One Stem Cell Injection to Target Inflammation Slashed Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke By 58%: Dr. Perin holds up the stem cell treatment – Texas Heart Institute A large trial showed that a single injection of a patient’s own stem cells into their heart was able to reduce inflammation and risk of heart attack and stroke by 58% if they had heart failure. It’s the largest clinical trial of cell therapy for heart disease to date and demonstrated several positive results. The therapy technique was developed by cardiologists at the Texas Heart Institute to address the inflammation associated with heart disease. The process involves taking stem cells taken from a patient’s bone marrow called mesenchymal precursor cells, which are replicated in a lab via proprietary methods developed by a pharmaceutical company called Mesoblast and injected straight into the heart. In the trial, the treatment not only was tolerated well by patients but also increased the ability of their hearts to pump higher blood volumes. Moths Are More Efficient Pollinators Than Bees, Shows New Research: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Moths are more efficient pollinators at night than day-flying pollinators such as bees according to new research from the University of Sussex. Studying 10 sites in the South East of England throughout July 2021, the Sussex researchers found that 83% of insect visits to bramble flowers were made during the day. While the moths made fewer visits during the shorter summer nights, notching up only 15% of the visits, they were able to pollinate the flowers more quickly. Stressed Plants Make Ultrasonic Clicking Noises: Using ultrasonic microphones (pictured), scientists detected clicking noises made by various types of plants. OHAD LEWIN-EPSTEIN Dry tomato and tobacco plants emit distinct ultrasonic clicks according to scientist’s research in the research journal Cell. The study was performed by Alexandre Ponomarenko and her colleages at Tel Aviv University by using ultrasonic microphones to capture sounds emitted by plants when stressed. Various plants including tobacco, tomato plants, wheat, and others were contained withing sound dampening boxes and were put under stresses for water and cutting, with the control being unaffected. What they found was plants emitting sounds like popping bubble wrap and the sounds differed in frequency by plant type, the type of stress (cuts of the plant, water and nutrient stresses, ext), and the magnitude of the stress (where cuts were performed, how much water and nutrient stress was applied). An algorithm created by another team also determined that plants even may have their own distinct voices. While nothing is completely for certain, the research is an interesting step forward for our understanding of plants and can help us monitor them for agricultural purposes. Sources: One Stem Cell Injection to Target Inflammation Slashed Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke By 58% (goodnewsnetwork.org) Moths are more efficient pollinators than bees, shows new research (phys.org) Stressed plants make ultrasonic clicking noises (sciencenews.org)

Twin Paramedics Whose Dad Died of Cardiac Arrest Saved a Man Suffering Same Condition the First Time Working Together: Steve and Angie Mills Paramedic twins – SWNS Paramedic twins whose dad died of a cardiac arrest 21 years ago saved a man suffering the same condition in a tag-team effort, only a day after the anniversary of his death. Angie Mills and her brother Steve Mills were only working together by chance during a rare joint shift as part of the same ambulance crew when they resuscitated the patient, whose heart had stopped beating for five minutes. Steve works for the London Ambulance Service as an Emergency Medical Technician, but Angie is a 999 call handler, so the pair are not part of the same team. But they were out in the same ambulance earlier this month when Angie decided to shadow a frontline crew for the day. The twins, from southeast London, were initially called to a man who had fallen, but soon after arriving both had to jump into action to save his life. Thanks to their quick thinking, the man was revived and began talking again, despite having no heartbeat for five minutes. Newborn Calf with Smiley-Face Markings is Named ‘Happy’ and Will Graze on a Farm For Rest of His Life: Happy the Cow – Bellbrooke Holsteins, released Happy the cow was never destined for greatness, born as he was a bull on a dairy farm. Yet despite his inability to produce milk, Happy had another valuable skill that began working the minute he dropped onto the grass of Barry Coster’s dairy—making people smile. The Holstein calf was born with a smiley face on one side of his body, a result of the naturally random black and white markings typical of their breed. Rather than joining the mating bull herd, Happy’s unique markings have landed him a role on the farm in perpetuity. Mr. Coster said many workers were keen to have him around as a mascot. So Happy is continuing to make people smile and is one heck of a natural lawnmower. Almost Every Cat in Viral Tik Tok Video is Adopted from the Kansas City Animal Shelter: Credit: Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter / Tiktok With the knowledge that dogs are easier to adopt out than cats, a Kansas City animal shelter took to social media with a simple, yet clever video to even the odds. But Wayside Waifs Hospital and Shelter did more than even them, they managed to get all but two of their shelter cats adopted after the video went viral on TikTok, garnering a million views, and 2,500 shares. Sources: Twin Paramedics Whose Dad Died of Cardiac Arrest Saved a Man Suffering Same Condition the First Time Working Together - Good News Network Newborn Calf with Smiley-Face Markings is Named ‘Happy’ and Will Graze on a Farm For Rest of His Life (goodnewsnetwork.org) Almost Every Cat in Viral Tik Tok Video is Adopted from the Kansas City Animal Shelter (goodnewsnetwork.org)

New Brain Implant Device Could Restore Function in Paralyzed Limbs: University of Cambridge Department of Engineering and Clinical Neurosciences A brain implant that can restore arm and leg movements has been developed by British scientists to boost connections between neurons and the paralyzed limbs, offering hope to accident victims. The device combines flexible electronics and human stem cells to better integrate with the nerve and drive limb function. By sandwiching a layer of muscle cells reprogrammed from stem cells between the electrodes and the living tissue in rats, the researchers found that the device integrated with the host’s body and the formation of scar tissue was prevented. While extensive research and testing will be needed before it can be used in humans, the device is a promising development for amputees or those who’ve lost function in limbs. For Stressed-Out Grad Students, Mindfulness Makes Big Difference: Phase 1 significant effects. Graphical representations of significant effects observed between pre- and post-test means in four measures for intervention and control groups. The vertical bars represent standard error of the mean. Credit: PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281994 A new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has discovered that normalizing mindfulness practices in graduate students improves overall well-being. Their results showed that regular, sustained mindfulness activities can play an important role in improving engineering graduate students' emotional well-being. In the study, engineering graduate student cohorts participated in an hour-long, instructor-led mindfulness training program once a week for eight weeks. Each week is built upon the last giving training for activities such as mindfulness meditation and strategies for changing responses to your emotions. In post-training surveys, students reported significantly improved emotional well-being, a more positive outlook, fewer negative emotions, and increased mindfulness. Compared to the control group, the mindfulness training group rated themselves significantly higher for overall well-being. Scientists Have