OGN Tuesday

Editor OGN Daily
10 hours ago
3 min read

Today's global collection of positive news stories to help brighten the day.

sled dogs at Alaska’s Denali National Park — Credit: Jacob W. Frank | NPS

Puppy Cam

There’s another animal live stream to get glued to, and this one features some adorable future heroes: the next generation of sled dogs at Alaska’s Denali National Park. The Denali Sled Dog Kennels’ seasonal Puppy Cam is turned on when the newest recruits to the mushing squad are old enough to wander around and play on their own. This year’s litter was born May 3, and the cam recently went live, introducing viewers everywhere to pups Storm, Squall, Graupel, Fog, and Dew. When they’re older and have gone through training, the newcomers will join the rest of the squad. Together with human rangers, the mushing dogs help preserve and protect Denali National Park by patrolling over 2 million acres of federally designated wilderness.

Mucus is Good News

From cancer to COVID, mucus (yes, mucus) could transform medicine, says New Scientist. Researchers are uncovering the surprising power of mucus to neutralise viruses, block bacteria, and reduce inflammation. Its unique structure helps prevent infections by keeping microbes from sticking to cells. Synthetic versions are already being developed for treating cancer, healing wounds, and protecting against viruses.

Aerial view of Roman era villa foundations — Credit: Ch. Fouquin / INRAP

Ancient Roman Villa

In ancient times, all roads led to Rome - or so the saying goes. Nowadays, new roads can lead to Roman ruins. During construction of a regional road outside of Auxerre, in central France, salvage archaeologists have unearthed a sprawling Roman villa complete with a stately garden, a fountain and an elaborate system of underfloor heating known as a hypocaust. The enormous villa spans 43,000-square-feet and is thought to date to between the first and third centuries C.E. It suggests a spectacular level of grandeur. INRAP identifies the site as one of the “grand villas of Roman Gaul,” which are typified by their vast dimensions and sophisticated architectural style. They typically encompass both agricultural and residential portions, known in Latin as pars rustica and pars urbana, respectively. In the pars urbana, grand villas tend to feature stately construction materials like marble; extensive mosaics and frescoes; and amenities like private baths, fountains and gardens. So far, the excavations at Sainte-Nitasse have revealed all these features and more.

Sentient Beings

Italy strengthens animal cruelty laws with harsher penalties, reports World Animal News. Italy has enacted new legislation imposing stricter penalties for animal cruelty, including fines up to €60,000 and prison terms of up to four years. The law redefines animals as sentient beings with rights, aiming to combat practices like dogfighting and the dissemination of animal abuse content online.

New vs Old

“A new Age of Electricity is drawing nearer.” Despite geopolitical uncertainty, the IEA reports energy spending will reach $3.3 trillion this year - $2.2 trillion of which is going into low-carbon solutions, and double what’s being invested in oil, gas and coal. In advanced economies, renewable power to fossil fuel power investment is now almost a rounding error, a 12:1 ratio. In China it is a lower but still very robust 6:1.

Unintended Consequences

Trump may accidentally be accelerating the clean energy transition, says Bloomberg. The administration's 'energy dominance' agenda, aimed at boosting fossil fuel exports, is having an unexpected effect: making other countries nervous about oil dependency and pushing them faster toward renewables. In trying to stall the energy transition, he may be speeding it up.

"I've never looked through a keyhole without finding someone was looking back." Judy Garland

On This Day

The Watergate building viewed from the air

17 June 1972: The Watergate, an office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C., that was the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, was broken into by five men who were later arrested, prompting the Watergate scandal that upended the administration of U.S. President Richard Nixon.