Five Things Going Right: September 14, 2026

Five real advances in science, medicine, technology, and the environment, each verified against the original reporting. In this episode: University of Oregon biologists reconstructed antimicrobial peptides from 160 million years ago that showed; Nitrogen-containing osteoporosis drugs were associated with lower Alzheimer's risk in a study of over 120,000; Indigenous Wayuu fishers in La Guajira, Colombia are shifting from shark fishing to conservation work; A homeless man named Rhys Wynne-Jones raised $50K for charity after his viral piano performance in a church; A single infusion of genetically reprogrammed immune cells sent severe rheumatoid arthritis into lasting.

Stan Berteloot is a French-American journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture. As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics. Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-resurrect-160-million-year-old-molecules-with-surprising-power-against-superbugs/
• https://scitechdaily.com/common-osteoporosis-drugs-linked-to-lower-alzheimers-risk-in-120000-person-study/
• https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/indigenous-fishers-shark-hunting-conservation
• https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/homeless-guy-famous-for-playing-piano-in-church-raising-50k/
• https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-used-cancer-therapy-to-reset-rheumatoid-arthritis/

What is Five Things Going Right?

Five Things Going Right is a daily five-minute podcast covering real, verifiable progress in science, medicine, technology, and the environment. Every weekday, hosts Grace and Josh walk through five stories that actually happened, each checked against the original reporting from sources like the WHO, the IEA, Nature, and university research. A calm, fact-grounded start to your day. New episodes every weekday morning.

Welcome, this is 5 Things Going Right, the news that's actually good. 5 stories, 5 minutes, all of them true. Hi everyone, I'm Brace, and today is Monday, September 14th, 2026. And I'm Josh. We've got some fascinating stories to cover today. Let's get started. Biologists at the University of Oregon have reconstructed antimicrobial peptides that date back as far as 160 million years. That's right. In lab tests, some of these ancient peptides showed stronger bacteria-killing activity than their modern counterparts. This could provide valuable insights for designing future treatments against resistant infections. It's important to note, though, that there's no information yet on whether these peptides have been tested in animals or clinical settings. And we don't have a timeline for any potential therapeutic development. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have found an interesting link between osteoporosis drugs and Alzheimer's risk. They studied over 120,000 older adults with osteoporosis or fragility fractures. The findings suggest that those taking nitrogen-containing osteoporosis drugs had a lower risk of Alzheimer's and related dementias. But it's crucial to remember this is just an association. It doesn't prove the drugs cause the lower risk. People already at a lower risk for dementia might be more likely to take and stick with these medications, which could influence the results. In Colombia, indigenous Wayu fishers in La Guajira are making a significant shift from shark fishing to conservation work. They're collaborating with marine biologists through Proyecto Puyui to document shark populations. This change aligns with a 2021 Colombian law that bans targeted fishing of sharks and rays. However, shark remains an important protein source in a region facing food insecurity, so economic pressures are still a factor. Rhys Wynne-Jones, who was homeless for a decade, has reached an impressive fundraising milestone. After a video of him playing piano at St. Mary's Church in Penzance went viral, he raised $50,000 for charity over the past two years. He says this experience has turned his life around. At Charité, Universitat Medecine Berlin, a new cell therapy is showing promise for treating rheumatoid arthritis. A single infusion of genetically reprogrammed immune cells has sent severe rheumatoid arthritis into lasting, medication-free remission in several patients who hadn't responded to previous treatments. This approach adapts a method first used in cancer therapy. However, the information doesn't specify the total number of patients treated, the success rate, or the length of follow-up, so the full scale of this work isn't clear yet. That's all for today's stories. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you listening. Until next time! That's it for today. That was 5 Things Going Right. Come back tomorrow for 5 more.