Upbeat News Friday
- Editor OGN Daily
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
Wrapping up the week with a global collection of upbeat news stories.
Older Than Stonehenge
Several years ago, between 2011 and 2017, archeologists discovered something unexpected in Rechnitz, a small town nestled in Burgenland, Austria’s easternmost and least populous state. Aerial and geomagnetic surveys from the time revealed a series of concentric circles carved deep beneath the grass, raising questions about their origins. In September 2025, researchers finally completed their excavation of the site, unveiling monumental earthworks that are nearly 2,000 years older than the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. Three of the four ring-shaped structures have been identified as “circular ditch systems,” built between 4850 and 4500 B.C.E. These three enclosures measure up to 105 meters in diameter (about 344 feet), and were once bordered by wooden posts, as evidenced by holes left behind at the site. Unsurprisingly, their historical purpose remains - at least, for now - shrouded in mystery.
Near Miss
When Ann Walter looked outside her rural West Texas home, she didn’t know what to make of the bulky object slowly drifting across the sky. She was even more surprised to see what actually landed in her neighbor’s wheat field: a boxy piece of scientific equipment about the size of a sport-utility vehicle, attached to a massive parachute, adorned with NASA stickers. She called the local sheriff’s office and learned that NASA, indeed, was looking for a piece of equipment that had gone missing.
An exhibition featuring the winning entries for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 opens today at London's Natural History Museum. Amongst the winning entrants is this eerie snap by Lubin Godin, who won the 11-14 year old category. It was taken on Col de la Colombière in Haute-Savoie, France. During an early ascent, Godin found an Alpine ibex resting above a sea of clouds. He retraced his steps as the sun broke through and captured the scene before the mist returned.
Holy Last Orders
Kenya’s Catholic Church has switched to a new brand of communion wine, after the old one became too popular with secular boozers. Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba announced the change at a National Prayer Day service, “clutching two unopened bottles of wine”, said The Nation. Father Kibaki Robert told the newspaper that the change was “long overdue”. “It was really annoying,” he said. “Everywhere you went, clubs, supermarkets, wine and spirit shops, altar wine was being sold on the shelves.”
US Clean Energy Jobs
Yale360 reports that clean energy jobs grew 3x faster than the rest of the U.S. workforce in 2024, now employing 3.5 million Americans. Experts said clean energy “was one of the hottest and most promising job sectors in the country at the end of 2024,” but warn that continued progress is at risk due to recent changes to U.S. energy policy under the Trump administration.
Forests of Gondwana
Ancient amber reveals South America’s oldest insect fossils. Scientists in Ecuador have found 112-million-year-old insects preserved in amber - the first evidence of Cretaceous insects from South America, reports SciTechDaily. Trapped within resin from Cretaceous trees, the flies, beetles and wasps capture life from the lost forests of Gondwana - a supercontinent that formed approximately 550 million years ago and included the landmasses that would later become South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica. The amber offers an unprecedented window into southern ecosystems that evolved in parallel with those in the north.
“Sometimes I am amazed that my wife and I created two human beings from scratch yet struggle to assemble the most basic of IKEA cabinets.” John Kinnear
On This Day
16 October 1847: English novelist Charlotte Brontë (under the pseudonym Currer Bell) published Jane Eyre, which became a classic noted for giving new truthfulness to the Victorian novel.
Today's Articles
‘Splatatouille’: Scientists have worked out the true origin of Chicago's famous 'rat hole' indentation in wet concrete.
Feeling Constipated? Kiwi fruit could be the best natural answer, and a better solution than a high-fibre diet.
Drinking The Pacific: Tests are now complete, so dozens of subsea desalination pods to make fresh water are to be installed along the sea floor off the coast of California.
Mood Boosting Video
Land of Ice & Fire: Stunning 3 minute cinematic video of Iceland.