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How Two Filipinos Helped Thousands of Migrant Teachers Settle in New Zealand

By
Andy Corbley
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Collage from Vilma Leonidas and Penny Cajipe
Collage from Vilma Leonidas and Penny Cajipe

New Zealand enjoys the company of 72,000 Filipino migrants, many of whom are women arriving to fill the nation’s teacher shortage.

This pipeline of talented educators seeking better lives to the south has led a pair of women to start a flourishing support group to help navigate the immigration system, get teaching qualifications recognized in NZ, and find employment.

“Is there any way to expedite my teaching registration aside from emailing the teaching council?” asks one prospective teacher.

“Is there anyone here who was assessed in NZQA and then was directed to WES for verification?” asks another.

It may sound like an overly specific niche, but the Pioneering Pinoy Teachers in NZ Facebook group has 23,000 members. The group was founded by Vilma Leonidas, a teacher working in Auckland for the past two years who told Good News Pilipinas that between mastering English, standing for the teaching evaluation, and getting the teaching certificate, many immigrant teachers throw in the towel.

Leonidas and another teacher, Penny Cajipe—who also runs a Facebook group, called Filipino Teachers in NZ Support Page, both said the process is challenging, and getting clear directions from someone who’s been through it in one’s native language is of enormous benefit.

In her home country, Leonidas holds a doctorate of philosophy, which she imagined might be enough to at least guarantee a simple teaching job, but even that wasn’t straightforward.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: New U.S. Citizen From Cuba Celebrates ‘First Paycheck in America’ in Viral Video-WATCH

After struggling to find work during the pandemic, with NZ instituting some of the strictest lockdowns on Earth, Leonidas received a teacher’s certificate and was later granted a scholarship in a training program for educators. She teaches seventh grade as a substitute.

It was that long process which made her think she should share all she had learned going through it—if only because it could help others settle in a new country with fewer difficulties than she endured. For Cajipe, who endured a similar path, she felt the same.

IMMIGRANTS MAKING THE WORLD BETTER: Moscow Teens ‘Saved Over 100’ From Attack on Crocus City Hall

“What if other teachers in the Philippines are also aspiring to fulfill that dream of teaching here, and they’re looking for a better future for their family? What if they’re also like me and they don’t know what to do?’ So that’s how that actually made me start the page,” Cajipe told Summer Sanares, reporting for Good News Pilipinas.

“Whatever it is that you have, you share it,” Leonidas said. “Not everything is about money. When you need to help, help without asking or expecting any return because God sees our heart. And that’s the legacy that we have to leave behind, especially among teachers.”

SHARE The Story Of These Inspiring Women And Their Quest To Help Others… 

“Art is like a border of flowers along the course of civilization.” – Lincoln Steffens

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Screenshot

Quote of the Day: “Art is like a border of flowers along the course of civilization.” – Lincoln Steffens

Photo by: Werner Du plessis (Alex Kats painting in the Guggenheim)

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?

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Good News in History, June 4

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Good News Network
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Fall of the Berlin Wall at Brandenburg CC 3.0. SA Lear 21

35 years ago today, in the first modern elections in Poland, Lech Walesa’s Solidarity Party of trade unionists won 160 out of 161 seats in the government, triggering the Revolutions of 1989, and quite simply, the fall of Communism, freeing Eastern Europe to pursue self-government and market capitalism. READ a bit about this momentous occasion… (1989)

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World’s Largest Genome Discovered in a Tiny Fern: ‘Breaks all records’

By
Andy Corbley
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A group of small fork ferns - credit Pol Fernandez, released via iScience
A group of small fork ferns – credit Pol Fernandez, released via iScience

On the island of New Caledonia, a simple, unassuming species of fern has been identified as having the longest genome of any living organism known.

It is 50 times longer than a human’s, 7% longer than the previous world record-holding species for longest genome, and 20% longer than the record-holding animal.

Compared to 23 pairs of chromosomes in every human cell, the tiny fern contains 416—and if unraveled, would climb higher than Big Ben in London’s Westminster.

Questions abound, as does admiration for the majesty and mysteries of biological life.

“Compared to other organisms, plants are incredibly diverse when viewed at the DNA level, and that should make us pause to think about their intrinsic value in the wider picture of global biodiversity,” said Dr. Ilia Leitch, Senior Research Leader at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

“This discovery also raises many new and exciting questions about the upper limits of what is biologically possible, and we hope to solve these mysteries one day.”

Tmesipteris oblanceolata is a species of New Caledonian fork fern that grows on the ground or out of rotting tree trunks. A team from Kew and the Institut Botànic de Barcelona traveled to New Caledoina’s largest island of Grand Terre to collect this species for study.

MORE GENETIC FOCUSED DISCOVERIES: Bizarre New Plant Species Feeds on Fungi: First New Flora Species in 100 Years to Be Discovered in Japan

20,000 species from the Tree of Life have had their genomes completely sequenced, and this literature has shown that having a complex genetic code isn’t always an advantage.

Larger genomes require more resources for DNA replication, repair, and transcription, while a larger DNA sequence needs a larger nucleus, and therefore a larger cell, to house it.

Dr. Leitch told Reuters that “perhaps unsurprisingly, species with larger genomes are at greater risk of extinction,” for a similar reason, one might imagine, that simpler machines with fewer moving parts tend to last longer than complicated and sophisticated machines with many; a Honda Civic will run longer than a Lamborghini Aventador.

