Lead Story
Five countries and territories recognized for eliminating major diseases across the Americas
At its 63rd Directing Council in late September, the Pan American Health Organization recognized five countries and territories for newly certified, validated or verified disease eliminations over the past year. Brazil was validated in December 2025 for ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV; Chile, already the first in the Americas verified for eliminating leprosy, became the first South American country validated for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies; El Salvador was validated for eliminating trachoma, a first for Central America; and both the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands were certified for ending mother-to-child HIV transmission, with the Turks and Caicos also becoming the first territory in the Americas validated for eliminating mother-to-child hepatitis B. PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said the achievements reflect decades of sustained vaccination, surveillance and treatment-access programs, part of a regional push to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases by 2030.
Read more →Lead Story
Five countries and territories recognized for eliminating major diseases across the Americas
At its 63rd Directing Council in late September, the Pan American Health Organization recognized five countries and territories for newly certified, validated or verified disease eliminations over the past year. Brazil was validated in December 2025 for ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV; Chile, already the first in the Americas verified for eliminating leprosy, became the first South American country validated for eliminating dog-transmitted rabies; El Salvador was validated for eliminating trachoma, a first for Central America; and both the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands were certified for ending mother-to-child HIV transmission, with the Turks and Caicos also becoming the first territory in the Americas validated for eliminating mother-to-child hepatitis B. PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said the achievements reflect decades of sustained vaccination, surveillance and treatment-access programs, part of a regional push to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases by 2030.
MIT Technology Review spotlights climate tech turning flood defense, wind and batteries into progress
MIT Technology Review's 2026 list of climate tech companies to watch, published this month, highlights ventures translating lab research into deployed infrastructure. Dutch firm WaveSave now has its portable inflatable flood barrier, SlamDam, deployed by water authorities in more than a dozen countries, giving towns a rapid, reusable defense against rising floodwaters. China's Envision Energy has installed over 100 gigawatts of wind power worldwide alongside more than 50 gigawatt-hours of battery storage, while battery maker WeLion New Energy reported a lab result of 824 watt-hours per kilogram, more than triple today's typical lithium-ion energy density, pointing toward lighter, longer-lasting batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage. The outlet's editors noted the companies stood out for combining technical promise with real-world traction rather than remaining purely experimental.
Read more →MIT Technology Review spotlights climate tech turning flood defense, wind and batteries into progress
MIT Technology Review's 2026 list of climate tech companies to watch, published this month, highlights ventures translating lab research into deployed infrastructure. Dutch firm WaveSave now has its portable inflatable flood barrier, SlamDam, deployed by water authorities in more than a dozen countries, giving towns a rapid, reusable defense against rising floodwaters. China's Envision Energy has installed over 100 gigawatts of wind power worldwide alongside more than 50 gigawatt-hours of battery storage, while battery maker WeLion New Energy reported a lab result of 824 watt-hours per kilogram, more than triple today's typical lithium-ion energy density, pointing toward lighter, longer-lasting batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage. The outlet's editors noted the companies stood out for combining technical promise with real-world traction rather than remaining purely experimental.
India's Wildlife Week spotlights species brought back from the brink
Marking India's annual Wildlife Week, conservationists highlighted several native species that have rebounded after decades of decline, including the Asiatic lion, vultures, the Nilgiri tahr, the dugong and the snow leopard. Commentators credited the recoveries to sustained scientific monitoring, steady government and donor financing, and genuine partnership with local communities living alongside the animals, rather than any single intervention. The roundup echoes a broader global pattern documented by conservation researchers: species that move to a less-threatened status on the IUCN Red List overwhelmingly do so because of active, targeted conservation measures rather than incidental circumstance, underscoring that sustained investment in protection continues to pay off even for species once thought to be on an irreversible path to extinction.
Read more →India's Wildlife Week spotlights species brought back from the brink
Marking India's annual Wildlife Week, conservationists highlighted several native species that have rebounded after decades of decline, including the Asiatic lion, vultures, the Nilgiri tahr, the dugong and the snow leopard. Commentators credited the recoveries to sustained scientific monitoring, steady government and donor financing, and genuine partnership with local communities living alongside the animals, rather than any single intervention. The roundup echoes a broader global pattern documented by conservation researchers: species that move to a less-threatened status on the IUCN Red List overwhelmingly do so because of active, targeted conservation measures rather than incidental circumstance, underscoring that sustained investment in protection continues to pay off even for species once thought to be on an irreversible path to extinction.
Congress passes bill to make Arizona's Chiricahua its next national park
The US Senate gave final approval this week to the bipartisan Chiricahua National Park Act, sending it to President Trump's desk and clearing the way for Chiricahua National Monument, a striking landscape of volcanic rock spires known locally as a 'wonderland of rocks,' to become the nation's 64th national park and Arizona's fourth. Should it be signed, it would be the first new national park designation since New River Gorge in West Virginia in 2021. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who sponsored the House version, said he is confident the president will sign it, calling the redesignation a boost for conservation and for tourism in the surrounding community.
Read more →Congress passes bill to make Arizona's Chiricahua its next national park
The US Senate gave final approval this week to the bipartisan Chiricahua National Park Act, sending it to President Trump's desk and clearing the way for Chiricahua National Monument, a striking landscape of volcanic rock spires known locally as a 'wonderland of rocks,' to become the nation's 64th national park and Arizona's fourth. Should it be signed, it would be the first new national park designation since New River Gorge in West Virginia in 2021. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who sponsored the House version, said he is confident the president will sign it, calling the redesignation a boost for conservation and for tourism in the surrounding community.
Bluefin tuna return to Yorkshire waters after six decades, a sign of marine recovery
Giant Atlantic bluefin tuna, some weighing more than 320 kilograms, have reappeared off Whitby on England's Yorkshire coast for the first time in roughly 60 years. University of Hull scientists linked the return to a genuine conservation success story: a recovery in North Sea herring stocks following a fishing ban, which drew the tuna north to feed on abundant prey. University of Exeter researchers tagged the species in the region for the first time as part of ongoing monitoring. Scientists cautioned that warming seas are likely also playing a role in the tuna's northward range shift, but the rebound in herring numbers underlying the sighting stands as a tangible payoff from sustained fisheries management.
Read more →Bluefin tuna return to Yorkshire waters after six decades, a sign of marine recovery
Giant Atlantic bluefin tuna, some weighing more than 320 kilograms, have reappeared off Whitby on England's Yorkshire coast for the first time in roughly 60 years. University of Hull scientists linked the return to a genuine conservation success story: a recovery in North Sea herring stocks following a fishing ban, which drew the tuna north to feed on abundant prey. University of Exeter researchers tagged the species in the region for the first time as part of ongoing monitoring. Scientists cautioned that warming seas are likely also playing a role in the tuna's northward range shift, but the rebound in herring numbers underlying the sighting stands as a tangible payoff from sustained fisheries management.