Today (2017 C.E. - 2025 C.E.)

This archive spans one of the most eventful periods in recent history, from 2017 through 2025. Browse more than 4,100 articles documenting scientific breakthroughs, policy wins, social progress, and human ingenuity from the present era. Each story highlights what people and communities around the world are building, solving, and achieving right now.

Rooftop solar panels on suburban houses in bright sunlight, for an article about England's solar panel mandate for new homes

England to require solar panels on all new homes by 2027

By / / Good News For Humankind

Solar panel mandate on new homes in England marks a significant shift in how the country approaches energy and housing. Starting in 2027, housebuilders will be legally required to install rooftop solar on virtually all new construction, with homeowners expected to save more than £1,000 annually on energy bills. The policy supports the U.K.’s goal of decarbonizing its electricity grid by 2030 and signals the government’s commitment to staying the course on net zero despite growing political debate. Across 1.5 million planned new homes, the cumulative impact on household finances and grid demand could be substantial.

Illustration of intestines

Fecal transplants reduce alcohol cravings as human trials progress

By / / Good news links

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have found that fecal transplants may help those suffering from severe alcohol use disorder. The work points to a compelling relationship between the gut microbiome and addiction disorders, with large-scale Phase 2 human trials currently underway. Nine of 10 patients who received a transplant had a reduction in their cravings and in the urine measurement of alcohol-related metabolites, compared to only three of the 10 placebo subjects displaying similar levels of improvement.

Hand holding smart phone

Finland bans smartphones in schools

By / / Good news links

The Finnish Parliament has approved a law restricting the use of mobile devices by pupils at primary and secondary schools. Pupils will need to get special permission from teachers to use their phones to assist them in studies, to take care of personal health-related matters, etc. Research increasingly indicates that excessive smartphone use in children and adolescents can negatively impact their mental and physical health, academic performance, and social development.

Trinidad & Tobago's Kamla Persad-Bissessar

For the first time, an entire country’s top political roles are held by women after Trinidad & Tobago’s recent elections

By / / Good news links

Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s election victory means that she will become prime minister for the second time since 2010. Pennelope Beckles-Robinson will be sworn in as the opposition leader. Once they are sworn in by President Christine Kangaloo, the Caribbean island will, for the first time in history, have three women occupying the top constitutional offices simultaneously, making it the first country in modern history to have all top political positions filled by women.

Kenyan Parliament building in Nairobi at dusk for an article about transgender rights Kenya

Spokane passes LGBTQ+ rights ordinance to protect trans folks from the federal government

By / / Good news links

Council members voted 5-2 to implement the ordinance, which updates the Washington State city’s human rights code to define gender-affirming care and ensure equal protections for LGBTQ+ people. The policy “prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.” The ordinance also requires city-provided healthcare to cover gender-affirming care. Council members celebrated the city living up to its motto: “In Spokane, we all belong.”

Illustration of brain

Psilocybe fungi are an effective treatment for repeated concussions, new study suggests

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A new study from Boston’s Northeastern University has found that “magic mushrooms” could be an effective treatment for concussions because of their brain-healing properties. Rats given the medicinal fungi post-head injury showed reduced edema and “dramatic hyperconnectivity” in parts of the brain that are pathways for dopamine. The researchers said that the hyperconnected dopaminergic pathways could indicate neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to reorganize itself in response to injury.

Amazon rainforest burning

Brazilian judge orders seizure of illegally cleared lands in the Amazon

By / / Good news links

Justice Flávio Dino of the Brazilian Supreme Court has directed the government to seize private lands where forests have been illegally razed. By one estimate, more than half of the forest lost in the Brazilian Amazon has been on private lands. The ruling also calls for halting the process known as regularization, by which land grabbers are granted title to stolen lands, even when they have illegally destroyed forest on those lands. The decision, which may be appealed, further requires the government to seek compensation from landowners who have destroyed forest.

A child sleeping under a mosquito net in a tropical setting for an article about malaria prevention saving 14 million lives

Global malaria prevention has saved 14 million lives since 2000 C.E.

By / / Good News For Humankind

Malaria prevention programs have saved an estimated 14 million lives and averted 2.3 billion cases of the disease since 2000, according to the WHO World Malaria Report. In 2024 alone, more than 170 million cases and 1 million deaths were prevented, while the number of countries reporting fewer than 1,000 annual cases nearly tripled to 37. Twenty-four countries have now introduced WHO-approved malaria vaccines into routine childhood immunization, a rollout achieved in under four years. Serious challenges remain, including rising drug resistance and a global funding gap that reached 58% in 2024, leaving the gains fragile but undeniable.

Residential apartment buildings in Helsinki for an article about Finland Housing First

Finland cut homelessness by 75% — and the rest of the world is watching

By / / Good News For Humankind

Finland Housing First policy stands as one of the most remarkable social policy achievements of the modern era, reducing the country’s homeless population by roughly 75% since 2008. Rather than requiring sobriety or employment before offering shelter, Finland gives people housing unconditionally, letting support services follow once residents have a stable foundation. The results are concrete: long-term homelessness fell 68% between 2008 and 2022, and housing a formerly homeless person saves Finnish society approximately 15,000 euros annually in emergency costs. The program proves chronic homelessness is solvable, not inevitable, though recent government cuts offer a sobering reminder that even exceptional systems depend on sustained political will.

Baby sea turtles in the sand

Endangered sea turtles show signs of recovery in majority of places they’re found worldwide

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Endangered sea turtles are making a comeback in many parts of the world, according to a newly published global survey from researchers at Stanford University and other institutions. The study, featured in Endangered Species Research, found that threats to the marine animals—such as hunting, pollution, and coastal development—are declining in more than half of the areas examined. Although the findings offer hope, researchers caution that not all turtle populations are rebounding equally. Leatherback turtles, in particular, remain under severe threat.