Concluding the week with an upbeat selection of positive news stories.
Street Art
Artist David Zinn creates fabulous chalk drawings around his home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He masterfully uses his natural environment to bring his delightful creations to life. Many of them have three-dimensional qualities, as Zinn rarely confines his creations to the flat sidewalks, instead opting to also extend them onto staircases, plants, street lamps, and other fixtures of urban life. OGN will be showcasing more of his charming creations in this Sunday's Good News Magazine.
Personalized Vaccines
Under the new scheme from the U.K. National Health Service, the first of its kind in the world, patients who meet the eligibility criteria and agree to have a blood test and sample of their cancer tissue analyzed will gain immediate access to clinical trials for the new vaccines that experts say represent a new dawn of treatments for cancer. While research into cancer vaccines is at an early stage, trials have already shown they can be effective at killing off any remaining tumor cells after surgery and dramatically cut the risk of cancer returning.
Fun Music Game
First there was Wordle, now there is Bandle. With a nod to the hugely popular word game in its title, Bandle is a free app for music lovers that may be equally addictive. Following a similar structure as Wordle, Bandle has users try to guess a song in as few layers as possible. And it’s picking up steam across social media, with fans posting their attempts at solving each day’s puzzle. “I haven’t done any [marketing] at all whatsoever,” creator Johann Levy told NBC News. “I don’t have the budget for that anyway. It spread with word of mouth.” Tempted to give it a go? Here's the link to the Bandle app.
First Carved Horse
Considered the oldest known horse sculpture made by anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), this horse-shaped figurine was carved out of mammoth ivory about 35,000 years ago. The palm-sized sculpture measures roughly 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) high and 1.9 inches (4.8 cm) long and includes details such as a carved mouth, nostrils, eyes and mane. Sadly, all four of its legs have been broken off. It was found in Vogelherd Cave in southern Germany, and is therefore known as the Vogelherd Horse.
Need to Cut Down on Salt?
Kirin, the Japanese beverage maker, is selling an electrified spoon that researchers say enhances salty tastes without added sodium. The Electric Salt Spoon uses a weak electric field to concentrate sodium ions on the tongue, increasing perceived saltiness. This could be helpful for people who love salty foods, but need to be more careful - as elevated sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure and strokes.
Vast New Forest
Instead of trying to restore what used to be the world's third largest lake, officials from the Uzbekistan Forestry Agency and locals are trying to plant a new forest where it once rested. The main purpose of the afforestation project it to curb the harmful sandstorms and improve the ecosystem by planting desert-tolerant plants. The initiative has so far planted a whopping 4.2 million acres of forest, with nearly half a million more acres of new forest planned for 2024.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn
On This Day
7 June 1929: Through the Lateran Treaty - signed February 11, 1929, by Benito Mussolini for Italy and by Pietro Gasparri, cardinal secretary of state, for the papacy and ratified this day in 1929 - Vatican City became a sovereign state.
Today's Articles
Intriguing Hole: Scientists are puzzling over an almost perfectly circular pit on the surface of Mars.
New Poll: The majority of Americans supports climate litigation against Big Oil. Half would also back the filing of criminal charges.
Mood Boosting Video
Why do cats always land on their feet? In 1894, a French scientist used a camera to solve physics problem.