July 15, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday update from The Optimist Daily featuring discussions of our top positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Today we focus in on changing biased language in computer coding and Summers reminds us Read More...
July 15, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday update from The Optimist Daily featuring discussions of our top positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Today we focus in on changing biased language in computer coding and Summers reminds us Read More...
COVID-19: How Orthodox Jews became America’s biggest donors of blood plasma
One Saturday in mid-April, a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders held a conference call with a Minnesota doctor as they grappled with spiking coronavirus cases in their New York area communities. Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic is leading a nationwide study on the use of blood plasma to treat Read More...
Tapir dung is the Amazon’s natural reforestation tool
Reforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is no easy task. Logging, slash and burn agriculture, and wildfires have left areas decimated, but lowland tapirs, a trunk-nosed piglike native species, could hold the key to bringing these areas back to life in their excrement. Tapirs eat more than 300 Read More...
Eating capers activates key proteins in the brain and heart
If you enjoy capers, we have good news for you. According to a recent study, a commonly found compound in pickled capers, quercetin, activates proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity. The study, which was published in Communications Biology, found that quercetin can directly Read More...
Every $1 invested in the ocean generates $5 of benefits for the planet
Investing money towards protecting our oceans isn’t just about saving this precious source of biodiversity. According to a new report, every $1 invested in key ocean actions can generate $5 in economic, health, and environmental benefits. The report comes from the World Resources Institute, Read More...
This instant ramen packaging dissolves into spices and sauces
If you’ve ever made yourself instant ramen, you’ll know the process involves putting dry noodles in a bowl, dispersing the flavored contents of a plastic sachet into the bowl, and adding hot water. It’s simple, but the problem is the sachets aren’t recyclable and are one of the biggest Read More...
Twitter engineer leads movement to replace racially-loaded tech terms
What sort of impacts do words have in our everyday jobs? For Regynald Augustin, a programmer at Twitter, the unquestionable drive to change the terminology used in his day-to-day job was an effort that started back in January. The impetus for change started after he received an email with the Read More...
4 Natural remedies to soothe those summer bug bites
A couple of weeks ago we discussed natural mosquito repellants you can make at home, but even the most vigilant citronella users will likely end up with a few bug bites by the end of the summer. Bug bites can be itchy, distracting, and just plain irritating, but here are four natural remedies to Read More...
Could AI help prompt doctors to have difficult discussions about death?
At the Optimist Daily, we’re always on the lookout for solutions—whether they may be for lighter issues like gardening, or for much heavier topics, like how we can best discuss how to prepare for death. Today, we’ll be touching upon the latter. The question of how and when to prepare for Read More...