Do you remember your very first day at school? For most of us, it was so exciting to meet a teacher for the first time. It was great fun to have new classmates and a real desk to sit at.
For children this year, things are a little different. It’ll still feel thrilling to be in a new environment, to wear a special uniform. But it might also be a little scary to be sitting at a desk surrounded by strange plastic screens as a six-year-old.
Credit: Patricia Dovi
These two Florida teachers have figured out a way to make those plastic dividers—installed on desks to protect children during the age of COVID-19—less nerve-wracking, and more totally, joyfully brilliant.
First-grade teachers Patricia Dovi and Kim Martin, of St. Barnabas Episcopal School in DeLand, Florida have turned coronavirus dividers into the windshields and windows of, yes, Jeeps.
“Anything that we can do to add some silliness and some creativity to get them excited is going to be really important in the longevity of this school year,” Dovi told Insider.
Credit: Kim Martin
The school supplied the plexiglass; Dovi and Martin paid for the decorations out of their own pockets. Martin estimates that the desks took about a week to complete. Wasn’t all that work worth it?
“It’s going to be more fun to say, ‘Hey, purple Jeep, you’re getting out of your lane,’” Martin joked. “I think it will be a smart way to keep the kids engaged.” We have no doubt about that.
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From darkness comes light. From despair comes hope. From passion comes change. In the wake of turbulent racial protests in America’s Midwest, a group of teenagers in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood were looking for a way to uplift their marginalized West Side community—and they found it.
Credit: By the Hand Club for Kids//Facebook
“With a little help from their friends”, a galvanized group of young entrepreneurs transformed a gutted liquor store into Austin Harvest, a pop-up food market to provide healthy food alternatives for their underserved neighborhood.
The genesis of the project began with listening circles led by By the Hand Club for Kids. “What I heard coming out of that was that students wanted to take all those raw and powerful emotions and turn them into something good, and do something from a social justice standpoint,” the group’s executive director Donnita Travis told Book Club Chicago.
Credit: By the Hand Club for Kids//Facebook
One of the issues the kids felt about most urgently was the shortage of healthy food options in the area; the result of years of systemic neglect and racism.
For areas like Austin, classified as “food deserts,” groceries and fresh produce are difficult to come by even in the best of times. The situation worsened when several area grocery stores were forced to close temporarily after being looted.
Within the half-mile radius, Austin Harvest has since sprung to life, where there were formerly a dozen liquor stores but only two food markets.
Credit: By the Hand Club for Kids//Facebook
“Food is a basic necessity” Azariah Baker, a teen who’d been with Austin Harvest since its inception, told BCC, “but it’s also a basic necessity we don’t have access to.”
When the discussion turned to the idea of repurposing one of the looted properties into a much-needed community resource, “the kids took the idea and ran with it,” Travis said.
The project got enthusiastic backing from a number of professional athletes. Former Chicago Bears’ linebacker Sam Acho led the charge. “People care. It’s a time for people to show up. I think our world has changed,” Acho told BCC. “So for us to be able to come together and say we’re going to lead that change, it means something.”
Other athletes who contributed to the cause included the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews, Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky of the Bears, White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito, Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Together, they raised $500,000 in seed money to get the project rolling.
While By the Hand brought in architects and branding experts for guidance, the vision for Austin Harvest was shaped and implemented by its youthful participants. “We’ve been behind the scenes completely,” Baker said. “We’ve discussed how we want to show our market, where we wanted our market to be, what we sell, what we look like. This is who runs it.”
Credit: By the Hand Club for Kids//Facebook
Taking a “teach someone to fish rather than give someone a fish approach,” The Hatchery Chicago also pitched in to offer hands-on lessons in real-world business skills including licensing and customer service, as well as a culinary pathways program aimed at helping interested teens work toward careers in the food industry.
When Roy Austin went on his first wildlife safari back in 2018, his only goal for the leisurely vacation was to catch sight of some African wildlife in its natural habitat—but he ended up finding something much more meaningful.
Although Austin enjoyed seeing lions and other wildlife across several East African countries, he was most captivated by the people he met in rural Kenya—particularly at the Amboseli Primary and Secondary School in Amboseli National Park.
In addition to befriending many of the students and teachers, Austin was surprised to learn how difficult it was to get books and school supplies for the children.
“In rural Kenya, the government does not build school buildings. You either build it yourself or raise the money to have it built,” says Austin. “A teacher was asked if they had a library. [She] replied, ‘No, but we would love to have a library.’ That stuck in my mind.”
When Austin eventually returned to his home in Bluffton, South Carolina, he launched Libraries for Kids International with the goal of sending books to the Kenyan schoolchildren.
