Mid-week collection of upbeat news stories from around the world.
Sharktopus
“A large metallic grey dorsal fin signaled a big shark, a short-fin mako. But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury?” said University of Auckland researcher and professor Rochelle Constantine. “We launched the drone, put the GoPro in the water, and saw something unforgettable: an octopus perched atop the shark’s head, clinging on with its tentacles.” The “sharktopus” sighting is incredibly rare given that most octopuses tend to stay along the ocean floor and its ride could have been extra challenging as mako sharks can reach speeds of around 30 mph. Although the researchers don’t know how the pair got together or where they ended up going, the professor said mysteries are part of the fun: “One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea.”
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Urban Mining
It's the term used to describe stripping houses marked for demolition of their vital components to be used again. It's part of an ambitious project in the Belgian city of Leuven to cut waste and create a “circular economy”. Some salvaged objects can be reused like-for-like. When the items are too deteriorated, or where safety regulations don’t allow it, then “downcycling” is the next best option: steel girders being repurposed as scaffolding or roof tiles as a material for internal walls. Rehabilitating people is as important as reusing materials. “Mostly, we work with people who are longtime unemployed, lower-schooled, and have a lot of issues outside work,” says Patrick Wauters, employment coordinator at Wonen en Werken, the social enterprise delivering the scheme. “Sure, many have their problems, but they also have their capabilities.”
Matching Torso
For nearly a century, the head of a Buddha statue has been kept in the collections of the National Museum of Cambodia. Its body, however, was missing. But archaeologists at Cambodia’s sprawling Angkor temple complex have unearthed a well-preserved torso section of a statue just 160 feet from where the head was found in 1927. They suspect that the two are a match. Jayavarman VII built Ta Prohm in the 12th century, when the Khmer Empire was at its peak, as a Buddhist temple dedicated to his mother. Today, Ta Prohm - also known as the “Tomb Raider Temple” for its role in the 2001 Angelina Jolie film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - is in decay, with thick tree trunks and roots growing through the stony ruins.
Davidson Cottage
The ancestral home of the co-founder of Harley-Davidson motorcycles has been saved from demolition after it went on the market and was about to be scooped up by developers who would tear it down. The Davidson Cottage, located in the Angus village in Scotland, was home to William C. Davidson, who emigrated to America in 1857, where three of his children (Arthur, Walter and William) joined 20-year-old William Harley to create the iconic Harley-Davidson company. After a three year campaign, and many individual donations, the Harley-Davidson Company stepped in at the last minute to provide the final funding to get the Davidson Legacy Preservation Group over the line.
G.O.A.T of Goats
Farmer Peter Lenu, in Kerala, India, was used to his pygmy goats running up and rubbing themselves on his legs, tripping him up and vying for attention. But it wasn’t until a guest stopped by and remarked how small they really are, that Peter realized he might have a record breaker right on his farm. “I take special care to maintain the genetic quality of all the animals I have,” said Peter, who comes from an agricultural family. But Karumbi, a tiny, black female pygmy goat, was special - at only 1 ft 3 in (40.50 cm) tall, at the full-grown age of four, this G.O.A.T of goats is the shortest living goat in the world, Guinness World Records confirmed. So here’s to you, kid!
Great British Spring Clean
It's time for Brits to roll up their sleeves and get litter-picking: the Great British Spring Clean has kicked off. This year, an army of roving litter heroes have pledged to pick up more than 400,000 bags of rubbish as part of the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental effort. Keep Britain Tidy marked the occasion by revealing that 8.5 million adults - 16 percent of the UK adult population - get involved with litter-picking at least once every six months. The figure rises to 20 percent among parents with children aged 18 or under, setting a fine example to future generations.
“You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake." Bob Hope
On This Day
26 March 1927: The Mille Miglia ('Thousand Miles'), the famed automobile race across Italy, was inaugurated.
Today's Articles
Transparent Solar Cells: Scientists break efficiency record for solar windows that could turn entire skyscrapers into renewable energy power stations.
New Shape Coming: The urgent search for better fuel efficiency to cut emissions is driving radical innovation in aircraft design.
No Trees Cut Down: Releaf Paper takes fallen leaves from city streets and parks, and turns them into paper for bags, office supplies, and more.
Mood Boosting Video
Hiding in Plain Sight: Why is this symbol hidden everywhere in the UK?