Quote of the Day: “Where flowers bloom so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson (Happy Spring!)
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New Plant-Derived Sustainable ‘Plastic’ is Tough as Bone and Hard as Aluminum
The strongest part of a tree lies not in its trunk or its sprawling roots, but in the walls of its microscopic cells.
A single wood cell wall is constructed from fibers of cellulose—nature’s most abundant polymer, and the main structural component of all plants and algae. Within each fiber are reinforcing cellulose nanocrystals, or CNCs, which are chains of organic polymers arranged in nearly perfect crystal patterns. At the nanoscale, CNCs are stronger and stiffer than Kevlar. If the crystals could be worked into materials in significant fractions, CNCs could be a route to stronger, more sustainable, naturally derived plastics.
Now, an MIT team has engineered a composite made mostly from cellulose nanocrystals mixed with a bit of synthetic polymer. The organic crystals take up about 60 to 90 percent of the material—the highest fraction of CNCs achieved in a composite to date.
The researchers found the cellulose-based composite is stronger and tougher than some types of bone, and harder than typical aluminum alloys. The material has a brick-and-mortar microstructure that resembles nacre, the hard inner shell lining of some molluscs.
The team hit on a recipe for the CNC-based composite that they could fabricate using both 3D printing and conventional casting. They printed and cast the composite into penny-sized pieces of film that they used to test the material’s strength and hardness. They also machined the composite into the shape of a tooth to show that the material might one day be used to make cellulose-based dental implants—and for that matter, any plastic products—that are stronger, tougher, and more sustainable.
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“By creating composites with CNCs at high loading, we can give polymer-based materials mechanical properties they never had before,” says A. John Hart, professor of mechanical engineering. “If we can replace some petroleum-based plastic with naturally-derived cellulose, that’s arguably better for the planet as well.”
Gel bonds
Each year, more than 10 billion tons of cellulose is synthesized from the bark, wood, or leaves of plants. Most of this cellulose is used to manufacture paper and textiles, while a portion of it is processed into powder for use in food thickeners and cosmetics.
In recent years, scientists have explored uses for cellulose nanocrystals, which can be extracted from cellulose fibers via acid hydrolysis. The exceptionally strong crystals could be used as natural reinforcements in polymer-based materials. But researchers have only been able to incorporate low fractions of CNCs, as the crystals have tended to clump and only weakly bond with polymer molecules.
LOOK: 75% of People Worldwide Want Single-Use Plastics Banned, According to New Global Survey
Hart and his colleagues looked to develop a composite with a high fraction of CNCs, that they could shape into strong, durable forms. They started by mixing a solution of synthetic polymer with commercially available CNC powder. The team determined the ratio of CNC and polymer that would turn the solution into a gel, with a consistency that could either be fed through the nozzle of a 3-D printer or poured into a mold to be cast. They used an ultrasonic probe to break up any clumps of cellulose in the gel, making it more likely for the dispersed cellulose to form strong bonds with polymer molecules.
They fed some of the gel through a 3-D printer and poured the rest into a mold to be cast. They then let the printed samples dry. In the process, the material shrank, leaving behind a solid composite composed mainly of cellulose nanocrystals.
“We basically deconstructed wood, and reconstructed it,” Rao says. “We took the best components of wood, which is cellulose nanocrystals, and reconstructed them to achieve a new composite material.”
Tough cracks
Interestingly, when the team examined the composite’s structure under a microscope, they observed that grains of cellulose settled into a brick-and-mortar pattern, similar to the architecture of nacre. In nacre, this zig-zagging microstructure stops a crack from running straight through the material. The researchers found this to also be the case with their new cellulose composite.
They tested the material’s resistance to cracks, using tools to initiate first nano- and then micro-scale cracks. They found that, across multiple scales, the composite’s arrangement of cellulose grains prevented the cracks from splitting the material. This resistance to plastic deformation gives the composite a hardness and stiffness at the boundary between conventional plastics and metals.
Going forward, the team is looking for ways to minimize the shrinkage of gels as they dry. While shrinkage isn’t much of a problem when printing small objects, anything bigger could buckle or crack as the composite dries.
“If you could avoid shrinkage, you could keep scaling up, maybe to the meter scale,” Rao says. “Then, if we were to dream big, we could replace a significant fraction of plastics, with cellulose composites.”
The research team’s results are published in the journal Cellulose.
Source: MIT
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Road in London Closes for Nearly a Month to Protect Migrating Toads as They Hop to the Other Side
A stretch of road in London has been closed to traffic for more than three weeks to allow toads to cross in safety to ponds where they breed.
A 400-meter (1,300-foot) section of Church Road in Ham, near Richmond is blocked to motorists until the start of April so the creatures don’t get squished on their annual migration.
‘Toad patrol’ volunteers man the road—which meanders through a leafy stretch of Richmond Park—at night, but the road remains blocked off all day. And locals have been heaping praise on the conservation initiative.
The charity Froglife, which is responsible for recruiting volunteers, says the road, which is one of many across Britain that take part in the eco-conscious project, is among just a handful that remain completely blocked off to traffic.
The closure began on March 7, and is due to remain in place until April 1.
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A council road traffic order has been issued to block the road.
Part of it reads, “The road closure is intended to allow the toads to cross the carriageway unharmed and to eliminate the risk of accidents if drivers were to be
distracted by the presence of these creatures in their path.”
Richmond Council began sealing off the street in 2010 after worried locals wrote to council bosses to warn that creatures were being killed on their annual migration from hibernation to ponds where they breed.
