This video has multiple topics of good news around the world. Here is a rough summary of the chapters of the video: 0:00 Best News of 2023 Summary and intro of the video 0:35 Human Life Expectancy...
This video has multiple topics of good news around the world. Here is a rough summary of the chapters of the video:
0:35 Human Life Expectancy Doubled
Compared to 200 years ago, life expectancy is around 71 years compared to the old expectancy of 35, at best.
1:31 The Ocean Cleanup
Over 8,000 tons of plastic has been cleaned up by the Ocean Cleanup Team already. This new garbage removal system is capable of cleaning an area of a soccer field every 5 seconds. They were able to remove 8 million kilograms of plastic from rivers and the oceans in 2023. Over the next few years they plan to create a whole fleet, removing 90% of floating waste by 2040.
2:47 World's Largest Solar Facility
In the United Arab Emirates, the world's largest (2 gigawatt) solar facility opened this past year. It boasts 4 million solar panels, covering 20 sq kilometers. The new facility alone can power over 160k homes and can eliminate 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually.
3:26 Saving the World's Loneliest Sheep
A single sheep was spotted at the foot of a cliff by kayakers in Scotland. 5 farmers banded together to evacuate the sheep, now named Fiona, taking an entire day to pull her up with heavy machinery. She weighed 92 kilos/203 lbs, of which about 9 kilos/20 lbs was her own wool. She was transported to a farm, where she was assessed and treated, and is now able to socialize after 2 years in isolation.
4:29 AI to Detect Diabetes
An AI app can detect type 2 diabetes with just 10 seconds of a voice sample, with an 86.5% accuracy rate, by searching for 14 subtle cues in human voices including jittering, hoarseness, and roughness of breath which are classic symptoms of Dysphonia. Dysphonia is more likely to appear in people with type 2 diabetes, making detecting the disease more accessible by using this AI.
5:59 New Malaria Vaccine
A new vaccine has been approved in 2023, which can save millions of lives. This new vaccine can be produced on a large scale, and each dose costs between $2 to $4, about half the price of the first vaccine. This new one is easier to manufacture because it requires a smaller dose. The world's largest vaccine maker is planning to create 200 million doses a year with the new vaccine, up from only 18 million a year with the old one from 2021.
7:10 Amazon Deforestation Slows Down
Under the rule of Jair Bolsanaro, decades of deforestation caused the Amazon to be in danger of not being able to generate enough rain to sustain itself. But thanks to the combined efforts of various South American nations as well as the newly elected Brazilian government led by Lula da Silva, this trend of deforestation slowed down in 2023. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is down by as much as 60% compared to the previous year. This is the highest decrease in deforestation in almost 2 decades.
8:13 First Carbon Removal Plant
The USA's first carbon removal plant has been opened in 2023. It's designed to absorb carbon directly from the air using limestone. Heating limestone separates co2 from a chemical called calcium oxide which is stored in powder form. When placed high up in the air, the calcium oxide absorbs more co2. Then it is reheated, which releases the captured co2 and so co2 can be stored in concrete. This single carbon removal plant is projected to absorb as much as 1,000 metric tons of co2 per year, equal to removing 200 cars from the road.
9:11 29 Species No Longer Endangered
In Australia, a study has reported that 29 species have recovered enough to not be classified as endangered. Of the species, more than half were mammals. One including the humpback whale. A couple more were the waterfall frog and the common mist frog.
10:00 AI to Detect Biodiversity
On a similar note in 2023, AI is being developed to detect biodiversity since a variety of species reflects the health of an ecosystem. Scientists in Ecuador test ran an AI model and it identified 183 birds, 41 amphibians, and 3 mammalian species, reducing the amount of legwork for reviewing and identifying wildlife.
11:00 AI to Detect Earthquakes
In 2023, during a 7 month trial, a new AI model can now predict 70% of earthquakes a full week before they happened. It has successfully predicted 14 earthquakes already. It also accurately calculated their severity.
12:04 Huge Cancer Breakthroughs
In the University of East Anglia, a new drug has been developed that increases the survival rates of bone cancer patients from 42% to 63% without the need for surgery or chemotherapy. So far it's only been tested on mice, but the results are very promising.
Meanwhile, in California, researchers are developing a type of immuno-therapy that boosts the body's defenses to fight off cancer cells. This type of therapy has been causing a lot of side effects, which meant it couldn't be used on humans. But in 2023 a newly developed version showed almost no side effects. It has already cured pancreatic cancer in mice.
