HUMANS + SCIENCE + WEIRD JOY — Page 2

A tiny sensor gave people with type 2 diabetes five more hours in range.

A randomized trial found continuous glucose monitoring added about five hours a day in the target range—even without insulin.

SOURCENew England Journal of Medicine

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SCIENCE

Ghana cut malaria deaths 98%.

Reported malaria deaths fell from 3,259 in 2011 to 52 in 2025.

SOURCEGhana Health Service

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SCIENCE

A Swedish CAR-T trial saw complete responses in 8 of 12 patients.

Eight complete responses. Twelve patients.

SOURCEElicera Therapeutics

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A health worker opens a vaccine cooler as a family waits nearby, rendered in a premium cream, black and yellow cut-paper editorial collage.

SCIENCE

Vaccines prevented 2.2 million future deaths in one year.

The future changed 2.2 million times.

SOURCEGavi, the Vaccine Alliance

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SCIENCE

An experimental drug shielded celiac patients during a gluten challenge.

A 32-person study found less injury and fewer symptoms—but it is still early.

SOURCEReuters / AnaptysBio

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SCIENCE

Patient feedback cut an epilepsy monitor’s false alarms by about 80%.

A monitor improved when patients could explain what its sensors got wrong.

SOURCENational Institutes of Health / Nature Medicine

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SCIENCE

River blindness transmission is gone from 11 of 13 Americas foci.

A new WHO review says transmission now remains only in the remote cross-border Yanomami Focus Area shared by Brazil and Venezuela.

SOURCEWorld Health Organization

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SCIENCE

A rare-disease drug reported zero new bone lesions through 84 weeks.

In the OPTIMA extension, adults who stayed on Pasatru had no new lesions detected between weeks 56 and 84; the placebo group had nine.

SOURCERegeneron / The Lancet

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SCIENCE

Taiwan reached a 92.7% Hepatitis C treatment rate.

More than 7.86 million people have been screened. Diagnosis reached 92.4%, treatment 92.7%, and treatment in key high-risk groups 95%.

SOURCECommercial Times (Taiwan)

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SCIENCE

An mRNA vaccine formulation kept working after two months at body-heat temperatures.

A preclinical formulation held onto its biological activity for more than two months at 37°C—and matched fresh material in mouse immune-response tests.

SOURCENature Biotechnology

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SCIENCE

A phase 3 lung-fibrosis drug preserved breathing better than placebo.

The lower dose met the trial’s main goal over 52 weeks. The higher dose did not, and the detailed results are not yet published.

SOURCEReuters / Bristol Myers Squibb

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HUMANS

Rwanda cut maternal mortality 27%.

Five years, a 27% decline, and a health system still pushing: Rwanda is pairing community care with faster records and referrals.

SOURCENational Institute of Statistics of Rwanda

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HUMANS

The UK made a free emergency plan for every neighborhood.

Eight practical modules help communities turn names, skills and local knowledge into a plan before the next disruption arrives.

SOURCEReady Together

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SCIENCE

Latvia’s new alcohol rules were followed by a 27% drop in alcohol-specific deaths.

WHO/Europe calls the result an early signal: the evaluation covers five months and independent peer review is pending.

SOURCEWorld Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

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HUMANS

Students redirected 30,000 pounds of medical supplies before they were thrown away.

Project MedBridge moved about 50 pallets of unopened N95 respirators and therapy packs into a distribution network serving underresourced health facilities.

SOURCEProject MedBridge / Reasons to Be Cheerful

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SCIENCE

Six people with advanced retinal disease became measurably more sensitive to light.

In a 10-person safety trial, an experimental optogenetic treatment produced clinically meaningful light-sensitivity gains in six participants. It did not restore normal sight.

SOURCENew England Journal of Medicine

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