Cities are finally removing Confederate monuments following protests
Shocking as it may seem, more than 700 Confederate monuments remain on display in public spaces in America. Now, thanks to protests in the name of George Floyd, calls for cities to remove monuments dedicated to the Confederacy and its racist ideology have grown louder. And in many places, the Read More...
Ferguson, MO elects first African American and first female mayor
Six years after the shooting of Michael Brown by police which sparked protests and solidified the Black Lives Matter movement, Ferguson, Missouri has elected its first black mayor. Ella Jones took 54 percent of the vote this Tuesday and is also the first woman to hold the office. Jones has Read More...
A look into IKEA’s quest to become fully circular by 2030
Last year, as Ikea began testing a furniture rental program in some markets, it also began taking old furniture back from customers, so it could refurbish old sofas and resell them instead of having them sent to landfills. It’s just one aspect of the company’s plans to become fully circular Read More...
Thought leader series: Why good leaders make us feel safe
Think about a leader you admire. Maybe it’s a teacher, a manager, or your local political representative. Why do you like them? Why do they inspire confidence? As part of our new thought leader series, The Optimist Daily founding impact investor, Rinaldo Brutoco, launches into what makes a Read More...
Novel material could make digital screens bend and heal themselves
Imagine a digital screen that’s not only bendable but can also heal itself when it cracks. Thanks to a novel material developed by an astute team of scientists, that may soon be actually possible. Coming from the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, the new invention is Read More...
Scientists use sea snail venom to make new faster and safer type of insulin
Insulin has been saving lives since the first diabetes sufferers were injected with it in the 1920s, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. That is the attitude with which a group of scientists from the University of Utah has embarked on the quest to make diabetes treatment Read More...
Action, not tweets: Five ways corporate America can combat racism
Major companies across the US have flocked to social media to express their solidarity against racism and police brutality, but for many black Americans, the corporate tweets and executive memos on combating racism ring hollow from companies that too often have baked systemic racism into Read More...
COVID-19 lockdown: Cleaner air in UK relieves asthma symptoms for millions
Reduced human activity during the coronavirus lockdown doesn’t just make for cleaner skies. According to the British Lung Foundation, the lockdown has led two million people in the UK with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to experience reduced symptoms. A survey, by the charity, of Read More...
University of California says pencils down to SAT and ACT tests
High school students across the US aren’t taking standardized SAT and ACT tests this year due to COVID-19 shutdowns, but students applying to the University of California (UC) in the future will never have to take the tests at all. The UC system voted unanimously to phase out ACT and SAT test Read More...
Period poverty: New Zealand to provide free sanitary products to schools
Period poverty is a term that describes where girls or women are unable to afford or access sufficient menstrual hygiene products. It is often seen as a problem confined to developing countries, but several studies have exposed that period poverty impacts millions of people in the world's Read More...