The rest of the world had a hard week. Here are five things that went right anyway.
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1. Reading this may be protecting your brain.
A study published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that people who stayed mentally active throughout their lives — reading, writing, learning languages, visiting museums, playing games — developed Alzheimer’s disease an average of five years later than those who did not. For mild cognitive impairment, the delay was seven years. After accounting for age, sex, and education, higher lifetime cognitive enrichment was linked to a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and a 36% lower risk of mild cognitive impairment.
The study followed 1,939 adults and looked at mental stimulation across every life stage — including something as simple as having access to books, a newspaper, or a library card. Among the participants with the highest enrichment, 21% developed Alzheimer’s. Among those with the lowest, 34% did. Autopsy data from participants who died during the study found that intellectually active people maintained higher cognitive function even when their brains already showed the protein buildup associated with the disease. The stimulation appeared to build a buffer — the brain kept working even as the disease progressed underneath.
The researchers’ conclusion was as much a policy statement as a medical finding: “Public investments that expand access to enriching environments, like libraries and early education programs designed to spark a lifelong love of learning, may help reduce the incidence of dementia.” It is not too late to start. Participants ranged in age from 65 to 94 at enrollment, and the benefits held across the board.
Sources: ScienceDaily / American Academy of Neurology (confirmed this session); Neuroscience News (confirmed this session)
2. Croatia can walk freely in its own country.
In February 2026, the Croatian government formally declared the country free of landmine hazard — completing a 30-year effort that removed over 107,000 mines and 470,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance at a cost of €1.2 billion, and fulfilled Croatia’s obligations under the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
The mines were laid during Croatia’s war of independence, which began in 1991 after the collapse of Yugoslavia. When the fighting ended, the death and destruction lingered in the ground. Over the following three decades, more than 200 civilians and 60 professional deminers were killed. Hundreds more were injured. People were cut off from their farmland, their forests, their livelihoods — by explosives buried just beneath the surface of their own country.
Davorin Cetin was cleaning a yard in a Croatian village when a landmine exploded metres away, leaving him badly injured and killing a close friend instantly. It took him two decades and more than a dozen operations before he felt safe stepping on grass again. When Croatia made its declaration, he had four words: “We can walk freely.”
The European Union contributed approximately €286.7 million to the effort — about 24% of the total cost — over nearly three decades of sustained partnership. The work is a model. Around the world, millions of people still live with landmines underfoot. Croatia’s 30 years of unglamorous, expensive, dangerous clearance work shows what it looks like when a country decides to finish the job.
Sources: AFP via Yahoo News (confirmed this session); Croatia Week (confirmed this session); European Commission Regional Policy (confirmed this session)
3. Scientists built a battery that runs on dirt.
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a fuel cell the size of a paperback book that generates electricity from microbes living in soil. The device works by capturing electrons released as bacteria break down organic matter in the ground — a process that has been happening in every field on earth for billions of years. They just figured out how to catch them.
The breakthrough was a change in geometry. Previous soil-based microbial fuel cells failed because they couldn’t stay both hydrated and oxygenated underground. The new design places the anode horizontally beneath the soil to stay moist, while the cathode extends vertically to the surface to access air — solving both problems at once. In tests, the device reliably powered soil moisture and touch sensors, transmitting data wirelessly, even through dry conditions and flooding.
The practical target is precision agriculture: underground sensors that monitor soil health and crop conditions without ever needing a battery replacement or maintenance visit. Conventional batteries hold toxic, flammable chemicals, leach into the ground, carry conflict-laden supply chains, and pile up as electronic waste. This one runs on bacteria, improves with rain, and will outlast anything in a drawer.
Sources: Northwestern University / ScienceDaily (confirmed this session); Electropages (confirmed this session)
4. More than 130 governments just gave migratory animals safe passage.
At the COP15 migratory species conference in Brazil this month, more than 130 governments agreed on new and expanded protections for species that cross borders — including manta rays, jaguars, and migratory birds. The agreement strengthens cross-border wildlife connectivity on land and sea, reduces bycatch in fishing, and establishes what the WWF called “blue corridors” for turtles and “flyways” for birds that will allow species to move, feed, and breed across national boundaries without the protections disappearing at the border.
BirdLife International called it “a major breakthrough for migratory birds.” The WWF described it as “a vital step for both people and nature.” The hard part, as always, is delivery — scientists at the conference warned that 49% of the migratory species covered by the agreement are already in decline, up from 44% just two years ago. The agreement matters precisely because the window is narrowing.
Animals that migrate don’t get to negotiate their own treaties. This week, 130 governments did it for them.
Sources: Positive News (confirmed this session), citing WWF and BirdLife International
5. Algeria just eliminated the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness.
Trachoma is a bacterial infection spread by contaminated fingers and flies. It causes the eyelid to turn inward, so that with every blink, the eyelashes scrape across the cornea. Over years, it scars the eye irreversibly. It is entirely preventable. It is the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness, and it has been devastating communities without clean water or sanitation for centuries.
This week, the World Health Organization validated Algeria as the 29th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem — an achievement the WHO called an “historic triumph.” The success was built on Algeria’s school health system, broad access to water and sanitation, and sustained coverage of specialized eye care. It did not happen overnight. It happened because the country decided to make it happen and kept deciding that, year after year, until it was done.
“This milestone proves that with sustained political will and on-the-ground leadership from committed health professionals, we can eliminate neglected tropical diseases and build a healthier, more resilient future for all,” said WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Twenty-nine countries down. The work continues.
Sources: Positive News (confirmed this session), citing WHO
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1789