Ensuring the week gets off to an upbeat start with a global collection of good news nuggets.
Conservation Success
The jaguar is making a comeback in the Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, one of the biggest unbroken tropical forests in the Americas. The government has also tentatively agreed to expand the reserve from 726,000 to 1.3 million hectares, which would make it one of the largest protected areas in the world's tropics. The number of jaguars has increased to 4,766 animals in 2018 from 4,025 in 2010, a promising sign that conservation strategies are working. “The jaguar is an umbrella species, so by protecting the jaguar, you are protecting everything else,” said Gerardo Ceballos, an ecologist and conservationist who has been working with jaguars in the region for almost 25 years.
Europe's Wildlife Comeback: Many species have made an unexpected comeback in Europe over the last half century, according to a major report from Rewilding Europe. Read on...
Cycling Revolution
The UK’s two-wheeled revolution continues. Cycling levels over the most recent summer were 54% higher than pre-pandemic – and 11% higher than the summer of 2020, when people were told to avoid public transport. Another report has calculated that walking and cycling generated £36.5 billion for the UK economy in 2021, thanks to reduced congestion and improving public health, says The Times.
Treasure Restored
After decades of hard fought for protections and restoration efforts, conservationists have reversed the collapse of California’s treasured Mono Lake. The lake, which is a crucial feeding stop for migratory birds, now offers inspiration for efforts to heal degraded and warming ecosystems around the world, says Inside Climate News.
Thank You
RIP Dilip Mahalanabis, the Indian physician who pioneered the use of oral rehydration therapy - a simple solution of glucose, salts and water designed to replace vital fluids during bouts of infectious disease. The Lancet called it “the most important medical discovery of the 20th century.’’ It's estimated the number of children saved by ORT between 1982 and 2019 is more than 70 million, reports the Financial Times.
Electric Mustang
British startup Charge Cars is making a battery-powered Ford Mustang '67 look-alike that's like nothing else on the market, with the aim of "bringing some character and some soul to the world of EVs." The '67, featuring the Ford-licensed design of the 1960s Mustang Fastback, is the company's first vehicle, with deliveries set to start before the end of 2023. Sadly, it's going to cost $450,000.
Recyclable Cap
In Heinz’s squeezable upside-down ketchup bottle, the plastic cap is designed to dispense a standard blob of sauce without spilling. It works. But it can’t easily be recycled, so the company decided to design an alternative. Nine years later - after 185,000 hours of product development, $1.2 million in investment, and 45 different iterations - a new recyclable design will be rolling out in the U.K. within the next couple of months.
Teletubbies is Back
That's very good news for those with pre-school children. Plus, apparently, students and stoners, who enjoyed the series' psychedelic colors and strange noises. Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po are all present and correct for the revival, as is the show's baby-faced sun, and the characters' futuristic Teletubbyland home. The new 26 part series launches on Netflix today. It's also good news for the show's creator Anne Wood, reported to be worth $170 million in 2000, but with Netflix's revival of her biggest hit set to swell her coffers even more. Find out more...
“Life isn't a fairy tale. If you lose a shoe at midnight, you're drunk.”
Darynda Jones
On this Day
14 November 1889: American journalist Nellie Bly began her around-the-world race against the record of Phileas Fogg, hero of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days; she completed the journey in slightly more than 72 days.
Diesel engines can now burn clean hydrogen and emit 86 percent less carbon - could pave the way for zero-emissions trucks and heavy industrial equipment within a couple years. Read on...
The world can breathe a little easier after Brazil’s supreme court ruled in favour of reviving the Amazon Fund. Read on...
Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water in the Morning: For something that hardly takes any effort, it’s amazing just how many ways a glass of lemon water in the morning can make you healthier. Read on...
Mood Booster
Remarkable 3 minute film showing a chameleon changing colour multiple times.