Since starting the charity, Austin has managed to ship more than 1,000 books to 11 schools across Kenya and Tanzania. He says that he has managed to keep shipping costs down by sending the books through the post office rather than FedEx.
Photo by Libraries for Kids International
Not only has the charity supplied the schools with books, it has also given Austin a new sense of purpose and determination since his wife passed away in March.
As they continue to collect books and donations for additional shipments, Austin tells WJCL that the nonprofit is now helping to move a shipping container of 22,000 books from Atlanta to Kenya. In the future, the philanthropist hopes to start sending donations to South America as well.
“Many people told me that it can’t be done, it’s too expensive to ship books, and they will disappear going through customs,” Austin writes on the organization’s website. “However, one of my life philosophies is ‘Focus on the Objective, Not the Obstacle.’
“Every worthwhile project will have problems and obstacles. If you focus on the problems you will never start. Conversely, if you focus on the objective and solve the problems as they arise, most anything is possible.”
Photo by Libraries for Kids International
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Although COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in São Paulo, Brazil, many of the city’s residents have decided to take action.
Notably, high school student Gabriel Aun Klinger organized a project intended to help people from favelas in Brazil defend themselves against the virus.
Favelas are slums (or highly-populated communities) where many people live in extreme poverty. Many favela residents struggle to feed themselves and have to live in dangerously unhygienic conditions.
“Some people from these communities can’t even afford to buy a soap bar,” stated Klinger.
After reading several documents and scientific papers on COVID-19, Klinger stumbled upon a simple, affordable, and effective solution against COVID-19—something he described as being the “perfect weapon of self-defense against the virus.” When he realized that this solution was also much cheaper and easier to obtain than 70% alcohol gel, he immediately launched his project aiming to use it for the benefit of the people in favelas.
“The core of the project has been to share information I had regarding a home-made solution for combatting the coronavirus with some of the most vulnerable people in São Paulo,” he explained.
In March, his crowdfunding campaign raised enough money to purchase hygiene products and food items for over 500 families in those communities. As a part of the project, he then distributed these products to the community, making sure to teach those people how to prepare the solution with the items they received.
According to him, the project was a success. “We were able to distribute all the kits in an organized and smooth way,” Klinger said. “It felt incredible to be involved in the community in this way, and be able to make a real, tangible contribution during a time like this.”
In June, Klinger organized a second round of this project so he could help even more people.
“If this project was able to save even one life, it was worth it completely,” he said.
Through his project, Klinger learned that small actions like this one can go a long way. In times like these, he hopes to remind people that everyone has the power to make an impact on people’s lives and help those who need it most.
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Growing their own vegetables, switching to one-ply toilet paper and eating lots of leftovers—these are just a few ways people are pinching pennies during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to this new survey.
Interestingly, over half of Americans polled credit the COVID-19 pandemic with finally teaching them how to be smart with their money.
In fact, a similar survey from two years ago shows that the number of US adults who feel very smart with their money has actually risen from just 42% in 2018 to 51% in 2020.
Another two in three participants said the pandemic has turned them into a frugal person.
The polls of 2,000 Americans, both conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Slickdeals, looked into how the pandemic has changed people’s mindsets about their money and how they define being “cheap” versus being “frugal.”
The latest survey was meant to mirror the one run in 2018 as a means of comparing just how much the results have changed over the course of two years and a global pandemic.
Tipping the minimum (15–20%) regardless of service was found to by people in 2020 be “cheap;” however, skimping on the tip in 2018 was voted to be an act of frugality. Perhaps this can be explained by a shift in gratitude towards frontline workers?
Declining to be part of rounds at the bar was considered cheap by respondents, as was calculating your share of the group bill down to the cent.
Other cheap actions? Still using very outdated electronics, re-gifting, and diluting soap containers with water.
Conversely, purchasing clothes at a secondhand store was found to be “frugal,” as was buying off-brand food products, buying no-name electronics, and always seeking out deals or coupons when going shopping.
Participants also considered tracking their electricity and heating usage at home to keep the utility bills down to be frugal behavior.
According to the survey, the average American becomes a frugal person at the age of 31, with one in four saying they became thriftier when they were even younger. Two in three Americans also said they consider being called frugal a compliment.
“The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the financial situations of many people, and brought new focus to the importance of prioritizing spending,” said Josh Meyers, CEO of Slickdeals. “We see a shift toward smarter spending with 65% of respondents indicating that the pandemic has transformed them into a frugal person, and 67% reporting that being called frugal is actually a compliment.”
The survey also found that being financially conscious can be important on the dating scene.
