278: The Second Copernican Revolution

In February 2023 we got an email from one of our readers, Steph C., who said she had noticed some errors in the last few editions, and would we be open to help with proof-reading? Of course we said yes, and were quickly blown away by her ability to pick up even the tiniest of mistakes. When we asked if we could pay her, she refused and insisted that we give the fee to our charity partners instead.

She's been working with us ever since, casting her eagle eye over every edition from 200 to 274. It's made a massive difference, not only to the finished product, but also to our research and writing process - giving us absolute faith that any issues would always be picked up in the final edit. Any improvement you might have noticed in the quality of the newsletter in the last year or two has been almost entirely due to Steph.

Sadly for us, but happily for her, she's stepping away to focus full time on her new venture - Cashmere Cat Spa, the only specialised cat groomer in Silicon Valley and the East Bay in California. They give special attention to elderly cats who can't groom themselves as well as longhaired and aggressive cats who often get turned down by other groomers. She's also started a program for senior living communities, to help elderly people care for their feline friends.

If you live in the area and are looking for a groomer, please contact her!

We're so grateful to Steph for her help, especially as it was all voluntary. It's a reminder of how amazing our community of readers is. Oh, and we apologise for the inevitable uptick in mistakes. We're riding bareback again. 😬

This week's top stories

Eight countries to relegate corporal punishment to the past 
Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Burundi, Sri Lanka and the Czech Republic are set to ban corporal punishment against under-18s, while the Gambia and Nigeria have promised to end it in schools. Together, these countries are home to approximately 150 million children, with the WHO calling the move a "fundamental shift." The Guardian

Deforestation in the Amazon is still plunging
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has plummeted to its lowest level in nine years. For the year ending July 31, the rainforest lost 6,288 km², the lowest annual loss since 2015. The rate of loss appears to be stable, despite a sharp increase in wildfires across the region. Mongabay

The global energy transition will cost a lot less than we think
With estimates ranging from $3 trillion to $12 trillion, the cost to green the world's economy can seem inconceivable but The Economist argues the cost will actually be closer to $1 trillion annually - or 1% of global GDP. Most analysts overestimate energy demand and underestimate technological advances. Could someone tell negotiators in Baku?

Colombia outlaws child marriage after 17-year campaign
Colombia's civil code allows children as young as 14 years old to get married with parental consent. After 17 years of campaigning by advocacy groups and eight failed attempts to pass legislation, Congress has now voted in favour of a bill that will make the minimum age for marriage 18 years, and will protect rights and development opportunities for minors. CNN

A partial salve for US election pain
Of the ten states with abortion questions on the ballot, Missouri and Arizona voted in favour of expanding access to abortion, while Colorado, Montana, Nevada and New York took a step closer to constitutionally protecting a woman's right to choose. “I’ve never ever seen people work in a campaign this hard. Door to door. Phone calling. Give sacrificially… This is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.” NPR

AI chatbots defeat doctors at diagnosing illness
Doctors in Boston were given six case histories and graded on their ability to make a correct diagnosis and explain it. Assigned to do the same task, ChatGPT-4 scored an average of 90%, doctors using AI scored 76%, and those who didn't scored 74%. “Only a fraction of doctors actually saw the surprisingly smart and comprehensive answers the chatbot was capable of producing.” NYT

The technology driving ChatGPT is capable of so much more. What’s coming next will make talking bots look like mere distractions. WSJ

Conservationists bring three species back from the brink
Wildlife officials in India’s Rajasthan state have hatched a critically endangered great Indian bustard through artificial insemination for the first time, a cloned black-footed ferret has given birth to healthy kits at the Smithsonian National Zoo, and after being declared extinct in 2000, the scimitar oryx has been downlisted to Endangered following a successful captive-breeding and reintroduction program.

Desertified land shrinks in China
The area of desertified land in China has decreased by 43,000 km² since 2012. By  implementing desertification control projects and promoting scientific and technological innovation to address the problem, the country has rehabilitated 53% of its treatable desertified land. Xinhua

Demand for James Webb Telescope nine times greater than supply
Nearly three years since launch, demand for the JWST is stronger than ever, receiving 2,377 unique proposals for its fourth cycle of observations. More than 600 scientists will review the proposals and select the most promising ones, including distant galaxies, new exoplanets, and worlds inside our own Solar System. Ars Technica

New lupus treatment could end need for lifelong medication
Doctors are hailing a groundbreaking new treatment for lupus that genetically modifies a patient’s cells to fight the autoimmune disease and could end the need for lifelong medication. About 5 million people worldwide are thought to have the condition, which mostly affects women. "“If this works, it’s life-changing. Until now, there’s never been anything for lupus that is a possible cure." Atlantic

Laura Hazard Owen, the editor of Nieman Lab, says she's changing the way she reads the news: It didn’t take the 2024 presidential election to make me realize this is a bad way to live. I already knew I should stop. Last week, though, I realized I had to stop, before I got sucked down, before more years passed, before I spent my entire adult life this way. Because yes, right now I can say I’m doing this in large part for my kids. But more broadly, my news reading habits are affecting my human relationships.

