Ohio mother was in Costa Rica when 18-year-old son died in car crash; hospital never contacted her, she later learned his body parts were removed as ‘anatomical gifts’ without consent

Andrea Mauk with her son Damon and husband Edward. (Photo: Andrea Mauk) For Andrea Mauk, the phone call telling her that her 18-year-old son Damon had died was already a moment no mother should ever have to endure. But while she was thousands of miles away in Costa Rica, grieving a son she could not…

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Meet the world’s highest-ranking penguin Sir Nils Olav III, set to become a father after partner lays egg; Edinburgh Zoo welcomes first king penguin egg in 17 years

A royal arrival! Sir Nils Olav III and Connie are preparing to become parents after laying Edinburgh Zoo’s first king penguin egg in 17 years. (Photo: SWNS) The world’s highest-ranking penguin, Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of Bouvet Island, is set to become a father after his new partner, Connie, laid an egg…

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In 2020, Phoenix coated 36 miles of roads to fight extreme heat; surfaces became 12°F cooler at noon, but heat exposure for pedestrians rose 5.5°F

Phoenix coated 36 miles of roads to fight extreme heat Painting city streets with a light-coloured, reflective coating can cool the asphalt underneath, but it can also increase heat exposure for people walking on the road. That unexpected trade-off emerged from a major trial in the American Southwest. In 2020, the City of Phoenix Street…

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A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction; after years of painstaking work, the former asylum water supply became their family home

A British couple bought a derelict 85-foot, seven-storey Victorian water tower at auction An 85-foot Victorian water tower that once supplied an asylum in South London has been turned into a family home after a major multi-million-pound restoration by a British couple. The Grade II-listed structure in Kennington was built in 1877 to supply water…

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A businessman bought a 23,000-acre Scottish sporting estate and spent two decades rewilding it; one million native trees later, red squirrels have been reintroduced

Deep in the Scottish Highlands, a process of regeneration is taking place An English businessman who bought a traditional 23,000-acre Scottish hunting estate in 2003 has spent more than two decades changing its heavily grazed landscape, planting one million native trees and successfully bringing red squirrels back to the glens. Paul Lister bought the Alladale…

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In 2019, Florida began sinking mermaid-shaped reef sculptures; the project now has more than 300 habitat and art modules in South Florida

Florida began sinking mermaid-shaped reef sculptures More than 300 sculpted reef modules, including ocean-friendly concrete mermaids, now sit on the seafloor off South Florida as part of a growing marine restoration project launched seven years ago. Known as the 1000 Mermaids Artificial Reef Project, the initiative combines public art with habitat creation to help restore…

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Meghan Markle’s estranged father Thomas Markle ‘hurt and upset’ as she and Harry return to UK without meeting Archie and Lilibet: ‘She doesn’t give a damn about me’

Thomas Markle, who has never met Meghan Markle’s children Archie and Lilibet, says he fears he may now never meet his grandchildren. Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, says he feels “hurt and upset” that his daughter and Prince Harry are reportedly returning to the UK with their children without introducing him to his grandchildren.Thomas…

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Alaska eradicated rats from a 6,869-acre Aleutian island more than two centuries after they arrived in a shipwreck; within two years some native bird populations had increased 200% or more and missing seabirds began returning

Alaska eradicated rats from a 6,869-acre Aleutian island More than two centuries after a shipwreck brought non-native rats to a remote Alaskan island, removing the invasive rodents has led to a rapid recovery of wildlife across the 6,869-acre island in the Aleutian archipelago. According to monitoring reports and press releases from the United States Fish…

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In 2021, Alabama students began placing discarded Christmas trees along Gulf Coast dunes to trap sand; each year about 200 students now add roughly 3,000 native plants around them

Discarded Christmas trees Discarded holiday trees collected from living rooms across Alabama are finding a second life along the Gulf of Mexico, forming the foundation of a student-led coastal restoration campaign. Discarded Christmas trees collected from homes across Alabama are getting a second life along the Gulf of Mexico, helping form the base of a…

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