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Five real advances in science, medicine, technology, and the environment, each verified against the original reporting. In this episode: Beijing has improved from one of the world's most polluted cities to 589th globally in air pollution ranking; UC Riverside researchers developed ruthenium nanoparticles that can convert captured perchlorate into; Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) complete their entire reproductive cycle in the Alcatrazes Archipelago; People with severe obesity who exercise regularly have 6–7% reduction in carotid artery wall thickness and; Researchers at University of Pittsburgh and University of Chicago restored sense of touch in five spinal cord.
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. Today is Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026, and we've got some fascinating stories to cover. And I'm Josh. Let's jump right into it. Here's what we're discussing today. So Josh, it seems like Beijing has made a huge leap in air quality. What's the latest on that? It's quite a turnaround. According to IQ Air, Beijing has moved to the 589th spot globally in air pollution rankings. Back in 2010, the levels of PM2.5, which are those tiny particles from combustion engines, were 20 times higher than the World Health Organization's guidelines. That year, air pollution contributed to over 1.2 million premature deaths in China. That's a staggering number. What's behind this improvement? A big factor is the adoption of electric vehicles. However, the report doesn't specify how much of the improvement is due to electric vehicles compared to other measures like closing coal plants, implementing industrial regulations, and updating fuel standards. Moving on, there's some promising research on dealing with perchlorate pollution. What's happening there? Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have developed ruthenium nanoparticles that can convert perchlorate into harmless chloride. Perchlorate is a harmful industrial pollutant, and currently, water utilities use ion exchange resin beads to remove it. This process leaves behind hazardous waste that needs to be dealt with. That sounds like a significant advancement. Do we know how effective or scalable this new method is? Unfortunately, the report doesn't provide details on the conversion efficiency, scalability, cost, or timeline for commercial use. Now, let's talk about some exciting marine biology news from Brazil. Scientists and divers, including those from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, have discovered that critically endangered sand tiger sharks complete their entire reproductive cycle in the Alcatrazes archipelago. This area is a protected marine zone, about 35 kilometers off the coast of São Sebastião, Brazil. That's a big discovery. Does this change our understanding of these sharks? Absolutely. Previously, it was thought they only spent winter there. However, this doesn't solve the problem of their global decline or the broader threats they face. Let's shift gears to health and fitness. There's a new study on exercise and heart health after weight loss. What did it find? Researchers at the University of Copenhagen followed 130 people with severe obesity for a year after they lost an average of 13.7 kilograms on a low-calorie diet. They were divided into four groups, exercise-only, the medication liraglutide-only, exercise plus liraglutide, and a placebo. And what were the results? Those who exercised showed a 6 to 7 percent reduction in the thickness of the carotid artery wall, which is a marker of cardiovascular risk. They also had lower inflammation. However, the medication alone maintained weight loss but didn't improve vascular health. It's important to note that the study was only a year long, so long-term outcomes remain unknown. Finally, there's some groundbreaking research on restoring the sense of touch. Can you tell us more? Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago have been working on this. They found that precisely targeted electrical stimulation of the brain can recreate a sense of touch in people with spinal cord injuries. They followed five individuals with spinal cord injuries who had brain-computer interface devices implanted, covering a combined 27 years of implant use. That's incredible. It really shows the potential of brain-computer interfaces. Definitely. It's a promising step forward for people with spinal cord injuries. That's all for today's episode. Thanks for tuning in and exploring these stories with us. We appreciate you listening. Until next time, take care. That's it for today. That was 5 Things Going Right. Come back tomorrow for five more. Thanks for watching. We appreciate you listening. Until next time, take care.