Two-thirds of those polled said they actually think using a coupon on a first date is completely acceptable. In fact, 45% said they’d happily use a coupon on a first date.
Three in four say that the more they age, the more desirable it is for a romantic prospect having a smart financial mindset.
CHEAP OR FRUGAL?
CHEAP
– Tipping the minimum acceptable amount (15–20%) regardless of service
– Declining to be a part of rounds at the bar
– Calculating your part of a group bill to the cent
– Keeping outdated or worn out electronics, as long as they still barely work
– Reusing tea bags or coffee filters
– Eating food a few days past its expiration date
– Lengthening longevity of soap by diluting soap bottles with water
– Re-gifting
FRUGAL
– Regularly tracking electricity use (switching off lights/appliances when they aren’t in use)
– Regularly tracking the home thermostat (keeping the heat as low as possible)
– Watching movies at home instead of in the theater
– Shopping at second-hand clothing stores
– Buying off-brand food products
– Buying no-name electronics (such as ear buds from the corner stone)
– Giving up drinking while at bars or restaurants / only having alcohol at home
– Seeking out deals or coupons for all purchases
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Quote of the Day: “In the kingdom of hope there is no winter.” – Russian proverb
Photo: by Ralph Katieb
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
A blind mom was able to ‘see’ her unborn baby—thanks to a 3D-printed ultrasound.
Credit: SWNS
Taylor Ellis was born with glaucoma and has very little vision. When she went in for her 20-week scan and was unable to see her baby, she was left in tears.
When doctors found out she was upset, they conducted a special ultrasound and made a 3D print out of her unborn daughter’s face.
26-year-old Taylor and her husband Jeremy, who is also visually impaired, received the special scan in the post a week later. They were able to feel the baby’s face as a result, and it was a dream come true.
Baby Rosalie is now ten weeks old, and mum-of-three Taylor said the 3D printing technology—most commonly use to make car parts—has been “life changing.”
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore usually uses the technology to create models of unborn babies with spina bifida. It allows surgeons to get a clear image of the spines of babies to see if they need in-womb surgery. When an ultrasound sonographer at the same hospital found out, he suggested the technology be used to help blind parents. It is thought to be the first hospital in the world to offer the service.
Taylor, a stay-at-home-mother, from Cockeysville in Maryland, said, “I always thought about what my baby would look like and was always saddened to know I wouldn’t have the same opportunity as seeing mothers.
“My sight wasn’t as bad with my first two children, so I could see the 2D ultrasound.
When she received the 3D ultrasound, Taylor said of the exciting moment, “I had the realization that this was my baby’s face, it was so heart-warming. I showed off my scan to my daughters and my parents on video chat.”
Proud mom Taylor, added: “This pregnancy has been so scary but so exciting the whole way through, I just wanted this [moment] really really bad.”
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An interactive online map allows you to punch in your home address and superimpose the global geography of epochs gone by to see how the earth has changed over 750 million years.
Ian-Webster – Ancient-Earth
Seeing the results can be super surprising. 600 million years ago, for example, when multicellular life was just beginning to emerge in the ocean, the U.S. capital of Washington D.C. was smashed into the coast of West Africa as part of a jumbled ball of land stretching to the South Pole, which would eventually break off, drift away, and form the Americas.
The love-labor project of paleontologist Ian Webster, the exciting map tool allows users to enter most towns, cities, and countries into a search bar here, where a 3D rotatable globe will show you approximately where the land was located throughout a 750 million-year timeline.
The project is attached to the world’s largest digital dinosaur database, also created by Webster, who drew on geographical data from another resource called Ancient Earth. Created by paleographer Christopher Scotese, Ancient Earth was a culmination of work 30 years in the making called the Paleo Maps Project.
The webpage displays with a variety of tools that allow you to learn interesting information, or select a time period based on the emergence of specific features, such as the first flower to ever bloom on Earth.
Given that Webster is an expert in dinosaurs, any location you enter in the search function will also provide you with a list of dinosaurs that would have been your neighbors—all with inline links to that particular dinosaur’s profile on Webster’s database; all-in-all it represents an incredible educational resource for children and adults interested in paleontology or geography.
Even with modern GPS technology and programs like Google Maps, globes and 2-dimensional paper maps continue to shape our perception of the sphere we call Earth.
A great example of our reliance on maps is the Chinese word for China—“Middle Kingdom.” This perception as China being the land between heaven and Earth is reflected on Chinese maps, where it is the Pacific Ocean that occupies the right-central areas instead of the Atlantic, and where Asia and Africa clog up the left side with the other continents situated to the right.
