The four things you can do to cut your risk of cancer in half
According to new research, 20 to 40 percent of cancer cases—and about 50 percent of all deaths from cancer—might be prevented if we all did these four things: exercise regularly, maintain a healthy BMI, stay smoke-free, and skip booze or drink only in moderation. That’s it—or rather, that Read More...
How the citizens of Cape Town came together to avoid a major water crisis
During the California drought, which finally ended in late 2016, residents were still using on average 109 gallons of water per person per day. That’s rather shameful, especially when you compare it to the citizens of Cape Town, South Africa, where water levels are currently extremely low. There, Read More...
You may not know it, but metaphors can change the way we form opinions
When we think about metaphors, we might think about how we typically learn about them in school: as a poetic device or a rhetorical flourish. But, metaphors are not simply confined to the world of poetry—they are all around us. By some estimates, we use metaphors every 25 words, but because Read More...
New theory suggests that after death consciousness moves to another universe
A book titled “Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Keys to Understanding the Nature of the Universe“ has stirred up the internet, because it contained a notion that life does not end when the body dies, and it can last forever. The author of this publication, scientist Dr. Robert Read More...
The new social networks you should join instead of Facebook
The past two weeks have been rough for Facebook. Some are deleting their accounts in protest of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, while others are decrying the death of social media, likening its effect on us to sugar or Read More...
8 surprising things ultra-productive people do every day
When it comes to productivity, we all face the same challenge — there are only 24 hours in a day. Yet some people seem to have twice the time; they have an uncanny ability to get things done. Even when juggling multiple projects, they reach their goals without Read More...
Electric vehicles and smart meters combine to make a mobile powerplant
We know that electric cars can act as a mobile battery by discharging energy back into the grid. When plugged in during peak demand times, it helps reduce high electricity prices and smooth out power spikes. But what if real-time data and artificial intelligence allowed us to follow and predict Read More...
An Indian village is fighting sex-selective abortion with trees
In 2011, an Indian census revealed something startling: Across the country, there were 7 million more boys than girls under the age of six. The reason? In all likelihood, rampant sex-selective abortion. Many Indian parents prefer to have a boy, thanks in part to the hefty dowries traditionally Read More...
Clean air is becoming a commodity in the world’s most polluted cities
The Optimist Daily reports on the progress of renewable energy on a daily basis. Here's one more reason why that reporting is so important. Breathing clean air has become the new cool in super-polluted cities such as Shanghai, Beijing or Delhi where hotels and schools for the wealthy offer clean Read More...
The results of this study will make you never want to eat processed foods again
In a study in 2015, researchers asked 20 fast food-loving Americans to swap diets with 20 people living in rural South Africa. What the researchers found was that the South African had “remarkable” changes in the biomarkers that indicate colon cancer risk. The good news, however, is that the Read More...