This smart vase has a screen that shows you how your plant is feeling
Plants are like pets; they can’t talk to you, per se, but they communicate nonetheless. They droop, sprout, and grow in a nonverbal language that almost seems to communicate emotions. For anyone who’s ever wondered, “How does my plant really feel?” finding the answer could get a whole lot Read More...
For the first time since 1990, drug overdose deaths have dropped in America
While the fight to end deaths from drug overdoses is far from over, at the very least there’s some good news to the drug epidemic. According to preliminary government data made public this week, the total number of deaths from drug overdoses declined by around 5 percent last year after three Read More...
The cargo ships of the future might use traditional sails to lower emissions
The vast majority of products that move globally, from jeans to bananas to cars, travel on cargo ships that generate around 3 percent of global emissions (for context, aviation generates 2 percent). And while shipping companies such as Maersk are investing heavily in new technologies to reduce Read More...
Biologists discovered a human-sized jellyfish off the coast of England
Coming across a jellyfish while scuba diving is already a pretty amazing experience, but imagine spotting a jellyfish the same size as you beneath the waves. Well, that’s exactly what happened for biologist Lizzie Daly and underwater cameraman Dan Abbot this past weekend off the coast of Read More...
Engineers have created a robot that plants baby coral in damaged reefs
Right now, the world’s reefs are “losing corals faster than they can be naturally replaced.” In a bid to restore degraded reef systems, a team of engineers in Australia has developed a robot that seeds the reefs with coral that can live at higher temperatures. You see, corals typically Read More...
Only 5% of Americans eat enough fiber. That’s a huge problem
When we fret about the deterioration of the American diet, we tend to focus on the excessive amounts of sugar, salt, and calories we’re now eating. What we don’t talk about: an important ingredient that’s gone missing as we’ve been filling our plates with more chicken and cheese. Fiber. Read More...
Virgin set to cut ties with attractions that hold whales and dolphins captive
Removing dolphins and whales from their natural environment and confining them in cramped water tanks at amusement parks can seriously affect the physical and psychological well-being of these mammals. In a bid to discourage people from visiting such amusement parks, Virgin Holidays, one of the Read More...
British woodlands to see native bears and wolves for the first time in 1000 years
For more than 1000 years England's woodlands have been devoid of wild animals such as bears and wolves. Now, after a number of rewilding initiatives, native bears and wolves are coming snout to muzzle with each other among towering oaks and ashes in a slice of the country’s woodlands. European Read More...
The shipping industry will be forced to use cleaner fuels in less than 6 months
From the return of sails on cargo ships to shipping giant Maersk’s quest to drastically reduce emissions, the shipping industry has been in the spotlight this week at The Optimist Daily—and for good reason: as one of the highest polluting industries in the world, much has to change in order to Read More...
There will be no whaling season in Iceland this year
Hunting whales has long been a part of Iceland’s tradition, but that tradition is set to expire after the island nation suspended commercial whale hunting this year. Demand by tourists for “traditional” minke whale meat in Icelandic restaurants has partially driven the hunt for minke whales Read More...