Jun 9, 2022

Thursday's Positive News

Updated: Jun 20, 2022

Global round up of good news nuggets to brighten the day.

Daredevil Granny

When Rut Larsson was in her 90s, she wanted to learn more about flying and started experimenting with paragliding and ballooning. In 2019, she did her first parachute jump at 101 years old. Last week, the remarkable Swede completed her world-record jump harnessed to an expert parachutist. Family and friends were there to celebrate her accomplishment, along with a judge from the Guinness Book of World Records. Larsson is now the world's oldest person to complete a tandem parachute jump at 103 years and 259 days old. "It was wonderful to do this, I've been thinking about it for a long time."

Faster CO2 Capture

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new carbon capture system which removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere with unprecedented performance. Isophorone diamine in a “liquid-solid phase separation” system was found to remove carbon dioxide at the low concentrations contained in the atmosphere with 99 percent efficiency. The compound is reusable with minimal heating and at least twice as fast as existing systems - an exciting new development for direct air capture!

Benjamin and his mum Holly — Benjamin and Holly | St. Mark's Hospital

Serendipity

Benjamin Hulleberg knew from a young age that he had been adopted, but was curious about his biological mother, someone he knew only by her first name, Holly. Meanwhile, Holly Shearer never forgot about the baby she had placed for adoption 20 years ago. She was a young teen when she made the difficult decision. After two decades of wondering and searching, Benjamin Hulleberg reunited with his birth mother after receiving a Facebook message from her. It turns out they both worked at the same hospital!

Skeuomorph

Something designed to look as though it does the job it is supposed to do. Apple is famous for this: making the Notepad app look like a real paper notepad, making the delete tool look like a real rubbish bin. It doesn't have to be visual: The fake shutter-click noise of digital cameras is a skeuomorph.

Self Healing

Surprise! Your liver is just 3 years old, whether you're 20 or 84. According to new research, the human liver remains young even while the rest of our bodies grow old. And, on average, the organ is less than three years old, regardless of the person's age. The liver, one of the largest and most important organs in our bodies, is in charge of clearing toxins. And because it constantly deals with toxic substances, it has a high chance of getting injured regularly. To overcome this, the liver has the wonderful capability to regenerate itself.

Future Glimpse

The German parliament is slashing public transit fares nationwide, offering a glimpse of what a lower-emission future might look like, even if it is a response to higher energy costs caused by Mad Vlad. The ultra-cheap fares might encourage Germans to permanently adopt less carbon-intensive travel modes. A single month’s travel ticket will cost just 9 euros ($9.50) for all subways, buses, trams, and regional trains. Tickets bought in one region will be valid nationally. To further address rising energy bills, working adults will have a one-off 300 euro payment added to their wages; self-employed will pay less tax. Parents with small children will receive 100 euros per child, a figure doubled for parents receiving public assistance.

Sleeping Sickness

Benin, Uganda and Rwanda are triumphing over Human African Trypanosomiasis – also known as ‘sleeping sickness’ – according to the World Health Organization. The life threatening tropical disease is carried by tsetse flies, and has long been a curse for communities in West, Central and East Africa, where two versions are circulating. The WHO says it's no longer considered a public health crisis.

Quote of the Day

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” Joseph Addison