OGN Wednesday
Mid-week collection of eclectic news nuggets from around the world.
Lion Nebula
Imagine a lion with the nose of a dying star, a mane of space dust and a habitat 10,000 light-years away from Earth. On its infrared galactic safari, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just captured it on camera. Namely, the planetary nebula NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. Planetary nebulae like the Lion Nebula are glowing shells surrounding a dying star, or white dwarf, at their center. The white dwarf emits radiation and produces a giant gas bubble - the lion’s face - that destroys dust in its path. And the border, or “mane,” of the planetary nebula is a shell of dust surrounding the white dwarf.
Spotify ‘AI Persona’
Spotify is to label AI artists and exclude them from algorithm recommendations as part of a crackdown on fake performers. The world’s largest music streaming platform is creating a label for AI-generated artist identities called “AI personas” that will appear on the artist profile and on track listings on playlists. It means that from September AI-generated artists like China Styles will carry the persona label and will be blocked from personalised recommendations by default. The aim is to differentiate these deepfake artists from real performers who might lose out on streams to artificial rivals.
How Deep?
When politicians from South Africa’s main opposition party put a stuffed giraffe’s head into a sinkhole, their plan - like lots of other, similar stunts around he world - was to draw attention to the dire state of the country’s roads. Politicians from the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party to the ruling African National Congress (ANC), set up and filmed a giraffe stuck up to its neck in a roadside chasm near Johannesburg. The video was fronted by Evert Du Plessis, the shadow member of the executive committee for roads and logistics, and was captioned: “A sinkhole so deep a giraffe can stand in it.” It certainly garnered a lot of attention, with some concerned viewers calling emergency services to rescue the giraffe.
Monarchs Surge
After years of decline, Mexico’s overwintering monarch butterfly numbers were 64 percent higher this past winter. The increase is especially notable because it also marks a 226 percent jump from the winter of 2023-24, and it could mean anywhere from “a few million to tens of millions” more monarchs than the previous winter.
Battery Costs
Of the 20 million electric vehicles sold globally in 2025, most of them sold for around $40,000, but some as cheap as $10,000 - sales prices only feasible because of how inexpensive batteries have become. Today, lithium-ion batteries cost just $78 per kilowatt-hour - in 1991, they were around $9,200 per kWh. Batteries in a standard EV today cost around $5,000 - they would have cost nearly $600,000 in 1991, and $20,000 just a decade ago. Rather than one big breakthrough, thousands of small ones have driven continuously lowering prices: incremental improvements in chemistry, manufacturing, and supply chains.
Largest Ever
Another record falls as the world's largest all-electric airplane makes its maiden flight. Heart Aerospace's X1 demonstrator aircraft took to the skies over Plattsburgh, New York for a 27-minute FAA flight test. The Heart Aerospace X1 Demonstrator represents a significant milestone in that, with its wingspan of 106 ft (32 m), it is comparable in size to conventional regional turboprops. The X1 is intended as the precursor to the production model hybrid-electric, 30-seat ES-30, which the company claims will have operating costs that are 40 percent lower than conventional regional aircraft.
"Never say no to adventures. Always say yes, otherwise you'll lead a very dull life." Ian Fleming
On This Day
19 August 1887: Dmitri Mendeleev makes a solo ascent by balloon to an altitude of 11,500 feet (3.5 km) above Klin, Russia, to observe an eclipse. Originally, a professional aeronaut was supposed to pilot the hot-air balloon with Mendeleev, but wet ropes made the basket too heavy to lift both men. Intent on his research, Mendeleev literally kicked the pilot out of the basket to shed weight, electing to make the journey alone - despite never having flown in a balloon before. While the data gathered was limited due to the chaotic nature of the flight, the stunt captured the public's imagination. The French Academy of Meteorological Aerostation later awarded Mendeleev a gold medal for scientific bravery.
Today's Articles
Foldable eMoped: New city runaround for people who don't want to leave their ride outside for security or convenience.
Beneath Our Feet: Two good reasons for optimism about how mankind can hoover up vast amounts of carbon dioxide.
World’s First: Mushroom-powered toilet does not smell or use any water and converts human waste into compost.
Mood Boosting Video
Huge Splash of Colour: Grand-Place in Brussels blooms into a giant Japanese-inspired flower carpet.
