Quick summary of the top good news stories from last week.
Last week, a new report revealed the progress of British businesses in appointing female directors. UK firms are leading the way for gender equality with women now occupying 43 percent of boardroom roles. That’s according to a new report from the FTSE Women Leaders Review, which also showed that women hold 35 percent of leadership roles at firms listed on the FTSE 350 index. Of the G7 nations, only France has a higher ratio at 45 percent. As of 2024 in America, there were only 52 female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies, which is about 10 percent of the total. The number of women on large Australian-listed company boards is about 35 percent today. Meanwhile, in other news...
Health & Wellbeing
mRNA Vaccine: Results from a small clinical trial are showing promise for a personalized mRNA vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer. Right now, fewer than 13 percent of people live more than five years after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis - in this trial, half of the participants mounted a lasting immune response against their cancer cells. The vaccine teaches a person’s immune system to recognize and attack tumors, turning the immune system into a cancer-fighting machine.
Cancer Breakthrough: Scientists believe they have discovered how the cheap painkiller aspirin can stop cancers spreading. "What we've discovered is that aspirin might work, surprisingly, by unleashing the power of the immune system to recognize and kill metastasizing cancer cells."
Appetite for Organic: The UK’s appetite for pesticide-free produce is on the rise, despite the cost of living crisis. A new report by the Soil Association showed that sales of organic produce increased in the UK by 7.3 percent in 2024, compared to 4.7 percent for non-organic produce.
By The Numbers: UNICEF has released a reminder of some of its successes from investing in children over the past decades:
Since 1990, annual under-five child mortality has declined by 60 percent
Safe water is available to 2.1 billion more people compared to 20 years ago
In the past 25 years around 1.9 million deaths and 4 million HIV infections have been averted among pregnant women and children
Over 68 million child marriages have been prevented in the last 25 years
23 million more girls finish high school each year compared to a decade ago
Vaccines have saved 154 million lives in the last 50 years
Wildlife & Conservation
Europe’s Wild Predators: There's been a stunning resurgence across numerous species. Since 2016, golden jackal numbers have surged by 46 percent to 150,000, wolves have increased by 35 percent to 23,000, brown bears by 17 percent to 20,500, and Eurasian lynx and wolverine populations expanded by 12 percent and 16 percent to 9,400 and 1,300 animals respectively. The best recovery? Iberian lynx numbers are up from 100 at the turn of the century to over 2,000 today.
Galápagos Islands: The much studied archipelago is still offering up wonderful surprises as a bird species has been seen for the first time since Charles Darwin recorded it in 1835.
Win For England's Rivers: In a huge win for the rewilding movement, the UK government has approved the nationwide reintroduction of beavers to England. They have been shown to boost biodiversity and help mitigate flooding. Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said their return was a “significant landmark for nature recovery in England”.
Unsung Climate Heroes: The ocean may be the planet’s biggest carbon sink, but scientists recently examined another lesser-known climate ally - coastal salt marshes. “The amazing thing about tidal marshes, from a climate perspective, is that they can continuously increase their carbon storage. They don’t fill up.”
Unusual Discoveries
Shock Waves: A newly released image shows the sound barrier being broken on February 10 as America’s first civil supersonic jet completed its second flight at speeds exceeding Mach 1. “This image makes the invisible visible.”
Extinct But Still Relevant: Remarkably, a species that went extinct millions of years ago may have applications in today's technology. A new analysis of pterosaur bones by scientists at The University of Manchester suggests that their microstructure could inspire lighter, stronger aircraft materials.
Shakespeare Sonnet: A hand-written copy of one of the most famous love poems ever written has been discovered in Oxford after hundreds of years.
Impact Crater: Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest known meteorite impact crater in Australia.
Clean Energy
Geothermal Energy: Drilling techniques developed by the oil and gas industry could unlock clean, abundant geothermal energy around the world - and a small town in Germany is set to be a proving ground.
Green City Buses: The transition to cleaner vehicles is progressing in Europe, where 49 percent of new city buses across EU countries in 2024 were ‘zero-emission’ models instead of fossil fuel-powered vehicles - up from 36 percent in 2023 - according to a new analysis. It estimates that the rate of clean vehicle adoption for city buses will reach 100 percent by 2027.
Denmark Goes Electric: Denmark is experiencing a rapid uptick in EV sales, with the share of electric passenger cars sold in 2024 accounting for 51.5 percent of all new car sales - up from 36.3 percent in 2023. Nowhere near the 96 percent in Norway, but still remarkable adoption numbers.
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Today's Articles
Tamil Nadu Discovery: Evidence shows that the Iron Age happened first in India - over 1,000 years earlier.
National Talent? Brits think they have the world's best insults, but Gen Z are left confused by the older put-downs.