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In the headlines...

🚔 London police arrested former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the country’s second recent arrest for ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

❄️ As a historic blizzard blankets the city, 1,400 New Yorkers signed up to work as emergency snow shovelers and help keep sidewalks, bus stops, and more clear.

🥇 The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team declined the President’s invitation to attend his State of the Union address today, a day after he “joked” to the men’s team that he’d “have to” invite the women’s team, too.

Animals

Giant tortoises returned to a Galápagos island for the first time in over 180 years

In a “hugely significant milestone,” 158 captive-bred juvenile giant tortoises were released on the Galápagos island of Floreana, making their return after over 180 years of absence.

It’s part of the Floreana Ecolocical Restoration Project, and their reintroduction comes after scientists discovered tortoises carrying ancestry of the Floreana giant tortoise on a nearby island, and launched a “back-breeding” program in 2017.

The species went extinct in the 1840s after sailors took thousands from the islands for food during long voyages.

Why is this good news? Scientists behind the project say the giant tortoises are “ecosystem managers” and play an “outsized role in restoring degraded ecosystems” — and their reintroduction is giving conservationists hope for the future of the island, “and of islands around the world.”

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More Good News

​Brandi Carlile raises $600K for immigrant legal aid in Minnesota with livestream concert fundraiser. The singer’s “Be Human: A Concert for Minnesota” event benefited The Advocates For Human Rights, a nonprofit in Minneapolis that provides legal aid to people detained by ICE.

​Officials in Denver announced a moratorium on the construction of new data centers. The moratorium is expected to last several months and allow the city to review and strengthen regulations around the sites, and even existing or in-progress data centers could be expected to follow any new guidelines.

​A California environmental nonprofit bought 2,284 acres in southern Santa Clara to protect the land from development. The land was purchased after a 10-year litigation battle with developers who wanted to turn it into a sand-and-gravel quarry. It’s now a protected area for mountain lions, bald eagles, steelhead trout, and more.

​A record number of rare butterflies were spotted in Wales thanks to backyard conservation efforts. After landowners were encouraged to cut back on trimming their hedges, more than 3,000 rare brown hairstreak butterflies were spotted in an egg count.

​Robotic spine surgery is making back operations faster and safer. A team of doctors in Phoenix, Arizona said the robot’s added ability to do X-rays during surgery increases precision and decreases radiation exposure for patients.

Arts & culture

This is how Billie Eilish, Dave Matthews Band, and Jack Johnson have been ‘greening’ their concert tours

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good progress

Stomach cancer rates have declined by more than 70% in Japan since 1980

In 1980, stomach cancer deaths in Japan were more than twice as high as those from lung cancer. New data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows that death rates have fallen by over 70%, placing stomach cancer below several other diseases like lung and colorectal cancer.

While other cancers have seen smaller declines or even increases, stomach cancer’s drop in Japan reflects broader global trends, with many countries experiencing significant reductions in stomach cancer mortality from 1980 to 2021.

Experts attribute the decline to better hygiene, improved food safety protocols, and early screening and detection for infections.

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More Good bits

🦜 Birds … gotta watch ‘em all!

🎿 Olympic and Paralympic athletes want their winter sports protected.

🇨🇷 At least one country’s rainforests are thriving.

🏒 We know at least 7.7 million people watch women’s sports. (Gifted link)

🏳️‍🌈 Pulse is getting a permanent memorial.

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