Once Locally Extinct, ‘Top Predator’ River Otter Flourishing Again in New Mexico

nnConservationists in New Mexico are celebrating the state’s expanding population of wild river otters, as their numbers have tripled in the last 14 years.nnThough native to the state, the beasts were extirpated completely during the 1900s, likely due to a mixture of overtrapping and habitat destruction.nnHowever, groups can now be seen swimming about in waterways […]

Oldest Known Alphabet Unearthed in Ancient Syria–Predating All Others by 500 Years

nnIn western Syria, archaeologists believe they have unearthed evidence of the earliest use of an alphabet in the world.nnThe site, called Tell Umm el-Marra was an important urban center in Syria and one of the first to ever pop up in the region. It’s been under excavation for 16 years.nnIn one of the best-preserved tombs—remarkably […]

Good News in History, December 4

129 years ago today, Feng Youlan was born. This Chinese academic and philosopher was instrumental in reintroducing the Chinese classics of philosophy to the world. Critically for this form of Intangible World Heritage, as UNESCO describes it, he did so during a time of enormous upheavel, stretching from the fall of the imperial Qing Dynasty […]