It has become a source of amusement among locals.
They say it is not too disruptive as the road is normally quiet, has few houses along it, and the diversion is not painfully long.
But an earnest sign warning drivers ‘road closed for migrating toads—toad patrol volunteers on the road’ has not stopped passers-by poking fun at it.
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A steady stream of walkers has been stopping to take pictures to share with friends.
Retired IT manager Robert Brown, who lives in Richmond, said, “I think it is fantastic. To have that amount of consideration for toads I think is incredible. I have never actually seen any toads and only once saw someone we thought might be a volunteer, but I think it is great… It is a very British thing to do.”
Retired customer services advisor Dorris Watt, from Ham, said, ‘’I think it is a good idea to protect the toads. This is not a road you desperately need to drive down and it has gone on without causing any complaints.
“Only people from outside the area would complain if they can’t park. The toads live here, don’t they, so it’s their right of way?’”
MORE: Two Newly-Identified Species of See-Through ‘Glass’ Frogs Found in Ecuador – Amazing Photos
Marketing consultant Liz Workman, from Chiswick, said, “We have to look after our world and our wildlife. Good on them.”
Retired computer programmer Terry Newman, from Richmond, said. “It (the sign) is one of the first things I ever posted on Facebook.
‘’We have ever actually seen a toad there but we think it is brilliant. I love nature and it is a great idea.
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Ukraine Inspires Us With Humanity and Hope: 8 Positive Stories From the Conflict
From charities and governments, to celebrities and everyday people, millions are pitching in to ease the burden for fleeing or sheltering Ukrainians. In turn, they’re inspiring the world with their generosity and strength.
We searched the internet to find heartwarming positive stories about Ukraine, and hope they will be an antidote to the daily barrage of reports about the pain and hardship.
1) Dog Company Delivers Tons of Food for Ukrainian Pooches
A dog transport company is helping to feed pooches in war-torn Ukraine after collecting nearly 11,000 pounds worth of food (5,000kg).
Daisybrook International Pet Transport was inundated with 300 bags of dog food and other donations from around the UK, and the Staffordshire company has dropped off the supplies at the Polish border, with owner Matthew Hunt delivering it in their specialized dog van, crammed to the roof with food—and with plans to make the trip once a week.
2) David Beckham Hands Over Instagram Account to Ukrainian Doctor
English soccer has turned been turned on its head over the war in Ukraine—with the British government sanctioning the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea FC, the third best team in the country. Now David Beckham, legend of Manchester United, gave control of his Instagram account with more than 71 million followers to Iryna, the head of the regional perinatal center in Kharkiv.
MORE: Strangers are Leaving Strollers, Diapers, and Toys at the Border for Ukrainian Refugee Moms (LOOK)
Choosing only to be known by her first name, Iryna is working 24/7 to help mothers give birth safely in one of the conflict’s hottest zones.
“We are probably risking our lives, but we don’t think about it at all,” she wrote. “We love our work.”
3) Ukraine Joins European Power Grid, Ending Its Dependence on Russia
Belgium-based utilities company ENTSO-E connected the Ukrainian electrical grid to a largely-distributed system stretching across most of Europe, allowing it to end dependence on Russian power stations.
“This step will give Ukraine the opportunity to receive electricity if (Russia) continues to destroy our power infrastructure, and thus to save our power system,” said Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, who chairs the management board of Ukraine’s grid operator Ukrenergo. “We are sincerely grateful to our European partners for their great support and assistance during these difficult times.”
As well as reducing dependence on coal as a nice bonus, Ukraine could export nuclear power to elsewhere in Europe, which Brussels sees as a win-win.
4) Celebrity Chef Cooking For Free For Thousands on Ukrainian Border
José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, set up an emergency relief kitchen in the town of Przemyśl—just several miles from the border with Ukraine that is receiving tens of thousands of refugees every day. In twelve massive paella pans and twelve large ovens, they are cooking hundreds of thousands of meals.
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A warehouse in L’viv, in the west of Ukraine, is shipping trucks of these meals to cities further east like Odessa and Mykolayiv. To date they’ve served one million meals.
Thank you @RealRonHoward @RealImagine @NatGeoTV for telling our story and most importantly to the @WCKitchen team & every volunteer working to make this dream of Feeding People a reality..especially those right now feeding the people of #Ukraine #ChefsForUkraine #ChefsForTheWorld https://t.co/vVjvelEFXg
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) March 19, 2022
5) Hero vet is crossing into Ukraine to rescue trapped animals
32-year-old Polish veterinarian Jakub Kotowicz launched a rescue trip into the war zone last week and has since rescued around 200 cats and 60 dogs from L’viv, in three convoys.
Now being cared for in his veterinary clinic are the rescued animals, including a pygmy goat with diseased legs and a large Sphinx cat who loves to cuddle. Jakub plans to keep the two-month-old pygmy goat kid, named Sasha, who shares a soft bed with two Chihuahuas, as part of his service with ADA Foundation. Jakub founded the animal rescue charity when he was 17, and runs a no-kill animal shelter in Przemysl, Poland, just 30 minutes from the border with Ukraine.
People can donate in dollars here, or in euros here.
6) Celebrities Donate Millions to Help Ukrainians
A number of A-listers have used their fortunes and their platforms to support relief for Ukrainians.
J.K. Rowling has pledged to match every pound sterling up to £1 million ($1.3 million) in donations to Lumos, a charity that’s focused on helping children in the war zones.
