaned over the edge of it while smoking a cigarette, reports CNN. The well was capped until 2012 when a village entrepreneur hired Chapman Petroleum to come and investigate the strange gas which in the daytime shone with a blue color like sparkling ocean water, and at night like golden dust.
Today, Bourakébougou is powered entirely by the hydrogen in this deposit which has a purity of 98%—the highest ever recorded.
Geoffrey Ellis, a geochemist with the US Geological Survey, has been studying hydrogen deposits ever since the discovery in Bourakébougou, but remained convinced that finding extractable deposits on land and shallow enough to reach was going to be almost impossible.
Following a paper published on the Bourakébougou site in 2018, scientists and entrepreneurs rushed to try and find deposits and more information about how they form and where best to look for them.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: After Fracking is Halted, the Site’s Drill Hole is Now A Source of Clean Geothermal Energy
Ellis believes based on estimates that there are tens of billions of tons of white hydrogen out there.
“Most of this is almost certainly going to be in very small accumulations or very far offshore, or just too deep to actually be economic to produce,” he told CNN. But if just 1% can be found and produced, it would provide 500 million tons of hydrogen for 200 years, he added.
MORE HYDROGEN NEWS: Chicken Feathers Can Replace ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Renewable Hydrogen Fuel Cells, Lowering Cost
In France’s Lorraine Basin, once a hotbed for European coal mining, De Donato and Pironon are preparing to drill down to 3,000 meters, or more than 2 miles underground, and assess the potential for white hydrogen extraction, specifically to find out how much is there. They already estimate that at that depth the purity could be as high as the wells in Mali.
The two are working alongside the energy company La Française de l’Énergie (FDE), which has existing wells, equipment, and operational licenses across a wide area of land in the Lorraine Basin’s Grand-Est Region. The company has already submitted an application for exclusive rights to use their shale gas wells to extract the white hydrogen if it is there, meaning it’s possible no new mining pits need be dug.
SHARE This Impressive Discovery In France On Social Media…
There are 25,000 Malleefowl left in Australia, but only 2,800 in the densely-populated state of New South Wales. But an unlikely group of heroes are stepping up to be the rescuers of these endangered birds: farmers.
Whatever natural balance existed in the ecosystem that these ground-nesting birds evolved into, the presence of feral cats and invasive foxes has greatly disrupted their survival and reproduction strategy, and the survival rate of Malleefowl chicks is less than 2% in the wild.
These interesting birds rely on intricate plumage for camouflage and are adept at staying hidden from all other creatures in their range. Malleefowl come from a family of Galliformes called “mound builders.”
In the winter, males select a spot of about 3 square yards typically in the shade of the mallee tree to build a nesting mound by raking sandy soil backwards with their feet. They will dig about 3 feet deep, and then spend the rest of the winter accumulating organic material around the depression until they have a mound that can be as tall as 2 feet.
For the past three years, farmers living and working in the Rankins Springs area, near West Wyalong have been collecting eggs from the birds’ nesting mounds and transferring them to a special incubation facility for release into a feral-free enclosed environment.
The initiative was organized by an Australian wildlife champion, Mal Carnegie, who founded the Lake Cowal Foundation to protect the unique ecosystem around that lake, and managed to squeeze an endowment from a nearby gold mining company to pay for it all.
Now working on behalf of the Malleefowl, he told ABC News AU that 10 juveniles have been spotted on cameras in the 140-acre (60-hectare) enclosure that they released about 12 months ago.
MORE GREAT AUSSIE CONSERVATION: Threatened Western Quolls Return to Western Australia After 100-Year Absence
“Once the chicks come out of the mound they are on their own, they are well adapted but obviously we have got predators like foxes and cats,” he said regarding the species’ low survival rate. “The average survival rate of chicks up to 12 months of age in the wild is very low, we are talking numbers up to 2%”
Through the catch, incubate, and release program, they’ve managed to increase the likelihood of reaching maturity tenfold.
Interestingly, before the farmers got involved in the species’ protection, this exact strategy had proven an unsuccessful one in the past.
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: To Halt Ibis Extinction Austrian Man Shows Birds a New Migration Route With His UltraLight–And it’s Working
“They didn’t have a great deal of success but we have just put a bit of farmer logic into the whole process of incubation and releasing,” one farmer named Rodney Guest told ABC. He has spent the last 20 years clearing feral cats and foxes from his property all in order to help this bird.
“We have been picking up birds from the previous and current season, we are really over the moon with what we have achieved.”
SHARE These Interesting Birds And Their Heroic Farmer-Allies…
The Dixie Fire of 2021 was the largest single blaze in California’s history, but even this human-accelerated firestorm couldn’t tamp down the resilience of nature.
In August, it devastated Lassen Volcano National Park in Northern California, leaving parts of it reminiscent of “Mordor” yet in a feature piece from The Guardian, it’s clear nature is just a few steps behind restoring what was torched.
