Thursday's Upbeat News
- Editor OGN Daily
- Apr 17
- 4 min read
A smorgasbord of tasty good news nuggets to perk up the day.
Celestial Prize
In a leap forward for astronomy, a researcher has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm and discovered more than one million objects in space by parsing through understudied data from a NASA telescope. The breakthrough is detailed in a study published in The Astronomical Journal. What the study doesn’t detail, however, is that the paper’s sole author is 18 years old. Matteo Paz from Pasadena, California, recently won the first place prize of $250,000 in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search for combining machine learning with astronomy. Self-described as the nation’s “oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors,” the contest recognized Paz for developing his A.I. algorithm. The young scientist’s tool processed 200 billion data entries from NASA’s now-retired NEOWISE telescope. His model revealed 1.5 million previously unknown potential celestial bodies.
Two High School Girls Solve The "Impossible": They have proved the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, a feat mathematicians long thought could not be done.
The 'Merci Train'
In 1949, France assembled an elaborate gift to thank the United States for its support during World War II. It was known as the “Merci Train,” a locomotive with 49 small boxcars - one for each state at the time, plus one for Washington, D.C. and the territory of Hawaii to share -filled to the brim with presents. But about a decade later, the boxcar presented to New Jersey disappeared. Historians previously thought it may have been destroyed, though they couldn’t find any records to piece together its fate. Now, however, the state’s long-lost gift from France has been found. It’s slated to return home to New Jersey this spring, reports NorthJersey.com.
Blue Bird
Firefighters in Gothenburg, Sweden, came to the aid of a pet parrot stuck in a tree - despite being showered with insults by the ungrateful bird. The parrot screeched "F**k you!" in English at its rescuers and refused to budge from its branch. But swearing was not the bird's only vice: after a stand-off of several hours, "in the end, the owner had to lure it down with a pack of cigarettes", said Göteborgs-Posten.
Orient Express Hotel
The Orient Express is entering the hotel game. The iconic luxury train company, owned by French hospitality brand Accor, has just opened its first hotel ever. Housed in a 17-century palazzo in the heart of Rome, the Orient Express La Minerva offers 93 rooms and 36 suites - each of which are entirely unique in layout and size. The hotel’s address at Piazza della Minerva 69 - a gathering place of many a creative and traveler over the decades - puts it mere steps away from the Pantheon, as well as other landmarks in the Eternal City.
Wildly Successful
It flies, it floats, it’s electric - and now it’s officially a hit. The world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry, a Candela P-12 vessel named Nova, has wrapped up its first season of public service in Stockholm, and new data confirms what many suspected: this sleek, silent, water-skimming machine isn’t just a cool piece of tech - it’s also wildly successful. The numbers reveal that the boat isn’t just fast - it’s popular, green, and pulling people out of their cars. Compared to Stockholm's diesel ferries, Nova emits 95 percent less CO2; it enjoys 80 perecent average occupancy; saves half the time it takes by car or bus for the same journey; the route has seen a 30 percent uptake in ferry use, as drivers abandon their cars and hop on Nova. Alsoin Stockholm...
Wooden City
Building with timber rather than concrete or steel could be key to offsetting construction industry emissions, and with 70 percent of its landmass blanketed in forests, Sweden has plenty of the renewable resource at its disposal. An ambitious project is making use of that cache while positioning itself as a model of nature-infused sustainable living. Construction has started on Stockholm Wood City and it will be the world’s largest city made entirely from timber. It will provide 2,000 new homes and 7,000 office spaces. Between the urban developments, “pocket parks” populated with wildflowers will promote biodiversity. Aside from creating less carbon emissions, timber has another major eco-friendly benefit: It’s recyclable. When a wooden structure comes down, the materials could be used to build furniture or burned as biofuel. Additionally, research has pointed to buildings made with natural materials like wood positively contributing to health and well-being. And, of course, it’s easy on the eyes.
"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." Rachel Carson
On This Day
17 April 2012: The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for £9 million ($12m).
Today's Articles
No Frills: Looks like Bezos is about to launch a cheap, compact electric pickup truck for around $25,000.
Numbers With Dots: Historians discover the world's first known decimal point, in an ancient manuscript written 150 years before its next known appearance.
Two in One: A satellite photo captured an unusual 'double rainbow' glory appearing next to an unconnected chain of rare vortices.
Mood Boosting Video
Beautiful and rather mesmerising: Watch an oil painting of a mandarin come to life.