Now Recorded Brain Waves From Freely Moving Octopuses: By implanting wireless devices into three octopuses like this one (Octopus cyanea, also known as the big blue octopus), researchers are now able to study the famously intelligent cephalopods’ brain activity during natural behaviors. MICHAEL KUBA For the first time, scientists at the University of Naples Federico have recorded brain waves from freely moving octopuses. The research done by Tamar Gutnick and colleagues adapted portable data loggers typically used on birds, and surgically inserted the devices into three octopuses. The researchers also placed recording electrodes inside areas of the octopus’s brain that deal with learning and memory. The team then recorded the octopuses for 12 hours while the cephalopods went about their daily lives sleeping, swimming, and self-grooming in tanks. Some of the brain waves recorded were similar to those in the human hippocampus (responsible for memory consolidation) and those associated with sleep were similar to other animals. However, the most interesting find was unusually slow and strong brain waves, cycling just two per second, or 2 hertz. While this research has some great findings, more experiments will have to be done to have more conclusive results. Sources: Indian Startup Uses Rice Crop Waste to Make Biodegradable Foam Packaging–Instead of Burning it (goodnewsnetwork.org) For stressed-out grad students, mindfulness makes big difference (phys.org) Scientists have now recorded brain waves from freely moving octopuses (sciencenews.org)

Indian Startup Uses Rice Crop Waste to Make Biodegradable Foam Packaging Instead of Burning it: Arpit A Delhi-based engineer has designed a replacement for polystyrene packaging out of “rice stubble” the dead stalks left over after the rice season in India, millions of tons of which are burned every year. The engineer, named Arpit Dhupar, launched a new business venture called Dharaksha Ecosystems in order to tackle the rice stubble problem. Its high moisture content means it’s not useful for stove fuel, so they burn it in massive pyres. To combat this, his company’s factory turns 250 metric tons of rice stubble harvested from 100 acres of farmland in Punjab and Haryana into packaging, while paying the farmers a rate of $30 per acre for something they would usually burn. Baked in the oven, the mycelium-bound stubble becomes hard and fire-retardent, allowing it to be laser engraved. Further, the product can tolerate high moisture content and is also anti-static. Arpit has already prevented over half a million pounds of polystyrene from entering landfills since launching his product and looks to continue the trend in the future. North Carolina Church Raises Thousands to Pay Off Cafeteria Lunch Debt For Every County School: City Church in Gastonia NC – City Church Facebook group A North Carolina pastor has been helping children in need throughout his county, whether they need clothes, housing, or even a family with programs like his church’s Foster and Adoption Ministry. A few years ago Pastor Dickie Spargo from City Church in Gastonia started Hope Closet, a clothing giveaway for kids who may be displaced, or kids in schools who need new shoes. In less than two weeks, the congregation raised $23,000. The $23,000 donation from the large Christian church will eliminate student lunch debt for the year, and the rest will help pay off debt for the next school year. Global Happiness Has Been ‘Remarkably Resilient’ Over the Past Three Years: World Happiness Report: By Irudayam, CC license In the 2023 World Happiness Report, a wonderful trend has emerged from the data. Despite a major war in Europe, and all the government shutdowns and totalitarian policing measures in front of the largest pandemic in 100 years, happiness ratings have remained much the same across Europe and elsewhere. The report, which is a publication of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, uses the Gallop World Poll data from 150 nations looking at things like a sense of social support and positive feelings toward others to rank order countries on reported happiness. GDP, medical facilities, and freedom to make life choices are then compared with the perception of government corruption, and sense of dystopia as factors to try and get a sense of why people in certain countries rank their happiness higher than others, though these socio-economic indicators do not contribute to the overall score. Sources: New Brain Implant Device Could Restore Function in Paralyzed Limbs (goodnewsnetwork.org) North Carolina Church Raises Thousands to Pay Off Cafeteria Lunch Debt For Every County School (goodnewsnetwork.org) Global Happiness Has Been ‘Remarkably Resilient’ Over the Past Three Years: World Happiness Report (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Elderly penguins receive custom lenses in "world-first" procedure: King penguin Theo was one of the animals that received the new lenses. Photo shows him post-surgery in recovery. MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP Three elderly penguins from a Singapore zoo underwent successful cataract surgery and received new custom-made lenses – the first known time the procedure's been done for the animals, the Mandai Wildlife Reserve announced Tuesday. Six penguins – three king penguins and three Humboldt penguins – from Jurong Bird Park had the surgery to "enhance their sight and improve their quality of life," which included the removal of cloudy lenses caused by cataracts, the zoo said. Only the three king penguins received the artificial lens – a "world-first," said Dr. Gladys Boo, who performed the surgeries along with a team at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. The penguins made a full recovery two months after the surgery and are currently back with their colony in Jurong Bird Park. Dr. Ellen Rasidi, a veterinarian with the Mandai Wildlife Group, said in a statement that all the penguins are doing well. Lacking Health Workers, Germany Taps Robots For Elder Care: Garmi is a product of a new sector called geriatronics, which taps advanced technologies for geriatrics, gerontology and nursing. A new robot nurse named Garmi has been created by a retired German Doctor and researchers as the Technical University of Munich. Garmi is a product of a new sector called geriatronics, a discipline that taps advanced technologies like robotics, IT and 3D technology for geriatrics, gerontology and nursing. Not only is Garmi able to perform diagnostics on patients, it can also provide care and treatment for them. With the number of people needing care growing quickly and an estimated 670,000 caregiver posts to go unfilled in Germany by 2050, the researchers are racing to conceive robots that can take over some of the tasks carried out today by nurses, caregivers and doctors. Although Garmi is still in its prototype phase it is showing great promise for the future of patient care, particularly for the elderly. 