YOU’LL ALSO LIKE: The Story of How Rapa Nui Lost its Flowering Trees, But Humans Ensured its Survival

The previous record holder for the longest genome was the Japanese flowering plant species Paris japonica while the longest genome known from the animal kingdom is the African marbled lungfish, (Protopterus aethiopicus).

The smallest genome is the fungus species Encephalitozoon intestinalis, with 2.6 megabase pairs. For context, the New Caledonian fork fern contains 168 gigabase pairs. An appropriate comparison would be to compare the file size of the original Tetris game to that of a modern open-world role-playing game like The Witcher or World of Warcraft.

For those with greater interest in DNA, Dr. Leitch and her colleagues from Kew and IBB published a paper on the fork fern, writing that genome size variation and its disconnect from species complexity, “is known as the ‘C-value paradox’ or ‘C-value enigma,'” and has intrigued biologists for over half a century.

THE MAJESTY OF PLANTS: Hand Pollination of ‘Sapphire Tower’ Helps Rare Plant Survive–Only Blooming Every 20 Years

“Rapid advances in DNA sequencing are now providing compelling evidence showing that variation in DNA amount arises predominantly from differences in the frequency of polyploidy, abundance of non-coding repetitive DNA, and the dynamics of the processes that amplify, erode, and delete DNA,” they write in their introduction.

However with only 20,000 species that have had their genomes sequenced, the authors doubt that science has uncovered the full extent of genome size diversity.

WATCH the story below from Reuters… 

SHARE This Record-Setting Fern And Its Gigantic Genome With Your Friends… 

Heavy-Set Grandmother Completes Terrifying 29-Mile Swim Through Shark-Infested Waters to Break the Record

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - John Chapman / MSF
credit – John Chapman / MSF

A grandmother has defied her age and weight by becoming the first woman to swim from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands—a distance of darn near 30 miles.

The former collegiate swimmer had not done any swimming for 24 years before she started training, but braved frigid waters, sharks, and jellyfish—all without a wetsuit.

Amy Appelhans Gubser leapt into the waters around her support vessel at 3:27 a.m. and proceeded to swim for 17 hours to arrive at the Farallons after nightfall. Observed by an agent of the Marathon Swimmers Federation (MSF), her record is pending verification, but would make her the first woman to complete the swim, and the first of either sex to do so in the outbound direction, i.e. bridge to islands.

Two male swimmers have completed the distance starting from the islands, but Gubser succeeded in the other direction after all three previous attempts failed, which were monitored by the MSF.

The resident of Pacifica, California, told Fox News Digital that because of fog and red tide, she did the vast majority of the swimming in something like a sensory deprivation bubble, in which she could see only a few feet in any direction above water, and not even one inch past her fingertips below it.

In shark-prowled waters, such conditions would give most people a heart attack, but Gubser entered a “meditative state,” broken up every thirty minutes by snack breaks.

“I really had to be very thoughtful and careful about how I approached this swim because of the sharks,” she explained. “And April, May, June is when a very big migration of great white sharks takes place away from the Farallon Islands. That’s why the swim has to take place during that timeframe.”

Amy Gubser (second from left) smiles for the camera after completing her 17 hour swim – credit MSF

She continued, explaining she didn’t wear a wetsuit to fit with MSF rules despite the warmth and added buoyancy it would have offered.

MORE SPORTY SENIORS: After Husband Dies 83-Year-old ‘Muddy Mildred’ Runs Her Third Tough Mudder Race to Provide Clean Water

“When you wear a wetsuit your skin rubs against the material, and the last thing that I really wanted was for my skin to bleed near a shark island,” she said.

The water temperatures hovered in the high 40s Fahrenheit at the onset, and gradually climbed about 10 degrees over the course of the swim. She kept up a steady stroke rate of around 61 per minute, and ate chicken broth, canned peaches, hot chocolate, and some potatoes along the way.

CHECK OUT FEATS LIKE THIS: 83-Year-old Sets World Record Sailing Alone Across the Pacific Without Stopping

On two occasions she was stung by a jellyfish.

Gubser said she hopes the feat will be inspirational to all who need it, by demonstrating that athletic excellence can be maintained despite age and body weight.

WATCH the record-setting swim below… 

SHARE Inspirational Ironwoman With Your Friends On Social Media… 

Carved 40,000 Years Ago and Found in a Cave, These Are the Oldest-Known Animal Sculptures

By
Andy Corbley
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Museopedia - de.Wikipedia.org (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Museopedia – de.Wikipedia.org (CC BY-SA 4.0)

This is the first depiction of a horse ever made by humans as far as we know; cut from ivory an incredible 35,000 – 40,000 years ago.

The carver is believed to be part of the Aurignacian, an Upper Paleolithic group whose people lived between 43,000 and 35,000 years ago, and whose territory overlapped with Neanderthals.

It’s determined that the carving represents a stallion, but whether it’s rearing back to fight off a predator, strutting to impress a mare, or merely bending down for a mouthful of grass, is unknown because the legs were never recovered.

The story of their discovery is an interesting one, and comes with a double-portion of auspicious fortune. In 1931, amateur German archaeologist Hermann Mohn unearthed several flintstone flakes while examining a badger’s den. He informed the University of Tübingen, which led to the excavation of the den by paleo-historian Gustav Riek.

The excavations led into a cave 60 feet above the banks of the River Lone called Vogelherd Cave where Riek found a selection of ivory figurines carved by early humans including a lion, mammoth, bison, and this horse. Human occupation of the site was documented over the course of digging out the whole cave, which yielded tools and other artifacts like beads from the Neolithic and Bronze ages.

