ScienceThe good news
Perseverance breaks the distance record on another world
On 11 October, the rover reached 45.22 kilometres on Mars, passing Opportunity. The distance helps it explore more rocks, rather than win a race.
From the archive: the edition of , with the original dates and sources for every story. Read the latest edition.
Music for today ·Edition of 15 October 2026
N° 038 8 stories to take with you
Perspectives.
EnvironmentThe bright side
Torcross prepares new coastal defences after the storms
The £19.8 million project has secured its permissions. The first rocks by sea are expected in the week after 14 October, weather permitting.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
WorldThe good news
Jamaica takes a practical step towards joined-up school data
A workshop held in Kingston on 5–8 October prepares a shared statistical repository. The platform still needs to be developed and put into operation.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
EnvironmentThe good news
Tracce nel Blu returns from Sardinia: the samples now head to the lab
The expedition ended on 9 October with 108 filters for microplastic analysis and 14 environmental DNA samples. Laboratory results are still to come.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
Moving forward.
ScienceThe good news
Two Italian gateways open to shared European research resources
EOSC Italy and the CNR-led ocean node have been operational since 8 October. The federation now has 14 active nodes and more than 120 scientific services.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
CultureThe good news
Bologna’s Rizzoli opens its historic library on 18 October
A free visit to the Umberto I Library is scheduled from 3 to 5.30 pm for Italy’s Historic Hospitals Day.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
WorldThe bright side
Southern Africa works on shared criteria for sustainable investment
A workshop held in Botswana on 9 October prepares environmental criteria that countries can compare. The voluntary framework is still to be developed.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
SocietyThe good news
Indigenous knowledge and research meet at FAO in Rome
The fourth annual Global-Hub meeting on Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems opened on 12 October.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
A little more to discover.
Design · Philosophy · Plants · Curiosities · Words · Food · Cultures & peoples · Curiosities. Ideas worth a closer look.
01Design
Aino Aalto: a glass thinks about the cupboard too
The rings of the Bölgeblick range give an everyday object a clear identity, while stacking brings the design into domestic routines.
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Lucretius: a drop and the changes we cannot see
In the first book of On the Nature of Things, water-worn stone becomes a clue for reasoning about invisible processes.
Read the full story03Plants
Maranta: leaves change position through the day
The prayer plant raises its leaves at night: a transformation to observe without automatically treating it as a sign of trouble.
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A snail has a rasp covered in tiny teeth
Inside its mouth, a flexible ribbon called a radula works on food: its microscopic teeth look nothing like our own.
Read the full story05Words
Palestra: an Italian word that practises beyond sport
From a place for wrestling to exercises of the mind, the same Italian word connects a physical setting with experiences that test us.
Read the full story06Food
Pineapple and gelatin: when fruit takes a structure apart
Fresh pineapple can stop a dessert from setting: bromelain acts on proteins, and the ingredient’s processing history makes a difference.
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Slovenian lace: threads also pass on a way of learning
Crossing and twisting threads wound on bobbins creates a textile while keeping knowledge moving between people and places.
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Who drew the path across the lawn?
A trace in the grass raises a question about space: how can other people’s footsteps become clues for those arriving later?
Read the full storyOriginal illustrations made with AI assistance. Facts and sources stay in plain sight.
A chart a day
Edition of
Enlarge the chart Materials get another turn.
- Data period
- 2024
- Datobello chart dated
Materials can have more than one life. In 2024, recycled materials accounted for 21.6% of Italy’s total material use: the third-highest rate in the European Union, behind the Netherlands and Belgium. The EU average was 12.2%. [1]
The chart tracks recovered materials returning to the economy, rather than the share of waste recycled. Recovering materials helps reduce the need to extract new ones. [2]
A project by gaiaz · Instagram
View the sources
- Over 12% of materials in the EU come from recycling Eurostat · Published · Accessed
- Circular material use rate — Calculation method — 2018 edition Eurostat · Published · Accessed
That is quite a lot of good for one day.
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