4 Years After Discovery, the First Viking Ship Burial Found in Over 100 Years Reveals its Lost Secrets: illustration from gjellestadstory.no When news broke in 2018 that another Viking-Age ship burial had been found on the shores of the Oslo Fjord, it quickly became one of the finds of the century. Excavations began in 2020 and concluded in October of 2021. Early on it was clear that nothing like a ship could be removed from the earth, not only for the condition of the wood, but also the rivets. More than 1,300 of them lined the clinker-built hull, but the iron flaked away at the slightest disturbance, requiring the excavators to remove them in blocks of dirt for CT scans. However, at the bottom of a central trench, the team found the ship’s keel, which is the beam of wood that sits underwater along the central spine of the ship. Tree-ring analysis and carbon dating showed the wood for the keel was felled in the 700s, meaning the ship probably saw action between the late 8th century to the 10th century—primetime for Vikings in that part of the world. The keel was removed and preserved by immersing it in a water-soluble wax called polyethylene glycol which impregnates archaeological wood samples found underwater or in sodden soil. Sources: Elderly penguins receive custom lenses in "world-first" procedure - CBS News Lacking health workers, Germany taps robots for elder care (techxplore.com) 4 Years After Discovery, the First Viking Ship Burial Found in Over 100 Years Reveals its Lost Secrets (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Two Sisters Put Up for Adoption at End of WWII Finally Reunite After 75 Years Apart: Annie ljpelaar and Sheila Anne Fry – SWNSgen It took 75 years but, two sisters who were placed up for adoption at the end of World War II were finally reunited. Adopted in the UK as an infant in 1946, Sheila had no knowledge of who her birth parents were—but using a DNA product, they discovered she had a half-sister who lived in the Netherlands, born just a few months after her to the same father. Annie’s 50-year-old son, Marc, made a this breakthrough when a joke between cousins led to him ordering a DNA test. When the email arrived announcing a DNA match, Marc was astonished to discover that his mother had a half-sister. After verifying the DNA connection by testing both sisters, Marc finally told his mother he had found her a sister and arranged a video call in May 2022. Annie Ijpelaar and Sheila Anne Fry, both in their late 70s, have Sheila’s daughter-in-law and Anne’s son to thank for the reunion, after they took it upon themselves separated to track their long-lost relatives. 8th Annual Ocean Conference Raises $20 Billion, And Pledges For Marine Protection: The Ocean Agency / Richard Vevers International delegates attending the eighth annual Our Ocean Conference in Panama March 2-3 have pledged billions to protect the world’s oceans. Participants made 341 commitments worth nearly $20 billion, including funding for expanding and improving marine protected areas and biodiversity corridors. Panama, the first Latin American country to host an Our Ocean conference, announced at the event that it was adding 36,058 square miles to its existing Banco Volcán Marine Protected Area in the Caribbean Sea, an area characterized by deep-sea mountain ranges and high biodiversity. The Banco Volcán was established in 2015 ​​with the protection of 5,487 square miles. Its expansion would bring the total amount of ocean protection within Panama’s exclusive economic zone to more than 54%. Firefighter Lures Trapped Dog Off the Ice Using Treats–Then Lifts it Up a 10-Foot Wall: Firefighters rescue the trapped dog Ivy – released by Alicia Rosa, Pound Buddies Patience, bribery, laughter, and a heck of a bicep muscle were all needed to rescue a helpless dog trapped after falling 10 feet into an ice-covered pool. The Michigan animal shelter Pound Buddies received several “frantic” calls on March 7th about a dog trapped in the old water filtration pond. The pond was frozen over, but with water clearly sloshing about over the ice, how long until the 60 lbs. husky plunged through was anyone’s guess. Pound Buddies called in the Muskegon Heights Fire Department, which arrived “within minutes” to rescue the pup. Kriger remained with his hand out with a treat calling the dog by name for 3 minutes or so, whilst his comrades jeered about making “no sudden movements.” Finally, the timid dog came in for more of Lieutenant Kriger’s scratches, allowing him to reach the dog’s collar. Displaying remarkable strength, he grabbed the not-entirely-cooperative pooch under his right arm and slowly climbed up the ladder and over the wall to safety. Sources: Two Sisters Put Up for Adoption at End of WWII Finally Reunite After 75 Years Apart (goodnewsnetwork.org) 8th Annual Ocean Conference Raises $20 Billion, And Pledges For Marine Protection (goodnewsnetwork.org) Firefighter Lures Trapped Dog Off the Ice Using Treats–Then Lifts it Up a 10-Foot Wall (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Astronomers Observe 2 Neutron Stars Colliding and the Extreme Reaction ‘Defies All Expectations’: Artists rendition of two neutron stars colliding – CC University of Warwick/ Mark Garlick Astronomers just finished putting into words the first observation of a “kilonova,” or the merger of two neutron stars. The scientists described it as the “perfect explosion” as it was utterly spherical, and brighter than a billion suns. After the two heavy stars merged, for a few moments they formed a massive neutron star, after which they collapsed into a black hole. In the middle of the merger, there could be fundamental physics that astronomers don’t understand yet. For example, the magnetic field formed around it is the strongest recorded in the universe, and so strong it can distort the structure of atoms. While there are still many mysteries to discover about this event, it still is an amazing sight to see and a testament to the beautiful complexity of the universe. Anti-dust Tech Paves Way for Self-cleaning Surfaces: A nanoscale look at how dust aggregates on this spiky surface. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin/Smart Material Solutions\ Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin partnered with North Carolina-based company Smart Material Solutions Inc. to develop a new method to keep dust from sticking to surfaces. The result is the ability to make many types of materials dust resistant, from spacecraft to solar panels to household windows. In tests, the researchers piled lunar dust on top of their engineered surfaces and then turned each surface on its side. The engineered structure was altered structurally to form tightly packed microscopic pyramids, making it harder for dust particles to stick. The result: Only about 2% of the surface remained dusty, compared with more than 35% of a similarly smooth surface. Fossils Suggest Early Primates Lived in a Once-swampy Arctic: Ellesmere Island in Canada was once home to warm, temperate swamps — and a small primate or close relative that lived millions of years ago. JOSH FORWOOD/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO The Arctic today is a hostile place for most primates, but a series of fossils found since the 1970s suggest that wasn’t always the case. Dozens of fossilized early primate teeth and jaw bones were unearthed in northern Canada. These remains are the first primate-like fossils ever discovered in the Arctic and tell of a groundhog-sized animal that may have skittered across trees in a swamp that once existed above the Arctic Circle. The Arctic was significantly warmer during that time, but creatures still had to adapt to extreme conditions such as long winter months without sunlight. Scientists know about this early Arctic climate in part because of decades of paleontological work on Ellesmere Island in northern Canada. These digs revealed that the area was once dominated by swamps not unlike those found in the southeastern United States today. While it is unclear how these primates survived these conditions, further research will attempt to uncover the reasons why. Sources: Astronomers Observe 2 Neutron Stars Colliding and the Extreme Reaction ‘Defies All Expectations’ (goodnewsnetwork.org) Anti-dust tech paves way for self-cleaning surfaces (phys.org) Fossils suggest early primates lived in a once-swampy Arctic (sciencenews.org)

