🌞 The new baby animals

If you read one thing in today’s newsletter, I hope it’s this.

I’d like to introduce you all to ‘Humans of London,’ an incredible photo album. Inspired by ‘Humans of New York,’ photographer Cathy Teesdale does an amazing job documenting the everyday life of Londoners.

It’s one of those books that never really leaves you. It captures Londoners at different stages of their lives. Cathy photographs new mothers, drag queens, former soldiers and elderly sisters. Some of them share their stories, words of advice, and hopes for the future.

It’s a strange recommendation for a newsletter about good news, but trust me. It’s one of those books that makes you feel sad, happy, hopeful and less lonely all at once. For me, it really helped me realise we’re all just human at the end of the day (and there are a lot more good people out there than you think!) 

I do hope you read the whole newsletter though. I’m biased, but it’s too good not to. 

This is preaching to the choir (given how many of you all enjoy reading) but hey, what’s wrong with a little extra validation?

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have published a review that shows reading for enjoyment is proven to be good for our health.

In a study of over 10,000 young people, researchers found children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed better mental health, memory, executive functioning, and healthier lifestyles than those who didn’t. 

Reading is also good for adults, with surveys suggesting reading has many benefits, including less stress, more empathy and understanding and better relaxation. 

A 2024 neuroscience study commissioned by The Queen's Reading Room, a British charity, found that five minutes of fiction can reduce stress by up to 20%.  

One country that’s already on the ball is Singapore, which has now started a new scheme where it pays residents per reading session in efforts to combat doomscrolling.

One of the scientists, Professor Barbara Sahakian said: it’s never too late to start, and [reading] can bring benefits throughout our lives and into old age.” So, if you’ve been on the fence about picking up a book, this is your sign. 

My favourite part is that researchers say it doesn’t matter what children and young people read, as long as they enjoy it, meaning your copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses basically has the same academic standing as Pride and Prejudice. 

(Jane Austen fans, please don’t come at me.) 

A woman in the U.S. with a paralysing neurological disorder has been given the ability to speak again, thanks to a wireless brain implant. 

The device, developed by American biotech firm Paradromics, allows the 68-year-old woman to converse using a computer-generated voice. 

The implant works by reading brain signals, which are decoded using AI and turned into speech. 

The woman is the first patient in a clinical trial involving 10 people with speech and limb paralysis. Her first words with the new device were: “Ok, I have a lot to say.”

Nepali Hindu women dance after performing rituals in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 15 September 2026, marking the annual Rishi Panchami festival as part of Teej. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The James Dyson Award “challenges the next generation of engineers to tackle real-world problems through invention and design.” 

The national winners were announced this week, and they’ve made some pretty impressive things.

Australia’s national winner was Tom Poletti. He created ‘Clear Step,’ a smart white cane that helps blind and visually impaired people detect obstacles at head-height (like branches and signs). The cane communicates with the user through “touch-based feedback”.

Over in the U.S, Radhika Saran, Cleo Pontone and Sophia DeVito won for their invention ‘RumbleRims'. The tool helps schools screen athletes for possible concussions on the sideline. Current forms of checking for concussions rely on subjective observations and can't always pick up subtle symptoms. RumbleRims uses a “low-cost infrared eye-tracking headset, coach display and recovery dashboard” which provides users with objective neurological data.  

The winners receive prize money and media attention to help commercialise their invention. 

There are 28 national winners and 56 national runners-up. I wasn’t able to include them all, but you can check them out here. 

This month, Yolanda Thomas made history as the first Black woman to serve as a head coach in the National Women’s Soccer League, the highest professional league in the U.S. 

She led Orlando Pride to a 3-1 victory against Houston Dash. According to FIFA, women make up only 5% of registered football coaches worldwide, which makes Yolanda’s match even more significant. 

In a post to Instagram reflecting on her experience she said: “We dared. We dreamed. We delivered. And we’re not done dreaming yet.” 

Change starts with someone willing to say "this isn't right" - and the Leukaemia Foundation is saying it loudly.

One in eight people with blood cancer are missing, delaying or cancelling treatment because they can't afford it, at an average cost of $3910 out-of-pocket a year. That's the gap the Leukaemia Foundation exists to close. Their Cut the Cost of Cancer campaign is building the case for change - and it gets stronger with every person who joins in.

We went deeper into this in a recent newsletter and video, talking to Allannah Clarke, who has lived experience with blood cancer, and Bill Stavreski, Head of Research at the Leukaemia Foundation.

Add your voice to the campaign and be part of the push for change.

An Aboriginal GP and PhD student’s research has led to the creation of culturally safe resources for menstrual health for First Nations women. 

Dr Talila Milroy started the process of developing the resources after speaking to Aboriginal women who said they didn’t feel heard when they discussed period health with their providers.

As part of her PhD, Dr Milroy undertook yarning circles with Aboriginal women, in partnership with Indigenous organisations. 

She said: “One of the things that came out of that yarning was a desire for more reliable and trustworthy education and information about period health… so we went back to the community and worked with them to design some resources that not only aligned with what women wanted but were useful, easy to understand, and looked really nice.”

The resources feature artwork by Aboriginal artist Erika Fernandez and include information about periods, pregnancy and menopause. 

The resources will be available on Rockingham’s Aboriginal Health Service website soon. 

For all the cat-lovers out there, this one’s for you.

A cat discovered in Bolivia 10 years ago has officially been confirmed as being part of a new species.

According to National Geographic, in 2016, a Bolivian wildlife sanctuary called biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz about “a weird cat.” 

Over the following years, Nogales-Ascarrunz worked to refine her gene analysis skills to the point where she could properly study the cat, and eventually confirm that it’s a previously unknown species.

In a study published this week, the cat was officially recognised as the first new species of cat discovered in over a century. 

With my non-existent biology skills, I can confidently describe the cat as a mini-leopard. 

For another good animal story, we’re going to bring it back to Australia.

NSW’s Altina Wildlife Park has welcomed many new animal babies, and I’ve made it my duty to introduce them.

In late August, the Zoo welcomed a meerkat baby. At the beginning of this month, they confirmed that they had nine new baby goats and a new Highland calf, who they’ve named Alfred after the Batman character. 

Then, this week, they confirmed the arrival of another baby Highland cow, who’s named Snoopy.