I will personally match donations to this appeal, up to £1m. Thank you so, so much to all who’ve already donated, you’re enabling @lumos to do crucial work for some of the most vulnerable children in Ukraine. https://t.co/XK8yTtB1nl
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 7, 2022
Mila Kunis and Aston Kutcher have pledged $3 million from their film and TV fortunes towards a GoFundMe drive with a target of $30 million. “While my family came to the United States in 1991, I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in 1983,” Kunis wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Last week they passed their goal, exceeding it by $4 million.
Another celebrity couple helping out is Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, who tweeted that they would personally match any donation towards helping Ukrainian refugees up to $1 million.
In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries. They need protection. When you donate, we’ll match it up to $1,000,000, creating double the support.⬇️ https://t.co/xCFL1Lptuw https://t.co/CHp48E1KLQ
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 26, 2022
7) Russia-Ukrainian Chef Duo Host Dinner-Fundraiser for UNICEF
Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules and Russian chef Alissa Timoshkina, long-time colleagues living in London, have started the Cook for Ukraine moment, which is encouraging restaurants to add small extra charges as a way to contribute a bit of sales to UNICEF’s work helping children in and out of Ukraine.
“Cook for Ukraine are hosting an event at The British Library theatre on 22 March to help raise awareness for the incredible food of Ukraine, and how it crosses many borders and communities,” Euronews writes. The fundraiser has already made £280,000 ($371000).
8) Italian Government Announces It will Rebuild the Mariupol Theater
Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, tweeted that a proposal introduced in parliament has passed to use Italian government funds to rebuild the destroyed theater in the city of Mariupol.
He noted that “Theaters of all countries belong to the whole of humanity.”
Italy is ready to rebuild the Theatre of #Mariupol. The cabinet of Ministers has approved my proposal to offer #Ukraine the resources and means to rebuild it as soon as possible. Theaters of all countries belong to the whole humanity #worldheritage pic.twitter.com/FPictnEloy
— Dario Franceschini (@dariofrance) March 17, 2022
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Check Out These Victories for Old Growth Forests Worldwide on International Forest Day
Monday was International Day of Forests, a perfect moment for taking a walk under your local trees and reading a roundup of forest victories from around the world.
This year notes a turning tide in the global awareness of the value of trees. In several regions of the world, there are more acres of forest than there have been in the past 100 years: in Europe for example.
In other cases, reforestation stemming from a conscious change in attitudes towards conservation is now equal to existing deforestation in some of the most threatened areas, for example in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biome.
The recent meeting of the parties to the Paris Climate Accords have given rise to an international agreement between two dozen countries to end deforestation this decade. Locally-speaking, regional victories drive these global trends, and these movements will certainly go a long way to making every future International Day of Forests even more special because of what has been saved.
In the U.S., Oregon lawmakers just passed legislation to conserve 81,544 acres (33,000 hectares) of the Elliott State Forest, protecting it against logging and future threats. The site contains significant old-growth forest and supports 20% of the wild Oregon Coast coho salmon population.
MORE: City Trees and Soil Are Sucking More Carbon Out of the Atmosphere Than We Thought
As part of a partnership between the Defense, Interior, and Agriculture departments of the U.S., 11,000 square miles (around 3 million hectares) of farms, forests, and wildlife habitat around Eglin Air Force Base will be protected, together with the help of non-profit conservationists and landowners, to create a unique mosaic of land systems called the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape.
Down under, landmark legislation in Western Australia will end native logging and secure 1,544 square miles (400,000 hectares) of one of the most diverse native forests on Earth. Activists have campaigned for decades to protect these forests, containing rare tingle, jarrah, karri, marri, tuart, and wandoo trees found nowhere else on the planet, which had been increasingly depleted by logging.
RELATED: Ancient Trees Have Incredible Lifespans That Also Help Keep The Surrounding Forests Alive
“We’re going to stop logging in our native forests… to preserve these beautiful, magnificent, wonderful areas for future generations of West Australians,” WA Premier Mark McGowan said, allegedly stunning green party members and protestors alike.
In South America, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has allocated an additional $300 million toward the Andes-Amazon Initiative to continue biodiversity and forest conservation efforts in the region until 2031.
To date, the initiative has been successful in conserving 1.5 million square miles (400 million hectares) or about half the size of Brazil itself, since its establishment in 2003. New targets include ensuring that 38,000 square miles (100 million hectares) of freshwater and forest ecosystems—as well as Indigenous and local communities’ lands—are effectively managed.
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“I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent.” – Ashleigh Brilliant
Quote of the Day: “I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent.” – Ashleigh Brilliant
Photo by: Callum Shaw
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?
Taking a Cooking Course Has Magic Pill Like Effects on Mental and Physical Well-Being
In a large study in Australia, a seven-week cooking class was found to significantly improve mental health and well-being, physical health markers, confidence and life satisfaction—as well as the ability to change eating habits.
These changes were not only seen in both men and women, but regardless of whether any increase in understanding of nutrition and the risks of obesity was obtained during the course.
It suggests that simply by returning to home-cooked meals, society could greatly improve the overall health condition of its citizens.
The story of the decline in physical and mental health in the western world is well known. An emphasis on work and study leads to the consumption of less nutritious food, which has exploded in availability as the decades have advanced.
67% of all Australians are overweight or obese, the recently-published paper reveals, a figure which is nearly applicable to the American population.
An international team of researchers aimed to investigate if a course of seven, 90-minute cooking classes could improve health outcomes by restoring confidence in people’s ability to cook for themselves at home.
