HUMANS + SCIENCE + PROGRESS — Page 3

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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PROGRESS

Texas’ grid had a boring summer.

Demand broke records. The emergency alerts did not arrive. Since 2023, Texas added 19.5 GW of solar and 16 GW of battery storage.

SOURCEU.S. Energy Information Administration / ERCOT

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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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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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PROGRESS

10 NYC food carts just went quiet.

A six-month pilot will replace gasoline generators with batteries, cutting fumes and noise while gathering real-world data for thousands of street vendors.

SOURCENYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice

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PROGRESS

Hot rock is now feeding a commercial power grid.

The first 33-megawatt block is earning revenue under a power-purchase agreement. Two more blocks are due to complete the 100-megawatt first phase.

SOURCEFervo Energy

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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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PROGRESS

California legalized plug-in balcony solar.

SB 868 treats certified portable solar more like a household appliance: utilities may require a simple online registration, but not prior approval.

SOURCECalifornia Legislative Information — SB 868

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PROGRESS

Australia’s high court made coal planners account for overseas emissions.

The 3–2 ruling invalidated an expansion approval after the planning commission focused on only 2% of projected emissions and did not consider conditions for the other 98%.

SOURCEHigh Court of Australia

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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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