Man Who Didn’t Read or Write Until His Late Teens Becomes Cambridge University’s Youngest Black Professor: Professor of Sociology of Education at University of Cambridge Jason Arday – SWNS A boy with autism who could not read or write until his late teens is now the youngest-ever Black professor at Cambridge University 20 years later. As a child, Jason Arday was diagnosed with global developmental delay, which affected his ability to learn how to talk and read. Speechless until age 11, therapists even predicted he would spend his adult life in assisted living, requiring lifelong support. He finally learned to read and write in his teens and became a PE teacher after studying at the University of Surrey. He wrote papers and studied by night while working as a PE teacher by day—eventually becoming an acclaimed professor with two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in educational studies from Liverpool John Moores University. Now, he is 37 years old has and taken up one of the most prestigious professorships in the sociology of education in one of the world’s top universities at Cambridge beginning on March 6th. A Dog Lost For 36 Hours Rang the Animal Shelter’s Doorbell: Credit – Animal Rescue League. Released When a rescue dog found herself lost in her new neighborhood, she somehow knew just where to go to find help. Back in January, a husky-mix named Bailey adopted by a family in Upper El Paso went missing, and her owners went to social media to try and find help locating her. But Bailey had a trick up her fur that would make the rescue efforts much easier. She walked herself ten miles right back to the Rescue League’s doors in Canutillo and rang the bell with her nose and at 1:40 AM, the surveillance camera on the doorbell caught an image of the clever dog. The shelter team immediately got Bailey inside and shortly thereafter reunited her with her family. North America’s Only Native Stork Poised to Fly off the Endangered Species List: Wood stork – Credit Mary Ellen Urbanski CC 2.0. After teetering on the edge of extinction almost 50 years ago, the wood stork is now widespread across the southeastern US, and is preparing a flight off the Endangered Species List. The wood stork faced extinction when listed in 1984 under the Endangered Species Act. The population had decreased from 20,000 nesting pairs to less than 5,000 pairs, primarily nesting in south Florida’s Everglades and Big Cypress ecosystems. Today, the wood stork breeding population has doubled to 10,000 or more nesting pairs and increased its range, including the coastal plains of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. These long-legged wading birds more than tripled their number of nesting colonies from 29 to 99 in their expanded range. Sources: Man Who Didn’t Read or Write Until His Late Teens Becomes Cambridge University’s Youngest Black Professor (goodnewsnetwork.org) A Dog Lost For 36 Hours Rang the Animal Shelter’s Doorbell (goodnewsnetwork.org) North America's Only Native Stork Poised to Fly off the Endangered Species List (goodnewsnetwork.org)

In ‘Mega Milestone’ India Connects 80 Million Rural Households to Water Supply in Just 4 Years: India’s Jal Jeevan Mission of growing tap water access has become and continues to be a great story of human development. Almost 79 million households have been provided with access to a tap water connection since the program’s launch in August 2019, bringing the total to 111 million, or 56% of rural households in the nation. The initiative faced disruptions during the pandemic, but the program has seen remarkable success from a starting point of just 32.2 million rural households out of a registered 192 million. Yale Honors Work of 9-Year-Old Girl Who is Stomping Out Extremely Invasive Bugs in New Jersey: Andrew Hurley / Yale University When 9-year-old Bobbi Wilson heard about the Hoboken campaign to eradicate the spotted lanternfly, she took the message to heart. To help out she whipped up some homemade, non-toxic, spotted lanternfly poison out of vinegar. Yale decided to highlight this citizen scientist, as she donated her collection of 27 laternflies to the Peabody Museum of Natural History database, and received the title “donor scientist.” Wilson was joining in New Jersey’s “Stomp it Out” campaign to help clear out the winged devils from the state. The invasive spotted lanternfly can cause huge damage to ecosystems, and currently, New Jersey is suffering from a bit of an infestation that is causing damage to over 70 species of plants and trees. The program hopes to remove 90% of the Ailanthus altissima trees which have allowed them to take root so that they can more easily exterminate them. Biggest Coin Hoard in a Decade Worth $180,000 Discovered During “Metal Detecting Rally” In British Countryside: Dariusz Fijalkowski, Mateusz Nowak, Andrew Winter, and Tobiasz Nowak – SWNS A new discovery of medieval coins in Buckinghamshire by local metal-detecting hobbyists is the largest one found in a decade. The metal detectorists Andrew Winter, Dom Rapley, Eryk Wierucki, Jaroslaw Giedyna, Dariusz Fijalkowski, and brothers Tobiasz and Mateusz Nowak were more used to digging up shotgun shells and thimbles than treasure, and were astonished to find coin after coin in the dirt. The seven men that found the hoard has been nicknamed the “Hambleden Hoard” on the Culden Faw Estate, Buckinghamshire, back in April 2019. It took four days to excavate all 627 coins, almost all of which were silver. They slept in tents three nights straight to ensure robbers couldn’t visit the site while they were away. The found 600 Medieval coins, including 12 rare gold “nobles” from the reign of Edward III, have been declared treasures by the British Government and valued at around £150,000 ($180,000). Sources: In 'Mega Milestone' India Connects 80 Million Rural Households to Water Supply in Just 4 Years (goodnewsnetwork.org) Yale Honors Work of 9-Year-Old Girl Who is Stomping Out Extremely Invasive Bugs in New Jersey (goodnewsnetwork.org) Biggest Coin Hoard in a Decade Worth $180,000 Discovered During "Metal Detecting Rally" In British Countryside (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Researchers Can Now Make Clean Hydrogen Fuel By Pulling it Directly From Seawater: By Daniel Sallai, CC license Researchers in Australia, an island nation, have successfully split seawater to produce green hydrogen without pre-treatment. An international chemical engineering team, led by the University of Adelaide’s Professor Shizhang Qiao and Associate Professor Yao Zheng, were motivated by the fact that the only thing emitted by hydrogen fuel is water. The team was able to split seawater into both hydrogen and water at 100% efficiency, allowing the creation of hydrogen without the extra steps of pre-treating. This process also needs cheaper components and resources overall compared to alternatives. This discovery moves the research of created energy through water electrolysis (conversion of seawater into energy) further forward, allowing it to increase the efficiency of current methods. Deep in a South Dakota Gold Mine, Physicists Prospect for Dark Matter: A mile below the surface in South Dakota in an abandoned gold mine, using a detector that is part of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, a UMD physics team is hunting for a yet-undiscovered particle that could explain the mystery of dark matter in the universe. Credit: Matthew Kapust, Sanford Underground Research Facility A research team in the South Dakota mountain town of Lead are trying to lure particles of dark matter from outer space. They're prospecting for WIMPs or "weakly interacting massive particles," which are thought to have formed when the universe was just a microsecond old and which may exist unseen all around us. They are conducting LZ experiments where particle collisions produce bursts of light. Researchers then work backward, using the characteristics of these flashes of light to determine the type of particle. If WIMPs are observed, they could hold clues to some of the most perplexing problems in physics: the nature of the mysterious, hypothetical substance called "dark matter" and the very structure of the universe itself. However, many of the current scientists working there say that the chances are slim, but the possibility of other new observed particles may give them clues. Muons spill secrets about Earth’s hidden structures: Measuring subatomic particles called muons that reach the earth from cosmic rays in outer space, scientists have found a new strategy for exploring archaeological sites. This discovery was made when scientists working with archaeologists near the Giza pyramid found interesting signatures from muons from the inside of the structure. What was discovered was a secret chamber that had never been found before. How it works is researchers measure how many of these muons are absorbed into a structure as they pass through and from this the density of an object can be measured, as well as any gaps within the structure. The result is a mapping of the internal structure of things without ever going inside. The process also has other applications to construction and building management since it can detect structural deficiencies before it causes an accident or collapse. Sources: Researchers Can Now Make Clean Hydrogen Fuel By Pulling it Directly From Seawater—No Filtering Required (goodnewsnetwork.org) Deep in a South Dakota gold mine, physicists prospect for dark matter Muons spill secrets about Earth’s hidden structures (sciencenews.org)

