Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global round up of positive news nuggets.
Nuts Solution
The British government has revived a plan “hatched” by King Charles years ago to control the UK’s growing, invasive grey squirrel population by feeding them Nutella laced with contraceptives, the Daily Mail reports. The then Prince of Wales reportedly proposed the solution in 2017, in a bid “to protect his beloved, and native, red squirrels” from the grey invaders. The idea was scrapped when officials realised that the nutty chocolate spread “on its own was super dangerous because, of course, type two diabetes”, GB News explained this week. But according to the Mail, the government has now tweaked the idea and plans to ask households in designated areas to put “specially designed feeders that contain food laced with contraceptive” in their gardens.
Earth Day
Today is the 53rd anniversary of the first Earth Day. It was inaugurated on April 22, 1970, when an estimated 20 million people across America attended the first events at tens of thousands of sites including elementary and secondary schools, universities, and community sites. Why? Because there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. In fact, there were absolutely no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect the environment. So, Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day as a way to force this issue onto the national agenda.
Reef Recovery
Ancient coral reefs have been discovered in waters off Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, in a region left devastated by freak weather conditions four decades ago. The 1982-83 El Niño event was thought to have virtually wiped out reefs around Galapagos. However, scientists have now discovered extensive reefs in the middle of the archipelago, bringing hope that others may have survived. “They are pristine and teeming with life – pink octopus, batfish, squat lobsters and an array of deep-sea fish, sharks, and rays,” says marine biologist Dr Michelle Taylor. “These newly discovered reefs are potentially of global significance."
Smart Dressing
It's ironic that in order to check if a wound is becoming infected, doctors may end up setting back the healing process by prematurely removing the dressing. An experimental new dressing is designed to help, as it changes color if an infection is occurring. "Being able to see instantly whether a wound has become infected, without having to lift the dressing, opens up for a new type of wound care that can lead to more efficient care and improve life for patients with hard-to-heal wounds," says Prof. Daniel Aili of Sweden's Linköping University . "It can also reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics."
Surf's Up
It's been a great week for a 15-year-old from Cornwall (south west England) as he has just been crowned the best young surfer in the world. Lukas Skinner won the under-16 title at Australia’s Rip Curl GromSearch competition, a prestigious award that has never been won by a British surfer before. He started surfing at the age of three, with his father Ben Skinner, an 11-time European longboarding champion who now runs a surf shop in Newquay. “It was so good to go to Australia for the first time and just experience new things,” said Lukas. “I was surfing with the best surfers in the world and to be around them, it was the best thing I could ask for.”
Look Up
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will peak this weekend, sending fleeting bright streaks across the night sky. And this year it's expected to be particularly good because the moon isn't going to be causing any disruption. More...
Moose Visits Hospital
Patients and doctors at a hospital in Alaska were surprised last week to find a moose on the loose in the lobby. The animal, which strolled in through the front doors at Providence Health Park in Anchorage, meandered around the building, snacked on a few indoor plants, and was eventually persuaded to leave by security staff.
Paper or Plastic?
By accepting plastic bottles for tuition payment in lieu of cash, a Lagos, Nigeria school is clearing litter from the streets and making education more accessible in an impoverished area of the city. The founder of the Morit International School, Patrick Mbamarah, partnered with recycling businesses, which pay by the weight for the bottles that parents collect. That money currently supports 115 students, but the school is aiming for one million plastic bottles, to enhance facilities, gain certification and support teaching 1,000 children. Now, people all around the neighborhood are picking up bottles to drop off at the school.
“Every man has a right to a Saturday night bath.” Lyndon B. Johnson
On this Day
22 April 1864: The U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1864, which led to “In God We Trust” being printed on U.S. coins; the phrase was eventually added to all of the country's currency.
To mark the 50th anniversary of his death, Dario Gambarin honors the artist’s legacy... using a tractor to create an enormous copy of a Picasso self-portrait. 6 acres...
In major news for zero-emissions flying, a company is to start mass producing super condensed batteries. Progress...
Inspiring collection of mood boosting positivity quotes to brighten today (and tomorrow). Read on...
Mood Booster
What if birds had arms? This creative and hilarious video will give you an idea.