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Rock Formation Deep in Australian Outback Holds New Clues to Climate Change Now That its True Age is Known

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The Pinnacles limestone rock formation in Australia / SWNS
The Pinnacles limestone rock formation in Australia / SWNS

An unusual rock formation deep in the Australian outback could hold key clues to future climate change, now that it has finally been dated correctly.

The Pinnacles—part of the world’s largest wind-blown limestone belt, spanning more than 600 miles—are providing new insights into Earth’s ancient climate and changing landscape, after scientists investigated iron-rich nuggets found within.

A new study, published in the journal Science Advances, found they were formed about 100,000 years ago during what was the wettest period in the past half-million years for the area—very different from the Mediterranean climate Western Australia enjoys today.

Lead author Dr Matej Lipar says the “spectacular” finger-like stone pinnacles in Nambung National Park are a type of karst created by water dissolving rocks.

“These formations offer crucial insights into ancient climates and environments, but accurately dating them has been extremely challenging until now,” said Dr. Lipar, of Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

“Karst landscapes, like those in Nambung National Park, are found globally and serve as sensitive indicators of environmental change. Studying them within an accurate timeline helps us understand how Earth’s geological systems respond to climate shifts.

“We found this period was locally the wettest in the past half-million years, distinct from other regions in Australia and far removed from Western Australia’s current Mediterranean climate.”

MYSTERY SOLVED: The Stonehenge ‘Altar Stone’ Mystery is Solved: It Came from Scotland 460 Miles Away

“An abundance of water during this time caused the limestone to dissolve, forming the distinctive pillars of the Pinnacles and creating the ideal environment for the iron nodules to develop,” explained Lipar, now at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Co-author Associate Professor Martin Danišík says the iron-rich nodules acted as “geological clocks”, trapping helium from the consistent radioactive decay of tiny quantities of naturally occurring uranium and thorium.

“Measuring this helium provides a precise record of when the nodules formed,” said Prof. Danišík, of Curtin University.

LOOK: NASA Stunned by Discovery After Mars Rover Breaks Open a Rock

“The innovative dating techniques developed in this study reveal the nodules date back about 100,000 years, highlighting an exceptionally wet climate period.”

Study co-author Associate Professor Milo Barham explained that being able to reconstruct past climate changes was important given the context it provides to understanding human evolution and ecosystems more broadly amid “dramatic” climate fluctuations over the past three million years.

“This new knowledge will enhance our understanding of global environments and ecosystems, helping us prepare for, and mitigate the impacts of, a warming planet,” said Dr. Barham, also of Curtin University.

LITHIUM DISCOVERY: Pyrite May Be Known as Fool’s Gold, but It Actually Contains a Kind of Green Gold: Lithium

“This research not only advances scientific knowledge but also offers practical insights into climate history and environmental change, relevant to anyone concerned about our planet’s present and future.”

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One-Minute Phone Breaks Help Keep College Students More Focused in Classroom: Study

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Credit: Sam Balye
Credit: Sam Balye

Researchers investigated whether letting students use their phones for very brief amounts of time can enhance classroom performance—and it seems to have worked.

Their long-term experiment showed that allowing one-minute mobile phone breaks in college classrooms could result in more focus, less mobile use during lectures, and higher test scores.

Phones can be useful tools for teachers to remind pupils of deadlines or encourage more exchange between students and teachers, but they can be distracting. On average, students were using their phones for non-academic purposes during lessons as often as 10 times a day.

The team in the U.S. investigated if letting students use their phones for very brief amounts of time—dubbed phone or technology breaks—can enhance classroom performance and reduce mobile use.

Participants were undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university enrolled in a lower division critical thinking course. The mean attendance over 22 class periods was 21 participants.

“To our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of technology breaks in a college classroom,” said study first author Professor Ryan Redner. “We showed that technology breaks may be helpful for reducing cell phone use.”

Throughout a full term, the research team evaluated the effectiveness of technology breaks, lasting one, two, or four minutes, respectively.

In some of the bi-weekly sessions, the researchers introduced equally long question breaks as a control condition. During the breaks, students were not allowed to use their phones but were encouraged to ask questions.

Both breaks occurred 15 minutes into the lecture element of class. In the study, phone use was defined as touching the phone.

The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Education, showed that when technology breaks were introduced, students generally used their phones less often than during the sessions with only question breaks.

During breaks lasting just 60 seconds, phone use was at its lowest, making them the most efficient at reducing the time students spent on their phones during class.

The researchers at Southern Illinois University say it is not yet fully understood why that might be, but Redner said one possibility is that one minute is enough time to read and send a smaller number of messages.

“If they have more time to send many messages, they may be more likely to receive messages and respond again during class.”

Higher Test Scores

The research team also found that in class sessions where one-minute breaks were in effect, students’ test performance peaked.

Higher average test scores for over 80% of participants were consistently observed.

“Our hope is that it means students were less distracted during lecture, which leads to better performance.”

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The researchers say that it is unlikely that students behaved differently knowing their phone use was monitored—an effect called “reactivity”.

