New snail species are the world’s smallest, tinier than grains of sand

Good News Notes: “Scientists have discovered two new snail species the size of a grain of sand—the tiniest known land snails on Earth. “It’s amazing how small they are—we wouldn’t have expected that,” says Adrienne Jochum, a researcher with Natural History Museum Bern in Switzerland. The new record-holder’s diminutive nature is reflected in its scientific name, Angustopila…

Louisiana’s only glass recycling facility wants its ‘sand’ to help the coast. This $700K grant will help. | Environment | nola.com

Good News Notes: “When Tulane University alumni Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz opened Louisiana’s only glass recycling facility, they dreamed of using the crushed sand to help restore the state’s eroding coastline. But they hit a few snags.  A lack of funding and need for regulatory approval of their “glass sand” prevented the pair from selling the recycled…

Lazarus Taxons: 5 Species That Returned From Extinction

Good News Notes: “In the fields of paleontology, biology, or ecology, the term “Lazarus taxon” refers to a species that disappears for a time – either from the fossil records or directly believed to be extinct – only to return at a later time. Throughout history, animals become irreversibly extinct, which is an unfortunate event….