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Five real advances in science, medicine, technology, and the environment, each verified against the original reporting. In this episode: Coral Catch, a nonprofit in Indonesia, is training women in diving and coral conservation skills while; A growing number of music festivals are implementing land restoration and environmental change programs that; Researchers at Yale identified lacosamide, an FDA-approved medication, as a promising treatment for; U.S. children's cumulative likelihood of child welfare system contact (investigation, confirmed maltreatment; A new diagnostic tool can distinguish between benign canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma and malignant oral.
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. Five stories, five minutes, all of them true. Hi everyone. I'm Grace. And I'm Josh. Today is Wednesday, August 19th, 2026. Here's what we are covering. Let's start with a fascinating initiative in Indonesia. Coral Catch, a non-profit on Gili Air in the Gili Islands, is running the country's first marine conservation training program specifically for women. That's right. The program not only teaches diving and conservation skills, but also involves participants in active reef restoration work. It's framed as a way to build long-term local stewardship, though there's no data yet showing it leads to better reef restoration outcomes compared to other methods. Music festivals. There's a trend towards incorporating environmental programs beyond just recycling and reusable cups. A great example is the UK Youth Day, which took place in central London on August 12th. Instead of buying a ticket, visitors brought plastic waste, highlighting a commitment to land restoration and community action. Now, let's talk about some promising research from Yale University. They've identified lacosamide, a drug already approved by the FDA, as a potential treatment for osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis affects millions by causing pain and joint stiffness, limiting daily activities. While current treatments like pain relievers and steroid injections help some, this early-stage research suggests lacosamide might relieve pain and repair damaged cartilage. There's a new study from Rutgers University Newark School of Criminal Justice about the U.S. child welfare system. It found a decrease in children's cumulative likelihood of contact from 2016 to 2023. The largest declines were between 2019 and 2020. The study covers investigation, confirmed maltreatment, foster care placement, and termination of parental rights, but doesn't pinpoint the cause of the decline. It's unclear if policies like rental assistance and the Expanded Child Tax Credit played a role, or if reduced reporting during the pandemic contributed. Finally, let's discuss a study from Cornell University about canine oral tumors. They've developed a diagnostic tool to distinguish between acanthomatous amyloblastoma, a benign but invasive cancer, and malignant oral squamous cell carcinoma. These conditions are often confused in nearly one-third of cases. The researchers also found an FDA-approved drug, targeting ERBB4, that reduced tumor growth in samples. This work is ready for clinical trials, though its effectiveness in living dogs hasn't been proven yet. That's all for today's stories. Thanks for listening. We appreciate you tuning in. Until next time. That's it for today. That was 5 Things Going Right. Come back tomorrow for 5 more. bye bye bye bye bye bye