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Tag Archives: animal testing


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Good News Tuesday for March 24, 2026: Greece Evacuates People and Pets from Gulf, Plastic Waste to Parkinson’s Drug, EU Bans Animal Testing for Detergents, and a Barber Helps Neurodivergent Kids

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Greek Government Evacuates 100 People with Pets from Gulf

Bypassing the challenges of flying internationally with companion animals, the Greek government organized an evacuation out of the United Arab Emirates (south of Iran) for over 100 people and their pets who couldn’t get seats on commercial airlines.

“Our pets are not luggage, they are part of our families,”

Nikos Chrysakis, Greek Interior Ministry’s Secretary for the Protection of Companion Animals

Here’s the story from The Good News Network.

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Plastic Waste Turned into Drug for Parkinson’s

At the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, scientists engineered E. coli bacteria to start a series of biological reactions turning a type of plastic waste into L-DOPA. L-Dopa is a “frontline medication” for Parkinsons Disease and is also used to treat restless leg syndrome. The Good News Network has details, HERE.

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EU to Ban Animal Testing for Detergents and Cleaning Products

The EU recently agreed to ban animal testing in the development of detergents and related cleaning products. Scheduled to become effective in 2029, the revised rules require that only scientifically validated non-animal methods can be used to assess the safety of detergents. You can read more HERE.

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Texas Barber Helps Neurodivergent Kids and Families

Barber Henry Amaja Specializes in helping neurodivergent kids and parents. His invention of a weighted cape, using quiet clippers, and patience help kids with sensory issues feel more comfortable getting a haircut.

PS: Henry has received donations to be able to expand his barber shop called, Trimmys:

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Good News Tuesday for May 14, 2024: New Device to Screen for Cervical Cancer at Home, A Water Rescue Drone, Gene Therapy Restores Toddler’s Hearing, and Turning an Animal Testing Facility into a Sanctuary

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

A Groundbreaking Device Will Help Women Screen for Cervical Cancer at Home

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Device status to the Teal Wand, a device that offers a more comfortable way for women to screen for cervical cancer at home. The designation is awarded to medical devices the FDA considers “lifesaving” or “life changing.”  You can read more about the product and the benefits in this article from GoodGoodGood.

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A Rescue Drone/Lifebuoy

A Chinese company has developed a drone that can fly out over water and transform into a flotation device to rescue up to two adult swimmers. Here’s more from Interesting Engineering.

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New Gene Therapy Helps Deaf Toddler Hear

Little Opal Sandy can now hear after she was given an infusion into the ear replacing the faulty DNA which caused her inherited deafness.

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Turning an Animal Testing Facility into an Animal Sanctuary

Learn how Shannon Keith, founder of the Beagle Freedom Project, turned an animal testing lab into an animal sanctuary called Freedom Fields:

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Good News Tuesday for July 4, 2023: Pregnant Workers’ Rights, Phasing Out Animal Toxicity Testing, Eco-Friendly Fireworks, a 13-Year-Old Girl Makes Skateboarding History, and a Baby Deer Rescue

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

New US Law Protects the Rights of Pregnant Workers

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act signed by President Biden last year went into effect last Tuesday. The law “requires employers with more than 15 employees to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers, as well as those recovering from childbirth and those who need to pump breast milk at work.” Here’s more from Axios.

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Canada Passed a Bill to Phase Out the use of Animals in Toxicity Testing

Amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act aim to phase out the use of animals in toxicity testing. In addition to saving animals from suffering and death, the bill will “pave the way for the development, validation, and implementation of more human-relevant non-animal safety assessment methods.” For details, see this article from World Animal News.

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Some Cities are Using Eco-Friendly Fireworks

Traditional fireworks pollute the air, harm wildlife, and can trigger PTSD symptoms for some people. The good news is that there are alternatives. Minneapolis is doing a laser light show, and some US cities such as Salt Lake City, and La Jolla and Ocean Beach, California, are opting for quieter environmentally friendly drone light shows. CNN has details HERE.

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13-Year-Old Girl Makes Skateboarding History

Arisa Trew from Australia became the first female to land the 720 which involves two complete rotations in the air. Watch this video of Arisa’s moment and her interview. I bet it makes you smile.

