The week's good news: December 10, 2020

1. Researchers believe they've found a new whale species off Mexico

While on the lookout for beaked whales, researchers may have discovered an entirely new species of the animal. Last month, the team, led by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was tracking beaked whales near Mexico's San Benito Islands, when suddenly "these animals popped to the surface right next to the boat," Jay Barlow, a marine mammal biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told Reuters. "It was just a phenomenal encounter. It's very rare to see even a beaked whale, and to find a friendly group of beaked whales, it's even rarer." The researchers took pictures of the whales and recorded their acoustic signals, and found that their teeth were unusually placed and their calls were different from other beaked whales. The team also took water samples, which are now being analyzed to see if there are skin cells that can be tested, confirming whether the whales are a new species.

Reuters

2. Brothers launch clothing line to fund research for a cure to blindness

Through their Two Blind Brothers clothing line, Bryan and Bradford Manning aim to dress people in stylish clothes while also funding research to cure degenerative eye conditions. The Manning brothers were both diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a rare genetic eye disorder that can cause blindness, when they were kids. Bryan told People that when you are blind, "the one thing you learn quickly is trust. You have to put these little moments of trust in people, like the trust that a cab driver will drop you off in the right corner ... or you'll get the right change from a cashier because you can't see for yourself." Bryan and Bradford launched Two Blind Brothers in 2016 so their customers could trust them — they sell mystery boxes filled with different products, such as hoodies, sunglasses, and socks, which have braille stitched into them. Proceeds benefit organizations like the Foundation for Fighting Blindness, and so far, the brothers have raised more than $750,000.

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People

3. Missing dog surprises owner by walking into her work

June Rountree spent weeks imagining being reunited with her missing dog, Abby, but not once did she think it would involve the pup tracking her down at work. On Nov. 8, Abby got loose from Rountree's backyard in Dothan, Alabama. Rountree and her husband immediately began searching for Abby, putting up flyers and asking neighbors if they had spotted her. Rountree is a cashier at a Walmart less than two miles from her home, and while at work on Nov. 28, a dog walked into the store. As the dog came closer to her register, Rountree saw that it looked like Abby, and when she called out, the pup came running. "I was in complete shock and just couldn't believe it," Rountree told The Washington Post. Rountree doesn't know where Abby was or how she wound up walking into the store. "It really is just unbelievable," she said. "It's like a dream. You can't make this stuff up."

The Washington Post

4. Teacher who won $1 million prize shares half of it with the runners-up

Indian schoolteacher Ranjitsinh Disale provided a lesson in kindness last week, when he received the 2020 Global Teacher Prize and promised to split half of his $1 million award with the runners-up. Disale teaches at Zilla Parishad Primary School, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. He has worked to expand education for girls from tribal communities, and in order to improve attendance at his school, learned the local language and translated textbooks, CNN reports. He also created QR codes so students could access recorded lectures, audio files, and assignments, technology now being used across India. Disale said he would split half of his winnings with the nine runners-up, giving each one about $55,000, because "if I share the prize money with the rest of the teachers, they will get a chance to continue their work and we can reach out and lighten the lives of as many students as we can."

CNN

5. Sri Lankan man and his mobile library bring books to kids in remote areas

Mahinda Dasanayaka wants all kids to have access to books, and to make this happen, he turned his motorbike into a library on two wheels. Dasanayaka is a child protection officer for the Sri Lankan government. Three years ago, he launched a program called Book and Me, and he travels weekly to villages across Kegalle, a mountainous region northeast of Sri Lanka's capital, to distribute books. Dasanayaka goes to villages that do not have libraries, and he told The Associated Press kids are "always eagerly waiting for me, always looking for new books." He brings everything from biographies to detective stories, which he carefully packs in a steel box attached to his bike. His collection has grown to about 3,000 books — some he bought, others donated. Dasanayaka said he continues the program because he wants to bring people together and "change the way kids look at society, to change their perspectives and broaden their imagination."

The Associated Press