OGN Friday
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Concluding another tumultuous week with a global round up of positive news nuggets to brighten the day.
"Stay Tuned"
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has just registered the alien.gov and aliens.gov web domains, setting off speculation as to whether the president was going to make good on his promise to publish documents related to extraterrestrials. In case you missed that (there have been a couple of other things going on), Trump announced in February that he’d asked “the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life … and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)”. There hasn’t been much clarification on this but the White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly did post an alien emoji and urge people to “stay tuned”.
Detroit's Sequoias
The towering giant sequoia has long defined the forests of California. These ancient trees can soar more than 300 feet tall and live for over 3,000 years, making them among the largest and longest-living organisms on Earth. Now, conservationists are giving their descendants a surprising new home in Detroit, Michigan. Volunteers in Detroit have begun planting hundreds of giant sequoia saplings throughout the city. But these young trees are not ordinary seedlings; scientists created them as clones from famous ancient sequoias in California, including the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg tree. The initiative brings together environmental groups such as Archangel Ancient Tree Archive and Arboretum Detroit. Their goal is to preserve the genetics of some of the world’s oldest trees while also expanding urban green space.
Did You Know? The world's deepest canyon is home to Asia's tallest tree - and the second tallest tree in the world.
Star Material
A Los Angeles woman is living the A-list lifestyle without leaving home, after finding the red carpet from the Oscars “languishing in a skip the morning after the ceremony”, and deciding “to kit out her home with it”, said The Guardian. Paige Thalia filmed herself salvaging rolls of the famous carpet “still encased in plastic wrapping”. Long story short, she now has a huge piece of the Oscars red carpet in her living room.
A Dog's Life
Using the oldest dog genes studied so far, scientists are finding more evidence that our furry friends have been our companions for thousands of years. Scientists think dogs descended from an ancient population of gray wolves somewhere in Europe or Asia. Tens of thousands of years ago, those wolves got used to living with people and became less aggressive. As they became domesticated, their genes shifted along with their behavior, giving rise to the pups we know today. Exactly when and where this happened remains a mystery. However, in two separate studies published in the journal Nature, researchers have pushed the timeline back, having established a new way to study ancient canine DNA. The oldest dated back to about 15,800 years ago, moving the origin of dogs back by at least 5,000 years.
A Gazing Owlet
Ever locked eyes with a wild owlet? Louise Norris did - and fortunately had her camera paired ready to capture the encounter. Her image, A Gazing Owlet, recently won the Birds category at the LCE Photographer of the Year competition. What makes the image so compelling is the direct eye contact between the 4-week year old little owlet and the lens. The composition uses softly blurred foreground leaves to create a natural frame-within-frame, while the owlet's lighter tones stand out beautifully against the dark, green backdrop.
Easter Candy
America's National Retail Federation says it expects consumers to spend $3.5 billion on Easter candy this year, with shoppers dropping an expected total of $24.9 billion on the holiday overall, surpassing previous spending records.
"This Friday, finish your work and be done. Look forward to the weekend and have some fun!" Kate Summers
On This Day
27 March 1952: Singin' in the Rain, a musical comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. The film famously depicts the chaotic transition to "talkies" in Hollywood.
Today's Articles
Original Inspiration: Skeleton of the man who inspired Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers hero d’Artagnan has been found.
Getting Enough? If you're experiencing brain fog and tiredness, it may be due to a lack of this superstar vitamin.
Mood Boosting Video
Promo flashmobs for Michael.