As the Dixie Fire came closer and closer to this remote National Park that receives only around 500,000 visitors a year, rangers, Forest Service employees, and firefighters strategized how to protect small communities living near the park as well as the park’s infrastructure.
A variety of controlled burns—used for centuries by Native Americans to reduce the risk of wildfires having too much dead and dry wood and scrub to burn—were set in vulnerable forests. Earth-moving equipment left bare earth surrounding the Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center.
In the moments before the Dixie Fire arrived, firefighters lit their own fires around key areas, perhaps hoping to consume the oxygen in the area just before the immense flames could use it to spread.
Their efforts paid off—the historic towns of Mill Creek, Mineral, and Old Station were all unscarred, and so was the Kohm Yah-mah-nee visitor center.
As for the rest of the park, the devastation that saw whole forests reduced to blackened stumps and toothpicks shocked visitors; but not the staff. Lassen Volcano was enshrined as the nation’s 17th national park after the eruption of the volcano in 1915 which saw incredible destructive forces unleashed on the forests there.
Between May 14th and 22nd, the southernmost volcanic peak in the Cascades Range sounded off a series of eruptions, including more than 180 steam explosions that blasted out a 1,000-foot-wide crater on the peak. The next day, Incandescent blocks of lava could be seen bouncing down the flanks of Lassen from as far away as the town of Manton, 20 miles to the west.
According to the USGS, more steam explosions sent lava blocks flying onto a snow-covered slope which trigged an avalanche that wiped clean 4 miles of mountain terrain to the northeast, while a mudslide also triggered by meltwater from the lava devastated 7 miles of terrain to the northwest.
On May 22nd, the largest eruption sent a huge column of volcanic ash and gas more than 30,000 feet into the air, visible from as far away as Eureka, 150 miles to the west.
Pumice falling onto the northeastern slope of Lassen Peak generated a high-speed avalanche of hot ash, pumice, rock fragments, and gas, called a pyroclastic flow, that devastated a 3-square-mile area. The pyroclastic flow created another mudslide that followed the path of the previous one and rushed nearly 10 miles down Lost Creek to Old Station. This new mudslide released a large volume of water that flooded lower Hat Creek Valley a second time.
MORE GOOD DISASTER NEWS: Remarkable Man Averts Oil Tanker Disaster by Crowdfunding to Remove Crumbling Ship From Red Sea
When the mountain finally quieted back down, the result was, much like Dixie, a Mordor-like landscape.
“People say: ‘I’ve never seen it like this my entire lifetime that I lived here.’ In my lifetime, it’s all I see,” Park Ranger Russell Rhoads told The Guardian following the recent devastation. “Fire was suppressed during your entire lifetime, the fuels accumulated and now it’s just unmanageable.”
24 months and change since the Dixie Fires burned through, and parts of the landscape can be seen exploding with new growth. Pines that require fire to release their seeds are sprouting from the blackened Earth, and fields of wildflowers and native grasses cover hillsides of ravaged trees.
MORE GOOD NEWS AFTER DISASTERS: Texas Oak Tree Thought to Be Extinct Discovered in Big Bend National Park
Among the stumps and logs, seemingly devoid of life, rotting wood is home to grubs, beetles, and mushrooms, all of which provide food for woodpeckers, bears, and other animals.
Rhoads explained that the whole ecosystem of Lassen was birthed by fire and devastation, and has recovered many times over the eons. It may take a decade or more, but soon the Dixie Fires will just be a brief chapter in the region’s long history of change, destruction, and rebirth, while for the National Park Service, it was a proving ground for important firefighting strategies to employ for future wildfires.
SHARE This Inspiring Story Of Renewal And Resiliency Of American Nature…
Quote of the Day: “One of the goals of life is to be comfortable in your own skin and in your own bed.” – Meg Wolitzer
Photo by: Yogendra Singh
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?
After selling his company for eight figures to a competitor, one Canadian entrepreneur is using his profit to build a community of tiny homes for those who need it most.
In the New Brunswick city of Fredericton, his factory is now churning out 1 tiny home every 4 business days in a bid to create the 12 Neighbours gated community of 99 homes and an enterprise center to give homeless Frederictonians a real second chance.
12 Neighbours founder Marcel LeBrun had a successful social media monitoring company which he sold to an American competitor, and is now putting his new money where his mouth was—every time he used to say something needed to be done about the homelessness problem in the city.
Around 1,600 people in New Brunswick found themselves homeless for at least a day last year, reported CBC.
“I see myself as a community builder, and really what we’re doing here is not just building a little community, but we’re building a community in a city, like how do we help our city be better?” LaBrun told CBC.
He has invested $4 million dollars of his own money on the project to build 99 homes, and he’s currently three-quarters of the way there. With grants and support from the provincial and national government, the 12 Neighbours community has received $12 million in total.
The tiny tomes have everything: a full-service kitchen, living and bedroom areas, and a full bathroom. They each have a small deck, solar panels on the roofs, and an aesthetically pleasing coat of paint.
