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

Costa Rica unveils plan to achieve zero emissions by 2050 in climate change fight

Costa Rica has launched an economy-wide plan to “decarbonize” the country by 2050, as the Central American nation aims to show other nations what is possible to address climate change.

25/02/2019 The Guardian

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

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

Atlanta’s Civil War Monument, Minus the Pro-Confederate Bunkum

A new exhibition of a gigantic painting uses historical fact to dispel Lost Cause mythology.

17/03/2019 The Atlantic

Could Your Mindset Affect How Well A Treatment Works?

Researchers are learning that attitude can have measurable effects on health. For a food allergy therapy, thinking of stressful side effects as positive signals helped patients complete the treatment.

01/03/2019 NPR

April

‘Erisology,’ the New Science of Arguing About Everything

Disagreement is central to our lives online, and it deserves an academic discipline of its own.

07/04/2019 The Atlantic

Pope donates $500,000 for migrants stranded in Mexico

The money will help provide housing, food and basic needs for thousands trying to reach the US.

27/04/2019 BBC

Housebound Parkinson's patients have movement restored

An electrical stimulus can help revive mobility for people with the disease, scientists have discovered.

22/04/2019 BBC

May

Cambridge scientists create world’s first living organism with fully redesigned DNA

Researchers create altered synthetic genome, in move with potential medical benefits

15/05/2019 The Guardian

Robert Smith’s Real Gift to Morehouse

The billionaire didn’t just pay off graduates debts, he offered an invaluable lesson about the real nature of individual success.

27/05/2019 The Atlantic

The Radical Plan to Change How Antibiotics Get Developed

The traditional structure of the pharma business doesn't work for antibiotics. The answer might lie in removing profit from the equation.

28/05/2019 Wired

June

Days of wine and wind power: What Europe's greenest city can teach us

Copenhagen is packed with environmental statements, projects, test-beds and innovations.

29/06/2019 Sydney Morning Herald

Disney Heiress Calls For Wealth Tax: 'We Have To Draw A Line'

Abigail Disney is among the super-rich speaking out against income inequality. When Disney workers told her they were rationing insulin and sleeping in cars, she says she felt an indescribable rage.

29/06/2019 NPR

Mental illness: is there really a global epidemic?

As the Guardian launches a series looking into the extent of the global mental health challenge, we examine the issue, how it is treated and the myths surrounding it

03/06/2019 The Guardian

July

Kindness Vs. Cruelty: Helping Kids Hear The Better Angels Of Their Nature

A hardwired, us-vs.-them mentality can easily pull kids away from kindness, toward cruelty. Here's what parents can do about it.

05/07/2019 NPR

Most Wikipedia Profiles Are of Men. This Scientist Is Changing That.

Jessica Wade has added nearly 700 Wikipedia biographies for important female and minority scientists in less than two years.

19/07/2019 New York Times

It’s New York vs. California in a New Climate Race. Who Will Win?

The two giant states have set some of the world's most ambitious climate targets, aiming to slash emissions close to zero in just decades.

08/07/2019 New York Times

August

Coordinating Care Of Mind And Body Might Help Medicaid Save Money And Lives

Tennessee's innovative Medicaid program is offering bonuses to mental health providers who help make sure their Medicaid patients get preventive help and treatment for physical ailments, too.

07/08/2019 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

Same-sex penguin couple adopt abandoned egg in attempt to become parents

The Berlin Zoo's two male penguins have been caring for the egg since July and have long sought to be new parents. The pair will find out in September if they are successful.

09/08/2019 Deutsche Welle

September

‘It’s the only way to combat single-use plastics’: Birmingham’s zero-waste supermarket

Such is the success of the Clean Kilo – where shoppers reuse containers to buy locally sourced groceries – that a second store is now in the pipeline

24/09/2019 The Guardian

Seasonal diets could be the answer to food sustainability

By eating produce grown close to home, we can reduce our carbon emissions and reconnect with the land

30/09/2019 The Independent

'It gave me hope': New Zealand charity gives refugees bikes and teaches them to ride

Bike riding courses run in Auckland are such a hit that ReBicycle is urgently looking for more volunteers

01/09/2019 The Guardian

October

Chicago residents turn a neglected house into a thriving community center

Six years ago, Robbin Carroll stood on a street corner in Chicago's turbulent West Englewood neighborhood. She handed out sandwiches and asked anyone who walked by, "Do you want to take back your community?"

04/10/2019 CNN

Experimental cancer drug that targets gene mutation can shrink tumours

A drug that targets cancers with a mutated KRAS gene removed tumours in 8 out of 10 mice and shrunk tumours in 2 out of 4 people

30/10/2019 NewScientist

Ocean Cleanup’s New Plastic-Catcher … Kinda Already Exists?

The anti-plastic crusaders have another plan to keep junk from reaching the sea: trash-eating barges in rivers.

26/10/2019 Wired

November

Chew On This: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity

Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are using food waste to create renewable energy. Each farm produces enough to power about 1,500 homes. This helps prevent the release of methane, a greenhouse gas.

30/11/2019 NPR