Good News in History, December 24
57 years ago today, the crew of Apollo 8 entered orbit around the Moon, the first humans to do so. While onboard, three astronauts—Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders, saw the vaunted “far side” of the Moon, and took the Earthrise picture. The crew orbited the Moon 10 times over the course of 20 […]
Good News in History, December 23
39 years ago today, The Voyager landed after 9 days, becoming the first airplane to fly non-stop around the world without refueling—setting a world record that remains unchallenged today. It was envisioned and sketched on the back of a napkin by brothers Dick and Burt Rutan, of the Rutan Aircraft Factory, and Dick’s girlfriend Jeana Yeager at […]
Simply Shining Light on Skin Can Replace Finger Pricks for People With Diabetes
A new method for measuring blood glucose levels, developed at MIT, could save diabetes patients from having to prick their fingers several times a day. The MIT team used a technique that reveals the chemical composition of tissue by shining near-infrared light on them—and developed a shoebox-sized device that can measure blood glucose levels without […]
Microscopic ‘Christmas Tree’ is Remarkable Highlight of Science Project Comparing the Vast and Small
A microscopic ‘Christmas tree’ is a seasonal highlight of a remarkable science project that found eerie comparisons between the vast and the tiny. Curated by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the series of pairings reveal stunning connections between the vast universe and the microscopic world that we cannot see with the naked eye. Dubbed “New Perspectives”, […]
Aging Mother-and-Son Jaguars Arrive at Special ‘Retirement’ Home for Big Cats to Live Out Their Years
A very old jaguar and her senior son are being welcomed to a specially-made retirement home in a UK zoo. Wild jaguars typically live for around 12 years, but Bonita is already 16 and her son Remi is 11, having already survived cancer. The two have lived side-by-side in a safari park since Remi’s birth […]
Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny
Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote […]
Good News in History, December 20
22 years ago today, Gangs of New York premiered in theaters. Martin Scorsese’s colorful and gritty depiction of gangland violence among the poor immigrant residents of New York City’s Five Points received 10 Academy Award nominations. While winning none, Daniel Day Lewis’ mesmeric portrayal of street gang leader Bill the Butcher won him several other awards. […]
Good News in History, December 19
249 years ago today, Thomas Paine published his first essay under the pseudonym, Common Sense, to inspire American colonists in a language that the common man could understand. Paine knew that the Colonists weren’t going to support the American Revolutionary War without proper reason to do so, so he set out to persuade them. First […]
Good News in History, December 16
1,492 years ago today, Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium, did Europe’s posterity a great favor and ordered the compiling of all Roman juridical writings from the beginning of the Empire into 50 books. Preserved to this day thanks to monastic manuscripts and called the Digest or Pandects, it is simply one of Humanity’s most extraordinary […]
Good News in History, December 15
70 years ago today, American country star Johnny Cash released the single “Folsom Prison Blues.” The song combines elements from two popular folk styles that Cash used often in his songwriting, and was ranked 51 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 Greatest Country Songs. Cash was serving in the military in Germany when he came up with […]