US climate and conservation state initiatives win big
12 climate and conservation-related ballot initiatives were approved in the recent election, covering environmental education, wildfire prevention, water conservation, park maintenance, offshore energy generation and more. They include a $10 billion bond in California for climate resilience, $6 billion in New York for clean water, and $2 billion for conservation in Minnesota. Nature Conservancy

Trump can't stop the clean energy revolution
Despite concerns about Trump's impact on the clean energy transition, economic and state-level policies make it unlikely that his return will reverse America's progress. Market forces - especially in Republican states - are driving the shift. “Texas has the most solar and wind of any state, not because Republicans in Texas love renewables, but because it’s the cheapest form of electricity there.” Grist

Chinese EV juggernaut BYD makes ten millionth new energy vehicle
Another week, another record for BYD. The Chinese juggernaut announced this week that it became the world’s first automaker to achieve the rollout of the 10 millionth new energy vehicle. This marks the first automaker globally to accomplish this and demonstrates just how swiftly the world is moving towards electric and hybrid vehicles. Electrek

Nairobi's pioneering school lunch program for 300,000 kids
Governor Sakaja Arthur Johnson has championed the city's flagship school lunch program, which uses centralized kitchens to serve food to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren at the cost of roughly five US cents per meal. Since the program launched in 2023, test scores, attendance and enrollment have increased significantly. Bloomberg

We've been able to build 17 central kitchens that have created 2,000 jobs. 300,000 children now are having a meal every day. Enrolment has gone up by 34% in our schools just by providing those meals. For many of them it’s the only meal they get. They look happier. More importantly they feel loved. They feel that there is a government that actually can care.

Human progress

Pneumococcal vaccines have saved millions of children’s lives
In 2009, Gavi launched the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine rollout and established a $1.5 billion fund to secure vaccine purchases from manufacturers. Since then, 438 million children have been vaccinated in 64 countries, averting an estimated total of 1.2 million deaths by the end of 2023 and halving the under-five mortality rate in low and middle income countries. Gavi

Historic vaccine roll-outs in central and northeast Africa 
Chad has become the first Gavi-supported country to launch an ambitious triple vaccine roll-out to tackle pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoeal disease, and Sudan has become the first country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to introduce the malaria vaccine, a remarkable achievement given ongoing conflict. Gavi

Second polio campaign completed in Gaza
The second polio campaign in Gaza has delivered second doses of the vaccine to 556,774 children under the age of ten, covering 94% of the target population. Earlier rounds reached 103% coverage in central Gaza, 91% in the south, and 88% in the north. The success is due to the  “tremendous dedication, engagement and courage of parents, children, communities and health workers”. WHO

UNRWA workers must be held accountable for terrorist activities against Israel.
~ Benjamin Netanyahu

Brazil re-verified as free of measles, rubella and CRS
A measles outbreak in Brazil in 2018 led to the resumption of endemic transmission of the virus. In response, the government strengthened its routine vaccination program, epidemiological surveillance, and rapid response training. Now, once again, the Americas is officially a region free of endemic measles. PAHO

USDA to eliminate school meal 'junk fees' in America
Starting in 2027, schools will be barred from charging low-income families processing costs for meal purchases under the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs. By law, students eligible for reduced-price meals cannot be charged more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch but processing fees mean this cap is often exceeded. K-12 Dive

Poverty rate in Latin America & Caribbean reaches lowest ever level
The Economic Commission for has reported that poverty levels in Latin America have decreased by 1.5 percentage points between 2022 and 2023, and by over five percentage points since 2020. The extreme poverty rate also fell to 10.6%, 0.5 percentage points lower than 2022. CEPAL

United Kingdom to ban smoking outside schools and hospitals
The proposed legislation will also ban the advertising and marketing of vapes, and sponsorship by vaping companies. The UK is aiming to become the world’s first 'smoke-free' country by annually raising the legal purchasing age until sales are banned entirely.  The Guardian

Reducing traffic and saving lives in Europe
Paris has implemented a ban on motorists driving through central areas of the city, the culmination of a four year drive to make the city more liveable, and Warsaw is celebrating its lowest number of road deaths on record, after cutting fatalities by 55% in the last decade through higher fines, improved lighting, and more speed bumps.

