Turkey milestones | Good News for Humankind

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World’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine enters human trials in seven countries

By Peter Schulte / August 23, 2024 / Good News For Humankind

A landmark mRNA lung cancer vaccine is now being tested in human patients for the first time, marking a historic milestone in cancer treatment. BNT116, developed by BioNTech, uses the same messenger RNA technology behind COVID-19 vaccines to train the immune system to recognize and destroy non-small cell lung cancer cells. The phase 1 trial spans 34 sites across seven countries, with roughly 130 patients enrolled. Unlike chemotherapy, this approach targets only tumor cells, potentially offering a more precise and lasting defense against the world’s deadliest cancer, which kills 1.8 million people annually.

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Turkish scientists develop “bumpy” solar panel concept that can harvest up to 66% more energy

By / February 18, 2024 / Good News For Humankind

Dome-shaped solar cells could absorb up to 66% more light than their flat counterparts, according to new simulations from a research team at Abdullah Gül University in Türkiye. The trick is geometric: tiny hemispherical bumps catch sunlight from many angles at once, acting almost like little lenses that funnel light into the cell. That means solar power could finally work well on surfaces that flat panels struggle with, like clothing, curved windows, greenhouse roofs, and wearable medical devices. The design still needs to be built and tested in the real world, but it points toward a future where solar generation lives quietly inside the everyday surfaces around us, rather than only on dedicated rooftops.

Women in Turkey win right to keep surnames after marriage

By Peter Schulte / February 2, 2024 / Good news links

Women in Turkey can use their own surnames after they marry, now that a rule forcing them to take their husband’s surname has been overturned. Article 187 of the Turkish civil code previously stated that a woman had to take her husband’s surname upon marriage, however she could use her own surname first “with a written application to the marriage officer or later to the civil registry office.” The new decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court came into effect on January 28, following a ruling in April 2023.

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Turkish companies go solar at record pace

By / December 5, 2022 / Good News For Humankind

Solar power applications in Turkey jumped dramatically when more than 300 companies filed for installation permits in just two weeks, according to the head of the country’s energy market regulator. The driver wasn’t a new climate policy — it was math. As the lira weakened and imported fuel costs climbed, rooftop solar suddenly became the financially obvious choice for businesses trying to keep the lights on. Turkey is well suited for it, with southern and central provinces soaking up more than 2,700 hours of sunshine a year. The bigger lesson reaches well beyond Turkey: in countries with strong sun and fragile currencies, clean energy is quietly becoming a tool of economic resilience, not just environmental progress.