They were pre-built in a warehouse in which LaBrun employs skilled volunteers to assemble the homes which are then moved by heavy machinery onto concrete blocks that make up the foundation.
HOMELESS SOLUTIONS AT HOME: Beautiful Homeless Shelters Get Radical Redesign to Impact Residents
While LaBrun believes the problem of tackling homelessness isn’t as hard as people make it out to be (for example, he suggests building a tiny house is a great start) he does have a particular strategy in mind—namely welcoming those who may suffer from any of the maladies that homelessness is generally accompanied by to a place where ownership of property can give them a new sense of responsibility, and a community of people who understand what they are going through.
LaBrun has critics who believe it’s better to introduce them back into a functional society rather than sequester them together.
In any case, the millionaire understands the baggage, emotional and societal, that some of the residents may bring along, so the 12 Neighbours community is equipped with state-of-the-art security and gates to stop unwelcome visitors.
MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS: Tiny Home Village for Salt Lake City‘s Homeless Gets Green Light for 430 Units
“I live right behind the security gates. There were cars coming in all the time, at three o’clock in the morning, waking me up,” said resident Samantha Seymour. “The gates have set boundaries.”
Along with the houses, the community comes with an enterprise center, where a coffee bar that will be run as a business by the residents is being put in, in addition to a “teaching kitchen,” and a silk printing business where Seymour has a job printing texts and graphics onto shirts and totes and things.
Part of the idea with the enterprise center is to make 12 Neighbours a community that Fredrictonians can and will visit—for a cup of coffee—for a good deal on shirt printing.
WATCH the story below from CBC News…
SHARE This Generous Soul And His Solution To Homelessness In His City…
Declassified photos captured by United States spy satellites launched during the Cold War have revealed an archaeological treasure trove: hundreds of previously unknown Roman-era forts.
Corona and Hexagon were two satellite surveillance programs meant to support the Carter Doctrine of US dominance of the Middle and Near East, but now archaeologists are using their declassified aerial photos of landscapes long lost to map the presence and nature of the eastern border of the Roman Empire.
The research team from the Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, poured over the photographs and compared them to a map produced in 1934 by a Jesuit missionary named Father Antoine Poidebard, who was also an archaeologist.
His survey was the first to map the presence of Roman forts in the area from the sky, and it was a flawed yet monumental achievement that confirmed the existence of 116 Roman fortified structures that created the working theory that they represented a wall of men and forts to protect the eastern border.
Now however, the Hexagon and Corona photos are changing the narrative from one of security of the nation to the security of a dynamic and fluid border of trade routes and cultural interchange that the Romans relied on for import and export.
“Agriculture and urbanization have destroyed a lot of archaeological sites and features to a shocking degree,” Archaeologist Jesse Casana told CNN. “This old imagery allows us to see things that are often either obscured or no longer extant today.”
MORE ROMAN DISCOVERIES: Tiny Italian Town Dug Up an Extremely Rare Roman Temple while Trying to Build Supermarket
The forts were more or less simple to identify. The Roman soldier was a ferocious and disciplined warrior, but he had another special power: he was a talented and efficient construction worker. The building of standardized square forts of about 164 to 262 feet (50 to 80 meters) at regular intervals while on campaign proved across the long history of both the Republic and Imperial periods to be an invaluable strategy.
Poidebard’s map described the forts as making up a north-south line which looked to the Frenchman like a wall, but the satellite photos reveal those were more like the western garrisons of a fortified corridor with forts on either side of a massive area that stretched eastward all the way through Syria to the Tigris River in Iraq.
MORE MIDDLE EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY: Stunning Ancient Artwork Found at Site Sacked by ISIS: Assyrian Depictions Not Seen For 2,600 Years–LOOK
The Corona and Hexagon photos revealed an additional 106 structures spanning approximately 116,000 square miles (300,000 square kilometers) from the Med to the Tigris.
Through this corridor would have moved valuable trade routes—indeed one of the Western termini of the Silk Road of the Han Dynasty.
Casana told CNN that it’s her reading of the archaeological litterature that even in places as developed and advanced as Rome, borders in this time period “were places of dynamic cultural exchange and movement of goods and ideas,” not barriers.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Archaeologists Uncover ‘Complete Roman City’ From 1,800 Years Ago in Luxor–Including Pigeon Towers
After four-decades of American wars in this part of the world finally coming to something resembling an end, archaeologists like Casana might have opportunities in the near future to investigate some of these hundreds of sites, some of which may still have important details and artifacts to reveal.
The northern border fortifications of the Roman Empire are a UNESCO World Heritage Site jointly-managed across many countries. Could the eastern border be the same in the future?
SHARE This Amazing Discovery With Your Friends Who Love Rome…
In a huge surprise and delightful resolution to a painful situation, the second-oldest pear tree in Britain is regrowing vigorously after being transplanted to make way for a high-speed railway line.
