NASA Laser Sends Terabits from Beyond Mars in Huge Success for Deep-Space Communications Test
NASA recently achieved an incredible milestone in an even more incredible quest: providing broadband to the solar system. But speaking specifically, the organization’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) division just downlinked 15 terabits of data from the Psyche Mission about 300 million miles from Earth via laser beam. That’s over three times the distance between […]
A Melbourne Sewage Farm Has Become a Haven for 300 Species of Birds
Every time a toilet in Melbourne flushes, the contents start a long trip from the metro area to a sewage treatment plant that has garnered a mythical reputation among birdwatchers. Following the treatment process, the government allows it to retain certain excess nutrients that cause microbes and insects to flourish—anchoring the food web in an […]
UNESCO Adds an Area the Size of Bolivia to Reserves That Protect 5% of the World’s Land
The United Nations has added an area the size of Bolivia to a network of special land and seascapes with the aim of ensuring they remain places where Man can anchor himself to his national and global ecosystem. Much like the way UNESCO nominates places to become World Heritage Sites, the organization’s Man and Biosphere […]
Huge Camel Carvings Dating Back 12,000 Years Marked Wet Season Oases Like Cultural Road Signs
12,000-year-old engravings of desert animals like the dromedary camel were used by ancient Arabian tribes to mark where water could be found, a new discovery hypothesizes. An international team of archaeologists discovered more than 60 rock art panels containing 176 engravings in three previously unexplored areas: Jebel Arnaan, Jebel Mleiha, and Jebel Misma, along the […]
Good News in History, October 1
101 years ago today, former President Jimmy Carter was born The 39th president of the United States from 1977–1981, is one of the few American presidents to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (for his Camp David Accords). He is also the first American centenarian president, perhaps a result of him only serving a single term, […]
Over 600 North Korean Refugees Can Tell Their Stories After Public Speaking Classes from US Charity
In South Korea’s capital, Seoul, there are now tens of thousands of North Korean refugees, all living with an intense emotional burden—and a US-founded organization is helping to alleviate it. Freedom Speakers International (FSI) offers tuition-free and individualized mentorship for speaking in English and opportunities to engage with the international community through that most marvelous […]
San Fran Supervisor Goes After Stifling Regulations After Locals’ Dream of a Cafe Goes Up in Steam
After small businesses became frustrated with San Francisco permitting laws, a district supervisor has stood up to try and strike it down. His proposed ordinance—filed after a dozen small business owners reached out to explain they were being harangued by regulations—would remove the “prior use” requirement, as well as those preventing businesses from uniting storefronts […]
Austria and Italy Finish Digging World’s Longest Rail Tunnel–Ready to Reshape Travel Maps
In mid-September, a boring machine defeated the last meter of rock 4,500 feet under the Brenner Pass in the Alps to connect the world’s longest tunnel dug for railroad track. Envisioned as an important connecting vein that will one day see trains running from Helsinki, Finland, to Palermo, Sicily, it will slash commuter times across […]
Determined Scientists Created Only Puffin Colony in the US, and Continue to Protect it Decades Later
For 50 years, the state of Maine has drawn worldwide attention for its efforts to restore a puffin colony, an effort that has brought controversy, hope, and a cottage industry you have to see to believe. Featured recently on the PBS News Hour, it’s a story that begins back in 1973 when a young ornithologist […]
Good News in History September 30
162 years ago, George Bizet’s famous opera Les Pêcheurs de Perles, The Pearl Fishermen, debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris. Set in ancient times on the Island of Sri Lanka, it tells the story of how two men’s vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the same woman, whose own dilemma […]