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“The intervention involved participation in weekly cooking sessions… delivered by a nutrition professional from the fully equipped JMOF mobile kitchen,” the study reads.
“The 90-min hands-on cooking session used a new recipe each week to scaffold learning of skills and knowledge about nutritious foods, to enable increased cooking confidence, skill development and food literacy knowledge. In addition, the participants were taught knife handling skills and were given tips and advice about healthy options for how to boost flavor and create dishes using fresh foods to replace pre-prepared ingredients. Food-budget planning, kitchen economy and reduction of food waste were also covered.”
Something deeper
The study details that many researchers have imagined that food literacy is linked to higher education, higher incomes, and value of real estate: i.e. that only rich white folks understand why cooking with vegetables is advantageous from a health perspective.
MORE: IKEA’s New Cookbook Puts Kitchen Scraps to Good Use With 50 Recipes From Top Chefs
In this large and diverse population sample, consisting of many education and income levels, no socio-economic factor drove the desire to learn from—or the benefits from participating in—a home-cooking class. The authors report similar incidents in three other published trials of a similar kind.
Six months after the classes, the participants, 32% of whom had scores for general health, mental health, and subjective vitality lower than the national average, all reported significant improvements.
A limitation of the study, the authors note, could be that as the class was a group activity, it was simply the result of doing something constructive together with other people that resulted in the benefits.
However, as the improvements in mental and physical well-being were observed months after the classes concluded, one can suppose it’s due more to the deployment of the knowledge gained in the kitchen over the subsequent weeks—and perhaps even the juxtapositions of more time with family and friends over cooked meals.
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Sex Pheromones Could Help Stop Asian Giant Hornets from Invading UK and ‘Wreaking Havoc’
Sex pheromones could help stop ‘murder hornets’ from invading the UK and elsewhere and wreaking havoc, according to a new study.
The stimulating odors produced by a hornet queen can be used as bait to trap and track the invasive insects, say scientists.
Asian giant hornets, more commonly known as murder hornets, have been spreading across parts of North America and Europe.
While their nickname is misleading, they are threatening bee populations along with millions of pounds worth of crops.
Honey bees, some of the world’s most important pollinators, have few defences against these destructive insects, which can quickly destroy an entire colony.
So far, coming up with a solution to eliminate them has proven challenging, and even knowing where to look for them is tricky.
But now scientists in the United States have come up with a cunning plan to map their movements and end the invasion.
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Study author Professor James Nieh at the University of California, San Diego said, “My usual plea is that people should stop calling them ‘murder hornets’ because they are large and perhaps frightening but not truly murderous.
“They are amazing social insects, but they don’t belong in North America and harm our critical bee populations, so we should remove them.”
Three of the major chemicals found in the giant hornet queen’s sex pheromone were identified by the researchers, including hexanoic, octanoic, and decanoic acid.
They then captured male hornets by laying traps near their nests and places where they typically reproduce.
The hornets’ brain activity and antennae were highly sensitive to the pheromone, the researchers found.
These compounds found in the queen’s pheromone could easily be purchased and deployed in the field immediately.
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Professor Nieh said, “The males are drawn to the odors of the females since they typically mate with them near their nests.
“In two field seasons we were able to rapidly collect thousands of males that were attracted to these odours.”
The researchers are hoping to test their traps in more field locations to see whether they can chemically attract hornets over distances of a kilometre or more.
Professor Nieh said, “Because these pheromone-based traps are fairly inexpensive I think they could be readily deployed for sampling across a large geographic range.
“We know where they have been found, so the big question is whether they are expanding. Where is that invasion front?”
How Asian giant hornets, known scientifically as Vespa mandarinia, first came to North America has remained a mystery, but they have been documented in British Columbia and Washington state.
Models suggest they could rapidly spread across Washington, Oregon, and possibly the eastern United States.
Rather than patent their discovery, the researchers have published their findings in the hope it will help document the hornet’s spread.
MORE: French Beekeeper Invents a Trap to Take on Asian Hornets Decimating Bee Populations in Europe
Where and how rapidly they are spreading could be mapped using predictive models once more traps have been deployed.
Professor Nieh said, “We hope that others, especially in invaded areas, will take the protocol we have established and test this method.
“We’ve described the chemical blends needed for these traps, which could reduce the number of males available to mate with females to help depress the population but primarily would help us figure out where they are.”
The findings were published in the journal Current Biology.
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Newly-Identified Species of Transparent ‘Glass’ Frogs Unveiled in Amazing Photos From Ecuador
Two new species of glass frog were found living in the same 6,200-acre reserve, showing just how much is yet to be discovered in the tropical Andes.
At first seeming perfectly identical to each other, the frogs were actually found to have very large differences on a genetic level, as well as different calls.
The newly-discovered hyalinobatrachium mashpi lives on the southern side of the Guayllabamba river valley, which separates its territory from that of another frog species, hyalinobatrachium nouns.
When biologist Juan M. Guayasamin and his companions entered the Guayllabamba area looking for species of glass frogs, they found several specimens that seemed to have all the same features.
They were both see-through, displaying their heart, liver, and GI-tract proudly through their translucent bellies.
Beyond that, they had the same speckled patterns on their lime-green backs, and the same miniscule size of two centimeters.
It was only back at the lab when Guayasamin and the rest of the research team were sequencing the DNA of the new frogs into the glass frog genetic database that they realized they were dealing with two totally unique species.