Then, more than 70 years later, a large operation was carried out at Vogelherd Cave to comb through Riek’s waste piles. Riek, it seemed, was no less of an amateur than Mohn, as the wealth of artifacts found in his excavation tailings saw the cave listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

217,000 worked stone pieces of various sizes, 1,713 tools made from bone, antlers, or ivory, 479 kg of bones from hunted animals, (plus 235 kg of burned bones) 28 kg of mammoth ivory, and 326 pierced pendants/pieces of jewelry have been recovered over the operation that lasted from 2005 to 2012.

One of two intact Vogelherd mammoth carvings – credit, Thilo Parg CC BY-SA 3.0.
The most intact lion carving found at Vogelherd – credit, Mogadir, CC 3.0. BY-SA

The mammoth and lion sculptures both bear a pattern of crisscrossing lines that might have been an attempt to render the appearance of fur, but other theories exist, suggesting they were instead markings that carried religious significance.

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: Egyptians Performed Brain Surgery 4,000 years ago: A Discovery Called a ​​‘Milestone in the History of Medicine’

Along with the figurines, fragments of small bones carved into flutes were recovered.

Aside from a site of the early arts, the cave has been determined to be a place where hunters brought hunted carcasses for the hours-long process of butchering them with stone implements.

IN THE DAWN OF CREATIVITY: 24,000-Year-Old Cave Art Suddenly Found in Well-Known Paleolithic Cave Shelter in Spain

Among the large assemblage of animal bones in Vogelherd Cave, reindeer and horse remains were the most common, indicating that Aurignacian groups hunted and ate these animals before all others, and in at least one of these instances, carved an image, perhaps in veneration of their quarry.

A bison carving from Vogelherd – credit, Mogadir, CC 3.0. BY-SA

Auroch, red deer, wild boar, bison, and chamois remains are also documented but seem to have been secondary game, while the mammoth remains were almost certainly gathered from sites of natural death, and were not hunted by the Aurignacian.

In 2007, Vogelherd was designated as a World Heritage Site called Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura which includes 5 other caves collectively known as the “cradle of art.”

SHARE This Story Of The Earliest-Known Artistry In Our Species… 

Chester Zoo Celebrates as 11 Adorable Endangered Penguin Chicks Hatch–the Most for a Decade

By
Andy Corbley
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Baby penguins hatched – Chester Zoo
Baby penguins hatched – Chester Zoo

It’s hatching season for Humboldt penguins at the Chester Zoo, and this year the keepers have seen a record number of chicks hatched.

The 11 chicks joining the colony are a delight for visitors and handlers alike, as well as a boon for the species which was recently classified as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Chester Live reports that the zoo has seen all 11 successfully make it through the first 40 days of life—the most delicate period for the flightless birds—and that now the naming process will begin.

The zoo has previously used themes to keep track of hatching groups and their years, with previous generations being named after NHS doctors, Olympic athletes, and retail chocolate bars, this year’s theme is flowers. Nettle, Thistle, Dandelion, Tulip, and Daffodil are among the confirmed names so far.

“We’re delighted to say that all of the chicks are looking really healthy and the parents have done a superb job of caring for their new arrivals up to this point. As keepers, our main role in raising the new youngsters is to ensure the adult penguins have all they need,” said Zoe Sweetman, team manager of parrots and penguins at the zoo.

“Sometimes this can mean providing extra fish, which the parents swallow, churn into a high-protein soup, and then regurgitate to feed the chicks. We also weigh the chicks regularly so that we can monitor their development—on average they’ve gone from a mere 80g to 2.5kg in just 40 days. It’s been a huge team effort.”

– credit Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo is one of the UK’s most active institutions in the captive breeding of endangered species, and GNN has reported on their efforts raising the Philippine spotted deer, Andean bear, okapi, Sumatran tiger, Coquerel’s sifaka, cotton-top tamarin, Sulawesi crested macaque, and greater one-horned rhino.

In their natural habitat, Humboldt penguins are found on the coasts of Chile and Argentina, where their name comes from the chilly Humboldt current that brings frigid, nutrient-rich waters up from Antarctica.

MORE RARE BIRTHS: Tiny ‘Mouse Deer’ Born at English Zoo is the Height of a Pencil — And Adorable

There are 17 known penguin species in the world and the Humboldt penguin is one of the most vulnerable. Living in borrows in large colonies, these birds can swim at 25 miles per hour, the same as Usain Bolt’s average speed across his record-setting 100-meter dash.

SHARE These Cute, Vulnerable Featherballs With Your Friends… 

“Fear is the mother of foresight.” – Thomas Hardy

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Fear is the mother of foresight.” – Thomas Hardy

Photo by: Mayer Tawfik

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, June 3

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Good News Network
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Gila national forest - cc 3.0. Zereshk

100 years ago today, Congress established what is generally regarded as the world’s first true wilderness area. 40 years before Congress gained the power of the Wilderness Act, American Forest Serviceman, author, and wildlife hero Aldo Leopold proposed the idea of turning a 558,014 acre (225,820 ha) part of the Mogollon Mountains containing the headwaters of the Gila River as an area to be excluded from all development through the denying of permits for roads and other uses. When Lyndon B Johnson signed the Wilderness Act into law, it came with the establishment of Gila National Wilderness through all the means Leopold had already used 40 years before. READ more about Gila and Leopold… (1924)

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Entire School Surprised with 500 Tickets to a Red Sox Game–Thanks to Food Pantry’s Continuing Generosity

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Good News Network
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© Matt Stone Photography
© Matt Stone Photography

Over the last five years, the Stop & Shop Food Pantry has provided $100,000 in healthy food donations to make sure students don’t come to school hungry.