“Typically, reactivity occurs early in a study and its effects are reduced over time. We may see some in early sessions, but I am not convinced that we had much reactivity.

“At this point, students are probably used to using cell phones in the college classroom, also under the observation of the professor and other students.”

While the results point to the possible effectiveness of short technology breaks, the researchers said further studies are needed.

“We are trying to find ways to reduce cell phone use and doing so without penalties.

ALSO CHECK OUT: More Teens Than You Think Understand the Positive and Negative Aspects of Smartphones–Survey

“We hope our findings inspire researchers and teachers to try approaches to reducing cell phone use that are reinforcement-based.”

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Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ From Rob Brezsny

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Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of October 5, 2024
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
On those infrequent occasions when I buy a new gadget, I never read the instructions. Despite the fact that I may not know all the fine points of using my new vacuum cleaner, air purifier, or hairdryer, I ignore the booklet. Research reveals that I am typical. Ninety-two percent of all instructions get thrown away. However, I don’t recommend this approach to you in the coming weeks, whether you’re dealing with gadgets or more intangible things. You really should call on guidance to help you navigate your way through introductory phases and new experiences.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
I knew a Scorpio performance artist who did a splashy public show about private matters. She stationed herself on the rooftop of an apartment building and for 12 hours loudly described everything she felt guilty about. (She was an ex-Catholic who had been raised to regard some normal behavior as sinful.) If you, dear Scorpio, have ever felt an urge to engage in a purge of remorse, now would be an excellent time. I suggest an alternate approach, though. Spend a half hour writing your regrets on paper, then burn the paper in the kitchen sink as you chant something like the following: “With love and compassion for myself, I apologize for my shortcomings and frailties. I declare myself free of shame and guilt. I forgive myself forever.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Be HEARTY, POTENT, and DYNAMIC, Sagittarius. Don’t worry about decorum and propriety. Be in quest of lively twists that excite the adventurer in you. Avoid anyone who seems to like you best when you are anxious or tightly controlled. Don’t proceed as if you have nothing to lose; instead, act as if you have everything to win. Finally, my dear, ask life to bring you a steady stream of marvels that make you overjoyed to be alive. If you’re feeling extra bold (and I believe you will), request the delivery of a miracle or two.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
19th C. Capricorn author Anne Brontë wrote The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which many critics regard as the first feminist novel. It challenged contemporary social customs. The main character, Helen, leaves her husband because he’s a bad influence on their son. She goes into hiding, becoming a single mother who supports her family by creating art. Unfortunately, after the author’s death at a young age, her older sister Charlotte suppressed the publication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. It’s not well-known today. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, so as to inspire you to action. I believe the coming months will be a favorable time to get the attention and recognition you’ve been denied but thoroughly deserve. Start now! Liberate, express, and disseminate whatever has been suppressed.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
What is the most important question you want to find an answer for during the next year? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to formulate that inquiry clearly and concisely. I urge you to write it out in longhand and place it in a prominent place in your home. Ponder it lightly and lovingly for two minutes every morning upon awakening and each night before sleep. (Key descriptors: “lightly and lovingly.”) As new insights float into your awareness, jot them down. One further suggestion: Create or acquire a symbolic representation of the primal question.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Scientific research suggests that some foods may be addictive—including pizza, chocolate, potato chips, and ice cream. The good news is that they are not as problematic for long-term health as cocaine, for example. The bad news is that they are not exactly healthy. I invite you to re-order your priorities about addictive things. Now is a favorable time to figure out what substances and activities might be tonifying, invigorating addictions—and then retrain yourself to focus your addictive energy on them. Maybe you could encourage an addiction to juices that blend spinach, cucumber, kale, celery, and apple. Perhaps you could cultivate an addiction to doing a pleasurable form of exercise or reading books that thrill your imagination.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
During certain ancient rituals, participants are asked, “What binds you? And what will you do to free yourself from what binds you?” I recommend this exercise to you right now, Aries. Here’s a question: Will you replace your shackles with a weaving that inspires and empowers you? In other words, will you shed what binds you and, in its stead, create a bond that links you to an influence you treasure?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
If I had to name the zodiac sign that other signs are most likely to underestimate, I would say Taurus. Why? Well, many of you Bulls are rather modest and humble. You prefer to let your practical actions speak louder than fine words. Your well-grounded strength is diligent and poised, not flashy. People may misread your resilience and dependability as signs of passivity. But here’s good news, dear Taurus: In the coming weeks, you will be less likely to be undervalued and overlooked. Even those who have been ignorant of your appeal may tune in to the fullness of your tender power and earthy wisdom.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In the coming days, I invite you to work on writing an essay called “People and Things I Never Knew I Liked and Loved Until Now.” To get the project started, visit places that have previously been off your radar. Wander around in uncharted territory, inviting life to surprise you. Call on every trick you know to stimulate your imagination and break out of habitual ruts of thinking. A key practice will be to experiment and improvise as you open your heart and your eyes wide. Here’s my prophecy: In the frontiers, you will encounter unruly delights that inspire you to grow wiser.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Now is an excellent time to search for new teachers, mentors, and role models. Please cooperate with life’s intention to connect you with people and animals who can inspire your journey for the months and years ahead. A good way to prepare yourself for this onslaught of grace is to contemplate the history of your educational experiences. Who are the heroes, helpers, and villains who have taught you crucial lessons? Another strategy to get ready is to think about what’s most vital for you to learn right now. What are the gaps in your understanding that need to be filled?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The English language has more synonyms than any other language. That’s in part because it steals words from many tongues, including German, French, Old Norse, Latin, and Greek, as well as from Algonquin, Chinese, Hindi, Basque, and Tagalog. Japanese may be the next most magpie-like language, borrowing from English, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and German. In accordance with astrological possibilities, I invite you to adopt the spirit of the English and Japanese languages in the coming weeks. Freely borrow and steal influences. Be a collector of sundry inspirations, a scavenger of fun ideas, a gatherer of rich cultural diversity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Here are my bold decrees: You are entitled to extra bonuses and special privileges in the coming weeks. The biggest piece of every cake and pie should go to you, as should the freshest wonders, the most provocative revelations, and the wildest breakthroughs. I invite you to give and take extravagant amounts of everything you regard as sweet, rich, and nourishing. I hope you will begin cultivating a skill you are destined to master. I trust you will receive clear and direct answers to at least two nagging questions.

WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“Autumn is the mellow time.” – William Allingham

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Quote of the Day: “Autumn is the mellow time.” – William Allingham

Photo by: Mathieu Odin for Unsplash+

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Good News in History, October 5

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Tyson (right), Bill Nye, and U.S. President Barack Obama take a selfie at the White House, 2014 - pub domain

Happy 66th Birthday to popular science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson. Born in the Big Apple without a star in the sky to look up at, Tyson nevertheless became a face for astronomy and astrophysics as Director of the Hayden Planetarium and host of the television special Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey. READ more about Tyson… (1958)

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Miracle Twins Given 10% Chance of Survival Are Now Thriving Thanks to Hero Medics

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Andy Corbley
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(left) Kelsea and Willow credit - Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, released
(left) Kelsea and Willow credit – Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, released

A Scottish mom is thanking her lucky stars after her “miracle” twins avoided the worst of a potentially mortal fetal complication.

At one point given a 10% chance to live, Kelsea and Willow were born at 32 weeks, breathing on their own. After a one-month stay in the NICU, they went home and are developing normally.

More than halfway into her pregnancy, mother Sally Kynoch from Moray was transferred from Aberdeenshire Maternity Hospital to the Fetal Medicine Department in Glasgow, where she was told her twin girls had a life-threatening complication.

They were diagnosed with stage 4 twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which describes a condition where two babies share one placenta, locking them in a delicate balance where one could die if it gives away more blood than it receives, and the other could die from an overworked heart if it receives too much.

“After discussing possible options… we decided to go ahead with laser ablation to seal off some of the blood vessels in the placenta so that both babies receive a more equal supply of blood,” Kynoch told the Daily Record.

credit – Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, released.

“This came with a lot of potential risks and complications such as preterm delivery, rupture of membranes, and complications for the babies. But without any treatment, there was only a 10% chance of both twins surviving. Thankfully, the laser ablation was successful.”

OTHER MIRACLE SURVIVORS: When Dying Boy’s Life Support Was Turned off He Began Improving–and Went Home with Parents

“The weeks following the surgery were scary. We didn’t know what to expect,” she said.

MORE STROKES OF LUCK: 6-Year-old Boy Found in the Forest After 150 Searched for Five Days

But nothing undue befell little Willow and her sister Kelsea, who are now 7 months old and going from strength to strength.

SHARE Little Willow And Kelsea’s Harrowing Journey Into Our World… 

Torn Between Volunteering and Dream of Adopting a Cat, 6-year-old Starts Poop Scooping Business

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Andy Corbley
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credit - @poopa.scoopa.luca
credit – @poopa.scoopa.luca

This is Luca Arpin, better known to his neighbors as “Poopa Scoopa Luca.“

His moniker is well-earned, as the 6-year-old styled himself the neighborhood’s #1 number to call for cleaning up after dogs and cats.

“People hate picking up dog poop,” said the first-grader from Warwick, Mass. Speaking with WJAR, Arpin said he has an appreciation for all things tidy, and prefers cleaning up above other activities.

His rate is $15 for one dog, or $20 for multiple dogs. He even has his own business card.

His mother says that volunteering is one of their family’s core values. She and Luca have an enduring love for animals and together have fostered 98 four-legged friends through her work at a local animal shelter.

First to fold laundry or mop a floor, Luca’s mother said that his tendencies to offer his help pro bono at the shelter slowly landed him in a predicament where he wanted to afford to permanently adopt a cat, but couldn’t afford to do so.

Asking mom how he could earn money, the two settled on that poo patrol, which he says is work he doesn’t mind at all.

“I have the coolest kid in the entire world,” said his mother proudly.

