💒 Decrease in child marriages in Malaysia
The number of child marriages in Malaysia has decreased by 37 percent between 2019 and 2023. The government is implementing a national strategic program to address the causes of child marriage.
🤰 Several new obesity drugs on the way
Studies show that combination treatments of new drugs can lead to weight reductions of up to 24 percent. Over 100 new drug candidates against obesity are under development, including medications that preserve muscle mass during weight loss.
🥶 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.