OGN Thursday

Editor OGN Daily
11 hours ago
4 min read

An eclectic selection of positive news nuggets from around the globe.

Bubble ring created by a humpback whale — Credit: Youtube

Friendly Bubble Rings

Recent observations have documented humpback whales creating large bubble rings during friendly interactions with humans, a behavior previously little studied. This behavior may represent a form of play or even conscious communication. The Whale-SETI team, a group of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California, Davis, is investigating this phenomenon as a way to understand non-human intelligence and, perhaps surprisingly, help guide the search for intelligent life beyond Earth. The team’s findings suggest that humpback whales live in complex societies, use bubble tools, and even assist other species threatened by predators, indicating a level of intelligence and communication that could provide valuable insights into the search for extraterrestrial life.

Scarlet Sunrise

Nothing beats biting into a juicy, fresh-off-the-vine tomato, whether in a sandwich, a salad or as a standalone snack. Soon, tomato lovers will have a new variety to chow down on: the Scarlet Sunrise. This tasty, bicolor grape tomato was developed by researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Using traditional plant breeding methods, scientists came up with a firm, crack-resistant fruit with a vibrant reddish-yellow color. According to the researchers, the Scarlet Sunrise has an intense, sweet flavor with moderate acidity. The plant itself is high yielding, meaning it can produce a lot of tomatoes, and they’re ready for plucking in just 70 days or so.

'Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat', by Picasso — Credit: Lucien Paris

Hidden For 80 Years

It’s not every day the world gets a new-to-us Pablo Picasso painting to admire - but now one of his portraits, created in 1943, is being unveiled to the public for the first time in over 80 years. Titled Bust of a Woman in a Flowery Hat, the painting portrays Picasso’s muse and lover Dora Maar in the artist’s signature vibrant, fragmented patterns. Until now, the portrait was only known to exist courtesy of a black-and-white photograph, as it was purchased in 1944 shortly after its completion and has remained hidden in a private collection ever since. Auctioneer Christophe Lucien told The Guardian: "Discovering it is a big moment in our lives as experts.” The painting is expected to fetch around $9.4 million when it heads to auction in Paris next month. The sale comes at the same moment that London's Tate Modern opens the exhibition Theatre Picasso, which plumbs the artist’s fascination with performers, including dancers, entertainers, and bullfighters.

Watch Picasso Draw a Face: 18 May 1956, in his studio in France. Got 90 seconds?

Women’s Rugby World Cup official ball — Credit: Rugby World Cup

Ticket Sales

Ticket sales for the Women’s Rugby World Cup are more than triple the previous tournament in New Zealand. England, the host side, will face Canada in the final on Saturday at a long sold-out Twickenham and figures released this week showed more than 440,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament. “That is 100,000 more than our original objective,” said the tournament’s managing director, Sarah Massey. “It is three times the number that was sold for the last women’s Rugby World Cup. It is an extraordinary milestone that even surpasses our best expectations.”

Crop, seen from the air, spelling out 'Will You Marry Me?'

Bird's Eye View

An elementary school teacher in Australia has her head in the clouds after an elaborate marriage proposal from her new fiancé. Will Henderson’s sky-high idea hatched in the spring when he was preparing to seed the canola crop. Blooming yellow in September, he took Steph Carter up on a plane and popped the question, hoping a 10,000 foot view of their relationship would be the winning formula to make a bride out of his childhood sweetheart. “It was really special,” Carter, who said yes, told ABC News AU. “I thought that he would propose soon, but I wasn’t expecting him to do it the way that he did.”

Yangwang U9 Xtreme on a race track — Credit: Yangwang

Bugatti Dethroned

Yangwang U9 Xtreme has overtaken Bugatti as the world's fastest production car. The Bugatti Chiron Supersport 300+ held the crown for the world's fastest car since 2019 - at 304.772 mph (490.484 km/h). It took six long years for a worthy contender to not just step up but snatch that feat from Bugatti like it was nothing … in the form of an EV, no less! The special edition based on the stock Yangwang U9 achieved a top speed of 308.4 mph (496.22 km/h) on 14 September at a test track in Germany. It was only last month that Chinese automaker BYD revealed it had set a new electric vehicle top speed record of 293.5 mph (472.41 km/h) with the Yangwang U9 Track Edition. Clearly, it wasn't resting on its laurels.

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra

On This Day

25 September 1926: Henry Ford announces an eight-hour, five-day workweek for workers at Ford Motor Company. This decision, made by one of the most prominent figures in the automotive industry, had far-reaching implications not only for Ford employees but for labor practices worldwide.