Thursday's Uplifting News
- Jun 25
- 4 min read
Today's smorgasbord of tasty, uplifting news nuggets from around the globe.
Dragon Coin
An ultra-rare experimental coin from the final days of imperial China has sold for $4.71 million in Hong Kong. The Hsüan-t’ung silver specimen pattern “short-whiskered dragon” dollar year 3 - dates back to 1911 and was made at the Tientsin Mint in China. Produced in the final year of the Qing Dynasty the government was trying to create a modern, unified national currency system, and tasked Italian engraver, Luigi Giorgi, was tasked with modernizing Chinese coinage. Only one design was chosen for circulation so the others became ultra-rare patterns, and only three of the eight documented surviving coins are privately owned.
Conservation Success
In an important milestone for the conservation of the Sumatran tiger subspecies, three cubs born to a zoo in England have grown old enough to venture out from the maternity den into the enclosure. It’s thought there are less than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wilds of Indonesia, and they are considered Critically-Endangered by the IUCN. Howletts Wild Animal Park said the cubs’ births represent a crucial step forward for the conservation of this cat beyond its natural habitat.
Leonardotheka
One of history’s greatest inventors, Leonardo da Vinci, came up with ambitious ideas that were centuries ahead of their time, filling his notebooks with designs for flying machines, armored vehicles, bridges, hydraulic systems, and mechanical devices. While many of his designs were never built during his lifetime, his detailed sketches were fortunately preserved. And now, a new online platform called Leonardotheka - created by the Museo Galileo in Florence - reunites two historic collections of the Italian polymath’s writings and drawings for the first time in over 400 years. After 10 years of collaborative effort, Leonardotheka brings together many of da Vinci’s most famous inventions, including a flying machine, a perpetual wheel, and the Archimedean screw. You can explore these pages in detail, learn about da Vinci’s drawing and writing techniques, and view digitally reconstructed and restored manuscripts that reveal how they originally looked.
Look Up
The June Bootids meteor shower is typically sparse, only producing a few “shooting stars.” But the celestial event is also notoriously unpredictable, and has resulted in some outbursts of meteors over the decades (notably putting on sparkling shows in June of 1998 and 2004). This year could bring another surprise, astronomers say, and the Bootids’ peak is happening now through Saturday. The point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate is located in northwestern Bootes, which sits high in the western and northwestern sky during the evening for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere.
Fusion Breakthrough
Scientists consider fusion energy the “holy grail” of clean power sources. It can provide limitless electricity without the carbon emissions or radioactive waste associated with traditional nuclear reactors. Now, scientists in South Korea have taken a step towards making commercial fusion power a reality following a breakthrough with their “artificial star.” The hope is that one day, something like this could power your home. While the dream of fusion powering cities around the world with clean energy is still decades away, every breakthrough provides scientists with insights that will be used in fusion reactors down the line. After all, the challenge is not just to generate heat, but to sustain it for prolonged periods. While the reactor does not generate electricity yet, the next goal for South Korean scientists is for the device to sustain fusion temperatures for 300 seconds.
Happy 194th Birthday
The world's oldest living land animal, a tortoise named Jonathan, extended his record to 194 years and was officially named a Guinness World Records Icon. The record-keeping organization said Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise living on the island of St. Helena, was a full-grown adult of at least 50 years when he arrived at St. Helena from the Seychelles in 1882. His birth year is estimated to be 1832 at the latest, but researchers believe he might be even older. Jonathan has now been named a Guinness World Records Icon by the record-keeping organization. GWR Icons are "a select group of record-holders whose achievements have transcended their field and inspired people across the globe," officials wrote.
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." John Lubbock
On This Day
25 June 1678: Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia (aged 32) is awarded a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Padua, the first woman to receive a university doctoral degree or PhD. The ceremony was held in the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin in Padua (relocated from the university hall to accommodate the massive public crowd). Her monumental achievement paved the way for women in academia across Europe.
Today's Articles
Perspective: An insightful view on the important difference between money and lifestyle - and happiness.
Beneficial Boring: World's first ocean ship tunnel gets go ahead in Norway for multiple good reasons.
Beam me up, Scotty: In a remarkable breakthrough, scientists achieve the impossible: quantum teleportation.
Expert Advice: Harvard scientist shares his recommendations for brain health and making sure you age well.
Mood Boosting Video
Rock'n'Roll: Fred and Rita dancing to Led Zep in a cleverly synced dance mash-up.
