New species of gecko has been hiding in plain sight

 Good News Notes: “One of the new species, named the plain tree gecko Gehyra gemina, is common on road houses and other buildings from Broome to the Queensland border, yet despite being widely found across northern Australia, the species was undescribed by science until now. Queensland Museum Senior Curator and Griffith University researcher Dr. Paul Oliver…

Zoo Atlanta welcomes Baloo the binturong

Good News Notes: “Zoo Atlanta is welcoming a new member of its family.  Baloo, a 1-year-old male binturong, recently arrived in Atlanta from the  Brookfield Zoo.” “Binturongs are also known as bearcats for their resemblances to both, but they’re actually more closely related to civets.” View the whole story here: https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/zoo-atlanta-welcomes-baloo-the-binturong

World’s largest cave fish discovered in India

Good News Notes: “About 250 species of subterranean fish are known on Earth, eking out a living in a world of permanent dark and scant food. They are usually small, generally a few inches long, since there’s usually little food or prey to eat. But in an underground chamber in northeastern India, researchers have discovered a cave…

Nike’s New Vegan ‘Space Hippie’ Sneakers Are Made From Trash | LIVEKINDLY

Good News Notes: “The Space Hippie’s flyknit-based uppers use at least 85 percent rPoly—primarily recycled plastic water bottles, t-shirts, and yarn scraps. The sole uses 15 percent Nike Grind Rubber, combined with 100 percent recycled foam materials. ‘I’d say Space Hippie attacks the villain of trash,’ adds Hoke. ‘It’s changed the way we look at materials,…

Future ‘Flash’ Radiation Therapy Could Treat Cancer in Milliseconds

Good News Notes: “Someday, specialized systems could barrage cancer patients with particles to deliver a full course of radiation therapy in mere microseconds, new research suggests. Using an emerging technique known as flash radiotherapy, doctors could eradicate tumors in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of traditional radiation therapy…

Scientists have discovered five new species of songbird in Indonesia

 Good News Notes: “Five species of songbird and five more subspecies have been discovered by scientists for the first time in mountainous areas of Indonesia. The newly described bird species, named after the islands where they were discovered, are the Peleng fantail, the Peleng leaf warbler, the Taliabu grasshopper warbler, the Taliabu myzomela and the…

New Species of Praying Mantis Impales Its Prey on Barbed Spikes

Good News Notes: “Mantises are elite ambush predators, snatching their victims with a lightning-fast strike of their front limbs. But one newly described species doesn’t just hold its prey in a prickly embrace: It impales it, using long, barbed tines to expertly polish off the squirming morsel like a chunk of bread skewered on a…

New monkey discovered on “island” amid deforestation in Brazil

 Good News Notes: “DNA analysis has revealed a “new” species of monkey that only survives today because its habitat is difficult to access and therefore hasn’t been converted for large-scale agriculture, reports  New Scientist. Writing in Primate Conservation, a team of scientists analyzed the traits of a group of titi monkeys rediscovered in 2011 in the…

New Species of Bobtail Squid Discovered in Okinawa

 Good News Notes: “Cephalopods were the first intelligent animals on the planet.” “This quote from Dr. Sydney Brenner, molecular geneticist and one of the founders of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), highlights the burgeoning scientific interest in cephalopods like cuttlefish, octopuses, and squid. These creatures are lauded for their complex…

New dinosaur species discovered in Argentina

 Good News Notes: “Paleontologists have discovered the remains of two new species of herbivorous dinosaurs that roamed Argentina’s southern El Calafate area 70 million years ago.” “Dubbed the “Nullotitan Glaciaris,” the first dinosaur measured 82 feet in length, and had four legs and a long neck, according to reps for the natural sciences museum of…