Half a Million Jobs Created in January Pushes U.S. Unemployment Rate to Lowest in 54 Years – 3.4%: By K. Mitch Hodge Data released this week showed the U.S. unemployment rate reaching its lowest point in 54 years, the fewest jobless Americans as a percentage of the population since 1969. Sustained job growth over the past year pushed down the unemployment rate to 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not only that, the median earnings for all workers were 7.4% higher at the end of 2022 compared to a year earlier, outpacing inflation. Black workers, young workers, and people on the bottom of the income scale saw the most significant pay increases in the last 12 months. Unemployment is also near record lows for Blacks and Hispanics, at 5.4 percent. The bureau reported widespread growth across industries, with notable gains in restaurants and bars, retail stores, healthcare facilities, professional and business offices, and construction. Man Sprints Along 4-Lane Snowy Highway to Stop Woman’s Runaway Car: When a Massachusetts woman lost consciousness at the wheel of her car on the highway, a man named Adolfo Molina came to her rescue. The tall and powerful Dominican sprinted across a 4-lane highway in the snow to try and stop her car as it brushed against the guardrails while continuing to accelerate on the shoulder of the road. At one point another person came to give Molina a hand, and together they tried to use sticks to stop the still-moving car which was beginning to move back towards the highway. They tried to push it into the guardrails to at least slow it down. In the end, the car finally stopped when her car hit a divider in the road and the woman was transferred to a nearby hospital. Rare Species of Feline Dubbed the ‘Original Grumpy Cat’ Found Living On Mount Everest: Pallas’s cat / SWNS A DNA analysis confirmed that the rare and little-known Pallas’ cat lives on the body of Mount Everest three miles above sea level. The discovery was made along Sagarmatha National Park on Mount Everest’s Southern Flank in Nepal after a month-long expedition collecting environmental samples. Known as the “original grumpy cat” before the famous internet meme cat was born, Otocolobus manul or Pallas’ cat stands among the most charismatic and unique wild Felidae on Earth. This mountain specialist is found at high elevations across Asia and is a super predator of small mammals. Currently classified by the IUCN as a species of no concern, it’s one of the few small wild cat species that is currently unimperiled. Future research combining camera trap surveys and the collection of additional scat samples would help to better define the Pallas’s cat population, range, density, and diet in Sagarmatha National Park. Sources: Half a Million Jobs Created in January Pushes U.S. Unemployment Rate to Lowest in 54 Years – 3.4% (goodnewsnetwork.org) Man Sprints Along 4-Lane Snowy Highway to Stop Woman’s Runaway Car (goodnewsnetwork.org) Rare Species of Feline Dubbed the 'Original Grumpy Cat' Found Living On Mount Everest (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Critical Discovery Highlights Weaknesses of Asteroids, Should Earth Ever Need to Destroy One: Artistic rendering of the asteroid Itokawa Recent surveys of the composition of an asteroid as old as our solar system has revealed key strengths and weaknesses of asteroids that will help humanity defend itself from asteroids. The core study was based on samplings of Itokawa, an asteroid that was found 1.2 million miles from Earth, and showed that composition rather than hardness is the main factor in destroying asteroids. The sample was found to be a “rubble pile” asteroid, meaning that it is made of loose rock and boulders, and most of it is empty space. This “Rubble pile” asteroid was found to be immune to impact weaponry and instead, planetary defense programs must focus on shockwaves that move them off course. Due to this, the researchers believe that nuclear detonations near this type of asteroid would be enough to send it off course, saving our planet from a collision. While it may seem farfetched, current geological data suggests the planet has been hit several times in the past with some planet-ending consequences, so it is best for us to be prepared. Earth’s Inner Core May be Reversing its Rotation: Scientists have proposed that Earth’s solid inner core (yellow in this diagram) rotates faster than the rest of Earth. A new study suggests the core’s rotation has recently paused and is reversing direction. FPM/E+/GETTY IMAGES PLUS Earth’s inner core may have temporarily stopped rotating relative to the mantle and surface. Now, the direction of the inner core’s rotation may be reversing which could be part of what could be a roughly 70-year-long cycle that may influence the length of Earth’s days and its magnetic field. In a new study, while analyzing global seismic data stretching back to the 1990s, Song and geophysicist Yi Yang at Peking University made a surprising observation. Before 2009, it was found that seismic waves sent through the Earth were traveling at different rates once it hit the inner core, indicating it was moving at a different rate than the rest of the planet. However, in 2009 the differences stopped and after that year they returned, making researchers believe the core may be rotating in the opposite direction. The same sort of cycle was also found with data in 1964-1970 from Alaskan earthquakes. This information is not conclusive though, and many scientists still dispute the length of time it takes for the core to reverse cycles and if it happens at all. For now, future research will have to be done to pin down this phenomenon, but if proven to be true it can help us understand our planetary home and how it works. New Detector Could Enable High-Speed Quantum Communication: The new detector is made of 32 niobium nitride superconducting nanowires on a silicon chip, which enables high count rates with high precision. Credit: Ryan Lannom, JPL-Caltech/NASA Researchers have developed a new detector that can precisely measure single photons at very high rates, allowing high speed quantum communication to be possible. The detector was developed as part of a NASA program to enable new technology for space-to-ground quantum communication, which can allow sharing of quantum information across intercontinental distances in the future. Quantum communication uses light at the single photon level to send encoded quantum information such as encryption keys, which allow you to read private text information. Due to the laws of physics, this method of communication is guaranteed to be secure. This new device allows already existing communication devices to send and receive data quicker by detecting it faster than current tech and measuring arrival times, which helps scientists gauge and make improvements to the system. With this new technology completely secure quantum information will be able to be sent across continents. However, the new quantum detector is still in its infancy and will need to be further worked upon to reach its full potential and so it can be implemented on a large scale. Science and Tech News Sources: Critical Discovery Highlights Weaknesses of Asteroids, Should Earth Ever Need to Destroy One (goodnewsnetwork.org) Earth’s inner core may be reversing its rotation (sciencenews.org) New detector could enable high-speed quantum communication (phys.org)

