249: Rewild The Internet

Hi everyone, Gus here.

Thanks for your patience over the last few weeks—we know the publishing schedule has been a little patchy, and we appreciate your understanding. I was celebrating my 40th birthday with friends and family in South Africa and also managed to jam in a visit to Vancouver to speak at TED.

Here are a few photos of the talk, which we're looking forward to sharing with you when it comes out next week. We're back to regular programming now. Buckle up for a pretty dense edition, there's been a lot to catch up on!

Good news for people

Millions of deaths from malaria prevented in the 21st century
An estimated 2.1 billion cases of malaria—and 11.7 million malaria deaths—have been averted globally between 2000 and 2022 as a result of scaling up malaria control interventions—an astonishing public health achievement. The rollout of the new malaria vaccines provides fresh hope that progress can be maintained. WHO

Ebola tamed by vaccines
Remember Ebola? If you're wondering why you don't really hear about it anymore, it's because scientists came up with a vaccine, and there are now over half a million doses in the global stockpile. As outbreaks become smaller and containment happens more quickly, most of the doses are now being repurposed for preventive vaccination. WHO

EU adopts first law tackling violence against women
Lawmakers just gave the green light to the bloc's first law devoted to combatting violence against women. It requires countries to criminalise female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and online harassment and aims to protect women from gender-based violence, make reporting crimes easier, and impose jail sentences for offenders. DW

Over half a billion people freed from neglected tropical diseases
The WHO says that the number of people requiring intervention against NTDs has fallen from 2.19 billion in 2010 to 1.62 billion in 2022, a decline of 26%. This means that in just over a decade, 570 million of the world's most vulnerable people have been spared from the immense suffering caused by these diseases.

Belgian parliament approves labour law for sex workers
Following the decriminalisation of sex work in March 2022, the country's lawmakers have now passed a law that makes it possible for sex workers to work under an employment contract, giving them access to social security, pension and unemployment benefits, health insurance, family benefits, annual vacation, and maternity leave. Utsopi

Brazil murder rate falls to 14-year low
Brazil ended last year with its lowest record of intentional homicides since 2010, vehicle and goods theft down by around 10%, and financial crime down by 40%. Cases of robbery resulting in death fell by almost a quarter, and police launched 227 anti-corruption operations and 182 operations to combat illegal activities in the Amazon. Gov.br

Milestones for elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Belize, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have been certified by the WHO as having eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, and Namibia has become the first high-burden country in the world to reach a significant milestone on the path towards eliminating mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and viral hepatitis B. 

More girls are attending school in India
School enrolment in India has seen a steady increase over the last decade, from 96.7% in 2014 to 97.2% in 2018 and 98.4% in 2022. Female enrolment in particular has risen. The percentage of girl students between the ages of 11 and 14 not enrolled in school has dropped from 10% in 2006 to 2% in 2022. Scroll

Hate speech criminalised in South Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a new law combating hate crimes and hate speech. The new law targets discrimination based on various characteristics. LGBTQ+ organisations have praised the law, which criminalises hate speech and hate crimes with penalties of fines or up to eight years in prison. Washington Blade

Crime is plummeting in England and Wales
Four in five people in England and Wales think that crime is getting worse. The data show the opposite: between 1995 and 2023, violence, burglary, and car crime have declined by more than 80%. The drop in violence includes domestic violence and other violence against women. Anti-social behaviour has similarly declined. The Conversation

More good news you didn't hear about

Ghana’s fight against malaria has seen a major breakthrough, with a 90% reduction in malaria mortality since 2012. Mass shootings in the United States are down 29% from last year. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia just pledged $500 million to end polio for good. World Central Kitchen has resumed its operations in Gaza. Real solutions to homelessness in the United States exist; Houston and New Orleans show the way. Student debts will be lowered for more than three million Australians. Schools in Rio de Janeiro have banned ultra-processed food and put Brazilian fruits and vegetables firmly back on the menu. One of America's largest Protestant churches just lifted its ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings. 'We can expect to be more cognitively able than our grandparents were when we reach their age.' The real immigration crisis? Not enough immigrants.

