It’s that time of the week when you can take a break and bathe in some good news for a little while…
Whale Hello
View this post on Instagram
The Caribbean island of Dominica has dedicated 300 sq miles of its surrounding ocean to its local sperm whale population. Many of these endangered creatures end up getting injured or killed by vessels and fishing gear, so this new sanctuary will hopefully ban large ships and limit fishing, meaning that the population can begin to thrive once again!
Elusive Echidnas
View this post on Instagram
The unusual long-beaked echidna was discovered in 1961 and named after our national treasure David Attenborough, however it hasn’t been seen since the swinging sixties! Happily, scientists from the University of Oxford have recorded new sightings of the creature in the Cyclops Mountains of Indonesia, confirming that the species is still alive and well!
James Dyson Awards
View this post on Instagram
This year’s winners of the James Dyson Awards were announced last week, each of whom will receive £30,000 to continue developing their inventions. The winners include a Hong Kong SAR duo who have created a sustainable reflective exterior wall coating out of recycled glass bottles that will help to cool the buildings and hopefully reduce the use of unsustainable air conditioning systems. Another innovator has created an off-road trailer ambulance that has already been used in Ukraine to transport the injured to safety.
Renewable Record
View this post on Instagram
From Halloween through until the 6th November, the entire of Portugal ran solely on renewable energy produced by the country’s wind, rain, waves and sunshine. This smashed the record that was previously set in 2019, and puts the nation on track to hit its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2045, five years ahead of the goal set by the Paris Agreement.
National Geographic Pictures of the Year
View this post on Instagram
National Geographic has whittled down over two million submissions to just 29 for its Pictures of the Year issue. Some of the incredible images include an ethereal lion’s mane jellyfish and a seven-foot-long zebra shark…
And Finally…
The temperature has certainly dropped, so here are a couple of wintry viral videos to make you feel cosy and warm…
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
