We know the world is looking pretty crazy right now. Politically, environmentally, socially… it seems like no matter where you turn, there’s stories of doom and gloom just waiting to be told.
But as dire as things might seem, there actually ARE some good things happening… really good things. And we thought you might like to hear about them.
#1 – Scientists Have Invented A Better Way to Turn Seawater Into Drinking Water
A research team from the University of Manchester have successfully used a graphene-based sieve to filter salts out of water. That means that we are on the verge of being able to turn saltwater into drinking water on a much grander scale.
And given that just under 800 million people do not have access to clean water, that’s some very good news.
#2 – Memory Loss from Alzheimer’s May Be Reversible
And speaking of brilliant research, an MIT study suggests that memory loss resulting from Alzheimer’s may be reversible. According to the study, the loss occurs because the genes associated with memory fail become blocked by a build-up of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain’s cells.
This build-up is made possible by a family of enzymes called histone deacetylases (HDAC) and until now, scientists have been unable to target those enzymes to reduce build-up. But MIT researchers found that when they target a companion protein – Sp3 – the enzymes can’t “attach” and memory recalled returns. Testing has been limited to lab mice so far, but researchers hope this discovery will lead to a pharmaceutical solution for humans soon.
#3 – Have you met Steve?
This beautiful streak of light is a newly discovered proton aurora, seen in higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Discovered by citizen scientists, Steve has been tracked and photographed by the Facebook group, Alberta Aurora Chasers and researcher, Eric Donovan from the University of Calagary, both in Canada.
Steve has been verified by the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellites.
#4 – Our ozone is healing.
The large hole in our ozone layer appears to be healing itself. Researchers from MIT and the University of Leeds confirm that the hole has shrunk by more than 1.7 million square miles since 2000, and estimate it will be completely “healed” by 2050.
#5 – The Giant Panda is no longer endangered.
The Chinese Giant Panda in no longer classified as endangered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently made the announcement, citing the panda’s 17% population increase in the last decade. This increase allowed the panda’s status to be downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”
#6 – Medicine will soon be able to grow organs and regenerate human tissue.
The Wake Forest Institute has made some major breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and have hopes of repairing nerve damage and growing entire limbs using stem cells.
#7 – City-to-city rocket travel is coming.
At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Elon Musk talked about traveling by rockets in the future. But not just to other planets… according to Musk, we’ll be able to travel city-to-city using these same rockets, making a trip from London to New York in just under 30 minutes.
#8 – Deadly spider venom could repair brain damage.
The Funnel Web Spider is one of Australia’s deadly creatures – a single bite can kill a human in just 15 minutes! But scientists have discovered that a protein in the venom can actually halt brain damage caused by a stroke!
#9 – Geologists discover what could be our eighth continent.
Hidden below the Pacific Ocean, lies a region of land that spans 5 million square kilometers. It is an intact piece of continental crust, is separate from Australia, but only 6% is above water. That 6% includes New Zealand and New Caledonia.
Dubbed Zealandia, geologists say this could be (and should be!) considered our eighth continent and if this recommendation is accepted, it could forever change the way we teach geology.
#10 – Scientists “edited” a fatal blood disorder out of a human embryo.
A team at Sun Yat-sen University used “base-editing” to alter the building blocks of DNA, removing the gene for beta-thalassemia, a blood disorder that can be potentially fatal and has no known cure.
The editing was performed on a lab-made embryo that was not implanted, but the implications are huge.
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