Thread by @Goodable

Let’s face it – 2022 has been filled with a lot of heavy news.

But not all is lost. Here are all the ways the world actually GOT BETTER in 2022.

Let us restore your faith in humanity.

The Goodable thread you’ve been waiting for.

🧵

This year, NASA unveiled the first full color image from the James Webb Space Telescope.

It’s the highest resolution image of our universe anyone has ever seen.

Scientists can now see further back in time than ever before.

Remember the viral Ice Bucket Challenge from a few years ago?

The ALS Association spent $2.2 million of the money from the challenge towards developing a new treatment for ALS.

This year, the FDA approved the drug for use.

After a 12-year-old boy was bullied in school, no one would sign his yearbook.

When Paul Rudd found out, he called him up to let him know he wasn’t alone.

Not all superheroes wear capes.

Ant Man ftw.

In a major climate win, new data showed that parts of the Great Barrier Reef have the highest amount of coral seen in 36 years.

Even better — scientists found a way to successfully transplant coral between reefs, giving hope that the reef could heal from decades of damage.

This year, researchers made a major breakthrough in insulin.

While testing oral insulin tablets, they found the tablets absorbed into the bloodstream at the same rate as injections.

It means affordable insulin tablets are one step closer to becoming a reality.

In April, the Brooklyn Public Library announced that any teenager in America would be eligible for an e-library card.

Teens can sign out audiobooks and ebooks from wherever they live.

The move is designed to combat censorship, with certain titles listed as “always available.”

Patagonia, a company known for its commitment to the climate, took their efforts a step further.

In September, Patagonia’s owner announced he was giving away ownership of the company, with all profits being redirected towards fighting climate change.

The war in Ukraine showed us some of the darkest sides of humanity, but the global response to help also showed us some of humanity’s best moments.

This is how students and teachers welcomed Ukrainian refugees on their first day of school in Italy.

In Virginia, this entire fourth-grade class learned sign language so they could communicate with a cafeteria worker who was deaf.

The project was such a success that the school is launching initiatives to teach ASL to all its students.

Scotland became the first country to offer menstrual products free of charge.

The law was passed in 2020, and came into effect in August of this year.

It means menstrual products are now available for free in public buildings across the country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

In Ukraine, rescuers found a group of puppies underneath the rubble of a destroyed building.

When they looked closer, they saw the puppies were protecting a litter of newborn kittens – and refused to leave their side.

Heroes are everywhere.

In a huge win for Alzheimer’s research, a new drug showed massive promise to slow the disease.

In a Phase 3 trial, the drug slowed the disease by 27% over several months.

It’s the first time any drug has shown so much efficacy against the disease.

This year, the US Federal Aviation Administration approved new rules to make commercial air taxis possible and in service by 2025.

Imagine flying from work to home, instead of driving.

Their target is to have air taxis ready for the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.

Originally, we were going to stop the thread here, but there's so much amazing, world-changing stuff that we’re going to keep going.

Let’s start with a big development in outer space.🚀

In September, NASA completed a first of its kind planetary defense test.

They successfully launched a rocket that changed the course of an asteroid, proving that we can defend earth against comets or space rocks headed our way.

This is Star Trek level stuff.

Scientists reached a major milestone with a successful nuclear fusion experiment.

For the first time ever, the process of fusing atoms produced more electricity than it consumed.

It’s not quite Iron Man level yet, but it could pave the way for a carbon-free energy future.

Researchers made huge progress on something they’ve been working on for decades: An HIV vaccine.

A new clinical trial showed promising results, with the vaccine producing antibodies in 97% of participants.

If successful, more than 38 million people could finally have a cure.

California became the first state to offer free meals to all schoolchildren, regardless of their family’s income.

Several other states, including Maine and Colorado, also passed similar bills.

It’s designed to end the stigma of food insecurity and lead to lower drop-out rates.

In conservation news, wildlife made a huge comeback in Europe.

Thanks to conservation efforts and laws protecting wildlife habitats, several mammal numbers went up across the board, with an increase in some cases of up to 1700%.

In North Carolina, surgeons performed a groundbreaking surgery on a six-month-old baby, transplanting a heart and immune system tissue at the same time.

This technique could eliminate transplant recipients needing to be on lifelong anti-rejection drugs.

The ozone layer was the healthiest it’s been in 40 years!

Scientists say that chemicals that damaged the layer declined more than 50%, providing hope that the ozone layer may one day recover.

In great news for clean transportation, electric vehicle sales hit a tipping point in 2022.

EV’s accounted for 5.6% of all vehicles sold – a pretty big increase from the 1.9% they made up in 2019.

Jack and Jerry served together during WWII, and were best friends.

They were split up during missions, and hadn’t seen each other in 75 years.

This year, they were finally reunited.

These are just SOME of the ways the world got better in 2022. There are many more.

If you’ve made it this far into the thread, there’s something you can do - right now - to help make the world better.

Here’s what it is.

For every download of the Goodable app, we’re making a donation to Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. They perform miracles everyday.

Just go to bit.ly/goodable and click download. It’s 100% free and you’ll be helping a child.

🤗❤️