All News - Page 7 of 1710 - Good News Network
Home Blog Page 7

Treacherous 43-Day Mountain Search Finally Reunites Dog With Owner After it Bolted During Road Trip: ‘It was amazing’

By
Nathan Frederick
-
Rocky with Summit Lost Pet Rescue volunteer Ashley Goldberg – Photo courtesy of Brandon Ciullo
Rocky with Summit Lost Pet Rescue volunteer Ashley Goldberg – Photo courtesy of Brandon Ciullo

Steven Maa was worried his beloved dog wouldn’t survive the night in the Rocky Mountains.

He was driving cross-country to California from New Jersey to start a new job on the West Coast when he stopped for some skiing in Montezuma, Colorado on Dec. 28.

He left his dog Rocky with a local pet sitter, but, instead of relaxing, the mottled brown-and-black pooch soon bolted into the mountains—and a blizzard was rolling into the region which has a local elevation of nearly 10,000 feet (3,000m).

Steven was panicked. He reached out to the town’s mayor, who recommended Summit Lost Pet Rescue, a nonprofit with a near-perfect record of locating lost pets—with more than 200 recoveries in the last year alone.

For Rocky’s challenging case, the Summit search team set up trail cameras and a scent station, which usually includes the owner’s clothes and a comfy dog bed that can draw the animal out of hiding. They also launched a social media campaign that shared Rocky’s pictures.

A few days passed without any sign and temperatures plunged below zero. Steven feared the worst, but then Rocky appeared on one of the trail cams, stirring hope that the duo might be able to soon continue their road trip.

No luck. After spending multiple 16-hour days searching for him, Steven had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave Rocky behind and move ahead to his new job in California.

“I was a little clogged with emotion,” the founder of Summit Lost Pet Rescue, Brandon Ciullo, told PennLive. “I just couldn’t believe we couldn’t find him, and I was disappointed.”

Several weeks went by with no reported sightings and hope was dwindling. How long could a domesticated dog even survive in the wilds of a Rocky Mountain winter? A few weeks? A month?

But then on February 9th, a resident saw an unidentified dog on a household Ring camera. It was Rocky.

Steven confirmed the appearance after recognizing his collar. Then, Brandon and his co-founder Melissa Davis quickly set up a trap with scent trails using Steven’s clothes leading to a cage.

Within three hours, Rocky entered the trap.

Rocky after 43 days missing – Photo courtesy of Brandon Ciullo

Rocky was finally secured—a champion for surviving 43 days—and would soon be reunited with Steven. (Watch the joyous reunion below…)

The dog had lost almost half his body weight, dropping from 50 pounds to just 26. But when he was reunited with Steven, who arrived from California, the dog’s energy rebounded—and tears fell around the room when everyone saw how excited he was to see his family.

“We were just so overjoyed,” Steven said. “And in disbelief that he could survive for that long; (I’m) just extremely proud of him.”

And, after so many weeks fearing they had lost him, Brandon, too, was overcome with emotion: “He’s the only dog I’ve ever cried over.

“It was amazing. It’s what we put hundreds and hundreds of hours into. These reunions are why we do what we do.”

Rocky’s rescue marked the longest number of days a dog had been missing, before being found by the nonprofit Summit Lost Pet Rescue.

The group has a 99% success rate, recovering 213 of 214 lost dogs last year.

MORE MIRACLE DOGS:
• Tiny Chihuahua Helps Rescue Owner Who Fell into Swiss Glacier
• Dog Sits Down in Middle of Road Unmoving–Until Officer Follows to Save Her Owner
• Dog Named Hero Saves Owner’s Life for Days–Fighting Off Cold and Coyotes and Getting Help

LET’S KEEP ROCKY’S RESCUE PARTY GOING By Sharing This on Social Media…

“The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” – Leo Tolstoy

By
Good News Network
-
Pakistani boy saluting – Credit: Assad Tanoli

Quote of the Day: “The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” – Leo Tolstoy

Photo by: Assad Tanoli

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?

Pakistani boy saluting – Credit: Assad Tanoli

 

Good News in History, March 1

By
Good News Network
-
Page one of Articles of Confederation - public domain

245 years ago today, the Articles of Confederation were officially adopted by the Continental Congress after ratification by all 13 states as the supreme law of the land in post-Revolutionary America. Calling into existence the most limited and constrained form of government ever achieved by modern man, affording it only those powers the former colonies had recognized as belonging to the King of England. There was no president, no executive agencies, no judiciary, and no tax base. READ More… (1781)

Continue

Older Male Whales More Successful at Mating Because They’re Better Singers, Shows Study

By
Good News Network
-
Humpack whale breaching Credit: Opération Cétacés / Claire Bonneville (via SWNS)
Humpack whale breaching Credit: Opération Cétacés / Claire Bonneville (via SWNS)

Older male whales are more successful at mating than their younger rivals because they are better singers, suggests new research.

The older singing whales are increasingly successful at birthing offspring compared to younger males, with the findings suggesting that the humpbacks may need time to learn and refine their singing and competitive tactics—giving experienced males a clear advantage.

Researchers believe that as the whale population recovers after centuries of being hunted, females may also have become more selective, which could lead to greater success among males with favorable traits or the strongest performance.

The international study, led by the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, showed that the role of age in male humpback whale reproduction has changed as their numbers grow.

