Good news #2: Our clumsy neighborhood asteroid passes us by again, and will not collide with us for several more centuries.  In the meantime, we can observe it like never before! 

Asteroid 4179 Toutatis is our neighborhood friend, passing by Earth's orbit every 4 years.  This month, it paid us another visit, though the closest it got was 7 million kilometers away (or 18 times the distance from us to the moon).  

The space rock, classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA),spans about 4.5 kilometers (!!!) across, making it one of the biggest PHAs for us.  

Scientists are confident that asteroid Toutatis will not come near us for several more centuries, so in the meantime, they will be taking careful measurements to learn more about the asteroid's surface.  This means it's a great time to observe what comprises the rock, as well as how its irregular and strange flight patterns move.  NASA will be using the Goldstone Radar in the Mojave Desert to track Toutatis's progress during its traversal across our orbit.  This gives scientists much more detailed data than it's ever had before!  

To read more, check out the articles below:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/12dec_toutatis/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/asteroid-flyby-video-space-rock-earth_n_2311373.html

http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/4179_Toutatis/toutatis.html

Good news #1: Ancient People Caring for Their Infirm

Several archaeologists and psychologists have been studying the remains of ancient people around the world to determine something unusual:  How did these people from so long ago care for their infirm?

I was personally quite awed to learn that there is evidence to suggest that people even tens of thousands of years ago cared for the disabled among them.  Whether the condition was as severe as polio or spina bifida, or as simple as shorter-than-average limbs, there is much to support the argument that many ancient tribes had ways of accommodating their disabled, often extending the afflicted people's lifespans by a decade or more.

This article comes from a recent article in the New York Times, and can be read in its entirety below.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/science/ancient-bones-that-tell-a-story-of-compassion.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=science

Welcome to Mb's newest project!! :) 

So I want to be a well-informed, involved citizen... but that often entails reading massively depressing news and lots of it. Therefore, I'm attempting to write a blog dedicated entirely to sharing GOOD news with people. This is simply a way to share things that are happening in the world. Hopefully, this way, I will try to make amends with humanity through finding the more positive aspects of our world. Here goes...