Five Things Going Right: August 6, 2026

Five real advances in science, medicine, technology, and the environment, each verified against the original reporting. In this episode: The U.S. is experiencing a second historic 'Great Crime Decline' with homicide rates now at or near the; An injectable biomaterial restored near-normal movement in mouse brains after stroke by converting brain; New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, according to a; The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative has protected more than 24 million acres of habitat and; The UK government is overhauling school food standards in England for the first time in more than a decade.

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://reasonstobecheerful.world/americas-second-great-crime-decline/
• https://scitechdaily.com/new-stroke-treatment-turns-brain-cavities-into-repair-hubs/
• https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/un-summit-on-hiv-aids-shows-incredible-progress-in-infection-rates-deaths-treatment-access/
• https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-building-wildlife-corridor-rockies/
• https://www.positive.news/society/how-schools-are-winning-children-over-to-healthier-lunches/

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 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 Thursday, August 6th, 2026. Here's what we're covering today. Let's start with some positive news on crime rates in the United States. The FBI data shows that the country's murder rate has significantly decreased since the early 90s. Back in 1991, it was 9.8 per 100,000 people. But by 2000, it had dropped to 5.5. That's a 44% decrease, known as the Great Crime Decline. And now, analysts are talking about a second sustained decline. For nearly four years, there's been a large decrease in murder rates, bringing them below pre-pandemic levels. In Newark City, for example, homicides are at their lowest point in monthly data going back to 1960. Other cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Chicago are also seeing historically low numbers this year. What's interesting is that the causes of this decline are still unclear. It's happening in different types of cities, even with reduced police staffing, more available guns, and ongoing poverty. So it's tough to pin it on any single policy or intervention. Medical Research. There's some promising work coming out of Duke University. Researchers there have developed an injectable biomaterial that could potentially treat severe strokes. In mouse models, this biomaterial fills the empty cavity left by a stroke in the brain. It turns these cavities into sites of repair, helping the brain grow new blood vessels and mer fibers, and even restoring near-normal movement. But it's important to note that these results are in mice. Stroke treatments often show promise in animal studies, but fail to replicate in human trials. So this is still very early stage work. Now, let's talk about global health. A special report from UNAIDS, released ahead of the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, shows some encouraging trends. New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are at their lowest levels in over 30 years. The report also highlights that seven countries—Benin, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nepal, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe—have reached notable treatment milestones. However, despite this progress, around 39 million people are still living with HIV worldwide, and access to care varies widely between regions. In environmental news, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, or Y2Y, is making strides in creating a wildlife corridor across the Rocky Mountains. This initiative aims to link habitats along a 2,100-mile corridor by coordinating among several governments and many smaller projects. Since its inception in 1997, Y2Y has protected over 24 million acres of habitat and supported the construction of more than 200 wildlife crossings. Lastly, let's look at changes in school food standards in England. The UK government is planning an overhaul for the first time in over a decade, with changes set to take effect in September 2027. These changes include a ban on deep-fried foods and limiting high-sugar desserts to once a week. However, progress across schools is still uneven. Some schools are serving fresh menus, while others continue to offer highly processed food. And concerningly, one in three children still leave primary school overweight or obese. That's all for today's updates. It's encouraging to see progress in so many areas, even if challenges remain. Definitely. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll catch you next time. That's it for today. That was 5 Things Going Right. Come back tomorrow for 5 more.