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1. A 100-year-old American was knighted by France for what he did at 18<\/strong><\/p>\n Staff Sgt. Phillip \u201cBruce\u201d Cook flew 35 missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress over occupied Europe at the age of 18. More than 80 years after his last mission, the 100-year-old South Carolina native received France\u2019s highest military award, becoming a Knight of the Legion of Honor.<\/p>\n The honor was presented on April 9 at the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation by French Consul General Anne-Laure Desjonqu\u00e8res, who told Cook: \u201cYou are a true hero \u2014 your example gives us inspiration for the future and your legacy provides a moral compass for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Cook had originally enlisted in 1943 with dreams of becoming a P-38 fighter pilot, washed out of cadet training, and found his way back to aviation as a ball turret gunner \u2014 the belly position, one of the most exposed on the aircraft. He fit in it, he said, pretty well. He flew his last mission on February 16, 1945.<\/p>\n At the ceremony, Cook said he wanted to speak for those who never came home. \u201cThere is no way that I can even attempt to explain the feeling. As far as I\u2019m concerned, I am so unworthy. I want to be a representative of the people who didn\u2019t come back. They are the ones who paid the real sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n Sources: <\/em>Military Times<\/a><\/em> (confirmed this session); <\/em>Task & Purpose<\/a><\/em> (confirmed this session)<\/em><\/p>\n 2. Goodbye colonoscopy? Scientists can now detect 90% of colorectal cancers from a stool sample<\/strong><\/p>\n Researchers at the University of Geneva have developed an approach that could change how colorectal cancer is detected \u2014 no colonoscopy required. Using machine learning, they mapped gut bacteria at a previously impossible level of detail, revealing subtle microbial patterns linked to cancer. By analyzing simple stool samples, their method identified 90% of cases, rivaling one of medicine\u2019s most trusted \u2014 and most dreaded \u2014 diagnostic tools.<\/p>\n Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. When caught early, it is often highly treatable. However, colonoscopies \u2014 the primary screening method \u2014 can be costly and uncomfortable, which discourages many people from getting tested on time.<\/p>\n The Geneva team\u2019s method detected 90% of cancer cases, a result close to the 94% detection rate achieved by colonoscopies and better than all current non-invasive methods. A clinical trial is now being prepared in partnership with Geneva University Hospitals to define which cancer stages and lesions the method can detect. The study was published in Cell Host & Microbe<\/em>.<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>ScienceDaily \/ University of Geneva<\/a><\/em> (confirmed this session)<\/em><\/p>\n 3. More than 10% of the world\u2019s ocean is now officially protected<\/strong><\/p>\n Nations have achieved what the United Nations Environment Programme is calling \u201can important global milestone\u201d for people and planet: more than 10% of the world\u2019s ocean is now officially protected. UNEP revealed this week that 5 million square kilometers of ocean \u2014 an area larger than the European Union \u2014 was newly classed as protected in the last two years alone. The percentage of ocean under conservation measures now stands at 10.01%, up from 8.6% in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all depend on the ocean for our survival; over half of the world\u2019s oxygen is produced by life in the ocean,\u201d said Neville Ash, director of UNEP\u2019s World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The milestone is also a reminder, Ash noted, of how far there is still to go: the 2022 global agreement committed nations to protecting 30% of Earth\u2019s land and sea by 2030.<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Positive News \/ UNEP<\/a><\/em> (confirmed this session)<\/em><\/p>\n 4. Global terrorism deaths hit their lowest point in almost 20 years<\/strong><\/p>\n The Global Terrorism Index 2026, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, recorded a substantial fall in terrorism worldwide. Deaths from terrorism fell 28% to 5,582 in 2025, while the number of attacks declined by nearly 22% to 2,944 \u2014 the lowest figures since 2007. The improvement was widespread, with 81 countries recording improvements and only 19 deteriorating \u2014 the lowest number of deteriorations in the Index\u2019s history.<\/p>\n The GTI notes that this progress may be fragile: Western fatalities rose sharply in 2025, largely driven by antisemitism, Islamophobia, and political violence, and the escalation of the Iran conflict introduces new risk factors for the years ahead. But the long-run picture \u2014 from a peak of nearly 11,000 deaths in 2015 to under 5,600 last year \u2014 represents a genuine, measurable reduction in political violence worldwide.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1693161755505-0c98d4dffcba?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxiLTE3fGVufDB8fHx8MTc3NjU5ODYyOXww&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080\")
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