Another example can be found in maps dated in the 1980s or earlier, when given the importance of the Northern Hemisphere to most scholars, the Equator was positioned at 10 degrees north longitude, making the continents of the Southern Hemisphere appear smaller.
Ancient Earth is the ultimate in perspective-shifting educational tools—especially for kids, as they get to see their very own homes move around in the tectonic dance that’s been going on for billions of years.
“I’m amazed that geologists collected enough data to actually plot my home 750 [million] years ago, so I thought you all would enjoy it too,” Webster wrote in a comment on Hacker News.
“Obviously we will never be able to prove correctness,” Webster concludes. “In my tests I found that model results can vary significantly. I chose this particular model because it is widely cited and covers the greatest length of time.”
When straight-line winds blew through his beloved adopted home of Cedar Rapids, one local hero leapt into the fray with his own very special brand of barbecue to the rescue.
Credit: Willie Ray’s Q Shack/Facebook
We’re all familiar with the wreckage wrought by hurricanes and tornadoes, but a derecho, with wide-ranging, sustained winds sometimes in excess of 100 miles per hour, can have equally disastrous consequences.
After a series of derechos tore across the Midwest on Monday, August 10, leaving a swath of destruction in their wake, Willie Fairley, owner of the iconic local eatery Willie Ray’s Q Shack, was driven by his strong sense of community to selflessly volunteer his services and his grill, serving up as many as 400 free meals a day for neighbors in need.
“[We’re] giving out food, doing whatever we can,” Fairley told KGAN News. “Help[ing] the neighbors move trees. I brought the grill home and cooked for everybody and somehow we’re here.”
Cedar Rapids felt the brunt of the derechos’ fury. Approximately 50 people with storm-related injuries were hospitalized, and according to Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Greg Smith, more than 800 residential and commercial buildings suffered full or partial collapse of the roof, walls, ceiling, or floors.
“It’s devastating you know,” Fairley told KGAN, “a city you’ve been in for 18 years and you see it just crumble down.”
A City Comes Together
Fairley set the BBQ ball in play and social media has kept it rolling. Donations keep pouring in. “The main reason we’re doing it free is because there’s been a lot of people donate to us to help us keep feeding people,” he told CNN. “So, we figure we’ll just do it to make sure everybody gets something.”
Even after the derecho cleanup is over, Fairley plans to help out with meals for a homeless shelter at least once a week. “People keep donating, so we’re going to be giving out food for a long time.”
Thomas Clark, who helps Fairley prep and distribute meals, sums up his community’s feelings about Fairley. “He’s doing such a great job and we’re proud of where he’s taken this and how he started from nothing now he’s out here doing it with honestly nothing and just to do it. He’s not asking for anything. I’ve known him for 15 [or] 16 years and he’s always been that way,” Clark told KGAN.
Fairley’s efforts are so appreciated, Willie Ray’s Q Shack has been nominated for the Discover Eat it Forward program, a contest that awards $25,000 prizes to Black-owned restaurants.
But as much as it’s great to be recognized for his efforts, Fairley believes being able to give back has been the greatest reward he’s taken away from the whole experience, saying, “I wish I could put my shoes on and everybody [would] know how I feel on the inside.”
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The World Health Organization is celebrating the news that the African continent is finally free of the wild poliovirus, 24 years after Nelson Mandela helped Rotary International launch its Kick Polio Out of Africa campaign.
Polio healthcare workers in Africa – WHO
“Today is a historic day for Africa, which has successfully met the certification criteria for wild polio eradication, with no cases reported in the region for four years,” said Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, who heads The African Regional Certification Commission for Polio eradication (ARCC).
The success comes after an exhaustive, decades-long process of documentation and analysis of polio surveillance and immunization of the region’s 47 member states, which included conducting field verification visits to each country.
In 1996, African leaders of every country committed to eradicate polio, at a time when the virus was paralyzing an estimated 75,000 children annually. While there is no cure for polio, the disease can be prevented through the administration of a simple and effective vaccine.
Mandela’s call that year mobilized African nations across the continent to step up their efforts to reach every child with the polio vaccine—and the last case of wild poliovirus was detected and defeated in 2016 in Nigeria.
Officials at WHO say the polio eradication efforts have prevented up to 1.8 million children from crippling life-long paralysis and saved approximately 180,000 lives.
“This is a momentous milestone for Africa. Now future generations of African children can live free of wild polio,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “This historic achievement was only possible thanks to the leadership and commitment of governments, communities, global polio eradication partners and philanthropists. I pay special tribute to the frontline health workers and vaccinators, some of whom lost their lives, for this noble cause.”
