2017 in Review: The Good Stuff

My first blog entry of 2017 was a review of some of the positive events (both public and personal) of 2016 (you can read it here). If 2016 was a tough year for a lot of us, 2017 was even tougher, in many ways. So I thought I would again look back over the year and highlight some of the positive bits of public news that many of us either missed or have forgotten.

Incan Code of Knots Deciphered

Harvard undergrad Manny Medrano spent spring break of his freshman year studying a system of knots called "khipus" that were used by the Incan people as a form of recordkeeping, one that had not been previously deciphered. His "translation" of a number of khipus in a museum in Lima, Peru was able to be correlated with a Spanish census document from 1670.

Invention of "Self-Healing" Glass

Japanese researcher Yu Yanigasawa, working with a substance called polyether thioureas, discovered that if pieces of the broken glass are held together, they will re-bond. The glass is more similar to acrylic than "standard" or mineral glass. The advantage of the glass is not so much that complete breaks can "heal," but that small micro-breaks inside the glass will continually re-seal, leading to more longer-lasting and durable items with double or triple their current lifespans.

Lasers in Shoes Aid Parkinson's Patients

One of the common problems suffered by Parkinson's patients is "gait freezing," in which the person is unable to force their legs to take the next step, which can result in overbalancing and falling. However, the presence of a "marker," such as a crack in the sidewalk or between floorboards, seems to help break the freeze. These shoes have a laser pointer on the toe that projects such a marker about 18 inches away just as each foot is poised to take a step. A preliminary study of 19 patients showed a 46% reduction in freezing cases when using the shoes.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson Sets (Another) Record

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who already has the distinction of being the first science commander of the International Space Station, the first female commander of the station, the first female to command the station twice, and the female NASA astronaut who holds the record for most spacewalks, added to her records this year. At the conclusion of Expedition 52, which was extended by three months in April 2017, Whitson also earned the title as the NASA astronaut (and the female astronaut worldwide) who has spent the most time in space.

Dutch Electric Trains Powered 100% By Wind

In 2015, Dutch railway companies set a goal for all their electric trains to be 100% powered by renewable energy by 2018, but they have met that goal a year ahead of schedule, due to the construction of new wind farms in Finland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. As of January 1, 2017, all electric trains in the Netherlands have been powered purely by clean, renewable wind energy.

Adaptive Clothing Line

Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger launched a line of "adaptive clothing" designed for adults with various disabilities, including prosthetic limbs, braces, and use of a wheelchair. (Hilfiger released a line of similar children's clothing two years ago.) Adaptations include one-handed zippers, magnetic clasps, velcro straps, and adjustable hems. Both the adult and the children's clothing lines were developed in conjunction with the nonprofit group Runway of Dreams.

Fetal Lambs Complete Development in Artificial Uterus

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia successfully transferred 8 lamb embryos at 105 to 120 days gestation (the equivalent of a 22- to 24-week-old human embryo) into artificial wombs called "BioBags," where they lived for 4 weeks before being transferred to a ventilator, much like a somewhat premature human baby. Their organs appeared to have developed the same way they would have inside their mother's body. There is much more research and experimentation to be done before the bags can be used for human infants, but the success of this project bodes well for the future survival options of extremely premature human infants.

Muslim Hackers Unite to Drive ISIS Off the Internet

A coalition of Muslim hackers worked to take down multiple ISIS-associated websites and installed a virus to disrupt the group's news agency, Amaq. In addition, they created a fake version of Amaq's mobile site, allowing them to track extremist activity.

Coral Restoration at the Great Barrier Reef

The not-for-profit group, Reef Restoration Foundation, is growing coral and replanting it on the Great Barrier Reef to repair damaged sections of the reef. The project is modeled after similar successful programs in Florida and the Caribbean.

Solar Highway in China

China opened a 1km stretch of highway that is made of photovoltaic panels covered with transparent concrete and underlain with insulation. In one year, the road is expected to generate 1 million kWH of electricity, enough to power street lights and a snow-melting system. It will also be able to power electric car charging stations, which may be added in the future. A similar (but narrower) road was opened in France in 2016, and a bike path embedded with solar panels was built in the Netherlands in 2014.


I don't know about you, but reminding myself of these wonderful bits of news makes me feel much more positive about the year ahead. It's an amazing world we live in, and there's so much more to discover about it - and about ourselves. Happy New Year!