Some bite-sized chunks of positive news to perk up the day.
Rights of Nature
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador has determined that coastal marine ecosystems have rights of nature, including the right to “integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes,” as per the country’s constitution. This is not the first time that Ecuador has established legal rights for nature. In fact, Ecuador was the first country in the world to establish that nature held legal rights - and has already protected land and wild animals. The latest ruling is the first time that Ecuador’s rights of nature have been applied to marine environments.
Summrize
No, that's not a typo. It's the name of a handy app you might like to know about, that lets you read interactive summaries of the top non-fiction books for free. With the strap line of 'Bite size knowledge, life sized impact', check out Summrize.
Sweet Dreams
When learning a new language, sleeping between lessons significantly improves memory and mastery of new words and grammar, a study from the University of South Australia suggests. Using a truncated Mandarin offshoot called Mini Pinyin, researchers found participants who slept showed much better retention and performance. Sleep is "not just restful; it's an active, transformative state for the brain," lead author Dr. Zachariah Cross said, adding that the findings may inform treatments for language impairments like autism and aphasia. Sticking to the subject of sleep...
Brain Washing
You might think science had figured out why we sleep a long time ago, but we're actually still not sure. About a decade ago, Dutch researcher Maiken Nedergaard proposed that your brain gets washed, quite literally, while you sleep, by cerebral spinal fluid. Now new research by her team gives more detail into how this actually occurs, and others can investigate the team's evidence. If they turn out to be right, they'll get a Nobel Prize for this.
World's Largest
This year’s ice maze at the Minnesota Ice Festival is more than just the perfect way to freeze your buns off while getting lost - it’s officially the largest ice maze in the world, per Guinness World Records. Boasting over 18,000 square feet of twists and turns, the maze uses 3,452 blocks of ice.
Poverty Plummets
In India, rural poverty dropped from 25.7 percent in 2011-12 to 4.86 percent by March 2024, driven by government support initiatives, Indonesia's poverty rate fell to 8.57 percent in September, its lowest level ever, lifting 1.84 million people out of poverty since March 2023, and in Vietnam, the multidimensional poverty rate fell to below 1 percent in 2024, reflecting sustained poverty reduction efforts.
“Travel is above all a feeling.” Yolanda Edwards
On This Day
21 January 1506: Swiss Guards first arrived at the Vatican as watchmen for the pope.
Today's Articles
Screen & Stream: Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia could herald a new era for Netflix.
Reasons For Optimism: mRNA technology and AI are set to make a huge difference in the fight against cancer.
Mood Boosting Video
Nordic Cleaning: Doing the laundry in Northern Scandinavia is challenging!