Whaling drove many species to the brink of extinction, but scientists say its legacy runs deeper than just a drastic decline in numbers.

Decades after commercial whaling ended, researchers found its impacts continue to shape whale populations—influencing which males most often reproduce.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, assessed two decades of data from humpback whales breeding in New Caledonia in the South Pacific.

They found that during the early years of recovery, the population was dominated by young males. But, over time, as the overall population increased, the age structure shifted: When older individuals became more common, they became increasingly successful at siring offspring, compared to younger males.

Group of humpback whales in breeding ground – Credit: Opération Cétacés / Claire Bonneville (via SWNS)

Humpback whales have never been observed mating in the wild, and so ‘who’ is fathering a calf remained largely unknown, until now.

Drawing on long-term monitoring conducted by the NGO Opération Cétacés, the research team analyzed changes in age structure, behavior, and paternity in male whales.

The team applied genetic analysis to identify paternity—and used an ‘epigenetic molecular clock’ to estimate the age of individual whales—all from just a small piece of whale skin.

Humpback whales have undergone a remarkable comeback in recent years, and, in fact, populations are now well above pre-whaling levels in Australia. It now seems behavior is also evolving.

The most elaborate songs in the animal kingdom

Male humpback whales are famous for producing some of the most elaborate songs in the animal kingdom. Their powerful vocal displays can often be heard far across breeding grounds.

AMAZING: Humpbacks Are Singing More: Number of Songs Has Doubled as Food Sources Became More Abundant

Males may also escort females or engage in intense physical competition with rival males.

“As the population recovered, there were more older males than expected singing, escorting females, and successfully fathering calves compared to younger animals,” said senior author Dr. Ellen Garland, of the Sea Mammal Research Unit.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Franca Eichenberger, also from the Sea Mammal Research Unit, said new technology is allowing new insights.

“It is only now, as whale populations recover and new analytical tools become available, that we are beginning to understand how far-reaching the consequences of whaling truly are.”

MORE WHALE TALES:
• In World First, Scientists Share What Was Almost Certainly a Conversation with a Humpback Whale
• Kayaker Singing in Hopes of Attracting Beluga Whales Never Imagined They Were Actually Listening (WATCH)

“The impacts extend beyond population size—they shape behavior, competition, and reproduction. Virtually all populations of whales have changed due to whaling; our work shows that they continue to change as they recover.

“Now is the time we can learn so much more about their behavior and life history. We just need to keep looking.”

CHEER ON OLDER MALES By Sharing The Surprising Research on Social Media…

Dozens of Strangers Form Parade for Man with Cancer, Driving Classic Cars Passed his Home for One Last Surprise (WATCH)

By
Good News Network
-
Photo by Matthew Hillar
Photo by Matthew Hillar

A Colorado man was given a heartwarming surprise last week, after his granddaughter reached out to strangers who provided one last look at his favorite thing—a classic car show.

“I just wanted to do something special for him,” his granddaughter, Annaliesse Garcia, told KDVR News.

And ‘special’ it was, as dozens of car owners paraded past their grandfather’s home in Lakewood.

After posting the request on social media, the family only expected a handful of autos, but around 50 showed off their curvy bumpers and round mirrors for 80-year-old Max Archuleta, a lifelong fan of vintage vehicles.

Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he no longer has the energy to attend his beloved car shows.

“I had seen him at a show last summer, and I was like, that’s something that you do for your community,” said Butch Souza, who even taped a poster of Max’s photo to his 1951 Ford Shoebox.

The historical cars in every color lined up in single file and drove slowly past the home, some with American flags, and every driver waving and honking their horn.

“I couldn’t believe everybody,” Max said. “Just all this for me.”

WATCH the local news video below, from KDVR-TV in Denver…

MORE KINDNESS SURPRISES:
• 1,500 Bikers Show Up to Escort Bullied Teen to Prom in Spectacular British Convoy: ‘I don’t feel alone anymore’
• When 5-year-old Missed Graduation, Plane Passengers Give Special Midair Ceremony – (WATCH)
• High School Teens Swoop in to Support 6th Grade Stranger When No One Would Sign His Yearbook

GIVE FRIENDS A PARADE OF GOOD NEWS: Share This on Social Media…

Monopoly World Champion Reveals His Secrets for Always Beating Your Family, as the Game Celebrates 90 Years

By
Good News Network
-
Jason Bunn, World Monopoly Champion, at his home near Leeds, England – SWNS
Jason Bunn, World Monopoly Champion, at his home near Leeds, England – SWNS

A Monopoly World Champion has shared his top tips for winning your next game—and his first piece of advice is to always buy the ‘orange’ properties.

As the iconic board game celebrates its 90th birthday this year, Jason Bunn, who once won the world title, talked to SWNS news agency about his successful strategies.

His first secret to victory is building upon orange properties because they offer the best return on investment—St. James Place, Tennessee Avenue, and New York Avenue in American editions. (In the UK, the orange locations are Bow Street, Marlborough Street and Vine Street.)

The passionate Monopoly-playing grandfather says you should try to buy everything you land on—even if you don’t want it—because stockpiling properties gives you the upper hand in negotiations.