They’ve hit a home run against hunger—and the Boston Red Sox have stepped up to the plate to celebrate the victory.

The baseball team’s first baseman Triston Casas showed up at a ceremony to honor the 5-year anniversary of Stop & Shop opening a food pantry inside the Washington S.T.E.M. Elementary School in Lynn, Massachusetts.

He surprised the kids and the entire staff with 500 tickets to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park—as a school-wide field trip.

“We wanted to invite all of you guys to a game this year!” said Casas to the cheering crowd.

Casas took photos with the kids alongside the team’s World Series Trophy and the team’s mascot, Wally The Green Monster.

The in-school pantry first opened in 2019 as one of the original five schools enrolled in the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program, an initiative that has since donated over $112,500 to Washington S.T.E.M.

Triston Casas and Red Sox mascot surprising the school – Stop & Shop

Stop & Shop’s Jennifer Barr said they now run 235 in-school food pantries across five states in the Northeast. To commemorate the fifth birthday of this original school pantry, she also presented a check for $22,500 to the school.

Stop & Shop is benefitting from the Red Sox ‘Strike Out School Hunger Program’. For every strikeout that’s thrown at Fenway Park, the team donates 10,000 meals to kids in need through the school pantry program.

© Matt Stone Photography / Stop and Shop

Casas complimented the kids after hearing how well they are doing at school—with 42 kids being honored for perfect attendance.

“You people do great work, I hear a lot of great things,” the MLB athlete told the assembled crowd.

AMAZING! Red Sox Player Promised Ailing Young Fan That He Would Hit a Home Run; Instead, He Hit Three

This year, 95% of Washington S.T.E.M. students were identified as living below the poverty line, which is why the pantry is called a ‘lifeline’.

Stop & Shop’s food truck was brought in to host a “popsicle party” handing out frozen treats to all students.

They also handed out 250 birthday kits containing cake mix, frosting, birthday cards, and party hats for the school to distribute to students in need on their birthdays.

“The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry program is all about helping students and their families thrive, and the impact we are seeing at Washington S.T.E.M. exemplifies that mission,” said Barr.

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Sand Batteries Could Be The Next Frontier In Renewable Energy–And it’s Already Heating Homes in Finland

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Good News Network
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Credit: De an Sun
Credit: De an Sun

Reprinted via EarthTalk®, From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

Could plain old beach sand be the next frontier in renewable energy?

In the ongoing quest for sustainable energy solutions, innovative technologies are necessary to implement renewable sources like solar and wind power.

One such potential breakthrough revolves around an unexpected but abundant resource: beach sand.

Sand batteries represent an emerging approach to energy storage, particularly effective in harnessing and retaining energy from intermittent sources like solar and wind.

The physical properties of sand, such as its ability to store heat at high temperatures, make it an excellent medium for energy retention. This capacity is being leveraged by innovative technologies to create a more stable and reliable energy supply, as sand can efficiently accumulate and release heat as required​​.

The science behind sand batteries involves heating sand to high temperatures using surplus energy generated from renewable sources. This stored heat can then be converted back into energy when needed.

This system capitalizes on the thermal properties of sand to create a natural battery that can offer both heating solutions and electricity generation​.

As National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Patrick Davenport notes, “Sand and concrete silos with refractory insulation are very inexpensive materials that can lead to low-cost energy storage.”

A few key players currently pioneering this technology include Polar Night Energy in Finland, which has implemented a sand battery for residential and commercial heating, and EnergyNest in Norway, which specializes in thermal energy storage using similar principles.

EPIC LAKE BATTERY: Two Swiss Reservoirs Turned into World’s Largest ‘Water Battery’ to Power Europe–Time-Lapse Video Will Blow Your Mind

Using sand for energy storage offers multiple benefits: it is abundant, low-cost, eco-friendly, and can store heat for long periods. This makes sand an attractive option for enhancing the stability of renewable energy systems, and providing a reliable energy supply even during times of low sunlight or wind.

Sand battery technology is currently being tested and used in various projects worldwide, not only demonstrating the viability of sand as an energy storage solution but highlighting its potential scalability and integration into existing energy infrastructures.

SASSY SOLAR SOLUTION: Solar Panels That Make Electricity at Night are Finally Here – And They’re Cheap and Don’t Need Batteries

Despite the potential, challenges remain. Developing and deploying sand battery technology on a large scale requires significant research and development efforts. So, the role of government and private investment is crucial in overcoming barriers and driving forward the innovation needed for the widespread adoption​​ of this potentially game-changing battery technology.

EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at emagazine.com. To donate, visit Earthtalk.org. Send questions to: [email protected].

Meteorites From Mars Found on Earth Provide Unprecedented Insight into Red Planet

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Good News Network
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Chassigny meteorite in cross-polarized light –Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego
Chassigny meteorite in cross-polarized light –Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

When a meteorite smashed into Mars eleven million years ago, pieces of the Red Planet hurtled into space—and some of them landed on Earth in the form of meteorites, depositing unparalleled evidence of the planet’s makeup.

Now, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have released a report after their detailed study of the Martian meteorites collected from locations across the world, including Africa and Antarctica.