The announcement Tuesday marks only the second eradication of a virus from the face of the Africa since smallpox 40 years ago.
While the eradication of wild poliovirus here is a major achievement, 16 African countries have reported cases of cVDPV2. While rare, these vaccine-derived polioviruses cases can occur when the weakened live virus used in the oral polio vaccine passes among under-immunized populations and, over time, changes to a form that can cause paralysis. If a population is adequately immunized with polio vaccines, it will be protected from both wild polio and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses.
“Africa has demonstrated that despite weak health systems, significant logistical and operational challenges across the continent, African countries have collaborated very effectively in eradicating wild poliovirus,” said Dr Pascal Mkanda, Coordinator of WHO Polio Eradication in the African Region.
“With the innovations and expertise that the polio program has established, I am confident that we can sustain the gains, post-certification, and eliminate cVDPV2,” added Dr Mkanda.
Thanks to the dedication of governments, the WHO, Rotary International, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, polio cases have been reduced worldwide by 99.9% since 1988. Only Afghanistan and Pakistan still have cases of the wild virus.
“The expertise gained from polio eradication will continue to assist the African region in tackling COVID-19 and other health problems that have plagued the continent for so many years. This will be the true legacy of polio eradication in Africa,” said Dr Moeti.
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If you have ever been discouraged from pursuing your wildest dreams, archeology professor Cameron Smith is a perfect role model for why you should never give up.
Smith made national headlines back in September 2018 after he built his own spacesuit with the goal of testing it at 63,000 feet—a height at which no human can survive without specialized equipment.
Smith first fell in love with outer space after his father showed him videos of the moon landing as an 8-year-old boy. Throughout his life, he would write letters to retired astronauts and NASA officials, asking for advice on how he could get into space. When he was left unsatisfied by their answers, he decided to take matters into his own hands and build a DIY spacesuit.
For eight years, Smith used everything from zip ties and pie tins to motorcycle batteries and aquarium pumps to construct his spacesuit.
Despite how Smith endured multiple failures in the process, he finally succeeded in building a $1,000 suit that he would later put to the ultimate test in a hot air balloon flying above the Earth’s surface.
Although Smith only managed to reach 5,000 feet in the balloon, his determination and triumph has since become an inspiration to countless people. Not only that, he is apparently still building and testing his spacesuit with the aim of one day reaching 63,000 feet.
(WATCH the Great Big Story video below)
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Quote of the Day: “In families, love is the oil that eases friction… and the music that brings harmony.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Photo: by Tyler Nix
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Vanilla is the salt of the dessert world—it enhances the flavors of all the other ingredients that go into a dish. No wonder it’s such a staple in every baker’s cupboard.
Credit: Vanilla Feeds Tomorrow
A 14-year-old baker in Tennessee remembers adding vanilla to brownies just after watching a COVID-19 news segment about long lines for food banks across the States. It wasn’t right, he thought. People shouldn’t be hungry.
William Cabaniss was making his chocolatey mix, when he suddenly had a big idea. He could raise funds for his local food bank—Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee—by making and selling every baker’s best friend: vanilla extract.
Since then, William has made over $9,000 dollars in profits, providing over 27,000 meals for those in need.
He says, “If I can only help one person, I will be satisfied that I have made a difference. However, I would like to do this for as many people as I can. No one should have to worry about hunger. This is my goal for Vanilla Feeds Tomorrow.”
It Takes A Village
Setting up your own legal, 501(c)(3) nonprofit isn’t easily done alone. It takes a village. In fact, it takes a special family like the Cabaniss’s.
Since May, William has been creating his own website, designing his own labels, and researching how to make and ship vanilla. He’s also been running the Vanilla Feeds Tomorrow Instagram and Twitter accounts.
His grandmother helps with keeping up with the Facebook page. His dad helps with legal and financial matters. His mother drives him around to make deliveries, and even his younger brother and sister help by making boxes.
“Proud mom” Jillina Cabaniss told GNN, “William is working so hard trying to help fight hunger in his community.”
In between spending time with friends, running cross-country and track, and the occasional video game, William is preparing to continue making and selling vanilla from premium Madagascar beans when he heads back to Farragut High School in a couple of weeks.
Buying a 8 oz. bottle of homemade Pure Vanilla Extract from William and his family means providing 42 meals for people who are hungry. The website is here if you’d like to buy some or make a meal donation. Happy baking.
(WATCH this kind teen’s story below.)
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The northern white rhino of Africa could come back from the absolute brink of extinction as a third round of 10 eggs were successfully extracted from the last two surviving members of the subspecies.
