Ensuring the week gets off to a bright start with today's collection of positive news stories.
Abba Reunite
All four members of the Swedish pop quartet Abba were reunited at the weekend to receive one of Sweden's most prestigious knighthoods from King Carl XVI Gustaf. The Order of the Vasa was awarded for the first time in nearly 50 years. Agnetha Faltskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad became "Commanders of the First Class" for their "very outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music life.”
DNA Record Holder
A fern has entered the record books for having more DNA than any other living thing. Scientists say it's a "crazy" amount of DNA for a tiny plant that most people would walk by without noticing. "It's the biggest genome that has ever been discovered out of all organisms that live on this planet," Dr Ilia Leitch of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, told BBC News. The fern, known as Tmesipteris oblanceolate, belongs to a primordial group of plants that evolved long before the dinosaurs set foot on the earth. It's found only on New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean and a few neighbouring islands, where it grows on the trunks and branches of rainforest trees. The fern was found to have a record-breaking genome size of 160 billion base pairs of DNA, which when unravelled would stretch out to about 100 metres. By comparison, the human genome contains about three billion base pairs and would stretch to about two metres.
Did You Miss It?
Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn (in that order) lined up in the sky this morning - about 20 minutes before sunrise - in a rare 'planetary parade'. However, if you slept through your alarm, the planetary parade will likely still be visible for a few more days. Binoculars or a telescope are recommended for optimal viewing. Just look towards the low eastern horizon.
Wolverine Restoration
Colorado lawmakers have approved a bill to restore North American wolverines to the state’s high country. Supporters say the wolverine is one of the last species still “missing” from Colorado after it was exterminated from the Rocky Mountains by humans in the early 1900s. They see Colorado as a key piece of a strategy to ensure the survival of the extremely solitary member of the weasel family. Between 300 and 400 wolverines are currently estimated to live in the lower 48 states. Wildlife officials say Colorado could eventually host as many as 180 wolverines.
“Off The Charts”
Patients with an incurable form of lung cancer could lead normal lives by taking a daily pill that “stops cancer its tracks”, a breakthrough study has revealed. Scientists have hailed the drug, called lorlatinib, for its “off the charts” results after a trial found it improved survival rates by the longest period ever recorded. In the trial, lorlatinib stopped the cancer from spreading for at least five years in 60 per cent of patients, including just over half of the participants whose cancer had already spread to the brain before the trial commenced. It has been so effective that at the time of publishing the results, the researchers have not been able to give an average number of months that patients were able to live without their cancer worsening because the majority are still living progression free, reports The Telegraph. Dr David Spigel, chief scientific officer at Sarah Cannon Research Institute and American Society of Clinical Oncology member, said the industry had “not seen anything close to this”.
Mogul Marries Muscovite
Almost beaming for the camera at his California vineyard, Rupert Murdoch at the age of 93 has got married for the fifth time to a bride just a quarter of a century younger. Wedding photographs released on Sunday show Mr Murdoch, the media tycoon, with his new bride 67-year-old Elena Zhukova, a former molecular biologist born in Moscow. The new Mrs Murdoch, despite her academic background, is no stranger to the high life. Her former husband Alexander Zhukov was a Russian oil tycoon and their glamorous daughter Darya - known as Dasha - was married to Roman Abramovich, the oligarch and one-time owner of Chelsea Football Club.
US Clean Energy
Clean electricity is on the cusp of overtaking fossil fuels in the US. In March 2024, renewables and nuclear generated 49.4 percent of the USA's electricity, and in April 2024, it built 3,980 MW of carbon-free electricity generating capacity. How much fossil fuel capacity was added in that same month? 1 MW. The country is getting close to the point where, for the first time in generations, fossil fuels will provide less than half its electricity.
“You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream - you’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.” Diana Ross
On This Day
3 June 1992: A lawsuit brought before the High Court of Australia by activist Eddie Koiki Mabo was decided in favour of Torres Strait Islander peoples and Aboriginal peoples. The Mabo case established land rights for all Indigenous peoples in Australia.
Today's Articles
Battery-Free: New indoor solar cell means our devices will never need charging. So no more irritating cables!
Mood Boosting Video
Crows Prank Baby Otters: Otters are excellent at catching food, but the crows have slightly more mischievous methods for sourcing their dinner.