“What we are thinking is that the valley has kept these frogs from mixing with each other,” Guayasamin told National Geographic, noting that the two groups were found living merely 13 miles from one another. “When you have populations separated by a geographic barrier, you start having an accumulation of mutations in each group, and in time, they become genetically different.”
Northwest Ecuador is a place of such extraordinary biological diversity. It contains a South American biome known as the tropical Andes Mountains, which astonishingly contains twice as many amphibians as in the whole of the Amazon Rainforest. One of the reasons for this is that the Amazon Basin is actually rather flat.
A vertical world with numerous topographical barriers to the movement of species like the small glass frog, means the mountains offer far more isolation than the lowlands.
“The topography here is quite complex, with many unexplored niches and hard-to-reach areas, so endemism is very high,” an Ecuadorian herpetologist not involved with the discovery told Nat Geo.
MORE: Scientists Discover a New Brown Species They Named the ‘Chocolate Frog’ – And it’s Adorable
Indeed, the total number of amphibians in the Amazon matches only the number of those specifically-endemic to the tropical Andes.
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New Electric Boat Just Levitated Boating to a New Level, While Ending Fuel Leaks
A Swedish shipwright has unveiled successful tests for a new fully-electric hydrofoil speed boat which it says will change the face of recreational boating forever.
The C-8, by Candela, can do 20 knots of speed and accommodate a half-dozen passengers while eliminating fuel leaks, motor noise, wake, and expensive trips to the fuel dock.
Electric boating has been far behind electric cars as a result of the far-denser resistance encountered when a vehicle attempts to push its way through water as compared to air.
Using hydrofoils to lift the C-8 out of the water, that most critical roadblock is avoided, resulting in 80% less energy consumption per knot traveled than an internal-combustion engine boat.
This allowed Candela to mount an electric motor and battery pack as the form of thrust and actually deliver range and speeds comparative to a fossil-fuel speed boat.
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Candela has designed C-8 to fit right into the industry options. Capable of being mass produced at 400 units per year, the C-8 prices in at €290,000, equal or in some cases lower than other fossil-fuel speed boats in its size class of 28 feet (8.5 meters).
The C-POD motor is rated for 3,000 hours of service-free use, which is equivalent to 50–100 years of a person’s average recreational boating time, reports Clean Technica, adding that after being unveiled in February, its 100 preorders mean it outsold almost all other conventional speed boats of its size.
“It’s basically free boating, and hassle-free boating, for the first time in history,” says company founder Gustav Hasselskog.
The boat sleeps two kids and two adults, while the above deck cockpit has room for eight people.
“Candela C-8 is designed to do away with all the bad aspects of powerboating: no slamming, no harmful wake, no pollution, no maintenance, no noise, and no more expensive trips to the fuel dock,” Candela’s head of PR, Mikael Mahlberg told Clean Technica. “It’s just a smooth, silent, and fun ride. After the first ride last week, it’s clear we’re right on target. This will be a pivotal moment for electric boats.”
(WATCH the video for this story below.)
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Livin’ Good Currency – Ep. 3: She Makes GOOD Happen, By Investing in Women-Led Companies
The Lesson: Investing in people is investing in the future. Putting money behind women-led companies can lead to great financial returns, and even better social ones. Better still, investing in early-stage companies led by minorities or women builds a power base where before there wasn’t one.
Notable Excerpt: “I’m really proud also, [that] we picked our bucket and we said women. And because we said women, instead of this traditional Silicon Valley road where these kids come from Harvard or Stanford, we started getting companies from all across the country, all different backgrounds, we have 50% minority-led companies, and we look at age, race, and gender in terms of every founding team, and when you invest in those early stages, that’s when you can make the change.”
The Guest: Jesse Draper is a mother of three and General Partner of Halogen Ventures, a financial management company that allows investors to grow their financial, cultural, and spiritual capital by backing funds which diversify along lines of gender, race, and age. Their portfolio consists of 70 companies with an emphasis on female leadership and consumer technologies, and have seen strong returns over short periods.
The Podcast: Livin’ Good Currency explores the relationship of time to our lives. It gives a simple, straight-forward formula that anyone can use to be present in the moment—and features a co-host who knows better than anyone the value of time (see below). How do you want to spend your life? This hour can inspire you, along with upcoming guests, to be sure you are ‘Livin’ Good Currency’ and never get caught running out of time.
The Hosts: Good News Network fans will know Tony (Anthony) Samadani as the co-owner of GNN and its Chief of Strategic Partnerships. Co-host Tobias Tubbs was handed a double life sentence without the possibility of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Behind bars, he used his own version of the Livin’ Good Currency formula to inspire young men in prison to turn their hours into honors. An expert in conflict resolution, spirituality, and philosophy, Tobias is a master gardener who employs ex-felons to grow their Good Currency by planting crops and feeding neighborhoods.
Subscribe to the Pod: On iTunes… On Spotify… On Amazon Music… Or Google Play.
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“Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” – Arthur Yorinks
Quote of the Day: “Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” – Arthur Yorinks
Photo by: Rowan Heuvel
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?
He Quit His Job to Offer Scottish Highland Trips in New York School Bus – A ‘Hostel on Wheels’
A business graduate is taking tourists on adventure trips amidst the Scottish Highlands – in a New York school bus.
The 24-year-old came up with the idea after watching Expedition Happiness on Netflix, about a couple traveling across North America in a refurbished school bus.
Angus Luff, who graduated in 2019, quit his job as a management consultant in Leicester, England, to live out his dream of creating the hostel on wheels.
He only worked in his job for three months before he decided, ‘I don’t want to do this’.