Inspired By Daughter’s Life-Saving Kidney Donor, Father Returns the Favor and Becomes a Donor: Courtesy of Jones Family A Welshman named Arfon Jones decided to donate his kidney to an unknown patient after his daughter received a donated one in a potentially life-saving procedure. When Arfon Jones’ daughter Seren became seriously ill and had to have both her kidneys removed, he did what any father would do and signed up to be a donor. However, the surgeons determined that his kidney would not match, and for months Seren sat on a dialysis machine 10 hours a night. In April of 2022, Arfon received a call that a suitable donor had been found. It was while Seren was awaiting a transplant that Arfon learned more about how to be a living organ donor, and that a normal person can lead a healthy life with just one kidney. Arfon then became a kidney donor at 70 years old just before Christmas, remarking he had given someone a very nice present. He doesn’t know their identity as it wasn’t a friend or family member, but he knows they’re doing well. 6 ‘Memory Bears’ Sewn With Love and Grandpa’s Flannels For Widow’s Grandchildren: AccentCare hospice A hospice care volunteer who sews together teddy bears for patients who’ve lost loved ones recently completed a monumental task of teddy bear sextuplets bearing a loving grandfather’s flannels. Patrice Travis works as a volunteer seamstress at AccentCare Hospice care in Texas, sewing a “memory bear” anytime one of their wards passes away. Thomas Lennon worked at the very same hospice for years before he died in August 2022 due to complications with Parkinson’s disease. Thomas’ widow, Mary was asked by AccentCare’s community outreach manager Christina if she wanted a memory bear in Thomas’ honor, but she requested six—one for each of his grandchildren, to be made out of his flannel shirts and in time for Christmas. Travis started right away and researched Thomas for details about him. She decided to make the bears look like “Pom-Pom,” grandpa’s nickname. The grandkids received their bears, each having been added to with one of Pom Pom’s hats, on Christmas morning. The grandkids call the bears “Grandpy.” They take “him” everywhere. Mary glows as she talks of how the bears do activities with the grandkids daily. Now, Grandpy continues to watch over them as their “Bear Angel.” Bucket Truck Used to Rescue Seagull Entangled in Utility Wires: Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter Animal rescuers in Connecticut received word that a seagull was tangled in wires at the top of a power line. The Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter in Branford went to the location of the call and, sure enough, found a seagull stuck dangerously close to the live power lines. Shelter personnel were able to get in contact with Eversource CT, a company that works on power lines, who decided to send a repairman turned animal rescuer to the scene with a bucket truck. They posted a video of the seagull-bucket-powerline rescue on Facebook, proving that not all heroes ride in X-Jets or Batmobiles; some ride in bucket trucks. Good News Sources: Bucket Truck Used to Rescue Seagull Entangled in Utility Wires (WATCH) (goodnewsnetwork.org) 6 ‘Memory Bears’ Sewn With Love and Grandpa's Flannels For Widow’s Grandchildren (goodnewsnetwork.org) Inspired By Daughter's Life-Saving Kidney Donor, Father Returns the Favor and Becomes a Donor (goodnewsnetwork.org)

New AI-Powered Farming Robot Trundles About Inspecting 50 Acres of Crops per Day for Pests and Disease: SentiV robot – credit: Meropy A new innovative spoke-wheeled robot can act as a long-distance plant nurse that can inspect 50 acres of row crops for disease, pests, or other issues. Planting is a seriously stressful time for farmers, as all the input costs stack up while profit lies far away in the distant months. Furthermore, many things can go wrong between planting and harvest time, whether that’s a sudden outbreak of disease, pests moving into the area or the proliferation of weeds. That’s why a new 33-pound robot called the SentiV moves about on spokes rather than wheels or treads which crush plants and could be ideal for farmers looking to reduce labor costs and hours. Placing the GPS coordinates of the field’s boundaries, the SentiV then uses these boundaries as a guide to map the whole field—up to 50 acres in a day, scanning both the underside and topside of plants with a pair of cameras. Smart algorithms then look for threats, monitor the plants’ growth, and identify signs that the plant might need more or less water or nutrients. The SentiV scouting robot is currently just a prototype, but its designers hope that the high unit cost can be offset with savings on pesticides and fertilizer. These chemists cracked the code to long-lasting Roman concrete: Built from concrete around 126 A.D., the Pantheon in Rome still stands, including its soaring dome (shown). STEPHEN KNOWLES PHOTOGRAPHY/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES PLUS Scientists have discovered that the secret to roman concrete is calcium-rich rocks formed from the lack of full mixing. MIT chemist Admir Masic and his colleagues were trying to re-create an ancient Roman technique for making concrete, a mix of cement, gravel, sand, and water. The researchers suspected that the key was a process called “hot mixing,” in which dry granules of calcium oxide, also called quicklime, are mixed with volcanic ash to make the cement. Then water is added. Hot mixing, they thought, would ultimately produce cement that wasn’t completely smooth and mixed, but instead contained small calcium-rich rocks. These calcium rocks are found in all roman concrete structures and chemical analysis of them reveals they may be serving to rejuvenate them after weathering or other damages. When putting the mixture to the test, cracks formed in the hot mixed compound healed in 2-3 weeks from calcium rocks weathering and recrystallizing. While this is a great discovery there is resistance in the concrete business due to high competition and slightly higher costs associated with making the mixture. However, The researchers hope that reintroducing this technique that has stood the test of time, and while that could involve a little added cost to manufacture, would ultimately make better structures that stand the test of time. Nearly 50-meter laser experiment sets record in University of Maryland hallway: A laser is sent down a UMD hallway in an experiment to corral light as it makes a 45-meter journey. Credit: Intense Laser-Matter Interactions Lab, UMD Records were set at the University of Maryland when a laser was sent over 50 meters down a hallway at their Energy Research Facility. While this was like any ordinary hallway in the facility, Physics Professor Howard Milchberg and his colleagues transformed it into a laboratory, with caution tape and protective equipment to ensure the safety of the area. Their efforts were to temporarily transfigure thin air into a fiber optic cable or more specifically an air waveguide that would guide light for tens of meters. These air waveguides have many potential applications related to collecting or transmitting light, such as detecting light emitted by atmospheric pollution, long-range laser communication, or even laser weaponry. The team had set a record before of 45 meters in the hallway but were presented with the challenge of reaching the 50-meter mark. To achieve this, the team used a technique that makes the laser come out in short pulses, allowing the light to not disperse (making the laser’s heat stronger) and reach a longer distance of almost 50 meters. The laser was strong and reached the very end of the hallway and left a small hole and burn in the wall, a mark of the achievement. Sources: New AI-Powered Farming Robot Trundles About Inspecting 50 Acres of Crops per Day for Pests and Disease (goodnewsnetwork.org) Nearly 50-meter laser experiment sets record in University of Maryland hallway (phys.org) These chemists cracked the code to long-lasting Roman concrete (sciencenews.org)

