Mid-week smorgasbord of positive news nuggets to perk up the day.
Costume Jewelry
Metal detectorist Franz Zahn was sweeping a newly harvested carrot field in Switzerland when he discovered a trove of 3,500 year old Bronze Age jewelry. He unearthed 14 bronze discs, 2 double-spiral finger rings, more than 100 tiny amber beads and wire spirals made of gold. “These are typical ‘costume jewelry’ from the Bronze Age - more precisely the Middle Bronze Age around 1500 B.C.E.,” officials from the Canton of Thurgau announced.
Cervical Cancer
Scientists say they may have made the biggest breakthrough in treating cervical cancer in 20 years, using a course of existing, cheap drugs ahead of usual radiotherapy treatment. Trial findings show the approach reduced the risk of women dying from the disease by 35 percent. Cancer Research UK, which funded the work, called the results "remarkable".
Humpback Highway
Good news about Humpback whales, as record numbers have been recorded migrating down Australia's east coast. The population, which was once on the brink of extinction due to commercial whaling, is believed to have reached 40,000 or more.
Ship Propellers That Mimic Whale Tails: Whales may hold the secret to helping reduce emissions by one of the world’s most polluting industries. Read on...
EU Crack Down
The EU has announced further plans to crack down on microplastics after its ban on glitter came into force. The proposal, which tackles tiny pellets used in nearly all plastic products, aims to cut plastic pellet pollution by 74 percent by the end of the decade.
How Old is The Moon?
A team of researchers has worked out the age of our closest neighbour in space. A very long time ago, in the early days of our solar system, a celestial impact involving a Mars-sized object crashed into our planet, giving birth to our Moon. Using lunar samples brought back to the Earth by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972, the team used new technology to discover that the Moon’s presence in our cosmos occurred a staggering 4.46 billion years ago! That's the Moon's minimum age. The findings of the research team are published in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters.
8 Seasons of The Sami
Scandinavians are intuitively in tune with nature. But in the northern homeland of the Sami, the last true indigenous people of Europe, that timetable is a little more complex than the one most of us are used to. In Scandinavia's far north, up in the Arctic circle, there are eight seasons because nature changes so quickly. Alongside our traditional four seasons, Sami people register the transitional periods in between, known in their language as dalvve (winter), gidadalvve (spring-winter), gida (spring), gidagiesse (spring-summer), giesse (summer), tjaktjagiesse (autumn-summer), tjaktja (autumn) and tjaktjadalvve (autumn-winter).
Shattering The Record
Aristotelis Valaoritis, 62, is a security adviser by day, and at night he moonlights as a "glass dancer," performing dance routines while balancing wine glasses on his head. It's a big thing in Cyprus. Valaoritis, who regularly shows off his skills at restaurants and events, has just achieved the Guinness World Record for most wine glasses balanced on the head. He managed to balance 319 glasses, breaking the previous record of 270, which was set by a fellow last year. The record required Valaoritis to keep the glasses balanced for at least 10 seconds, a goal he doubled - while dancing. As you might expect, it had a smashing ending! Click here to watch the video.
"Money is like muck, not good except it be spread." Francis Bacon
On This Day
25 October 1940: American military officer Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., became the first African American general in the U.S. Army when he was promoted to brigadier general.
Homeowners and pollinators in the US are reaping the benefits of new 'Right to Garden' laws. Eco-friendly yards...
Enzyme responsible for breaking down and eliminating booze from our bodies could also help us lead longer, healthier lives. Wonder enzyme...
Mood Booster
Need a break? Iceland thinks you need Iceland.
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