GoKawiilThis newly identified species of glass frog (provisional name Nymphargus dajomesae) was found in the Cordillera del Cóndor mountain range in the Andes.Credit: Photo archive PUCE-BIOWEB
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the state of the world from reading the news.
For that reason, in December last year, Nature gathered seven good news stories of 2025 that offered optimism for the future. Readers devoured these hopeful tales.
In this latest round of positive scientific developments that you might have missed, you’ll learn about the discovery of new species, a promising medical treatment for a fatal mitochondria disease and a biofuel made from date palm trees.
Life-saving treatment
In March, the World Health Organization has approved the use of the first-ever malaria treatment for babies and infants. The drug, called artemether-lumefantrine, is the specifically formulated for infants weighing between two and five kilograms and can now be bought and distributed by the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and other agencies.
In 2024, 610,000 people died from malaria, mostly in Africa, with children under five accounting for about three quarters of the deaths in the region.
Until now, babies and infants have been treated with medication made for children weighing at least five kilograms, meaning that doctors had to break up tablets and estimate the correct amount to administer. This sometimes led to children receiving too much or too little of the drug components, which can be harmful or make treatment ineffective.
Repurposed drug
Six people with a previously untreatable disorder affecting their mitochondrial function have been successfully treated with the drug sildenafil1, sold as Viagra. Leigh syndrome is a severe genetic condition that affects one in 40,000 newborns. Symptoms usually start during infancy or early childhood, and can include developmental delay or regression, muscle weakness, breathing problems or eye conditions. Many children with the condition die from sudden respiratory failure before they turn three.
... continue reading