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.

A variety of LGBTQ+ pride flags

Michigan expands hate crime law to protect LGBTQ+ identities

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a bill adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s hate crime law, along with a companion bill amending sentencing guidelines for hate crimes. The 1988 ethnic intimidation law initially applied only to religion, ethnicity, and race. The new law adds LGBTQ+ identities, as well as sex, age, disability, national origin, and affiliation with these groups. A first offense for committing a hate crime against one of the protected classes is punishable with a fine of $5,000 and/or up to two years behind bars.

Thai flag

Thailand makes hormone therapy free for trans people

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Just days after marriage equality became the law in Thailand, the country’s national health ministry added hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to the free health services available to citizens. The Public Health Ministry allocated 145 million baht to the National Health Security Office for HRT. The targeted funds will cover the HRT needs of 200,000 transgender Thais. Until now, self-funding for HRT has prevented some trans individuals from gaining access to proper care, leading to health risks if they resorted to purchasing and using hormones without medical supervision.

Industrial pipes and infrastructure at a coastal energy facility for an article about carbon capture and storage

China sets new fusion endurance record of over a thousand seconds

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Fusion power is widely thought of as the holy grail of renewable, climate-friendly energy. Now, we are one step closer to realizing practical fusion power for the masses. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak reactor in China’s Anhui Province has set a new record with a 1,066-second sustained fusion reaction. The new record builds on the previous record of 403 seconds set by EAST in 2023. The increase was made possible by a number of upgrades to the experimental system that have doubled the power output while keeping the reaction stable.

Empty office desk and chairs

Two hundred U.K. companies sign up for permanent four-day working week

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Two hundred U.K. companies have signed up for a permanent four-day working week for all their employees with no loss of pay, in the latest landmark in the campaign to reinvent Britain’s working week. Together, the companies employ more than 5,000 people, with charities, marketing, and technology firms among the best-represented. Supporters say the four-day week is a useful way of attracting and retaining employees while improving productivity by creating the same output over fewer hours and fostering a more fulfilled, happy, and engaged workforce.

A medical researcher reviewing cancer treatment data in a laboratory, for an article about breast cancer immunotherapy

Australian researchers nearly double cure rates for the most common breast cancer

By / / Good News For Humankind

Breast cancer immunotherapy has achieved a breakthrough in Australia, with researchers nearly doubling cure rates for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer — the most common form of the disease, representing roughly 70% of all diagnoses worldwide. A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy produced pathological complete responses, meaning no detectable cancer remained at surgery, at rates far exceeding historical norms below 20%. Because HR+ tumors have long resisted immunotherapy, this result marks a significant turning point. With over 2.3 million breast cancer cases diagnosed globally each year, most of them HR+, the potential scale of impact is enormous.

A heat pump unit on a home exterior, representing U.S. heat pump sales growth supported by the Kigali Amendment

Heat pumps outsell gas furnaces in the U.S. for the second year running

By / / Good News For Humankind

Heat pump sales have now surpassed gas furnace shipments in the United States for two consecutive years, with more than 4 million units sold in 2023 alone — a milestone that is beginning to look like a permanent market shift. Driven by federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act and additional state-level rebates, Americans are increasingly choosing electric heating over fossil fuels. This matters because home heating accounts for roughly 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and unlike gas furnaces, heat pumps grow cleaner automatically as the electrical grid adds more renewable energy. The two-year streak signals that economics, policy, and technology have aligned in ways that rarely reverse.

Karla Sofia Gascón at 2024 Cannes Film Festival

Karla Sofía Gascón just became the first out trans actor to score an Oscar nomination

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made history by announcing that Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón has been nominated for an Oscar for her lead performance in Emilia Pérez. Gascón, who starred in the Spanish language musical as a Mexican drug lord who begins a new life after coming out as trans, is the first openly transgender performer ever to receive an acting nomination in the Academy’s 95-year history.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Georgia certified malaria-free

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The country of Georgia has been certified malaria-free following a nearly century-long fight to combat the disease, the World Health Organization has announced. It joins 45 countries that have achieved this milestone. Malaria has plagued Georgia since ancient times. During the post-war period, Georgia launched an intensive program focused on eliminating malaria. The campaign successfully interrupted the transmission of many strains by 1970 and the country remained malaria-free for 25 years. But by 2002 the disease had reemerged.

Solar farm in the desert

Abu Dhabi to build world’s largest solar energy project

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Abu Dhabi will soon be home to a 5.2-GW solar farm, enough to power 750,000 homes and become the world’s new largest-ever solar energy project. The project will cost US$6 billion, and is set to be commissioned in 2027. It will consist of around 10 million solar panels across 20 square miles, more than 10,000 football fields. The new project in Abu Dhabi not only earns the United Arab Emirates major bragging rights, but also gets it closer to its Net Zero by 2050 target.

Rainforest canopy

The Democratic Republic of Congo to create the Earth’s largest protected tropical forest reserve

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An area covering the size of France will now be protected through partnerships with communities that integrates conservation and restoration with green economic development. This forms the world’s largest protected forest area and consists of a network of economic hubs built on sustainable agricultural production and powered by renewable energy derived from the hydropower potential of the Congo River. The initiative aims to create 500,000 new jobs and transfer a million tons of food annually to Kinshasa, Africa’s largest city.