📈 Human Progress
In the last decades humanity has made great progress with less extreme poverty, increased health, wealth and democracy. We follow in the tradition of professor Hans Rosling.
🚣 The Cuyahoga River was so polluted it caught fire - now it's making a comeback
The Cuyahoga River in Ohio has undergone a dramatic improvement from being one of America's most polluted waterways to now having water quality good enough to reintroduce sturgeon. The river that used to regularly catch fire due to industrial pollution is now home to blue herons and bald eagles.
👩⚕️ Tuberculosis steadily declining
Global tuberculosis cases have stabilized after pandemic increase - 10.8 million cases in 2023 compared to 10.7 million in 2022. Mortality continues to decline - 1.25 million deaths in 2023, down from 1.32 million in 2022.
🐠 Coral reefs show unexpectedly strong resilience to warming
Coral reefs continue to grow even under warmer conditions according to a new two-year experiment in Hawaii. The experiment shows that coral reefs can survive if global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius.
🎓 People worldwide have high trust in scientists
A new comprehensive study shows that the majority of people in 68 countries have high trust in scientists and their methods.
💓 Heart failure mortality has steadily decreased over 25 years
Deaths from heart failure have decreased by two percent annually between 1997 and 2022. New medications and improved medical technology help patients live longer after diagnosis.
🍦 The age of miracles is not over - McDonald's ice cream machine crisis gets a solution
The US government is tackling one of the greatest crises of our time - McDonald's broken ice cream machines. Franchise owners can now repair the machines themselves without depending on the manufacturer.
🚭 Youth smoking at lowest level in 25 years
Only 8 percent of American teenagers use tobacco products, the lowest figure since 1999. E-cigarettes are the most used tobacco product with 5.9 percent of youth users.
✌️ Global fight against inflation nearing victory, according to IMF
IMF predicts global inflation will drop from 6.7 percent in 2023 to 4.3 percent in 2025. The inflation reduction has been achieved without a global recession, and the US economy continues to grow by 2.8 percent in 2024.
🐝 The number of bee colonies in the world is increasing significantly
Globally, the number of bee colonies has increased by 47 percent since 1990, from 69.2 million to 101.6 million colonies in 2021. There was initially a decrease during the 90s, but in the 2000s it has turned upward