Global round up of positive news stories to brighten the day.
Hilhairious
Hot springs enthusiasts are hoping for Arctic temperatures in Canada so an annual hair-freezing contest can go forth later this winter. In the town of Whitehorse, a 10-hour drive from Juneau, Alaska, bathers dip into the naturally warmed waters at Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs. If the outdoor temperature is cold enough, people can make their hair freeze into bizarre shapes. Contest categories include best female and male, best group, best facial hair, and a people’s choice award, and every category winner receives a $2000 cash prize. “We kick off the Hair Freezing contest as soon as the temperature drops to -20°C or lower,” said a spokesperson for the Hot Springs.
Pink Pigeon
A rare pink pigeon has been hand-reared at a UK zoo for the first time. Found in the wild only on the island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, pink pigeons have been on the endangered ‘red list’ for both the IUCN and BirdLife. On the brink of extinction in 1991, their numbers were thought to have dropped to a low of just nine individuals left in the wild. But, dedicated conservation efforts have significantly boosted their population - including those from Tom Tooley and his colleagues at Paignton Zoo in Devon, England.
30 Million Acres
Brazil has announced a plan to restore an area of degraded land about half the size of the U.K. by 2030, in a bid to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, reports Mongabay. The Planaveg 2.0 initiative aims to restore 30 million acres, about half of Brazil’s degraded land area. Home to 15-18 percent of the world’s known species, Brazil is the most biodiverse nation on Earth, making it a key player in global ecosystem restoration.
Moana 2
Set for release over the Thanksgiving weekend, this movie has the potential to become Disney’s highest-grossing release of all time. Ticketing service Fandango reported that first-day ticket presales for Moana 2 are already higher than that of Inside Out 2 - the highest-grossing movie of the year and the highest-grossing animated movie of all time ($1.7 billion at the box office). Box office tracking indicates that Moana 2 could open to $135 million in just the US and Canada - much higher than the original’s $82 million.
Restoring Vision
Japanese researchers have developed world-first stem-cell treatment that restores vision in humans. Kohji Nishida, an ophthalmologist at Osaka University, and his colleagues used an alternative source of cells - induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - to make the corneal transplants. As described in the journal Nature, they took blood cells from a healthy donor and reprogrammed them into an embryonic-like state, then transformed them into a thin, transparent sheet of cobblestone-shaped corneal epithelial cells. After the transplants, all four recipients showed immediate improvements in their vision and a reduction in the area of the cornea affected by limbal stem-cell deficiency. The improvements persisted in all but one recipient, who showed slight reversals during a one-year observation period.
Less is More
Just as many wounds heal on their own, so can rainforests, according to a new study. An international team of scientists found that over 800,000 square miles of deforested lands could recover naturally with minimal human involvement. “A rainforest can spring up in one to three years - it can be brushy and hard to walk through,” Matthew Fagan, a conservation scientist and co-author of the paper, told Grist. “In five years, you can have a completely closed canopy that’s 20 feet high.” Five countries (Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico, and Colombia) accounted for the majority of the estimated potential regrowth. The study noted that when forests bounce back on their own, they can sequester significant amounts of atmospheric carbon and improve water quality in the process.
“How ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.” Elizabeth Lesser
On This Day
20 November 1902: Geo Lefevre and Henri Desgrange (pictured) create Tour de France bicycle race.
Today's Articles
Flatulence Tax: Denmark has agreed on how to implement the world’s first tax on agricultural emissions, including flatulence by livestock.
One Good Deed Deserves Another: Woman walking to work (she couldn't afford to fix her car) finds bag of cash and hands it to police. What happens next is heartwarming.
Mood Boosting Video
British Humour: Comedy sketch from the 1970s starring Dave Allen.