The 65-year-old has eight more expert tips to help players bankrupt their rivals.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of Parker Brothers buying the rights to Monopoly on March 19, 1935. It should be noted that the game’s concepts were earlier invented—and patented in the U.S.— by an anti-monopolist Quaker named Lizzie Magie who called it The Landlord’s Game and used it to teach the dangers of land monopolization.

“I won the World Championships in the 50th anniversary year—and that seems like a long time ago now,” said Jason, who scooped the titled in 1985.

Jason’s journey to glory began after spotting an advertisement in a local paper calling for entrants to a regional contest. Out of 50 contestants, four were sent to London for the British Championships, but the man from Leeds won, earning him a ticket to New York where he was crowned the World Champion.

From then, his childhood hobby snowballed into a lifelong obsession.

Jason Bunn with his Monopoly game collection – SWNS

He’s spent more than four decades amassing one of England’s most impressive collections of the board game, and today he owns around 500 boards. Among his treasures is a handmade Welsh edition featuring wooden inlay and solid silver pieces worth $800.

“Whenever I went on holiday, I’d buy the local Monopoly edition like other people buy postcards.” His collection includes themed boards inspired by Star Wars, Game of Thrones, X-Men, Coca-Cola, and even Elvis.

And, new releases are hard to resist: “When I see something new, I just have to have it. I must be the easiest in the world to buy presents for.”

He still plays Monopoly during family gatherings—and insists that the game does not need to drag on for hours. Jason once finished two games in a one-hour lunch break.

Credit: Maria Lin Kim

In fact, he believes the optimum game time is just 30 minutes, and says that family fights will only erupt because people ignore the official rulebook.

In his opinion, the popularity of the game is stunningly enduring. “What other trademark has been going for so long?”

Jason’s top tips for winning at Monopoly

1. Snap up the orange set
The orange properties offer the best return on investment, especially because players frequently land on them after leaving jail.

2. Build three houses quickly
Getting up to three houses on a set as fast as possible dramatically increases your earning power.

3. Buy everything you land on
Even if you don’t want it, it could be valuable later in negotiations. The real skill in Monopoly is deal-making.

4. Master the art of negotiation
The more properties you hold, the stronger your bargaining position with other players.

5. Use jail strategically
Late in the game, when the board is full of danger spots, staying in jail can actually be a safe haven.

6. Don’t put money on Free Parking
That’s a made-up house rule and not in the official game – it just slows everything down.

7. Stick to the proper rules
Playing correctly makes the game quicker and less argumentative.

8. Use the house shortage to your advantage
There are only 32 houses in the game – building up to four houses on each property can block opponents from developing theirs.

9. Think long-term, not short-term
Every purchase and deal should be about strengthening your overall position on the board.