Dubbed ‘The Bonnie Camper’, the bus has been converted into a ‘glamping’ RV mobile home, with beds, seating areas, and a kitchen, for up to six people.
He hosts road trips across the Highlands, arranging outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, kayaking, and swimming in lakes along the way.
Serving as the tour guide, Angus does all the driving, cooking, and cleaning, before pitching a tent outside to give the guests full privacy in the bus.
The 1999 model vehicle was originally used to take students to and from school in New York. He bought it in 2019, and had it shipped over from the US.
“The buses are so iconic,” said the Edinburgh entrepreneur. “I think it’s the novelty of the school bus—it’s very rare you see them in real life.”
He used lockdown to refurbish the bus, stripping it and furnishing it with the help of his dad—making sure it met UK regulations.
LOOK: Camping Travelers Can Rent Old, Empty Churches in UK to Help Pay for Historical Upkeep
Angus then earned his HGV driving license and tried out his tour on friends before setting out on his first money-making trip in June, 2021. “It was great fun, everyone loved it.”
“Everyone’s always beeping and waving at us. You feel like a celebrity.
“It was amazing, I had a group of four women from London come up and hired it out privately.
“I love seeing people’s reaction to the bus, they get so excited.”
The five day tour costs £595 ($780) per person and includes all the activities and food.
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“I host the whole week and organize whisky tasting tours, hiking, mountain biking, watersports, and stops at local bars and pubs.”
“There’s no other company that does something similar in the UK.
With its high vantage point and large windows, the school bus is a unique way to experience some of Scotland’s most rugged and beautiful scenery. It even has a sunroof.
“It’s a completely different viewpoint of everything,” he says. “You are quite engrossed in all the landscapes.
This year he will also be trying individual bookings, where people can just book themselves a spot on the bus and take part in the activates for a tour group.
Travelers board the bus in Edinburgh, where Angus keeps the bus, before driving to the Cairngorms, then on to Glencoe, and arriving back by way of Stirling.
“I basically go on holiday every week, I’m very fortunate to be able to do this.”
WATCH a montage video from The Bonnie Camper…
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University Gives Unexpected Bonus To All Employees Saying Thanks for Their Service During Covid
The Chancellor of Vanderbilt University is recognizing all the school’s employees for their diligent work over the past two years with a surprise bonus in their paychecks.
All the eligible faculty, staff, and postdocs, will receive a $1,500 bonus in their paychecks at the end of March.
That’s around 9,000 workers, including part-time employees, who are getting the generous bonus.
In announcing the Chancellor’s Recognition Award—which coincided with the March 17 anniversary of the university’s founding 148 years ago—Chancellor Daniel Diermeier expressed gratitude for the extraordinary efforts of those at the heart of Vanderbilt’s educational mission.
“It has not been easy, especially during the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” Diermeier said.
“However, your dedication to our vision and goals enables our university to operate at its highest level. I am indeed grateful as we approach Vanderbilt’s 150th anniversary in a position of strength and with optimism about our path forward.”
RELATED: University Cancels Debt for Graduates Hit By Pandemic
More than 7,000 undergraduate students, and 6,400 graduate students, were enrolled in the Nashville, Tennessee university last Fall.
Watch his announcement video below…
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‘Exciting’ Head-Tongue Controller Lets Paralyzed Patients Operate Smart Phones And Drive Wheelchairs
A new controller that works using head and tongue movements is one of the only options for patients with paralysis to not only control their own power wheelchairs but to use smartphones and computers.
Georgia Tech unveiled the results of a study that showed how their engineers were able to transform research prototypes into a user-ready version that was tested by 17 power wheelchair users living with tetraplegia—a spinal cord injury that affects the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.
They described it as a first-of-its-kind, innovative application for individuals living with disabilities.
Collaborating with physicians and clinical therapists at Brooks Rehabilitation, the team was able to show how useful and easy the MagTrack technology worked for patients.
“To see where the MagTrack project has advanced even just since the early stages of this study is incredible,” said Geneva Tonuzi, medical director of the spinal cord injury program at Brooks Rehabilitation.
MagTrack enables power wheelchair users to control their connected devices (e.g., smartphone, computer) and drive their power wheelchairs using an alternative, multimodal controller. In addition, the assistive device is designed to be wearable, wireless, and adaptable to the user’s specific condition.
Unlike other devices, you wouldn’t have to be sitting in a chair or at a desk to use it. The controller travels with you.
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Testing the performance of the Head-Tongue Controller (HTC), an earlier version of the MagTrack technology, demonstrated its ability to perform complex human-machine interactions that will enhance users’ quality of life, through the use of tongue and head movements, which are detected by eyewear and a tiny tracer that is temporarily glued onto the tongue using a bio-compatible adhesive.
Commands are generated from these motions using advanced data processing and machine learning models. This combination of head and tongue movements allows the user to perform a variety of daily functions with customizable control, from mouse navigation, scrolling, or drag-and-drop to advanced driving maneuvers when connected to a power wheelchair.
MagTrack’s tracers can stick to the face for many hours thanks to a transparent bio-compatible adhesive.
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The test results, published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, showed that new users of MagTrack can complete these tasks as fast, and sometimes even faster, with the MagTrack’s HTC rather than their personal, alternative controller. Since the study session lasted less than 3 hours and used a power wheelchair that wasn’t their own—it is anticipated that participants would be more proficient as time went on.