Man Who Broke into a School to Save 20 People in Blizzard Gets Super Bowl Tickets from the Buffalo Bills: Jay Withney surprised by Buffalo Bills – Released via Twitter A man who may have saved the lives of 24 people by breaking into a school in Cheektowaga, upstate NY during the ‘worst storm in a generation’ has been given Super Bowl Tickets by his hometown team. Jay Withey, the 27-year-old mechanic and hero, received the reward for his live-saving actions from the Buffalo Bills in collaboration with Blue Cross Blue Shield. He broke a window of Edge Academy on Christmas Eve in order to get 2 dozen people, including several seniors and two dogs, out of hurricane-force winds, snow, and deathly cold temperatures. He borrowed the academy’s snowblower to get people unstuck from the roads and into the school. Once inside, he found granola bars, water, and blankets in the nurses’ office, and gathered apples, juice, and cereal from the kitchen. The group sat out the storm, and before leaving cleaned up every trace of their presence. The school declined to press any charges, nor accept any of Mario’s repeated attempts to pay for the window. Crew of Street Vets Treat the Pets of Skid Row Homeless Residents: Dr. Kwane inspects a homeless woman’s dog – credit The Street Vet There aren’t many willing to voluntarily go out to spend the day on Skid Row, and even fewer with the goal of giving away free stuff, but Dr. Kwane Stewart, also known as “The Street Vet” is nearly famous because of it. Kwane runs the 501(c)3 non-profit Project Street Vet, which takes donations and volunteers out onto the streets and to homeless encampments to provide free medical care for their pets. Charity organizations partner with animal clinics and Project Street Vet to open pop-up clinics where the homeless can bring in their pets for even more sophisticated medical care, as well as procedures like spaying and neutering. Project Street Vet also assists qualified pet parents with their pet’s veterinary care through financial assistance grants. Their 2022 report for activities in Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Webster, Florida, report that Project Street Vet saw and helped nearly 600 pets and almost 150 people received financial assistance. 90-Year-old Woodcutter Built his Own Hobbit House Where He Lives in Charming Comfort: Stuart Grant Hobbit house – SWNS A woodcutter who built his own Hobbit house revealed he has never watched Lord of the Rings, but nevertheless lives in it almost off-grid despite being nearly 90. Great-grandad Stuart Grant moved into the cottage he bought as a wreck with no roof and no doors in 1984 while he was renovating a house but found it was so satisfying doing DIY on the quirky building which dated back 200 years, that he decided to make it his home. The old house had doorways, but no doors; window frames, but no windows, and there was no roof either. Outside there were only cows, chickens, and a donkey as neighbors. Building everything by hand, he described as working in “slow motion,” while living in a shed near the cabin. Once the project was finished, many onlookers described his door as being from a hobbit house which Stuart didn’t understand due to being completely off the grid. As the tourists began coming in busloads, they would routinely apologize for disturbing him and say they would probably feel a lot better if there were a collection box. He eventually caved but insists no one has to put anything in it. Sources: Man Who Broke into a School to Save 20 People in Blizzard Gets Super Bowl Tickets from the Buffalo Bills (goodnewsnetwork.org) Crew of Street Vets Treat the Pets of Skid Row Homeless Residents (goodnewsnetwork.org) 90-Year-old Woodcutter Built his Own Hobbit House Where He Lives in Charming Comfort (LOOK) (goodnewsnetwork.org)

‘Like Finding a Unicorn’: Researchers Rediscover Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon, a Bird Lost to Science for 140 Years: Black-naped pheasant-chicken – John Mittermeier/American Bird Conservatory In the final hours of a month long search through rugged jungles swarming with mosquitos, scientists confirmed the sighting of a bird that hasn’t been seen in 140 years. A picture of the ground-dwelling black-naped pheasant-pigeon was captured via camera trap, and felt to the team “like finding a unicorn.” Documented to science in 1882 and not seen since, the black-naped pheasant pigeon is now almost certainly the most endangered bird in New Guinea, and reinforces the need to conserve as much of its home of Fergusson Island off the east coast of the mainland. Now that the species is confirmed to exist, it means not only is there 1 less bird on the Search for Lost Birds‘ 150 bird roster, but 1 less of 20 that haven’t been seen in over 100 years. Physics study shows that sheep flocks alternate their leader and achieve collective intelligence: Credit: Luis Gómez-Nava, Richard Bon and Fernando Peruani. Fernando Peruani and two other researchers from the Université Côte d'Azur, Université de Toulouse, and CY Cergy Paris Université have recently used physics theory to examine the collective behavior of small flocks of sheep. Their findings, published in Nature Physics, show that by alternating between the role of leader and follower, the flock achieves a form of "collective intelligence." The key objective of their recent work was to investigate the collective motion of an animal system to see if collective motion phases have a beginning and an end. In their experiment, Peruani and his colleagues closely studied the spontaneous behavior of small groups of sheep over varying time intervals. The researchers then looked at the ordering of the sheep, their positions, and their movement speed to find any collective correlations in their movements. Interestingly, Peruani and his colleagues found that there was a consistent interaction network representing the behavior of the flocks which they observed was highly hierarchical. However, leaders of sheep groups are recycled regularly with current leaders being replaced by another at regular intervals. The Pristine Winchcombe Meteorite Suggests That Earth’s Water Came from Asteroids: Researchers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland found pieces of the Winchcombe meteorite in a field. Credit: MIRA IHASZ, SPIRE GLOBAL, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW An analysis of a meteorite found in northern England has shown that it came from the outer solar system and contains water that is chemically similar to Earth’s. How Earth got its water remains one of science’s enduring mysteries and the new results support the idea that asteroids brought water to the young Earth. The remains of the meteorite were collected only 12 hour after the collision, making the samples extremely pristine. The meteorite is a type of rare, carbon-rich rock called a carbonaceous chondrite, a research team found. It came from an asteroid near the orbit of Jupiter, and got its start toward Earth around approximately 300,000 years ago, a relatively short time for a trip through space. Chemical analyses also revealed that the meteorite is about 11 percent water by weight, with the water locked in hydrated minerals. Some of the hydrogen in that water is actually deuterium, a heavy form of hydrogen, and the ratio of hydrogen to deuterium in the meteorite is similar to that of the Earth’s atmosphere. Other organic materials like amino acids were also found inside the meteorite which contained the startup resources for the building blocks of life. While this is a great discovery, more analysis of other asteroids and research comparisons will have to be conducted to get a proper look at how life came to our planet. Sources: ‘Like Finding a Unicorn’: Researchers Rediscover Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon, a Bird Lost to Science for 140 Years (goodnewsnetwork.org) Physics study shows that sheep flocks alternate their leader and achieve collective intelligence A U.K. meteorite suggests Earth’s water came from asteroids (sciencenews.org)

