MIT uses machine learning to develop powerful antibiotic
The drug works in a different way to existing antibacterials and is the first of its kind to be found by setting AI loose on vast digital libraries of pharmaceutical compounds.
Today (2017 C.E. - 2025 C.E.)
This archive spans the years 2017 through 2025, a period marked by rapid advances in clean energy, medicine, technology, and social equity. It collects documented breakthroughs, policy wins, and scientific achievements from the present era. If you want evidence that progress is real and ongoing, this is where to look.
In a world-first, India’s dozen major ports now run fully on renewable energy
The dozen state-owned major ports in the country have switched to renewable energy to meet their entire power requirements, making India the first nation to have all government-owned ports running on solar and wind energy.
Scientists invent device that generates electricity ‘out of thin air’
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have designed a device that uses a natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air.
Researchers invent an “EpiPen” for spinal cord injuries that can prevent paralysis
The approach was demonstrated in mice at the University of Michigan, with the nanoparticles enhancing healing by reprogramming the aggressive immune cells—call it an “EpiPen” for trauma to the central nervous system.
Jeff Bezos commits $10 billion to address climate change
The effort will fund scientists, activists and nongovernmental organizations, he said in a post on Instagram. Mr. Bezos, who has been pushed by Amazon employees on climate issues, said he expected to start issuing grants this summer.
Landmark ruling grants women equal rights in Indian army
The judgment, seen as a landmark decision for the Indian military, means that all women will now be eligible for the same promotions, ranks, benefits and pensions as their male counterparts, irrespective of their years of service or whether they had retired.
Delta to invest $1 billion to curb global air travel’s climate impact
With this new investment, Delta intends to become the first carbon-neutral airline globally while helping to fund research and projects involving clean air technologies and the reduction of carbon emissions and waste.
L.A. County district attorney wipes 66,000 marijuana convictions
The move, which comes years after California voters legalized weed, reverses decades of drug enforcement that disproportionately targeted people of color — who then faced barriers in finding housing and jobs and enrolling in school.
United Kingdom to ban petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars by 2035
The sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned as of 2035. After the ban comes into effect, only electric and hydrogen vehicles will be available for purchase.
Chileans now consume a lot less sugar after landmark public health law
The world’s toughest controls over the promotion of sugary drinks, brought in by a nation beset by obesity, have cut purchases by nearly a quarter in two years, research has shown.