OGN Monday

Editor OGN Daily
3 minutes ago
3 min read

Kick-starting the week with a smorgasbord of tasty good news nuggets.

A Fashion First

English-Jamaican designer Grace Wales Bonner has been named as the new creative director of menswear for French fashion house Hermès. The appointment means Wales Bonner, a 35-year-old Londoner, is now the first black woman to lead design at a major fashion house, according to the New York Times. In a statement, Wales Bonner said she was "deeply honoured to be entrusted with the role". Her first collection will launch in 2027.

Peanut Allergies

In 2015, a landmark study in the U.S. proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent the development of life-threatening allergies. A decade after new guidance was issued based on those findings, recommending introducing the allergen in infants as young as 4 months old, new research has found it has prevented about 60,000 children from developing peanut allergies. The rate of peanut allergies in children ages 0 to 3 fell by more than 27 percent after guidance for high-risk kids was first issued in 2015, and by more than 40 percent after the recommendations were expanded in 2017.

Miniature bottle of Carlsberg — Credit: Carlsberg

Fancy a Beer?

Who knew a beer could be so cute? Carlsberg has created the world’s smallest beer, a nonalcoholic beverage in a bottle that’s only 12 millimeters tall, to “remind people of the importance of drinking responsibly,” says Casper Danielsson, head of communications at Carlsberg Sweden. The bottle is as small as a grain of rice and contains just a single drop of non-alcoholic beer. It comes complete with a Carlsberg label and a sealed cap. “Some might think the bottle doesn’t exist, or that the images are AI-generated. But it’s actually the product of craftsmanship, innovation and a close collaboration between us and several experts."

Pair of North Atlantic right whales — North Atlantic right whales

"Cautiously Optimistic"

Eight new whales may not sound like much - but when it comes to one of the world’s rarest and most endangered whale species, it’s something to be hopeful about. A new report found that the North Atlantic right whale population reached 384 whales in 2024, up from 376 the previous year. The encouraging uptick is part of a four-year trend of slow and steady growth for the species. “The slight increase in the population estimate, coupled with no detected mortalities and fewer detected injuries than in the last several years, leaves us cautiously optimistic about the future of North Atlantic right whales,” says Heather Pettis, a research scientist who chairs the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.

Social media post saying 'Volunteers Needed' — Credit: OCPD

Hardly Surprising

The Ocean City Police Department in Washington says they were overwhelmed by the number of volunteers eager to smoke cannabis for an upcoming training event aimed at helping officers recognize signs of impairment. The department posted a call for participants on social media, looking for about a dozen adults aged 21 and over. Within a very short period of time, they were swamped with sign-ups and closed registration.

tawny frogmouth sitting on a branch — Credit: Birdlife Australia

And The Winner is...

The tawny frogmouth has been named Australia’s 2025 bird of the year, after taking second place in the biennial Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll three times running. More than 310,000 votes were cast and the tawny led the charge from the start, despite being hotly and persistently pursued by two cockatoos: the Baudin’s black cockatoo and the ever-popular gang-gang. Tawny frogmouths are found only in Australia; they are nocturnal, territorial and mate for life, nesting (haphazardly) on large horizontal branches of older trees. Tawnies and other frogmouths, so-named for their flat gaping bills, are often mistaken for owls but are more closely related to nightjars.

EU EVs

Sales of battery-electric vehicles in the European Union increased by 24.8 percent during the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period the year before, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, says Euro News. Sales of new petrol cars decreased by 19.7 percent during the first eight months of 2025. Diesel cars lost even more, with a decline of 25.7 percent during the same period.

“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.” Bessie Anderson Stanley

On This Day

27 October 1975: Covers of both Time ("Rock's New Sensation") and Newsweek ("Making of a Rock Star") magazines feature rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen after the release of his breakthrough album Born to Run.