Scripps geologist James Day and his colleagues analyzed the chemical compositions of the Mars debris, saying the results are important for understanding not only how Mars formed and evolved, but also for providing precise data that can inform current NASA missions like Insight and Perseverance and the Mars Sample Return.

“Martian meteorites are the only physical materials we have available from Mars,” said Day. “They enable us to make precise measurements and then quantify processes that occurred within Mars and close to the martian surface. They provide direct information on Mars’ composition that can ground truth mission science, like the ongoing Perseverance rover operations taking place there.”

Day’s team assembled its account of the formation of Mars using the meteorite samples, called nakhlites and chassignites—which all came from the same Mars volcano and were named for the locations they were found on Earth. The first of these being discovered in 1815 in Chassigny, France and then in 1905 in Nakhla, Egypt.

Since then, more such meteorites have been discovered in locations including Mauritania and Antarctica. Scientists are able to identify Mars as their place of origin because these meteorites are relatively young, and come from a recently active planet. They have distinct compositions more abundant in the element oxygen than compared to Earth, and retain the composition of Mars’ atmosphere measured on the surface by the Viking landers in the 1970s.

ROCKIN’ MARS PHOTO: Spiders From Mars? Phenomenon Evokes David Bowie Song in Photos Taken Near South Pole of Red Planet

In the study published May 31 in the journal Science Advances, the team, which was funded by NASA, analyzed the two keystone meteorite types nakhlite and chassignite. Nakhlites are basaltic, similar to lavas erupting in Iceland and Hawaii today, but are rich in a mineral called clinopyroxene.

Chassignites are almost exclusively made of the mineral olivine. On Earth, basalts are a main component of the planet’s crust, especially under the oceans, while olivines are abundant in the mantle.

Nakhla meteorite measuring 4 centimeters across – Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego

The same is true on Mars. The team showed that these rocks are related to each other through a process known as fractional crystallization within the volcano in which they were formed. Using the composition of these rocks, they also show that some of the then-molten nakhlites incorporated portions of crust close to the surface that also interacted with Mars’ atmosphere.

CHECK OUT: Mars Rover Discovers Evidence of Liquid Salt Water on the Red Planet For the First Time

“By determining that nakhlites and chassignites are from the same volcanic system, and that they interacted with martian crust that was altered by atmospheric interactions, we can identify a new rock type on Mars,” said Day. “With the existing collection of martian meteorites, all of which are volcanic in origin, we are able to better understand the internal structure of Mars.”

The team, which included colleagues from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and the French National Centre for Scientific Research, was able to do this because of the distinctive chemical characteristics of nakhlites and chassignites, which reveal an atmospherically altered upper crust on Mars, a complex deeper crust and a mantle where plumes from deep within Mars have penetrated to the base of the crust. The interior of Mars, formed early in its evolution, has also melted to produce distinct types of volcanoes.

“What’s remarkable is that Mars’ volcanism has incredible similarities, but also differences, to Earth,” said Day. “On the one hand, nakhlites and chassignites formed in similar ways to recent volcanism in places like Oahu in Hawaii. There, newly formed volcanoes press down on the mantle generating tectonic forces that produce further volcanism.”

1000 DAYS ON MARS: NASA Summarizes What New Mars Rover has Found as it Finishes it’s Mission at Just Over 1,000 Days

“On the other hand, the reservoirs in Mars are extremely ancient, separating from one another shortly after the Red planet formed. On Earth, plate tectonics has helped to remix reservoirs back together over time. In this sense, Mars provides an important link between what the early Earth may have looked like from how it looks today.”

SEND THE INTRIGUING SAMPLES To Geology Lovers On Social Media…

Groom Surprises His Bride With a Penguin Ring Bearer on Their Wedding Day (WATCH)

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Penguin ring bearer at the wedding of Joe Keilty and Kerri Parry – SWNS
Penguin ring bearer at the wedding of Joe Keilty and Kerri Parry – SWNS

A groom surprised his bride on their wedding day, when a penguin waddled down the aisle as a ring bearer.

Joe Keilty arranged for four special guests for the ceremony where he tied the knot in Chester, England last month.

Kerri Parry has always been penguin-obsessed, so she was over-the-moon when she first spotted the feathered bird walking in beside the best man, Daniel.

He and the groomsman had pretended the rings had been lost and ran out of the ceremony.

They returned carrying a bucket of fish with the penguin in tow, carrying the rings on a pink ribbon tied around its neck. (See the adorable video below…)

The penguin waited patiently through the rest of the ceremony then joined the three others and the rest of the guests for the photos.

“I was so shocked and amazed,” gushed Kerri, a nurse, from Merseyside. “It would have been a perfect day anyhow, but the penguins just topped it off.

“I’ve always loved penguins. I just find them really fascinating. I go to wildlife parks and zoos to see them whenever I can.

Penguins at the wedding of Joe Keilty and Kerri Parry – SWNS

“Joe is really good at surprises—I had no idea until I saw the penguin carrying the rings.”

LOOK: Elderly Woman’s Dream of Petting a Penguin is Fulfilled for Christmas–it Brings Her to Tears (WATCH)

Her new husband Joe, a 36-year-old electrician, surprised Kerri for Valentine’s Day this year by arranging for Kerri to feed the penguins at the Chester Zoo.

There she was told penguins like to have their tummy’s tickled, but she wasn’t able to touch them, so Joe wondered if he could find penguins to attend their wedding.

