Archive of Human Genius

The world’s largest database of good news and social change milestones from throughout human history

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  • Mangrove forest
    2024 C.E. February 5

    Pakistan has expanded mangroves nearly threefold between 1986 and 2020

    Around the world, mangrove forests have undergone a decades-long decline that’s just now slowing to a halt. But Pakistan bucks this trend. The country’s mangroves expanded from 48,331 hectares in 1986 to 143,930 hectares in 2020, according to a 2022 analysis of satellite data. Many in Pakistan are looking to mangroves to bolster precious fish stocks and defend against the mounting effects of climate change.


  • Woman holding Turkish flags
    2024 C.E. February 2

    Women in Turkey win right to keep surnames after marriage

    Women in Turkey can use their own surnames after they marry, now that a rule forcing them to take their husband’s surname has been overturned. Article 187 of the Turkish civil code previously stated that a woman had to take her husband’s surname upon marriage, however she could use her own surname first “with a written application to the marriage officer or later to the civil registry office.” The new decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court came into effect on January 28, following a ruling in April 2023.


  • Squirrel monkey
    2024 C.E. February 1

    New fund supports Indigenous-led land management in biodiverse area of Bolivia

    The Wildlife Conservation Society launched the new funding mechanism, in collaboration with Bolivia’s Foundation for the Development of the National System of Protected Areas. The new mechanism will channel conservation funds to Indigenous organizations in the Madidi Landscape, one of the most biodiverse terrestrial protected areas in the world. The new fund has so far attracted $650,000 in initial support from the Bezos Earth Fund.


  • Meskel Square traffic in Addis Ababa
    2024 C.E. February 1

    Ethiopia to ban non-electric car imports

    The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics recently announced that motor vehicles will soon be banned from importation in favor of electric vehicles. This measure is part of the Green development master plan 2021-2030 approved by the Ethiopian parliament, which aims to import at least 152,800 electric vehicles over 10 years.


  • Depiction of nerve cells
    2024 C.E. February 1

    Researchers discover an effective non-opioid treatment for nerve pain

    Many available pain medications aren’t effective in reducing this often-debilitating type of chronic pain. However, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), in collaboration with UT Dallas and the University of Miami, may have advanced the treatment of neuropathic pain by discovering a molecule that reduces mechanical hypersensitivity in mice.


  • Woman putting organic waste in the compost bin
    2024 C.E. February 1

    France implements compulsory composting

    As of January 2024, municipalities in France must now provide residents with ways to sort bio-waste, which includes food scraps, vegetable peels, expired food and garden waste. Households and businesses are required to dispose of organic matter either in a dedicated small bin for home collection or at a municipal collection point. The waste will then be turned into biogas or compost to replace chemical fertilizers.


  • Traffic in a Chinese city
    2024 C.E. January 31

    25% of new car sales in China were fully electric in 2023 for the first time ever

    Electric vehicles sales in China, the world's largest automotive market, are surging. All plugin models accounted for 37% of the market in 2023, up from just 6% at the end of 2021. Full electrics (BEVs) alone accounted for 25%. Plugins are expected to cross the 50% mark for plugins and electric by 2026, with BEVs likely to account for over a third of sales, if current trends persist.


  • Empty office desk and chairs
    2024 C.E. January 31

    Germany launches large four-day workweek trial

    In February, 45 companies and organizations in Europe's largest economy will introduce a 4-day workweek for half a year. Employees will continue to receive their full salary. Advocates argue that a 4-day workweek would increase worker productivity and, by consequence, help alleviate the country's skilled labor shortage.


  • Chromosomes
    2024 C.E. January 31

    Gene therapy hailed as ‘medical magic wand’ for hereditary swelling disorder

    Hereditary angioedema, or HAE, is a rare disease that affects about one in 50,000 people. It is caused by a genetic mutation that leaves patients with leaky blood vessels, causing erratic bouts of swelling. Dr. Hilary Longhurst, the principal investigator at New Zealand's Te Toka Tumai, Auckland City hospital, said the new single-dose therapy appeared to provide a permanent cure for her patients’ “very disabling symptoms”.


  • Streets of Palau Koror and coves of coral reefs
    2024 C.E. January 29

    Palau is the first nation to ratify treaty to protect high seas

    Palau has become the first nation to ratify the high seas treaty, a legally binding international agreement that seeks to protect and manage ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction. Other countries, including Chile and the Maldives, are engaged in their ratification processes, pushing the treaty closer to becoming international law. The establishment of the high seas treaty has been under debate for nearly two decades, but U.N. member states finally reached a consensus to approve the treaty in March 2023.


