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Just Good News Monday

Updated: Jul 24, 2023

Today's collection of positive news nuggets to get the week off to an upbeat start.


Lucky South Koreans

South Koreans have become a year or two younger after new laws requiring the use of the internationally recognised way of counting age took effect. Previously, people were deemed to be a year old at birth - taking into account time spent in the womb. Their age would increase by a year on 1 January every year, instead of on their actual birth date, meaning someone born on New Year’s Eve would turn two years old on New Year’s Day.


An illustration of the Victorian grassland earless dragon
An illustration of the Victorian grassland earless dragon | Public domain via Museums Victoria
Earless Dragon

A tiny earless lizard thought to be extinct in the wild has been spotted for the first time in more than 50 years in grasslands west of Melbourne, Australia. The reptile, called the Victorian grassland earless dragon, was once commonly found in the region, but its numbers were decimated by habitat loss and predators such as foxes and feral cats. “This is an extraordinary second chance,” say ecologists. write conservation ecologist Brendan Wintle and urban ecologist Sarah Bekessy in the Conversation. The lizards will now enter a breeding program in an attempt to boost their numbers.


Last Known Pair

The last known pair of portraits by Rembrandt to remain in private hands will be the highlights in Christie's Old Masters Sale on 6 July. Exceptionally rare, the portraits of Jan Willemsz. van der Pluym (circa 1565-1644) and Jaapgen Carels (1565-1640), signed and dated 1635, are intimate portrayals of relatives of the artist and provide a unique insight into Rembrandt’s activity as a painter within his inner circle. With a virtually unbroken line of provenance, these pictures were acquired at Christie’s by an ancestor of the present owners almost two centuries ago and have remained completely unknown to scholars ever since. The auction house estimates their value at £5m - £8m ($6.3m - $10.1m).


Dark Matter Hunt

On Saturday, the £1.2 billion ($1.5bn) Euclid telescope - named after the Greek father of geometry - blasted off aboard a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral to start hunting for invisible dark energy and dark matter which make up 95 percent of the universe. The spacecraft now begins its one month, one million mile journey to reach Lagrange point 2 - a point in space where the Earth and Sun’s gravitational fields are cancelled out, meaning Euclid can hover in orbit. From there it will begin a six and a half year mission to map one third of the sky, and study how dark matter and dark energy impact around 1.5 billion galaxies.


Swiss Neutrality

In a landmark decision, Swiss citizens have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a new climate law aimed at achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This significant step forward has garnered support from Switzerland's scientific community, who see it as an essential measure after years of political deadlock. Greenpeace Switzerland hailed the referendum result as a victory, highlighting that anchoring the goal of net zero emissions in law will provide the necessary certainty for future planning and pave the way for a fossil fuel-free future.


Volocopter flying beside the Eiffel Tower
Credit: Volocopter
Paris Premier

Imagine a quiet electric aircraft resembling a bug-like creature gliding above the Eiffel Tower and the rooftops of Paris. The Paris area intends to exhibit a small fleet of these electric flying taxis during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, clearing the way for a future that the aviation industry promises is just around the corner. While flying non-polluting electric taxis has long been a pipe dream, the moment has arrived for this vision to come true. The German business Volocopter is at the vanguard of this movement. Their goal is to have French President Emmanuel Macron as their first passenger, representing Europe’s commitment to urban air mobility innovation.

 

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything." Katharine Hepburn

 
On this Day

3 July 1861: Pony Express arrives in San Francisco with overland letters from New York.

 





 
Mood Booster

Fred and Rita dance scene synced to Bossa Nova Baby by Elvis Presley.



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