Positive News 2025: from CRISPR to Crime Reduction.

According to Vox: 2025 is coming to an end, and the feedback has already arrived: the year turned out not to be the best.

A discussion has unfolded on reddit where users share reasons why 2025 has become a 'long and disappointing year'. The war in Gaza, economic difficulties, chaos in Washington, fears about artificial intelligence, cuts to scientists, and the rise of anti-vaccine sentiments – all remind one of the lyrics of Billy Joel's 'We Didn’t Start the Fire'. For instance, the word of the year according to the Economist is 'slop', indicating the content trash that spreads in various ways online. This does not indicate a successful year.

However, at Good News HQ – my son's room in Brooklyn – we try to look at the positive moments. Among all these challenges, 2025 has also brought an abundance of truly inspiring stories and trends. Here are a few of them:

1) A Child with CRISPR

In August of last year, a child named KD Muldoon was born with a rare genetic disorder that prevents the liver from processing ammonia. This condition is caused by a mutation in a single gene and threatens life: half of the children with such a disorder die at an early age.

However, KD's doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found a potential solution: to correct one incorrect DNA letter using CRISPR gene editing technology. Researchers from CHOP and the California Institute for Genomic Innovation at Berkeley, along with other institutions, developed a personalized therapy within just six months.

In February of this year, after receiving emergency approval, KD received his first CRISPR therapy infusion. By April, he showed improvements, and in June, after 307 days in the hospital, he was discharged – he became the first person to receive treatment using personalized gene therapy.

This story is not only very important for KD and his parents but also for many others. In the US, over 30 million people suffer from one of 7,000 rare genetic diseases, and KD's treatment demonstrates that rapid development of personalized treatments without prolonged testing is possible. This is a huge step for numerous patients who often remain overlooked by pharmaceutical companies.

As for KD, even though he still needs constant monitoring, he feels great and has just taken his first steps.

2) Bad Trends Decreasing

Despite the year seeming apocalyptic, positive changes are occurring just below the surface: a significant portion of the worst indicators in American life has started moving in the right direction.

In 42 major US cities, crime has decreased by about 17 percent in the first half of the year compared to 2024; many serious crimes, including murders, have decreased. Drug overdose deaths, which peaked in 2023, have decreased by nearly 27 percent. Also, after many years of increase, the suicide rate in the US has slightly decreased.

On the roads, traffic deaths, which rose during the pandemic, have been declining for several years: the government estimates about 39,000 traffic fatalities in 2024 compared to approximately 41,000 in 2023, and preliminary forecasts indicate further reduction.

So why does it not feel like all the bad is decreasing? Partly because we are coming out of the horrific peak figures of the pandemic. But an optimistic view suggests that 2025 is not just a return to average parameters, but the beginning of a prolonged decline in negative trends.

3) We Are Losing Weight and Drinking Less

When talking about America’s health this decade, one can confidently say: we drink less and, for the first time in a long time, weigh a little less.

According to Gallup, only 54 percent of Americans consume alcohol – this is the lowest share since 1939. Those who do drink do so less frequently, and overall consumption is gradually decreasing. Among teenagers, the decline is even more pronounced: the share of 12th graders who drink alcohol has fallen from 75% in the late 90s to 40% today.

Meanwhile, one of the longest-standing health crises seems to be decreasing: self-reported adult obesity has dropped from 40 percent in 2022 to 37 percent in 2025.

This decline is not the result of a miracle diet, but rather the rapid introduction of GLP-1 medications that help patients lose 15-20% of their weight and have positive effects on diabetes and heart diseases.

None of this solves the issues of overall obesity and alcohol-related harm overnight. But for the first time, both trends are moving in the right direction.

4) We Are Closing the Ozone Hole

For many children of the 1980s, the ozone hole was a serious environmental threat. Thanks to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), we cut a hole in the atmosphere that protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays. Unlike other threats, this one can be easily seen: a large black spot over Antarctica.

However, 40 years after the signing of the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is visibly recovering. In 2025, scientists announced that the ozone hole over Antarctica is the smallest since 2019. Forecasts suggest that if countries continue to adhere to the treaty, the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels by 2040.

The main story is simple and rare: the world united to solve a problem.

5) It Is Not 536 AD

The most reliable way to feel optimistic about the state of the world is to realize how bad the past was. And few years in history have been worse than 536 AD, which Science magazine called 'the worst year for life'.

In 536, a fog descended on Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, completely darkening the midday sky for 18 months. Average summer temperatures fell by 2.5°C, resulting in the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Crop yields dropped, causing famine, and an outbreak of the bubonic plague emerged from Egypt, killing a significant portion of the population of the Eastern Roman Empire.

So no matter how bad you think 2025 is, remember that 536 was truly a horrific year. But this is true for most years in the past when life was significantly harder for people.

So, raise a toast (non-alcoholic, in keeping with the trends) to 2025. It could have been much worse.