Good News

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/wild-donkeys-and-horses-dig-wells-in-the-sonoran-desert/

Researchers find that wild donkeys and horses dig desert watering holes

Research on feral horses and wild donkeys in the American southwest show they dig desert wells with their hooves in the soft sand of riverbeds, thus creating a network of extra fresh water sources for the creatures that are native to the area.

This find has thrown a wrench in the prevailing wisdom that feral equids, who were introduced by the Spanish, are pests that should be removed—as the scientist behind the research suggests they could be fulfilling a vital function once performed by now-extinct mammals from the Pleistocene.

[toast]

Quote

EPA shuts polluting Caribbean refinery reopened under Trump

Nearby residents in the US Virgin Islands, have endured water contamination and noxious fumes that closed three schools

The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered an oil refinery in the US Virgin Islands to pause all operations, citing “at least four incidents” in which the facility that significantly affected St Croix residents. The Limetree Bay refinery, which caused a massive oil spill in the 1980s, first reopened in February under an order from the Trump administration, after eight years idle.

“These repeated incidents at the refinery have been and remain totally unacceptable,” said the EPA head, Michael Reagan, noting that residents in St Croix are “already overburdened” by pollution and other environmental harms.

Full article The Guardian

 

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/stopping-the-illegal-rosewood-trade-by-3d-printing/

The quest for rare wood is endangering forests, now we can just 3D print replicas from wood waste.

While pangolin scales, shark fins, elephant ivory, and rhino horn are famed for their value on the black market, the most illegally trafficked of them all is the rosewood tree, which generates more dollars than all four put together.

Famed for quality in furniture and instruments, the advent of 3D printers has given a team of designers at San Jose State University the idea to save the tree species by 3D printing rosewood using wood scraps.

Their startup, Forust, can 3D print a wood grain that mimics the properties of any kind of prized wood, whether ash, pine, or rosewood—which is considered vulnerable to extinctiondue to harvesting for the Chinese luxury furniture trade, an enterprise with a global value of $95 billion.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/looming-eyes-buoy-scares-birds-away-from-gillnets/

Floating WallE scarecrow stops seabirds from diving into fishing nets

To prevent seabirds from being caught in fishing nets, conservationists have developed an unusual aquatic scarecrow which the GNN staff summarily agreed looked just like Pixar’s WALL-E.

 

Invented as part of a multinational effort to create innovative solutions to prevent seabird bycatch, a pair of googly-eyes mounted on a floating buoy was found to decrease the numbers of long-tailed ducks loitering around gillnets in Estonian waters by 25%.

Fishing bycatch, defined as the capture of non-intended animals in fishing nets and lines, accounts for the deaths of 400,000 birds worldwide every year, something which conservationists are targeting as a preventable tragedy with different kinds of deterrents.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/4261/1st-Grade-Teacher-Visits-Student-With-Cancer-At-His-Home-Every-Day

1st grade teacher visits student with cancer at his home every day

A first grade teacher in Pennsylvania has gone above and beyond to keep teaching a student who is battling cancer.

 

Barb Heim is in her 35th year teaching first grade at Conneaut Valley Elementary School in Conneautville.

It was near the end of 2019 when Heim noticed there was something off with one of her students. Instead of being active like usual during recess, Harrison Conner would turn pale and have to sit down while the other kids were playing.

Heim and the school nurse alerted Harrison's mother before Christmas break.

During the holiday break, Harrison was rushed to a Pittsburgh hospital in a helicopter.

He was later diagnosed with leukemia.

[+Desertrat56]

Heres Readers Digest list of good news

https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/good-news-stories-world/

[Silver]

On 4/28/2021 at 9:07 PM, Desertrat56 said:

The picture in this story looks sweet.   Meal shared between strangers at Mississippi restaurant goes viral

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/4240/Meal-Shared-Between-Strangers-At-Mississippi-Restaurant-Goes-Viral

 

 

This is so good. 

[Silver]

Animals acting like....animals:

 

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ian-helps-boy-with-autism-southend-sea-front/

kind stranger laid on the ground to calm a boy with autism amid his meltdown

Heroic deeds come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them require bravery in the face of danger, others result from a simple random act of compassion.

Natalie Fernando was taking her 5-year-old autistic son Rudy (affectionately known as “Roo”) for a seaside walk when the little boy spiraled into a meltdown.