SHARE THE TIPS With Board Gamers on Social Media…

Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

By
Good News Network
-

Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of February 28, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Sufi mystics tell us that the heart has “seven levels of depth,” each one bearing progressively more profound wisdom. You access these depths by feeling deeper, not thinking harder. Let’s apply this perspective to you, Pisces. Right now, you’re being called to descend past surface emotions (irritation, worry, mild contentment) into the layers beneath: primal wonder, the wild joy you’re sometimes too cautious to express, and the sacred longing that can lead you to glory. This dive might feel risky. That’s good! It means you’re going deep enough. What you discover down there will reorganize everything above it for the better.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In woodworking, “spalting” occurs when fungi colonize wood, creating dark lines and patterns that make the wood more valuable, not less. The decay creates beauty as long as it isn’t allowed to progress too far. Here’s the metaphorical moral of the story for you, Aries: What feels like a deteriorating situation might actually be spalting, Aries. Are you experiencing the breakdown of a routine, a certainty, or a plan? It could be creating a pattern that makes your story even more interesting and heroic. So keep in mind that an apparent decomposition may be transforming ordinary into extraordinary beauty. My advice is to play along with the spalting.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
I suspect you will soon be invited to explore novel feelings and unfamiliar states of awareness. As you wander in the psychological frontiers, you might experience mysterious phenomena like the following. 1. An overflow of reverence and awe. 2. Blissful surprise in the face of the sublime. 3. Sudden glimmers of eternity in fleeting moments. 4. A soft, golden resonance that arises when you hear arousing truths. 5. Amazingly useful questions that could tantalize and feed your imagination for months and even years to come.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
If I were your mentor, I’d lead you up an ascending trail to a high peak where your vision is clear and vast. If I were your leader, I’d give you a medal for all the ways you’ve been brave when no one was looking, then send you on an all-expenses-paid sabbatical to a beautiful sanctuary to rest and remember yourself. If I were your therapist, I’d guide you through a 90-minute meditation on your entire life story up until now. But since I’m just your companion for this brief oracle, I will instead advise you to slip out of any silken snares of comfort that dull your spirit, cast off perks and privileges that keep you small, and commune with influences that remind you of how deeply you treasure being alive.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Biologist Barbara McClintock won the Nobel Prize by developing what she called “a feeling for the organism.” She cultivated an intimate, almost empathic relationship with the corn plants she studied. She didn’t impose theories on her subjects. She listened to them until she could sense their hidden patterns from the inside. When you’re not lost in self-protection, you Cancerians excel at this quality of attention. Here’s what I see as your task in the coming weeks: Transfer your empathic genius away from people who drain you and toward projects, places, or problems that deserve your devotion and give you blessings in return.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Sufi writers describe heartbreak, grief, and longing as portals through which divine love enters. They say that a highly defended ego and a hardened heart can’t engage with such profound and potent love. In this view, suffering that makes the heart ache strips away illusions and fixations, allowing greater receptivity, humility, and tenderness toward all beings.​ I’m not expecting you to get blasted by an influx of poignancy in the near future, Leo, but I’m very sure you have experienced such blasts in the past. And now is an excellent time to process those old breakthroughs disguised as breakdowns. You are likely to finally be able to harvest the full power they offered you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In traditional Balinese culture, Tri Hita Karana is a concept that means there are three causes of well-being: harmony with God, harmony with people, and harmony with nature. When one is out of balance, all suffer. I’m wondering if you would benefit from meditating on this theme now, Virgo. Have you been focused on one dimension at the expense of the others? Are you, perhaps, spiritually nourished but socially isolated? Or maybe you’re maintaining relationships but ignoring your body’s connection to the earth? Here’s your assignment: Do a Tri Hita Karana audit. Which harmony is most neglected? Add to your altar, call a friend, or go walk in the great outdoors—whichever one you’ve been shortchanging.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
You are a diplomat in the struggle between beauty and inelegance. Your aptitude for creating harmony is a great asset that others might underestimate or miss completely. I hope you will always trust your hunger for classiness even if others dismiss it as superficial. One of your key reasons for being here on earth is to keep insisting on loveliness in a world too quick to settle for ugliness. These qualities of yours are especially needed right now. Please be gracefully insistent on expressing them wherever you go.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The bad news: You underestimate how much joy and pleasure you deserve—and how much you’re capable of experiencing. This artificially low expectation has sometimes cheated you out of your rightful share of bliss and fulfillment. The good news: Life is now ready to conspire with you to raise your happiness levels. I hope you will cooperate eagerly. The more intensely you insist on feeling good, the more cosmic assistance you will garner. Here’s a smart way to launch this holy campaign: Renounce a certain lackluster thrill that diverts you from more lavish excitements.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In classical music, a “rest” isn’t the absence of music. It’s a specific notation that creates space, tension, and meaning. The silence is as much a part of the composition as the sound. I suggest you think of your current pause this way, Sagittarius. You’re not waiting for your real life to resume. You’re in a rest, and the rest is an essential part of the process you’re following. It’s creating the conditions for what comes next. So instead of anxiously filling every moment with productivity or distraction, try honoring the pause. Be deliberately quiet. Let the silence accumulate. When the next movement begins, you’ll understand exactly why the rest was necessary.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Interesting temptations are wandering into your orbit. You may be surprised to find yourself drawn toward entertaining gambles and tricky adventures. How should you respond? Should you say “Yes! Now! I’m ready!”? Or is open-minded caution a wiser approach? Conditions are too slippery for me to arrive at definitive conclusions. What I can tell you is this: Merely considering and ruminating on these invitations will awaken uplifting and inspiring lessons. PS: To get the fullness of the blessings you want from other people, you must first give them to yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
The engineer Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) said he envisioned his inventions in intricate detail before building them. He didn’t need literal prototypes because his mental pictures were so vivid. I suspect you Aquarians now have extra access to this power. What scenarios are you dreaming of? What are you incubating in your imagination? I urge you to boldly trust your thought experiments. Your mental prototypes may be unusually accurate. The visions you’re testing internally are reconnaissance missions to futures that you have the power to build. Regard your imagination as a laboratory.

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

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

SHARE The Wisdom With Friends Who Are Stars in Your Life on Social Media…

“Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers—and never succeeding.” – Gian Carlo Menotti

By
Good News Network
-
Credit: Clara Beatriz for Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers—and never succeeding.” – Gian Carlo Menotti

Photo by: Clara Beatriz for Unsplash+

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?

Credit: Clara Beatriz for Unsplash+

 

Good News in History, February 28

By
Good News Network
-
Liu bang, Emperor Gaozu (205 -197 BCE)

2,228 years ago today, the Gaozu Emperor (given name Liu Bang) claimed the Mandate of Heaven and established the Han Dynasty—one of the three great dynasties of a unified Imperial China. Among the hundreds of Chinese emperors, Liu Bang was among the few born to a peasant family. Though he ruled briefly—just 7 years—it was enough to usher in the historical era known in the West as the first Pax Sinica, from as far south as the Pearl River to as far north as the Mongolian steps, and as far west as Xinjiang. In the last years of his reign, he instituted free-market reforms including privatized coinage and lower taxes. READ more about his life and the founding of the Han Dynasty… (202 BCE)

Continue

Astronomers Say They Have Solved One of Saturn’s Greatest Mysteries

By
Andy Corbley
-
Saturn eclipsed by Titan as seen from the Cassini probe - credit, NASA/JPL-Caltech
Saturn eclipsed by Titan as seen from the Cassini probe – credit, NASA/JPL-Caltech

A neat feat of calculation and deduction may have solved one of our solar system’s greatest mysteries.

Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is bigger than Mercury, yet for all its conspicuousness, scientists don’t know exactly how it came to be so large that it’s gravitational influence causes Saturn to tilt and wobble.

There are some 274 moons that orbit Saturn, the solar-system’s second largest planet, and Matija Ćuk, a research scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, proposes a theory that one of these collided with Titan in the planet’s ancient past, enlarging it in the process.

