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Good News
There was a 50% decline in global cases of Guinea Worm in 2020, and a 20% decrease in animal infections. It's thanks to local communities who have monitored infections and protected water sources from contamination. 199 countries have now been certified as completely free of the disease. Carter Centre
Liberia has become the first African country to introduce the typhoid conjugate vaccine. More than 1.9 million children will receive the vaccine over the next few weeks, and once the campaign is done, the country will begin regular immunizations for all children at the age of 9 months. Coalition Against Typhoid
Kazakhstan is officially nuclear free, after scientists ground down the last 2.9 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, rendering it useless for bomb-making. The historic moment comes after 30 years of denuclearization, and remains one of the least celebrated, yet most successful examples of post-Cold War diplomacy. Atlantic
Suicides in the United States decreased by 5.6% in 2020, easing fears that lockdowns would drive the rate up. It's the third consecutive year that suicide rates have declined, amidst growing awareness of mental health problems, and an expanding range of support and crisis intervention services. Axios
The US EPA is taking a tough new stance on approving new chemicals, bringing requirements into line with the Toxic Substances Control Act. Environmental groups have welcomed the changes. “By taking this step, EPA will reverse the illegal and unprotective approach the prior administration applied to hundreds of new chemicals over the last several years.”
The Mi’kmaq First Nations people of Nova Scotia have reclaimed their native fishing rights after becoming majority owners in one of the largest seafood businesses in North America. The landmark deal is part of a growing movement of indigenous people regaining control of their traditional food ways to restore the crucial marine and land habitats that have nourished their tribes for centuries.
Nuxalk guardian watchmen Charles Saunders and John Sampson prepare a crab trap for surveys near Bella Coola, British Columbia. Indigenous-led science led to recommendations to close the crab fisheries in 17 locations on the central coast.
A federal court in Alaska has rejected approval for offshore oil and gas activities due to potential noise pollution that would cause harm to the critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales. The court ruled that National Marine Fisheries Service failed to consider the direct impact when it approved activity in the area. WAN
The bald eagle has quadrupled its population in the past decade with more than 300,000 birds soaring across American skies. The recovery is a testament to the relentless work of scientists and conservationists who fought to ban pesticides and put the eagle on the endangered species list in 40 states. AP
Animal rights activists are celebrating four separate wins in 48 hours with US federal rulings against trophy hunting, state-funded wildlife killing experiments, cage confinement, and a historic ban on fur. The victories come after decades of advocacy and reflect a turning tide against animal cruelty. Humane Society
In response to a decade of work by conservationists, the US Fish & Wildlife Service has set aside 593 km of rivers in Virgina & West Virgina as protected habitat for the candy darter (a small, brightly colored fish) and 510 km in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland for the yellow lance freshwater mussel.
In a massive turnaround, Saudi Arabia, one of the world's leading oil producers, has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 60%, increase the percentage of protected land to more than 30%, and plant 50 billion trees as part of the world’s biggest afforestation project. Arab News
Economic growth and fossil fuels go hand in hand right? Maybe not. Since 2005, 32 countries with populations of over one million people have decoupled emissions from GDP, both for terrestrial emissions (within national borders) and consumption emissions (goods consumed in a country). Breakthrough
Indistinguishable from magic
Hot on the heels of its extraordinary success in COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA technology's next target is the fight against AIDS. A new mRNA vaccine has successfully passed Phase 1 trials, producing broadly neutralizing antibodies (the 'holy grail' for HIV treatment) in 97% of participants. EPR
Seismologists at Caltech have invented a way to detect earthquakes by analyzing polarized light in underwater cables. This could effectively transform tens of thousands of kilometres of submarine cables into a global network of geophysical sensors, capable of detecting earthquakes and tsunamis anywhere in real time.
We've been waiting for something like this for a while: a proper test of whether machine-generated music can make you feel. The Lost Tapes of the 27 Club features songs written and performed by AI in the styles of musicians who died at 27: Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison. Choose your favourite. What do you think?
