Up first...

✝️ In his first Sunday address at the Vatican, newly elected Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire in Gaza, “lasting peace” in Ukraine, and made a general appeal to “the powerful people of the world” for “no more war.”

🐢 A massive crowd-sourced wildlife observation challenge recorded a record-breaking 3.3 million observations from around 103,000 participants — the data informs species conservation and enhances understanding of global biodiversity.

Tech & innovation

A design lab invented a first-of-its-kind 3D-printed wheelchair for kids — and is giving them away for free

The team at MakeGood NOLA, a New Orleans-based adaptive design lab, has made something that can transform the world for disabled children: the world’s first fully 3D-printed wheelchair.

The lab’s design is “modular and easy to make,” and fully compatible with a regular 3D printer anyone can have in their home. And once the prototype is completely finished, it will be available as a fair-use download that anyone can use for free.

Because of its modular design, the wheelchair can be put together without any tools or glue. And if any part of it breaks or is damaged, users can simply re-print the single piece they need.

Why is this good news? The average pediatric wheelchair can cost thousands of dollars. And when children grow and their needs evolve — or a wheelchair gets damaged — those costs multiply.

→ Read more​

More Good News

​Chemists identified a new molecular label that could lead to simpler, faster tuberculosis tests. The scientists overcame a major obstacle in testing for tuberculosis, identifying complex sugar molecules found in the bacteria’s thick cell wall, which helps make tuberculosis the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

​Forest managers and public health experts are joining forces to protect people from the health impacts of intensifying wildfires. Around 44 million people around the world are exposed to unhealthy air quality every year due to wildfires alone, and these exposures cause more than 670,000 premature deaths annually, more than one-third among women and young children.

​The Missouri state legislature voted to ban child marriage by raising the minimum age for marriage to 18 in all instances. Supporters of a full ban on child marriage say that allowing teenagers to marry leaves them vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking, and since married teenagers still lack the legal rights of adults, they cannot initiate divorce or access resources for victims of abuse.

​Fiji introduced ‘Loloma Hour’ to encourage tourists to spend an hour making a positive impact during their stay. Visitors can choose to give back to wildlife, the community, the reef, or the coastline with activities like guided nature walks, manta ray or iguana conservation, cooking classes, storytelling sessions or village visits, coral or mangrove planting, and more.

I need some good news...

I’m baaaaack. Last time, this was a really cathartic, helpful exercise for me — and based on your feedback, it was for you too.

So let’s do this again.

I’m going to pick one topic and look for progress we can all be genuinely hopeful about, and I’ll share what I find in Friday’s Goodnewsletter.

Reply right to this email and tell me what good news you need this week.

— Megan

People doing good

After fracturing his arm, this engineer hated his fiberglass cast — so he ‘4D-printed’ a better one

→ Read more​

good progress

Cycling in the city of London has increased by more than 50% — the shift is improving air quality

Over the past two years, cycling in the City of London has grown by more than 50% — with a record 139,000 people cycling every day in October 2024, up from 89,000 in 2022.

That also represents the largest increase since the city started recording cycling data in 1999.

People cycling now make up 56% of all traffic during peak community hours in the city, and the shift has also helped massively improve air quality, reducing toxic nitrogen dioxide emissions. Where 15 locations exceeded air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide in 2019, now only two do.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

📚 Good work on Independent Bookstore Day, everyone. (Instagram)

🌎 The Pope on climate change: A little less talk, a lot more action.​

🍾 Some action like this, perhaps! (Instagram Reels)

💰 This year’s Met Gala set a new fundraising record. (Paywall)

🦅 Colorado’s bald eagle population is soaring.​

What’s good?

Check out the pink box above for today’s question!

— Megan