Ćuk believes it might have been the precursor to Hyperion, the largest nonspherical Saturnine moon, but which is tiny in comparison to Titan.

Ćuk put data collected by NASA’s Cassini Probe which visited Saturn between 2004 and 2017 together with new research and computer simulations to present the idea that an extra moon colliding with Titan set off a chain reaction that not only explains Titan’s size, but Saturn’s characteristic wobble and tilt, and even its famous rings, saying the theory “explains everything.”

Even as the James Webb Space Telescope has pushed the boundaries of understanding the university farther than we could have ever imagined, the discovery demonstrates how much is left to know about our own cosmic cul-de-sac.

“I propose that there was an extra moon about half a billion years ago that collided with Titan, that actually became part of Titan,” Ćuk told CNN about his research, accepted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal.

“From this event, Titan could have perturbed some of the inner moons into more collisions, which created the rings sometime later, maybe 100 million years ago.”

Previously, scientists estimated that the orbital force of Neptune accounted for the wobble of Saturn. This concept in astronomy is known as “resonance,” but data from Cassini showed they weren’t sufficiently synced up to explain this.

Then in 2022, scientists proposed that a lost moon called Chrysalis had spun too close to Saturn, broke apart, and formed its rings as well as its tilt and wobble.

Refining the concept, Ćuk showed that if you look closely, Saturn is wobbling a bit too fast for Neptune’s resonance to account for, but subtracting backwards in time, around when Saturn’s rings are thought to have formed, the wobble is very closely aligned with Neptune.

Adding in an extra moon, around 1,000-times larger than Hyperion, makes the resonance between Neptune and Saturn exact.

MORE SOLAR-SYSTEM SCIENCE: New Webb Image Captures Clearest View of Neptune’s Rings, Revealing the Ice Giant in Whole New Light

In other words, when Saturn had both the proto-Hyperion moon and proto-Titan, its resonance with Neptune was so close as to fit into established calculations on how the orbital force of one planet can affect others, but a collision between the moons sped up its wobble and accounted for why the Neptune theory seemed improbable.

CNN reached out to William B. Hubbard, professor emeritus of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona, who wasn’t involved in Ćuk’s research, to ask for comment.

LOCAL (RELATIVELY) NEWS: This Tiny Moon of Saturn Is the Smallest Case of a Subsurface Ocean Ever Found in the Solar System

Professor Hubbard concluded that Ćuk’s theory fits the billing better than did earlier theories about the Chrysalis moon.

This was the same conclusion as Carl Murray, an emeritus professor of mathematics and astronomy at Queen Mary University of London, who wasn’t involved in the work but was a member of the Cassini team. Murray called it “highly probable.”

SHARE This Local Astronomy Seemingly Solved… 

UK’s First Geothermal Power Plant Begins Using Underground Heat to Power 10K Homes

By
Andy Corbley
-
The United Downs plant in Cornwall - credit, Thomas Frost Photography / Geothermal Engineering Limited © SWNS
The United Downs plant in Cornwall – credit, Thomas Frost Photography / Geothermal Engineering Limited © SWNS

The UK’s first geothermal power plant has just begun operations, using hot water from deep underground to create renewable electricity.

The United Downs plant in Cornwall has been in development for nearly two decades, and will now begin providing enough electricity to power 10,000 homes.

Geothermal power generation comes via energy stored in the form of heat beneath the surface of the Earth. The company behind the project, (GEL) Geothermal Engineering Ltd., had to drill the deepest on-shore well ever drilled on UK soil—over 3 miles deep—to source the geothermal fluid that is used for the power plant.

The naturally heated water, exceeding 190°C, generates electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week regardless of the weather.

The water will help drive turbines to generate electricity for 10,000 homes but will also provide the UK’s first domestic supply of lithium, a critical mineral used in green technology.

Dr. Ryan Law, CEO of GEL, said the opening of the power plant is a “huge advancement for geothermal power in the UK.”

“Geothermal energy and critical minerals extraction are naturally complementary as they share the same subsurface resource,” Dr. Law explained. “The hot, mineral-rich fluids that generate clean electricity can also be processed to recover strategic materials like lithium carbonate.”

“Therefore, collocating power and mineral extraction plants maximizes investment in the wells, minimizes subsurface disruption, and accelerates the transition to secure domestic supply in both critical sectors.”

GEL have said the water they’ve brought to the surface after drilling contains one of the highest concentrations of lithium in the world.

Lithium carbonate is a key raw material used in the production of rechargeable batteries like those that power electric vehicles and energy storage systems. From its February, 2026 starting point, GEL says the plant has the capacity to produce 100 tons per annum.

Ground source heat pumps are a form of geothermal technology already used in the UK, and in places like Southampton, heating is provided to hundreds of homes via a local network. But the United Downs project has drilled to far greater depths where temperatures are hot enough to generate more than just heat, but actual electricity.

MORE INNOVATIVE ENERGY SOURCES: Iron-Air Batteries Powered by Rust Could Revolutionize Energy Storage By Using Only Iron, Water, and Air

Furthermore, the project has only cost around $59 million to date, funded through private investors and the EU.

Energy provider Octopus Energy has purchased the power generated at United Downs and will deliver it, via the national grid, to about 10,000 homes.

