Monday's Upbeat News
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Kick-starting the week with an eclectic worldwide selection of upbeat news nuggets.
What's in Your Garden?
A man discovered a rather unusual rectangular stone in the garden of his home in a small village in the southeastern Czech Republic. The object, which had long helped support the foundations of his barn, piqued his interest. Eventually, it drew attention from local archaeologists, too. After analyzing the find, researchers identified the stone as a millennia-old artifact used to cast Bronze Age weaponry. Nearly nine inches long, the item - made from a volcanic rock called rhyolite tuff - dates to around 1350 B.C.E. “It is a casting mold, technically called a matrix, for a bronze spearhead,” says an archaeologist at the Moravian Museum in Brno. “As we can see, it’s a fairly regular rectangular stone slab. On the dividing surface of the mold, on one side, there is a very precisely shaped and very well-preserved negative impression used for casting a bronze spearhead.”
May Have Overdone It
We often think of the animal world as cutthroat, harsh, and generally unforgiving. But, of course, there’s more to it than that. Photographers have long shown the softer side of the creature kingdom - one that is humorous and even sweet. In doing so, our perceptions change, and we get a fuller picture of our world. Photographer Johan J Botha has encapsulated this idea in one endearing image of a lion cub lying on the ground after a big meal. Looking full and sleepy, the relatable repose could be any of us after a satisfying feast.
Estimate Smashed
A piano used by John Lennon to compose songs for The Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has sold for a record $3.2m at an auction at Christie's in New York, and is believed to be the highest fee for a piece of Beatles memorabilia. The Broadwood upright piano was used to write songs including Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, A Day In The Life, and Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!, which all featured on the Liverpool band's eighth studio album. The piano had been estimated to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000, but eventually soared above its estimate, selling for $3,247,000. The piano was part of a collection amassed by billionaire businessman Jim Irsay.
Firefighting Robot
Firefighters in South Korea will soon start deploying alongside a massive, six-wheeled, self-cooling autonomous robot that could help keep them safe. Hyundai recently revealed the new, driverless ground drone - which can survive a 1,000 degree blaze - built atop a chassis initially intended for military use and looking like something out of a sci-fi film. The robot has a massive hose - in place of a munitions cannon - that can both douse fires and illuminate dark areas to help in search and rescue situations. It also has thermal imaging sensors that can see through thick smoke. Hyundai says the goal is to send the bright, red behemoth into dangerous areas ahead of firefighters to start tackling blazes and map out safe escape routes.
Message in a Bottle
Lorenzo, a 10-year-old boy living in Nassau threw a message in a bottle into the emerald green Bahamian seas in February last year and was stunned when it was found on a beach in Portugal exactly one year later. He wrote down his mother’s WhatsApp number, along with the name of their town and the date, before hurling it into the ocean. It travelled over 4,000 miles from the Bahamas and reached a beach near Porto, in Portugal. There, 49-year-old schoolteacher Maria Enes was walking her dog last month, when she spotted the bottle and described the moment of finding a message in a bottle as being a “childhood fantasy.” She called the number to reveal the news and says she is hoping that Lorenzo can meet her in Porto one day so they can throw a bottle into the ocean together.
Recharges in 5 Minutes
Chinese carmaker BYD will sell Britain’s first electric vehicle that can be powered in five minutes. BYD said the Z9GT, released under its premium Denza brand, would be able to charge from 10 percent to 70 percent in five minutes and fully in nine minutes. That makes it the first electric car released in the UK that can be charged in close to the time it takes to refuel a petrol car. The vehicle is scheduled to be released in the summer and has a range of about 500 miles.
Vaccination Campaign
India has launched world’s largest HPV vaccination campaign. The new initiative will target millions of adolescents each year to prevent cervical cancer. Delivered for free in public clinics, the campaign could dramatically reduce deaths in the coming decades - cervical cancer causes about 80,000 deaths a year in India, roughly a quarter of the global burden.
“A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kickboxing.” Emo Philips
On This Day
14 March 1899: German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was granted a U.S. Patent for a "Navigable Balloon". The patent detailed a rigid airship with a lightweight metal frame, multiple compartments for lifting gas, and separate motors to enable controlled, powered flight. This invention revolutionized air travel and paved the way for commercial airship, or zeppelin, flights beginning in 1910.
Today's Articles
Water From Dry Air: A Nobel prize winner has created an environmentally friendly device that can harvest water from dry air.
Donkey Battalion: Spain's successful herbivorous ‘firefighting’ donkeys have eradicated wild fires in their region.
5 Top Longevity Foods: Japan is home to the world’s longest-living people. Here's what a Japanese nutritionist says they eat every day.
Mood Boosting Video
Pink Panther Short: Its Oscar for Best Animated Short Film was the first time a studio won an Oscar with its first-ever animated short.