New Airship-style Wind Turbine Can Find Gusts at Higher Altitudes for Constant, Cheaper Power
A new form of wind energy is under development that promises more consistent power and lower deployment costs by adapting the design of a dirigible, or zeppelin. Suspended 1,000 feet up where the wind is always blowing, it presents as an ideal energy source for rural communities, disaster areas, or places where wind turbines aren’t […]
A Nation That’s 90% Rainforest Announces New Protections for Over 25 Million Acres
Huge news broke recently when a country with more intact forests than any other on Earth decided that 90% of all forest cover would be preserved by law. Made in New York in advance of a UN summit that will see the party members to the Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meet for the […]
Wichita ‘Taco Hero’ Gets Year of Free Tacos for ‘Mind-Blowing’ Kindness After Card Reader Went Down
When the sales and payment software went down at a Wichita taco restaurant, the staff were anxious, and the line for the register, long. Tensions were high, and when the Shear family finally got through the out-the-door-wrap-around line, they were told that Tacos TJ 664 was only accepting cash. They were craving the fresh shrimp […]
First Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ‘Cleans’ Blood in Minutes
It’s invisible, it’s lethal, and it’s been with us for decades, but carbon monoxide poisoning can now be fought with the first-ever antidote that rapidly removes the toxic molecule from the bloodstream. Carbon monoxide or CO, poisoning accounts for 50,000 emergency room visits in the US each year and causes about 1,500 deaths, each one […]
Good News in History, October 14
158 years ago today, Masaoka Shiki, considered one of Japan’s four masters of haiku, was born. He wrote more than 20,000 stanzas of this famous Japanese short-form poetry, keeping the traditional ‘season words’ and the 5-7-5 syllable structure, but bringing in a dedication to realism that had seemed in through Western literature. Shiki may be […]
Escaped Pet Tortoise Wanders onto Train Tracks But is Saved by Railway Staff After Passenger Spots it
A runaway tortoise was saved after it wandered onto a busy railway line in South East England. The pet named Mr T was spotted clambering onto the train tracks at Bicester North Station in Oxfordshire. Passengers raised the alarm with the railway staff who rescued the tortoise last Tuesday. The Chiltern Railway workers then fed […]
Beloved Lowe’s Store Cat is Finally Found in Neighboring State After Security Footage Reveals Clues
Francine’s tenure might be as long as any hardware store employee in Virginia—because this white, speckled stray cat wandered into the Lowe’s near Richmond in 2017, and has been a mainstay of the branch ever since. “She’s the first stop for probably 75 percent of our customers,” Lowe’s store manager Mike Sida told the Washington […]
Biodegradable Plastic Made from Bamboo Is Stronger and Easy to Recycle
GNN has reported previously on how versatile bamboo is for construction and craft, so it maybe shouldn’t be a surprise that researchers in China have found a way to turn this miracle plant into plastic. While many biodegradable materials have already been developed for replacing lighter, flexible plastic, durable or rigid plastic replacements are few. […]
Fires and Fire Deaths from Almost All Causes Fall by Two-Thirds Since 1980
One of the big problems with measuring progress in averting accidents is that you’re looking for nothing—because nothing happened. But determined to show how nothing is a big something indeed, Vox’s Bryan Walsh set out to measure America’s progress in preventing fires and fireproofing homes after he himself heard of a fire ripping through a […]
Good News in History, October 13
94 years ago today, Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer, opened to the public in the hills above Rio de Janeiro. Standing 98 feet high, and with arms stretching 92 feet wide, the statue was built on top of Mount Corcovado by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. Christ the Redeemer differs considerably from its original […]