🥶 Fewer people dying from cold worldwide – global progress in combating hypothermia
The number of cold-related deaths globally has decreased significantly since 1990, showing progress in protecting vulnerable populations. Effective preventive measures such as heating assistance, better insulation, and community programs save lives during cold periods.
🔬 AI improves protein sequencing for medicine, environment, and archaeology
New AI technology has identified 42 percent more peptides than previous methods in complex protein samples. Researchers are now using AI protein sequencing to identify unknown proteins in both medical samples and archaeological findings.
🧒 Child mortality halved in these nine Asian countries
Afghanistan shows the largest decline from 13 percent to 6 percent, while China now has the lowest level at only 1 percent. Improvements in nutrition, clean water, sanitation, vaccinations, and poverty reduction have contributed to this positive development.
🐟 AI finds ghost nets – lost fishing nets in the oceans
The AI-supported technology analyzes sonar images with 90 percent accuracy to mark locations where ghost nets are likely found. WWF Germany has manually sifted through images captured by a side-scan sonar and recovered a total of 26 tons of nets from the Baltic Sea.
📉 Iraqi poverty decreases
The poverty level in Iraq has decreased from 21.5 percent in 2022 to 17.6 percent in 2024. The Iraqi government's economic support measures are cited as the main reason for the improvement.
🌍 Renewable energy sources growing twice as fast in Global South compared to Global North
Investments in clean energy are now seven times larger than in fossil energy in the Global South's electricity production, compared to an even split ten years ago. One-fifth of countries in the Global South have already surpassed wealthy nations on solar and wind power usage or electrification.
🧪 Researchers reveal the secret behind the catalytic power of enzymes
Enzymes are life's catalysts that enable the biochemical reactions that sustain all living organisms. Until now, science has struggled to explain exactly how these molecular machines work. The study offers a detailed explanation at the molecular level of how enzymes work.
☀️ Solar energy and electric vehicles lead the energy transition in 2025
Renewable energy expansion grew by 17 percent during 2024, with record installations of approximately 600 GW solar power and 125 GW wind power. Investments in renewable energy sources now outpace fossil fuels by 10 to 1, with more money in solar energy than all other power sources combined.
🐢 Sea turtles increasing in numbers
New research shows that sea turtle populations are increasing at 28 sites globally, while only five show declines. Conservation measures since the 1970s have transformed humans from hunters to protectors of these marine reptiles.