🌞 The life-saving chewing gum

I love Ted Lasso. It’s the ultimate good news TV show. I love Mumford & Sons.

You can imagine my excitement when the cast of Ted Lasso joined Mumford & Sons live on stage to sing the show’s theme song yesterday. So fun - ignore the shaky camera work of this video and enjoy!

Chewing gum is often seen as rude, if not disgusting. But what if it could be not only good, but life-changing?

Under desks or on roads, we try to avoid it wherever we can.

Well, what if we told you that gum can not only be good, but life-changing?

A U.S-based non-profit called Gift of Life Marrow Registry has launched ‘Hero Gum’, and exactly as its name suggests, the gum has potential to save lives.

Users simply chew their gum as normal, but instead of leaving it somewhere gross, (we’re looking at you, university desks) they pack it up and send it to a lab to be tested.

As Gift of Life founder and CEO of Gift Jay Feinberg says, there are “no needles, no swabs, no stress.”

You’re looking at Spain’s entry in the Mixed Duet Artistic Swimming finals at the Singapore World Aquatics Championships. Did you know there were mixed doubles in synchronised swimming? No? Neither did I.

On-brand with the sciencey innovations, we bring to you a local story!

A team of Melbourne researchers have found existing HIV drugs could suppress the transmission of another disease in “human-like immune systems.”

HTLV-1 is a life-threatening, virus that affects ten million people worldwide. The World Health Organisation says its effects are life-long, and that it impacts immune cells.

A study co-led by the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity could result in the first treatments for this virus.

Currently, researchers say the disease is “poorly understood” with “no preventative treatments and no cure.”

They believe these treatments could prevent the spread of the virus, which particularly affects First Nations communities, such as in Central Australia.

The research also “identifies a new drug target that could lead to the elimination of HTLV-1 positive cells from those with an established infection, and prevent disease progression.”

Over a decade of research, the team studied how the "virus would behave in a… human-like system” through mice.

The mice were treated with two anti-viral therapies currently approved for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The team discovered that both these drugs could suppress HTLV-1, which is especially good as these antivirals are already in use.

Lead author Professor Marc Pellegrini said the study "provides critical insights that enable us to better understand… the virus affecting our First Nations communities.”

Feeling like life’s been a little too serious lately? A Sneaky mid-week escape to Queensland might be just the good news you need!

My Queensland packages are designed to make treating yourself easy - think oceanfront luxury, return flights, daily breakfast, transfers, and bonus extras that feel too good to be true.

Whether it’s spa time, poolside cocktails or a long lunch with a sea breeze, the Gold Coast is serving feel-good energy on tap. No planning stress, no crowds, just sun-drenched serenity.

Because sometimes, good news looks like a beach day on a Wednesday. Mid-week is the new peak.

An inspiring group of young people have completed the first full traversal of a 310-mile river on the U.S. west coast, after four dams were removed.

The group of young, mainly Indigenous kayakers navigated the entire Klamath River the course of a month, travelling across two states.

They became the first people to descend the full length of the Klamath since the dams were established.

Karuk teenager Ruby Rain Williams told The New York Times she was “really excited to be on the river with friends, celebrating this huge accomplishment that our people have been fighting for forever.”

On her Instagram, Williams thanked Rios to Rivers, a non-profit organisation that advocates for Indigenous youth and for river health, and taught the participants how to kayak.

However, the kayakers aren’t the only happy ones. Environmental Director Dave Coffman told CNN that shortly after the final dam in the river was removed, chinook salmon were seen swimming in a location where fish hadn’t been spotted in in 60 years.