Credit: Zoë Reeve
The eggs were taken from two females, Najin and Fatu, who are unable to carry a baby to term, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
“The ovum pick-up went smoothly and without any complications,” the team from Germany and the Czech Republic said in a statement.
They eggs were flown immediately to Italy to be artificially inseminated with frozen sperm collected from white rhino bulls, of which none remain on the planet.
The scientists hope to create viable embryos that could be carried to term by surrogate females.
The most likely candidate would be a southern white rhinoceros, thousands of which roam the plains of sub-Saharan Africa, but it would depend on the rapid perfection of in-vitro fertilization, as well as keeping Najin and Fatu alive.
The last male northern white died in 2018, in Sudan. One year later, those involved in the project successfully created two viable embryos before freezing them in liquid nitrogen.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya was founded to try and save the subspecies from extinction, with the last surviving two males and two females flown in from a zoo in the Czech Republic in 2009.
These stunning pictures show inside a ‘forgotten’ sea cave that is thought to have special healing powers.
Credit: SWNS
The multicolored grotto was once one of Britain’s most mysterious sites and attracted huge numbers of visitors during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In those days, pilgrims and the sick would make their way to the cave to drink healing waters from the “holy well.”
But in recent decades it has become largely secluded and unknown.
Most tourists now visiting Holywell in Cornwall, England are unaware of its hidden wonders.
The site, known as St Cuthbert’s Cave, creates mineral deposits leaving its stones red, green, blue, and yellow.
The spring water it creates was once described as the “elixir of life” in writings from the 19th century and were said to contain “life healing” minerals that trickled through the cave’s natural limestone.
John Cardell Oliver’s ‘Guide to Newquay’ from 1877 gave a detailed description of the cave from a bygone era.
Credit: SWNS
He wrote, “The legend respecting the well is, that in olden times mothers on Ascension Day brought their deformed or sickly children here, and dipped them in, at the same time passing them through the aperture connecting the two cisterns; and thus, it is said, they became healed of their disease.
“This well has Nature only for its architect, no mark of man’s hand being seen in its construction; a pink enamelled basin, filled by drippings from the stalactitic roof, forms a picture of which it is difficult to describe the loveliness.
Credit: SWNS
“What wonder, then, that the simple folk around should endow it with mystic virtues?”
The spring water has been described as tasting like cereal milk and forms shallow pools within the basins, before trickling out from the cave and on to the outside beach.
Unlike other so-called ‘holy wells’ in the UK, the spring water in St Cuthbert’s Cave is washed out twice every day, when the tide comes in and floods the cavern.
Credit: SWNS
Its popularity was also recorded by William Hals in his “History of Cornwall”, which he compiled from 1685 until 1736. In his book he wrote, “The virtues of this water are very great. It is incredible what numbers in summer season frequent this place and waters from counties far distant.”
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Credit: Concept designs by Yves Béhar and fuseproject
Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of legendary oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau, is raising money for what would become the International Space Station of the oceans.
Credit: Concept designs by Yves Béhar and fuseproject
Inspired into action by the limitations observed after a month-long stay in the only remaining underwater research station, the Aquarius Reef Base off the coast of the Florida Keys, his new project would create the first modern undersea research base in over 30 years.
Called Proteus, it would be 4,000 square feet—a space ten times that of Aquarius, and one where biology and oceanography research would blend with climate and even pharmaceutical sciences to help create a more modern understanding of our oceans.
Fabien is every inch his father and grandfather. An oceanographer, environmental advocate, and “aquanaut,” he learned the invented trade of his grandfather—scuba diving, when he was only four years old. Yet Fabien, now 52, is fed up with the limits of scuba as a research tool.
Confronted with the restrictions of time and depth, he sees Proteus as a chance to ”have a house at the bottom of the sea, [where] we’re able to go into the water, and dive 10 to 12 hours a day to do research, science, and filming.”
Proteus, named after the old Greek god of rivers and oceans, would sit 60 feet down off the coast of Curaçao, the island in the Lesser Antilles. Architect and industrial designer Yves Béhar and Fabien are looking to raise $135 million for construction.
”It will be a platform for global collaboration amongst the world’s leading researchers, academics, government agencies, and corporations to advance science to benefit the future of the planet,” reads the introduction to Proteus on the website for Fuseproject, Béhar’s design firm.
Inspired by Jules Verne, Béhar envisioned that the station would consist of two large disks, one atop the other, connected by a spiral ramp. The edges of the disks would be lined with pods where bedrooms, bathrooms, and laboratories could be added.
At the center would be a social space above what Jacques Cousteau called a “liquid door” also known as a moon pool—a pressurized chamber where resident aquanauts could more rapidly set out for a dive.
