Hello!
Greetings from Birmingham, Alabama, where the Everything Is Tuberculosis tour has just ended. There is plenty of bad news in your inbox, and much of it is important to read, but I wanted to put some nice (if vague) news here, too.
Over the last several weeks, TB Fighters and many others have been working quietly, in the background, to fight any movement toward raising the prices of tools to fight TB. With global health aid dwindling, many companies are seeing "demand" go down—not because there are fewer people living with HIV, malaria, TB, and other diseases of injustice, but because those people aren't able to afford or access diagnostics and treatment. But of course, if companies raise their prices in this already terrible moment, it will worsen a vicious cycle, as even fewer people will be able to receive treatment.
These efforts have so far been surprisingly successful, with one company that's often been challenging to work with agreeing not to raise prices as of this morning. The reprieve is temporary (all reprieves are), but still a significant victory. The global health landscape is still horrifying, but the occasional small win keeps me going.
John
You can always email us at [email protected]
This Week in Stuff
Destin of SmarterEveryDay took us on his journey to manufacture a grill scrubber in the US. (YouTube)
John shared his dream last meal with Josh from Mythical Kitchen. (YouTube)
Alexander Widener told us the story of the Lupine Lady. (TikTok)
Lucy, a senior dog, doesn’t hear very well, so her family calls her in from the yard with a bell. (TikTok)
A nerdfighter on Reddit created a list of all the books Hank and John have recommended. (Reddit)
Please send us stuff you think we should feature to [email protected]
Smallpox declined gradually, until the WHO coordinated the global effort to eradicate it
Saloni Dattani
In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the world’s first vaccine against smallpox. As it was refined and widely adopted, many countries in Europe and North America, the Soviet Union, and island nations eliminated smallpox through national vaccination programs.
But in the mid-20th century, the disease remained widespread across Africa and Asia, infecting tens of millions every year.
Before the World Health Organization (WHO) committed to eradication in 1959, few believed it was possible, given the failures of other eradication efforts like malaria. But smallpox had no animal reservoir, clear symptoms, and there was an effective, low-cost vaccine.
By 1967, the WHO intensified the eradication campaign with more funding. The strategy focused on “ring vaccination” — containing outbreaks by vaccinating people around each case — and embedding the work within local health programs.
As the chart shows, this approach worked swiftly: within a decade, the number of endemic countries fell to zero. Smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1980, two centuries after Jenner’s discovery. It’s a lasting triumph of science and cooperation.
Our World in Data is a UK-based non-profit organization that publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. You can find more of their data insights here.
This Week at Complexly
A new batch of Study Hall courses starts June 17th! Try out an Intro to Human Communication, a US History to 1865, or a Power and Politics in US Government course for just $25. Each course comes with a supportive cohort of classmates, a knowledgeable ASU instructor, and Crash Course-style videos from the Study Hall team. Best of all, you can turn your efforts into real college credit if you're happy with your grade at the end of the course!
So if you need some summer credits or just want to try a college course without having to pay an arm and a leg, check out Study Hall's courses!
If you have ambitions to start exercising or get the most out of your exercise routine, there are a lot of flashy tricks promising to help you. But not all of them are supported by science. Do ice baths help? Stretching? Heat? This video from SciShow has the data.
Some Games to Play!
SpellCheck.xyc (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Kitti. Send yours to [email protected]
Last week’s 4×3 answer key:
Penguin, Scarecrow, Riddler (Batman villains)
Penguin, clown, birthday (types of suits)
Penguin, emu, ostrich (flightless birds)
Penguin, duck, goose (things that waddle)
If you post your results on social media, we’d love it if you post a link for folks to subscribe to “We’re Here” (https://werehere.beehiiv.com/subscribe)
Friendship Maintenance
Last week, we asked how you keep your friendships strong. Thank you to everyone who sent us your friendship maintenance tips!
Always (or as much as you can) schedule the next time you will see someone at the end of the current time you are seeing them! It is so much easier in person than over text.
I have been the person at the end of D&D to say "Wait! Before you all leave, can we all get our calendars out and plan the mext session?" and despite being 7 adults working full time with different schedules, we have consistently met for around a year now!
If you don't do this, don't feel weird about texting out of the blue that you are free and want to hang. Even if they were busy or didn't respond before - people appreciate you reaching out to them.
I always say happy birthday, no matter how long it's been since we last talked. Maybe that's a bare-minimum friendship move, but it's my way of saying "Hi! I miss you! I still think about you! I want you to feel as much love as possible from all different directions today!" And sometimes, the happy birthday text leads to a reconnection.
Memes. Keep the group chats flowing. Mute it and come back during a lull and/or low and remember why being human is the best. Social media can be toxic at times. Let's take advantage of its strengths -- connection.
I struggle with object permanence a little, so I struggle to remember who all of my friends are and to be intentional about staying in touch. The accommodation I made for myself is I have a google sheet with a list of my friends and boxes for each month. Every Sunday, a reminder on my calendar goes off to contact a friend. Then I put a checkmark next to their name. That way I can see who I haven't checked in with in awhile. I wish I was just a naturally amazing friend, but I'm not, so instead I do what I can to try and be a better one. Forgiving myself for not remembering and making that sheet for myself has allowed me to focus on gratitude for my friends rather than guilt over not remembering to reach out.
I pay attention to the things that matter to them. I read their dissertation, I attend a show they're putting on, I get them a gift that lessens their pain or eases their life a bit. I may not always be able to text back straight away or see them as often as I want, but I try to dedicate an hour or two of my life to paying attention to what they've got going on at the moment, even if it has to be from afar.
The extravagant social life of partying and clubbing never is or has been my shtick. Fortunately through college, extracurricular projects have been the lifeblood of extending my friendships. Sometimes they’re class projects, where I’ll actively seek out people I think are cool to work with. Sometimes they’re design teams, where I can assemble my already close friends and make something incredible to compete against other schools. I hope to carry this into my post grad life and find people to tinker and create with.
The best friends I have stay honest with me. We allow each other to be who we are, even if it’s diametrically different from each other as we’ve aged. We disagree, debate, and learn from each other. We have stupid inside jokes. We set and respect boundaries. We have silly, and sometimes serious, secrets kept between the two of us with utter faith they’ll never be spilled. We express our appreciation and listen with empathetic hearts. And with those friends, no matter how much time has passed, there’s true happiness in their company.
What’s a small win you’ve experienced lately? Tell us about it!
Send your win to [email protected].
