If it cannot be multiplied, it's not really good
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on the newsletter's cadence. By about two to one, you voted to keep it to two editions per week. The people have spoken! However, given that we're running a benevolent dictatorship here rather than a democracy, we're going to compromise by publishing our Information Superhighway section once a month. For those who aren't interested, that should make us easy enough to ignore. If you are into that stuff, you'll still get all our favourite bits and pieces from the internet—but in a slightly longer, less frequent format.
As a reminder, you're currently reading the 'People Edition' of Fix The News - all of the important human progress stories from around the world that we're able to find in a single week, as well as what we consider to be the most mind-blowing science and technology breakthroughs. Later in the week, you can expect the 'Planet Edition' featuring a whole lot of good news about conservation and clean energy.
A 'liberal, democratic, non-discriminatory, non-sectarian Bangladesh'
Following the 'people's victory' after student protests in July, the country's new caretaker leader, Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has called for a 'new Bangladesh', promising free, fair, and participatory elections and emphasising the role of citizens in deciding the government’s fate. It's still early days—but if even half those promises are met, it will be a huge victory for democracy. Time
US cancer death rates have fallen by a third since 1999
A new CDC report has found that cancer death rates dropped from 200.7 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 142 per 100,000 in 2022. This equates to roughly three million additional Americans alive today due to reduced cancer death rates over the past two decades. The decrease is credited to advances in treatment, technological innovations, and lower smoking rates. Baltimore Sun
Ethiopia and UNICEF partner to fight childhood stunting
The health ministry has successfully piloted an Enhanced Community-Based Nutrition (eCBN) programme, in which village health leaders monitor each household’s health and nutrition and provide health check-ups for young children, as well as counselling and nutritional food demonstrations for new parents. The programme is now being rolled out nationwide. UNICEF
Tanzania and Laos make major strides in malaria fight
In Tanzania, a collaborative effort between the Tanzanian government, the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), the Global Fund, and various malaria stakeholders has cut malaria prevalence from 14% in 2015 to 7% in 2022, with a goal of eradication by 2050. Meanwhile, Laos has reduced malaria cases by over 90% in the past decade and aims to eliminate the deadliest malaria parasite by 2026.
Syria is mass-vaccinating millions of children missed during COVID-19
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, has deployed over 7,500 workers to vaccinate more than 300,000 children and screen two million children under the age of five. Using both mobile and fixed vaccination centres, vaccinators focus on building trust within communities. This is the second phase in Syria, following a successful first phase in April. UNICEF
The fight to protect abortion rights in the United States ramps up
Ballot measures on abortion rights have succeeded beyond their proponents' greatest hopes, creating a mighty political movement. Pro-choice advocates in Nebraska have now collected enough signatures to put abortion-rights measures on the ballot, meaning that ten states will have an opportunity to enshrine the constitutional right to abortion this November. New York Times 🎁
Indonesia is planning the world's largest free school meals program President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will take office in October, has pledged to provide free school lunches and milk to 78.5 million students at 400,000 schools nationwide. A trial run that began in January, offering one free meal a day to 16 schools in West Java, has already been well-received, with parents welcoming the financial relief and teachers observing better student outcomes. Straits Times
Huge native title claim recognised in Australia
A federal judge has granted native title rights to the Ngemba, Ngiyampaa, Wangaaypuwan, and Wayilwan peoples over 95,000 square kilometres of land in New South Wales, one of the largest native title claims in Australian history. The title holders hope the recognition will help preserve their culture and traditions for future generations. ABC
Mexico’s murder rate continues to plummet
National statistics agency INEGI reported that homicide rates have dropped to their lowest level since 2016. Government statistics confirm this trend, with the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection recently announcing a 2% decline in intentional homicides compared to 2023, 9% compared to 2022, and a 17% decrease compared to 2020 and 2019.
More good news you didn't hear about
World Food Programme trucks have started delivering urgently-needed food to 500,000 people in Darfur, Sudan, following the reopening of the Adre border.
Nearly 90% of TB cases in Uganda are now screened, thanks in part to portable X-ray systems powered by AI and solar, able to screen 150 people a day.
Life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa has risen from 56 to 61 years since 2010, due to advancements in TB and HIV treatment.
The overall US death rate decreased by 6% in 2023, driven by a steep drop in COVID-19 deaths.
Oregon now has a free and voluntary programme that offers home visits from a registered nurse for any family with a new baby.
Ten charts that explain how schools in America have become less violent since the end of the pandemic.
Pakistan successfully conducts a large-scale emergency typhoid immunisation campaign in Karachi and Hyderabad.
