Wednesday's global round up of positive news stories to brighten the day.
Damon as Odysseus
More details about Christopher Nolan‘s forthcoming movie version of Homer’s The Odyssey have been revealed. Matt Damon has been announced as playing the lead role of Odysseus and Universal shared the update with the below first-look photo of the actor in character in the epic. Homer’s epic poem tells of Odysseus’ perilous 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. As Odysseus makes his way back, he’s forced to contend with interruptions from the gods and other mythical creatures. Meanwhile, his wife and son have to contend with suitors seeking to replace him. Nolan’s The Odyssey - a “mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology” - is set to hit theaters in July 2026.
Bird Named Wisdom
The world’s oldest known bird has returned to her home island to hatch yet another chick, at nearly 74 years old. Named Wisdom, the Laysan albatross has been spotted this month caring for her youngster on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean. Like others of her species, Wisdom returns to the same nesting site each year to reunite with her mate and if able, lay one egg. The spry septuagenarian is estimated to have produced 50 to 60 eggs in her lifetime, successfully fledging as many as 30 chicks, according to the expert staff at the refuge 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu.
Parkinson's Relief
Americans will soon have access to an infusion device that provides round-the-clock effective relief of Parkinson's disease. The US FDA has approved the sale of the treatment, which harnesses innovative technology to make managing the condition easier and more impactful, will be available towards the end of 2025. The treatment, which will be sold under the name Onapgo, is essentially a subcutaneous - under the skin - device that allows for continuous infusion of the dopamine agonist apomorphine hydrochloride to reduce 'off' episodes. These episodes are periods during the day and night when lepodova medication wears off between doses and adverse motor-function symptoms become amplified.
US Whale Protection
In good news for North Atlantic Right whales, commercial fishermen who had hoped for a loosening of fishing regulations during Trump’s administration are disappointed because a federal appeals court has reinstated rules meant to protect a dwindling whale species from getting entangled in fishing gear. The Boston-based Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court’s decision and reinstated the protections. The lower court had ruled against a federal law banning lobster fishing in a 200-nautical-mile area off the New England coast during the months of February to April. Lethal entanglement in lobster fishing gear is one of the biggest threats to the North Atlantic right whale.
New Opera House
High-profile studio the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has produced a beautiful design for a new opera house for Kosovo. The eye-catching building will be draped in a curving roof informed by a local traditional skirt, which will also feature integrated solar panels. The Opera and Ballet Theatre is for Kosovo's capital Pristina, and will feature wraparound glazing and make good use of timber. As mentioned, the curving roofline references the Xhubleta, a bell-shaped traditional folk skirt in Kosovo. It will also incorporate photovoltaic tiles, which will help reduce the project's draw on the power grid.
Electric Moto
The 1988 anime Akira motorcycle is probably still the coolest two-wheeled pop culture phenomenon nearly 40 years on. But what if it came to life? Japanese design firm Ichiban has created a sleek, retro-futurist electric bike based on the original 1982 manga drawings by Akira creator Katsuhrio Otomo. It is modernized and made technically viable by Ukrainian industrial designer Ivan Zhurba, and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. The name "Ichiban" translates to "first" or "best" in Japanese. And although it is not the first such electric motorcycle by any means, it's certainly cool. In contrast to the majority of the eye-catching designs Ichiban has come up with in the recent past, this retro-futuristic motorcycle is slated to go into production.
“I call something a miracle when an ordinary person achieves something extraordinary. We all have the potential to create miraculous changes.” Tina Turner
On This Day
19 February 1878: American inventor Thomas Edison patented the phonograph, an instrument for reproducing sounds by means of the vibration of a stylus, or needle, following a groove on a rotating disc.
Today's Articles
'Peak Truck': New data suggests that America’s love affair with hulking trucks may be coming to an end.
Scottish Highlands: Researchers have come up with a surprising way to help tackle the climate crisis - reintroducing wolves to Scotland.
Mood Boosting Video
Bird Seed Buffet: Woodpecker, Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, and Tufted Titmice hit the buffet this week.