From Romania to India, this week offered up plenty of good news. Firstly, preventative cancer treatment moved another step closer through research at the University of Oxford. The study showed that proteins which can indicate cancer can appear in people’s blood more than seven years before they are diagnosed with the disease. Identifying these proteins will bring scientists closer to preventing cancer with targeted drugs, once thought impossible, according to Dr Karl Smith-Byrne, senior molecular epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health. Lifestyle choices also play a big role in cancer prevention, including quitting smoking, lessening alcohol consumption, and exercising regularly.
Secondly, HPV vaccinations for teenage girls is leading to a massive reduction in cervical cancer, with cases being reduced by 90%, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Historically, cervical cancer seemed to impact the most deprived groups more than any other type of cancer, leading to concerns vaccinations might not reach those at greatest risk. However, new research by Queen Mary University of London shows the vaccination programme captured huge success in closing gaps between areas of high and low deprivation.
Thirdly, a herd of bison introduced by rewilding efforts to Romania’s Tarcu Mountains are sequestering 2 million tonnes of carbon per year, the equivalent of taking almost 1.8 million cars off the road, according to research at Yale School of the Environment. Grazing and browsing by the herbivores can create conditions for carbon-sequestering plant and animal life to thrive, an ecosystem with great carbon drawdown potential. Deforestation and habitat loss globally, however, have hindered the bison’s natural habitat, and rewilding efforts require funding and planning to establishes these animals back as functional ecosystems and “climate heroes,” according to Karl Wagner of the Global Rewilding Alliance.
Lastly, TikTok’s partnership with the UK’s National Literary Trust (NLT) will place twenty BookTok bookshelves in youth clubs and community centers identified as lacking in literary provision in Birmingham, Blackpool, Bradford, Doncaster, and London. Social media giant TikTok has inspired a generation of young readers, despite technology criticisms about attention span shortening. Through TikTok, NLT hopes to provide disadvantaged areas with access to books in a safe environment, improving literary provision among those identified lacking in these areas.
Overall, the positive news highlights the ongoing importance of preventative medicine, environmental efforts, and creating wider access to education for disadvantaged communities
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