The first half of 2020 has been rough to say the least, and all the good news has been buried beneath metaphorical tonnes of devastating stories. But don’t let that dishearten you, here’s a quick summary of some actual good news!
Second person cured of HIV - “The London Patient” became the second person to be cured of HIV using STEM cells of a rare genetic mutation causing the person to be resistant to the disease. While treatment is not widely applicable, slow advances are promising for the future of curing HIV patients.
Costa Rica legalises same-sex marriage - May 26th 2020 marked the official legalisation of same-sex marriage in Costa Rica making it the 29th country to do so (which in itself is a depressingly low number but not what this article is about).
Reduction in carbon emissions - Due to the pandemic, air travel has significantly decreased leading to much lower levels of air pollution and in China, climate reports have shown that their CO2 emissions have been reduced by a quarter.
Plastic eating bacteria discovered - Researchers have discovered the bacterium Pseudomonas putida that can help to degrade certain hard plastics that are difficult to recycle. Unfortunately, the type of plastic (Polyurethane) it can metabolise is a very large molecule and therefore it does not typically degrade it, but it is still a move forward in the way of reducing plastic in landfills.
It’s a really difficult time for everyone right now and while we just shouldn’t brush off all the bad news with a smile on our face, it’s important now more than ever to embrace all the good things happening in the world, so stay strong guys!
Ella Klassen
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