“My son loves to walk, but he hates to turn around and walk back, we usually try to walk in a circuit to avoid this but on his favourite walk with the boats we have no choice but to turn back. This will often lead to a meltdown, one which I can normally handle but on the back of two weeks out of school today was too much for him and me,” Fernando explained on her Facebook page, Better to Be Different.

The promenade at Southend-on-Sea is a popular strolling spot in Essex, England. Knowing she and Rudy were drawing attention and that her son’s outburst might go on for an hour, Fernando was apologetic but she soon found herself subjected to the reproachful stares and comments of passersby.

That’s when a total stranger named Ian stopped to ask if she was okay. When Fernando explained what was going on, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, he lay down on the ground close to Rudy and engaged him in conversation.

[Silver]

How to pick up an elephant:

 

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-zealand-bottlenose-dolphin-mother-adopts-pilot-whale-calf/

size doesn't matter as a Dolphin mom adopts a whale calf

Off the coast of New Zealand, a group of marine biologists has discovered a mother bottlenose dolphin that had adopted a baby pilot whale.

The Kiwi-based Far Out Ocean Research Collective discovered the mammals sailing in the Bay of Islands in Northern New Zealand, and has now documented the pair on two separate occasions five weeks apart.

While it’s not unheard of that dolphins adopt other species’ babies, it’s very rare to record the phenomenon with such a significant difference in species size. Bottlenose dolphins can reach 300 kilograms, which is no small fry—except that pilot whales can grow to two tons and reach six meters in length.

[+Desertrat56]

too many stories about bad cops, now heres one about a good cop

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/video-captures-jon-holt-single-handedly-lift-overturned-car/

Video captures hero cop running to lift a car single handed off a victim

A Virginia cop has been praised as a hero after a video was released showing him single-handedly pull a crashed car off a woman who was pinned to the ground—and this isn’t even the first time he’s been praised for his bravery.

“The driver was laying underneath the vehicle with her head pinned by the sunroof,” the Sheriff’s Office statement read. “Seeing the trauma her child was witnessing, Deputy J. Holt went into overdrive.”

In body cam footage, Holt is heard straining as he attempts to lift the vehicle. At first he’s saying he can’t move the car. Then the miraculous happens.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/our-favorite-police-of-2015/

8 stories of Cops being awesome

From coaching little league to handing out gift cards to strangers in need, these officers made us freeze, put our hands above our heads, and applaud their acts of kindness.

 

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/artist-fixes-cracked-sidewalks-and-potholes-on-roads-with-colorful-mosaics/

Artist fixes braced sidewalks and potholes with colorful mozaics.

Unless some particularly hardy flowers are blooming among them, cracks in the sidewalk aren’t the most beautiful of sights.

As for water-filled potholes? Again, they don’t rate too highly only the list of aesthetically pleasing objects.

So if you’re—say a French street artist with a delightful penchant for mosaics—you fix up those displeasing sights in the most colorful way possible.

Check out what Ememem has been up to in his home city of Lyon.

He’s also been to a few other European cities including Paris, which you can check out in the bright gallery below—and maybe, soon, in real life?

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/sisters-long-lost-matching-tattoos-victoria-chicago/

Long lost sisters reunite and discover their tattoos, jobs and hobbies match

A woman who took a DNA test found a secret sister who looks exactly like her, shares the same hobbies and job, and even has a matching tattoo.

27-year-old Victoria Voorhees knew she was adopted, and took a 23&Me home DNA test kit to find out a bit more about her Hispanic heritage and genetic make up.

She was astonished when the results revealed she had a sister—and was sent a photo of a woman who looked just like her.

Victoria—who was adopted when she was two months old—always dreamed of having an older sibling.

But she couldn’t believe her eyes on seeing the photo of her sister for the first time: “At first I was like there’s no way, I didn’t think it was possible, and maybe they found someone that has some similarities to me, but I know now that’s not how it works!”

[+joc]

48 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/sisters-long-lost-matching-tattoos-victoria-chicago/

Long lost sisters reunite and discover their tattoos, jobs and hobbies match

A woman who took a DNA test found a secret sister who looks exactly like her, shares the same hobbies and job, and even has a matching tattoo.

27-year-old Victoria Voorhees knew she was adopted, and took a 23&Me home DNA test kit to find out a bit more about her Hispanic heritage and genetic make up.

She was astonished when the results revealed she had a sister—and was sent a photo of a woman who looked just like her.

Victoria—who was adopted when she was two months old—always dreamed of having an older sibling.

But she couldn’t believe her eyes on seeing the photo of her sister for the first time: “At first I was like there’s no way, I didn’t think it was possible, and maybe they found someone that has some similarities to me, but I know now that’s not how it works!”

