Welcome to the Good News Roundup for August 31, 2026
Floating wetlands reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 40 percent
Australian researchers have found floating gardens planted with native vegetation could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater lagoons.
A two-year RMIT and CSIRO trial recorded reductions of up to 36 per cent in carbon dioxide and 66 per cent in methane emissions compared with an uncovered lagoon at wastewater treatment sites.
The technology is now being tested in Victorian farm dams, with researchers investigating its potential for wider use across Australia’s approximately 1.8 million farm dams.
Read more here.
Daughter’s brain injury inspires $400 million research institute
Billionaire US investor Bill Ackman is launching a $400 million neuroscience and longevity institute, inspired by his 26-year-old daughter’s recovery from a life-threatening brain haemorrhage.
Ackman revealed on social media that his daughter Lucy was left in a coma and unable to walk, speak or see before undergoing emergency surgery that saved her life.
The Ackman Oxman Institute will combine research, rehabilitation and patient care, alongside a commercial arm to fund and create companies developing new treatments and technologies for brain conditions and injuries.
Read more here.
97-year-old rescued from mudslides in Nepal
Amidst the devastation of Nepal’s flooding and landslides, a man has described pulling his 97-year-old great-grandmother to safety after she spent 8 hours buried in mud.
Gunmaya Bohra became trapped when flooding hit her community, wiping out homes and access roads.
She was discovered alive after rescuers detected small movements in the mud, before being lifted to safety in the bucket of a mechanical digger.
Hear from her great-grandson here.
Family dog found 12 years after going missing
A family has been reunited with their beloved dog in Chicago, almost 12 years after she disappeared while her owner was experiencing homelessness.
The tiny Chihuahua, Flor, was found wandering near a road in Indiana after a storm and taken to an animal shelter where staff discovered a microchip that eventually led them back to her original family.
Now around 16 years old, Flor has finally returned home in an emotional reunion her family.
Read more here.
