Podcast Summary: Unexplainable – "It's Not All Bad"

Podcast: Unexplainable
Host: Joanna Solotaroff (Vox)
Guest: Brian Walsh, Senior Editorial Director at Vox
Date: January 14, 2026
Episode Description:
Amidst a year full of turmoil and negative headlines, Unexplainable’s team aims to uncover rays of hope and progress, asking: Was 2025 really as bad as it seemed, or are we missing meaningful good news? Joanna Solotaroff enlists optimistic colleague Brian Walsh, creator of Vox’s "Good News" newsletter, to revisit scientific breakthroughs, social trends, and reasons for hope in 2025, and to peek at what silver linings—and peculiar predictions—2026 may hold.

Main Theme

A candid, evidence-backed exploration of positive change and underreported progress in 2025, pushing back against relentless doomscrolling and negativity bias. The episode seeks to reframe perspectives, spotlighting science, public health, the environment, and society’s unexpected wins.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pervasive Negativity and the Challenge of Optimism

• [01:05-02:26] Joanna and Brian discuss the feeling that 2025 was "one of the worst goddamn years of our life," mirroring viral TikTok sentiment.
  • Joanna: “I had a TikTok that I wanted to share with you…so much happened last year I can't even keep track of it.”
  • Brian: Media is predisposed to highlight crises, intensifying the “negativity bias.” But when assessed historically, 2025 may not be as bad as it feels.
  • Quote:
    "I'm pretty confident if you put 2025 against most of the years of humanity's past, this one would come off pretty good."
    — Brian Walsh [03:44]

2. Big Wins in Medical Science

• [04:23-05:44] First-ever CRISPR-based custom therapy saves a baby from a rare genetic disorder.
  • Brian: Six-month-old with a lethal urea cycle disorder was cured—“now, almost a year later, the baby is thriving, the baby is cured.”
  • Quote:
    "I look at that and be like, that's amazing. Here's a huge scientific advancement that now is actually paying off to save people's lives..."
    — Brian Walsh [05:18]
  • The breakthrough came from UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute.
• Joanna notes admiration that breakthroughs happen “even in spite of all of these funding cuts.”
• Broader Implication: Gene editing now enables ultra-personalized therapies for formerly neglected rare diseases.

3. Turning the Tide on Crime and Drug Overdose

• [06:49-11:00] Crime rates, particularly homicide, plunged in 2025, marking a reversal after pandemic-era spikes.
  • Brian:
    • “We could be…the US on the track for one of the steepest one year national homicide declines ever…in New York City, we…set a record for the most days without a murder.”
    • Scholars disagree on exact causes, but pandemic social breakdown and subsequent return to normalcy have played key roles.
    • “It’s…a natural reaction to when you see these huge spikes that can’t go on forever, eventually they do break, almost like a fever.” [08:57]
• Drug overdose deaths down 24%.
  • Widespread use of Naloxone (Narcan) credited, alongside improved awareness and crisis response.
  • “To see that fall is an enormous victory…We're moving in the right direction, and I do feel good about that.” [10:40]

4. Youth Behavior: Declining Alcohol Use

• [11:00-12:01] Fewer teens and young adults are drinking alcohol than at any time since 1939.
  • Brian: “Only 54% of Americans now say they actually drink alcohol, which is the lowest share since, like, 1939 … Kids these days are actually quite safe.”
  • A wry apology to the wine cooler industry follows.

5. Hopeful Frontiers in Dementia Research

• [12:05-12:47] Promising evidence links the shingles vaccine to reduced dementia risk; hints that infectious agents might play a role in Alzheimer's.
  • “Anyone who has been touched by that knows how amazing that would be.” [12:45]

6. Environmental Progress: Old Victories and Renewed Hope

• [12:53-14:02] Signs of tangible progress:
  • The Ozone Hole:
    • Thanks to the 1989 Montreal Protocol, the ozone hole is shrinking—now 30% smaller than its 2006 peak.
    • “That’s one of the best long term environmental news stories I’ve ever seen.” [13:00]
  • Renewable Energy:
    • Despite political headwinds, global renewable power capacity keeps expanding rapidly.
    • Projected to double between 2025 and 2030.
  • Joanna: “I feel like now when I'm laying in bed with anxiety, I'll just slowly imagine the hole in the ozone layer closing.” [14:02]

