Synopsis of last week's most important good news highlights.

New Way to Make Clean Water Discovered: Stanford University scientists have just come up with a new powder that could completely revolutionize people’s access to clean drinking water throughout the world.
Carbon-Negative Cement: The Washington Post reports that a new carbon-negative cement just received third-party certification that it’s structurally and chemically the same as regular cement. Cement accounts for about a twelfth of global carbon dioxide emissions, so this is very good news.
Whopping Price Reduction: The global price of polysilicon (the stuff they make solar panels from) has dropped by 78 percent over the past year, reports Bloomberg.
Planet-Friendly Diet: According to scientists at Harvard, people who follow a more sustainable diet - eating predominantly vegetables, greens, fruits and whole grains, while reducing meat, fish, eggs and cereals - had a 20 percent lower chance of death from neurodegenerative disease, and their risk of death from respiratory disease was cut by a whopping 50 percent. Overall a 'green' diet cut the risk of an early death by a quarter.
Woman to Lead Navy: Admiral Lisa Franchetti is set to become the first female to lead the U.S. Navy.
Seahorse Release: Scientists say they have completed the world's largest release of seahorses into Sydney Harbour to boost population numbers. The 380 juveniles were released with tags that will enable researchers to monitor their growth and reproductive success in the wild.
Amazon Rainforest: The eight South American nations that make up the Amazon rainforest will adopt Brazil’s pledge to end illegal deforestation by 2030, reports Bloomberg.
Footie Fans: Ticket sales for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand have set a new record. Close to 1.4 million tickets have been purchased for the 64 matches running until 20 August.
Charging Up: Seven major automakers say they’re joining forces to build a North American electric vehicle charging network that would rival Tesla’s and nearly double the number of fast-charging plugs in the U.S. and Canada. The aim is to have at least 30,000 plugs in urban areas and along travel corridors by 2030.
School Meals: Believed to be the largest of its kind in Africa, Kenya is launching a new free school meals program. Under the new scheme, 250,000 children living in the country's capital Nairobi will receive a hot meal every day.
Vegan Eco-Impact: An analysis of diets and farms led by Oxford University found that vegan diets had about 75 percent less emissions and land use compared to diets with high meat consumption. Vegan diets also had nearly 54 percent less water use than high meat diets and about 73 percent less water pollution via runoff. Plant-based diets also had less impact on biodiversity.
Baby Protection: The first RSV antibody treatment to protect all infants was just approved in the U.S. The treatment provides vaccine-like protection over the course of a single winter respiratory virus season and is the first time protection will be offered broadly to all healthy babies.
Good News For Movie Theatres: The social media-fuelled fusion of Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as 'Barbenheimer' brought moviegoers back to the theatres at the weekend in record numbers, with many seeing both films as a double feature.
Toyota Breakthrough: The Japanese firm says it can make a solid-state battery with a range of 745 miles that charges in 10 minutes and expects to start installing these new batteries in 2027.
Not So Fast: France is tackling 'fast fashion' with a scheme that will reward consumers who repair clothes and shoes with a €6 to €25 discount per item. The scheme aims to create new jobs in the repair sector and reduce the 700,000 tonnes of clothing that end up in French landfill every year.
Today's Articles
Bizarre Phenomenon: The ocean is still full of mysteries. One of the weirdest is a giant 'gravity hole' in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Anomaly...
Best One-Liners: Almost single handedly, Spike Milligan revolutionised comedy imagination and wit, inspiring the likes of Monty Python. Hilarious...
Hyper Voisins: Paris district sets up 'Republic of Good Neighbours'. A great idea that all cities could embrace. Friendly...
Online Atlas of Bird Migration: Remarkable new Audubon Society online tracker shows bird migrations across the Americas. Globetrotters...