GEL has two other sites it plans to develop into geothermal power plants, and although one additional site has been initially turned down over environmental concerns, the company is appealing.

GEOTHERMAL HERE AT HOME: Giant 2-GW Geothermal Project in Utah Gains Federal Approval

Greg Jackson, Founder of Octopus Energy, said UK bills are “still too high” and the answer is “more homegrown, renewable energy.”

“For the first time, we’re bringing deep geothermal power to British homes—a clean, constant energy source right beneath our feet,” he said. “Projects like United Downs show how the UK can cut bills and carbon by tapping every ounce of our renewable potential.”

SHARE This Story With Any Brits You Know Who Might Need A Power Pick-Me-Up…

2 Dogs Rescued By ‘Animal Lover’-Plow Driver After He Saw Them Running Middle of a Blizzard

By
Andy Corbley
-
2 dogs rescued in storm – Credit: Town of Babylon on their Facebook Page
2 dogs rescued in storm – Credit: Town of Babylon on their Facebook Page

A snow plow driver was crawling through near-white out conditions on Long Island when he saw something strange.

Kenny McGowan has had to stop his snow plow in the past for all manner of hidden obstacles and hazards, from buried cars to fallen branches.

Instead, two slight figures were running along the asphalt/ice/snow/salt poutine that McGowan has scraping away.

“I looked over and I seen something in the corner of my eye right there, and then I looked in my mirror and I saw a dog. I’m like ‘that’s a dog running,'” McGowan told CBS News.

“I immediately put my sirens on, and stayed right behind them. Being an animal lover, being a father, I went right into protection mode … I was gonna do whatever I had to do to stop these dogs from getting hurt.”

He kept going until he was able to turn his plow sideways near Town Hall and block the dogs’ path, after which they ran shoulder to shoulder into the middle of a median strip and buried themselves in 3 feet of snow.

With the help of several Good Samaritans, who perhaps wanted to know why the truck driver had blocked the road, or because they too had seen the dogs, McGowan managed to get the two uncollared Labrador-mixes into the back of his truck.

MORE DOG RESCUES: Mountain Rescue Script Flipped as Hiker Saves Lost Dog Instead of a Dog Saving Hiker

The “animal lover” brought them immediately to the nearest animal shelter, whose staff heard the story and told CBS that both dogs could have frozen to death buried out of sight in the drift.

When they arrived in the shelter it was clear to everyone the two dogs were bonded. They didn’t leave each other’s side at any point, and the shelter didn’t bother trying to separate them.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Farmers’ Kids Cuddle Up with New Born Calf on the Couch After She Nearly Froze Outside

While they didn’t have collars, both were microchipped. Their owners were notified, and the dogs returned to what would presumably be an extra-warm doggie bed that night.

WATCH the video below…

COMMEND Kenny’s Compassion For Two Four-Legged Long Islanders Lost In The Snow…

Sub-Zero Temperatures Didn’t Affect Madison’s Electric Bus Fleet This Year–A Major EV Milestone

By
Andy Corbley
-
- credit, courtesy Metro Transit
– credit, courtesy Metro Transit

In January, GNN reported on how the brain-disabling cold of the Norwegian winter couldn’t affect the performance of an all-electric ferryboat plying the waters in the country’s far northern district of Finmark.

Well closer to home, a fleet of all-electric buses in Wisconsin have made it to the Vernal Equinox with similar performance statistics: the buses ran morning to night in a city that averages 18 days a year with below-zero temperatures.

That being said, Grist.com, which brought the story from the streets of the state capital of Madison, added that electrification of bus fleets across America has been a rocky road, with cold weather sitting squarely among the challenges transportation departments have faced.

Batteries don’t like the cold, and it was only a few years ago that Madison’s Metro Transit buses would routinely beep-beep to a halt. A pilot program secured 3 electric buses from a company called Proterra in 2020, and problems were rife right from the off. Proterra declared bankruptcy in 2024, and the city switched suppliers to New Flyer.

With a suite of advancements, including overhead charging lines on the most common routes and improved battery capacity and insulation, taking a bus in the winter of 2026 was just as reliable as it used to be, just much quieter and with much less diesel smoke.

Whether one agrees that removing internal-combustion vehicles will do anything to change the climate, the lack of engine noise and exhaust makes for not only a more pleasant atmosphere for those onboard and outside, but a healthy one as well, since frequent bus commuters are at a higher risk of lung and heart disease than motorists.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Colorado Town is Case Study for Electric School Buses in Wintertime—They Outperformed Diesel

Bus commuters spend a lot of time waiting by bus stops where, shifting in and out of 1st and 2nd gears, diesel-powered buses belch out the most fine-particulate matter, which has been shown to lead to these diseases.

When the New Flyer coaches that travel along the west-east routes reach the last stop, the driver gets a brief layover of 20 minutes to get out and stretch their legs or have a coffee. At the same time, a robotic arm reaches up and plugs into a pantograph charging port over head that can replace about 15% of the bus’s charge in as many minutes.

NORTHERN TRANSPORT: Autonomous Montreal Metro Completed with Massive Cost Savings–Sets Example for Canada

Those that travel on the north-south lines don’t have the chargers, and finish the day’s load with about 20-25% charge remaining. Even on the coldest days this winter, no coach suffered more than 10% additional battery loss, and there were no grounded trips due to cold affecting battery performance. Trips were interrupted or canceled for other reasons, but not for the weather.

