This Week in Good News: Alaska Hummingbird Flies a Record 5,821 km, and 4 More

Here are the five most-read stories on Good News Daily from Oct 25 to Nov 1. They take in the United States, Honduras and the United Kingdom, plus a global energy report, and cover bird migration, a parrot reintroduction, solar power, dementia research and a new drug-delivery device.

Tracked rufous hummingbird flew at least 5,821 km from Alaska to Mexico

Three rufous hummingbirds fitted with tiny telemetry devices in Alaska this summer flew south to Mexico, one of them as far as Guadalajara, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center said. The longest flight, at least 5,821 km, beats a record of 5,679 km that had stood since 2010. Some birds crossed the open Gulf of Alaska, a route the researchers had not expected. See how the birds were tracked.

Ten scarlet macaws released near La Ceiba, bringing this year's total to 26

Ten scarlet macaws were set free over the Cangrejal River basin on 26 October, La Prensa reported, in an area where the species had not been recorded in the wild since the 1960s. The birds were raised at Macaw Mountain in Copán Ruinas. A technical team and local residents now follow their movements through forest corridors leading to two national parks. Read about the reintroduction project.

Off-grid solar users rose by 31 million in two years to 149 million

Use of solar lanterns, home systems and similar off-grid products grew 26% between 2023 and 2025, according to a report by the World Bank's ESMAP and the industry group GOGLA. Companies surveyed employ 219,000 people, and 95% of customers said their home systems still worked after four or more years. About 655 million people still lack electricity, the report says. Read the report's main findings.

Extra year of school cut later dementia diagnoses, UK reform study finds

Researchers used a 1972 law that raised the school-leaving age in England, Wales and Scotland from 15 to 16, comparing more than 100,000 UK Biobank participants. The extra year lowered the incidence of Alzheimer's and related dementias by 0.88 percentage points, with the strongest effect among people at higher genetic risk, according to the NIH-funded study in PNAS. Participants were at most 65, and the authors cautioned the gap may change as they age. Learn how the study worked.

MIT implant uses ultrasound to spread drugs deeper into brain tissue

MIT researchers built LUCID, a flexible device about as thin as cardstock that pairs a slow-release drug reservoir with 24 miniature ultrasound transducers. In a brain-mimicking gel and in mice, the ultrasound helped molecules travel farther, MIT News reported. The target is glioblastoma, though the device has not been tested in people. See how the implant works.

Every Sunday we round up the week's most-read stories. You can catch up on all weekly recaps here.