Rare blue calamintha bee spotted for first time in four years
Until this past March, the blue Calamintha bee had not been seen for four years and was thought to be extinct. But recently, a researcher with a keen eye spotted the blue bee while installing bee condos in Central Florida's Lake Wales Ridge area. Its sighting is a beacon of hope for Read More...
New implant allows the blind to “see” shapes and letters
A team of scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston has developed a brain implant that allows both blind and sighted participants to “see” the shape of letters. As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Cell, the device works by skipping the eye and relaying visual Read More...
Training AI is carbon-intensive. MIT researchers are changing that
The different ways artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to improve our lives is vast, but one thing we often overlook is the environmental cost that comes with AI. After all, running a training model to improve AI requires a whole lot of energy. For that reason, researchers at Massachusetts Read More...
May 18, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring our top 5 positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Listen in to start your day with a positive solutions mindset and share with someone else who Read More...
May 18, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring our top 5 positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Listen in to start your day with a positive solutions mindset and share with someone else who Read More...
May 18, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring our top 5 positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Listen in to start your day with a positive solutions mindset and share with someone else who Read More...
May 18, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring our top 5 positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Listen in to start your day with a positive solutions mindset and share with someone else who Read More...
Cities that implement bike-share programs see more people bike to work
In the past decade, bike-sharing systems have exploded in popularity across America. Whereas there were only four US cities with a bike-sharing system in 2010, over 50 cities had a bike-share system by 2016. The often brightly colored bikes with whimsical company names promise city dwellers an Read More...
A peek into the quirky world of post-pandemic dining
As various parts of the world ease out of coronavirus lockdowns, restaurants are finding creative ways to ensure patrons feel safe while eating out during the coronavirus. Some eateries are getting creative in order to maintain social distancing between customers and staff. Others are just trying Read More...
This startup shows us why drones hold the key to mass reforestation
This week, on land north of Toronto that previously burned in a wildfire, drones are hovering over fields and firing seedpods into the ground, planting native pine and spruce trees to help restore habitat for birds. Flash Forest, the Canadian startup behind the project, plans to use its technology Read More...