Some tasty bite-sized chunks of positive news to perk up the day.
Solar Eclipse
The first solar eclipse of 2025 will take place at sunrise on Saturday 29 March, with eastern Canada, the northeastern U.S., Europe and Africa all in the path. A deep partial eclipse will be seen from North America, with Canada seeing as much as 94 percent and the U.S. up to 85 percent of the sun blocked by the moon at the event’s peak. A smaller eclipse will be seen across western Europe and northwestern Africa later in the day. It comes in the wake of the total lunar eclipse earlier this month.
Life Changing
Thousands of NHS patients in England with multiple sclerosis (MS) are set to benefit from a life changing ‘take at home’ tablet, as the NHS becomes the first healthcare system in Europe to roll it out widely to patients with active disease. The tablet, cladribine, requires just 20 days of treatment spread over four years, providing a convenient alternative to existing therapies that involve regular hospital infusions, frequent self-injections, and extensive monitoring.
"Pleasantly Surprised"
Things are looking up for Asian elephants: A recently published study shows the population of the megafauna is larger and more robust in northern Cambodia than previously believed. The good news comes from researchers at the Fauna & Flora conservation group, who extracted DNA from elephant dung samples to tally the number of elephants. The group estimated that there are 51 elephants in Cambodia’s northern plains with greater genetic diversity than in other areas where the animals live. More diversity means more “long-term viability.” These discoveries raise hopes that the Asian elephant, which has been classified as endangered for nearly four decades, could make a comeback with sufficient protections in place. “We were very pleasantly surprised by the results of the project.”
Childhood Home
You can now get a little bit closer to seeing the world through Harriet Tubman’s eyes. The Maryland Department of Transportation has created a free online museum to help people learn more about where the famed Underground Railroad conductor lived in her formative teen years alongside her father, Ben Ross. After escaping slavery in 1849, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known collectively as the Underground Railroad.
Peace & Quiet
Cambridge, Massachusetts has joined a growing list of cities that have banned gas-powered leaf blowers. The city’s ban went into effect last weekend, and officials noted this move was in the interest of public health and reducing emissions for the environment - and, of course, getting rid of the noise. Residents will need to use electric or rechargeable battery-powered leaf blowers rather than gas.
Zero Carbon Cement
The world’s first full-scale, carbon-neutral cement plant is a go: and it could be operational within three years. The new cement manufacturing facility in Canada will be fitted with a carbon capture, utilization, and storage system that will absorb 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year - the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road. It will boast a 95 percent capture rate, and all that captured carbon will be injected deep underground. This new plant is very good news as cement is an incredibly carbon-intensive component of concrete, which is responsible for an estimated 7 percent of emissions globally.
“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.” Grandma Moses
On This Day
20 March 1999: As they floated past longitude 9°27′ W above Mauretania, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first aviators to circumnavigate the globe nonstop by balloon; they landed the following day in Egypt.
Today's Articles
Set-Jetting: HBO’s hit show The White Lotus is a marketing jackpot for Four Seasons luxury hotel group.
Mood Boosting Video
Raja Ampat: The remote wilderness off the northwest tip of Papua New Guinea and one of the most beautiful places in the world.