Lost Bach Pieces Performed for First Time in 320 Years: ‘Great moment for the world of music’
Two musical pieces written by Johann Sebastian Bach were recently performed for the first time ever, more than 300 years after they were composed. Both written for the organ, they are believed to date from the great composer’s very early career, when he worked as a organ tutor in Thuringia. Germany’s Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer […]
‘Special Needs’ Can’t Stop These Kids from Being a Cowboy at Rodeo Day Camp
In the Bay Area, California, a day at the rodeo for children with developmental challenges leaves everyone in tears at some point, either from joy or compassion. Hosted by a cowboy whose son was born with Down Syndrome, Little ‘Pardners’ Rodeo treats 40 children aged 4 to 17 to an all-day event of cowboy/cowgirl activities. […]
Birds Start to Show Signs of Recovery After Bee-Harming Pesticide Ban in the EU
The first large-scale study to investigate the impact on bird populations from the 2018 European Union ban on a universal insecticide has determined that birds have recovered as much as 3% since 2018. Given that 57 species of birds were included in the survey, the 3% rise suddenly seems a lot more meaningful, and the […]
Good News in History, November 25
120 years ago today, American photographer Alfred Stieglitz opened the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession at 291 Fifth Avenue in NYC. This small gallery helped bring art photography to the same stature in America as painting and sculpture, exhibiting famous early photographers like Edward Steichen, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Gertrude Käsebier, and Clarence H. White. But, […]
Colombia Bans All New Oil and Mining Projects in its Amazon–an Area the Size of Sweden
It’s 42% of Colombia’s territory. It’s 7% of the total Amazon Rainforest. It’s the same size as Sweden, and it’s now free from future oil and mineral extraction. The news that half a million square kilometers of territory in the Amazon biome of Colombia was now limited only to renewable and regenerative economic activities only […]
These Rare Whales Had Never Been Seen Alive, Then Scientists Saw Two Near California
A lifelong whale researcher recently encountered a living pair of gingko-toothed beaked whales for the first time ever in the wild. The encounter advances the science of beaked whales enormously, for in addition to confirming the whole genome of the animal, it also linked this elusive species to a well-recorded whale song that can now […]
Exoskeleton Walker Allows Children to Take Their First Steps After Doctors Said They Couldn’t
At a Canadian wellness center, a unique robotic exoskeleton is allowing children with developmental disorders to walk—often for the first time. The nonprofit’s Regina location is eager to get families to come by and try it out. It can be used to correct a child’s gait or help them take their first steps, and is […]
Play These Mobile Games Designed to Help Save Dying Aboriginal Language and Culture
An Australian Aboriginal community with only 8 fluent speakers left has launched a mobile phone game to help reconnect their youth with the tongue of their ancestors. The game allows you to help preserve a wetland nature reserve where the community lives, with almost 100 words and phrases in the Nyiyaparli language. Numbering around 400 […]
Good News in History, November 24
166 years ago today, the British naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species explaining his theory of evolution. The first edition—which has been voted by publishers and librarians as the most influential academic book ever written—introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of […]
Root Canal Treatment Reduces Heart Disease and Diabetes Risk
Successful root canal treatment can reduce inflammation linked to heart disease, according to new research. The much dreaded dental surgery can also improve levels of blood sugar and cholesterol, say scientists. In the first of its kind clinical study, King’s College London researchers tracked changes in blood chemistry following root canal treatment for a common […]