Kick-starting the week with some tasty bite-sized chunks of upbeat news.
Great Blue Wall
Ten Indian Ocean nations are creating a network of marine conservation areas called the “Great Blue Wall.” It’s part of a larger global effort to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 - currently only around 5 to 8 percent of the marine area in the Indian Ocean is under some form of legal protection. The Great Blue Wall initiative aims to promote transboundary cooperation between 10 nations: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and France, whose overseas department of La Réunion is in the Indian Ocean.
British Barn Owls
Collaborative efforts of conservationists and communities have drastically increased barn owl populations across the British Isles from 4,000 breeding pairs in 1980 to around 12,000 breeding pairs today. One of the key strategies has been the installation of nest boxes, which provide safe nesting sites in areas where natural sites are scarce. "The story is an inspiring case of how small groups of dedicated conservationists and communities, with a little ingenuity and effort, can have extraordinarily positive effects on one species."
Roman Indoor Pool
An ancient Roman villa has been unearthed in Albania and, inside, archaeologists discovered the remains of a leisurely swimming area, complete with a large, rectangular swimming pool. The space is decorated with colourful, detailed frescoes - murals painted on fresh plaster - and mosaics of marble, stone, glass and ceramic tiles, which are arranged in hexagonal and floral patterns. Archaeologists discovered the villa in Durrës, a coastal city on the Adriatic Sea founded by ancient Greeks around the seventh century B.C.E. It was conquered by Rome in the third century B.C.E., ultimately becoming the most important port in the province of Illyricum, which stretched from present-day Albania to Slovenia.
$2 Trillion
Spending on clean energy technologies and infrastructure is on track to hit $2 trillion in 2024, according to a report by the International Energy Agency. “Clean energy investment is setting new records even in challenging economic conditions, highlighting the momentum behind the new global energy economy,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol.
Butterfly Wings
Using high-resolution microscopy, scientists at the University of Sheffield and the Central Laser Facility have uncovered the secret of how butterfly wings become so vibrant. Researchers found that denser actin bundles, a protein in butterflies' scales, result in more reflective and colorful structures. This discovery could inspire innovative technologies in sensing, diagnostics and sustainable paints. By mimicking butterfly scale structures, scientists aim to develop long-lasting UV-resistant colors for applications both in and out of the laboratory.
US Conservationists
A gold mining project in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains has been struck down to protect the habitats of unique species including bighorn sheep, golden trout, and the elusive slender salamander and Mount Lyell salamander. In Arizona, tribal nations have joined forces with the federal government to protect the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument from uranium mining.
Global Progress
The WHO and UNICEF have released a new report on global access to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools. You need to dig a little - but around halfway through they reveal that between 2015 and 2023, global access to clean drinking water in schools increased from 66% to 77%, basic sanitation increased from 68% to 78%, and basic hygiene rose from 58% to 67%. This is a staggering achievement. In actual numbers, it means that well over 200 million schoolchildren have gained access to improved water, sanitation, or hygiene services in the last eight years, a period of time which includes the severe disruptions of the pandemic. If you can find a single story about this from any other news organisation in the world, let us know. We tried and failed.
“One thing we can always control is how we treat ourselves. And that one thing can change everything.” Leeana Tankersley
On This Day
10 June 1752: Benjamin Franklin tests the lightning conductor with his kite-flying experiment.
Today's Articles
0.305 Seconds: That's the new Rubik’s cube speed record. Yes, really. A Rubik's cube was completed in the blink of the eye.
Foreign Idioms: What sounds totally normal to us in the English speaking world, can sound utterly weird and hilarious to other nationalities - and vice versa.
Mood Boosting Video
It's Good to Laugh: Ancient canon and an inquisitive tourist. Explosive mix!