Thanks to an ambitious ‘refaunation’ project, Brazil’s blue-and-yellow macaws return to Rio after 200 years
Last spotted by Austrian naturalist Johann Natterer in Rio de Janeiro in 1818, experts say after that, blue-and-yellow macaws were almost certainly wiped out by deforestation, along with other species that once roamed forests around the city.
Now, biologists are bringing the macaws, and the forests they inhabit, back to life as part of an ambitious “refaunacation” project from a group called Refauna to restore the rainforest.
So far, four macaws have been dslowly reintroduced, with another six on the way, and longer-term plans to release 50 of them.
Why is this good news? While locals are delighted to see the iconic birds return to the city, the project is more focused on saving the forest and entire ecosystem, “rebuilding ecological relationships and ensuring that these species can once again perform their ecological roles.”
An outdoorsman launched a website to preserve national park history being erased by the Trump administration
For the past year, the Trump administration has removed or altered hundreds of signs and exhibits from national parks across the U.S. that covered topics like climate change, pollution, slavery, and Indigenous history.
Last month, a whistleblower posted a list of all of the signs, exhibits, and more that the Trump administration had planned to alter or remove at national parks across the country.
Why is this good news?People deserve to have accurate historical information, not history that’s been sanitized or cherry-picked to fit a particular narrative. We deserve to know about how climate change has impacted Glacier National Park, about air pollution in Bryce Canyon, and about slavery and civil rights, LGBTQ history, and internment camps — all histories our national parks and monuments help preserve.
Most of us are used to subscriptions for the things we love — streaming, music, meal kits. But healthcare? That still feels unpredictable.
ActuateCare is changing that by offering virtual healthcare for one simple monthly fee. Members receive unlimited virtual urgent care and primary care visits, along with access to behavioral health and pharmacy support — all without copays or surprise costs.
That simplicity removes one of the biggest reasons people delay care: uncertainty.
Whether it’s a sick child, a late-night sinus infection, a medication question, or help managing a chronic condition, members can quickly connect with licensed clinicians from wherever they are.
When healthcare feels accessible and predictable, people are more likely to use it early — which is good news for individuals, families, and communities.
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Education
Courtesy of CrunchLabs
A YouTuber and former NASA engineer invested $60M on STEM curriculum — it’s completely free for teachers
A NASA engineer turned YouTube sensation with over 75 million subscribers, Mark Rober makes creative, silly science experiments for an audience of primarily young viewers. It’s part of his mission to “get kids stoked about science.”
While he dreams of being a middle school science teacher himself, in the meantime, Rober just invested $60 million on a STEM curriculum to make it easier for teachers to implement fun, engaging lessons in STEM, without spending their own money on materials.
He just announced the final product at TED2026: Class CrunchLabs, an online STEM curriculum program tailored to grades 3 through 8 that “exceeds” state science standards — and it’s completely free for teachers.
Why is this good news? As Rober said in his TED Talk, “The reason we’re doing this is because it breaks my heart when I see teachers who get paid salaries that, as a society, we should be ashamed of, spending their own money on resources that totally suck.”
Forbes announced a new ‘True Net Wealth’ ranking that incorporates how much billionaires give away
Billionaires “all have one thing in common,” Forbes Editor-in-Chief Randall Lane said from the TED2026 stage, “Nobody likes them.” One reason for that, he said, is how little of their wealth they use to make the world a better place.
So, Forbes announced its new “True Net Wealth” list that takes into account money given away by billionaires: “True Net Worth is your regular net worth, combined with the money you’ve donated, that we appreciate like you still own it,” Lane explained.
He showed how the top-five ranking changes when you look at net wealth, and True Net Wealth, which adds Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in the number one and two slots. He also highlighted the list’s “biggest movers,” which includes billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
Why is this good news?Lane said the list’s purpose is “to offer role models for billionaires, for millionaires — for thousandaires. Give while you live … [it] supports the system that makes all of us prosperous.”
Hawaii has a unique exposure to plastic pollution, a combination of discarded fishing gear, tourist waste, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which engulfs the islands every few years.
About 90 metric tons of plastic trash have been removed from the waters and beaches around Hawaii, and more than a metric ton of fishing nets alone have already been paved into the state’s roads.
What’s the nuance? Researchers shared the public’s concerns about wear and tear on the roads leading to microplastics leaching into the environment. Early test results show that there wasn’t significant microplastic release compared to roads with no plastic mixed in, but this is still an important consideration to monitor.
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