Monday's Good News
- 16 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Kick-starting the week with some tasty bite-sized chunks of good news.
16th Century Heart
In 2019, amateur metal detectorist unearthed a pendant in a field in Warwickshire, England. He had taken up metal detecting six months before stumbling across this “once in a lifetime - no, once in 30 lifetimes” - discovery. Now, the British Museum has successfully raised the money to acquire this heart-shaped artifact memorializing one of England’s most notorious royal marriages. Known as the Tudor Heart, the 24-carat gold pendant from the early 16th century is the only surviving piece of jewelry linked to Henry VIII’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Accompanied by a 75-link gold chain and a clasp in the shape of a hand, the pendant features a red and white Tudor rose, a pomegranate bush, and the initials “H” and “K.” Red letters spell out tousiors, an old French word for “always,” on a golden banner that stretches across the artifact.
Renewed Hope
A rare monkey with a shock of orange hair has been born at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England. The birth of the endangered François' langur offers renewed hope for the long-term survival of the species which is native to China and northern Vietnam, but faces threats from illegal hunting for their meat and traditional medicinal purposes. The zoo says that the orange hair is an evolutionary quirk, thought to allow parents to easily spot their youngsters when they're being cared for by other members of the troupe. "It's estimated that only 2,000 of these primates remain in the wild, so every birth is a ray of hope for the species."
Life's Work
Just over two decades ago, a trucker called Joe Macken carved a mini replica of 30 Rock, the art deco skyscraper and centerpiece of Rockefeller Center. That went well, so he started adding on, using wood to render the surrounding Midtown neighborhood. His mini Midtown became mini Manhattan. Then, he decided to model all of New York’s five boroughs, block by block. The result is a 50-by-27ft piece made of wood and cardboard, held together by glue and the sheer determination Macken needed to get it done. Twenty-three years later, the Museum of the City of New York now houses the project that spiraled into Macken’s life’s work.
Powerful Combination
A major new piece of research finds that combining solar panels with farming - called agrivoltaics - could boost global crop output by enough to feed more than two billion people a year. This is revolutionary news because it means any suitable piece of cropland can now be modified to produce more food, more power, more income, more biodiversity and fewer emissions, all in a single step. The report drily notes that potential added agricultural income could exceed $1 trillion. Indeed, agrivoltaics is what enabled Vatican City to become the World's First Country Powered 100 Percent by Solar.
Community Governance
Colombia has formally handed title to a huge swathe of land (over 2,000 square miles) in the Amazon to Indigenous communities, securing territory for 12,792 families across five frontier departments, reports ColombiaOne. The move coincides with an increasingly interesting broader shift: early data show Amazon deforestation fell 25 percent last year, suggesting that land rights, community governance and enforcement are beginning to bend the deforestation curve.
Mini Reborn
Britain’s most-loved car is set for an electric rebirth. Oxfordshire-based car specialist Everrati has confirmed plans to build a zero-emissions version of the original Mini. The 1960s classic is widely regarded as Britain’s best-loved and most iconic car. Each donor Mini will be stripped back to a bare shell, restored and rebuilt with a bespoke electric powertrain, with many of the specialist parts that go into the other Everrati models finding their way into the Mini, too. The Mini’s compact dimensions dictate modest battery packaging, with a targeted range of around 110 to 120 miles - meaning the car will be aimed squarely at urban use rather than motorway touring, exactly as the original was. Everrati Mini prices start at £155,000 ($210,000), plus the donor car. That is, sadly, rather a lot more than the Mini's £500 price tag when launched in 1959.
Green Growth
Clean-energy industries drove more than one-third of China’s economic growth in 2025 and over 90 percent of new investment, according to Carbon Brief. The clean sector is now responsible for 11.4 percent of GDP, led by EVs, batteries and solar. Without clean energy, China would have missed its growth targets, underscoring the sector’s increasingly central economic role. Furthermore, China’s emissions really do look like they’ve peaked. China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for 21 months, with what looks like a 0.3 percent decline in 2025. Clean power met all electricity-demand growth as solar, wind and nuclear rose. If this really is China’s peak (still to be officially confirmed) it’s arguably the climate story of the century.
“You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Zig Ziglar
On This Day
16 February 1861: President-elect Abraham Lincoln stopped his inaugural train in Westfield, New York, to meet 11-year-old Grace Bedell, who had written to him in October 1860 advising that a beard would improve his appearance and win more votes. Lincoln, now sporting a beard, found her in the crowd, thanked her, and said, "You see... I let these whiskers grow for you, Grace," before kissing her.
Today's Articles
Art is Good For You: Viewing original works of art can relieve stress, cut heart disease risk and boost immune system, first study of its kind finds.
Mood Boosting Video
Trailer: Baz Luhrmann's 'Elvis Presley in Concert'. Out on 20 February.