MORE ADORABLE KIDS: Boy Offered a Dollar to Man He Thought Was Homeless, Gets Richly Rewarded for His Kindness

It didn’t take long for Luca to save enough money to bring ‘Pebble’ a little female kitten he decided he couldn’t live without, into the busy embrace of their home. Luca continues to work, raising money which he hopes can go to help other animals.

WATCH the story below from KMVT…

OVERWHELM Your Friends With Heartwarming Cuteness With This Kind, Enterprising Lad… 

Mystery of Nazca Lines Deepens as AI Survey Doubles Number of Geoglyphs and Alters Their Meaning

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Andy Corbley
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Sakai et al. Yamagata University Institute of Nasca, via PNAS, CC 4.0. BY SA
Sakai et al. Yamagata University Institute of Nasca, via PNAS, CC 4.0. BY SA

It took nearly a century to locate the 430 geoglyphs hidden in the Nazca Desert of Peru, but archaeologists surveying almost the entire region with the help of AI just turned up another 303 in a single study period.

Nazca is one of the greatest mysteries in anthropology—why did the Nazca Culture, active perhaps around the first century BCE, take the time to carve, dig, and arrange the Earth into these massive motifs of animals and human figures all over the desert?

The mystery has now deepened considerably.

The artificial intelligence used by the research team, consisting of scientists and archaeologists from Japan, France, Germany, and New York, was poorly trained, the team said, because of the limited number of subjects for it to study.

AI programs trained to identify tumors in X-ray images or mammograms, for example, are trained using thousands of positive cases. In stark contrast, there were only 430 Nazca lines for it to study.

So when the team deployed their AI to examine photographs of the Nazca Pampas taken from airplane, it went ballistic—identifying 47,000 possible matches. The team eventually cut that number down to 1,309 high-potential candidates.

Between September 2022 and February 2023, the team visited as many of the high-potential sites as possible to see whether a geoglyph was there. Aided by drones, they eventually narrowed down the 1,309 to 303.

“Of the 303 newly discovered figurative geoglyphs, 178 were suggested by the model, and 125 were additional finds. Of those, 66 were found as part of an AI-discovered cluster of geoglyphs, while 59 were discovered during the fieldwork without any help from AI,” CNN reports. 

There’s no leading theory in why the Nazca Culture carved or dug out the lines on the ground, which have been well preserved in their unique, dry ecosystem prohibitive to agriculture, and remain visible at least 2,000 years after they were carved. Ideas suppose they are some form of calendar, that they were a pilgrimage site that got out of hand, or that they played some role in communication, dancing, and ceremony.

AI IN ARCHAEOLOGY: AI Used With Cold War Spy Satellites Can Detect Ancient Underground Aqueducts

In the study of the figurative Nazca geoglyphs, the symbols are designated as either a line-type or relief-type geoglyph. Among the most famous line-type examples is the hummingbird, but more than half of the newly identified geoglyphs are relief-type, which more often depict humans, and without the beautiful geometry of the line-type glyphs.

The addition of 303 data points has allowed the study team to more broadly define the style and nature of the geoglyphs. For example, out of the more than 700 known, the line-type geoglyphs are almost all huge. Often utilizing straight lines and U-turns, they average around 90 meters—about 300 feet, in size.

ANCIENT MYSTERIES: 13,000 Years Ago, These Ancient Builders Carved a Calendar into Stone to Mark Destructive Occasion

By contrast, the relief-type geoglyphs, which are often stylized humans, heads, domesticated animals, or things modified/used by humans, average about one-tenth of the size of the line types.

The authors propose that the explanation of what these decorations were for involves how locals traveled across the area.

The figurative, relief-style geoglyphs are arranged often together, and often within sight of hundreds of miles of winding, well-worn footpaths. Using aerial imagery, the team determined that these winding trails had no fixed beginning or end, and were simply a result of continual use. Averaging 30 feet or so in length, these glyphs could be clearly seen by a person even at ground level.

By contrast, the line-type geoglyphs are massive and can only be seen in their entirety from the air. Their margins sat dozens or even hundreds of yards from a network of straight ‘roads’ that could be 120 feet wide at times.

BEFORE YOU GO: How a Chatty Motorist Led to One of the Biggest Finds in Greek Archaeology–the Lost 2,800-year-old Temple of Artemis

These roads ran in straight lines and in trapezoidal arrangements, and passed by each of the largest line-type geoglyphs on the northern boundary of the Nazca Pampas, with their other ends terminating at Cahauchi Temple and the confluence of the Tierras Blancas and Aja rivers.

“This indicates that the network was mainly designed for groups from the Ingenio River Valley to make pilgrimages to the Cahuachi Temple and the confluence of rivers in the Nazca River Valley,” the authors write in their study. 

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San Francisco Opera Offers Prime Tickets For $10 to Get New Folks Interested in Magnum Opuses Like Carmen

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Andy Corbley
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Ticket for Grand Opening of the War Memorial Opera House in 1932 – Credit: San Francisco Opera Archives
Ticket for Grand Opening of the War Memorial Opera House in 1932 – Credit: San Francisco Opera Archives

In 1932, the above ticket to the San Francisco Opera was sold for $10. Now, the artistic company is offering prime seats for the same price to welcome opera-curious locals.

