Ozone hole shrinks The hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has shrunk to its smallest size since 2019, indicating the continued recovery of Earth’s protective upper atmosphere.

The ozone hole was first discovered in 1985 and is a result of human-emitted ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), such as coolants in refrigerators and aerosol sprays. The Montreal Protocol in 1987 phased out the production and use of CFCs, which has successfully curbed emissions1. Since 1987, the average size of the ozone hole throughout the year has been gradually decreasing in size, with the smallest so far in 2019.

The ozone hole is on track to recover completely in the late 2060s, provided efforts to find climate-friendly alternatives to CFCs continues.

I remember as a kid that the hole in the ozone layer was a very big deal, they kept mentioning it at school... so indeed, it's good to read that a simple change in human behavior has been able to reverse this worrying trend.

The following one is actually very cool and I did not know that. I do remember that at the hospital, they were much more stimulating us to let our kid discover different foods compared to what my parents used to believe to be the proper way to feed us.

Peanut allergies plummet A study showed that peanut allergies in children have fallen in the United States in the past decade, in a major victory for science-based policy and decision-making5. For years, parents were told not to expose their babies to peanuts to prevent dangerous allergic reactions. But a landmark study6 in 2015 found the opposite to be true — when infants are introduced to peanut products as early as four months old, they are much less likely to become allergic to them. The study led to a change in health guidelines between 2015 and 2017.

Now, there has been a 43% decrease in peanut-allergy prevalence in children under three in the United States, compared with 2012. The same method of exposing infants to a variety of allergens also led to a 36% reduction in other food allergies. “This is a good year to have a peanut allergy or a food allergy,” says Michael Pistiner, a paediatric allergist at Mass General Brigham for Children in Boston, Massachusetts. “So much of our field has been witnessing changes for the better, this particular year has been exciting.”

“This is a great example of translating controlled trial findings into broader community level outcomes,” Pistiner says.