In today’s Good News, an Irish teenager designs an award-winning type of biodegradable plastic that pulls toxic microplastics out of water and dirt. And in California, neighbors monitor their local creek daily so they can take whatever steps are necessary to keep the historic watershed pristine at all times.

Catherine Garcia
The Week Digital

A new wearable robotic device is boosting the strength of children with spinal muscular atrophy, according to research published in Nature. SMA causes spinal motor neurons to die, and while genetic treatments can slow the disease, they can’t help with muscle loss. After a six-week trial with the knee robot, the six participants, ages 6 to 10, had bigger quadriceps and improved conductivity in their nerves, and could stand from a lower sitting angle.

After 30 years of community-led monitoring and restoration work, Sausal Creek in Oakland, California, is cleaner than ever. The dedicated volunteers of Friends of Sausal Creek have restored “miles of habitat,” removed invasive plants and planted thousands of native flowers and trees, said CBS News. The group’s daily work to “protect, restore and enhance” the three-mile waterway has left it “thriving,” and their model can be replicated at other community streams.

Eco Purge, a biodegradable plastic developed by an Irish teen that also removes microplastics from soil and water, has been crowned the European winner of the 2026 Earth Prize. Arya Satheesh, 18, will receive $12,500 in funding to scale up her invention for “real-world use in products like packaging and compost bags,” said Euronews. Eco Purge is made of a plant-based plastic embedded with enzymes that gradually release into the environment and break down microplastics.

Levels of PFAS compounds have dropped by more than 70% in Canadian seabird eggs since international restrictions and industry phase-outs curbed the use of the “forever chemicals,” according to new research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology. The findings are “good news” that show these regulations “are having a good effect,” said study co-author Raphael Lavoie of Environment and Climate Change Canada. PFAS chemicals don’t break down easily and can cause serious health issues.

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