OGN Monday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Oct 13
- 4 min read
Kick-starting the week with a global collection of short, uplifting news stories.
First Ever Human Face?
A 12,000-year-old T-shaped obelisk from the early Neolithic era features a carving of a human face. It was discovered in modern-day Turkey at the Karahantepe site, and it could be the first-ever carved depiction of a human face. Experts call the find one of the earliest examples of symbolic expression. Karahantepe is one of the limestone heights within the Tek Tek Mountains National Park outside the Turkish city of Sanliurfa. The limestone there provided the raw material for the T-shaped pillars at Karahantepe (a Neolithic settlement discovered in 1997) and other contemporary sites. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that the discovery shows the technical mastery of Neolithic craftsmen, but also highlights the self-expression and abstract thinking occurring at the time.
Historic Moment
A nature reserve that was bought for £10 in 1989 has become the first in the UK to record 10,000 species - thanks to the discovery of a moth. Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire reached the milestone after a six-belted clearwing, which mimics wasps to avoid predators, was spotted at the site. The nature reserve began life as a tiny two-acre site, but under the National Trust’s ownership it has grown to 820 acres, incorporating woodlands and wetlands. “A concerted effort over time to expand, restore and care for it has created this haven for wildlife that is a thousand times the size it was, and we believe, the most biodiverse recorded reserve in the UK,” said the Trust’s Alan Kell.
US Active Mobility
The shift away from car-oriented urban planning is accelerating in the US, where cities are increasingly putting more emphasis on walking and cycling, says the Pedestrian Friendliness Index, which ranks US cities for walkability, cycle friendliness, and pedestrian safety. Topping the index was Minneapolis, followed by Miami, and Pittsburgh. Montgomery in Alabama, which remains defiantly wedded to the car, ranked lowest.
Avian Law & Order
“It’s basically a flying Batman bringing law and order to the city,” said the conservationist Dr Paul O’Donoghue, of the goshawks that have been newly introduced to Berlin. “They’re like stealth bombers.” The hope is that they will come to the rescue of beleaguered garden birds by preying on mesopredators such as crows, magpies and jackdaws, whose populations have grown unchecked and threatened birds further down the food chain. And there are benefits to humans. O’Donoghue pointed to the psychological benefit of Berlin residents being able to spot a predator as elusive as the goshawk while they go about their city lives.
New Idea
Just when you may have thought that all methods of harnessing power from the wind had been tried and tested, China has come up with a new idea. A helium-lifted turbine capable of generating 1 MW mid-air. The airship-like S1500 is about the size of a basketball court and as tall as a 13-storey building. Nationwide trials begin next year.
Bye Bye Coal
Australia might get its first ever day without coal sooner than anyone predicted, and analysts say 100 percent renewables is no longer theoretical. The country’s ageing coal fleet is being rapidly replaced by wind, solar and batteries, and the market operator says 90 percent of coal could be gone by 2035. Meanwhile, in the United States, new coal mines are fetching almost nothing at auction, with the Trump administration’s latest bid selling for less than a penny a ton, and New England just closed its last coal plant three years ahead of schedule.
Who’s a Good Boy?
Eeyore’s a good boy, that’s who. An 86-year-old woman had her trusty companion to thank after falling during a night-time walk near her Florida home this week. With police scouting the area after a call from the woman’s husband, who had grown concerned at the length of time she’d been away, Okaloosa county sheriff deputy Devon Miller was approached in the street shortly after by Eeyore - who promptly led authorities to the whereabouts of the injured woman. “He practically dragged me to her,” Miller later said of our four-legged hero.
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." Christopher Reeve
On This Day
13 October 1792: The cornerstone for the White House, the official office and home of every U.S. president and first lady since 1800 (when John and Abigail Adams moved in near the end of his term), was laid this day in 1792.
Today's Articles
Remarkable Discovery: Birds have an alarm call that spans multiple species and occurs all around the world.
UK’s Most Aired: The most played rock act in the 21st century is a band who recorded most of their hits in the 20th century.
Top Tip: Researchers have identified the best way to relieve anger. It's called “backward magical contagion".
Mood Boosting Video
Monday Motivation: A reading of 'It Couldn't Be Done' by Edgar Albert Guest.