If it bleeds, it leads

Spotted in The Guardian Australia earlier this week, above the fold on their site (i.e. before you have to scroll). By our count, this is at least the fifth crocodile story they've published this year. Not sure whether this is evidence of a national cultural obsession, or if it's just that testing shows crocodiles guarantee more clicks. Welcome to 'the news.'

Good news for the planet

Conservation measures are slowing global biodiversity loss
A major international study has shown that conservation efforts to reduce biodiversity loss are working, with two out of every three measures making a positive impact. Researchers spent 10 years reviewing 665 trials of conservation initiatives in different countries and oceans and across species types, with some dating back as far as 1890. Oxford

This study provides the strongest evidence to date that not only does conservation improve the state of biodiversity and slow its decline, but when it works, it really works.
Dr Penny Langhammer, Global Wildlife Conservation

Overfishing of commercial fish stocks has declined in the USA
The number of fish on the US overfishing list reached an all-time low last year, with 94% of fish stocks no longer subject to overfishing. Several important species were removed from the list, including cubera snapper, Atlantic Coast bluefish, and Atlantic mackerel, showing that regulation, when enforced, really works. AP 

‘Remarkable recovery’ for Atlantic hake
The hake population in the waters of northwestern Europe has surged over the past two decades, thanks to strict catch limits, selective fishing gear, and large protected areas. The success of the rebound is attributed to a gradual increase in catch quotas, allowing the hake to be fished sustainably while protecting the livelihoods of coastal communities. Euronews 

Alaskan reserve protected from new oil and gas leases
Thirteen million acres of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska will be protected from new oil and gas leasing in order to help protect wildlife like caribou and polar bears. The area has been at the centre of a longstanding debate between environmentalists and developers since the 1970s; it was set aside as an emergency oil source for the U.S. Navy almost a century ago. Fast Company 

Four national wildlife refuges in the US will be expanded
The expansion of two existing wildlife refuges in Texas—plus one in New Mexico and another in North Carolina—will allow for the voluntary conservation of up to 1.13 million acres of wildlife habitat. The initiative will protect critical habitats for at-risk species like the Atlantic sturgeon, endangered whooping crane, and lesser sandhill crane. DOI

Biden Administration announces expansion of San Gabriel Monument
The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument outside Los Angeles has been expanded by 13,696 acres, to total roughly 346,000 acres. The expansion will make the area more accessible to nearly 90% more people, especially thousands of low-income families, who will benefit from easy access to green space.

Good news for three whale populations
Scientists have confirmed the comeback of fin whales, with over 50,000 recorded in the Scotia Sea alone, more than triple the number previously estimated for the entire Southern Ocean. In the Seychelles, blue whales have been spotted for the first time in decades, and after 20 years of listening to the songs of Antarctic blue whales, researchers believe their numbers may be increasing.

Tromelin Island’s impressive comeback
Twenty years after the last member of the invasive rat population was eradicated, Tromelin Island, a small teardrop of scrubby sand near Madagascar, is a thriving seabird paradise once again. The island is home to thousands of breeding pairs from seven different bird species, including white terns and brown noddies, which hadn't been documented breeding on the island since 1856. Hakai Magazine 

Peru safeguards a marine paradise
The Mar Tropical de Grau National Reserve will protect 1,157 km² between two large marine ecosystems, the cold waters of the Humboldt Current and the warm waters of the Southern Equatorial Current. The area is home to the rare Humboldt penguin, the Pacific seahorse, the endangered hammerhead shark, and humpback whales, which travel to the area to give birth. Nature and Culture

More music for those who will listen

The man who took on the coal industry to save a forest—and won! Los Angeles has captured 96.3 billion gallons of stormwater, enough to supply about 2.4 million people. In Guatemala, The Ocean Cleanup's Interceptor has prevented 1.4 million kg of trash from flowing into the Caribbean Sea during the first heavy rains of 2024. Broken glass is helping coastal restoration efforts in New Orleans. The UK has banned wet wipes containing plastic. Australia’s live sheep export trade will end in 2028. California has announced its first new state park in a decade. The EPA has banned another forever chemical, methylene chloride, used for stripping paint, cleaning metal, and decaffeinating coffee. One in three Americans has reduced their use of plastic products. Conservation efforts are working in Bangladesh, with a 53% increase in olive ridley sea turtle eggs. Grizzly bears will return to the North Cascades in Washington. The beavers that were reintroduced to West London last year are thriving. The total area of the world’s coral reefs is almost 25% larger than we thought. How scientists are becoming coral midwives. Meet the 2024 Goldman Environmental prize winners. 