I think that kind of proves in a way that much of what we do is inherited directly through our dna.  Choices we make...choices we think are entirely ours...while they are, they are genetically coded in our dna to 'make that particular choice'.  Like a Bat tattoo...instead of a Mushroom, for example.

That really is an awesome story. 

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/this-sustainable-beehive-saves-irish-black-bees-and-is-made-from-mycelium/

An Irish designer is hoping to save her island’s native bee species by creating special hives grown from mushrooms.

Placing on the world Top 20 for the James Dyson Design Award for Sustainability, the prototype hive, called Econooc, is being designed specifically by Niamh Damery for the Irish black bee, as well as to get more people involved in conservation.

Plummeting bee populations in Ireland are not only the result of habitat loss or pesticide use as is common elsewhere, but also because for years the country imported bee populations from warmer climates that have a hard time surviving the Irish weather.

Those introduced species bred with native bees to create hybrids that invaded black bee hives, but that still couldn’t cope with the weather. Econooc hives are grown from mycelium spores spread onto an agricultural byproduct, like wood shavings or straw, called a substrate.

Mycelium is the fibrous underground structure the supports the fruiting body—the mushrooms we see on walks—and is emerging as a potential super design tool. GNN has reported on its use to make things as varied as bricks, canoes, and even coffins. The mixture of mycelium and substrate is stuffed into a mold to mimic the natural structure of a beehive, before going in the oven to preserve the shape.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/4287/Pregnant-Woman-Saves-3-Kids-From-Drowning-In-Lake-Michigan

Pregnant woman saves 3 kids from drowning in Lake Michigan

"I am so thankful I was where I was at," Alyssa Dewitt said. "I don't know if they would have gotten out alive if I had not seen them."

Alyssa was on the beach with her kids, when she saw arms waving in the water.

Rip currents had pulled a group of children all under the age of 15 out deeper and deeper into Lake Michigan, and they couldn't get out.

Alyssa who outlined the situation in a Facebook post:

"Here's a story for you to help keep your faith and love for god alive. It's truly one for the books. God did his thing today, and he put me exactly where I needed to be, once again.

See, I was not even going to take the kids down to the beach. It was extremely windy earlier, I sat in the driveway for a good 5 minutes with all of us in the van contemplating just staying home. But something told me to go, so we did. Today, I took the kids to the pier side of the beach. We NEVER go to this side. Ever. Today, I felt that this side was best, for whatever reason. You can't tell me it was 'luck' I was there when I was. I was meant to be there.. and I'm so sooo thankful for it.

[Nosy.Matters]

Concerning skill and craft, besides obvious appealing beauty, seems of high quality too. Must be an expert of sorts, a few of those are stunning at first glance.

Indeed very cool, Rock and Roll on, shock and awe is always a good practice. 

Quote

Artist fixes braced sidewalks and potholes with colorful mozaics.

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by Nosy.Matters
,

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.positive.news/society/positive-news-stories-from-week-22-of-2021/

What went right this week:

The UK’s national parks embraced citizen science

Amateur ecologists were this week invited to embrace their inner Chris Packham, by taking part in a citizen science project to help boost biodiversity in the UK’s national parks. 

Restrictions on international travel are expected to bolster turnout in the country’s already popular conservation areas this summer. Those planning a trip are being invited to map and record the species that they spot via the free Look Wildapp. The data will be used to “enhance landscapes”.

Tony Gates, chief executive of Northumberland National Park Authority, said: “One of the undoubted silver linings of the past difficult year has been how people have valued and sought out a connection with the countryside. The Look Wild project will take the connection a step further. Together we will help the natural environment to thrive.”

Two other UK citizen science projects launched this week: one to track beetles, another to count splattered insects on car registration plates. The data will help scientists understand bug populations. 

Biden announced the suspension of Arctic oil drilling 

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it will suspend all oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, blocking the previous government’s attempts to exploit the 19m-acre wilderness.

In the dying days of his presidency, Donald Trump opened the bidding for oil exploration leases in the wildlife refuge. The auction generated just $14.4m (£10.2m); much lower than the $1.8bn (£1.3bn) that had been expected.

This week’s announcement was welcomed by climate campaigners, who were highly critical of Biden’s recent decision to back a separate oil project in Alaska, and for not closing the controversial Dakota Access pipeline.

Image: Jonatan Pie

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Desertrat56

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/5-experiments-proving-invertebrates-are-much-more-aware-than-we-think/

5 experiments that are proving invertebrates are much more aware than we think.