Scientists have analyzed the blood plasma of over 4,000 people, and discovered that in terms of biological aging, the body shifts gears three times during our lifespans – with 34 years, 60 years, and 78 years as the key thresholds. In other words, ageing isn't one long continuous process, but instead a series of jumps. Sounds about right. Science Alert
GPT-3 is the gift that keeps on giving. A researcher from Colorado decided to see if she could teach a squad of 'courtship bots' (yep, we know) to flirt, getting them to come up with original pickup lines for the express purpose of scoring a date. We couldn't resist: here are a few of our favourites. Vice
Information superhighway
Why Is This Interesting is the most consistently interesting and eclectic newsletter hitting our inboxes right now. We never know what's coming next. The last edition was on the skater's gaze (the way a skater moves through the city seeing possibilities), before that we learned about dekopons (seedless, easy-to-peel mandarin oranges).
One of the most underappreciated shifts in popular culture in the past decade is the expanding diversity of role models. Case in point, cross-sport lesbian power couple Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, two of the greatest soccer and basketball players of all time, on the cover of this month's GQ.
The Ask Polly advice column from The Cut has some advice for writers, and damn if this doesn't cut close to the bone. To get stuff done, stop 'chasing clever' and start building a sustainable relationship to your creative endeavors, by taking a long hard look at your soul, and understanding what it is that you really love.
In Egypt, a team of maverick engineers is taking on an impossible project - the regreening of the Sinai Peninsula. Within decades, they believe they can transform it from a dry, barren desert into a green haven teeming with life: forests, wetlands, farms, wild flora and fauna. If you're in need of some inspiration, read this. Guardian
Journalist Michaeleen Doucleff spent a year learning about child-rearing strategies from around the world, and came to the bleedingly obvious conclusion that the modern Western approach creates anxious, tantrum-prone kids. The answer? Less praise, fewer child-centred activities, and more parenting by other people. Atlantic
Completely unnecessary yet immensely satisfying over-analysis of the difference between the novel and film of Jurassic Park. "The false restoration of order, and the way it makes you temporarily root for a human victory over nature while extending and deepening the ultimate defeat — well, that’s one reason among many why, for all of Crichton’s sins against the English language, if you’ve only seen the movie you haven’t really experienced Jurassic Park."
Humankind
Meet Sadiman, a 69 year old eco-warrior who single-handedly planted 250 hectares of trees around his drought-prone region of Central Java in Indonesia, restoring critical water sources that have led to a boom in local agriculture production.
Sadiman started his mission 24 years ago, after fires that were used to clear the land left the mountains barren, and local rivers and lakes close to dry. With a deep understanding of plants, Sadiman knew that the wide-spreading roots of banyan and ficus trees would help retain groundwater and prevent further land erosion.
People around his community were skeptical at first, and many of them called him a madman. Sadiman was undeterred and went about his mission alone. Wearing his trademark ranger hat and safari shirt, he worked tirelessly for two and a half decades to plant 11,000 trees. Despite having little money of his own, Sadiman never asked for handouts and purchased the tree seeds by trading his goats and bartering from his nursery of cloves and jackfruit.
Today Sadiman is celebrated as a local hero and affectionately addressed as ‘mbah’ or ‘grandpa’ by his community. Thanks to his relentless drive, springs have formed around the once arid land. Water is piped to homes and used to irrigate local farms, some of which have tripled their yearly harvest thanks to the abundant water sources that are now available.
Sadiman’s story is a wonderful reminder of the power of one person to change the lives of an entire community and his eco missionis already having ripple effects around the world. “I hope the people here can have prosperous lives and live happily. And don’t burn the forest over and over again.”
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
We're delighted to unveil the new Future Crunch showreel, put together over 12 months of pandemic craziness. When we weren't digging through the forgotten corners of the internet, or cleaning up flour explosions, we were in our makeshift studio, learning our way around virtual presentations and quoting Douglas Adams. After making all the technical mistakes it's possible to make, here's what we came up with. Youtube
This house is clear, we're all done, thanks for reading everyone!
We'll see you next week (no baby yet).
Much love,
FC HQ