Known as the “Cubbington Pear” due to its location in a woodland near this town in Warwickshire, contractors working on the new HS2 low-carbon line were not deterred by the tree’s victory in Britain’s prestigious Tree of the Year contest in 2015, and in 2020, carefully chopped the pear down in order to transplant it.
Located just 100 meters from its original location, the Cubbington Pear, believed to be 200 years old or more, is vigorously sprouting new shoots from the stump.
Landscape contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci replanted many of the elder pear trees that they were forced to move, and planted thousands of other trees to make up for those they couldn’t move, including two wildlife overpasses that will allow species to safely traverse the railway.
“We’re thrilled that the Cubbington pear tree is living on in its new location, within one of HS2’s thriving new habitats for wildlife,” said company spokeswoman Amy Middlemist. “Regrowth has happened because the tree’s root system, with the right amount of nutrients, has stored some of the energy produced in photosynthesis and directed it into new growth.”
While the railway line through the old Cubbington Forest was opposed by conservationists and locals, they have made the most of the situation by taking other Cubbington Pear cuttings and grafting them in their village with the help of an expert grafter, turning the one ancient tree into 16 separate clones, with another 40 seedlings in a nursery in town.
However, locals speaking to The Guardian added that the survival of the original tree itself is a delightful bonus.
“We were very surprised and absolutely delighted, although of course it will never be the same again,” said Rosemary Guiot, a resident of Cubbington village.
MORE NEWS ON OLD TREES: Tree-Loving Brits Crowdsource a National ‘Ancient Tree Inventory’ – 200,000 Unique Trees
Ancient and elder trees are vital to the health of any ecosystem, and science has shown that the larger the numbers of these trees there are in a forest, the longer the forest survives and the greater the capacity it has to rebuild.
Having survived decades of heavy rain, strong winds, pest invasions, and fire, the genetic code of ancient and elder trees contains vital information on how to live long, which is passed on through its offspring.
SHARE This Great News Of Nature’s Resilience With Your Friends…
Sometimes the best drug for a disease is one that’s already on the shelf, and that was the finding of a British cervical cancer trial that looked to see if a chemotherapy drug given at a specific time could increase survival rates.
Indeed it could, with the 35% reduction in mortality rate hailed as ‘remarkable’ by Cancer Research UK which funded the trial presented at the recent ESMO medical conference in Madrid.
Not nearly as prevalent a risk as breast cancer, around 14,000 cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year in the US, according to estimates from the American Cancer Society.
In the trial of 500 female patients aged between 26 and 72, the scientists randomized them into two groups that received either chemoradiation therapy alone, or induction chemotherapy with a combination of the chemo drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel followed by the same chemoradiation therapy in week 7.
“Timing is everything when you’re treating cancer,” said Dr. Iain Foulkes, from Cancer Research UK, in a statement. “A growing body of evidence is showing the value of additional rounds of chemotherapy before other treatments like surgery and radiotherapy in several other cancers.
“Not only can it reduce the chances of cancer coming back, it can be delivered quickly using drugs already available worldwide.”
At the end of a 5-year follow-up, 80% of the women who received the combination chemo-drug/radiotherapy were still alive, and in 73%, the cancer had not returned.
BETTER CANCER OUTCOMES: New Way of Treating Aggressive Prostate Cancer Shows ‘Promise’ in Cedars-Sinai Phase III Clinical trial
The conclusion of the trial was a bold one—that this combination of drugs and chemoradiation therapy should be established as the new standard of treatment.
Dr. Mary McCormack, lead investigator of the trial from University College London Cancer Institute said that this was the biggest improvement in survival/remission outcomes in this disease seen in the 21st century.
MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: Tumor-Destroying Sound Waves Treatment Coming to a Hospital Near You For Liver Cancer
“The important thing here is that if patients are alive and well, without the cancer recurring at five years, then they are very likely to be cured, so that’s what makes this very exciting,” McCormack told the BBC.
SHARE This Exciting Advancement In The Standard Of Care On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature.” – C. S. Lewis
Photo by: Ross Stone
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?
A dog which twice cheated death in Ukraine after being rescued from floods and surviving a Russian bombing has found a new home thanks to a British charity.
Heartbreaking footage captured the mixed breed pup, named Henry, clinging for life in the rubble of a building, after the Kakhovka dam in Kherson was destroyed.
The sound of missiles dropping can be heard in the background as rescuers made their way through flood water to rescue the stricken pooch in June.
To avoid drowning, brave Henry managed to doggy-paddle to the remains of a bombed-out building poking out of the flood waters.
Gregg Tully, Country Director for Save The Dogs, revealed how Henry was originally found “collapsed, exhausted and barely conscious”.
“After the dam in Kherson exploded, Henry was one of the dogs that was pulled out of the flood waters, covered in oil and sludge. There was a lot of toxic material at the bottom of the reservoir that washed out with the flood.”
