A botanist would probably tell you last year wasn’t so bad. https://modernfarmer.com/2021/01/7-weird-and-wonderful-plants-discovered-in-2020/

The 19th-century whale hunt was a brutal business, awash with blubber, blood, and the cruel destruction of life. But between the frantic calls of “there she blows!”, there was plenty of time for creation too. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-art-of-whaling

Scientists used GPS-enabled (decoy) “InvestEggator” eggs to track the illegal trade of turtle eggs in Costa Rica. One of the eggs travelled 137km inland, uncovering an entire trafficking chain in the process. https://www.snippetscience.com/make-way-for-the-investeggator-the-decoy-egg-shedding-light-on-the-illegal-trade-of-wildlife

"This was and is a slob coup, an attempt to discredit and undermine the incoming administration and keep Trump in the spotlight after his presidency is over and exact some sore-losers’ vengeance. You could also call it an underachievers’ coup, since some of its participants and supporters count the hours of chaos and violence as a victory. " https://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-on-the-empty-violence.../

"None of the bottles will be opened until the end of February. That’s when the company will pop open a bottle or two for an out-of-this-world wine tasting in Bordeaux by some of France’s top connoisseurs and experts. Months of chemical testing will follow. Researchers are eager to see how space altered the sedimentation and bubbles."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/cheers-french-wine-vines-headed-home-after-year-in-space/2021/01/12/bf41ba84-54ec-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html

How 10 Classic Toys Were Invented. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/21290/quick-10-how-10-classic-toys-were-invented

A UK team has demonstrated a novel technology for imaging the brains of infants and babies. The breakthrough is hoped to allow researchers new ways to investigate baby brain activity in natural environments without the need for expensive MRI machines. https://newatlas.com/medical/hd-dot-lumo-baby-brain-imaging-ucl-gowerlabs/

“The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

COVID-19 is not the first pandemic that the movies have weathered. It’s the second. https://filmschoolrejects.com/cinemas-first-pandemic/

Some good news: Nearly everyone is feeling optimistic. According to a worldwide survey of 297 business executives, organizations are ready to invest in innovative ideas. And they’re getting the work underway. https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/01/11/1015868/2021-planning-new-business-models-big-opportunity/

Health fads come and health fads go, though few were as downright odd as the 1920s’ and 1930s’ craze for yeast cakes. https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-healing-power-of-compressed-yeast

Observant fans of HG Wells have questioned how a new coin from the Royal Mint commemorating The War of the Worlds author could be released with multiple errors, including giving his “monstrous tripod” four legs. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/05/hg-wells-fans-spot-numerous-errors-on-royal-mints-new-2-coin

NASA's Curiosity rover: 3k days on Mars https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55562150

Sheldon Adelson died. You note that I don't add, "Rest in Peace." https://www.axios.com/sheldon-adelson-dies-2f464db8-7b06-49f5-83ad-1f99f89b2b03.html

"North Americans weren't the first to grind peanuts...but peanut butter reappeared in the modern world because of an American, the doctor, nutritionist and cereal pioneer John Harvey Kellogg, who filed a patent for a proto-peanut butter in 1895." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brief-history-peanut-butter-180976525/

Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) understood well the limits of improvement through invention. (2018) https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/rube-goldberg-got-tech-right/

"It was a story he had chosen not to tell — until 2015, when he sat for a four-hour interview, promised that this account would not be published while he was alive." https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/pentagon-papers-neil-sheehan.html

America just got a new national park. Good news, especially if you're in West Virginia. https://www.vice.com/en/article/88av3p/the-covid-19-stimulus-bill-also-created-americas-newest-national-park