I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to feel like 2020 is an absolute dumpster fire.

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, and everyone who once vowed that “2020 is going to be my year” is eating their words.

However, I think people have an unfortunate tendency to focus on the bad and ignore the good. Yes, some terrible things have happened in 2020, but, for the sake of our sanity, we can’t let them overshadow the good that’s occurred. Here are five good things that have happened recently:

‘Wonder chicken’ discovered

The oldest fossil of the modern bird to date was recently discovered, dating back 66 million years—before the age of the dinosaurs. This creature, which scientists have named “the wonder chicken” looks like a chicken from the front and a duck from the back. Its discovery adds a significant amount of information to the body of scientific knowledge, telling scientists a lot about the early evolution of the modern bird and opening a debate about its location of origin.

Second person in the world cured of HIV

A couple of weeks ago, the second person in the world was cured of HIV. Thanks to a stem cell treatment, London, U.K. resident Adam Castillejo is free of the disease. Though this treatment is high-risk and, consequently, cannot be offered widely to patients, Castillejo’s cure gives us hope that a future cure using gene therapy is within our reach.

The first in-vitro cheetah cubs born

In late February, the Columbus Zoo in Ohio announced the birth of the first cheetah cubs to be born from in-vitro fertilization. Two cubs, a male and a female, were born to a three-year-old mother, cheetah Izzy. This feat is a breakthrough for both biology and zoology, and comes as a sign that it’s possible for humans to help endangered
species survive.

Australia is no longer on fire

The worst thing to dominate the early months of 2020 prior to the coronavirus pandemic has finally come to a halt. Australia is no longer on fire; the fires were put out in New South Wales, the last area to remain burning, as of early March. Now, its forests are recovering, and new plant life has recently emerged from the fire-ravaged landscape. While this is certainly not the end of the battle against the climate crisis, the horrors in Australia have momentarily come to a pause.

Animal Crossing released on Nintendo Switch

On a less significant but still happy note, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out on Nintendo Switch on March 20. Now, fans of the classic Nintendo game can play it on Nintendo’s newest console. This game has become a worldwide trend, as many see it as the perfect activity to fill their time in self-isolation. This game is widely considered to be incredibly relaxing—the premise simply involves going to an island and making a bunch of animal friends that you complete basic tasks for in exchange for rewards. I know I’ll be spending much of my newfound time tied to it.

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Yes, this decade got off to a rough start, but it hasn’t been all bad. Some good things have permeated the darkness that dominates the news today. Sometimes, I feel as though I just need a break from the rising coronavirus numbers, and it’s those moments that I need good news like this. I hope it gave you at least a small portion of comfort.

Stay safe!