Good News Friday
- May 30, 2025
- 4 min read
Celebrating the end of the week with a global round up of good news nuggets.
Prestigious Award
Self-described as merely “someone from a small village in a small European country” 19-year-old Adam Kovalčík won the top prize in America’s most prestigious science fair with his invention of a quicker, cheaper method of making a popular antiviral drug out of corn husk. Reducing the cost per gram from $75.00 to just $12.00, and the production time per batch from 9 days to just 5, it could dramatically increase the supply of galidesivir, used to treat RNA viruses ebola, Marburg, Zitka, and SARS CoV-2. The teenager from Slovakia, flew to Ohio to attend the 75th Annual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest pre-college science and engineering competition, hosted by the Society for Science. He won the $100,000 George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award, the highest honor available, for his presentation on the production of galidesivir from corn waste, which the judges described as a “bullet proof” presentation.
High Schoolers Find ‘Impossible’ Proof For 2,000-Year-Old Math Rule: They proved the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, a feat mathematicians thought could not be done.
Mamma Mia 3
ABBA fans will be delighted to hear that Mamma Mia 3 is in the pipeline. Speculation has been rife over the past few years, with producer Judy Craymer saying back in 2020 that “there’s meant to be a trilogy”. The original adaptation of the ABBA musical came out in 2008 with the sequel, Here We Go Again, arriving in 2018. Now, in a new interview with Deadline, Craymer hinted Sabrina Carpenter could be involved in the third film. When asked about who she could play, Craymer said: “She’d be a goddess or some relation who would look very much like Meryl Streep.” Craymer also confirmed that a third film was well into development.
Name Dropping
Japan is to crack down on "bizarre, eccentric and unpleasant" baby names as part of an official attempt to curb the trend for kira-kira (flashy) names, such as Pikachu, Caesar and Purin (pudding), said The Times. Japanese characters can be read several ways, depending on the other characters they're combined with, but, under the new rules, parents will have to specify how their chosen name will be pronounced – and officials will have the power to "eliminate extreme readings".
Flying Ferries
The boss of a ferry company has hailed a “new era” of flying high-speed electric ferries in the UK. Red Funnel, which runs passenger and vehicle services between Southampton and the Isle of Wight, has partnered with Belfast-based firm Artemis Technologies to launch a zero-emissions foiling vessel next year. The 150-passenger ferry, which costs around £11 million to build, uses advanced hydrofoil technology and modularised battery systems. The hull lifts out above the water, which significantly reduces drag and wake so that the electric boat can travel longer distances at speed. The Red Funnel ferry will be plugged in for a quick charge each time it berths and is expected to save up to 3,700 tonnes of carbon emissions each year compared with conventional high-speed ferries.
Biggest EV Ever Built: An Australian shipbuilder has launched the world's largest fully electric ship, marking a turning point for clean maritime transport.
New Hope
A paradigm shift in the way we treat spinal injuries is now in sight, with the world's first regenerative cell therapy being granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for a registrational Phase I clinical trial. It's a historic milestone that could successfully treat what has, until now, been an incurable condition. Spinal cord injury most often results from traffic accidents, sporting injuries and other trauma, including serious falls and workplace incidents. There's no real cure; treatment is more management, with surgery and rehabilitation to restore some degree of quality of life. Sufferers, however, are often left with paralysis or severe disability for life. The trials offer new hope.
Floating Homes
With space at such a premium in many modern cities, this project tackles the need for more new housing in an interesting way. Named Spoorweghaven, it's envisioned for a disused dock in the Netherlands and, assuming it goes ahead as planned, will be the largest floating community in Europe. Located in Rotterdam, it will breathe new life into the disused dock and feature 100 prefabricated wooden homes.
“Although I understand that all days are equal with 24 hours each, most of us agree that Friday is the longest day of the week and Sunday the shortest!” D.S. Mixell
On This Day
30 May 1922: The Lincoln Memorial - honouring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, and “the virtues of tolerance, honesty, and constancy in the human spirit” - was dedicated in Washington, D.C.
Today's Articles
$101 Million Prize: It’s one thing to live a long life; it’s another to live them in good health. That’s the objective of a longevity research competition.
Mood Boosting Video
Sublime Rendition: Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott performing Ave Maria.