The ticket priced in today’s currency is over $220, but two years ago, in honor of the SF Opera’s 100th anniversary, they rolled back the cost for some prime tickets to celebrate the War Memorial Opera House birthday—and the program was so popular, they’ve extended the offer for the second season.

This Monday, “Opera for the Bay” tickets will go on sale under a partnership with the Dolby family that will subsidize tickets for people who have never seen a magnum opus—or those who’ve not seen one in three years.

Just $10 will get you into prime seating locations to feast your ears—and eyes—on two classics, Carmen and La Boheme. 

“With the company now entering its second century, we want to invite people of all ages and backgrounds around the Bay Area to experience the art produced by this dynamic institution — their opera company,” Dagmar Dolby said when the program launched in 2022.

“We hope the ‘Opera for the Bay’ ticket initiative is the catalyst that encourages the newcomer, entices the opera curious, and welcomes back those who have not been in a while.”

To get a ticket, residents of San Francisco with a zip code between 94000–95999, who haven’t purchased a ticket to a main stage performance at San Francisco Opera in the past three years, can create an account at the SF Opera and visit this page when tickets go on sale.

$10 tickets are limited to two per person, and go on sale online only one month prior to the opening night. If the past is repeated, tickets will go fast.

At noon on Monday, October 10th, tickets for George Bizet’s classic French tragedy Carmen, will go on sale.

Telling the story of a lustful Spanish dragoon who falls in love with a fiery independent gypsy woman, Carmen is a mainstay in any opera calendar and features compositions so famous you may not even know you’ve heard them.

Don’t forget to pass along this amazing opportunity to see a world-class opera by sharing this good news on social media—or directly with friends in San Francisco…

CHECK OUT NEW MOZART: Previously Unknown Mozart Song Discovered in German Library After 200 Years

TO DO IN OCTOBER: Draconid Meteor Shower Offers Chance to See Hundreds of Shooting Stars per Hour in October Skies

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” – Emile Zola

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Quote of the Day: “The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” – Emile Zola

Photo by: Flow Clark

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Good News in History, October 4

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The Mexican constitution of 1824 - credit Isaacvp, CC 4.0.

200 years ago today, a new federalist constitution was signed inaugurating the First Mexican Republic. A drafting committee consisting of several representative figures led by Miguel Ramos Arizpe finished the document quickly because it was based on the shared Hispanic political theory and practice that Mexicans, the former novohispanos, knew well, since they had played a significant role in shaping it. The main challenge for these men was the definition and placement of sovereignty—where it lay and where were its boundaries. READ a bit more on this momentous day… (1824)

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Draconid Meteor Shower Offers Chance to See Hundreds of Shooting Stars per Hour in October Skies

By
Andy Corbley
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The Draconid Shower of 2018 - credit Mike Lewinski, Flickr CC 2.0.
The Draconid Shower of 2018 – credit Mike Lewinski, Flickr CC 2.0.

On the night of October 8th, the Earth will pass through a meteor shower radiating from the constellation Draco, an event that stargazers await with great anticipation.

That’s because the Draconid Meteor Shower can often display a peak rate of shooting stars of just a few per hour, but, every few years, exceeds all others for activity.

In 2011, the Draconids approached a rate of 600 per hour; more than the hyper-active Geminids and Perseids, and in 1933, topped out at 6,000 per hour. 

There are reasons to be hopeful for a good show if you’re a stargazer. The Draconid shower is expected to peak around midnight (8th into the 9th of October) so there’s no reason to wake up intolerably early.

The light from the Moon can sometimes obscure the faint light of shooting stars, but a waning crescent moon means that lunar illumination will be just 32% that evening.

To find the constellation of Draco, the great serpent, its body snakes like the letter ‘S’ only backwards, with the tip and lowest section of its tail sitting between the Big Dipper (below) and the Little Dipper (above).

These shooting stars come from the comet 21/Giacobini-Zinner.

“Because this comet has an orbital period of nearly seven years, the next perihelion won’t come until 2025. So we’re not expecting an outburst this year. But, then, no one really knows for sure,” writes EarthSky.com

If the Draconids don’t impress, don’t worry—just 11 days later will be the peak of the Orionids, one of the more routinely active meteor showers.

Originating from the easy-to-locate constellation of Orion’s Belt, they are expected to be at their zenith from the night of October 20th, and through the a.m. hours of October 21st.

One may see up to 21 shooting stars per hour, or around 1 every three minutes.

Much of this information, as usual, comes from Valerie at Space Tourism Guide, who details that for almost all of October the Earth will be passing through meteor showers, including the two already mentioned, and others like the Cameleopardids and the Southern Taurids.

If asked what he will be looking for this year, this author would write that he looks forward to seeing the Pleiades, aka, the Seven Sisters, aka M45, which will be especially visible on October 19th when it passes very close to the newly-waning full moon. The Pleiades can be seen in a dark sky with the naked eye, but any old set of binoculars makes them truly dazzling to behold.