SHARE This Major Improvement In Electric Buses Around Wisconsin’s Capital…

“I am a kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.” – J. D. Salinger

By
Good News Network
-
Credit: Allison Saeng

Quote of the Day: “I am a kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.” – J. D. Salinger

Photo by: Allison Saeng

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?

Good News in History, February 27

By
Good News Network
-

30 years ago today, the world of Pokémon went public, emerging from the mind of game designer Satoshi Tajiri onto Nintendo Gameboy systems. In the six years it took to create the game and its first three “pocket monsters” (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander), Tajiri’s Game Freak studio nearly went out of business, but the little creatures—some disarmingly cute, like, Pikachu—would take the world by storm and handheld Gameboys would assume a second life. READ more about the franchise… (1996)

Continue

Vacation Film Forgotten in 70-yo Vintage Camera Was Developed for the First Time: Do You Know These Skiers?

By
Andy Corbley
-
1950s photo of unidentified skiers in Switzerland – Courtesy of Ian Scott
1950s photo of unidentified skiers in Switzerland – Courtesy of Ian Scott

From the charming British countryside of Salisbury comes an equally-charming story of a roll of lost film found lodged in a thrift shop camera.

Developed by Ian Scott of Salisbury Photo Center, he and the new owner of the antique camera were suddenly looking at crisp memories of a skiing trip to St. Moritz, Switzerland.

– credit, Ian Scott

Yet because the camera was dropped off at Alabaré Wilton Emporium who-knows-how-long ago by who-knows who, there’s no clue as to the identities of the people in the photos.

Scott has taken the time to launch a sort of nation-wide awareness campaign to see if anyone recognizes a face in the photographs.

“No leads on the photos yet,” Scott told our Smithsonian Magazine on February 19th. “It has been on TV and the Sunday Express and [my] Instagram, which had 8,000 views in 24 hours, but sadly, no leads.”

A couple of clues exist in the photos and the film they were imprinted on. For starters, the camera was a Zeiss Ikon Baby Ikonta, made in the interwar period and designed to be carried around in one’s pocket since it folded up. However, the film inside was Verichrome Pan 127, sold in Britain for the first time in 1956.

Furthermore, the skiers were wearing numbered pennies with the name of a baby formula brand Cow & Gate, which sponsored a ski trophy in the 1950s.

A woman on ice skates in front of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel – credit, Ian Scott

Beyond that, it’s clear they’re in St. Moritz ski resort from one picture of a woman on ice skates in front of the town’s iconic Badrutt’s Palace Hotel.

MORE MYSTERY PHOTOGRAPHS: 

“There appears to be a great story behind these photographs, and it would be brilliant if someone could recognize a face amongst them,” Scott told the Salisbury & Avon Gazette. “At the very least, it has been a privilege to have played a small part in preserving these moments from the past.”

It’s amazing to see how lightly some of the subjects are dressed. Wool is a hell of a thing.

WATCH the story below from ITV News (Via Scott’s IG…)

SPREAD The Word About These Mystery Photographs… 

Scientists Wanted Eco-Friendly Battery, Realized They Could Use the Brine Needed to Make Tofu

By
Andy Corbley
-
Soy milk curds in the tofu making process - credit, Sun Dubu CC 2.0. Kr
Soy milk curds in the tofu making process – credit, Sun Dubu CC 2.0. Kr

Capable of undergoing 120,000 charge cycles and being disposed of anywhere, an experimental new battery design might be thought of as truly state-of-the-art.

To the contrary, the magnesium chloride or calcium chloride electrolytes used to carry the charge between the negative and positive electrodes were quite familiar to the Hong Kong-scientists that designed the battery for a very good reason.

They’re used to make tofu.

Researchers from City University of Hong Kong and their colleagues sought to advance the science of water-based batteries, as they’re safer in society and don’t require hazardous waste disposal.

As China has rapidly become the world leader in electric vehicle and renewable energy productions, the lithium-ion battery has come to permeate the society. As well as powering most phones, computers, and other devices, it’s a glaring, approaching waste problem that will involve the need to process millions of tons of battery waste every year.

That’s a major risk for local environments, both urban and natural, since lithium-ion batteries use flammable solvents as the electrolyte which can catch fire or explode if damaged. These fires can be difficult to extinguish as they aren’t water-based, and it’s why power-banks and portable batteries have been banned on many airlines.

Aqueous, or water-based batteries by contrast, don’t have any component that can catch fire, and so are hypothesized as being more environmentally-friendly. Despite being under development in various ways for over 200 years, however, they’ve never caught on in a big way. While safer, the chosen electrolytes have been either too far to the alkaline or the acidic sides of the pH spectrum, which present a different set of challenges, South China Morning Post reports.

The team from City University needed an electrolyte that was water-based, nontoxic, and neutral in pH level, so they turned to food additives: magnesium chloride or calcium chloride.

NONTOXIC BREAKTHROUGHS: California Vineyards That Once Used Only Toxic Chemicals to Protect Vines Now Use Nesting Owls

In order to make tofu, soy milk is introduced to brine featuring one of these mineral salts which act as a coagulant to turn the milk into a solid.