  • Mangrove forest
    2024 C.E. February 5

    Pakistan has expanded mangroves nearly threefold between 1986 and 2020

    Around the world, mangrove forests have undergone a decades-long decline that’s just now slowing to a halt. But Pakistan bucks this trend. The country’s mangroves expanded from 48,331 hectares in 1986 to 143,930 hectares in 2020, according to a 2022 analysis of satellite data. Many in Pakistan are looking to mangroves to bolster precious fish stocks and defend against the mounting effects of climate change.


  • Woman holding Turkish flags
    2024 C.E. February 2

    Women in Turkey win right to keep surnames after marriage

    Women in Turkey can use their own surnames after they marry, now that a rule forcing them to take their husband’s surname has been overturned. Article 187 of the Turkish civil code previously stated that a woman had to take her husband’s surname upon marriage, however she could use her own surname first “with a written application to the marriage officer or later to the civil registry office.” The new decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court came into effect on January 28, following a ruling in April 2023.


  • Squirrel monkey
    2024 C.E. February 1

    New fund supports Indigenous-led land management in biodiverse area of Bolivia

    The Wildlife Conservation Society launched the new funding mechanism, in collaboration with Bolivia’s Foundation for the Development of the National System of Protected Areas. The new mechanism will channel conservation funds to Indigenous organizations in the Madidi Landscape, one of the most biodiverse terrestrial protected areas in the world. The new fund has so far attracted $650,000 in initial support from the Bezos Earth Fund.


  • Meskel Square traffic in Addis Ababa
    2024 C.E. February 1

    Ethiopia to ban non-electric car imports

    The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics recently announced that motor vehicles will soon be banned from importation in favor of electric vehicles. This measure is part of the Green development master plan 2021-2030 approved by the Ethiopian parliament, which aims to import at least 152,800 electric vehicles over 10 years.


  • Depiction of nerve cells
    2024 C.E. February 1

    Researchers discover an effective non-opioid treatment for nerve pain

    Many available pain medications aren’t effective in reducing this often-debilitating type of chronic pain. However, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), in collaboration with UT Dallas and the University of Miami, may have advanced the treatment of neuropathic pain by discovering a molecule that reduces mechanical hypersensitivity in mice.


  • Woman putting organic waste in the compost bin
    2024 C.E. February 1

    France implements compulsory composting

    As of January 2024, municipalities in France must now provide residents with ways to sort bio-waste, which includes food scraps, vegetable peels, expired food and garden waste. Households and businesses are required to dispose of organic matter either in a dedicated small bin for home collection or at a municipal collection point. The waste will then be turned into biogas or compost to replace chemical fertilizers.


  • Traffic in a Chinese city
    2024 C.E. January 31

    25% of new car sales in China were fully electric in 2023 for the first time ever

    Electric vehicles sales in China, the world's largest automotive market, are surging. All plugin models accounted for 37% of the market in 2023, up from just 6% at the end of 2021. Full electrics (BEVs) alone accounted for 25%. Plugins are expected to cross the 50% mark for plugins and electric by 2026, with BEVs likely to account for over a third of sales, if current trends persist.


  • Empty office desk and chairs
    2024 C.E. January 31

    Germany launches large four-day workweek trial

    In February, 45 companies and organizations in Europe's largest economy will introduce a 4-day workweek for half a year. Employees will continue to receive their full salary. Advocates argue that a 4-day workweek would increase worker productivity and, by consequence, help alleviate the country's skilled labor shortage.


  • Chromosomes
    2024 C.E. January 31

    Gene therapy hailed as ‘medical magic wand’ for hereditary swelling disorder

    Hereditary angioedema, or HAE, is a rare disease that affects about one in 50,000 people. It is caused by a genetic mutation that leaves patients with leaky blood vessels, causing erratic bouts of swelling. Dr. Hilary Longhurst, the principal investigator at New Zealand's Te Toka Tumai, Auckland City hospital, said the new single-dose therapy appeared to provide a permanent cure for her patients’ “very disabling symptoms”.


  • Streets of Palau Koror and coves of coral reefs
    2024 C.E. January 29

    Palau is the first nation to ratify treaty to protect high seas

    Palau has become the first nation to ratify the high seas treaty, a legally binding international agreement that seeks to protect and manage ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction. Other countries, including Chile and the Maldives, are engaged in their ratification processes, pushing the treaty closer to becoming international law. The establishment of the high seas treaty has been under debate for nearly two decades, but U.N. member states finally reached a consensus to approve the treaty in March 2023.



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