Today's global round up of positive news nuggets.
True Colours
Following a six-month restoration process that involved removing eight layers of varnish, Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People has been returned to its former glory. Paris’ Louvre has unveiled the restored 1830 painting to the public, just in time for the upcoming Olympics-related tourism boom.
Prostate Screening
A prostate cancer screening trial in the UK is being hailed as “a pivotal moment in the history of prostate cancer research”. Despite the disease killing an estimated 12,000 men each year in the UK, there’s currently no screening programme. But that’s set to change thanks to the £42m Transform programme, which will test new approaches to screening that experts say could reduce deaths by 40 percent.
All-Electric Hospital
The University of California, Irvine will open next year the nation’s first all-electric, zero-emission hospital, a major milestone for the resource-reliant health care industry. According to Harvard Medicine magazine, the global health care sector is estimated to emit between roughly 5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gasses. Joe Brothman, the director of facilities and general services for UCI Health, had that top of mind when thinking about the new campus. “If our operations are contributing to negative health externalities, especially disproportionately in underserved populations that have historically had negative health effects because of energy, we’re not fulfilling our mission,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
Happy Wildlife Advocates
Wildlife advocates are celebrating two recent announcements from the US National Park Service. The first involves reintroducing grizzly bears to their native habitat in Washington’s North Cascades, almost 30 years after the last confirmed sighting of one in the region. They once served an important role in the ecosystem - a role officials hope can be restored once the repopulation plan is underway. Meanwhile, in North Dakota, the park service has reversed an unpopular decision to remove about 200 wild horses from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The animals, descended from mares bred by the Sioux in the 19th century, will now remain in the park, which is one of few public lands where visitors can observe free-roaming horses.
Europe to Africa Tunnel
A new underwater tunnel could link Spain to Morocco by the end of the decade, in time for the 2030 World Cup. The underwater section of the tunnel would span 17 miles (28km) at a maximum depth of 1,550ft (475m), connecting Punta Paloma, west of Tarifa, with Malabata in northern Morocco, just east of Tangier. It is unknown how much the construction of two tunnels (plus a third service tunnel) would cost, although some estimates put the project at €8 billion ($8.5bn). Plans have ramped up since Fifa announced that the 2030 World Cup would be held mainly in Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
Greek e-Quadracycle
What do you get when you cross the eco-friendliness and fitness value of an ebike with the stability and weather protection of a small car? Well, you get an e-quadracycle, such as the funky new Ilos from Greek startup Gloubos. Designed for commuting (and making deliveries) in urban environments, the vehicle features an open-sided composite body over a metal frame, along with a single bucket seat for its rider/driver. That person's pedalling power is augmented by a battery motor which takes the vehicle up to a top assisted speed of 25 km/h (16 mph). Yours for around $12,400 via the Gloubos website.
"Deliberately Ambitious"
Eurostar’s high-speed rail network links France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK, carrying millions of passengers across Europe each year. In the UK, wind power has accounted for 40 percent of Eurostar’s energy supply since 2023. Plans to introduce solar assets by 2025 will bring this total up to 80 per cent. Now, Eurostar has set itself the "deliberately ambitious" target of powering its trains with 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Currently, taking the train between London and Paris instead of a plane can lower a passenger’s emissions by 96 percent, from 66 kg of CO2 to 2.4 kg.
“In a time of great polarity and division, the common ground we crave is, in fact, beneath our feet. The very land on which we stand is our foundation and can be a source of shared identity and common cause.” Robin Wall Kimmerer
On This Day
7 May 1663: The Theatre Royal, built by the dramatist Thomas Killigrew for his company of actors and now commonly known as the Drury Lane Theatre, opened in London this day in 1663 and is the oldest English theatre still in use.
For the first time ever, an asteroid's birthplace has been traced to a specific crater. Giordano Bruno...
Mood Booster
A fly by of Mont-Blanc's summit, followed by the longest terrain flying wingsuit line ever!