The Best News of 2019

Best News of 2019

Every month good things happen. Hence in the tradition of the year in review we like to remind you of three randomly selected news articles of each month.

January

For january there are no articles in our database since BetterNews.eu only launched at the end of february 2019.

February

Hot, disabled and not afraid to show it

It's hard to find a new hashtag, but Andrew Gurza did just that, with #DisabledPeopleAreHot.

26/02/2019 BBC

Signs of ancient rivers on Mars revealed in new images

Discovery supports idea the Red Planet was once wetter and warmer

26/02/2019 The Independent

A New Form of Carbon Capture: CO2 Turned Into Coal, at Room Temperature

Carbon capture and sequestration via direct air methods - that is, from the ambient air rather than point sources - is a relatively new field in science. Even more so is turning that captured carbon into something stable - such as basalt rock.

27/02/2019 Reset.org

March

Top five greener transport ideas in Africa

From using the sun to power taxis to making boats out of plastic bottles, Eco Africa has featured lots of innovative ideas to make transport greener. Here are our top five.

15/03/2019 Deutsche Welle

Meet the world's first "minister for the unborn"

Sophie Howe is a public servant with a particularly tricky constituency. The people she represents are remote and unresponsive and they never show up to voice an opinion or tell her if she’s doing a good job. They don’t even vote.

02/03/2019 The Guardian

The five: back-from-the-brink species once thought extinct

From wild dogs to horned frogs, all manner of animals are still capable of keeping out of our sight, some for over 100 years This week, scientists in South America spotted a rare frog previously thought to be extinct. The Tropical Herving research…

10/03/2019 The Guardian

April

Girl finds her voice after brain surgery

Leia was born profoundly deaf but pioneering surgery and therapy has enabled her to hear sounds.

21/04/2019 BBC

Mosquito scent discovery could change a billion lives

US researchers genetically modify mosquitoes making females less likely to spread diseases like dengue and Zika.

01/04/2019 Al Jazeera

Amazon Employees Try a New Form of Activism, as Shareholders

Amid a wave of petitions and walkouts among tech workers, Amazon employees proposed a shareholder resolution around the company's impact on climate change.

11/04/2019 Wired

May

Green therapy: How gardening is helping to fight depression

A growing movement is promoting the role gardening can play in patient recovery and rehabilitation

13/05/2019 The Guardian

Malaria mosquitoes wiped out with GM fungus in first controlled 'real world' tests

Tests with genetically engineered parasite move out of lab and into 6,550sq ft screened enclosure in Burkina Faso, west Africa to understand if it could help stop 400,000 deaths a year

30/05/2019 The Independent

Would you pay $14 to help stop Bali drowning in plastic?

Indonesia is drowning in plastic. A new tax on tourists is just one of a string of reforms the Bali governor is introducing to tackle that problem.

11/05/2019 Sydney Morning Herald

June

Making space for female scientists' voices online, in the media and in person

At first glance, a recent study of the Wikipedia gender gap may seem unimportant, as anyone can publish on the platform. However, female editors regularly face online harassment and abuse in response to their work.

19/06/2019 Deutsche Welle

Prevention: the new holy grail of treating mental illness

Investment in keeping people well could save many lives and much money, experts say

08/06/2019 The Guardian

The science of influencing people: six ways to win an argument

Hidebound views on subjects such as the climate crisis and Brexit are the norm – but the appliance of science may sway stubborn opinions

30/06/2019 The Guardian

July

Beethoven behind bars: Peru rehabilitates inmates with music

In Peru, inmates under close watch play music with symphony orchestra as part of pioneering program to rehabilitate criminals

24/07/2019 Washington Post

How One Community Brought Child Mortality Down From 154 to 7 Per 1,000 Live Births

A 7-year trial in Mali provided house calls and health care at no charge for pregnant women and young children. The results inspired the president to make a bold pronouncement.

12/07/2019 NPR

First battery-powered cruise ship sails for the Arctic

The world's first cruise ship propelled partially by battery power is set to head out from northern Norway on its maiden voyage, cruise operator Hurtigruten said on Monday.

01/07/2019 Reuters

August

To Find The Next Antibiotic, Scientists Give Old Drugs A New Purpose

Scientists discovered that a medication used to treat parasites in horses can fight deadly staph infections. It's a promising new approach to solving the problem of antibiotic resistance.

12/08/2019 NPR

Everything you thought about the carbon footprint of imported food is wrong, says top professor

Bananas from Dominican Republic and apples from New Zealand are among the most carbon-friendly foods

11/08/2019 The Independent

The kindest thing I ever saw ...

The Guardian’s Upside series asked readers to tell us about random acts of kindness they have witnessed. Hundreds of emails later, we collate the best.

26/08/2019 The Guardian

September

Mind over natter: the English town with a big mental health plan

From gentle strolls to cups of tea, the market town of St Ives in Cambridgeshire is trying to confront isolation and mental distress

11/09/2019 The Guardian

Paris's Public Bike Sharing Schemes: Win or Fail for the Environment?

City-bike share schemes have long been touted as an eco-friendly form of urban mobility, part of the sustainability package of any modern city. But has Paris’s adoption made it a greener city? And does bike sharing in general have genuine…

30/09/2019 Reset.org

Let's All Just Chill About Processed Foods

Processed foods are bad for you, right? So super-processed, plant-based meat must be terrible, right? Not so fast on either count.

09/09/2019 Wired

October

Big oil to be eclipsed by the sun

Reasons to be cheerful include signs that a renewables revolution could soon end rising demand for fossil fuels

18/10/2019 The Guardian

Artificial leaf could turn sunlight into sustainable alternative to petrol, say scientists

Device could also make clean gas found in fuels, pharmaceuticals and plastics, it is hoped

21/10/2019 The Independent

'A beacon of hope' – Norwich council estate wins this year's Riba Stirling Prize for Britain's best new building

The eco-friendly Goldsmith Street development took 10 years to complete and is made up of 105 ultra low-energy homes

10/10/2019 The Independent

November

Africa poised to lead way in global green revolution, says report

Continent is set for massive urbanisation but can avoid relying on fossil fuels, says IEA

08/11/2019 The Guardian

Infecting Mosquitoes With Bacteria Could Have A Big Payoff

Scientists are trying to flip the script on mosquito control in an effort to combat dengue fever. Instead of trying to wipe them out, they're infecting them with bacteria.

21/11/2019 NPR

Plastic waste: Runners face littering disqualification

In a bid to make Conwy Half Marathon more eco-friendly, organisers are discouraging plastic waste.

17/11/2019 BBC