The outside would be covered with artificial reef material to encourage habitation by neighborly sea-dwellers, and Fabien imagines a full-scale video production facility so that he, like his grandfather, can educate the world about the oceans’ depths in real time; offering an unparalleled opportunity to educational institutions world-wide.
Understanding another world
According to some estimates, only 80% of the ocean’s territory has been mapped. Furthermore, the 20% that is recorded is often so unspecific as to miss the spires of undersea volcanoes, or airplane wreckage.
With Proteus, Fabien would be able to map a certain radius of the surrounding area to a resolution of a quarter inch, allowing scientists working there to study the changes in a rich marine environment in extreme granularity.
According to scientists speaking with Smithsonian Magazine about Proteus, one of the problems aquanauts and oceanographers have had to face over the histories of their professions is that the ocean often changes faster than they can make record of it.
“Studying the historical responses of ecosystems like coral reefs to past changes in climate provides a useful guide,” says Brian Helmuth, a professor of marine and environmental sciences and public policy at Northeastern University, to Smithsonian.
“It [Proteus] would allow scientists to study the undersea environment by becoming a part of it, rather than working as casual interlopers.”
Finally, as humanity begins working towards a new relationship with the planet, one of total command, yet total respect, undersea laboratories can help discover new species, understand how climate change affects the ocean, and allow for testing of green power, aquaculture, creating a picture of how humans might create, what Jacques Rougerie, a French underwater architect described as a ”blue society.”
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Smokey the Bear admonished that only you can prevent forest fires, but what if Smokey had some high-tech backup?
A team of scientists at Michigan State University has developed a remote forest fire detector and alarm system powered by nothing but the movement of the trees in the wind.
As detailed in their new study published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the battery-free device generates electrical power by harvesting energy from the sporadic movement of the tree branches from which it hangs.
Believed to be the first of its kind, the device, which is the size of a soup can and costs just $20 to produce would likely be much cheaper than manned patrols searching from fire watch towers, and more reliable than satellite monitoring which may be hindered by weather or fire smoke.
“The self-powered sensing system could continuously monitor the fire and environmental conditions without requiring maintenance after deployment,” said lead author Changyong Cao, a mechanical engineer who directs the Laboratory of Soft Machines and Electronics at MSU.
For Cao and his team, the tragic forest fires in recent years across the American West, Brazil, and Australia were driving forces behind this new technology. Cao believes that early and quick response to forest fires will make the task of extinguishing them easier, significantly reducing the damage and loss of property and life.
The traditional forest fire detection methods—satellite monitoring, ground patrols, and watch towers—are highly labor intensive, expensive, and somewhat inefficient.
Current remote sensor technologies are becoming more common, but primarily rely on battery technology for power.
“Although solar cells have been widely used for portable electronics or self-powered systems, it is challenging to install these in a forest because of the shading or covering of lush foliage,” said Yaokun Pang, co-author and postdoc associate at Cao’s lab.
TENG technology–short for multilayered cylindrical triboelectric nanogenerator—converts external mechanical energy, such as the movement of a tree branch, into electricity.
The simplest version of the TENG device consists of two cylindrical sleeves of unique material that fit within one another. The core sleeve is anchored from above while the bottom sleeve is free to slide up and down and move side to side, constrained only by an elastic connective band or spring. As the two sleeves move out of sync, the intermittent loss of contact generates electricity.
The MC-TENG stores its sporadically generated electrical current in a carbon-nanotube-based micro supercapacitor. The researchers selected this technology for its rapid charge and discharge times, allowing the device to adequately charge with only short but sustained gusts of wind.
“At a very low vibration frequency, the MC-TENG can efficiently generate electricity to charge the attached supercapacitor in less than three minutes,” Cao said.
The researchers outfitted the initial prototype with both carbon monoxide (CO) and temperature sensors. The addition of a temperature sensor was intended to reduce the likelihood of a false positive carbon dioxide reading.
Cao and the study’s co-authors hope to field test a production device to monitor forest environmental conditions and test scenarios, making use of materials that mimic a real fire. The team also aims to add additional functionality, allowing the device to be adapted for the weather and environmental conditions where it is deployed.
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Quote of the Day: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, and rest this afternoon.” – Charles M. Schulz
Photo: by Annie Spratt
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
It’s not easy being a cow living among African lions in Botswana. After all, there’s always the threat you could soon be a big cat’s meal.
UNSW conservationists have found an effective, low-cost way to protect cattle from their predators and help lions coexist with livestock and farmers.
In a piece of “psychological trickery,” scientists have trialled painting eyes on local cattle butts.
