This digital bank is being called the Facebook of banking
In its first round of crowdfunding, a smartphone-only “challenger” bank raised £1m in 96 seconds, making it the fastest crowdfunding campaign. The bank has already brought in nearly half a million UK customers, and has a six-week waiting list with over 66,000 people on it. So why are people so Read More...
Iceland becomes first country to ban pay discrimination on the basis of gender
Iceland has found a solution to closing the gender pay gap. The island-nation simply made it illegal as of January 1. The law isn’t complicated either: Under it, companies and government agencies employing at least 25 people will have to obtain government certification of their equal-pay Read More...
2018 is the year that big businesses start ushering in the circular economy
Circular economy solutions not only benefit the environment, but can also generate more money for companies. 2018 will show more and more large corporations reusing waste that would have ended up in landfills. A brilliant example of this comes from HP, which is taking used ink cartridges and Read More...
Alan W. Watts: Why life is NOT a journey
We tend to see life as a journey, but British philosopher Alan W. Watts thinks this makes no sense. As he explains, life should not be considered a journey because the end is not the primary goal. Rather life is like a piece of music or a dance: tasks in which the doing is far more important than Read More...
Neuroscience reveals the secrets to success
We’ve been taught that if you dream big, work hard, have a positive mindset, learn from your mistakes, and persist, you can be anything you want in life. But brain imaging has shown that it takes some help from a healthy, sharp brain to achieve Read More...
China, moving to cut emissions, halts production of 500 car models
Chinese leaders are under intense pressure to rein in dangerous air pollution, a hot-button issue in China, where thick smog has at times forced schools and businesses to temporarily shut down. Late last month, China said it was going ahead with a Read More...
With cardamom and turmeric, India's toothpaste wars are getting spicy
First, it was charcoal, then salt. Now it is cardamom, mint, and even Read More...
Wildflower planting on farms boosts birds, from skylarks to starlings
Planting wildflowers and protecting nests on farms enables birds, from skylarks to starlings, to bounce back rapidly from long-term declines, new research shows. Intensive agriculture has led to overall farmland bird numbers in the UK Read More...
The successes of 2017 in 99 stories
As a regular reader of The Optimist Daily, you already know: the world experienced a vast number of victories concerning global health, living standards, conservation, and much more that has been overlooked by most media outlets. However, here's a list of 99 stories that will illustrate the point Read More...
Researchers have accidentally found an effective Alzheimer’s treatment
Often times, a drug developed for one purpose turns out to be even more effective at treating something different. That appears to be exactly what is happening with a new class of drugs originally developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but were found to be especially effective when Read More...