November 25, 2020
Listen to learn about how algae is giving bioprinted tissue an oxygen boost and how a skin cancer vaccine is preventing melanoma from returning. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
New skin cancer vaccine could prevent melanoma from coming back
If caught early, the highly-aggressive form of skin cancer known as melanoma is highly curable, with a 5-year survival rate of 92 percent. There is always a risk of it coming back, but that risk could be massively reduced thanks to a new skin cancer vaccine. The vaccine was developed by the New Read More...
Students vote to ban lamb and beef from Oxford dining halls
Oxford University has always prided itself on being an educational leader in the UK, but its students have felt that the school “has shown a lack of leadership” when it comes to “addressing climate change.” Taking matters into their own hands, Oxford’s student union just passed a motion Read More...
Tarantula venom could be used in next-gen drugs to treat chronic pain
When you think of tarantula venom, pain relief may be one of the last things that come to mind, but the ingredients in it could be key to new painkillers that rival opioids effectiveness. Looking to accelerate progress in this particular research area, a recent study from the University of Read More...
Drying your own herbs is easier than you think
Dried herbs have great cooking and self care uses, but they can be surprisingly expensive. Luckily, if you have herbs growing in your garden, it’s incredibly easy to dry them yourself. You will probably even get a fresher flavor from them. To dry herbs, start by washing them and laying them Read More...
Animals in Utah find safe passage on wildlife overpass
Last month, we wrote about an animal crossing bridge in Los Angeles that will soon be built to help wildlife such as mountain lions safely cross over the US 101 freeway, which cuts through their habitat. Although we won't get to see the finished product until 2021, we can get a sense of how it will Read More...
How your mind benefits from writing by hand
With the ubiquity of computers and laptops in modern times, it can be easy to forget that there was once a time where everything was written by hand. And while word-processing computers have certainly made writing faster and more efficient, there are some special psychological benefits we miss out Read More...
Algae is being used to give bioprinted tissue the oxygen it needs
3D printing technology has raised the possibility for scientists to produce biological tissue that could be used to replace organs or other body parts. Until now though, one of the problems with 3D printing biological tissue is that the cells may die before oxygen-delivering blood vessels grow into Read More...
FIFA introduces 14-week maternity leave for female soccer players
When it comes to workplace rights for women, maternity leave is a hot topic. More and more companies such as Microsoft are starting to offer longer paid maternity leave and just last week, FIFA introduced a new set of maternity rights for professional female soccer players. The new rules Read More...
This school district is using solar savings to give teachers a raise
In 2017, Batesville School District in Arkansas had an energy audit conducted to figure out how much money it was losing to annual utility bills. The school district soon found out that it was spending more than $600,000 a year on utility bills—a steep price for a cash-strapped school district Read More...