Every day the Good Good Good team collects the best good news in the world and shares it with our community. Here are the highlights for this week!
If you want to get good news in your inbox every day, join the Goodnewsletter — the free daily newsletter designed to leave you feeling hopeful.
The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —
After a viral video of adoptable dogs choosing their owners was debunked as AI, a New York shelter made it a reality
In December 2025, viral videos made their rounds in which a sign reads, “Here, the dogs choose the humans,” followed by heartwarming scenes of crowds sitting in a gymnasium with dogs of all breeds and sizes sniffing and “picking” a person to kiss — that person would become their owner. It was all AI-generated.
A real animal shelter, Animal Care Centers of New York, was inspired by this viral pet adoption content and wanted to figure out a way to make it a reality.
So, they coordinated a similar meet-and-greet, but with real planning and logistics to make things go smoothly. There was a thorough interest form, limited capacity, a fee to participate, and more.
Why is this good news? The real-life effort also served as an educational opportunity for the public. While the AI-generated video had more common “tells” like odd human behavior and indecipherable objects, the overall concept was unrealistic, given the lengths shelters typically go to in matching dogs with a forever home.
The New York shelter not only showed how careful and thorough dog adoption is, but also highlighted new kinds of AI pitfalls to watch out for.
These consumers are mailing worn-out clothes back to the shops that first sold them: ‘Take It back’
→ Read more
US life expectancy broke records in 2024, and could still be climbing
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found that the U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024 — the highest mark in American history.
For decades, U.S. life expectancy rose marginally every year before plateauing in the 2010s at 78 years. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in the U.S. plunged dramatically to 76.5 years.
In conjunction with COVID vaccinations and waning death rates from heart disease, cancer, and drug overdoses, life expectancy has risen considerably in recent years and continues to trend upward.
Based on current data, a spokesperson for the CDC expects 2025 to have a slight improvement over 2024, calling it “good news all the way around.”
Giant tortoises returned to a Galápagos island for the first time in over 180 years
In a “hugely significant milestone,” 158 captive-bred juvenile giant tortoises were released on the Galápagos island of Floreana, making their return after over 180 years of absence.
It’s part of the Floreana Ecolocical Restoration Project, and their reintroduction comes after scientists discovered tortoises carrying ancestry of the Floreana giant tortoise on a nearby island, and launched a “back-breeding” program in 2017.
The species went extinct in the 1840s after sailors took thousands from the islands for food during long voyages.
Why is this good news? Scientists behind the project say the giant tortoises are “ecosystem managers” and play an “outsized role in restoring degraded ecosystems” — and their reintroduction is giving conservationists hope for the future of the island, “and of islands around the world.”
This is how Billie Eilish, Dave Matthews Band, and Jack Johnson have been ‘greening’ their concert tours
Stomach cancer rates have declined by more than 70% in Japan since 1980
In 1980, stomach cancer deaths in Japan were more than twice as high as those from lung cancer. New data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows that death rates have fallen by over 70%, placing stomach cancer below several other diseases like lung and colorectal cancer.
While other cancers have seen smaller declines or even increases, stomach cancer’s drop in Japan reflects broader global trends, with many countries experiencing significant reductions in stomach cancer mortality from 1980 to 2021.
Experts attribute the decline to better hygiene, improved food safety protocols, and early screening and detection for infections.
→ Read more
After Florida’s rainbow crosswalk ban, St. Pete lit up its sky with rainbow lasers for Winter Pride
In response to an order removing about 400 “non-standard” previously approved pieces of street art — mostly rainbow, Pride-themed crosswalks and murals — across the state, cities have been finding ways to resist.
In December, the city of St. Petersburg debuted a row of Pride-colored bike racks. And the city just continued its creative acts of resistance, with a 60-mile rainbow laser installation during its Winter Pride St. Pete event.
Called “Global Rainbow,” it was designed by laser artist Yvette Mattern, who first debuted the light show in New York in 2009. Bringing it to St. Pete, she worked with certified technicians and received FAA clearance to broadcast the colorful beams towards the city’s beaches.
Why is this good news? While public, Pride-themed art might seem trivial, those displays can send a powerful message that a community is inclusive, welcoming, and united in support of a community that’s too often the target of hate and discrimination. This latest installation is St. Pete’s brightest message yet.
8 ways to make friends in 2026 — without using social media
Indonesia’s shift to cleaner cooking fuels has dramatically improved air quality and health
In 2000, fewer than 10 % of people in Indonesia had access to clean cooking fuels. That number has now risen to over 90% — largely thanks to a national program in 2007 that replaced kerosene with cleaner options like liquefied petroleum gas.
