United Kingdom | Good News For Humankind

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans now think using psilocybin is ‘morally positive,’ in dramatic shift in public opinion

By Peter Schulte / March 18, 2024 / Good news links

Researchers—representing institutions such as the universities of Oxford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Grenada—surveyed 795 people on the issue, asking about supervised use specifically for treatment and for well-being enhancement. Participants, the report says, “rated the individual’s decision as morally positive in both contexts.” The study is of note because although psilocybin “has shown promise both as a treatment for psychiatric conditions and as a means of improving well-being in healthy individuals,” authors wrote.

Cancer deaths in middle-aged people in the U.K. have plummeted since the 1990s

By Peter Schulte / March 14, 2024 / Good news links

Fewer middle-aged people are dying from cancer in the U.K. than at any point over the last 25 years, a new study from Cancer Research UK has revealed. The study showed that overall, mortality rates have dropped by 37% in men and by 33% in women over that span.

Liverpool to build the world’s largest tidal power project

By Peter Schulte / March 11, 2024 / Good news links

The City of Liverpool, England, has unveiled advanced proposals to build the world’s largest tidal power generator on the River Mersey. Mersey Tidal Power would become the largest tidal range scheme in the world. It would power more than 1 million homes for more than 120 years.

Utility solar dethrones coal as the cheapest power source in Asia

By Peter Schulte / March 1, 2024 / Good news links

According a new analysis from Wood Mackenzie on the levelized cost of electricity for the Asia Pacific region, the cost of renewables reached a historic low in 2023. Renewable energy costs in Asia last year were 13% cheaper than coal and are expected to be 32% cheaper by 2030. Utility solar is now the cheapest power source in 11 out of 15 APAC countries. New-build solar project costs are expected to fall by another 20% by 2030.

79% of Crohn’s disease patients in remission after early intervention

By Peter Schulte / February 25, 2024 / Good news links

Led by researchers from the University of Cambridge, a clinical trial examined the effectiveness of giving the immunotherapy drug infliximab earlier, as soon as possible after diagnosis. They employed what’s called a ‘top-down’ strategy, meaning the drug was given straight after diagnosis regardless of the patient’s symptom severity. They found that this early intervention significantly reduces complications of this often debilitating disease, including the need for surgery by a factor of 10.

Colorful ribbons on pink background|Doctor

New drug offers breakthrough in treatment of asbestos-linked cancer

By Peter Schulte / February 15, 2024 / Good news links

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have developed a drug to treat mesothelioma, a notoriously deadly and hard-to-treat cancer linked to asbestos, in the biggest breakthrough in two decades.
An international trial spanning five countries found that the new drug, ADI-PEG20, cuts off the tumor’s food supply and quadruples three-year survival rates. It is the first of its kind to be successfully combined with chemotherapy in 20 years.

England brings in biodiversity rules to force builders to compensate for loss of nature

By Peter Schulte / February 11, 2024 / Good news links

England is launching a biodiversity credit scheme that attempts to force all new road and housebuilding projects to benefit nature, rather than damage it. The “nature market”, called biodiversity net gain (BNG), means all new building projects must achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity or habitat. The requirement becomes law under the Town and Country Planning Act on February 12 for larger sites, and on April 2 2024 for smaller sites.

Decarbonization containers turn 78% of marine emissions into limestone in new pilot

By Peter Schulte / February 8, 2024 / Good news links

A remarkable pilot project installed on a 787-ft. container ship has proven it’s possible to capture emissions from the smokestacks of cargo ships with 78% efficiency and convert the CO2 into limestone pebbles, which can be offloaded and sold. London startup Seabound, funded by a US$1.5-million grant from the UK Government, partnered up with global shipping company Lomar to install the carbon capture equipment on one of its older and dirtier-burning ships, a medium-sized vessel capable of carrying more than 3,200 shipping containers.

No cervical cancer cases in HPV-vaccinated women in Scotland

By Peter Schulte / January 22, 2024 / Good news links

A new study from Public Health Scotland has found that no cases of cervical cancer have been detected in young women who have been fully-vaccinated as part of the HPV immunization program, concluding that the vaccine was “highly effective” in preventing the development of the cancer. Scotland’s HPV vaccination program started in 2008 with girls offered the vaccine in their first year at secondary school.

U.K. announces groundbreaking ‘Flee Funds’ scheme for domestic abuse survivors

By Peter Schulte / January 17, 2024 / Good news links

Building on the success of a pilot plan last year, which provided 600 victims with critical funding, the new initiative aims to expand what are now known as “flee funds.” Survivors will each receive a monetary reward of around $3,200, meeting a critical need for people who face financial difficulties in leaving abusive environments.