This has led to them officially being classed as “vulnerable” rather than “endangered”. While it’ll take many more years to raise the population, this is a welcome bit of news amid the general doom and gloom of this year.

Instead of trying to suppress HIV, this new treatment (dubbed “kick and kill” or “shock and kill”) causes the virus to go into a dormant state, where it can be destroyed by the body’s own immune system. If a cure is developed, it will benefit over 36.9 million people across the globe who are suffering from HIV.

The challenge funded a research study which managed to identify a new gene (rather unimaginatively named “NEK1”). NEK1 is believed to be the main cause of several diseases such as motor neuron disease (MND), meaning that new treatments and therapies can now be developed.

As part of the commitment made by their government at the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015,
this record breaking achievement occurred on July 11th this year and involved about 800,000 volunteers from the state of Uttar Pradesh who planted trees alongside roads, railways and public land.

While it hasn’t been marketed as a health app, medical professionals are happy about the fact that it’s getting more people to go out and exercise regularly.