💡 27 fact-based optimistic news from March
🧒🏿 UN: Historic milestone as the number of child deaths falls below 5 million for the first time. 📉 India has eliminated extreme poverty. 🌾 28 years of GMO food without any harm. 🐖 Genetically modified pig kidney transplanted into a human for the first time.
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For the first time, the number of children dying before the age of five has dropped below five million. A milestone for humanity.
Five million dead children? That's a disaster!
Then, it might be good to keep Hans Rosling in mind. He reminded us that something can be really bad and still move in a positive direction.
That five million children are dying is heartbreaking. But the fact that we have halved the number since the turn of the millennium is fantastic.
Thus, we know it is possible to reduce the number further, and we should do so as quickly as possible.
Scroll down a bit and you'll find all of this month's fact-based optimistic news.
Mathias Sundin
The Angry Optimist
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💡 Fact-based optimistic news
💰 They make climate investments for companies – raise $50 million
Swedish Rison Capital has entered into a partnership with SEB Nordic Energy, which is investing $50 million in climate-promoting projects. The business model is based on Rison making the investments for the companies, such as switching to LED lighting, and the companies pay a fixed fee to Rison.
📉 New study: Poverty has decreased more than we thought, as has inequality – including within countries
Extreme poverty is almost 40 percent lower than previously thought, and economic inequality is decreasing both between and within countries.
🌦️ Weather forecasts have become much more accurate
Four-day forecasts now have the same accuracy as one-day forecasts did 30 years ago.
🥛 Genetically modified cows can produce milk containing insulin
Genetically modified cows have produced milk containing human insulin. The method can be scaled up to ensure availability and lower the cost of insulin for diabetics.
🐖 Genetically modified pig kidney transplanted into human for the first time
For the first time, surgeons have transplanted a kidney from a genetically modified pig into a living person. This type of kidney could help reduce the shortage of organs.
🧒🏿 UN: Historic milestone as the number of child deaths falls below 5 million for the first time
Since 2000, the global under-five mortality rate has more than halved. Several low- and lower-middle-income countries have surpassed the global decline, with some reducing child mortality by more than two-thirds.
🚀 Starship takes another step forward, reaches orbit velocity
SpaceX's revolutionary new spacecraft, Starship, took another step forward in its latest test flight. For the first time, it reached orbital velocity.
🦐 Discovery of 100 new marine species in New Zealand
A team of researchers has discovered at least one hundred new marine species in the Bounty Trough off the south coast of New Zealand. The expedition found dozens of molluscs, three fish, a shrimp, and a predatory squid.
🧬 Reviving the mammoth is getting closer
Colossal Biosciences has succeeded in creating elephant cells that can be reprogrammed into various cell types, including those required to create a mammoth. This success opens new possibilities for research around extinct species and the conservation of endangered species.
🌝 Interlune aims to extract helium-3 on the moon
The company has raised 15 million dollars to finance its operations. Helium-3 has potential for use in quantum computers and medical imaging, as well as fuel in fusion reactors.
🌾 28 years of GMO food without any harm
Since the first genetically modified crops were approved in 1995, no GMO products have been shown to be harmful to humans. GMOs have improved yields, reduced losses from insect attacks, and contributed to nutritional enhancements.
🔋 Major progress for Project Energy Society: Signs deal covering 20% of Sweden's homes
The concept of local electricity production, storage, and sharing of energy will be offered to Sweden's public housing companies. Project Energy Society, which includes the Warp Institute, aims to create an abundance of cheap and clean energy at a low fixed price
📉 India has eliminated extreme poverty (and increased economic equality)
India has eradicated all extreme poverty, according to the international poverty line of 1.9 dollars per day. This is partly thanks to a growth rate of 2.9 percent per year since 2011-12. At the same time, economic inequality has significantly decreased in both urban and rural areas.
💵 JPMorgan reduces manual labor by 90 percent thanks to AI
The tool, named Cash Flow Intelligence, is already used by about 2,500 customers. AI technology has the potential to shorten workweeks and contribute to medical advances, according to JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon.
🩺 Kry achieves profitability thanks to AI
By introducing generative AI into its processes, Kry has significantly increased its internal efficiency. The administrative time around each patient-doctor meeting has been reduced by approximately 30 percent.
