A collection of good news nuggets to get the week off to a positive start.
Finally! Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, has publicly acknowledged Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election for the first time. “Painfully, Joe Biden won the election and it’s very painful to watch. He’s the President. We know that,” Ms McDaniel said. Fearing a backlash from Donald Trump, many Republican leaders have refused to clearly state that Mr Biden won the election and helped to spread his discredited claims of widespread voter fraud.
Health experts are calling for more research into the link between diet and migraines after doctors revealed a patient who had suffered debilitating headaches for more than a decade completely eliminated them after adopting a plant-based diet. He had tried prescribed medication, yoga and meditation, and cut out potential trigger foods – but nothing worked. However, within a month of starting a plant-based diet that included lots of dark-green leafy vegetables, his migraines disappeared and he hasn't had another migraine in over seven years, says The Guardian. The case was reported in the British Medical Journal.
How friendly is this? Susana Orrego and her husband Edward, from Colombia, are new to the United States. Susana is a full-time student at Harvard Medical School. They are living in Brookline while she completes her two years of study for the masters program. Upon hearing her classmates talk about their plans for Thanksgiving, Susana decided she wanted to experience the American holiday, too. So, she took a chance and posted on the local neighborhood app "Nextdoor" explaining she wanted to spend Thanksgiving with an American family. The result was over 200 invitations from complete strangers!
The longest dinosaur to have ever roamed the planet may have measured more than 40m from snout to tail - about the length of five London buses or two tennis courts - according to a new study of fossils that were previously mixed up with other specimens. Although Supersaurus has always been known to be one of the largest dinosaurs, the new research showed it to be “the longest dinosaur based on a decent skeleton,” Brian Curtice, a palaeontologist at the Arizona Museum of Natural History who led the study, told Live Science.
U.S. President Joe Biden briefly transferred power to Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday as he underwent a colonoscopy, making her the first woman to hold the presidential reins in U.S. history.
The winner of the sustainability category at this year's James Dyson Awards was Jerry de Vos, from the Netherlands. He came up with a handheld device that can tell what type of plastic is used in products, so it can be recycled correctly rather than sent to landfill. He works for an organisation aiming to reduce plastic waste and witnessed first hand the issues when plastic is incorrectly sorted. In much of the world, it is done by hand - which takes time and is prone to error, so his device is potentially a game-changer, and may ensure that more plastic gets recycled (currently a paltry 16 percent, say De Vos) and less going into landfill. He plans to use the £30,000 ($40,000) prize money to "accelerate the development process of both the electronics as well as the software side of the invention".
People with HIV in Britain will no longer need to take pills every day to treat the virus, after health chiefs approved a revolutionary jab that can be administered every two months.
Britain’s Royal Air Force has set a Guinness World Record after a senior test pilot completed the world's first flight (which lasted 21 minutes) powered by synthetic fuel alone. It's a possible game-changing event. Synthetic fuels are made by capturing carbon dioxide from the air and then converting it to fuel by adding hydrogen molecules from water. They deliver the same energy density as fossil fuels but do not add to carbon emissions. Importantly, they can be used with conventional engines without requiring any modifications. The U.S. Air Force is also interested in this technology and has pursued it, but solely as an additive to fossil fuel in its aircraft.
"The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin." Jay Leno.
Dive in Deeper
Owl Sneezing
The gentle sound of rain and thunder is soothing - a great way to relax and beat insomnia. Here's an 8 hour clip. Why not try it tonight? Actually, at any time, it's mesmerisingly peaceful and calming.