A quick summary of all last week's top good news stories.
In response to Trump's contentious plan to buy Greenland, the people of Denmark (which owns Greenland), hit back last week. More than 200,000 Danes signed a satirical petition to buy California from the US. “Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates.’ Well, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make that dream a reality,” the petition reads. “Let’s buy California from Donald Trump!” It continues: “We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood, bike lanes to Beverly Hills and organic smørrebrød to every street corner. Rule of law, universal healthcare and fact-based politics might apply.”
Meanwhile, the Baltic states have flicked two fingers at Putin. More than 30 years after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have unplugged from its electricity grid and joined the EU’s far cleaner grid, thereby also boosting their energy security. Despite weeks of fear-mongering from the Kremlin, the disconnection went off without a hitch, and there have been no blackouts. Another brilliant strategic victory by ghastly Vladimir Putin.
And in other news...
Homestead: Remote, rustic Irish cottage wins a Michelin star. Quite an achievement for a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
Rice Breakthroughs: Two breakthroughs on rice could transform the world. Scientists have achieved two major advances in sustainable rice farming: an innovative cultivation method by Chilean researchers that cuts water use in half, and a new strain from a Chinese-Swedish team that reduces methane emissions by 70 percent. The potential for impact here is enormous - rice produces 12 percent of global methane emissions, and uses around a third of the world's freshwater resources.
Quipu: A new contender has emerged for the largest known structure in the Universe. It's more than 13,000 times the length of our Milky Way.
Landmark Trial: NHS England will trial (the world's largest to date) a tech-driven overhaul of breast cancer screening with a little help from EDITH. It stands for Early Detection using Information Technology in Health and involves trialling artificial intelligence to help radiologists spot changes in breast tissue that might indicate cancer. If successful, it could ultimately mean each mammogram would be scrutinised by just one specialist - plus EDITH - instead of the current two, freeing up doctors for other work and cutting waiting lists.
Culture & Entertainment
After 138 Years...
After the manuscript was discovered in the archives at Harvard University, the earliest known opera composed by a Black American has finally hit the stage in New Orleans. Edmond Dédé composed Morgiane 138 years ago, but his racial identity prevented the opera from receiving proper staging - until last week.
High Horology: Marie Antoinette's watch is considered to be the greatest ever made, and is now on show at London's Science Museum.
Gender Parity: New research reveals that the top-grossing films of 2024 were led by female protagonists as much as by men.
Nature & Wildlife
Conservationists Rejoice: Scientists have for the first time in 185 years confirmed the presence of the Asian small-clawed otter in Nepal, thrilling conservationists and researchers looking for clues to its existence here. “After years of speculation about its presence in Nepal, we can finally confirm that the small-clawed otter lives on in the country.”
Free Dam: Eager beavers save Czech government $1.2 million.
'Paradise For Nature': The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has hatched a plan to create England’s biggest bird sanctuary after snapping up a swathe of wetland, forest and moor in north-east Cumbria.
Trophic Cascade: New report shows the power of predators to restore and rebalance Yellowstone's eco-system.
Scientists Defy Trump: After he cancelled funding, legions of scientists are now working to publish the National Nature Assessment independently.
Renewables & Recycling
Gargantuan Wind Turbine: The race is on between Denmark and China to install the world's largest offshore wind turbine.
NYC Offshore Wind: New York City will soon be getting its own personal offshore wind farm. The Empire Wind 1 project just received a US$3 billion project financing package and is expected to go online in 2027, powering roughly half a million homes.
Australia’s Renewables: Grid registrations for wind, solar, and battery projects have surged, with approved capacity doubling compared to the previous 12 months, says RenewEconomy. This rapid growth is crucial as Australia targets 82 percent renewable energy generation by 2030.
Recycling Incentive: A pilot program in Aarhus, Denmark, aimed at keeping takeout coffee cups out of landfills is proving to be a success. Officials said the 735,000 cups reused in the program's first year would have filled 1,200 large trash bins.
Averting ‘Phosphogeddon’: Phosphorus is a key component of fertilisers that have become vital in providing food for the world. But at the same time, the spread of these phosphorus compounds - known as phosphates - is leaching into rivers, lakes and streams and spreading algal blooms that are killing fish stocks and marine life on a huge scale. But the good news is that it's now being tackled by a project of remarkable simplicity. Rookwood Operations, based in south west England, has launched an award winning sponge-like product that enables phosphates to be extracted from problem areas and then reused on farmland.
Education & Rehabilitation
Brazil's Rural Schools: After 23 days of protests, Indigenous groups and teachers in the Brazilian state of Pará have successfully pressured Governor Helder Barbalho to revoke a controversial education law that favoured online learning in remote communities and slashed benefits for teachers.
High School Graduation: UNESCO reports that the two most populous regions in the world (Central-South Asia and Eastern/Southeastern Asia) have seen the proportion of children completing upper secondary school double since the beginning of this century. We have entered the first ever period in human history when more than half of humanity has at least a high school education.
Literary Swap: A Brazilian prison reading initiative is now inspiring similar programs worldwide. The Remission for Reading program has allowed inmates who read and submit book reports to cut their sentences by up to 48 days a year. With Brazil's 80 percent recidivism rate, the initiative aims to aid rehabilitation. Studies show prisoners now read nine times more than the national average, and advocates of the program argue that great literature fosters critical thinking, offering inmates a path to redemption and reintegration.
And Finally...
Sound & Vision: Traditional hearing aids have competition - a new technology that combines both hearing and vision solutions has just received FDA clearance. Nuance Audio Glasses provide a “groundbreaking open-ear hearing solution seamlessly integrated into a pair of stylish smart glasses.” It's the first software as a medical device to receive FDA clearance, and aims to appeal to those who may be hesitant to don hearing assistance instruments.
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Today's Articles
Trashing Large EVs: Ford CEO has doubled-down on his comments last year about Americans needing to break their "monster" car addition.
Human Language: Language is no longer a uniquely human trait, as analysis shows humpback whale song is structurally similar.