Saving the world is cheaper than ruining it

Wind and solar are the fastest-growing electricity sources in history
A report from Ember says wind and solar are now expanding fast enough to exceed rising demand, meaning emissions from fossil fuel electricity generation have likely peaked. A lot of people in climate advocacy say that progress is not happening fast enough, and they're right. Sometimes, though, we should just gaze in awe—no energy transition has ever moved this fast, on so many fronts.

Coal's share of power in India falls below 50% for first time
The country added a record 9.7 GW of renewables in the first quarter of 2024, accounting for 71.5% of overall power sector additions. This surge in renewable capacity signifies a pivotal shift in India's energy landscape, as the share of coal in total power capacity fell below 50% for the first time since the 1960s. ET

Fossil fuels fall to historic low in the EU
Coal and gas provided less than a quarter of the bloc's energy in April, down to a record low of 23%. Fossil fuels generation in April 2024 was down a staggering 24% compared to April 2023, led by Germany, which closed seven coal plants at the end of March. 'The once unthinkable is happening before our eyes.' Ember

Batteries getting cheaper and growing faster than anyone predicted
The world's first large-scale grid battery installation went online seven years ago. Next year, global grid-connected battery storage capacity will exceed that of pumped hydro. Meanwhile, battery prices in China have fallen by half this year. A massive virtuous cycle is ramping up: the huge decline in prices makes investments in solar and wind much more attractive, and vice-versa.

EU countries approve law to slash trucks' CO2 emissions
Lawmakers approved the law this week, requiring a 90% cut in emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. That means manufacturers will have to sell a large share of zero-emission trucks—including EVs—to offset any remaining sales of new carbon-emitting vehicles in 2040. Reuters

China EV sales exceed 40% for the first time
The share of new energy vehicle (i.e. not combustion engine) sales reached 43.5% in April, putting the world's largest car market ahead of its green goals. At some point this year, EV sales are going to exceed 50% in a single month, and analysts are forecasting that global petrol demand growth could halve in 2024. Reuters

World's largest EV maker increases sales by 49%
BYD increased its global electric car sales in April to 312,048 units. That's 49% more than the same month a year ago. All-electric car sales totalled 134,465, up 29% year-over-year. So far this year, BYD has sold over 936,000 passenger plug-in electric cars, 24% more than a year ago. Inside EVs

Landmark transmission reform to accelerate US energy transition
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission just issued a sweeping reform to transmission grid planning, a major, much-needed win for the effort to transition the country’s power sector away from fossil fuels. The new rules will allow the US to connect gigawatts of new clean energy projects to the grid, reduce power costs, and improve grid reliability across the country. NYT

New rules to stop pollution from coal-fired emissions in US
The EPA has unveiled new rules to reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, requiring them to implement carbon capture and storage technology and reduce their carbon emissions by 90% by 2032 or shut down. In effect, this means the power sector’s biggest carbon emitters have less than a decade left to run. Grist

Texas got less than half its energy from fossil fuels last month
Texas is the heart of oil and gas in the USA. Of all the states, it generates and consumes the most electricity by far. So, Texas matters. And it matters that Texas got more than 50% of its energy from zero-carbon sources in April, with wind and solar providing over 45% and nuclear adding another 8%. Joe Deely

Also... Texas is now the hottest market for grid batteries in the country.

What's the opposite of doom-scrolling?

The G7 agrees to end the use of unabated coal power plants by 2035. How wind farms are becoming safer for birds. It looks like load-shedding is coming to an end in South Africa, thanks to private sector renewables. The rollout of the new malaria vaccine in Africa is being made possible thanks to solar-powered fridges. A new mega-project for wind power in the Egyptian desert has been confirmed. Microsoft just made the largest-ever corporate agreement to purchase renewables. Wind and solar are now vital to America's two most populous states, home to 70 million people. The US has come up with a plan to upgrade 160,000 kilometres of transmission lines in five years. For every five gas stations in California, there’s now one electric vehicle fast charging station. The first grid-connected battery using new, lower-cost sodium ion batteries is now online in China. Around 500 landfills in America are capturing gas and turning it into electricity. The future of solar is at least as potent as what has already been accomplished.

