New snail species are the world’s smallest, tinier than grains of sand

Good News Notes: “Scientists have discovered two new snail species the size of a grain of sand—the tiniest known land snails on Earth. “It’s amazing how small they are—we wouldn’t have expected that,” says Adrienne Jochum, a researcher with Natural History Museum Bern in Switzerland. The new record-holder’s diminutive nature is reflected in its scientific name, Angustopila…

Indoor, vertical farming could feed the world — and space

Good News Notes: “As the global population continues to increase, vertical farming is becoming a more widely recognized and viable solution to our food production problem. Vertical farming is a type of indoor farming where crops are grown in stacked layers, rather than spread out across large plots of land. These futuristic farms aren’t just going to have an…

Bird species re-discovered after almost 200 years of absence

Good News Notes: “The bird in question is the black-browed babbler, and we’ve only ever had sparse information on it. The western world was first treated to specimens and a description of this bird around 1848. Attempts to find the birds since have all failed, leaving us with very little data about the species’ traits…

Zurich sponsors reforestation project in Brazil

Good News Notes: “ Zurich will sponsor an eight-year reforestation project in Brazil to convert barren farmland back into native forest. The project will plant a million trees in recognition of the importance of healthy ecosystems in the fight against climate change and the devastating effects of biodiversity loss. Brazil’s Atlantic Forest will be restored…

Chester Zoo targets mobile gamers to promote conservation of endangered species

Good News Notes: “Chester Zoo launches new augmented reality mobile game that transforms players’ worlds into a jungle – enabling them to experience what it’s like to track real apes and carry out conservation challenges, all from their smartphones. Players join a team of wildlife scientists and help them protect the last wild spaces on…