Mysterious ‘Hero’ Dog Leads Police Straight to Missing 3-year-old Officer Says in Body Cam Video
A police officer and self-described “dog guy,” hooked his own instincts up to those of a local dog to find a missing 3-year-old in Kentucky. There was a drone and helicopter in the air and a half-dozen officers from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department scouring the immediate location of a missing persons call on January […]
‘Mushroom Mining’ Could Be Cheap Way to Recover Rare Earth Minerals from Industrial Waste
Decades of underinvestment in mining and refining across Europe and North America has landed the manufacturing sector in a problem, which a group of scientists believe can be helped by mushrooms rather than excavators. One must have been living under a rock not to have recently read the terms “critical minerals” or “rare earth elements.” […]
Volunteers Save 51 Dogs in Large-Scale Operation Following Arkansas Shelter Collapse
From Arkansas comes the story of a huge animal rescue operation of 51 dogs trapped in a derelict shelter. Headquartered in neighboring Nashville, the Animal Rescue Corps (ARC) received information about a nonprofit dog rescue in Ashdown, Arkansas, where an acrimonious divorce between the shelter’s owners left the dogs caught in the crossfire. Much like […]
Urban Farm Shops Combine Dutch Greenhouse Technology and Food-Retail into One
In the city of The Hague, a Dutch agri-tech firm has had the bright idea of combining a greenhouse grow operation with a grocery and delivery business. Called LocalDutch, their idea is that the greenhouse grocers will integrate on-site food production with direct-to-consumer retail and local delivery in a single location, hoping the result will […]
Good News in History, February 17
Happy 69th Birthday to a titan of folk music: the multi-instrumentalist Loreena McKennitt. Born in Manitoba to Irish-Scottish ancestry, she fell in love with Celtic music traditions after a trip to Ireland. She learned how to play the Celtic harp and used it on the busk to make money to record her first album. She […]
Giant Seed Vault Freezes Beneath Atacama Desert, Preserving Chile’s Floral Diversity For the Ages
Amid the scorching/freezing desert of Atacama in Chile, one of South America’s largest botanical storehouses aims to protect both the wild and cultivated heritage of the country’s plant life. Called the Initihuasi Seed Bank, this genetic mothership is the central node in a nationwide network of institutions that are safeguarding the country’s plant diversity, come […]
Community Rallies to Save Poor Town’s Last Youth Center –And Succeeds with Government Grant
One of England’s poorest coastal towns is filled with “hope and relief” after their last youth center was saved from closure. The nonprofit Pie Factory Music has been based in Ramsgate, on the coast of Kent, for 13 years. It offers counseling, employment advice, life-skills, creative projects, or just a safe supportive space to make […]
Secrets Behind Rome’s Self-Healing Concrete Leads Scientist to Launch Roman-Style Concrete Business
A scientist who figured out the secret behind ancient Rome’s self-repairing concrete has recently confirmed his theory at a Pompeii building site where such concrete was in use. This marriage of theoretical and historical knowledge combined with hard evidence has inspired the very same scientist now 3 years later to open a concrete business selling […]
Over 90 California Fish Stocks Almost Totally Rebuilt Thanks to Trawling Ban, Other Measures
Over the last 25 years, Californian fishing regulations have seen the dramatic recovery of various game fish like sea bass and rockfish to the point where they can be fished sustainably again. Collectively known as groundfish, these stocks were serially depleted in the 1990s and early 2000s. Fish like ocean perch and bocaccio live close […]
8-Year-Old Maryland Girl Becomes Youngest Grammy Winner Ever with Daddy-Daughter Album
An 8-year-old Maryland girl and her dad have made history with an album that’s the musical equivalent of sunshine. Aura V. and her father, whose recording name is Fyütch, won a Grammy this month for Best Children’s Music Album for their LP Harmony. The triumph makes Aura the youngest Grammy winner in the organization’s history, […]