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Baby Deer Rescued from Storm Drain

Last Tuesday night, a female deer was seen circling a storm drain in Maryland. Watch how firefighters and community members came together to rescue her baby.

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Good News Tuesday for Jan. 24, 2023: Argentina Protects Southern Peninsula, Uganda Declares Ebola Outbreak Over, Animal Testing No Longer Required by FDA, Students Make Leg for Dog, and an Uber Driver Donates a Kidney

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Argentina Protects the Southern Peninsula of South America

In December, legislators in the province of Tierra del Fuego voted to permanently protect the land and sea of the Mitre Peninsula. The protected area is Argentina’s most important “carbon sink” and includes a range of peatlands and giant kelp forests. Read more and see beautiful photos in this article from Mongabay.

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Uganda Declares Ebola Outbreak is Over

After no new infections were reported in more than 42 days, Uganda has declared the 4-month ebola outbreak is over. The Guardian has details here.

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FDA No Longer Requires Animal Testing on All Drugs

The US Federal Drug Administration no longer requires drugs to be tested on animals. While the law doesn’t ban the testing of new drugs on animals, it lifts the requirement that pharmaceutical companies use animals to test new drugs before human trials. Hopefully this will increase the market and fine-tuning for alternatives to animal testing. For details, see this article from NPR which came in my goodnewslestter.

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High School Students Make Prosthetic Leg for Teacher’s Dog

High school students are refining their work on a prosthetic leg for a golden retriever who lost his leg due to cancer. You can read more about the project from this NBC News Charlotte affiliate.

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Uber Driver Donates Kidney to Passenger

Bill Sumiel was on his way to dialysis when his Uber driver, army veteran Tim Letts, offered to give Bill his kidney. Here’s the story:

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Good News Tuesday for Dec. 27, 2022: NY Bans Cosmetics Tested on Animals, International Aid to Ukraine Continues, Patagonia Profits for the Planet, Electric/Solar Powered Car Sets Record, and Giving the Shoes Off Her Feet

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

New York State Bans the Sale of Cosmetics Tested on Animals

New York recently became the tenth US state to ban the sale and manufacture of cosmetics tested on animals with the New York Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act. With so many alternatives and known ingredients available, there’s no excuse to cause animal suffering for a new shampoo or aftershave. Now, it’s up to the US congress to pass the Humane Cosmetics Act – to ban the sale and manufacturing of animal tested cosmetics throughout the US. Here’s more from CNN.

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International Aid to Ukraine Continues

At a conference in Paris Tuesday, dozens of countries and international organizations pledged more than 1 billion euros (dollars) in aid to help the Ukrainian people as winter approaches. Read more from AP.

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Patagonia’s Profits for the Planet

Back in September, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard transferred ownership of the 50-year-old company to entities that will use its profits to “protect nature and biodiversity, support thriving communities and fight the environmental crisis.” CNN has details.

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Solar Powered Electric Car Sets New Record

An electric car in Australia made a record-breaking 621 mile (1,000km) trip on a single charge and powered by the sun. The car built by a group of “very smart amateurs” set a new world record by doing 240 laps on a track representing the distance from Sydney to Melbourne. Take a look in this article from the Good News Network.

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Giving the Shoes Off Her Feet

Ta Leia Thomas didn’t expect anything in return when she impulsively gave a man her shoes. She was working at the liquor store in Minnesota when she saw him come in and get some boxes to put on his cold, shoeless feet. As the man started to shuffle out the door wearing the boxes, Ta Leia, aka, Ace, hurried after him and gave him her shoes. Now the store has started to collect clothes to help unsheltered people, and Ace is getting a lot of shoes. Here’s the story:

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Good News Tuesday for May 10, 2022: Sea Lion Pups, Decarbonizing Scooters, AI Testing, and Prosthetic Arms (x2)

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Watching Sea Lion Pups in New Zealand

Volunteers in New Zealand are “babysitting” endangered sea lion pups. Meet one teen volunteer and read more about sea lion history in this article from CNN.

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Decarbonizing Scooters

The Taiwanese company Gogoro has created a system to convert polluting scooters to electric with battery swapping stations. Here’s the story and podcast from Voltz.

