Sick of the news being a constant stream of scariness and negativity? Constant doom and gloom getting you down? Here's some of the good things that happened recently you might not have heard about:

- A man from London appears to be the second person ever to be cured of HIV https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/40-year-old-man-confirmed-to-be-worlds-second-person-cured-of-hiv-after-30-months-virus-free/

- A sustainable substitute for leather made from cactus was invented https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/men-design-leather-out-of-cactus/

- A new kind of bacteria was discovered that can break down pollutants https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/02/newly-found-bacteria-fights-climate-change-soil-pollutants

- A 23-year-old British design graduate invented a biodegradable plastic substitute https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/14/plastic-substitute-made-of-fish-waste-hauls-in-uk-designer-dyson-award

- In Spain, the Cantabrian brown bear has made a comeback from the brink of extinction https://phys.org/news/2019-10-northwest-spain-efforts.html

- Petroleum company Equinor backs down on plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-25/equinor-abandons-plan-to-drill-for-oil-in-great-australian-bight/11997910

- In a world first, a middle ear transplant using 3D printed bones was used to cure deafness https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3662/Surgeon-Successfully-Performs-First-Ever-Transplant-Surgery-To-Cure-Deafness

There's so much good in the world, it just doesn't sell as many papers as reporting on the bad stuff.

Thanks for digging and sharing these! They are fascinating!

Thanks for the breath of fresh air Curl, we could all do with a bit more positive thinking!

There are bioplastics already but they are suitable for some not all applications

Thanks for this, the HIV one is definitely the best news, imo.

Nice idea for a thread! In other good news, your cancer treatment is going well last I heard. Just want to wish you another big congrats!

Cheers guys, I was getting a little weary of the all doom and gloom in the media myself; digging up some positive stories made me feel a little better so I hoped it might give others a bit of a lift too.

Thanks man! Yeah I've finished radiation therapy and the latest scans say it had good results. In two days I have a meeting with my oncologist where I'll hopefully get a date for surgery in early April to remove it. If all goes well, by this time next month it could be gone. :)

Don't get me started on 3D printers. I work for an invisible braces company. Do you know how much waste is generated from 3D printing? Hey everyone's teeth are straight but the landfills are full of plastic.

Thank you so much, Curl!

Most of those things will have a bigger effect on humanity than the virus can only dream to have.