Environmental progress

Denmark unveils ambitious nature restoration plan
The plan will place a marginal tax on livestock emissions, pay farmers $100 per ton to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen fertilization of farm fields, and turn 10% of Denmark’s land into valuable habitat in ways that either reduce carbon emissions or store it. It's the world’s most comprehensive national effort yet to address the environmental challenges of agriculture. WRI

Good news for bivalves!
After decades of habitat restoration, the populations of Chipola slabshell and fat threeridge mussels have bounced back enough that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove them from Endangered Species Act protection. And after a complete collapse a century ago, 30,000 European flat oysters introduced to the Firth of Forth estuary in Scotland are thriving.

Historic conservation agreement in Canada
22 Indigenous governments in Canada’s Northwest Territories have signed on to receive funding worth $375 million over the next 10 years. One of the largest Indigenous-led conservation efforts in the world, the agreement will fund the protection of conservation areas, eco-tourism, and cultural programs. CBC

Romania to ban fur farming
With an overwhelming vote by the Parliament, Romania has banned chinchilla and mink fur farming. Besides raising animals under cruel conditions, fur farming increases the risk of zoonotic disease spreading to humans. Once approved by the president, the ban will make Romania the 22nd European country to ban fur farming. The Humane Society of the United States

Australian landholders restore habitats across Victoria
Through extensive replanting, farmlands in the Victorian Alps are being converted back into forests. Native wildlife is returning, including the gang-gang cockatoo, whose population has declined by almost 70% in the last two decades. “We thought we would fulfil Dad’s dream and legacy, transform his property and leave something for the future.” The Guardian

Historic North American agreement to protect American bison
The United States has signed a new agreement with Canada and Mexico to strengthen conservation of American bison and support traditional use of natural resources while focusing on the unique historical connection between bison and Indigenous peoples. The countries currently steward 31,000 bison, up from a low of 1,000 animals. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

River renaissance in Portland and Chicago
Once contaminated by sewage and feared by residents, the Willamette River in Portland became swimmable again in 2012 and hosted an inner tube parade for thousands after a $1.4 billion project kept sewage out. Chicago is aiming to do the same in ten years, as are cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, and New York. CBS News

Infrastructure investments pay off for wildlife and humans
More wildlife crossings are coming in the US - and new research shows they are incredibly effective. Each year about 2,000 human lives are lost and 26,000 injuries are caused by collisions with wildlife, but the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is now providing funding for states to build bridges, culverts, and passes to allow safe passage for moose, elk, bears and… people. X

The clean energy transition

How many people could tell you that, over the course of America’s campaign cycle, we passed the line where humans are installing a gigawatt’s worth—a nuclear power plant’s worth—of solar panels each day? Not many, I think, because when I supply that news to crowds of (environmentally interested) people they audibly gasp in pleasure. As far as I can tell, I may still be the only reporter to have pointed out that, thanks to Mark Jacobson, a professor at Stanford, California has used a quarter less natural gas to generate electricity this year than last because its solar panels and batteries have finally achieved critical mass. A quarter less natural gas in a year in the world’s fifth-largest economy is the biggest single bite yet taken out of the eventual temperature of the earth, and yet it is passing mostly unnoticed. 
~ Bill McKibben

Indonesia announces 75GW of renewables in next 15 years
At COP29, Indonesia announced a major 100 GW energy generation project with 75% of it set to come from renewable sources. This marks a significant leap from the current coal-heavy energy mix, where less than 15% is renewable. With a population of 300 million, the country aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2060. Reuters

99% of US coal plants don't make economic sense
A report from the Coal Cost Cross Over says that 99% of US coal plants are now more expensive to run than replacing them with local wind, solar, and energy storage options. Operating costs have surged by over a third since 2019, when 62% of coal plants were already more costly than renewables. Energy Innovation

Australia's battery capabilities are surging
Australia's battery storage capacity has expanded dramatically, now one hundred times larger than the country's first big battery at Hornsdale in South Australia. The volume of large-scale battery energy storage projects under construction in Australia passed that of solar and wind projects combined in 2023 and the trend has intensified this year. Renew Economy

AI's energy demand not as big a deal as everyone thinks
OK we've held off on commenting on the whole AI and data centre thing because of a lack of good research. Fortunately Hannah Ritchie has dug into the numbers for us all - and shows they are likely to account for only around 2% of global electricity. Efficiency gains may reduce that number even further in the future. Sustainability by the Numbers

Offshore floating solar takes off around the world
'Floatovoltaics' is emerging as a key innovation in solar power across the world. Switzerland is installing panels on high altitude reservoirs, Indonesia is planning the world's largest inland floating solar farm, Taiwan is about to become home to the world's largest offshore floating solar farm, and China has plans to one up them with the world's first gigawatt scale offshore facility.

