Gene Therapy Is Giving Blind People Their Sight Back + The UK Bans Smoking Forever and Solar Power From Space episode artwork

EPISODE · May 11, 2026 · 11 MIN

Gene Therapy Is Giving Blind People Their Sight Back + The UK Bans Smoking Forever and Solar Power From Space

from What Could Go Right? · host The Progress Network with Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas

Gene therapy has been quietly pulling off miracles, and this week, it got its Oscars moment. Emma Varvaloucas, Executive Director of The Progress Network, breaks down how a husband-and-wife scientific team's decades-long quest has restored sight to over 100 blind Americans, and how a brand-new drug called Otarmeni just became the first-ever FDA-approved gene therapy for genetic deafness. The science is extraordinary. The price tags, less so.Plus: The United Kingdom passes a genuinely radical generational ban on smoking; the US Senate unanimously bans members and staffers from betting on prediction markets, after some were caught betting on their own races; and Meta inks a deal to beam solar power down from space.What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkFollow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 11, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Gene Therapy Is Giving Blind People Their Sight Back + The UK Bans Smoking Forever and Solar Power From Space

0:00 11:12

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of What Could Go Right??

This episode is 11 minutes long.

When was this What Could Go Right? episode published?

This episode was published on May 11, 2026.

Can I download this What Could Go Right? episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!