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Five real advances in science, medicine, technology, and the environment, each verified against the original reporting. In this episode: Nearly three decades of Hurricane Hunter data reveal four features that help tilted tropical cyclones; Bacteria in soil at a former Pittsburgh steel site (Hazelwood Green) have evolved to survive and metabolize; Six narwhals equipped with satellite transmitters collected over 2,000 temperature and salinity observations; A chemical called bistrifluron killed 95.7% of western drywood termites in laboratory experiments by blocking; Students with Child Protective Services contact miss more school than peers, with teachers 14 percentage.
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 Five Things Going Right, the news that's actually good. Five stories, five minutes, all of them true. Hi everyone, I'm Grace. And I'm Josh. Today is Monday, September 21st, 2026. Let's get started with today's stories. Forecasters at the University of Miami's Rosensteil School have been digging into hurricane data. They've used nearly 30 years of Hurricane Hunter aircraft data to identify features that help a tilted tropical cyclone straighten up and intensify. That's right. These features are related to circulation compactness, wind shear positioning, and rainfall patterns. The study suggests that these insights could give forecasters an early warning when a disorganized storm is gearing up to strengthen. But the study doesn't specify the four features in detail, so how this will be practically used in forecasting is still up in the air. Over in Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University has been looking into soil at Hazelwood Green, a former steel site. They've found bacteria that have evolved to survive and break down industrial pollutants like B-tex compounds. It's part of a larger trend across Appalachia and the Rust Belt. These former industrial sites are being transformed into new neighborhoods, research centers, and technology hubs. It's fascinating how nature adapts to human impact, and these bacteria are a prime example of that. The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources has been using narwhals to track Arctic warming. They fitted six narwhals with satellite transmitters, collecting over 2,000 temperature and salinity observations from East Greenland waters between 2017 and 2020. Those measurements revealed warm Atlantic water reaching into fjords, contributing to glacial melt. The narwhals dive into depths and areas that are tough for research vessels to reach, making them invaluable for this kind of data collection. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have tested a chemical called Bestrifleron on western drywood termites. It killed over 95% of them in lab experiments by preventing the formation of a new exoskeleton. Since termites need to molt, this treatment turns a normal life cycle stage into a fatal one, potentially offering an alternative to traditional fumigation. However, this was in controlled conditions, and its effectiveness in real infested homes hasn't been demonstrated yet. A study from The Ohio State University has found that students who have contact with Child Protective Services miss more school than their peers. Teachers are also 14 percentage points more likely to contact these families about attendance. The study doesn't clarify whether these absences are due to the adversity that led to CPS involvement or the investigation process itself, so the root cause of these additional absences remains unclear. That's all for today's stories. Thanks for joining us. We'll catch you next time. Take care. That's it for today. That was 5 Things Going Right. Come back tomorrow for 5 more. 5 Things Going Right. Come back tomorrow for 5 more.