Scientists develop pain-free blood sugar test for diabetics

Good News Notes: “Australian scientists say they have developed pain-free blood sugar testing for diabetics, a non-invasive strip that checks glucose levels via saliva. For diabetics, managing their blood sugar levels typically means pricking their fingers multiple times a day with a lancet and then placing a drop of blood on a testing strip. Understandably,…

Shock find brings extinct mouse back from the dead

Good News Notes:  “An Australian mammal thought to have been wiped out over 150 years ago can now be crossed off our list of extinct animals, following a new study. Researchers compared DNA samples fromeight extinct Australian rodents, as well as 42 of their living relatives, to look at the decline of native species since…

Why Upcycling Clothes Is The Hottest Trend You Can Do This Summer

Good News Notes: “‘Sustainability‘ is, without question, the biggest buzzword in fashion at the moment. But with the threat of ‘greenwashing’ – using eco and sustainable terminology without doing the work to ensure verifiable benefit to the planet – on the rise, consumers are having to become more savvy about interrogating their purchases. Upcycling clothes that already exist is…

Eat Two Fruits a Day, Ward Off Diabetes?

Good News Notes: “A new study supports the recommendation of eating two servings of fruit a day for health benefits — or, in this case, a lower risk of diabetes. A population-based Australian study found that adults who ate two servings of fruit a day had a 36% lower chance of developing diabetes within 5 years compared to…

Egg of Extinct Dwarf Emu Discovered in Australian Sand Dune

Good News Notes: “A recently discovered extinct dwarf emu egg has offered the global scientific community valuable information into the deceased species. According to a report from Live Science, a researcher with the United Kingdom’s Natural History Museum and an Australian historian found the surprisingly large egg was on King Island, situated between Tasmania and Australia….

Scientists discover new species: “Chocolate frog”

Good News Notes: “Australian scientists discovered a new species of tree frog in a swampy rainforest in New Guinea. Details: Tree frogs are known for their green skin, but researchers encountered a species that had brown coloring, nicknaming it the “chocolate frog.” The team named the species “mira” — which translate to “surprised” in Latin — because they…

The urban farm startup Sustenir is undercutting importers by 30%

Good News Notes: “Benjamin Swan, co-founder and CEO of Sustenir Agriculture, is an Australian living in Singapore who wanted to find a way to grow produce for his own salads. “I’d buy a bag of [imported] lettuce and within 24 hours you could literally watch the produce melt in the bag. It was just because of…

Can Mushrooms Actually Help Save the Planet?

Good News Notes: “In college, Eben Bayer grew mushrooms under his dorm room bed. The mechanical engineering student, who had grown up on a Vermont farm, was convinced the fungus was one of nature’s most effective “technologies” and could be used to overhaul the way we make a range of everyday products. Thirteen years later,…

Australian army soldiers cuddle, feed koalas rescued from bushfires

 Good News Notes: “Soldiers with the Australian army came to the rescue of several hungry koalas saved from the bushfires ravaging the country. Several servicemen and women were seen cuddling the koalas — swaddled in blankets — during feeding time at the Cleland Wildlife Park in Crafers, South Australia, in a photo posted to Instagram by…