A separate vaccination campaign to curb polio cases will launch in September on both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Kenyan hospitals are successfully promoting breastfeeding to reduce infant and child mortality.
Cape Town, South Africa, has set a national record for the largest single-year infrastructure spend, focusing on water and energy security, public transport expansion, and affordable housing.
A recent story about air pollution in The Guardian pretty much nails the entire vibe of Fix The News: yes, there are problems, but there are also reasons for hope.
Ron Davis Álvarez - The Dream Orchestra
This conversation took place over a month ago and we haven't been able to stop thinking about it. The Dream Orchestra is an organisation that uses music to help refugee children and teenagers forge connections in their host country, and we first heard about it through one of our readers. We spoke to their founder, Ron Davis Álvarez, about the power of music to bring people together, to open our hearts, and to believe in the possibility of a better future.
We know that sounds cheesy, but trust us, there are some people in this world that just make you believe—and by the end of these 30 minutes, you'll believe too. An instant classic, and one of our favourite ever episodes of Hope Is A Verb. Here's Ron, with one of his many, many pearls of wisdom.
José Antonio Abreu, who was our maestro and mentor always said that anything good has to have the possibility to be multiplied. If it cannot be multiplied, then it's not really good.
Indistinguishable from magic
A significant step towards a portable quantum satellite system
China has successfully tested a 23-kg quantum satellite—ten times less mass than the previous version—that performed space-to-ground real-time secure communication with portable ground stations that weigh about 100 kg each. The system was able to share up to 590,000 bits of secure keys in a single satellite pass, marking a major step towards a global quantum network. Quantum Insider
Atomically thin sapphire prepared at room temperature
Materials scientists in China have figured out a way to create an insulating material made from a layer of single-crystalline aluminium oxide (Al2O3), i.e. synthetic sapphire, that is just 1.25 nanometers thick. Conventional insulating materials lose their insulating properties in the nanometer range, so this is a breakthrough that could enable the development of the next generation of transistors for chips. All About Industries
Artificial intelligence goes way beyond ChatGPT
Scientists in Scotland are analysing over a million brain scans with AI to predict a person’s risk of dementia; in Germany, a project called the 'Fragmentarium' is using AI to decipher previously-unknown parts of the 4,000-year-old Epic of Gilgamesh; and Deepmind just used AI to propose a solution to one of the most difficult challenges in computational quantum chemistry.
A cheaper and more sustainable way to extract lithium
Stanford engineers have devised a new technique, called redox-couple electrodialysis, to extract lithium from brines at an estimated 40% of the cost of today’s dominant extraction method (evaporation), and at just a fourth of lithium’s current market price. The new technology would also be much more reliable and sustainable in its use of water, chemicals, and land.
AI made of jelly learns to play Pong
A basic artificial intelligence system made of synthetic hydrogels hooked up to electrodes can ‘learn’ how to play the classic video game Pong and improve over time. The results are a first step towards demonstrating that synthetic materials can use a basic form of ‘memory’ to boost performance. 'The system demonstrates memory in a similar way that a river bed records a memory of a river.' Nature
Robot kitchen can churn out 3,000 meals a day
A German startup has developed an autonomous kitchen that can produce thousands of dishes per day, with up to 80% less labour costs compared to traditional kitchens. The robotic system automates the entire food preparation process—from ingredient storage and cooking to garnishing, serving, and cleaning. Six are already in service, and twenty more are under construction. Delano
Newly-discovered protein stops DNA damage
Canadian researchers have discovered a protein in a bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans that has a never-before-seen ability to stop DNA damage. 'With a human cell, if there are any more than two breaks in the entire billion base pair genome, it can’t fix itself and it dies (...) this unique protein helps the cell to repair hundreds of broken DNA fragments into a coherent genome.' Light Source
Uterus transplants are becoming safer and more successful
In 2014, the first person in the world with a transplanted uterus gave birth. Since then, the field has made notable progress, with more than 70 such babies born globally. Doctors are now sharing what has worked, in the hope that more people can take advantage of it. 'That success rate is extraordinary, and I want that to get out there. We want this to be an option for all women out there that need it.' STAT
World-first lung cancer vaccine trials launched in seven countries
What if the biggest legacy of COVID-19 turned out to be vaccines for cancer? Doctors have begun trialling the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine, a new jab that instructs the body to hunt down and kill cancer cells—then prevents them from ever coming back. Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death, accounting for about 1.8 million deaths every year. Guardian
Ok, we're all done here; thanks for reading—we'll see you later this week.
With love,
Gus and Amy