Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at [email protected].
An ounce of prevention
Some excellent news on the success of HPV vaccination: A new study has found that cervical cancer deaths are plummeting among young women in the United States. As Science News explains, while deaths from cervical cancer fell steadily among US women under 25 from 1995 to 2015, the mortality rate then dropped precipitously from 2016 to 2021. As Contributing Editor Michaela Haas, who shared this story with our team, has reported for us, because cervical cancer is caused by a virus, it’s the one cancer that could be eliminated globally.
But the US is just one small piece of the puzzle. As Haas notes, “few diseases reflect global inequities as much as cancer of the cervix.” Read her story to learn about efforts to screen and treat cervical cancers in low-income areas around the world.
Branching out
Joshua trees are in trouble, with climate change threatening to push them out of much of their natural range — including their namesake national park. Now, the state of California has made a plan to do something about it, according to an Associated Press story shared this week by Editorial Director Rebecca Worby.
Becca says:
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s plan covers minimizing human impacts, responding to wildfires and even relocating Joshua trees when necessary. But it also makes clear that the most important thing we can do to protect the iconic species is limit greenhouse gas emissions.
What else we’re reading
🎨 A City of Murals, Decades in the Making — shared by Rebecca Worby from the New York Times
🍽️ A Cool Way to Reuse Sugarcane Waste — shared by Sophie Pitt from Sam Bentley via YouTube
🦅 The Fleet-Winged Ghosts of Greenland — shared by Rebecca Worby from Hakai Magazine
In other news…
Our winter membership drive has begun!
Become a member now and you’ll receive our end-of-year audio gift, featuring RTBC founder David Byrne on a bike ride through one of New York City’s most fascinating neighborhoods.