13:45 Huge Parkinson's Breakthrough
In 2023, scientists developed a new device aiding the afflicted individuals. It works by electronically stimulates the backbone area responsible for leg muscle activation during walking. 2 years ago, it was implanted in a patient who was then able to walk uninterrupted for 6 kilometers in one go, while also climbing stairs. Previously, he hadn't even been able to take a few steps without falling over.
14:53 Massive Oil Spill Prevented
In Yemen, an oil disaster was prevented just in time. An old oil tanker had been slowly falling apart for years, since no one was able to safely reach the ship due to the major conflicts. But in 2023, Yemeni authorities received support from the UN along with other humanitarian organizations to remove the oil in the tanker. The ship is now stable, and plans for its removal are underway.
16:07 Blue Whales Have Returned
Blue whales seem to have returned to the Indian ocean after decades, after being wiped out by whaling.
17:04 Sustainable Airplanes
A company called ZeroAvia ran a successful flight of a 19-seater airplane powered by only green hydrogen. 1 month later another company called Universal Hydrogen test flew a plane with twice the seating capacity, which "runs on sunshine and emits nothing but water." A third company, Virgin Atlantic, also had a Boeing 787 fly from London to New York using sustainable jet fuel. It was the first ever sustainable trans-Atlantic airplane flight in history, reducing the carbon emissions by literal tons.
18:34 Ozone Layer Set to Fully Recover
2023 studies reveal that the ozone layer is set to fully recover. In 1989 an international treaty was drafted in order to protect the ozone layer and phase out the use of CFCs (a harmful chemical that was commonly released by large scale companies), over the next few decades. Today, thanks to the collective effort and decisive action of the international community, the ozone layer is set to fully recover according to current trends.
19:28 Gene Therapy for Deaf Children
Lastly, a new gene therapy was able to cure the hearing of deaf children. In 2023, researchers tested an experimental gene therapy where replacement DNA was inserted into the ear through a virus, the cells then contained a virus with a genetic code that can detect vibrations, just like inner ear hairs. These cells can successfully pass on the sound to the brain. They repaired the children's DNA to where they could hear speech almost normally, where they weren't able to hear anything before. The results shows a video of a 6 year old conversing with her mother even without her cochlear implant.
I was actually thinking recently that I wish John Krasinki’s Some Good News had remained around. I’ll save this as it’s late and make sure to give it a listen tomorrow.
I was actually thinking recently that I wish John Krasinki’s Some Good News had remained around. I’ll save this as it’s late and make sure to give it a listen tomorrow.
This video has multiple topics of good news around the world. Here is a rough summary of the chapters of the video:
0:00 Best News of 2023
Summary and intro of the video
0:35 Human Life Expectancy Doubled
Compared to 200 years ago, life expectancy is around 71 years compared to the old expectancy of 35, at best.
1:31 The Ocean Cleanup
Over 8,000 tons of plastic has been cleaned up by the Ocean Cleanup Team already. This new garbage removal system is capable of cleaning an area of a soccer field every 5 seconds. They were able to remove 8 million kilograms of plastic from rivers and the oceans in 2023. Over the next few years they plan to create a whole fleet, removing 90% of floating waste by 2040.
2:47 World's Largest Solar Facility
In the United Arab Emirates, the world's largest (2 gigawatt) solar facility opened this past year. It boasts 4 million solar panels, covering 20 sq kilometers. The new facility alone can power over 160k homes and can eliminate 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions annually.
3:26 Saving the World's Loneliest Sheep
A single sheep was spotted at the foot of a cliff by kayakers in Scotland. 5 farmers banded together to evacuate the sheep, now named Fiona, taking an entire day to pull her up with heavy machinery. She weighed 92 kilos/203 lbs, of which about 9 kilos/20 lbs was her own wool. She was transported to a farm, where she was assessed and treated, and is now able to socialize after 2 years in isolation.
4:29 AI to Detect Diabetes
An AI app can detect type 2 diabetes with just 10 seconds of a voice sample, with an 86.5% accuracy rate, by searching for 14 subtle cues in human voices including jittering, hoarseness, and roughness of breath which are classic symptoms of Dysphonia. Dysphonia is more likely to appear in people with type 2 diabetes, making detecting the disease more accessible by using this AI.
5:59 New Malaria Vaccine
A new vaccine has been approved in 2023, which can save millions of lives. This new vaccine can be produced on a large scale, and each dose costs between $2 to $4, about half the price of the first vaccine. This new one is easier to manufacture because it requires a smaller dose. The world's largest vaccine maker is planning to create 200 million doses a year with the new vaccine, up from only 18 million a year with the old one from 2021.
