Celebrating the start of the weekend with a global round up of positive news stories.
Tree of The Year
A centuries-old "Skipinnish Oak", named after a Scottish ceilidh band, has won this year's UK Tree of the Year contest. The Woodland Trust has honoured the magnificent ancient oak, which is thought to be at least 400 years old and is located at Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands.
Power of Optimism
Do you want to live a longer, fuller life? Well, according a study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, you should seriously consider cultivating higher levels of optimism. According to the study, which involved almost 160,000 women of a range of races and backgrounds, those with higher levels of optimism often have a longer lifespan and a greater chance of living past 90. The results of an earlier 2019 study echoed these results, concluding that the most optimistic men and women, regardless of socio-economic status, health conditions, depression, smoking, social engagement, poor diet, and alcohol use, showed an average of an 11 to 15 percent longer life span than those who didn’t practice much positive thinking.
Doomsday Seed Vault
In October, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault received more than 30,000 new seed samples from 23 depositors across 21 countries, including seven international gene banks. The deposit includes vegetables, legumes, and herbs from Palestine; pearl millet, sorghum, and groundnuts from India; a huge rice sample from the Philippines; and the first-ever seeds from Bolivia and Chad. Now all safely stored underground above the Arctic Circle.
600+
The number of mountain gorillas now in Rwanda, after the animals were driven nearly to extinction by the 1980s, reports World Economic Forum. The gorilla families are doing so well that they are in need of more space.
GLP-1 Drugs
Arguably one of the most successful medicines in history. First they tackled diabetes, then they took on obesity. Now they're being used for cardiovascular and kidney disease, and tested for Alzheimer’s and addiction. It's still early days, but as GLP-1 receptor agonists become cheaper and easier to use, they promise to dramatically improve the lives of more than a billion people - with profound consequences for industry, the economy and society, says The Economist.
Renault 5 Reboot
Reboots aren’t always successful. BMW’s masterful reinvention of Mini has been a huge success, and you could probably say the same for the Fiat 500. But Volkswagen’s modern-day Beetle? That didn’t do quite so well. It seems like forever since the 2021 unveil of the Renault 5 concept, but three years on the fully electric production version is finally here. The blend of retro styling with modern tech inside is likely to make the new 5 hugely appealing, especially at the price - starting at just under £23,000 ($30,000), and topping out at £29,000 ($37,700) if you add all the customisable features inside and out.
“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” Douglas Pagels
On This Day
2 November 1936: The British Broadcasting Corporation officially launched its first television channel, which was also the world's first regular TV service.
Today's Articles
Yet Another Surprise: Voyager 1 phones home from 15 billion miles away using tech that had not been used since 1981.
Weather Radar: Migratory habits of birds in Australia have been revealed for the first time, thanks to tech normally used to track storms.
It's a Royalty Thing: Artists are changing their new songs and albums to maximise streaming revenues. So, what's the new hit equation?
Mood Boosting Video
Jack o’ Lanterns: How turnips led to a famous Halloween tradition.