The idea is that the intimidating eyes will trick the lions into thinking they’ve been spotted, causing them to abandon the hunt.
“As protected conservation areas become smaller, lions are increasingly coming into contact with human populations, which are expanding to the boundaries of these protected areas,” says Dr Neil Jordan, a conservation biologist from UNSW’s Centre for Ecosystem Science.
The lions eat livestock, such as cattle, which negatively impacts the livelihood of the subsistence farmers living in these rural areas. With no non-lethal way to prevent the attacks, the farmers often turn to deadly force, shooting or poisoning the lions in retaliation.
Dr Jordan says these human-animal conflicts have resulted in populations of African lion—a threatened species—“draining away.”
Dr Jordan’s idea of painting eyes onto cattle rumps came about after two lionesses were killed near the village in Botswana where he was based. While watching a lion hunt an impala, he noticed something interesting:
“Lions are ambush hunters, so they creep up on their prey, get close and jump on them unseen. But in this case, the impala noticed the lion. And when the lion realized it had been spotted, it gave up on the hunt,” he says.
A Strategy Derived From Nature
Credit: Ben Yexley
In nature, being ‘seen’ can deter predation. For example, patterns resembling eyes on butterfly wings are known to deter birds. In India, woodcutters in the forest have long worn masks on the back of their heads to ward-off man-eating tigers.
Jordan’s idea was to hijack this mechanism. Last year, he collaborated with the BPCT and a local farmer to trial the innovative strategy, which he’s dubbed “iCow”.
The researchers stamped painted eyes onto one-third of a herd of 62 cattle, and each night counted the returning cows. The effectiveness of the eyes essentially comes down to relative survival rates: are painted cows less likely to be attacked and killed than unpainted cows?
In mid-July, he’ll return to Botswana for three months to further test and validate the tool. He’s raised more than A$8000 on the science crowdfunding platform Experiment.com to purchase 10 cattle GPS loggers, and one GPS radio collar, which will be fitted to a wild lion under anaesthetic.
Dr Jordan’s team, involving a UNSW PhD student and researchers from the BPCT, will paint roughly half the cattle in a herd of 60. They’ll use the GPS devices to monitor the movements of cows and lions, and to determine when and where they meet.
“This will give us information about the exposure of painted and unpainted cows to predation risks, and where the conflict hotspots are,” says Dr Jordan.
If the tool works, it could provide farmers in Botswana–and elsewhere–with a low-cost, sustainable tool to protect their livestock, and a way to keep lions safe from retaliatory killing. That’s good news all around.
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Yoga could be a lifesaver for people with the most common type of irregular heart beat, according to new research.
A study of 538 patients has found the ancient Indian form of exercise almost halved the number of symptoms among people with Atrial fibrillation (AF).
Lead author Dr Naresh Sen said, “Our study suggests yoga has wide-ranging physical and mental health benefits for patients with atrial fibrillation and could be added on top of usual therapies.”
The participants attended 30-minute sessions—involving postures and breathing—every other day for 16 weeks.
They were also encouraged to practice the same movements and other routines at home on a daily basis.
This gentle form of exercise led to dramatic improvements, in all areas. For example, when not doing the exercises participants experienced an average of 15 symptomatic bouts of AF.
This was reduced to eight during yoga. Their average blood pressure also fell significantly.
Dramatic Improvements In AF
Credit: Aziz Acharki/Unsplash
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a potentially fatal condition that causes palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, fatigue, chest pain, and a racing pulse. One in four middle-aged adults in Europe and the US will develop AF. It causes up to 30 percent of strokes.
Dr Sen, of Hridaya Ganesha Sunil Memorial Super Speciality Hospital in Jaipur, India, said, “The symptoms of atrial fibrillation can be distressing.
“They come and go, causing many patients to feel anxious and limiting their ability to live a normal life.”
The participants were enrolled between 2012 and 2017 and served as their own controls. For 12 weeks they did no yoga.
Patients completed an anxiety and depression survey and a questionnaire assessing their ability to do daily activities and socialise, energy levels and mood. Heart rate and blood pressure were also measured. The researchers then compared outcomes.
Last year another study by Dr Sen of 2,500 heart attack patients found those doing yoga were 16 per cent less likely to die over the next five years.
His latest findings were presented at a virtual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.
That such dramatic improvements in symptoms could occur for those with AF is great news for those with the condition. For those who have never practiced yoga before, and who might be nervous about trying the exercise, yoga doesn’t necessarily involve terrifying body twists and endless Sanskrit chants. It can be as simple as setting aside twenty minutes, putting on a ‘gentle stretches’ Yoga With Adriene video on YouTube, being gentle with yourself, and having a go.
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