In low-income households around the world, indoor air pollution is a leading cause of death. Clean cooking fuels emit much lower levels of harmful air pollutants, and their widespread adoption has sharply reduced indoor air pollution — and deaths associated with it.
Indonesia’s upward trend in clean cooking fuel access is on par with improvements throughout all of Asia.
For the first time in league history, the WNBA generated enough revenue to trigger revenue sharing with players
Union leadership confirmed that the WNBA notified them that in 2025, the league generated enough revenue to trigger revenue sharing with the players for the first time in history.
While the dollar amount to trigger revenue sharing has not been made public, the milestone means the 13 teams will receive a total of $8 million from the league to disperse among players.
The milestone comes amid contentious negotiations between the players and the league over a new collective bargaining agreement, with salary and revenue sharing as key sticking points. WNBPA treasure Brianna Turner said the moment “shows our value and how what we're fighting for makes sense and how we should keep fighting.”
Why is this good news? This milestone for the WNBA comes amid growing support for and investment in women’s sports across the board, from women’s sports-focused bars to massive media shifts — support and investment that’s always been deserved by these athletes, but is finally catching up to be a reality.
You may also like: Minnesota’s new woman-owned bar exclusively caters to women’s sports — and its fans
‘Scream clubs’ are making it socially acceptable to shout into the void
→ Read more (and find one near you!)
South Africa reported a 16 % national drop in rhino poaching in 2025
South Africa has the world’s largest rhino population, with over 14,300 white and black rhinos. Together with Namibia, the countries hold 70% of all remaining rhinos in the world.
Due to recent conservation efforts, 66 fewer rhinos were killed in 2025 compared to 2024. The decline reflects the combined impact of law enforcement operations, improved surveillance, and collaboration between national and provincial authorities to protect rhinos across key conservation areas.
Last year, South Africa’s efforts to reduce rhino poaching were recognized with the Asia Environmental Enforcement Award, which “celebrates excellence” in enforcement by government officials against illegal wildlife trade.
Thanks to Indigenous protesters, Brazil revoked a waterway decree in the Amazon
After thousands of Indigenous people protested for 33 days — inspiring solidarity demonstrations across the country — Brazil’s government said it would revoke a decree that allowed private concessions for waterways in the world’s largest rainforest.
The Indigenous activists said the waterway projects threatened the Tapajos River, Indigenous territories, and ultimately the ecological balance of the entire Amazon rainforest.
Plans to dredge the river were tied to other infrastructure projects in the Amazon, including a railway that was proposed due to demand from the agriculture industry.
Why is this good news? Protecting the Amazon is, of course, critical for Indigenous communities — but there are global implications. It regulates the climate far beyond South America, and threats could accelerate global warming and disrupt agriculture as far as parts of Europe.
Leonardo DiCaprio has been secretly funding an LA library. The computer lab is filled with posters of him
Bogotá, Colombia launched its first ‘clean air zone’ in one of its poorest districts
A decade ago, Bogotá was one of Latin America’s most polluted cities, with pollutant concentration levels that were seven times worse than the World Health Organization’s limits.
Between 2018 and 2024, the city reduced air pollution by 24%. Now the country of Colombia has officially debuted its first “clean air zone” thanks to more than 350 miles of cycle lanes, 1,400 electric buses, and three new cable car lines.
By embracing clean transportation, creating more green spaces in the city, and redirecting freight travel, Bogotá has dramatically improved public health for its 8 million residents.
→ Read more
More good news of the week —
A new fashion brand helps fund colon cancer research and fight stigma around colonoscopies. The brand’s two women founders met and bonded over a shared diagnosis of late-stage colon cancer, and were both in their 30s when they started registering symptoms. They advocated for themselves and pushed for colonoscopies, which ultimately saved their lives.
A hospital in Cleveland, Ohio offered free medication reviews to the public to reduce harmful drug interactions. At the event, doctors offered free medical advice to people taking multiple prescription drugs at the same time, which can have unexpected side effects.
A U.K. cafe dedicated to ending homelessness just opened a second location and a drop-in center. Café 16:15 in Rushden, Northamptonshire was started by Stan Robertson, who once experienced homelessness himself, and runs entirely on volunteers.
South Korea officially ended the controversial practice of breeding bears and extracting their bile. The new law protects bears, primarily moon bears, from being farmed for food and medicinal purposes.
Scientists found a way to transform cotton fabric into a self-sustaining power source. Harvesting electricity from humidity, it operates day and night by drawing energy from moisture in the air, relying on carefully engineered polymer coatings that maintain a continuous flow of ions, enabling stable electrical output without batteries or external power sources.
