In today’s Good News, an innovative process turns recycled plastic into a vital medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease. And in the Pacific Ocean, a collaboration between commercial fishers and a Hawaiian university results in tens of thousands of pounds of garbage being safely removed from the water.

Catherine Garcia
The Week Digital

A remote sensing technique can detect tiny cracks in bridges, giving officials a way to predict — and prevent — collapses, researchers found. The team used Multi-Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar to study 744 bridges around the world, and could spot “millimeter-scale displacement” caused by nature, age and decay, said Good News Network. Early discovery of these structural changes can reduce maintenance costs by identifying at-risk bridges before they are too damaged, said lead scientist Pietro Milillo.

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.

In a global first, recycled plastic bottles have been turned into L-DOPA, a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Following years of research, University of Edinburgh scientists successfully engineered E. coli bacteria to break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into its “chemical building blocks,” which were “then transformed” into L-DOPA, said the Edinburgh Inquirer. Researchers are looking into how the engineering process can be used to turn more of the 50 million tons of PET produced each year into other medications.

The best possible version of a rock and a hard place

Testing a new climate technology, a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution released a small amount of alkaline solution into the Gulf of Maine to boost the seawater’s natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide. The trial found that the treated ocean water absorbed measurable amounts of carbon while raising local pH levels, without obvious harm to marine life. If proven safe on a larger scale, the approach could one day help tackle global warming and ocean acidification.

Through the Bounty Project, commercial fishing boats clean up trash from the North Pacific Garbage Patch during their regular fishing trips. Hawaii Pacific University’s Center for Marine Debris Research launched the program in November 2022, and since then, participants have removed more than 185,000 pounds of discarded fishing gear like nets, floats and lines. The objects are brought back to land for “reuse, recycling, energy recovery or responsible disposal,” said Good News Network.

States across the country are implementing cost-cutting measures and legislation

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