SHARE This Great Activity On October Nights With Your Friends… 

People Happy with Their Lives Are Less Likely to Suffer Heart Attack or Stroke

By
Andy Corbley
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Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

The analysis of health records of more than 120,000 adults in the UK with an average age of 57 found that people who are happy with their lives are significantly less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.

They were also less likely to develop coronary artery disease, suffer a heart attack, heart failure, or have a stroke than those with lower levels of well-being, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers suggest a holistic approach to life that includes regular physical activities, social activities and/or stress management techniques, is an effective way to enhance personal well-being.

The study found that, compared to adults with a low sense of well-being, the overall risk of developing cardiovascular disease was 10% to 21%—being lower for people with the highest well-being scores.

Compared to adults with a low sense of well-being, people with the highest well-being scores had a 44% lower risk of coronary artery disease, a 45% lower risk of stroke, a 51% lower risk of heart failure, and a 56% lower risk of heart attack.

“Our findings support a holistic approach to health care, where enhancing a person’s mental and emotional well-being is considered an integral part of preventing heart disease and stroke,” said study senior author Professor Wen Sun, of the University of Science and Technology of China.

“Health care professionals might consider including strategies to improve life satisfaction and happiness as part of routine care, such as recommending regular physical activities, social activities or stress management techniques as effective ways to enhance personal well-being.”

It is well-known that life satisfaction, or well-being, can increase mental health.

But, until now, the influence of well-being on cardiovascular health was less clear.

After reviewing questionnaires from more than 120,000 participants in the UK Biobank database, the Chinese research team assessed well-being as it related to satisfaction with family, friendships, health, finances, and general happiness.

They analyzed the potential connection of well-being with the development of four major cardiovascular diseases: coronary heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.

IT’S ALL IN THE MIND: 

The study also examined the impact of well-being on lifestyle factors and inflammatory markers.

“These results underscore the profound impact that emotional and psychological health can have on physical well-being, shedding light on intricate biological mechanisms that were not fully appreciated before,” Professor Sun said.

“They add to the growing body of data that psychological health can impact cardiovascular risk,” said Professor Glenn Levine, of Baylor College of Medicine who was not involved in the study, said of the findings. “Much of the focus on psychological health has understandably been on negative factors such as depression and stress.”

“This study emphasizes the importance of positive psychological health, including the more global factor of a person’s sense of well-being.”

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Goat Named Mr. Joshua Runs Last 4k of Local Marathon Winning Medal and Local Adoration

By
Andy Corbley
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Town of Conception Bay South, retrieved from Facebook
Town of Conception Bay South, retrieved from Facebook

During an annual half-marathon in Newfoundland, a strange individual was seen among the runners during the final few miles.

A goat, seemingly excited by all the motion, was happily trotting along between the sneaker-shod bipedals on the road through Conception Bay South.

The occasion was the annual T’Railroad Trek Half Marathon on Newfoundland’s east coast. Winding through forest trails and town streets, the runners passed a local business called Taylor’s Pumpkin Patch.

Mayor Darrin Bent said one of their employees suddenly joined the race.

“They have a resident goat, Mr. Joshua. And when the runners went past the pumpkin patch, the goat decided, ‘Well, I’m not staying here,'” Bent told CBC News.

The goat covered an amazing 2.4 miles of the course before his owner Mr. Taylor caught up to him and led him the last quarter mile to the finish line. Taylor said he had come abreast of his goat’s newfound passion for endurance running through social media posts of the race while it was going on. There were hundreds of pictures and videos.

Meanwhile, at the finish line, Mayor Bent caught word of Joshua’s participation from other runners and decided after a moment of befuddlement to prepare a medal for him.

GOATS IN THE CITY: Old Irish Goats Return to Hills of Dublin After a Century to Join Firefighting Brigade –And They’re Loving It

“We very quickly put a medal around his neck and he became quite the star. Most people who actually ran the half marathon wanted their picture with Joshua at the finish line,” said Bent.


Mr. Taylor said that Joshua has always liked crowds, and evidently got caught up in the excitement of the runners, many of whom decided to match their pace with the goat, who reportedly slowed down and sped up at different intervals.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Chicago Marathon Runner Rescues Stray Kitten During the Race–Bystander Gives it a Home

The mayor said he hopes the goat will become a mascot for the event, and to that end he has been designated the half marathon GOAT (greatest of all time) and is soon to drop the puck at a local CBS ice hockey game.

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After Building Causes 1,000 Bird Deaths, $1.2M Window Makeover Shows Chicago How to Beak Kind

By
Andy Corbley
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Chicago skyline behind The Lakeside Center overlooking Lake Michigan – Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
Chicago skyline behind The Lakeside Center overlooking Lake Michigan – Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

A Chicago real estate company has shelled out $1.2 million for a sophisticated suite of decals that will deter birds from crashing into glass windows.

McCormick Place was alerted by local wildlife advocates that the glass facade of its Lakeside Center building had, during a single night in the autumn migration season, fatally attracted 1,000 birds to fly into it.

McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America, and the total area of the Lakeside Center’s glass exterior—just one of its five buildings—is 2.6 acres.