“Compared with current aqueous battery systems … our system delivers exceptional long-term cycling stability and environmental friendliness under neutral conditions,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on February 18th.

MORE BATTERY ADVANCEMENTS: Samsung’s 600-Mile-Range Batteries That Charge in 9 Minutes Ready for Production/Sale Next Year

“As magnesium and calcium are naturally abundant in soil, their presence poses minimal environmental risk,” they added.

“Our findings represent a considerable advancement in the development of neutral electrolyte-compatible negative electrode materials, offering a safer, high-performance, long-lasting and environmentally sustainable energy storage solution.”

SHARE This Delicious Idea Of A Battery For The Future With Your Friends… 

Thailand’s Mythical ‘Fire Tiger’ Captured on Trail Cam, One of the Rarest Sightings in the Cat World

By
Andy Corbley
-
- credit, Khao Luang National Park via Facebook
– credit, Khao Luang National Park via Facebook

Thai conservationists were delighted with the news that a sighting of an Asian golden cat had been recorded by camera traps.

The legendary “fire tiger” of Thai folklore and mythology, the Asian golden cat is one of the most scarcely seen of all wildcats.

Filmed by a camera trap in the country’s northern Khao Luang National Park, Catopuma temminckii, is most closely related to the bay cat of Borneo, or the marbled cat of the Himalayas.

Despite having branched away from its common lineage with the tiger between 8 and 16 million years ago, it’s known in Thai as the “fire tiger” because of its distinctive coat that can appear tan at times and orange at others. Interestingly, in Chinese it’s known not as the fire tiger, but the “metal cat.”

The sighting was announced by park officials in a July 7th Facebook post, in which the golden cat passed in front of the camera trap for a mere 10 seconds before disappearing into the forest.

Their behavior is perfectly adapted to both their forest home and to avoid being spotted by humans. Territorial, solitary, and capable of hunting in both day and night, the lack of predictable hunting patterns and social lives renders it one of the hardest cat species to see in the wild.

LITTLE-KNOWN WILDCATS:

The Karen people of southeastern Myanmar believe that carrying a single hair of the cat is sufficient to keep tigers away. Like the cheetah, it is listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN, and suffers from all the classic wildlife risks: habitat destruction and fragmentation, poaching, and conflict with humans over livestock.

A 2023 population estimate by the IUCN suggested that a reasonable number of mature individuals across its whole range could be 7,000—more than the cheetah, the tiger, and the snow leopard—and that it could number as many as 12,000 or as few as 1,000.

The wide variation is a testament to the cat’s elusiveness. Intact strongholds, according to the estimate, seem to be a mixture of Bhutan, western Myanmar/eastern Bangladesh, the west coast of Thailand, the hilly, forested center of the Malaysian Peninsula, and the south-facing flank of Sumatra.

WATCH the beautiful fire tiger on video below…

SHARE This Exciting Video Of A Beautiful And Little Known Cat… 

Chance Rediscovery of Fossils Found in the 1960s Retell the Story of Giant, Globetrotting Amphibian

By
Andy Corbley
-
An artist's interpretation of Aphaneramma - supplied by Pollyanna von Knorring
An artist’s interpretation of Aphaneramma – supplied by Pollyanna von Knorring

250 million years ago, the giant ancestors of today’s salamanders swam from the area of today’s Norwegian Arctic to the west coast of Australia.

This monumental trip placed it, many years later, under the brushes and picks of paleontologists who incorrectly identified it. The fossils would later travel all over the world much like the animal did in life, before being placed in storage and forgotten about.

A moment of great fortune reunited the ancient amphibian Aphaneramma with its native land, and it’s given Australian scientists a chance to iron out the family tapestry of these marine amphibians.

“The Aphaneramma’s got a head like a crocodile, a body like a giant salamander, pretty pointy teeth … it would have been a very active predator in the water,” said Lachlan Hart, a lecturer in paleontology at the University of New South Wales.

The fossils were originally unearthed in 1960 on Noonkanbah Station, about 1,500 miles north of Perth in a region called Kimberly—you can picture classic Australian Outback of hardy trees, red stones, and scrubland.

They were correctly identified as Temnospondyls and named Erythrobatrachus, but paleontologists at the time didn’t know was that they were holding two different species jumbled together.

MORE INSTANCES OF THIS: 

This might have been realized, but the pieces were shipped by and for other institutions around the world and eventually forgotten about. They ended up in the US, where 50 years later researchers stumbled upon them and found out that Dr. Hart and his colleagues had ongoing projects into them.

The American museum staff or researchers who found them asked if he had been “looking for these,” and Dr. Hart admitted it was pure serendipity, when you “really have to check your luck.”

“Temnospondyls are a really important group of animals because they survived two of the big five mass extinction events that have happened in Earth’s history,” Dr. Hart told ABC News AU. “Including the largest one that ever happened … and that’s where about 90% of all living things were wiped out.”

SHARE This Serendipitous Rediscovery With Your Friends… 

“Land really is the best art.” – Andy Warhol

By
Good News Network
-
French Alps in Chamonix, France by Daniel J. Schwarz For Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “Land really is the best art.” – Andy Warhol

Photo by: Joshua Rawson Harris

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?

French Alps in Chamonix, France by Daniel J. Schwarz For Unsplash+
1...678...1,710Page 7 of 1,710
© Copyright 1997–2026 GNN, LLC