An eclectic bundle of positive news stories to perk up the day.
'Capital' of Lightning
In a remote part of Venezuela the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo. It's a stunning location, but also home to a unique meteorological phenomenon and a storm chaser's dream - the Catatumbo lightning. With most experts estimating that lightning strikes occur roughly 140 to 160 nights a year, with flashes often visible seven to 10 hours per night, it's not hard to see why the area is a world record holder.
Rare Upside-Down Lightning Known as Gigantic Jets: Gigantic jets are 50 times more powerful than typical lightning bolts and blast upwards to the edge of space.
5 Second Break
It’s part of being in a relationship: arguments happen. While no one-size-fits-all solution can resolve every fight, researchers discovered a simple tip to stop arguments escalating. It requires very little effort and can go a long way: take a five-second break. “It sounds obvious, but this is the first time anyone has experimentally demonstrated a reduction in aggression following enforced breaks,” says Annah McCurry, the lead author of a recent study outlining the findings. She added: “It’s cheaper than couple’s therapy." Are longer breaks better? Not necessarily. A five-second break was equally as effective as a 10- or 15-second break when it came to reducing negative emotions, showing that “even the briefest of pauses can help diffuse an argument.”
Incredibles 3
Everyone's favorite super family is coming back to the big screen, because Incredibles 3 is officially in the works as an upcoming Pixar movie. When The Incredibles was released back in 2004, it shook the world. Not only was the animation spectacular, but the story was great, the music phenomenal, and the characters became icons for Pixar as a whole. Fourteen years later, Incredibles 2 was released and wound up becoming the most successful Pixar film to date (that is, until Inside Out 2 scored over a billion dollars this year). Now, we know that Incredibles 3 is finally in development.
Perseverance's Climb
NASA's Perseverance rover is set to begin its most daring climb yet this week, embarking on an expedition up the western rim of Mars' Jezero crater to a summit scientists have called Aurora Park. Since landing on the red planet in February 2021, the car-sized lab has collected over 20 rock cores in four campaigns, traveling a collective 18 miles. Among Perseverance's contributions are rock samples supporting the theory the crater was once a vast, watery lake around 3.5 billion years ago. The rover has not yet discovered evidence of life on Mars; some promising rock samples require analysis upon their return to Earth. Perseverance's latest journey will see the rover climb an estimated 1,000 feet in elevation, traversing slopes as steep as 23 degrees on rocky, unpaved terrain. Scientists have identified two locations in particular for further study, with bedrock indicating a climate very different from that of Mars today.
Salmon Resurgence
Shattering the previous high, sockeye salmon are returning to the waters of Washington in record numbers. At a single dam, there were 165,071 sockeye counted through July 31, far surpassing the previous record of 54,000.
Gel to Stop Bleeding
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first gel-based treatment for controlling moderate to severe bleeding. The new product could potentially prevent deaths from blood loss as a result of gunshot and stab wounds. Cresilon’s Traumagel is a first-of-its-kind plant-based gel that was designed to “stop and control life-threatening bleeding in a matter of seconds”. Traumagel is expected to launch in late 2024.
"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly." Lauren Bacall
On This Day
20 August 1975: The robotic U.S. spacecraft Viking 1, built to explore the surface of Mars, was launched. Nearly one year later it landed in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
Today's Articles
Kindness Rocks: What started as a small gesture of kindness between two women has blossomed into a thriving movement spreading joy.
Important Milestone: In good news for Americans and the planet, US wind and solar is on track to overtake coal this year.
Pedestrianism: The world's richest 19th century sport with epic rivalries, eye-watering salaries, feverish nationalism and 450 mile walks.
Mood Boosting Video
Peacock Courtship: Male Peacocks try to impress females by strutting their stuff.