Fab Friday News
- 35 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Celebrating the end of the week with a global round-up of good news nuggets.
End of the Road
For photographer Helene Havard, travel is a way of exploring how places shape us. Through her signature pastel color palette, she has turned very real and active locations into dreamy, Wes Anderson-like sites where time doesn’t seem to pass. In her latest series, titled End of the Road, she captures the businesses that dot the highways of the American West. “End of the Road belongs to an ongoing exploration of places that already live within our collective imagination,” Havard says. Born in France and based in French Polynesia, the photographer’s earliest knowledge of these roadside sites came from art, film, and photography rather than a firsthand experience. “The series considers how these iconic landscapes shape perception long before we ever encounter them,” she explains, “treating the American desert as an idea as much as a place.”
Tamataroa
A great hammerhead shark is photographed at 55 metres depth in Tiputa Pass, Rangiroa Atoll, during a population survey. This image represents the moment an anonymous shark becomes a known individual. Through photo identification and laser-calibrated video photogrammetry, scientists can track sharks over time, measuring size, sex and population trends. Conducted without bait or attractants, this research helps reveal the lives of Tamataroa (their local name), a culturally respected species protected in French Polynesia.
Startlingly Good News
Cleared tropical rainforests can recover 90 percent of their species diversity within a single human generation, according to new research from Ecuador’s Chocó region, one of the most biodiverse stretches of Pacific coast forest. The study pooled data from more than 30 research groups, from working farms to forests that had been regrowing for years. Lead author, Timo Metz, noted that while rainforest resilience has been modeled theoretically for decades, evidence at this scale hadn’t existed before: “Rainforests, as complex ecosystems and species-rich communities, demonstrate remarkable resilience and the ability to return to their original state. This stability has often been modeled theoretically, but until now could not be demonstrated on the basis of such extensive empirical data.” Without any active replanting or restoration effort, 75 percent of species composition and 90 percent of species diversity return within roughly 30 years.
Saving Lives
A tetanus-diphtheria vaccine that doesn’t need a fridge has passed its first human trial, reports Gavi. UK scientists reformulated a licensed shot using trehalose, the sugar that lets desert plants survive without water, keeping it stable for up to two years at 30°C. In a trial involving 60 adults it matched two approved vaccines on safety and immunity. Keeping vaccines cold is one of the single biggest obstacles to getting them into remote and fragile places; this could be a really big deal.
Homer’s Odyssey
This summer, as one of the world’s oldest poems - Homer’s Odyssey - resurfaces in the public imagination via the silver screen, a rare artifact related to the epic is returning to the spotlight, too. The object in question is a papyrus fragment dated to the early Ptolemaic period. The first of its kind ever discovered by archaeologists, the Odyssey excerpt recently went back on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where it’s displayed alongside six other artifacts that “bring this famous Greek story to life in dynamic and surprising ways.” The roughly 2,300-year-old fragment is from one of the oldest surviving copies. Experts say that it was written in Egypt between about 285 and 250 B.C.E.
American Pride
European cars have long commanded eye-watering sums at auction, whilst American cars have historically fetched far less, but a recent sale has raised the bar dramatically. A 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe sold for $42,905,000 at the Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions. The result makes it the most expensive American car ever sold at auction, beating the previous record holder, a 1935 Duesenberg SSJ that sold for $22 million. In a fitting twist, the Daytona Coupe was specifically designed for international GT racing to beat the Ferrari 250 GTO, another vehicle known for eight-figure prices.
Ferrari's First EV Sells For $40 Million at Auction: It marks a new record for any new car sold at auction, and the good news is that all proceeds from the sale are going to charity.
Somewhat Overdue
While renovating their home, an Australian family found an old tea crate that had been sealed inside their fireplace. Inside was a book called The Antiquities of Athens. The volume had gathered dust for decades but remained in good condition. Recently, Ross Simmons started flipping through it, and he noticed the words “Kiama Public Library” stamped inside. The 77-year-old realized that someone, perhaps a relative, had checked it out long ago. The Antiquities of Athens was overdue. In fact, it had been overdue for approximately 150 years. According to the library’s early bylaws from 1872, patrons were allowed to check out books for one month. They would be fined 3 pence for every week beyond that period. According to a statement from the library, 150 years of late fees would add up to 28,000 Australian dollars (nearly $20,000) when adjusted for inflation. Happily, it no longer charges late fees!
"If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." George Orwell
On This Day
21 August 1942: Walt Disney's animated movie Bambi is released, as their fifth full-length feature. Based on the book Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten, the film follows the life of a young white-tailed deer named Bambi as he navigates the challenges of growing up in the forest.
Today's Articles
"Simply Astonishing": Experts just found a massive lost civilisation of up to 3 million people hiding in the jungle for 2,000 years.
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