Let’s face it—2024 has felt at times like a relentless conveyor belt of doom. The climate crisis is still gaining momentum, COP underlined the lack of consensus on what to do about it, and attempts to create a plastics treaty failed. Political violence rose to the surface in the US, and there was an election result that foretells four years of chaos and persecution for many. And war, conflict, and violence continue to afflict millions worldwide, from the DRC to South Sudan, Haiti to Yemen, Ukraine to Gaza.
But in the midst of the darkness, there were some bright rays of light. Scientists made big strides in countering some of