🥔 Genetically modified potatoes increase yields and eliminate the need for pesticides
Scientists have tested genetically modified potatoes that show promising results in combating late blight, a disease that causes significant crop losses. In field trials, the GMO potato variety Vic.172 showed total resistance to late blight, potentially reducing the need for pesticides.
🌱 Scientists have developed a method to transform salty soil into fertile farmland
The treatment involves burying crop stalks underground and covering them with plastic to retain soil moisture. China, ranked as the third-largest country with salt-alkali soil, sees potential in applying this technique to a third of these lands.
🦑 One hundred new species discovered off the coast of Chile
Scientists have possibly discovered one hundred new species at the underwater mountains near the coast of Chile, with the help of a robot that can dive over 4000 meters. An unknown species of sea cucumbers and rarely seen species such as squids and corals have been identified.
🏆 XPRIZE launches prize competition to combat water scarcity with innovative desalination techniques
The competition has a total prize pool of $119 million. The goal is to develop sustainable, reliable, and affordable solutions for desalinating seawater.
🤖 Klarna's new AI assistant does the same job as 700 people, after one month
The AI assistant has handled 2.3 million conversations, equivalent to two-thirds of all customer service chats, in its first month. Customers now resolve their issues in less than 2 minutes, an improvement of 82 percent compared to before.
📉 Emissions from new cars have halved over the past four years
Carbon dioxide emissions from new passenger cars decreased by over 8 percent from the previous year. Over the past four years, emissions from the average new passenger car have almost halved. The significant increase in electric cars is crucial for this development.
🔋 Battery price wars: Prices reach record lows
The world's largest battery manufacturers are reducing the costs of batteries for electric vehicles. In one year, the cost has more than halved. The progress is years ahead of what forecasters have believed. It is likely that prices will continue to fall.
🌌 Private capsule returns to Earth with space-grown antiviral medicine on board
Varda Space Industries' capsule has landed in Utah after nearly eight months in orbit. The capsule contains crystals of an antiviral medicine that was grown in space.
🌎 The vast majority believe in climate change and want to do something about it (but think others don't)
A study published in Science, in which 59,000 people in 63 countries were surveyed, showed that 86% "believe" in climate change. 86% think that people in their country "should try to combat global warming." However, they wrongly believe that others do not think the same.
🍅 New CRISPR tomatoes require less water, but yield remains the same
Scientists have used CRISPR technology to create tomatoes that use water more efficiently. These tomatoes require less water to grow but still produce the same amount of tomatoes, with the same taste and quality.
🌽 The Food Price Index has dropped for the seventh consecutive month – the lowest in three years
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the Food Price Index in February fell to its lowest level in three years. Prices for cereals, especially corn and wheat, decreased by 5 percent.
🌬️ Significantly improved air quality in Europe over the past two decades, study shows
A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health demonstrates significant improvements in air quality across Europe. Levels of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide have decreased by 1.7-2.7 percent per year.
Other texts
🦾 AI will not lead to mass unemployment (but something much bigger will happen)
Economics professor David Autor disputes the AI experts who believe that AI will lead to mass unemployment.
☠️ One year after the near-death experience: How are things going?
A year ago, we were close to dying. But we are clearly still here. But how are we doing and how are things going?
🚀 Starship will have a major impact, even in the short-term
In the short term, Starship will reduce the cost of sending a kilo to space to two to three percent of what it was a few years ago.
💡 Musings of the Angry Optimist: A robot with ChatGPT
A robot that can pick up trash, while reasoning why it chose to give a human an apple. The robot Figure One uses ChatGPT to talk and listen, while performing physical tasks.
🔋 Towards the Energy Society - part 1
Jonas Birgersson made it into the history books as Sweden's foremost champion of the internet revolution. Now, he's using everything he learned then to do it again. This time it's an energy revolution.
🏆 The amateur nearly beat the grandmasters
Did Warp News win? AI writer WALL-Y was nominated for Innovation of the Year at the Newspaper Publishers' gala. The competitors in the same category were Aftonbladet and Expressen, two media with budgets several thousand percent larger. How can we compete in the same category?
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