Happy News Wednesday

Editor OGN Daily
Jul 16
4 min read

Mid-week collection of concise, upbeat news stories from around the world.

Caana, the central architectural complex at Caracol — Credit: University of Houston

Royal Tomb Discovered

More than 1,500 years ago, the ancient Maya city of Caracol thrived in the forests of modern-day Belize. Rediscovered in the mid-20th century, the city’s ruins include pyramids, monuments, a ball court and countless artifacts. Now, for the first time, researchers from the University of Houston have unearthed a royal tomb in Caracol, reports Smithsonian Magazine. It belonged to the city’s first known ruler, Te K’ab Chaak - who founded the royal dynasty of Caracol, which is the largest Maya archaeological site in Belize. Arlen and Diane Chase, a husband-and-wife duo who are both archaeologists at the University of Houston, have been leading research at Caracol for more than 40 years.

Paul McCartney on stage — Credit: MJ Kim for Paul McCartney

Got Back (Again)

Paul McCartney hardly needs to step on a stage again. But at 83, the indefatigable Beatle is indeed taking another spin around the U.S. with his Got Back tour. The 19-date North American jaunt of arenas and a few stadiums will kick off on 29 September at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, and hit cities including Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Chicago. Presale registration for tickets starts from today at paulmccartneygotback.com. This new round of concerts is an extension of his Got Back run in 2022 that played 16 U.S. dates before rolling through Australia, South America and Europe until a London finale last December.

The Sound of Progress

A gene therapy trial is showing promise for treating children and young adults born with genetic hearing loss. The study, involving 10 people between ages 1 and 24 with mutations in a gene called OTOF, found that a single gene therapy injection restored hearing in all 10 participants. “This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,” study co-author Maoli Duan said in a press release about the therapy, which uses a synthetic virus to deliver a healthy copy of the OTOF gene directly to the inner ear.

Large lump of Mars rock — Credit: Sotheby's

For Sale

A 54 pound (25 kg) rock. Estimated auction price: $2 million to $4 million. Why so expensive? It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. Sotheby's in New York will be auctioning what's known as NWA 16788 today. According to the auction house, the meteorite is believed to have been blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike before traveling 140 million miles (225 million km) to Earth, where it crashed into the Sahara. A meteorite hunter found it in Niger in November 2023, Sotheby's says. OGN will let you know the price it actually achieves.

Stunning images of the Frosty Beauty of Winter on Mars captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Unexpected Benefits

Weight-loss drugs containing GLP-1s, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, reduce the risk of 42 health conditions in people with diabetes, including dementia and infections, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis made the discoveries while analyzing the records of more than 1.4 million diabetic patients. The team, puzzled by the reduced risk of infections, has called for further trials of the medications to confirm their broader potential.

Roborock picking up a shoe off the floor — Credit: Roborock

RoboVac

Let's be honest: vacuuming is not the bulk of the work. Vacuuming is a victory lap that can only be performed after somebody's gone around picking up all the junk off the floor - a task that Roborock's flagship Saros Z70 is starting to take over. It's a robovac with a robot arm. It's the logical next link in an evolutionary chain of home automation that'll one day let us all live like Roman emperors, flinging banana peels and togas gaily left and right and watching as our domestic slaves scurry to clean up after us.

Cooling Formula

AI-designed paint could help cool down cities, slash energy bills and ease the urban heat island effect, according to researchers. Scientists from China, Singapore, Sweden and the U.S. have used machine learning to develop a new formula able to keep buildings at least 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 Celsius) cooler than standard paint. In hot cities like Bangkok, coating 1,000 apartment roofs with this paint could save enough electricity to power 10,000 air conditioners for a year.

“As soon as you feel too old to do a thing, do it.” Margaret Deland

On This Day

Official emptying a marking meter in Oklahoma City in 1935

16 July 1935: The world's first parking meters were installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; the device, which sought to ease congestion, was designed by Carl C. Magee. It was a simple device, resembling a large metal post with a coin slot and a dial that would display the amount of time purchased.