The Quapaw Nation transformed 200 acres of toxic grassland in northeastern Oklahoma into an area where cattle graze and crops grow. The tribe is the first in the U.S. to “manage and carry out a Superfund cleanup,” said The Guardian. The Quapaw spent decades using mushroom compost to restore soil that had been contaminated by water runoff from a lead and zinc mine and clearing away toxic chat piles, returning the land to agricultural use.
A tiny porker named Merlin set a Guinness World Record for being the most followed pig on Instagram, with more than 1.1 million people signed on to track his exploits. Merlin is known for videos showing him pressing buttons that “play voice recordings that specify his current needs and desires,” said UPI. In one clip, he pushes a button that says “vegetable please,” and when his owner tells him no more food, Merlin responds by hitting the “sad” and “pay attention to me right now” options.
