June 15, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring discussions of our top positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Today's podcast includes how food assistance programs can improve equity with Read More...
June 15, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring discussions of our top positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Today's podcast includes how food assistance programs can improve equity with Read More...
The Optimist View: Why anti-racism and environmentalism go hand-in-hand
"The harms suffered by ecosystems today are closely linked to and mirror the harms experienced by the most marginalized human being across the planet" - David Pellow By Amelia Buckley I had the fortunate experience of being raised surrounded by the outdoors. From camping to backpacking to Read More...
Collapsed stars again validate Einstein’s theory of relativity
Albert Einstein died in 1955, but scientists have continued to explore and validate his findings long after his death. Most recently, scientists have looked at collapsed stars for further confirmation of his theory of relativity. Looking at a trio of two white dwarf stars and a collapsed neutron Read More...
This company makes it so easy to transition your home to renewable energy
If you already use a reusable coffee cup, bike to work, and have your own compost bin, you might be asking yourself, what else can I do to reduce my carbon footprint? A new app from a company called Arcadia could be the solution in taking your personal environmental action to the next Read More...
New desalination technology turns brine into valuable chemicals
Desalination plants around the world produce about 27 billion gallons of drinking water each day. This drought-proof approach of converting brackish or salt water to potable water is costly because it requires a lot of energy, but new research outlines an efficient method for transforming water Read More...
New bionic eye could restore sight and even offer night vision
As we’ve talked about on The Optimist Daily, prosthesis technology has come a long way in recent years, but the human eye has always been difficult to replicate. Now, scientists have designed a prototype for the first 3D artificial bionic eye, which could let users see better than with the real Read More...
Online shopping for food assistance programs can improve health equity
Online grocery orders have spiked during the pandemic, but for those who rely on food stamps and assistance programs, online shopping hasn’t really been an option. Fortunately, late last month, California’s food stamps program, CalFresh, began allowing beneficiaries to buy groceries online at Read More...
Scientists harness renewable energy using water vapour in the air
Renewables are about to welcome a new member into the family of clean energy sources, thanks to researchers in Israel who have managed to generate a voltage using water vapor in the atmosphere. The concept of humidity as a source of energy is based on a recent study in the journal Nature that Read More...
Scientists map an entire ancient Roman city using only radar technology
We have previously written about how high-tech laser scanners have enabled scientists to discover the oldest and largest known structure built by the Mayans. Equipped with similar state-of-the-art technology, a group of archaeologists has managed to map an entire ancient Roman city while it’s Read More...