In today’s Good News, the family of an enslaved potter is reunited with two clay jars the prolific artisan created during the early 1800s. And on the medical front, a study is now underway to see if a simple breath test could be used to detect early pancreatic cancer.

Catherine Garcia
The Week Digital

A new patch developed by MIT engineers could one day be used to restore damaged cardiac tissue following a heart attack. In a study with rats, researchers found that when the patch released several drugs on a preprogrammed schedule, cardiac function was improved and the amount of damaged heart tissue was reduced by 50%. If the patch is approved for human use, it will be attached to the patient’s heart during bypass surgery.

Preserve your life story in a beautifully crafted memoir, without writing a word. We take care of everything, from personal interviews to impeccable writing and exquisite book production. Your memoir will be written in your authentic voice, creating a timeless legacy. Call 844 979 2327 to start.

An assistive keyboard designed to help people with motor conditions like Parkinson’s disease aims to restore their “independence and confidence,” said Good News Network. The ergonomic OnCue keyboard was created by Alessandra Galli as her thesis project at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and recently won a 2025 James Dyson Award. It manages symptoms like tremors and slowed movement through a combination of haptic and visual cues that “support a steady typing flow.”

Its guidelines are flexible and vegan-friendly

Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts returned two stoneware vessels in its collection to the descendants of the artist, David Drake. An enslaved man, Drake made thousands of ceramic pieces in South Carolina and inscribed poems on many of his works, a “significant” feat since literacy was criminalized among enslaved people, the museum said. Drake’s family sold one of the returned jars to the museum and is letting the other stay on view on a long-term loan.

A first-of-its-kind breath test could help detect pancreatic cancer, a notoriously difficult type of cancer to diagnose in its earlier stages due to its vague symptoms. The test identifies “volatile organic compounds in the breath” that can be found “even at the early stages” of the disease, said the BBC. The nonprofit Pancreatic Cancer U.K. is funding a study with Imperial College London to use the test to screen 6,000 patients across the country. 

Here’s what to look out for 

Up for a brainteaser? Play our daily puzzles, including crosswords, codewords and sudoku.