In today’s Good News, new research shows that parents who want to boost their baby’s immune system just have to head to the produce section and pick up a pint of blueberries. And in Hawaii, when a popular bay was closed to visitors, its ecosystems made a swift improvement. 

Catherine Garcia
The Week Digital

Giving babies blueberries as one of their earliest solid foods could improve their immune systems and reduce allergy symptoms, according to new research from the University of Colorado. The study, involving 61 babies in Denver, is the first to examine a link between infant health and a specific food. Scientists determined through stool and blood samples that the babies who ate blueberry powder had “reduced inflammation” and “positive” changes in gut microbiota, the Good News Network said.

A high-tech greenhouse lets residents of Gjoa Haven in Canada’s Arctic grow strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables year-round. This remarkable achievement marks the “first time in the memory of the region” that fresh produce is being grown in the tundra, said The New York Times. Plants are grown inside insulated shipping containers, providing an alternative to the expensive perishable goods typically brought in from southern Canada.

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New research shows that without human interference, damaged coral reef ecosystems start recovering quickly. A team from the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology studied Oahu’s popular Hanauma Bay before, during and after the 2020 pandemic shutdown. Researchers collected data on wildlife numbers and water quality, and without humans around the “ecosystem responded in remarkable ways,” lead author Dr. Elizabeth Madin told BBC Wildlife. The water was “noticeably” cleaner, the fish population increased and endangered Hawaiian monk seals appeared more often.

While studying engineering at Johns Hopkins University, Lauren Choi wanted to come up with a way to turn red party cups, which are difficult to recycle due to their plastic blend, into fabric. Five years later she found a way, using an extruder machine to transform shredded plastic cups into thread that is then put into a 3D knitting machine. Her textile company, New Norm, makes clothing only when an order comes in, keeping waste in check.

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