7. Managing the Flood of Bad News

• [14:20-16:31] Joanna and Brian reflect on the mental toll of doomscrolling.
  • Brian:
    • “This good news thing actually forces me to go out and look for good things…”
    • The long historical view: Even today’s problems are improvements over the past (extreme poverty, maternal mortality, etc.)
  • Quote:
    "If you really look [at] a long sweep of human history, you realize, I don't want to be born in 1800 anywhere." [15:25]

8. Reasons for Optimism About 2026

• [19:23-20:23] Space and Science:

  • NASA’s Artemis II mission to the Moon is scheduled for early 2026, aiming for a permanent outpost.
  • Major clinical trials will test if LSD can treat anxiety and depression—potentially revolutionizing mental health care.
  • “If these go well, we could see some version of LSD being approved as an alternative treatment as early as 2027.” [20:15]

• [20:24-22:07] Animal Welfare:

  • Global movement away from fur (Poland bans fur entirely; NY Fashion Week goes fur-free in 2026).
  • Improvements in cage-free eggs and promise of lab-grown meat.
  • Brian’s hope: “I think we're going to look back in like 100 years as factory farming being one of the worst things humanity is doing right now…” [22:23]

9. Changing The World: The Role of Ideas and Activism

• [22:49-23:09] Future Perfect at Vox spotlights “things that are important but also neglected and then have…tractable solutions.”
• It’s often slow, difficult work changing minds and systems, but “there never seems to be a shortage of people who want to do that as hard as it is.” [22:41]

10. Unexpected Predictions

• [23:14-24:21] Brian’s Outrageous Prediction:
  • 60% chance an AI-generated song tops the Billboard Hot 100 in 2026.
  • Already happening in niches (country AI acts), but “not in favor of algorithmic non real human bands.”
  • Joanna calls the prediction "outrageous," and Brian agrees, "at the very least."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |------|---------|-------| | 03:44 | Brian Walsh | "I'm pretty confident if you put 2025 against most of the years of humanity's past, this one would come off pretty good." | | 05:18 | Brian Walsh | "Here's a huge scientific advancement that now is actually paying off to save people's lives, to make people better off." | | 10:40 | Brian Walsh | "We're moving in the right direction, and I do feel good about that." (on overdose deaths dropping) | | 13:00 | Brian Walsh | "That's one of the best long term environmental news stories I've ever seen." (on the ozone hole) | | 14:02 | Joanna Solotaroff | "I feel like now when I'm laying in bed with anxiety, I'll just slowly imagine the hole in the ozone layer closing." | | 15:25 | Brian Walsh | "If you really look [at] a long sweep of human history, you realize, I don't want to be born in 1800 anywhere." | | 22:23 | Brian Walsh | "Factory farming [may be] one of the worst things humanity is doing right now…" | | 23:17 | Brian Walsh | "I think there is a…60% chance that an AI generated song will top the Billboard Hot 100." | | 24:19 | Joanna Solotaroff | "It is outrageous." |

Key Timestamps: Segment Guide

• [01:05] – Joanna’s “2025 felt long” / Social media negativity
• [01:51] – Brian’s “Good News” newsletter and media’s negativity bias
• [04:23] – CRISPR baby and gene therapy breakthrough
• [06:49] – Crime rates and overdose deaths declining
• [11:00] – Declining alcohol use among youth
• [12:05] – Dementia/Alzheimer’s vaccine research insight
• [12:53] – The shrinking ozone hole and rise of renewables
• [14:20] – Coping with bad news; historical context for optimism
• [19:23] – Looking ahead: Moon mission, psychedelics in medicine
• [20:24] – Progress on animal welfare and food science
• [23:14] – The "AI top 40 hit" prediction

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Candid but deeply evidence-based optimism; skeptical without being cynical.
• A call not to ignore real suffering, but to recognize progress, hope, and the slow accumulation of positive change.
• Urges critical engagement: “We can pull both ideas in our minds at the same time…both things are possible. Both things are true.”

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This conversation delivers a measured antidote to doomscrolling, highlighting overlooked scientific triumphs, social reversals, environmental recoveries, and the importance of maintaining historical (and even cosmic) perspective. With humor, accessible statistics, and humility, the hosts ask listeners to see beyond the news cycle and find space for hope—without denying reality.

Want more good news?
Subscribe to Brian Walsh’s "Good News" newsletter at Vox.com.