Jonathan Balcombe is an English ethnologist—a studier of animal behavior—and has published several books on the subject, the most recent of which was called Super Fly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects. 

In it, he begins to try and unravel our natural born prejudice towards anything with more than two legs, and shows that many of the most well-established intelligence tests we use for mammals and birds can also be passed by bugs and cephalopods.

In a Literary Hub excerpt, he argues that this should at least leave us revisiting whether these tests prove intelligence as such, or if we need to reexamine the concept of animal intelligence at large.

Let’s take a look at just how intelligent invertebrates really are.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Desertrat56

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/german-researcher-replaced-polystyrene-packing-peanuts-with-real-packing-popcorn/

New shipping material made from popcorn can replace styrofoam.   

In a stroke of scientific genius, a German researcher enjoying a box of popcorn in a dark movie theater realized that the overpriced, butter-soaked concession had the exact same size and consistency as Styrofoam packing peanuts.

 

Considering Styrofoam is made from polystyrene, which requires fossil fuel extraction and takes centuries to break down into yet smaller bits of harmful micro-plastic, Alireza Kharazipour thought it was worth experimenting with puffed corn kernels as a replacement for them.

Annually, in the U.S. alone, around 3 million tons of polystyrene is produced, which is a lot considering it’s 95% air. It’s a popular choice because it has enabled packaging to take on very precise forms and provides excellent packing safety for fragile electronics on the move, for instance—while costing pennies to manufacture.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.positive.news/environment/energy/uks-first-deep-geothermal-energy-project-gathers-steam/

UK's first deep geothermal project gathers steam

The United Downs project in Cornwall is poised to go live next year – and it could be a gamechanger in the race to net zero

Cast your eyes across the hazy horizon towards the Irish Sea and wind turbines dot the seascape. Look skywards in London, and solar panels glisten atop office buildings. In remotest Scotland, an ocean-powered EV charge point stands ready. The UK is on an undeniable path towards green energy, with visual reminders aplenty. In 2020, for the first time, renewables were the UK’s main source of electricity for the whole year, not just in summer.

But when it comes to geothermal, which some reports have claimed could supply up to 20 per cent of the UK’s energy, “there’s nothing visible to see!” says Dr Ryan Law, founder and managing director of Cornwall-based Geothermal Engineering. “But there are many more systems than people realise. Everything from systems 25m below the ground all the way through to depths of 5.2kms. There’s a whole spectrum,” he explains.

Law points out that many high-profile buildings in London – Royal Festival Hall, London City Hall and the Tate Modern extension among them – employ the heating and cooling powers of the earth. There are other ‘shallow’ geothermal sites dotted around the UK too, such as a well-established district energy project in Southampton. But until now, ‘deep’ geothermal had yet to be tapped for electricity.

The United Downs project, near Redruth, Cornwall, is now undergoing final testing and, if all goes as planned, should be exporting electricity to the grid by 2022. It will produce 3MWe of electricity on a constant basis, enough to power about 7,000 homes, and approximately 12MW of heat.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/quick-thinking-kayakers-save-pair-of-rare-eagles-from-drowning-in-danube-river/

Quick thinking kayaker saves pair of rare eagles

While paddling the iconic Danube River, what this Hungarian couple wasn’t expecting to find was two rare white-tailed eagles, stuck together and at risk of drowning.

Likely the eagles were clasped in this way after fighting. Klaudia Kis and Richard Varga knew they had to take action.

They helped the pair out humanely, using a rope, before continuing their journey from the Black Sea near Romania to Germany’s Black Forest.

Their upstream trip will take them three months all in all.

According to the BBC, that’s also how long they knew each other for before setting off on their Danube Upstream eco-awareness project.

[+Desertrat56]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/10-best-ornamental-flowers-to-eat-and-cook-with/

10 Ornamental flowers you can cook with or eat in salads

Beautiful to look at, flowers are a welcome addition to almost any environment, including the kitchen or restaurant. Avant-garde cuisine often features edible flowers, but you don’t have to have a Michelin star to join in—you only need to know which species are edible.

Some flowers we commonly plant are poisonous, or have poisonous components, while others can act like little multivitamins.

There are hundreds of flower species and varieties that can be added to salads, drinks, desserts, or other dishes, some of which you may already have in your yard. Furthermore their flavor is as varied as their colors and shapes, and no matter what taste you’re looking for, there’s probably a flower that possesses it.