Indistinguishable from magic

Scientists map the human brain in spectacular detail
The 3D map measures about one cubic millimetre—one-millionth of a whole brain—and contains roughly 57,000 neurons and 150 million synapses, resulting in a colossal 1.4 petabytes of data. The map reveals new patterns of connections, new types and now arrangements of neurons. 'For all its mysterious powers, the brain boggles at the miracle of itself.' WaPo

New AI tool predicts the assembly of life's building blocks
Deepmind just unveiled AlphaFold3. While the previous version could predict protein structures—a remarkable achievement in itself—this version can now also predict the structures of proteins, DNA, RNA, ligands, and other biomolecules, either alone or bound together in different embraces. 'Now you’re getting at all the complex interactions that matter in biology.' Quanta

AI isn't just for chatbots and biotech
Engineers in Ukraine are combining AI with drones to carry out de-mining, researchers at CETI say they've found the four basic phonetic components they think make up the language of sperm whales, and newly-deciphered text from the Herculaneum scrolls may have revealed the location where Plato was buried, along with how he felt about music played at his deathbed.

UK engineers invent nearly indestructible robot hand
The new robotic hand can go from fully open to closed within 500 milliseconds and perform a fingertip pinch with up to 10 newtons of force. It can also withstand repeated punishment, such as pistons punching the fingers from multiple angles or a person smashing the device with a hammer, and is designed to survive the trial-and-error interactions required to train robots.

World's largest thermoplastic 3D printer unveiled in Maine
The machine is capable of printing objects as large as 29 m long, 10 m wide, and 5 m high, and it can print 226 kg of material per hour, which is enough to produce a 55 m² house in less than four days. It’s also able to do subtractive manufacturing, like milling, as well as utilize a robotic arm for more complicated tasks. 'Calling it a printer is really a misnomer. It’s a hybrid digital manufacturing cell.' Fast Co

Orangutan applies medicinal plant to heal injury
After a wild orangutan in Indonesia named Rakus suffered a painful wound to his cheek, he stunned researchers by chewing plant leaves known to have pain-relieving and healing properties, rubbing the juice on the open wound, and then using the leaves as a poultice to cover his injury. 'This represents the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant.' NPR

A drug has revolutionised bone marrow transplants
Finding a matched donor has always been the major challenge. A drug called cyclophosphamide has solved that problem. Patients now have the option of receiving transplants from family members who are only half-matched, or even from unrelated donors who match on just eight out of ten markers. This breakthrough has made finding a donor much easier and more successful. Atlantic

First patient begins commercial gene therapy for sickle cell
Earlier this month, a 12-year-old boy from a suburb of Washington, D.C., became the first person in the world with sickle cell disease to begin a commercially-approved gene therapy that may cure the condition. An estimated 20,000 people with sickle cell in the United States qualify for the same treatment. 'We always prayed this day would come.' NYT

It's still an information superhighway

It's time to rewild the internet. 'Our online spaces are not ecosystems, though tech firms love that word. They’re plantations; highly concentrated and controlled environments, closer kin to the industrial farming of the cattle feedlot or battery chicken farms that madden the creatures trapped within.' Amen. Neoma

Take that, Andy Weir: how NASA scientists fixed the Voyager 1 computer after it stopped working in interstellar space. This is so satisfying. WaPo 🎁

What it's like to search for, and discover, habitable planets. Nautilus

A bit of journalism inside-baseball from Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis, who explains her rules of writing. Unlike most writing advice, most of this is actually useful. The Bluestocking

The next time someone mentions terraforming Mars, send them this. A clear-eyed and accessible look at both the problems and possible solutions. The biggest bottleneck? Water. Asimov Press

Apparently Nick Bostrom has changed his mind: what if AI fixes everything? Wired

Ed Yong is one of the great science writers of our time, and he's written the most convincing case for taking up birdwatching that we've ever read. 'So much more of the natural world feels close and accessible now.' NYT 🎁

That's all for this edition—it's great to be back. We'll see you next week :)

With love,

Gus and Amy