A first...

• The first in her tenure, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey just commuted the death sentence of Robin Dion “Rocky” Meyers. Meyers was sentenced to death by a judge after the jury recommended a life sentence. It’s the first commutation of a death sentence in the state since 1999.
• This is incredible news, especially since the state of Alabama banned the use of judicial override in 2017. The next thing we need to do is abolish the death penalty for good.

Science & Technology

Scientists invented a new self-powered biosensor that can detect and kill bacteria to make water safer worldwide

In a breakthrough that could help provide safe drinking water worldwide, a team of researchers developed a new self-powered biosensor that can detect E. coli bacteria in water and destroy them immediately.

Traditional biosensors typically need external power sources and tend to degrade over time, but this new sensor overcomes those issues, using three main components to power itself.

The researchers said the sensor is able to detect the bacteria at extremely low concentrations, successfully differentiates bacteria strains, and functions over multiple uses. It showed 91.06% to 101.9% detection accuracy when tested on actual seawater.

Why is this good news? Traditional methods for decontaminating water are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and also require specialized equipment and trained staff. While the scientists say more research needs to be done to scale the discovery, it could have huge ramifications for bringing clean, safe drinking water to people all over the world.

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More Good News

​New computer modeling shows that a disastrous Atlantic current shutdown is unlikely this century. A climate change-triggered shutdown of AMOC could wreak havoc with global rain patterns, dramatically cool Europe while warming the rest of the world, and raise sea levels on America’s East Coast — a disaster scenario fictionalized in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”

​Farmers in the U.S. are suing the USDA for removing climate data, which they depend on to grow food, from its website. One tool that was removed allowed farmers to assess their risk level was an interactive map published by the U.S. Forest Service, which combined over 140 different datasets and allowed land managers to see how climate change is expected to impact natural resources throughout the country.

​The Minnesota House rejected a bill that would have banned transgender athletes from competing on girls’ sports teams. The Minnesota High School League has allowed students to participate on teams that best align with their gender identity for 10 years, and opponents of the bill said it would discriminate against trans women and girls and has major enforcement issues.

Interesting story

A decommissioned wind turbine was transformed into an eco-friendly tiny home — its design is scalable to ‘2,000 houses a year’

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good progress

Solar and battery storage are projected to lead new energy generating capacity in the U.S. this year

In 2025, the U.S. is expected to add 63 gigawatts of new utility-scale, electric-generating capacity. That represents nearly a 30% increase over 2024, which saw the largest capacity installation in a single year since 2002.

Solar and battery storage account for 81% of those total capacity additions — with solar alone representing more than half of the increase.

Last year, a record 30 GW of utility-scale solar was added to the U.S. grid, making up 61% of capacity additions — and that trend is expected to continue this year, with 32.5 GW slated to be added. Texas and California account for almost half of that, while Indiana, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, and New York will add more than 1 GW each.

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More Good bits

🏊‍♂️ It’s leading energy generating capacity on Michael Phelps’ home, too.

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico will get its day in court with the oil and gas industry.

☕️ As kids we had the tooth fairy. Now we have the bar fairy. (TikTok)

🪧 There were protests at national parks around the U.S. last weekend — it was a beautiful sight. (TikTok)

🦜 Listening is powerful: In Costa Rica, it’s saving ecosystems.

What’s good?

As the first wind turbines start to be decommissioned around the world, it puts me at ease knowing so many smart people are already hard at work to make sure we’re not just creating more waste — Denmark even created fully recyclable ones!​

Which story did you like reading best today?

Reply and tell me which one caught your attention!

— Megan