Mindfulness Program Shown to Be as Effective as Antidepressant Drug for Treating Anxiety Disorders: By Darius Bashar A guided mindfulness-based stress reduction program was as effective as using ‘the gold-standard’ antidepressant drug escitalopram for patients with anxiety disorders, according to a first-of-its-kind, randomized clinical trial from Georgetown University Medical Center. Standardized mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), can decrease anxiety, but prior to this study, the interventions had not been studied in comparison to effective anti-anxiety drugs. The clinicians recruited 276 patients between June 2018 and February 2020 from three hospitals in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., and randomly assigned people to either MBSR or the common antidepressant drug escitalopram. MBSR was offered weekly for eight weeks via 2 1/2-hour in-person classes, plus a daylong retreat weekend class during the 5th or 6th week, and 45-minute daily home practice exercises. At the end of the trial, 102 patients had completed MBSR and 106 had completed their medication course. Both groups saw a reduction in their anxiety symptoms (a 1.35 point average reduction for MBSR and 1.43 point reduction for the drug, which is a statistically equivalent outcome), dropping from a mean of about 4.5 for both, which translates to a significant 30% drop in the severity of peoples’ anxiety. An early universe analog built in a lab in Germany: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A team of researchers at Universität Heidelberg has built an early universe analog in their laboratory using chilled potassium atoms. Understanding what occurred during the first few moments after the Big Bang is difficult due to the lack of evidence left behind. Many theories have been developed by astrophysicists, but most of them agree that the conditions were very cold and near absolute zero. So in order to understand the event better, scientists at the Universität Heidelberg created a simulated universe with supercooled potassium atoms that were cooled to a temperature just above absolute zero and then slowed with lasers. This turned the atoms into a superfluid called Bose-Einstein condensate which would be pushed with light from a specialized projector to mimic wave propagation, a process similar to the production of particles after the Big Bang. This model when first tested was able to produce similar results to what was previously predicted to have happened during the early expansion of the universe. While nothing is certain regarding our world’s creation, this is one step forward to understanding the universe and how it came to be and develop. Sharks face rising odds of extinction even as other big fish populations recover: Large, predatory, open ocean fish — a group that includes Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) like this one — have benefitted from successful fisheries management and conservation efforts in recent decades. Credit: IÑIGO ONANDIA After decades of population decline, the future is looking brighter for several tuna and billfish species thanks to years of successful fisheries management and conservation actions. However new research suggests some sharks that live in these fishes’ open water habitats are still in trouble. According to their research, these sharks are often caught by accident within tuna and billfish fisheries and a lack of dedicated management of these species has meant their chances of extinction continue to rise. These findings were compiled from an analysis evaluating the extinction risk of 18 species of large ocean fish over nearly seven decades. The team found that the extinction risk for tunas and billfishes increased throughout the last half of the 20th century, with the trend reversing for tunas starting in the 1990s and billfishes in the 2010s. However, three of the seven tunas and three of the six billfishes that the researchers looked at are still considered near threatened, vulnerable, or endangered. The shark species studied are also floundering in the very same waters where tuna and billfish are fished, where the sharks are often caught as bycatch. Some solutions going forward include catch limits for some species and establishing sustainability goals within tuna and billfish fisheries beyond just the targeted species, addressing the issue of sharks that are incidentally caught. While this solution among others may allow the shark species and other fishes to recover, they must be closely monitored in order to truly tell if they are helpful to these populations. Sources: Mindfulness Program Shown to Be as Effective as Antidepressant Drug for Treating Anxiety Disorders (goodnewsnetwork.org) An early universe analog built in a lab in Germany (phys.org) Some populations of large ocean fish are recovering, but not sharks (sciencenews.org)

Nation’s Largest No-Kill Rescue Shelter Opens in Alabama to Save 5,000 Dogs a Year: – Big Dog Ranch Rescue Shelter Macon County Kennels, the largest no-kill rescue shelter in the U.S., has newly opened a shelter named Big Dog Ranch in Alabama to help combat a pet overpopulation crisis in the southeastern United States. It was renovated from an old greyhound training center into a facility that has the capacity to save, rehabilitate, and adopt out up to 5,000 dogs per year. Located in Macon County, the intention of the founders was to service a region encompassing eight states including Florida and to help dogs find new homes across America. Currently, its three renovated buildings include space for 100 dogs and a veterinary center, but a further 13 kennels are still undergoing work. The 33-acre campus also includes work centers for several admirable programs, including one that unites veterans suffering from PTSD with abandoned service dogs, and a senior dog center that will pair pooches who’ve lost their elderly owners with other senior citizens looking for a new friend. A Baby Born Weighing 1.18-lb Has Finally Come Home After Spending 4 Months in Hospital Fighting for Life: Baby Isla / SWNS A baby born weighing less than a loaf of bread at just 535 grams has finally returned home to sleep in her own room. Lauren Ormston’s pregnancy was initially smooth sailing. All her scans came back healthy including one at 20-week and she expected to welcome her baby on July 1st. But on March 4, she began to get severe pains in her abdomen and when she went to the hospital in Surrey, England, she learned she was going into premature labor. She was immediately induced and two hours later gave birth to baby Isla, weighing just 1.18-lb. Doctors told the 27-year-old and her fiancé that the baby had only a 10% chance of survival due to her size. Baby Isla was later diagnosed with a level two bleed on the brain and a hole in the heart. After spending four months in the hospital, Isla was finally discharged in July, weighing 10 lbs 8oz. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but now Lauren is over the moon that Isla is home and happy. Trucker is Named a Highway Angel for Rescuing Crash Victims After Witnessing High Speed Collision: Tony Doughty / Highway Angel A truck driver from Greenville, Texas, was named a ‘Highway Angel’ for stopping his travels to administer aid to two injured drivers after witnessing an incredible crash. One morning two weeks ago, Tony Doughty was driving eastbound on Interstate 40 near Albuquerque, when he witnessed a red car ram into a Jeep while going around 70 miles per hour. He watched the Jeep flip over before the car crashed into a concrete barrier. The accident unfolded while Tony was driving on the opposite side of the highway. Doughty, a 15-year trucker who drives for Minnesota’s Bay & Bay Transportation, stopped in his tracks and jumped out of his truck with his EMT bag. The driver of the red Chevy had a broken leg, so Doughty put a splint on it while the man in his 30s admitted to being either withdrawing or overdosing on fentanyl and methadone. Doughty partnered with the police to relay the vitals of the crash victims to their dispatch and stayed on the scene until the ambulance departed. As a driver with over two million safe driving miles under his belt, this exemplary trucker was ready and prepared, stopping to help when most people wouldn’t. Sources: Nation’s Largest No-Kill Rescue Shelter Opens in Alabama to Save 5,000 Dogs a Year (goodnewsnetwork.org) A Baby Born Weighing 1.18-lb Has Finally Come Home After Spending 4 Months in Hospital Fighting for Life (LOOK) (goodnewsnetwork.org) Trucker is Named a Highway Angel for Rescuing Crash Victims After Witnessing High Speed Collision (goodnewsnetwork.org)