Photo: Getty Images/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s Squirrel News: a landmark High Seas Treaty enters into force, Zurich expands healthcare access for undocumented residents, and an “oyster graveyard” in Dublin is revived as part of an ambitious ecosystem restoration effort.
The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the BBNJ, has finally come into effect, marking a “monumental milestone for global ocean protection and multilateral cooperation”. NGOs are now focused on making sure the landmark deal delivers real-world conservation outcomes.
Source: Oceanographic Magazine
After operating as a pilot for two years, Zurich’s city-funded healthcare programme for uninsured people will now become permanent. The decision by the city parliament means undocumented residents can access treatment for chronic and long-term conditions, ending a system in which care was largely limited to medical emergencies.
Source: Alpine Weekly
Researchers have designed a liquid biopsy that tells doctors how likely a patient is to respond to a specific treatment, even before it begins. The test has the potential to be gamechanging because it means patients could be offered alternative options, and avoid treatments that won’t help them, boosting their chances of beating the disease.
Source: The Guardian
In a pilot study, seven out of eight patients with hypotony responded to the treatment, which uses a low-cost, transparent gel. Unlike traditional treatments such as silicone oil – which can be toxic over time and blur vision – the gel is injected into the eye as an ongoing therapy, allowing light to pass through clearly while supporting eye structure.
Source: BBC News
A portable ultrasound device no bigger than a TV remote is helping protect the lives of new and expectant mothers across sub-Saharan Africa. While maternal deaths have fallen in recent years, access to scans remains out of reach for many women, making affordable, mobile technology a crucial tool in preventing complications.
Source: BBC News
From a cafe where customers are encouraged to order brews and bites in British Sign Language to architectural design that prioritises visual communication, a growing number of projects are improving accessibility for the hard of hearing.
Source: Positive News
A commercial down payment programme led by the Miami Foundation is helping small businesses in Miami remain in their neighborhoods by supporting property ownership. The Collective Real Estate Ownership initiative has already assisted 30 business owners in buying the buildings they once rented, offering long-term security amid rising real estate costs.
Source: Next City
A pioneering project in Dublin’s Dún Laoghaire harbour is betting that a species that thrived here for millennia can do so again. By feeding on plankton and nitrates, the oysters clear algae and help sunlight to reach the seafloor, boosting sea grass which in turns helps other species and improves coastal biodiversity and marine habitat.
Source: The Guardian
Combining trees and pasture through silvopastoral systems could be a solution to curb the environmental impacts of cattle production. Despite slow uptake across Latin America largely due to costs and lack of expertise, ranchers in the Peruvian Amazon are testing pilot projects on degraded land.
Source: Mongabay
Many people believe society is getting worse, yet research paints a more hopeful picture. Dr Paul Hanel, a psychology researcher, examines why perceptions of decline persist and what the evidence actually shows about social progress.
Source: Positive News
