In today’s Good News, a one-dose vaccine 10 years in the making could end the chlamydia crisis threatening Australia’s wild koala population. And in South Korea, where long work hours are often the norm, a hospital’s test of a four-day work week shows improved employee well-being and patient care.

Catherine Garcia
The Week Digital

Australia has approved the rollout of a single-dose chlamydia vaccine for koalas. Scientists hope the first-of-its-kind vaccine will keep the endangered marsupials from going extinct in some parts of the country. The deadly disease is spread through mating and close contact, and the infection rate is as high as 70% in some colonies. Researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast spent 10 years working on the vaccine and are seeking funding to distribute it to wildlife clinics and hospitals.

To improve work-life balance, Severance Hospital in Seoul has been trialing a four-day workweek for the last two years. The first-of-its-kind program in a South Korean hospital has boosted nurses' well-being, made them more efficient, improved patient care and reduced turnover rates, the Korea Worker Institute-Union Center said in a report. Long working hours are the norm in South Korea, but flexible arrangements like this are slowly spreading.

Betterment’s tax-saving tech works year-round to optimize your returns, so you can earn more without lifting a finger.

China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa

ZEMU, the first U.S. passenger train powered by hydrogen, is now in service in Southern California’s San Bernardino County. The train uses hybrid hydrogen and battery technology to operate, with water the only emission generated by its propulsion system. The innovative train — ZEMU stands for zero-emission multiple unit — will improve air quality while “expanding clean-air transit options” for local residents, said San Bernardino County Transportation Authority Board President Rick Denison.

Retirees in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley gather six days a week to pick up trash from sidewalks, gutters and bushes — and to keep loneliness at bay. The group, Volunteers Cleaning Communities, picks a stretch of road to beautify, and when they’re finished, it looks “visibly different,” group leader Jill Mather said to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s instant gratification.” The retirees enjoy coffee together after every cleanup, meet for game nights and have inspired offshoot groups in Santa Monica and Brentwood.

There are pros and cons to each season

Up for a brainteaser? Play our daily puzzles, including crosswords, codewords and sudoku.