Elusive Nightjar Populations Doubled in 5 Years, a ‘Remarkable Comeback’ Conservationists Say
The population of one of England’s most-elusive birds is flourishing again thanks to conservation efforts in the south of the country. The nightjar, sometimes called the nighthawk, becomes active at twilight, and they’re famous for their chortling calls and fantastic camouflage. Their numbers declined some 51% between the 1970s and 2000s after substantial forest loss. The […]
Dialing ‘867-5309’ Will Now Connect You with a Professional Cancer Support Line Free of Charge
If you call 867-5309 these days, Jenny doesn’t answer, but a telemedicine professional will. After seeing the emotional toll cancer took on some of his friends, the man behind Tommy Tutone’s 1981 smash hit “867-5309/Jenny,” has teamed up with global nonprofit Cancer Support Community to turn the most famous phone number in music into a […]
Good News in History, March 19
20 years ago today, the Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace took place with 150 Jewish Rabbis and Muslim Imams aiming for Islam and Judaism to become instruments of peace. The goals of the first meeting in 2005 included 1) condemning violence perpetrated in the name of religion 2) the creation of […]
Gene from High Altitude Yak Protected and Repaired Myelin Sheath in Early MS Study
A special gene that helps animals like the yak survive at high altitude could enable new treatments for multiple sclerosis after positive findings from a mouse model. The genetic mutation that enables yaks to live in environments with much less oxygen, and may hold the key to repairing nerve damage in conditions such as multiple […]
Planned Expansion to Take Latin America’s Largest Solar Plant Beyond 1 Gigawatt Capacity
The state-owned energy utility Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has announced an ambitious expansion of solar energy projects totaling 1.5 gigawatts of production and storage. Armed with 30 billion Mexican pesos ($1.62 billion), CFE’s flagship project will be a 580 megawatt expansion of the Puerto Peñasco solar complex in the state of Sonora to 1 gigawatt […]
Someone Used This Coin as Bus Fare and Worker Discovers it was Minted by the Phoenicians 2,000 Years Ago
Struck 2,100 years ago on the coast of Spain by mariners from the Fertile Crescent, a coin bizarrely made its way to the English city of Leeds where someone successfully attempted to use it as bus fare. It’s an incredible story that reminds us how history—even ancient history—can be found all around us, popping up […]
Waste Plastic Turned into Parkinson’s Drug Thanks to Helpful Bacteria
A drug to treat Parkinson’s disease can be made from waste plastic bottles using a pioneering method, a new study shows. The approach harnesses the power of bacteria to transform post-consumer plastic into L-DOPA, a frontline medication for the neurological disorder. It’s the first time a biological process has achieved this, and the scientists behind […]
Good News in History, March 18
250 years ago today, Great Britain repealed the Stamp Act of 1765 which the American colonists so vehemently disagreed with. It imposed a direct tax on the colonists and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper from London which included an embossed revenue stamp. A majority considered it a […]
Tunisian Solar-Powered Cars Leverage African Sunshine to Charge 30 Miles for Free Everyday
An ambitious motoring rollout is taking place in Tunisia, where a company is trying to make a splash in the market with a pair of solar-powered EVs. Including a small delivery vehicle and a passenger car, Bako Motors is already manufacturing their models and selling them in the sun-washed continent’s showrooms. CNN, which was first […]
3 New Lizard Species Discovered in Australia–Including Stunning Orange-Headed Rock Monitor
These days, when scientists announce they’ve discovered a new species of animal, it’s usually some miniature frog or deep sea isopod. But check out this Varanus umbra, a never-before-described species of rock monitor, and he’s a real lookah’ Dr. Stephen Zozaya, a research fellow at the Australian National University, described the shock he and his colleagues experienced […]