He payed two thousand in fees to have them attend the gala for two hours, hiring the birds from a company called Amazing Animals, which has provided wildlife for movies, TV, and charity use in Europe since 1977 when they founded their Heythrop Zoological Gardens.

PENGUIN PUPPY: Island is a Wonderland for Penguins Once Again, After Dog Helps Eradicate 300,000 Invasive Rabbits

Joe said the birds just wandered around with the guests and were happy to be stroked.

“They were so soft and friendly. The penguins made our perfect day extra special.”

SHARE THE WEDDING IDEA With Penguin Loving Friends on Social Media…

“What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a building.” – Edward Hopper

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Quote of the Day: “What I wanted to do was to paint sunlight on the side of a building.” – Edward Hopper

Photo by: h_wang_02 (CC license)

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, June 2

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Good News Network
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80 years ago today, composer Marvin Hamlisch, one of only two people to have ever won the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards, along with a Pulitzer Prize, was born. The New York pianist wrote some of the best-loved and most enduring songs and scores in movie history, including the awarding winning songs The Way We Were, The Entertainer (from The Sting), and Nobody Does it Better (from The Spy Who Loved Me). Hamlisch was also the primary conductor for the Pittsburgh Pops from 1995 until his 2012 death. READ more… (1944)

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Red Light Therapy for Repairing Spinal Cord Injury Reaches Milestone With New Implant

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Red Light Therapy –University of Birmingham
Red Light Therapy –University of Birmingham

People with spinal cord injuries in the future could be healing their nerve connections with a device that uses red light and near-infrared light pointed at the exact source of damage.

The novel therapeutic approach, invented by scientists at the University of Birmingham, involves delivering light directly to the site of the injury through an implant.

Because surgery after spinal cord injury is very common already, doctors would have the opportunity, during the same operation, to implant the device that could treat and repair the spinal cord itself.

In the study, researchers determined an optimal ‘dose’ of light and showed that their method could deliver significant therapeutic improvements including significant restoration of sensation and movement, and regeneration of damaged nerve cells.

In just five days of treatment, they found that the delivery of red light at a wavelength of 660nm for one minute a day increased cell viability (a measurement of the number of live cells) by 45%.

“Excitingly, this aspect of the study showed the effect of 660nm light was both neuro-protective, meaning it improved survival of nerve cells, and neuro-regenerative, meaning it stimulated nerve cell growth,” said Professor Zubair Ahmed, who led the study.

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Scientists used cell models of spinal cord injuries in adult rats to determine the frequency and duration of light required to achieve maximum restoration of function and to stimulate nerve cell regrowth, according to the results published in the journal Bioengineering and Translational Medicine.

The researchers also investigated the effect of light therapy in preclinical models of such injuries. Here they used two different methods, an implantable device and transcutaneous delivery, where the light source is placed against the skin. Their study showed comparable results for both delivery methods, with a one-minute dose of 660nm light, delivered daily for seven days, resulting in reduced tissue scarring at the site of injury, and significant functional recovery.

They also found significant reductions in both cavities and scarring as well as increases in the levels of proteins associated with nerve cell regeneration and improvements in the connections between cells in the injured area of the spine.

This is the first time transcutaneous and direct delivery of light have been compared in spinal cord injuries, and the results are a milestone for the researchers, who said there were “currently no approaches that preserve cells or improve neurological function”.

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“Surgery after spinal cord injury is common, but currently these operations are only aimed at stabilizing injuries to the bones of the spine that have been damaged by the trauma,” said Neurosurgery Registrar Andrew Stevens, the first author of the study.

“This concept is incredibly exciting as it could offer surgeons the opportunity during the same operation to implant a device which could help protect and repair the spinal cord itself.”

Light therapy, called photobiomodulation (PBM), is backed up by evidence showing its effectiveness in a wide variety of dermatological and oral applications, where metered light dosing can be achieved with precision through direct-to-tissue delivery. For example, PBM is already NICE-approved for oral mucositis, where it has been shown to reduce the debilitating ulcers and painful inflammation in the mouth caused by cancer treatments.

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Professor Ahmed explained that an implantable device is required to provide both line of sight to damaged tissue and the opportunity for greater accuracy without impedance due to the thickness of skin and tissues surrounding the spinal cord.

Since acquiring a patent through the University of Birmingham Enterprise, the researchers have already received further funding to develop an implantable device for human clinical trials on patients with traumatic spinal cord injury.

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Man Finds Meteorite After Seeing Green Light in the Sky: It was Warm and Burnt and ‘May Be From Halley’s Comet’

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Dan Charlton holding the meteorite he found – SWNS
Dan Charlton holding the meteorite he found – SWNS

An English homeowner described his shock after watching a suspected meteorite burst through the sky and land near his property.

Dan Charlton was standing in his back garden in the early hours of the morning when he saw a green light and heard a “whoosh” as the object plummeted to the ground in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The next day, he discovered a small charred rock lying on a street close to his home—and it was still warm and smelled burnt.

“I went outside and looked up and saw this light and thought, ‘Is that a firework?’

“It was really close,” said Dan. “It came down in a straight line, and what was interesting was it had a green flame, like a hue, that burnt and then disappeared.

“You could hear it make a brief ‘whoosh’ sound and then I was expecting a big bang but it was just silent.

“There was no one else around and I thought ‘that’s definitely a meteorite’. I was fascinated.”

Following the otherworldly display on May 6, which lasted a matter of seconds, he searched online and discovered it could be debris from Halley’s Comet, because it smelled like it had been “in a fire”.

