What Could Go Right?

American Dads Are Stepping Up, Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients, and Oklahoma Bans Child Marriage

What Could Go Right?

Show Notes

The pandemic triggered something unexpected: American fathers started working less and spending significantly more time on childcare and housework — and new research suggests it wasn't remote work or job loss driving the shift, but a genuine realignment of gender norms.

Plus: some scientists are calling this the biggest advancement in cancer treatment in 15 years – a drug called daraxonrasib which is nearing FDA approval and substantially extends the lives of pancreatic cancer patients; Brazil has officially begun demarcating over a million acres of protected land for an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the Amazon; and Oklahoma became the 17th U.S. state to ban child marriage, ruffling some feathers.

What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.

For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org

Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/

Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork

Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

Follow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

More from What Could Go Right?

Oct 12, 2026

What do anarchist hippies and police officers have in common? We dive into a fringe hippie experiment that turned into a template for police departments across the country. Additionally, we’re talking about a historic trip to the International Space Station and the forgotten reason we have modern ambulances in this country. 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/

Oct 7, 2026

As modern society grows wealthier and more technologically advanced, our increasing obsession with safety is quietly stalling human progress. Economist and author Allison Schrager joins host Zachary Karabell to break down the hidden costs of our increasingly risk averse culture and explain why embracing uncertainty is essential for both personal fulfillment and economic innovation.

Oct 5, 2026

Why are researchers and doctors who treat dementia so happy right now? Experts think we're in a new optimistic age for Alzheimer's research with new treatments and new diagnostic tools that are changing the landscape. That’s our main story on the What Could Go Right Progress Report. We're also talking about a new kind of battery that you can eat, and last but not least, in This Week in History, we're talking about a 30-year-old agreement about Antarctica that probably saved our planet. 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/

Sep 30, 2026

There was a time in American history when everything was about ships. For centuries, power on the seas was necessary for economic success, but U.S. maritime power isn’t what it used to be. That change has never been more important than in the growing territorial tension in the Arctic Circle. Author, columnist, and economic analyst Rana Foroohar joins host Zachary Karabell to talk about her new book Sea Change: America’s New Great Game in the Arctic. They discuss how sea lanes opening across the North Pole as a result of climate change could reshape trade, security, and geopolitics, and make the Arctic one of the most important economic and political zones in the world.

Sep 28, 2026

After a former Anthropic researcher quit and gave a doomsday warning about artificial intelligence, a debate on a human extinction event is raging in the media. Could AI get too smart too fast? Are we really in danger of AI going rogue and killing off humanity, or is it all an overblown distraction?

See all episodes →