“We thought this dog was all black, and then he was cleaned up and, actually, he’s more white than black.”
He was taken to a clinic in Odesa, Poland for round the clock treatment because the toxic sludge caused chemical burns to his skin.
But his ordeal didn’t end as shortly after his rescue, the animal clinic caring for him was bombed by the Russians. Despite the bombardment, Henry and the other animals escaped unharmed and he was moved to another clinic where he continued to receive treatment.
Just four months on and he is in a loving new home thanks to Save the Dogs and Other Animals, a charity supported by Blue Cross’s Ukraine Pet Welfare Fund.
“He obviously loves people and is a really happy dog.
“It’s been really inspiring after seeing the videos of him getting pulled out of the flood waters, and now he’s a happy, loving dog in a loving new home.
LOOK: A Teen Was Having a Stroke but His Dog Helped Save Him, Explains Doctor
“I won’t forget him – it was really amazing to see that.”
Liliana Pacheco, Director of Community Engagement at Save The Dogs, said Henry is now lives in Poland with new owner Anya where he continues to go from strength to strength.
Anya said: “When the Russians blew up the dam, I saw a video of Henry and my heart broke.
“I realized that no one would want to take him in, and he will never feel that someone loves him after this hell he went through. That’s why I started looking for him and I found the hospital where he was taken.”
Anna Wade, from national pet charity Blue Cross said, “The compassion and dedication of the charity partners on the ground to rescue pets and care for them day to day, is overwhelming and we’re doing all we can to support them and their vital work.”
LUCKY DOG: Stray Dog Escapes Animal Shelter 3 Times to Claim Sofa in Elderly Care Facility–Now He Calls it Home
The Blue Cross Ukraine Pet Welfare Fund, has raised over £500,000 to fund and provide support to cats and dogs left in Ukraine and for owners fleeing the country with their animals.
Gregg says Save the Dogs has sent almost 1,000 tons of food to dogs and cats in Ukraine and they’ve sterilized more than 1,300 animals to avoid a surge in strays on the streets.
Visit Their Website to Donate to the Charity’s Fund—And SHARE the Sweet Story on Social Media…
The Washington College held its annual exploding pumpkins bash, using science to infuse Halloween with excitement and inspire kids to be more interested in chemistry.
The Maryland school’s Chemistry Club delighted the crowd with their gourd detonation, reveling in science-based fun.
The event, which is conducted in conjunction with the American Chemical Society and a Chemistry Honor Society, draws students from Kent and Queen Anne’s County public schools, and combustion-loving Eastern Shore community members each year ahead of Halloween.
Students put together several experiments to test the best way to either explode designs into pumpkins to create unique jack-o-lanterns or generate emissions of various ooze and smoke to come out of unique designs.
This year, methods used to induce cool explosions and Halloween-themed demos included glow-in-the-dark luminol, color changing acid and base paired with dry ice, liquid nitrogen, and elephant toothpaste.
The oozing pumpkins caused a frenzy without any detonation, by using a foamy substance caused by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, using potassium iodide or yeast and warm water as a catalyst. (Play Their Instagram Video Below–See More Videos at the Bottom…)
“We take immense pleasure in sharing the wonders of chemistry with our students and the promising leaders of tomorrow,” said Sarah Arradondo, Assistant Professor of Chemistry.
“For nearly a decade, our campus has eagerly anticipated in the annual tradition that unites the community through captivating autumn experiments and thrilling displays of chemical phenomena.”
Washington College’s Chemistry department regularly conducts events and activities to engage the local community in the wonders of using science in an effort to encourage more interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related degrees and careers.
MORE HALLOWEEN FUN: Giant Halloween Sculptures in Architect’s Front Yard Get Better Every Year, From King Kong to an Egyptian Tomb—LOOK
How to create the oozing jack-o-lantern? Watch the science video below…
Watch last year’s exploding pumpkins from the college’s YouTube channel…
INJECT Some Science Excitement to Your Social Media Feed–SHARE for Halloween…
Stunning photos of autumnal red maple trees lining a highway are a moving commemoration to Canadian soldiers who gave their lives overseas during the two World Wars.
Many motorists are unaware that they are passing through a sacred war memorial on the A3 in Hampshire, England.
The 418 maples, Canada’s national tree, were planted near Liphook to mark the lives of the 418 Canadian servicemen who trained locally and were stationed at Bramshott, in five temporary army camps established by the Canadian Army on each side of the A3.
Associated with the five military camps named for the five Great Lakes, there was also a large hospital caring for sick and wounded soldiers, especially in preparation for, and in the aftermath of, D-Day, which helped the allied forces win WWII.
Each tree is twinned with a soldier’s grave. Those who lost their lives in the World War I are buried in Bramshott Churchyard and St Joseph’s Catholic Church, in Grayshott. The soldiers who died in World War II were laid to rest at Brookwood Military Cemetery, in Surrey.
Mark Chambers took the photos last weekend at sunrise and sunset on October 22.