He later showed a picture of the object to a geologist, who told him it “appears to be a meteorite” and said a simple test could prove it.

“He said that it would have a light magnetic field so I got a magnet—and found that it worked.”

Prof, Simon Kelley looks at meteorite under a microscope with Dan Charlton – SWNS

He later took the rock to the University of Leeds where he met with Professor Simon Kelley who looked at it under the microscope.

“He wasn’t 100% convinced but he didn’t really know what the rock was. He suggested it could be volcanic.”

Professor Kelley said it was too early to tell, but it was unusual and planned to carry out further testing.

“When I looked at it with the microscope, there were clues that made me lean towards it being a terrestrial rock,” said Kelley. “First of all, I could not see any evidence of a fusion crust.

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“Meteorite falls normally have a thin coating of black melted rock which forms as a result of the friction of falling through the atmosphere.

“Also, I could see what appeared to be holes and medium-sized crystals. Most meteorites are extremely fine-grained and contain very characteristic circular structures called chrondrules.

“However, there are other types of meteorites, so we can’t be certain about the rock’s classification just yet.”

LOOK: ‘Alien’ Minerals Never Found on Earth Before Reveal Their Traumatic Origin Story

Kelley, whose areas of expertise include planetary science and geochronology, said to be absolutely sure, he would begin by cutting a slice of the rock.

“That slice will then be ground and polished so that it is so thin we can shine light through it and we will be able to identify the internal structures and minerals.

GIANT METEOR FOUND: Huge Meteorite Found in Antarctica–One of the Biggest Ever Recovered

“That will take a couple of weeks to complete and we’ll then get back in touch with Dan to share the details of what makes up the rock he found.”

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5-Year-old Boy Becomes Youngest Ever to Receive a Bionic Arm and is Overjoyed to Ride a Scooter with 2 Hands (Watch)

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Jordan Marotta (left) with his new bionic arm on May 28 – SWNS
Jordan Marotta (left) with his new bionic arm on May 28 – SWNS

A five-year-old boy born with one hand has become the youngest ever person to be fitted with a bionic arm.

Jordan Marotta was left in a state of “pure joy” when he received his Iron Man-themed ‘Hero Arm’ prosthetic last week.

And heartwarming footage showed how just hours later, he was able to whizz around on his scooter while holding the handlebars with the prosthetic’s life-like grip.

“It’s really fun and it’s cool,” said Jordan. “I like to play with the hand and make it open and close.”

His mother Ashley Marotta approached Open Bionics, the company that makes the prosthetics, when Jordan started questioning why his hand had not ‘grown back’.

She was told he was likely too young to receive one of their mechanical limbs, they let Jordan try out an arm to see if he could use it.

Following this successful trial they later agreed to fit him at their offices in nearby New York City, two years earlier than most youngsters.

Jordan Marotta before he got his new bionic arm – family photo / SWNS

“As soon as we left with Jordan’s Hero Arm, he was running around with so much confidence, trying to hail New York taxis,” said the Long Island mom.

“You can’t even put a number on how amazing that is. It is worth its weight in gold.

The first thing he wanted to do when he got home was ride his scooter—to finally hold on with two hands.

As for Jordan, he has some advice for all of us in the sweet video below: “Don’t give up. Just don’t give up.”

Jordan Marotta with his new Iron Man Hero Arm – SWNS

ALSO CHECK OUT: New Prosthetic Hand Allows Man to Sense Temperature: ‘I could feel the warmth of another person’

Ashley found out that Jordan was missing his left hand during a 20-week pregnancy scan in hospital, and there was no specific medical cause doctors could point to. She initially felt upset about his prognosis but took comfort from learning about other children who had thrived in similar situations.

“No child is ‘perfect’, but you hear the expression all the time, ‘ten fingers and ten toes’, and you don’t really know what that means until you have to.

“Luckily, I was able to do some research and reach out and find a lot of really good resources, and I think that helped prepare me for his arrival and what to expect.

“I had seen a lot of videos of other kids like him, and there was a sense of relief that the journey might not be easy, but he’ll be ok.”

As Jordan became more aware of his limb difference, asking questions like, ‘Mummy, how come I don’t have two hands?’ she got in touch with UK-based Open Bionics.

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“Because we’re in New York, and they have a satellite office, I was like ‘What’s the worst that can happen? Can we meet with the prosthetist and give it a try?’

“Jordan is on the bigger side for his age. So I really sold them on his muscles.”

Ashley said she was lucky that her health insurance covered the cost of the arm, and said Jordan was already managing to use it in his day-to-day life.

LOOK: Born Without an Arm She Now Has a Realistic Prosthetic With Painted-on Freckles and Acrylic Nails

“I sent a video of him, and they said, ‘I can’t believe how quickly he’s picking it up’.” Watch the first moments below…

