MacKenzie Scott Donated $7.1 Billion to Nonprofits in 2025, a Major Increase with More to Come
Divorcé philanthropist MacKenzie Scott gave $7.1 billion to various nonprofits and charities last year, a recent blog post from the reclusive giver claimed. “Since my post last December, I’ve given $7,166,000,000 to organizations doing work all over the world,” she wrote. Scott claimed she had donated $2.6 billion in 2024 and $2.1 billion in 2023. […]
The Tiger Population Doubled in India in Just Ten Years
Conservation in India successfully doubled the native population of tigers in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study reveals. In 2010, the nations that make up the remaining range countries of the tiger set a target to double the number of wild tigers worldwide—a goal called Tx2—10 at the St. Petersburg International summit […]
This Ancient Man’s Piercing Hazel Eyes Drew Almost $1 Million in ‘Mummy Portrait’ Auction
Sotheby’s recently sold a painting of a man from Roman-controlled Egypt in the first century CE that experts suggest represents the dawn of realistic portraiture 1,200 years before it appeared in Italy. The image is part of a family of works known collectively as the Fayum Mummy Portraits, all of which were found during 19th […]
Wearable Airbag Vest Will Help Protect Downhill Skiers from Extreme Speeds at Olympics in Italy
As the Winter Olympics roars into life in northern Italy, athletes will be sporting state-of-the-art airbag vests that inflate during crashes, protecting speed skiers from the worst injuries. For those unfamiliar, the Olympics are being held at the renowned ski area called Cortina d’Ampezzo, which is also a stop on the downhill events at the […]
Good News in History, February 9
152 years ago today, American Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Amy Lowell was born. During a career that spanned just over a dozen years, she wrote and published over 650 poems, yet scholars cite Lowell’s tireless efforts to awaken American readers to contemporary trends in poetry, including by substantially aiding the rise of Ezra Pound’s work, as […]
Artist Uses Cremation Ashes to Create Unique Memorial Paintings With Personal Meanings
An artist is using cremation ashes in his paintings to create unique memorial landscapes that grieving families can personalize as a way to remember loved ones. Gary Harper began painting professionally just two years ago and was inspired by the loss of his cousin to respectfully experiment with blending a small amount of ashes into […]
‘Extinct’ Snail Found in Alleyway Results in Species Pulled Back From the Brink: A ‘Once in a Career’ Moment
A button-sized snail once thought extinct has been officially saved after conservationists bred and released more than 100,000 into the wild. The greater Bermuda snail (Poecilozonites bermudensis) was believed to be lost forever until a small surviving population was rediscovered in an alleyway in Bermuda’s capital, Hamilton, a decade ago. Now, following an international effort, […]
Apes Show Ability to Imagine in ‘Tea Party’ Experiments, and Scientists are Very Excited
Apes share the human ability to imagine and pretend, suggests new research that included a series of tea party experiments. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, called it the first study to show the capacity for pretending is not unique to mankind. They learned that apes can use their imagination and play pretend. […]
‘Crime-Fighting’ Llamas Catch Thief by Surrounding Him in a Field Until Cops Arrive
A would-be thief was caught by police after a herd of llamas cornered the suspect in a field until officers could arrive. It was dark outside when a man was alerted to an intruder on the couple’s farmland by animals making a loud alarm call last Monday evening. The crook was fleeing the scene after […]
Good News in History, February 8
58 years ago today, Planet of the Apes starring Charlton Heston was released in theaters. In the film, an astronaut crew crash-lands on a strange planet in the distant future. Although the planet appears desolate at first, the surviving crew members stumble upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence and speech. […]