A step forward for Great Britain's green energy sharing goals
Great Britain's energy regulator, Ofgem, has approved five subsea cable projects linking the country to power grids in Germany, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, and offshore windfarms in Dutch and Belgian waters. “These new connections will help harness the vast potential of the North Sea and play a key role in making our energy supply cheaper." The Guardian

China makes strides on green steel
China produces over half of the world’s steel and has one of the highest carbon intensities in steelmaking. However, it's starting to make inroads. Around 140 steel enterprises, representing around a third of the country's capacity, have now completed or partially completed ultra-low emission transformations. China Daily

More cars, more charging stations for world's largest car market
To keep up with increasing demand, China has installed 2.84 million new charging points in the first nine months of 2024 - up from 50% compared with last year's numbers. The scale-up of charging infrastructure comes as a record amount of NEVs hit the roads - 28 million NEVs are estimated to be on roads in China, meaning there is almost one charging point for every 2.5 NEVs. Just Auto

Scientific discovery

Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument confirms general relativity
An international collaboration of over 900 researchers from 70 institutions has mapped the clustering of nearly six million galaxies, and found it's consistent with Einstein’s theory of general relativity, validating our leading model of the universe. The study also provided new upper limits on the mass of neutrinos, the only fundamental particles whose masses haven't been precisely measured. Berkeley

AI is changing science
Scientists are now using AI to control the shape of plasma in a fusion reactor, discover faster matrix multiplication algorithms, make mathematical discoveries, discover new materials, explore quantum dynamics, understand behaviours in the brain, draft the first reference pangenome, advance the synaptic-level mapping of the human brain, and make better weather predictions.

Scientists recreate mouse from gene older than animal life
Scientists from London and Hong Kong have achieved an unprecedented feat: using a gene found in choanoflagellates, a single-celled organism predating animals, to create stem cells which they then used to give rise to a living, breathing mouse. This unexpected discovery challenges a longstanding belief that the cellular potential to develop into any cell type evolved exclusively within animals. QMUL

Researchers create most comprehensive map of the cerebral cortex
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, MIT scientists have identified 24 networks in the brain’s cerebral cortex, including one for for visual scenes that's new to science. Most past studies involve brain activity at rest or in a single activity - this one monitored people watching an hour of movie clips showing a variety of scenes. MIT

Magnetic muscles - soft as skin, strong as steel
South Korean researchers have developed an artificial muscle made of ferromagnetic particles and shape memory polymers that can transition from soft to rigid, and vice versa. The muscles are incredibly adaptable, capable of changing their stiffness by 2,700 times, their softness eightfold, handling tensile forces 1,000 times their weight and compressive forces 3,690 times their weight. Tech Xplore

Laundry-sorting robot steals the show at conference in Lisbon
A humanoid built by the US firm Agility Robotics demonstrated how far AI has come by responding to voice commands to sift through a pile of coloured T-shirts and place them in a basket. Still a long way to go - battery time is a problem - but it means there's hope! The Guardian

The best bits of the internet (Gus)

A mind-expanding piece by theoretical astrophysicist Adam Frank, about how astrobiology is forcing us to completely rethink humanity's relationship with Earth and other planets. Just as Copernicus revolutionised our understanding of the solar system, new discoveries about planetary 'intelligence' - how life and planets co-evolve to maintain conditions for survival - are revolutionising our understanding of life itself. Using insights from the search for alien life and new theories about how biospheres work, he argues we're on the cusp of a profound shift: from seeing Earth as a dead rock we happen to live on, to understanding it as a complex living system that we're part of. Neoma

China’s K-pop moment - Black Myth Wukong is the country's first big global cultural moment since the Three Body Problem, introducing tens of millions of people around the world to one of the country's most iconic myths, from the classic tale, Journey to the West. Rest of World

Alexis Madrigal, one of my favourite journalists, has (a little bewilderingly) gone down a gardening rabbit hole in the last few years. Now he finally explains why, with a helping hand from Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower.

What is the point of talking about botanical beauty or mystery in times like these? How can anyone let their eyes linger on the way the light is hitting a bowl of persimmons? Who could be thinking about flowers at a moment like this?

Nice profile here of legendary children's author and illustrator, Richard Scarry, on the 50th anniversary of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Yale Review

A recent analysis in Nature caused a stir by pointing out that the vast majority of Nobel Prize winners belong to the same academic family. Of 736 researchers who have won, 702 group together into one huge connected academic lineage, broadly defined as when one scientist 'mentors' another, usually in the form of being their PhD advisor. The progenitor of this tree that became science? According to Richard Tol, the author of the 2024 analysis that the Nature article is based on, it all starts with Erasmus (1466-1536) the 'ultimate ancestor.'

Here's the great interconnected ball of scientific social relationships, responsible for large swaths of tip-of-the-spear progress over the past century. As Eric Hoel points out, it's kinda crazy to think that most humanity's scientific and technological milieu is decades downstream of this ball. Path dependency anyone?

That's it for this edition, thanks for reading!

With love,

Gus and Amy