Friday's Positive News

Editor OGN Daily
11 hours ago
3 min read

Ending the week on an upbeat note with today's global collection of positive news stories.

Model wearing pink 'fevvers' at Paris Fashion Week 2025 — Credit: Stella McCartney

Debut of 'Fevvers'

Stella McCartney is trying to save the world, one feather at a time. Or rather one “fevver”, a new plant-based product that has the look of a feather without the bird, which just made its first ever appearance at the designer’s spring/summer show in Paris. The “fevvers” are made from a plant-based material and naturally dyed, which has the look of a feather without the bird. McCartney notably hasn’t used leather, fur, or skins in the entirety of its nearly 25-year history. “It’s weird to me that feathers being plucked from a bird are seen as delicate in fashion,” said McCartney backstage at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. “I’m trying to show that you can still have the theatre of fashion without the animal compromise.”

Medical Breakthrough

Researchers believe they have developed the first dedicated blood test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which has the potential to be a game-changer for millions around the globe who suffer from the debilitating condition. It has 92 percent accuracy. "This is a significant step forward," said Dmitry Pshezhetskiy, a professor from UEA's Norwich Medical School, in south east England. "For the first time, we have a simple blood test that can reliably identify ME/CFS - potentially transforming how we diagnose and manage this complex disease."

Native Forward

Mackenzie Scott has just donated $50 million to a nonprofit that offers scholarships to Native students. The Native Forward Scholars Fund is the largest provider of scholarships to Native students, and Scott’s contribution is one of the largest-ever gifts to a Native nonprofit, following a $20 million unrestricted donation to the fund in 2020. Native Forward has already earmarked part of the donation to award scholarships to an additional 400 students, while also considering the creation of a pooled endowment to ensure long-term support. “I don’t know that people really understand how transformative it is when you take a $5,000 scholarship and put it into the hands of someone who is brilliant and talented,” said CEO Angelique Albert. Thus far, Mackenzie Scott has given away at least $19 billion to more than 2,000 nonprofits.

Hogarth’s murals, The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan — Credit: Bart's Health NHS Trust

First Time in 300 Years

In 1732, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London began construction on its North Wing, an extravagant interior featuring a Great Hall with a gilded ceiling, a timber staircase and two floor-to-ceiling murals by English painter William Hogarth. Now, for the first time in nearly 300 years, the North Wing is open to the public. On select days, visitors can admire Hogarth’s murals, The Pool of Bethesda and The Good Samaritan, up close. The grandiose biblical scenes, which adorn the North Wing’s stairwell, were rare for Hogarth, a satirist who mainly drew political cartoons. In The Pool of Bethesda, a man who has long been unable to walk is healed by Jesus. In The Good Samaritan, the eponymous biblical character pours oil and wine into a man’s wound.

Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special poster — Credit: NBC

SNL 50th Anniversary

If you didn’t tune in to the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special which actually aired in February, you will be pleased to know that this coming Saturday actually marks five decades since SNL premiered. The brainchild of Lorne Michaels and then-NBC president Herb Schlosser, the show was initially called NBC’s Saturday Night, and iconic comedian George Carlin hosted the first episode. Check out some of the funniest SNL moments.

Idea Already in Good Use

Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 for the development of a new type of molecular architecture. The constructions they created contain large cavities in which molecules can flow in and out. And, in good news for all of us in real-world applications, researchers have already started using them to harvest water from desert air, extract pollutants from water, capture carbon dioxide and store hydrogen.

“A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.” Jesse Owens

On This Day

10 October 1903: The Women's Social and Political Union is formed by Emmeline Pankhurst to fight for women's rights in Britain. Some degree of success was achieved in 1918 when British women were granted limited suffrage, but it was only in the year of her death in 1928 that women were granted full voting rights.