Synopsis of last week's most important good news highlights.
What Jet Lag? Most long-haul fliers have personal tricks for how to avoid jet lag, but the Australian airline Qantas might have the solution on the best ways to reset your body’s clock while traveling.
Daytime Naps: Napping during the day may slow down brain shrinkage and cancel out up to seven years of ageing, a new study suggests. Perhaps a study such as this - demonstrating the health benefits of short naps - will help to reduce any stigma that still exists around daytime napping. So, spread the word - it's good for you.
Enceladus Wow Moment: Scientists find phosphorus - a key element for life (as we know it) - on a Saturn Moon. This is the last of six essential elements for life to be detected on Enceladus, giving the strongest indication yet that its ocean is habitable. “This was basically the last piece that was needed to finally, now, deem Enceladus’s ocean to be habitable without any doubt."
Imagination Library: California is kicking off a statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, providing universal access to free books in the mail every month, including bilingual options, for approximately two million children.
Needle-Free Vax: Biotech giant Vaxxas has cut the ribbon on a warehouse manufacturing plant in Brisbane, Australia, for its needle-free patches. After successful trials, the first needle-free, easy to store and easy to administer vaccines are set to be rolled out in as little as three years.
New Cancer Drug: The lung cancer drug osimertinib has been found to reduce the risk of patients dying from the disease after surgery by 51 percent – an outcome described as “unprecedented”. Killing around 1.8 million people a year, lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer deaths.
Brazil's Amazon: Brazil's government has unveiled its plans to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon by 2030, using coordinated policy across more than a dozen ministries, strengthened law enforcement, intelligence and satellite imagery to root out illegal loggers and cattle ranching, regularization of land titles, and the establishment of a rural registry, reports Politico.
Halving Battery Costs: Volkswagen and a technology partner have mastered a battery manufacturing process called 'dry coating' which could cut the cost of vehicle batteries by half. Should be ready for industrial production by 2027.
High Seas Treaty: Members of the United Nations adopted the first-ever treaty to protect marine life in the high seas this week, with the U.N.'s chief hailing the historic agreement as giving the ocean 'a fighting chance.' Delegates from the 193 member nations burst into applause and then stood up in a sustained standing ovation when Singapore's ambassador on ocean issues, Rena Lee, who presided over the negotiations, banged her gavel after hearing no objections to the treaty's approval.
New Forecast: Bloomberg is now projecting that half of all new cars sold in China will be electric by 2026. Oh, and guess what the best-selling model of car in the world right now is? Not the best-selling electric car, the best-selling car, overall. Yes, it's a Tesla Model Y.
Germany's Green Subsidies: Germany has announced a plan to provide up to €50 billion ($54bn) in subsidies over the next 15 years for energy-intensive industries to lower emissions, reports Bloomberg. The plan includes support for the coal-intensive steel industry, which accounts for about 30 percent of industrial greenhouse gas emissions, to transition to green steel.
Africa's Largest: One of the world's largest energy developers has signed a deal to create Africa's largest onshore wind farm: a 10GW monster in Egypt. The wind farm will help Egypt meet its target of 42 percent of energy from renewables by 2030 and save an estimated US$5 billion in fossil gas costs every year, reports Energy Global.
Today's Articles
No Logo: Fashion is starting to ditch the ostentatious logo for something far more subtle. Logoless...
Lovely Tribute: When a beloved pet passes away, there's no better way to honour their memory than by sharing their story and loving energy with the world. Good boy...
Energy Boosting Healthy Snacks: Choosing healthy snacks instead of refined carbohydrates also has positive health benefits. Top 8...