“It was amazing to see how their faces lit up when they saw they were able to control their wheelchair with such ease and comfort,” said Jesse Milliken, speech-language pathologist in the spinal cord injury program at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital. “They all said they can see this improving their day-to-day lives if it were available to them.”
At its core, MagTrack is a new type of body motion tracking—and these new, alternative controllers will enable them to be active members of an interconnected digital world.
“The trajectory of the MagTrack study shows an unprecedented possibility for the advancement of independent function as well as mobility for electric wheelchair users,” said Omer T. Inan, a Georgia Tech researcher and professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“Our team and partners are energized and motivated by the recent patient trials to continue to push this technology and its capabilities as far as possible (as) this technology can significantly improve people’s lives.”
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“The development of our wearable alternative controller eliminates the need for having multiple assistive technologies, replacing them with a single multimodal and integrated system,” said Nordine Sebkhi, a postdoctoral researcher and co-creator of the MagTrack assistive technology.
As a result of these studies, MagTrack has been refined to offer a fully integrated, all-in-one experience so that a user can seamlessly switch between driving their wheelchair and controlling connected devices in their surroundings (e.g., smartphone, computer, automated door opener, smart TV). The system can be used anywhere since it is wearable, and its built-in wireless connectivity facilitates portability.
The team at Georgia Tech is already working on a new version of MagTrack that is not only more inconspicuous, but also includes detection of facial gestures which could significantly augment its control capabilities.
In the coming year, the team plans to make MagTrack available to early adopters for at-home validation testing, to further improve the technology.
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The team is also working on various designs of MagTrack to be used as a wearable articulograph for motor speech disorders, as a hand and joint tracking system for physical rehabilitation, and even as a finger tracking for VR/AR applications. The MagTrack team will be partnering with the Global Center for Medical Innovation to assist in regulatory strategy and project planning to transition the technology from the lab to the market.
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Anxiety Can Be a Habit – Which Means We Can Stop it, If We Know How
The Lesson: Worry and anxiety can establish themselves, through feedback loops, as actual habits, instead of being simply transient emotional states. People with anxiety disorders can try and prevent these habitual loops from developing by mapping out the sequence of thoughts, i.e. first, anxious feelings lead to these thoughts, then thoughts reinforce anxious feelings, and so on. Disrupting this flow can be the key, not only for breaking out of the anxious habit, but curtailing many other downstream affects of anxiety such as over-eating, poor sleep, and more.
Notable Excerpt: “Fear plus uncertainty leads to anxiety, and that anxiety makes the thinking and planning part of the brain go offline—so I would postulate that worrying is not only not helpful, it actually makes things worse because we can’t think and plan…. If we change our relationship with our emotions we can stop feeding them, and at the same time when they do show up we don’t resist them, because that resistance is part of the feeding: ‘what we resist persists.'”
The Guest: Dr. Judson Brewer is a psychiatrist, deep dharma practitioner, and author of Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind. He’s also the creator of the Unwinding Anxiety app, which can be downloaded onto your tablet or smartphone. He says the app requires 10 minutes to walk you through the unwinding of your anxiety habit that has built up in the mind. Watch Dr. Jud’s TED Talk, “A Simple Way to Break a Bad Habit”, viewed over 18 million times.
The Podcast: Believing people can be trained in happiness, the fidgety, skeptical journalist and author of 10% Happier, Dan Harris, ventures into the diverse ends of the mental health swimming pool—from science-based techniques for issues such as anxiety, productivity, and relationships, to the concept of enlightenment and the use of psychedelics. His Ten Percent Happier podcast is available where all podcasts are found.
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“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” – Maya Angelou
Quote of the Day: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” – Maya Angelou
Photo by: Saulo Mohana
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?
COVID is Now Less Deadly Than The Flu in England, as Mask Requirements End
The Covid virus has gradually become less lethal over the two years since the pandemic began in early 2020—so much so that, now seasonal influenza is currently more deadly in England, according to analysis from The Financial Times.
“For every 100,000 Omicron infections, 35 will result in death, while the equivalent number of flu infections will lead to 40 fatalities,” John Burn-Murdoch and Oliver Barnes wrote in the article on FT.com.
They point to the high degree of immune protection from either vaccinations or previous infections as being the main reason for the recent parity with the flu.
“The proportion of people infected with Covid-19 in England who go on to die has dipped below that of seasonal flu, which has an infection fatality rate of roughly 0.04 percent,” wrote Burn-Murdoch and Barnes.
In the chart below, you can see that the blue line toward the bottom is the infection fatality ratio for seasonal flu. The ratio of fatalities from the Omicron variant recently dipped below that mark of 0.04 percent.
NEW: for the first time in the pandemic, a Covid infection now carries less mortality risk than a flu infection in England, the result of widespread immunity and the emergence of a less virulent variant in Omicron.
— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) March 10, 2022
Our story: https://t.co/BnFWG7xwaS pic.twitter.com/ck4Db9jEjk
Reported hospitalization rates in England are on the rise this month, but that can be a bit misleading, because, according to the article, “more than two-fifths of Covid-19 patients in England’s hospitals are being treated primarily for something else, having incidentally tested positive upon admission.”
Getting back to normal
Many countries have started relaxing their COVID restriction rules, bolstered by dropping infection rates and studies suggesting that COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant is less severe.
In the UK, all legal restrictions related to the pandemic, including mask requirements in public and self-isolation following a positive test, have been retired.
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In Switzerland, people no longer need to wear masks in most public places. And although those who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for five days, all other restrictions have disappeared.