“I have been visiting and photographing the area, which is very near to where I live, for the last three or four years now and I have gradually learnt more about the significance of the trees,” said the 29-year-old.
The maple trees were imported directly from their native Canada to replace the line of sycamores that were previously planted there as a reminder to the lost soldiers, but removed after they became a road hazard.
A plaque accompanying the original living monument to the Bramshott Canadian soldiers on the A3 was installed after World War II ‘as a continued memorial to those who gave their lives in defense of freedom’.
ALSO INSPIRING: Irish People Are Repaying Debt of Gratitude to Suffering Native Americans 170 Years After Potato Famine
The last of the maples were planted by visiting representatives of the Canadian Veterans’ Association and Royal British Legion, as well as government officials on Canada Day in June of 1995.
A scarlet maple leaf is the iconic symbol on the Canadian flag, known for its bold, red design. The use of these trees not only adds a seasonal crimson tribute but also serves as a representation of Canada’s role in the World Wars and the close ties between Canada and the United Kingdom.
A pedestrian underpass opened in 2008, allowing people to cross the motorway to pay their respects and marvel at the trees.
Mark, who bought his camera during lockdown as a “creative outlet during those isolated times”, also wrote about the commemoration in his blog.
SHOW CANADA Some Love By Sharing This Inspiring Story on Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “The soul is awakened through service.” – Erica Jong
Photo by: adrianna geo
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?
A new treatment of nanoparticles has been found to be effective for easing the pain of rheumatoid arthritis in the lab.
Just one dose of the state-of-the-art medicine could provide patients with relief if clinical trials using lab mice can be replicated in humans.
A team of Korean scientists published their research after developing a new solution for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which currently has no cure.
First author of the study Dr. Sagang Koo explained that one of the major hurdles in RA treatment is the inability to restore the immune system to its healthy state.
“The disease triggers a mix of troublesome symptoms like inflamed joints, harmful cytokines, and immune system imbalances, which work together to create a relentless cycle of worsening symptoms.
“While targeting some of these factors can provide short-term relief, others remain unresolved, leading to a frustrating cycle of remission and flare-ups.”
She said that leaves the body unable to control the continuous production of harmful substances—such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines—leading to persistent inflammation and discomfort.
“The ideal treatment for RA should not only provide immediate relief from inflammation and symptoms but also address the root cause by restoring the immune system to its normal, balanced state.”
The research team confirmed the efficacy of their approach using a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model.
RELATED: Taking Care of Your Teeth Could Help Prevent Arthritis and Joint Pain
She explained that the new treatment involves immobilizing ceria nanoparticles (Ce NPs) onto mesenchymal stem cell-derived nanovesicles (MSCNVs).
“Both of these components can hinder different pathogenic factors, allowing them to work both individually and cooperatively to achieve a comprehensive treatment.
“In short, this approach aims to bridge both innate and adaptive immunity to achieve both short-term pain relief, as well as convert the tissue environment into an immune-tolerant state to prevent the recurrence of symptoms.”
The Ce-MSCNV system was able to “comprehensively treat” and prevent RA by simultaneously relieving the immediate and restoring T cell immunity.
“Supporting data suggest that improvement in conditions can be achieved after only a single-dose treatment,” reported Dr. Koo in a press release.
“The mice treated with the Ce-MSCNV combination fared far better compared to the ones only treated using the Ce NP or MSCNV group.
“This clearly demonstrates the synergy between anti-inflammation and immunomodulation and underlines the importance of the combined therapy for effective RA treatment.
RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH: How Lizards Regenerate their Tails Could Lead to Arthritis Treatments: Key Cartilage Cells Identified
“In addition, Ce-MSCNV administration prior to booster injection markedly reduced the incidence and severity of symptoms, supporting the prophylactic potential of these nanoparticles.”
Dr. Koo believes that a similar approach would also be applicable to other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
“Overall, this study proves the potential of a hybrid nanoparticle system for the comprehensive treatment of autoimmune disease and modulation of the immune system.”
GIVE SOME HOPE to Sufferers By Sharing on Social Media…
A metal detectorist has reunited a man with his diamond wedding ring after uncovering it on a sandy beach.
Stephane Seguin lost the ring while swimming on a trip to St Augustine, Florida.
The 40-year-old saw detectorist Joseph Cook out searching the sands and asked him to keep an eye-out for his ring.
“When I lost the ring in the sea it felt like falling in a dream,” said Mr. Stephane, a tinsmith from Quebec City.
“We spent every day looking and then we eventually saw Joseph on the beach. I said to Marie-Eve ‘I’m not going to tell him where it is as he’ll look for it and keep it!’
“But she went up to him and he told us if he finds it, he’d return it.”
Little did they know, Joseph had returned a diamond ring worth $40,000 last year after posting a video about the find.
Although the couple returned home to Canada the following week and Joseph still hadn’t uncovered the ring, but the determined hero returned to the spot every day for over a month—and eventually found the gold ring.
