Upbeat News Monday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jan 12
- 4 min read
Ensuring the week gets off to a bright start with today's global selection of upbeat news stories.
Less Than a Second
This extraordinary image of the International Space Station passing in front of the January full Moon - known as the Wolf Moon - was snapped by Tianyao Yang in Shanghai, China. It's a composite image, whereby the photographer captured multiple views of the ISS, then stitched them together using computer software, to show the Space Station's path across the Moon. It took less than a second for the ISS to pass in front of the Moon. To put the image into perspective, the International Space Station is about 400km (250 miles) from Earth, whereas the Moon is about 385,000km (239,000 miles) from Earth, according to NASA.
Peak Performance
A British war veteran who lost both his legs in Afghanistan has become the first above-the-knee double amputee to reach the summit of the highest peaks on every continent in the world. Last week, 46-year-old Hari Budha Magar summited the highest mountain in Antarctica - Mount Vinson, the final peak in his remarkable enterprise - after a grueling three-day climb. The summit not only marked another mountaineering ‘world’s first’ for the climber but also a major landmark in Hari’s mission to boost disability awareness and ‘inspire others to climb their own mountain - whatever that might be’.
Sweet Cuddly Mayhem
For a quarter century, the Hershey Bears, a minor league team in the American Hockey League, has been hosting the epic Teddy Bear Toss game for charity. In the annual event, as soon as the home team scores its first goal, excited fans launch thousands of stuffed animals onto the ice. Play stops, so all those stuffed animals can be collected and later donated to children in need throughout central Pennsylvania. On Sunday, the team held its latest ceremony, during which the Bears scored just three minutes into the game, to unleash an aerial assault featuring 81,796 donated stuffed animals.
Lynx in Scotland
It’s not prowled Scotland for more than 500 years, but the lynx is a step closer to returning to the country after a public consultation launched that could steer a future reintroduction programme. Conservation charities have long argued that the cats could boost biodiversity, control deer numbers and attract tourism. “Reintroducing lynx could help restore balance and breathe new life into Highland and Moray landscapes, but it would be essential to do this in a considered, responsible way that addresses questions and concerns.”
New Toothpaste
There could be new hope in the fight against gum disease. Scientists have developed a toothpaste that targets only the bacteria that cause periodontitis, leaving the rest of the oral microbiome healthy and intact. Developed by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology along with other international partners, it contains a substance known as guanidinoethylbenzylamino imidazopyridine acetate (yes, really). The toothpaste, which is being developed under the name PerioTrap, also contains the usual abrasives and fluoride to ward off tooth decay.
NYC Success
Congestion pricing went into effect in New York City on January 5, 2025, and new figures show that it has already resulted in 23.7 million fewer vehicles and a 22 percent drop in air pollution within the “congestion relief zone” alone. Despite controversy and ongoing challenges to the program, proponents say it’s clearly “overwhelmingly successful.” Across the pond, London’s air quality has improved markedly and more people now support the charge than oppose it – a reversal of what the polls showed prior to its imposition. The NYC scheme has also raised a whopping $1.75 billion for transit projects. In July last year, the new $9 congestion charge was described as achieving the fastest environmental benefits of any policy in US history.
Eliminating Silver
Chinese solar panel maker Longi Green Energy Technology has announced that it will mass-produce solar cells using base metals instead of silver this year. Eliminating costly silver is expected to further drive down the price of solar, which has fallen by close to 90 percent per kWh in the last decade.
"Go at it boldly, and you'll find unexpected forces closing round you and coming to your aid." Basil King
On This Day
12 January 1959: Berry Gordy took a major step toward transforming American music on this day in 1959, when he launched Tamla Records. With Smokey Robinson and the Miracles signed as its first act, Tamla soon merged with Gordy's other label, Motown Records, to form one of the most influential music companies in American history. Pictured above in 1998.
Today's Articles
New National Park: At the edge of the world map, Chile is to create a vast new park thanks to an American couple's philanthropy.
Halving Emissions: Study shows how aviation emissions could be cut in half by using existing technology and simple strategies.
Mood Boosting Video
What if Animals Were Round? Very silly, but surprisingly funny 2 minute video.