“We’re in a different place now,” says Müge Çevik, who researches infectious diseases and medical virology at the University of St Andrews, UK. “It’s clear now we can’t prevent infections, so the focus needs to be on preventing severe outcomes.”
Joël Mossong, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Luxembourg’s Health Directorate, supports lifting restrictions in his country. “We’ve seen some deaths, but nothing of the sort that we witnessed last winter, even last spring,” he says in Nature. “The argument for keeping up the restrictions has really gone, and I think we were we’re now in a phase where the strategy to remove restrictions is the right way to go.”
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However, Çevik also believes that targeted populations should continue to be tested. Although, the benefits of general testing for asymptomatic people aren’t worth the trouble, she thinks regular testing is crucial in high-risk settings such as hospitals, care homes, and prisons.
SHARE The Uplifting Positive Numbers With Everyone on Social Media… (Featured image by Project Morpheus, CC license)
UK’s Most Premature Twins Finally Go Home 5 Months After Being Given 0% Chance of Survival
‘The UK’s most premature twins’ have finally headed home from the hospital—five months after their birth when they were given a zero percent chance of survival.
Little Harley and Harry Crane were conceived via IVF and were born at 22 weeks and five days.
Babies born after only five months of development are not classed as legally viable but the tough siblings clung to life, and have amazed doctors.
The 39-year-old mother, Jade, has spent the last five months at the side of her brave babies in the newborn intensive care unit at Queens Medical Hospital in Nottingham.
After trying to get pregnant naturally for three years, Jade suffered an ectopic pregnancy before the couple decided to start IVF in 2010.
The miracle pair headed home to Derby this week with their proud mum and dad just two and a half weeks after their original due-date.
“They’re doing absolutely amazing. They’re doing all the things that we were told they wouldn’t do—they’re crying, they’re surviving.
“It’s really emotional,” said father Steve, 52. “140 days ago we didn’t think we’d be here.”
They experienced three heartbreaking miscarriages on IVF, too. “Steve and I have been together for 14 years, and 11 of those have been spent doing IVF,” says Jade.
“The few bits of clothes that I did buy made me think that I better keep the tags on just in case – you just don’t want to let yourself believe.”
When she was checked into the hospital on October 26, at 22 weeks pregnant, the doctor kept saying it was a miscarriage—but Jade said it couldn’t be because she could feel the babies moving.
A nurse explained after the birth why Jade couldn’t hear the baby cry—because it was born far too early.
“But then I heard this little cry. Harry did the same when he was born an hour later.”
“Their little cries sounded like a tiny kitten.
The couple was told that the twins weren’t going to survive.
“After they were born, I was Googling twins who survive at 22 weeks and trying to find any to give me hope,” said Jade. “I found a set of twins in America who had survived—they’re four now. I’ve connected with their mum on Instagram and she guided me through the first few days of being in the unit and what to ask for.
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The babies were born with lung and other problems. They were also diagnosed with a serious gastrointestinal problem, which can be fatal, and Jade was told to prepare to say goodbye.
Thankfully, the newborns have defied the odds and Harley finally joined her brother at home on Monday.
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“They’ll go down in medical history – I’m pretty sure they’ll be having one of the wards named after them because everyone is just amazed by them!”
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Resetting Clock on Aging Cells Safely Reversed Signs of Decline in Mice
Age may be just a number, but it’s a number that often carries unwanted side effects, from brittle bones and weaker muscles to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute have shown that they can reverse the aging process in middle-aged and elderly mice, leading to a variety of benefits.
The technique works by partially resetting their cells to more youthful states, which impact skin, eyesight, muscles, and the brain.
“We are elated that we can use this approach across the life span to slow down aging in normal animals. The technique is both safe and effective in mice,” says co-corresponding author Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, professor in Salk’s Gene Expression Laboratory.
When injured, the youthful skin of the treated mice had a greater ability to heal and was less likely to form permanent scars.
Both the kidneys and blood of treated animals more closely resembled epigenetic patterns seen in younger animals.
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As organisms age, it is not just their outward appearances and health that change; every cell in their bodies carries a molecular clock that records the passage of time. Cells isolated from older people or animals have different patterns of chemicals along their DNA—called epigenetic markers. Scientists know that adding a mixture of four reprogramming molecules—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc, also known as ‘Yamanaka factors’—to cells can reset these epigenetic marks to their original patterns.
Scientists have used this approach in experiments to improve the function of other tissues like the heart, brain, and eyesight.
At Salk, they tested three groups of mice at varying ages equivalent to humans being 35, 50 and age 80, and found after seven or 10 months, the mice resembled younger animals in both appearance and ability.
This youthfulness was observed in the animals treated with the Yamanaka factors for seven or 10 months, but not the animals treated for just one month. What’s more, when the treated animals were analyzed midway through their treatment, the effects were not yet as evident. This suggests that the treatment is not simply pausing aging, but actively turning it backwards—although more research is needed to differentiate between the two.
Metabolism remained stable showing no form of age. Furthermore, there were no blood cell alterations or neurological changes in the mice that received the treatment, and no cancers or other health problems in any of the groups.
“At the end of the day, we want to bring resilience and function back to older cells so that they are more resistant to stress, injury and disease,” says co-author Dr Pradeep Reddy, of the Salk Institute.
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“In addition to tackling age-related diseases, this approach may provide the biomedical community with a new tool to restore tissue and organism health by improving cell function and resilience in different disease situations, such as neurodegenerative diseases.”
The study, published in the journal Nature Aging, shows that, at least in mice, “there’s a path forward to achieving that.”
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