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Artificial Intelligence is Gradually Replacing Animal Testing

The company Smarter Sorting realized they could use a computational model to determine substance toxicity, “…which is not only faster, more cost effective, but also more humane,” says CEO Jacqueline. Claudia. Read about how AI can help reduce suffering from animal testing from FAST Company.

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Teenager Invents a Mind Controlled Prosthetic Arm

High school student Benjamin Choi created a “non-invasive, mind-controlled robotic arm … able to withstand weights up to about four tons…. And it only costs around $300 to manufacture.” Read this fascinating story from Smithsonian Magazine.

And in related news….

8-Year-Old Beknur Gets a News Prosthetic Arm made from Legos

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Good News Tuesday for Sept. 14, 2021: College for 9/11 Children, Education Reforms in China, Mexico Bans Cosmetic Testing on Animals, A Boy and his Dog, and a Special Chandelier

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Bank Pays Tuition for Children of 9/11

In the aftermath of 9/11/01, the banking firm of Sandler O’Neill that was on the 104th floor in the World Trade Center started a foundation to pay the college tutition for the children of employees who died in the attack. So far, 54 young men and women have had their college tuition paid, with 22 still eligible. The ones who’ve attended or are attending college have gone to many different schools “from Stanford to Notre Dame to community colleges and technical institutes.” The Good News Network has details.

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China’s Educational Reforms Aim to Reduce Unhealthy Pressure

China’s Ministry of Education’s published sweeping reforms on Monday such as banning end-of-year exams for 6 and 7 year old children.  It is hoped that the reforms will close educational and finanacial gaps between schools which have led to social distortions and financial burdens for parents. This article includes insights from a reporter who worked in the Chinese private tutoring industry.

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Mexico Bans Cosmetic Testing on Animals

Mexico had become the first North American country, and the 41st country worldwide, to ban consmetic testing on animals. Here’s more from Tree Hugger.

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13 Year Old Boy Saves Sisters from House Fire (and the Dog Saves the Boy)

When his parents were at the grocery store, Briar saw that the house had caught on fire. He got his four sisters outside to safety, then Mandy, the family dog, led Briar out. Here’s the video:

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Nurse Creates Beautiful Chandelier from Vaccine Vials

After working for seven months as part of a Covid vaccinating team, retired nurse Laura Weiss repurposed 300 vaccine vials into a beautiful chandelier. See the best photos of her creation, “Light of Appreciation” in this article from NPR. Here’s a preview:

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Good News Tuesday: June 8, 2021: Animals X 4 and a Pregnant Mom Rescues Three Girls from Drowning

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

My Good Newspaper issue #24 which arrived last week is all about animals, so I’d like to share a sample of those good news stories with you. The paper focuses on a different topic every month. To learn more about the Good Newspaper, visit, Good Good Good .

US House Reintroduces Bill to Ban Shark Fin Trade

On Earth Day, the US House of Representatives reintroduced a bill to ban shark fin trade. The bill had previously passed in the house but stalled in the Senate. I’m glad they’re not giving up. Shark finning is a cruel and unnecessary act and illegal in the US though there are still places where shark fins can be bought and sold. Here’s more from the Humane Society.

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Philadelphia Dims Lights to Help Birds

Philadelphia is joining 33 other US cities in dimming lights to reduce the number of birds crashing into windows at night. In this voluntary program, lights are turned off between midnight and six AM in the spring and fall when birds migrate. It’s especially important to turn the lights off in of tall buildings. Learn more here.

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First Drug Without Animal Testing Submitted to FDA

Researchers in Jerusalem have submitted a cancer therapy drug to the FDA. What makes this drug unique is that a chip with human tissue was used instead of testing the drug on animals. Your can read more about it in this article.

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Poacher Arrested

A long time poacher of Bengal tigers has finally been arrested and charged with numerous violations of wildlife conservation law. Here’s more from the Good News Network.

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Pregnant Mom Rescues Children from Drowning at Lake Michigan

Alyssa DeWitt was considering whether to take her children to the beach at Lake Michigan on a windy day. It’s a good thing she went. Alyssa, who is five months pregnant, ended up saving three girls from drowning. She said in another interview that she doesn’t usually go to that part of the beach and that her medical check indicates everything is okay. Here’s the story:

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