Mid week round up of the best good news nuggets from around the globe.
Researchers from England's Bournemouth University, with international partners, have discovered ancient hand and footprints high on the Tibetan plateau made by children. The team argues that these traces represent the earliest example of parietal art. Parietal art is paintings, drawings, and engravings on rock surfaces - the sort of thing you would find in a cave, although the Tibetan traces are not in a cave. The limestone on which the traces were imprinted dates to between around 169,000 and 226,000 BC. This would make the site the earliest currently known example of this type of art in the world. It would also, of course, provide the earliest evidence for humans and other members of the Homo genus on the high Tibetan plateau, as published in Science Bulletin.
Mike Mason, 63, spent more than two decades at the FBI, working his way up to become executive assistant director. He has served his country for decades - first as a captain in the Marines and later as the No. 4 man at the FBI. He retired last year, but back in March this year Mason said he was watching "CBS 6 This Morning" when he heard his county was in desperate need of school bus drivers. So, in April, Mason began working with Chesterfield County Public Schools as a bus driver. "I've done some important things, but guess what? This is important, too," he stated. "I think in our society we need to get next to the idea that there are no unimportant jobs. I mean, what could be more important than the attention we pay to our education system?" As for the salary, Mason said he has already donated all of what he expects to make this year to various charities, reports CBS News.
Fancy owning a piece of modern history? In Rochester, Kent, a missing microscope belonging to Charles Darwin has been found by modern members of the Darwin family in southern England. Christie's have estimated that the one-of-a-kind heirloom is worth £250,000 to £350,000. It will be sold by Christie’s at a live auction in London on 15 December.
There's more to look forward to this Thanksgiving than just turkey and pumpkin pie -particularly if you're a fan of astronomy. Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter will align in the night sky on 25 November. The three celestial bodies will appear above the southern horizon just after sunset with Venus being the easiest to spot, followed by Jupiter, and Saturn being the dimmest.
Grandpa wanted his family to know he is always with them - even after his passing. So before he passed away, he had his favorite shirt made into a pillow, and attached a powerful note. ‘This is the shirt I used to wear. Whenever you hold it, know that I am there. Love Grandad xx’
NASA is nearing the first test flight of its battery-powered aircraft, the X-57 Maxwell. NASA's series of X planes are designed to push the limits of aircraft technology and the X-57 Maxwell was specifically designed to help NASA develop certifications standards for electric aircraft.
John Hopkins Medicine has been awarded a federal grant to explore the potential impacts of psilocybin on tobacco addiction - making it the first time in fifty years such funding has been given towards researching the therapeutic effects of a classic psychedelic. The grant of nearly $4 million is funded by National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Britain’s first black train driver has been honoured with a blue plaque. Wilston Samuel Jackson, who arrived in the UK from Jamaica as a member of the Windrush generation in 1952, became a train driver in 1962, despite the widespread vetoing of black applicants for driver roles. Some white colleagues tried to block his appointment. The blue plaque was yesterday unveiled at King’s Cross Station in London at a ceremony attended by his daughter.
Fun Fact: Sarah Palin may have been able to see Russia from her house, but did you know you can actually walk from Alaska to Russia? A 2.5-mile stretch divides Russia's Big Diomede island from Alaska's Little Diomede island. In the winter, the water separating the two islands freezes, allowing you to trek from one destination to the other.
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