The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority which runs McCormick Place, got in touch with Feather Friendly Technologies, a Toronto-based firm that manufactures a special adhesive film to coat the outside of a building’s glass facade with white dots—invisible to the human eye—but which can be seen by passing birds.

The dots help the birds’ eyesight distinguish between the solid glass and empty air.

“There was a lot of staff and logistics involved in the installation and several lifts and boom trucks,” says Paul Groleau, vice president of Feather Friendly Technologies.

It took several teams several weeks to apply it to the whole center, whereupon it was pulled down after a few days leaving behind the dots on the glass.

“When we learned of the reported mass collision event last year, we knew that we needed to quickly make additional improvements to protect local and migratory birds as they pass McCormick Place,” Larita Clark, CEO of the authority, told ENR News Record.

Local urban wildlife researchers say that the Lakeside Center has been attracting birds to their deaths for decades, and the window treatment will make a huge difference in the number of migratory birds that pass through Chicago safely.

BIRDS IN THE CITY: Birds Sing Anew After Residents of New Orleans Ninth Ward Restore 40-Acre Wetland to Historic Glory

McCormick Place is also a part of Lights Out Chicago, a metropolitan program between building managers to make the night skies in the city during the autumn migratory period significantly darker by turning off as much exterior lighting as possible.

GNN has reported on these programs in other American cities and the outsized difference they can make in the number of bird-building collisions that occur as birds migrate south for the winter.

MAKING ROOM FOR NATURE: Wind Turbines Are Using Cameras and AI to See Birds –And Shut Down When They Approach

Birds’ eyes are adapted to flying at night, and the reflection of lights off of glass windows can overly confuse them.

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“Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.” – Khalil Gibran

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.” – Khalil Gibran

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Good News in History, October 3

By
Good News Network
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credit - Ateneo Korean Studies Program

4,481 years ago today, or so it’s said, the sky above the Korean Peninsula opened and Hwanung, the mythical progenitor of Korean People descended from heaven. Today, it’s marked as National Foundation Day in both the South and the North of the Peninsula and referred to as Gaecheonjeol. READ more about this important day in the Korean calendar… (2,457 BCE)

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Strange Rock Found on Mars with Zebra Markings Has NASA Scientists ‘Excited’

By
Andy Corbley
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NASA's Mars Perseverance rover captured this image of a black-and-white striped rock on Sep 13, 2024.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover captured this image of a black-and-white striped rock on Sep 13, 2024.

Last month, while trundling across the Martian landscape, the eyes of the Perseverance Mars rover settled on an extraordinary rock.

Featuring black and white striations like Alpine granite, it has NASA scientists excited that the rover is entering an area where new discoveries about the planet can be made.

The Mars Perseverance rover captured this image of a zebra-striped rock on Sep 13, 2024 and named it ‘Freya Castle’ – NASA / SWNS

Sighting it with the Mastcam-Z, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory which controls the rover took a closer look after identifying the rock which looked entirely out of place.

Currently ascending the vast Jezero Crater in which it landed, the rover has recently found a spot of flat ground allowing it to travel more freely. Having already collected samples of ancient river sediments, it’s now climbing to higher elevations in search of ancient rocks.

In June, while traversing Mount Washburn, Perseverance found a sparkly white boulder of feldspar and pyroxene not too dissimilar to this white rock, which measured approximately half the size.

Nicknamed Freya Castle, Perseverance posted up next to it for a spectrographic examination.

“The internet immediately lit up with speculation about what this ‘zebra rock’ might be, and we’ve enjoyed reading your theories!” Athanasios Klidaras, a Ph.D. student at Purdue University working with the Perseverance mission team, told Earth.com.

Recalling Geology 101, we hopefully remember that rock is formed in three ways. Sedimentary rock is formed as layers of soil and organic matter are buried and compacted over millions of years. Igneous rock is formed when magma emerges from the Earth’s crust in the form of lava, which then cools, and solidifies.

It’s sometimes said that metamorphic rock, which forms stones used for building like granite, gneiss, and slate, is “baked.” It’s formed when certain mineral compositions are joined under intense heat and pressures under the Earth.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie over a rock on September 10, 2021 Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

MEET THE RED PLANET: NASA Summarizes What New Mars Rover has Found as it Finishes it’s Mission at Just Over 1,000 Days

Freya Castle is believed to be a metamorphic rock, which if true could give more detailed information about Mars’ volcanic past. Jezero Crater is mostly Martian bedrock and sedimentary layers, meaning that Freya Castle tumbled down into the crater from higher up.

OTHER ROVER DISCOVERIES: NASA Stunned by Discovery After Mars Rover Breaks Open a Rock

Klidaras and his colleagues have said they are keeping the rover’s eyes out for a larger deposition of this rock. Such a collection might shed light on whether the stones were uplifted from the crust during the Jezero impact event, or if they were transported to the area from some significant volcanic event millions of years ago.

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When Dying Boy’s Life Support Was Turned off He Began Improving–and Went Home with Parents

By
Andy Corbley
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The child was battle severe brain abnormalities - credit, Getty via Unsplash+
The child was battling severe brain abnormalities – credit, Getty via Unsplash+

A 4-year-old has become the first patient known to British medical history to be taken off life-support and proceeded to recover—so much so that he went home with his parents.

