Virus That Kills More Elephants Than Any Other Cause Is Finally Defeated
Veterinary immunologists have developed a vaccine for a virus that’s one of the the leading killers of elephants in captivity and in the wild. With no cure, and with a penchant for claiming the lives of elephants calves, elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) has been responsible in recent years for the deaths of five elephants at […]
Good News in History, October 23
Happy 49th Birthday to Ryan Reynolds, the always-handsome and hilarious Canadian actor who first starred in the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl in 1998, then rose to fame in a range of films like The Proposal and Green Lantern. His biggest financial and critical success came when he played the smack-talking superhero Deadpool in two […]
Walking Just 4,000 Steps 1-2 Days a Week May Help Older Women Live longer
An important exercise minimum of 4,000 steps one or two days per week was just identified in a study as a benchmark to help seniors live longer. The study patients were also are less likely to develop heart disease, say study’s authors. The research, published online by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined not […]
Oldest Ranchers in America Who Drove Out the Spanish Mark 500 Years of ‘Cowkeeping’ in Florida
The oldest ranchers in America are actually the native Floridian Seminole tribe, who carry on that legacy today by receiving top dollar for their cattle. This decade marks the 500th anniversary of the start of Native American ranching, which began back when a small group of their ancestors captured 20 head of cattle from the […]
Welsh Puppies Helping to Stop Wildlife Poachers in Africa
In the lush, emerald hills and valleys of Wales, dogs are trained to protect endangered wildlife a whole hemisphere away. Their scent tracking allows them to turn hunters into the hunted, and catch poachers even in total darkness; even hours after they’ve left their kill sites. After a decade of work in Africa, these special […]
Crushed by a Car, a Stranger Comforted Him Until Help Arrived – Now They’re Getting Married
A couple who met after one of them was run over and crushed by a car have tied the knot and celebrated with wedding photos at the crash scene. The story begins five years ago when Kirsty Southern rushed to help after spotting Ryan McLeod trapped underneath a vehicle. She had just left a swimming […]
Good News in History, October 22
50 years ago today, Venera 9, the Soviet Union orbiter-lander spacecraft, became the first mission to enter orbit around Venus, and to return images from the surface of another planet. The key design feature of the lander was that it had to remain operational under conditions of extreme heat. This meant that not just all […]
Woodcarving Club Turns City’s Tree Trimmings into Treasured Trinkets
In Yorkshire, England, an ancient profession turned hobby is helping to keep tree trimmings out of the landfills, among other benefits. The Yorkshire Spoon Club, as the name suggests, will jump at the opportunity to turn an upturned oak or alder tree into a spoon, but this collection of hobbyist and professional woodcarvers churns out […]
Humpback Whale Population Now Well Above Pre-Whaling Levels in Australia
The recovery of the eastern Australian humpback whale population has been described as nothing short of a “miracle,” such that the majestic beasts number more now than they did before commercial whaling. When homeowners today along the coasts of Australia file noise complaints, it’s likely to be from motor boats or late-night parties, but there […]
First African Nation to Eliminate River Blindness Treated Millions with Ivermectin to Achieve Great Success
Among the many bizarrities of the COVID years was the sudden demonization by major media outlets of Ivermectin, one of the most-used medicines on Earth, which just helped Niger to become the first country in Africa to eradicate a debilitating parasitical disease. Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is spread via the filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus transmitted […]