Brandi Carlile raises $600K for immigrant legal aid in Minnesota with livestream concert fundraiser. The singer’s “Be Human: A Concert for Minnesota” event benefited The Advocates For Human Rights, a nonprofit in Minneapolis that provides legal aid to people detained by ICE.
Officials in Denver announced a moratorium on the construction of new data centers. The moratorium is expected to last several months and allow the city to review and strengthen regulations around the sites, and even existing or in-progress data centers could be expected to follow any new guidelines.
A California environmental nonprofit bought 2,284 acres in southern Santa Clara to protect the land from development. The land was purchased after a 10-year litigation battle with developers who wanted to turn it into a sand-and-gravel quarry. It’s now a protected area for mountain lions, bald eagles, steelhead trout, and more.
A record number of rare butterflies were spotted in Wales thanks to backyard conservation efforts. After landowners were encouraged to cut back on trimming their hedges, more than 3,000 rare brown hairstreak butterflies were spotted in an egg count.
Robotic spine surgery is making back operations faster and safer. A team of doctors in Phoenix, Arizona said the robot’s added ability to do X-rays during surgery increases precision and decreases radiation exposure for patients.
The “Official Dad of the Olympics” invited the U.S. women’s hockey team to celebrate at his house in Ohio. After sharing updates from Italy with his content creator child, Richard Kiley — an avid women’s hockey fan — went viral for his wholesome videos, even working as an official correspondent for a women-led sports media brand at the Games.
England is banning vaping in cars carrying children, amid rising evidence that secondhand vapor poses health risks. The move is included in the tobacco and vapes bill, which will also outlaw smoking, vaping, and using heated tobacco in playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals.
Finland is now using hot sand to produce “fossil-free” steam. The new form of renewable energy generation solves a blind spot in industrial heat production — one of the largest sources of carbon emissions.
The Bermuda snail, once feared extinct, is thriving again thanks to a decade of conservation efforts. After raising them in captivity, British scientists introduced more than 100,000 of the button-sized snails back to Bermuda.
TED is giving $1B to 10 nonprofits working to solve “humanity's biggest problems.” From cleaning up ocean plastic to preventing homelessness, TED just announced its new cohort of fellows that will receive the funding necessary to execute their world-changing work.
A stunning new 42-foot “Latin American Mona Lisa” mural is made out of 100,000 recycled plastic bottle caps. Installed by Venezuelan artist Óscar Olivares, the mural in El Salvador was made with trash collected by local recyclers and is the largest artwork of its kind.
The U.S. Forest Service is no longer issuing firefighters gear that contains PFAS. The move followed a ProPublica article revealing that the U.S. Forest Service had for years issued clothing to wildland firefighters that it knew contained potentially dangerous “forever chemicals.”
Citizen scientists discovered what they believe is one of the largest coral colonies ever documented on the Great Barrier Reef. The coral looks “like a rolling meadow” and spans approximately 111 meters in maximum length and covers an estimated area of 3,973 square meters — about half the size of a soccer field.
Scientists are celebrating the James Webb Telescope’s mapping of auroras on Uranus for the first time in 3D. “By revealing Uranus’s vertical structure in such detail, Webb is helping us understand the energy balance of the ice giants. This is a crucial step towards characterizing giant planets beyond our solar system.”
Under a new law, millions of New York City workers will now get more time off. In the city, most employees are already required to have 40-56 hours of paid time off. But starting Sunday, employers must provide an additional 32 hours of unpaid protected leave per year.
The oldest state park in the U.S. is adding more than 150 acres and new hiking trails. When the project is complete, Niagara Falls State Park will feature nearly five miles of continuous shoreline along the Niagara River, from the Niagara Scenic Parkway to the Niagara Power Vista Visitor’s Center.
A Welsh charity purchased more than 405 hectares of land to make it the country’s largest rewilding project. The £2.2 million purchase is an effort to help the country catch up with large-scale nature recovery projects underway elsewhere in the UK.
A children’s hospital in East Tennessee was just renamed to honor Dolly Parton. In a video announcement, Parton said every child “deserves a fair chance to grow up healthy, hopeful, and surrounded with love.”
Researchers in Malaysia found that planting multiple types of seagrass significantly boosts restoration success. The decade-long project revealed that planting a combination of fast-growing seagrass seedlings helped revive diverse marine life in damaged meadows.
Healthcare workers are braving heat, dust, and elephants to deliver HPV vaccines to girls in rural Zimbabwe. Traveling by bike, these doctors have immunised more than 22,000 girls in some of the country’s most remote villages.
