1. The world is slowly getting better, and it's all because of science:

A few years ago, Dr. Anthony Atala’s lab at Wake Forest University got good at making ears. They were growing new ears on a scaffold using patient's cells, because so many soldiers were losing their ears in explosions. Now the Department of Defense has a project that’s closer to Atala’s heart: making new genitals for soldiers who have stepped on bombs.

Other labs are still moving forward with the ear project for the military. But Atala has special expertise dating back to his days as a pediatric urologist. He’s already grown bladders using a patient’s own cells, and he’s made penises that rabbits were able to put to their proper use, fathering litters of new little bunnies.

2. Industry is doing its part, too:

...there's no lack of innovation happening when it comes to bike. The latest example of this is the Alfa: a 20-pound bike made primarily of cardboard which is capable of holding nearly 500 pounds. Oh, and it only costs $10 to make.

If manufacturers can create a useful cardboard bike that costs $10 to make, and if they can get a Bill Gates type to subsidize its manufacture, the possibilities for third world countries are endless. Think of how the car changed America; this is kind of like that. A ridiculously cheap bicycle can give people a way to remove themselves from their situations. That's one of the greatest problems that impoverished people face.