Five Things Going Right: August 28, 2026

Five real advances in science, medicine, technology, and the environment, each verified against the original reporting. In this episode: A University of Alberta literacy program tripled the rate of progress for struggling second-grade readers; Baltimore is using mobile crisis teams to respond to 911 calls that don't require police, with $400 million; Researchers have developed a vehicle-mounted spectroscopy system that can reliably detect methane in real; Researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed a molecule that uses electricity to replace; A mixture of neem, lemongrass, garlic, and hot chili plants effectively inhibits growth of two Fusarium. 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://phys.org/news/2026-08-groundbreaking-literacy-triples-struggling-young.html https://www.optimistdaily.com/2026/08/baltimore-reimagines-what-911-can-do-with-400-million-to-back-it-up/ https://phys.org/news/2026-08-vehicle-mounted-spectroscopy-methane-real.html https://scitechdaily.com/this-new-molecule-could-transform-how-we-recover-gold-from-electronic-waste/ https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mixture-traditional-edible-inhibits-fungus.html