“I decided to try one more time and I wasn’t there for more than four minutes and ‘beep beep beep’—and I knew it was theirs.”
As soon as he gets a beep, he starts recording video and uploads all his finds to his social media pages. He had told the couple to follow him on his socials, and if he found the keepsake, he’d return it.
MORE INSPIRATION: Tide-Savvy Metal Detectorist Reunites Woman With Late Mother’s Wedding Rings 2 Weeks After They Fell into Sea
Just like any other find, Joseph posted it to his social media channels and hoped the couple would see it. Back home, Stephane and Marie-Eve had been watching the videos, in the hopes of spotting the ring.
“I was sure it was going to turn up,” said the groom-to-be.
The Canadian couple bought it in 2011 to be used as a wedding band, but with life and kids taking priority, they postponed the big day and Stephane started wearing it anyway.
“When I saw the video of him finding the ring, I knew it was mine even before he even closed-up on it—it was amazing.”
They sent a message, along with a picture of Stephane wearing the ring to prove it was theirs, then travelled 1,600 miles to collect the ring and thank Joseph in person—and they invited him to their wedding.
The 38-year-old detectorist and content creator said that of all the returns he’d ever facilitated these two were “the most humble people I’ve ever met.”
“They thanked me a million times and said October is a happy month in their life from now on. That’s why I do it.”
Joseph insisted they not pay him any reward, but they had brought him some gift baskets, took him out for dinner, and gifted him with a ring of his own.
“The basket had all sorts of things from Quebec and a coffee mug that said ‘help others’, it was pretty cool.”
“But for me, it’s giving stuff back to the people,” added Joseph. “A ten dollar item to somebody could be worth $10,000 in their mind.”
SPREAD the LOVE By Sharing the Kindness on Social Media…
A Massachusetts architect has been building epic Halloween installations every year in his front yard—becoming a local legend for his scary sculptures.
Tom Saltsman has kept up the tradition for the last eight years, after erecting an 80’s horror-themed piece for a party that so thrilled his friends and neighbors, he pledged to do it yearly.
His home in Marblehead has become the staging ground for an enormous dragon, an ethereal skeleton spirit, a spaceship, a pirate’s ghost ship, and a King Kong that moves his head and roars.
The 60-year-old spends up to two months ahead of the spooky season preparing the installations and recruits friends and family to complete them.
His most recent project in 2022, was a 22-foot-high Egyptian god, with his garage turned into an Egyptian tomb. His wife Brooke, who is also an architect, helped painted all the hieroglyphics along with three friends.
After scavenging scraps from his workplace, he can build most of the pieces for less than $200—with materials mostly being plywood, garbage bags and various types of foam. (See the video at the bottom…)
He has become so well-known that his daughter Parker is recognized for her dad’s projects.
“I’m definitely known for my dad’s sculptures,” said the 25-year-old, who was 17 when he made the first one.
“It started when I was born. He used to make these really elaborate cakes for my birthday so I actually wasn’t surprised by the sculptures.”
LOOK: One-Legged Man Turns His ‘Disability’ Into the Best Halloween Costumes Ever
Tom is humble about his pieces and considers them more of a hobby or a way to connect with people than a claim to fame.
“It’s just kind of a fun outlet for artistic purposes,” he said. “It’s mainly for the community to come and enjoy it.”
“For the installations, it needs to look like it just appeared. The dragon looked like it just landed on my house—the spaceship too.”
“People really get a kick out of it, (and) I’ve got very patient neighbors.