This story revolves around a sensitive topic about terminally ill patients, decisions around the ends of lives, sometimes young ones, and what roles do parents, physicians, or courts play in making those decisions.

The decision to take him off life support was ordered by the UK High Court following a hearing in which the boy’s doctors said the artificial ventilation was not leading to any improvement and that his condition, involving severe brain abnormalities, continued to deteriorate.

Referred to as NR in the case for confidentiality, Justice Poole, the presiding judge, said it was a “delight” to see this “remarkable boy” home with his “devoted parents.”

“I do not wish to minimize the emotional turmoil suffered by Mr. and Mrs. R and the continuing burdens that NR suffers because of his conditions, but it seems to me to be a wonderful surprise that NR has confounded expectations, that he no longer requires continuing invasive interventions and, in particular, that he has been able to return home to the loving care of his devoted parents,” Poole said, according to the BBC.

It’s been several months of home care during which NR has been able to play outside at a park, “feel the wind in his hair and the sun on his face,” aspects which led Poole to reverse the previous ruling which would have given physicians legal protection for withholding certain invasive treatments, as well as CPR—in a word because it would only prolong a largely empty, suffering life.

SIMILAR FAMILY MIRACLES: Kindness of Strangers Buoys a Family Caring for Their Terminally Ill 6-year-old Girl

“A decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment is not a decision to bring about the death of a patient, but a decision that the continuation of the treatment is not in their best interests,” Judge Poole clarified, who said that at the time of the ruling, the only identifiable pleasure in NR’s life was the consoling touch of his parents.

NR continues to improve. He no longer requires ventilation and recently stopped relying on a urinary catheter.

PARENTS WATCHING THEIR CHILDREN RECOVER: A Mom’s Love Helps Woman Wake From Coma After Five Years

NR will now receive treatment, even in the case of an emergency return of past symptoms, like a normal boy. Past periods on life support will not influence any treatment decisions—which his mother says he “deserves” after fighting back from so long a period on the brink.

The court said the emergence of NR’s recovery will raise challenging questions for future court rulings on the topic.

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This Hurricane-Proof Florida Development Easily Endured Helene, Ian, and Idalia–Proving Climate Designs Work

By
Andy Corbley
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Hunter Point – Pearl Homes Developments
Hunter Point – Pearl Homes Developments

First Ian, then Idalia, now Helene—a special housing development in Florida has withstood them all.

Without any doubt, the neighborhood at Hunter Point in Cortez along the Gulf Coast has lived up to its billing of hurricane-proof, as the storm that has ravaged the southeastern United States was endured without issue.

Helene made landfall last Thursday, and Cortez was battered with waist-deep storm surges that turned the roads to rivers. Not only did Hunter Point stay dry, but kept the lights on as well thanks to a bevy of storm-resistant architectural and landscape designs.

“[H]urricanes were our number one priority,” Marshall Gobuty, founder and president of Pearl Homes, the developer that built the community, told Fast Company in the wake of the storm. “How could we build to survive a Cat 5 hurricane?’

Helene didn’t make the 5 grade, but based on how easily Hunter Point survived it, you’d imagine it could handle the worst if it came.

The ground floor garage is solid concrete. On the first floor, two-by-six timber boards are used for the frames rather than two-by-fours, and the walls are filled with hard insulation rather than foam, making it sturdier and more energy efficient. The roof is made of steel, and the three floors are interconnected with steel seams.

Solar panels are installed on the roof in a design that was tested in an enclosed environment to be unmovable—the wind can’t blow underneath and tear it off the roof. The solar panels charge a battery system that can power the home for several days if the grid goes down—which happened in Cortez after Helene hit. The next morning, when the sun came out, the solar panels went back to charging the battery which was still running, and has been proven in tests to be capable of running in a limited mode for another 9 if needs be.

Swales built into the landscape of the Hunter Point development channeled stormwater away from the streets until it filled up a large pond on the property. The garages stayed dry, but even if the rain had been much greater or longer, 16 feet of concrete separate the terrain from the living area.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN AMERICA: In Frigid Maine So Many Heat Pumps Were Sold the State Passed its Clean-Energy Target Two Years Early

For sure none of this is cheap. Houses start for a cool $1.25 mil, but apartments with similar building standards are available for $1,700 and $2,000 in nearby Bradenton, Florida. Set within walking distance of entertainment, restaurants, shopping, and event space in the Village of The Arts location.

The price isn’t all bad, the insurance costs are much less, and companies are much happier to insure buildings that include Pearl Homes’ storm-proof features.

NEWS ABOUT HELENE: North Carolina Sports Come Together to Support Victims of ‘Unprecedented’ Hurricane Helene

“I was on the phone with our insurance company this morning, and let them know I’m sending pictures, everything’s great,” Gobuty told Fast Company. “She said, ‘Finally, [some] good news.’ Insurance is a big, big component in the future, because climate change is here. And we have to adapt.”

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