7:10 Amazon Deforestation Slows Down
Under the rule of Jair Bolsanaro, decades of deforestation caused the Amazon to be in danger of not being able to generate enough rain to sustain itself. But thanks to the combined efforts of various South American nations as well as the newly elected Brazilian government led by Lula da Silva, this trend of deforestation slowed down in 2023. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is down by as much as 60% compared to the previous year. This is the highest decrease in deforestation in almost 2 decades.
8:13 First Carbon Removal Plant
The USA's first carbon removal plant has been opened in 2023. It's designed to absorb carbon directly from the air using limestone. Heating limestone separates co2 from a chemical called calcium oxide which is stored in powder form. When placed high up in the air, the calcium oxide absorbs more co2. Then it is reheated, which releases the captured co2 and so co2 can be stored in concrete. This single carbon removal plant is projected to absorb as much as 1,000 metric tons of co2 per year, equal to removing 200 cars from the road.
9:11 29 Species No Longer Endangered
In Australia, a study has reported that 29 species have recovered enough to not be classified as endangered. Of the species, more than half were mammals. One including the humpback whale. A couple more were the waterfall frog and the common mist frog.
10:00 AI to Detect Biodiversity
On a similar note in 2023, AI is being developed to detect biodiversity since a variety of species reflects the health of an ecosystem. Scientists in Ecuador test ran an AI model and it identified 183 birds, 41 amphibians, and 3 mammalian species, reducing the amount of legwork for reviewing and identifying wildlife.
11:00 AI to Detect Earthquakes
In 2023, during a 7 month trial, a new AI model can now predict 70% of earthquakes a full week before they happened. It has successfully predicted 14 earthquakes already. It also accurately calculated their severity.
12:04 Huge Cancer Breakthroughs
In the University of East Anglia, a new drug has been developed that increases the survival rates of bone cancer patients from 42% to 63% without the need for surgery or chemotherapy. So far it's only been tested on mice, but the results are very promising.
Meanwhile, in California, researchers are developing a type of immuno-therapy that boosts the body's defenses to fight off cancer cells. This type of therapy has been causing a lot of side effects, which meant it couldn't be used on humans. But in 2023 a newly developed version showed almost no side effects. It has already cured pancreatic cancer in mice.
13:45 Huge Parkinson's Breakthrough
In 2023, scientists developed a new device aiding the afflicted individuals. It works by electronically stimulates the backbone area responsible for leg muscle activation during walking. 2 years ago, it was implanted in a patient who was then able to walk uninterrupted for 6 kilometers in one go, while also climbing stairs. Previously, he hadn't even been able to take a few steps without falling over.
14:53 Massive Oil Spill Prevented
In Yemen, an oil disaster was prevented just in time. An old oil tanker had been slowly falling apart for years, since no one was able to safely reach the ship due to the major conflicts. But in 2023, Yemeni authorities received support from the UN along with other humanitarian organizations to remove the oil in the tanker. The ship is now stable, and plans for its removal are underway.
16:07 Blue Whales Have Returned
Blue whales seem to have returned to the Indian ocean after decades, after being wiped out by whaling.
17:04 Sustainable Airplanes
A company called ZeroAvia ran a successful flight of a 19-seater airplane powered by only green hydrogen. 1 month later another company called Universal Hydrogen test flew a plane with twice the seating capacity, which "runs on sunshine and emits nothing but water." A third company, Virgin Atlantic, also had a Boeing 787 fly from London to New York using sustainable jet fuel. It was the first ever sustainable trans-Atlantic airplane flight in history, reducing the carbon emissions by literal tons.
18:34 Ozone Layer Set to Fully Recover
2023 studies reveal that the ozone layer is set to fully recover. In 1989 an international treaty was drafted in order to protect the ozone layer and phase out the use of CFCs (a harmful chemical that was commonly released by large scale companies), over the next few decades. Today, thanks to the collective effort and decisive action of the international community, the ozone layer is set to fully recover according to current trends.
19:28 Gene Therapy for Deaf Children
Lastly, a new gene therapy was able to cure the hearing of deaf children. In 2023, researchers tested an experimental gene therapy where replacement DNA was inserted into the ear through a virus, the cells then contained a virus with a genetic code that can detect vibrations, just like inner ear hairs. These cells can successfully pass on the sound to the brain. They repaired the children's DNA to where they could hear speech almost normally, where they weren't able to hear anything before. The results shows a video of a 6 year old conversing with her mother even without her cochlear implant.
I was actually thinking recently that I wish John Krasinki’s Some Good News had remained around. I’ll save this as it’s late and make sure to give it a listen tomorrow.