Check out more sculptures and behind-the-scenes photos in the video below…
SPARK the Halloween Spirit in Friends on Social Media–SHARE This…
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 28, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Scorpio author Ófeigur Sigurðsson writes, “You should never do what’s expected of you; there’s always another path through life than the one before you.” I wouldn’t recommend his approach to any other zodiac sign but Scorpio. And I would only advocate it for maybe 40 percent of Scorpios 10 percent of the time. The coming weeks will be one of those 10-percent times. So if you are among the 40 percent who would thrive on this demanding but potentially exhilarating counsel, get ready to be as original and imaginative in living your life as you have ever been. Halloween costume suggestion: unicorn, dragon, or phoenix.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Only two items appear more often in the world’s landfills than disposable diapers. They seem to be among the least ecologically sound products. Or maybe not. Japanese researchers at the University of Kitakyushu have made building materials out of them in combination with gravel, sand, and cement. In the spirit of this potentially glorious alchemical transmutation, and in accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to ruminate on how you might convert wasted stuff into usable valuables in your own sphere. Halloween costume suggestion: A janitor or maid wearing a gold crown and pearls.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Of all the ideas propounded by major religions, the saddest is the Christian assertion that all of us are born sinful—that we come into this world with a corruption that renders us fundamentally flawed: tainted, soiled, guilty, foul. I reject this stupid nonsense. In my spiritual philosophy, we are all born gorgeous, loving geniuses. Tough experiences may diminish our radiance and make it a challenge to be our best, but we never lose the gorgeous, loving genius at our core. In accordance with astrological mandates, your task in the coming weeks is to get into close touch with this pure source. Halloween costume suggestion: your gorgeous, loving genius.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
According to my meticulous analysis of the astrological omens, you now have a sacred right to expand your ego at least one full size. Even two sizes will probably be fine. Your guardian angel is lobbying for you to strut and swagger, and so are your muses, your ancestors, and the Divine. I hope you will overcome any shyness you feel about expressing your talents, your intelligence, and your unique understanding of the world. Halloween costume suggestion: a charming braggart, charismatic egomaniac, or beautiful narcissist.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
“The secret for harvesting the greatest fruitfulness and enjoyment is to live dangerously!” Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that. “Build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius!” he added. “Send your ships into uncharted seas!” As for you in the coming weeks, Pisces, I don’t recommend you live dangerously, but I do suggest you live adventurously. Surpass your limits, if you dare! Transcend your expectations and explore the frontiers. Those activities will be a good use of your life energy and are likely to be rewarded. Halloween costume suggestions: daredevil, swashbuckler, gambler, fortune-hunter, or knight-errant.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Shadow work is a psychological practice that has been deeply healing for me. It involves exploring the dark places in my soul and being in intimate contact with my unripe and wounded aspects. Engaging in this hard labor ensures that my less beautiful qualities never take control of me and never spill out into toxic interactions with people. I bring this up, Aries, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to do shadow work. Halloween costume suggestion: Be your shadow, demon, or unripe self.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
The country where I live, the US, has banned over 2,500 books in recent years. But there has been an amusing consequence, which I am pleased to report: Banning the books has sometimes hiked their sales. For instance, Art Spiegelman’s Maus I and Maus II jumped 50 percent. Let this scenario serve as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. If any person or institution tries to repress, deny, or resist you, do what you’re doing even bigger and better. Use their opposition as a power boost. Halloween costume suggestion: rebel, dissident, or protestor.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Do you ever feel you are treated unfairly at your job? Is your workplace sometimes detrimental to your health? Is it possible that a few small changes could add up to a big improvement in how you feel while you’re earning a living? There’s rarely a perfect moment to address these concerns, but the coming weeks will be a more favorable time than usual. If you decide to seek shifts, devise a strategy that’s as foolproof as possible. Resolve to be calm, poised, and unflusterable. Halloween costume suggestion: a worker doing your ideal job
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Cancerian comedian Dave Barry says that as he grows older, he looks forward to “continued immaturity.” That sentiment is probably based on the fact that his humor is often juvenile and silly. (I like it, though!) I’m guessing it’s also because he aspires to remain youthful and innocent and surprisable as he ages. I mention this, fellow Cancerian, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to celebrate and honor the parts of you that are still blooming but not yet in full blossom. Be grateful you have not become a jaded know-it-all. Would you consider revisiting joys you loved as a child and teenager? Halloween costume suggestion: your younger self.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Horseshoes have symbolized good luck in many cultures. A common usage is to hang them over front doors. But there’s disagreement about the best way to generate the good fortune. Some people say the open end of the horseshoe should point upward, since that collects the luck. Others insist it’s best for the horseshoe to point down, as that showers luck on those who enter and leave the house. If you experiment with this fun myth, I advise you to point the open end up. It’s time for you to gather blessings, help, and fortuity. Halloween costume accessories: good luck charms like a four-leaf clover, acorn, cat’s eye gemstone, ankh, dragon, laughing Buddha, Ganesh statue, and horseshoe.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
There would be no life on earth if it weren’t for the sun. Our home star’s energy is the central force at work in the creation and sustenance of all humans, animals, and plants. Yet we must be sure not to get extravagant amounts of our good thing. An overabundance of solar heat and radiance can cause failed crops, dehydration, droughts, skin cancer, and wildfires. Are other factors at work in your sphere that are also nourishing in moderate amounts but unhealthy in excess? And do you know when just right becomes too much? Now is a favorable time to ruminate on these matters. Halloween costume suggestion: Goldilocks, Lady Justice with her scales, or a body suit adorned with a giant yin and yang symbol.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The earliest known human settlement is Göbekli Tepe, in what’s now the country of Turkey. When archaeologists first excavated it in 1994, they realized it was built over 11,000 years ago. This was shocking news, since it dramatically contradicted previous estimates of how long people have lived in villages. I’m predicting a comparable shift in your understanding of your own past, Libra. The full effect may not be apparent for months, but there will be interesting jolts soon. Halloween costume suggestion: archaeologist, time traveler, or yourself in a past life.
WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com
(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)
SHARE The Wisdom With Friends Who Are Stars in Your Life on Social Media…
Quote of the Day: Maybe “don’t do what’s expected of you; there’s always another path through life than the one before you.” – Ófeigur Sigurðsson
Photo by: ActionVance
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?