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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 June 1, 2024
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
All of us periodically enjoy phases I call “Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion.” During these times, the Fates have a reduced power to shape our destinies. Our willpower has more spaciousness to work with. Our intentions get less resistance from karmic pressures that at other times might narrow our options. As I meditated on you, dear Gemini, I realized you are now in a phase of Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion. I also saw that you will have more of these phases than anyone else during the next 11 months. It might be time for you to get a “LIBERATION” tattoo or an equivalent new accessory.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Bold predictions: 1. Whatever treasure you have lost or are losing will ultimately be reborn in a beautiful form. 2. Any purposeful surrender you make will hone your understanding of exactly what your soul needs next to thrive. 3. A helpful influence may fade away, but its disappearance will clear the path for new helpful influences that serve your future in ways you can’t imagine yet. 4. Wandering around without a precise sense of where you’re going will arouse a robust new understanding of what home means to you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Denmark’s King Canute IV (1042–1086) wasn’t bashful about asserting his power. He claimed ownership of all the land. He insisted on the right to inherit the possessions of all foreigners and people without families. Goods from shipwrecks were automatically his property. But once, his efforts to extend his authority failed. He had his servants move his throne to a beach as the tide came in. Seated and facing the North Sea, he commanded, “Halt your advance!” The surf did not obey. “You must surrender to my superior will!” he exclaimed, but the waters did not recede. Soon, his throne was engulfed by water. Humbled, Canute departed. I bring this up not to discourage you, Leo. I believe you can and should expand your influence and clout in the coming weeks. Just be sure you know when to stop.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Virgo-born Irène Joliot-Curie craved more attention than she got from her mother, Marie Curie. Mom was zealously devoted to her career as a chemist and physicist, which is one reason why she won Nobel Prizes in both fields. But she didn’t spend sufficient time with her daughter. Fortunately, Irène’s grandfather Eugène became his granddaughter’s best friend and teacher. With his encouragement, she grew into a formidable scientist and eventually won a Nobel Prize in chemistry herself. Even if you’re not a kid, Virgo, I suspect there may be a mentor and guide akin to Eugène in your future. Go looking! To expedite the process, define what activity or skill you want help in developing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I have a fantasy that sometime in the coming months, you will slip away to a sanctuary in a pastoral paradise. There you will enjoy long hikes and immerse yourself in healing music and savor books you’ve been wanting to read. Maybe you will write your memoirs or compose deep messages to dear old friends. Here’s the title of what I hope will be a future chapter of your life story: “A Thrillingly Relaxing Getaway.” Have you been envisioning an adventure like this, Libra? Or is your imagination more inclined to yearn for a trip to an exciting city where you will exult in high culture? I like that alternative, too. Maybe you will consider doing both.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
An Instagrammer named sketchesbyboze advises us, “Re-enchant your life by making the mundane exciting. You are not ‘going to the drugstore.’ You are visiting the apothecary to buy potions. You are not ‘running an errand.’ You are undertaking an unpredictable adventure. You are not ‘feeding the birds.’ You are making an alliance with the crow queen.” I endorse this counsel for your use, Scorpio. You now have the right and duty to infuse your daily rhythm with magic and fantasy. To attract life’s best blessings, you should be epic and majestic. Treat your life as a mythic quest.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
I invite you to invite new muses into your life in the coming months. Give them auditions. Interview them. Figure out which are most likely to boost your creativity, stimulate your imagination, and rouse your inspiration in every area of your life, not just your art form. Tell them you’re ready to deal with unpredictable departures from the routine as long as these alternate paths lead to rich teachings. And what form might these muses take? Could be actual humans. Could be animals or spirits. Might be ancestral voices, exciting teachings, or pilgrimages to sacred sanctuaries. Expand your concept of what a muse might be so you can get as much muse-like input as possible.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The Japanese have a word for a problem that plagues other countries as well as theirs: karoshi, or death from working too hard and too much. No matter how high-minded our motivations might be, no matter how interesting our jobs are, most of us cannot safely devote long hours to intense labor week after week, month after month. It’s too stressful on the mind and body. I will ask you to monitor yourself for such proclivities in the coming months. You can accomplish wonders as long as you work diligently but don’t overwork. (PS: You won’t literally expire if you relentlessly push yourself with nonstop hard exertion, but you will risk compromising your mental health. So don’t do it!)

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Typically, human fertility is strongest when the temperature is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. But I suspect you will be an exception to the rule in the coming months. Whether it’s 10 below or 90 in the shade, your fertility will be extra robust—literally, as well as psychologically and spiritually. If you would rather make great art or business than new babies, be very attentive to that. I advise you to formulate very clear intentions about how you want to direct all that lush fecundity. Identify which creative outlets are most likely to serve your long-term health and happiness.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Here’s a key assignment in the coming months: Enjoy fantasizing about your dream home. Imagine the comfortable sanctuary that would inspire you to feel utterly at home in your body, your life, and the world. Even if you can’t afford to buy this ultimate haven, you will benefit from visualizing it. As you do, your subconscious mind will suggest ways you can enhance your security and stability. You may also attract influences and resources that will eventually help you live in your dream home.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Welcome to the future of your education, Aries! Here are actions you can take to ensure you are exposed to all the lush lessons you need and deserve in the coming months. 1. Identify three subjects you would be excited to learn more about. 2. Shed dogmas and fixed theories that interfere with your receptivity to new information. 3. Vow to be alert for new guides or mentors. 4. Formulate a three-year plan to get the training and teachings you need most. 5. Be avidly curious.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Poet Emily Dickinson was skillful at invoking and managing deep feelings. One scholar described her emotions as being profoundly erotic, outlandish, sensuous, flagrant, and nuanced. Another scholar said she needed and sought regular doses of ecstasy. Yet even she, maestro of passions, got overwhelmed. In one poem, she wondered “Why Floods be served to us in Bowls?” I suspect you may be having a similar experience, Taurus. It’s fun, though sometimes a bit too much. The good news is that metaphorically speaking, you will soon be in possession of a voluminous new bowl that can accommodate the floods.

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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“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary

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Quote of the Day: “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary

Photo: by barnyz (CC License)

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?

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