The research-backed mental health benefits of making mediocre art
If your social media feeds are filled with photos of banana bread, rudimentary watercolor paintings, and beginner sewing projects, it may be more than just people acting out of boredom. They’re likely getting other benefits from those efforts, too. Creative practices can offer a buffer against Read More...
COVID-19 and the 5 stages of grief
We are grieving as a nation and as a world. In the very literal sense, we are grieving the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19, but we are also grieving the loss of our normal lives. The loss of work, school, eating out, hugs with friends, travel, and so much more. Assessing our current situation Read More...
Study finds plasma from coronavirus survivors can help severely ill patients
Good news in the battle against coronavirus. In a recent story published in The Guardian, it was reported that doctors have found tentative evidence that seriously ill coronavirus patients can benefit from infusions of blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from the disease. Two Read More...
Architecture studio makes its reusable face shield model open-source
The urgency to tackle the increasing shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) has given rise to numerous heartwarming initiatives from people and companies from all backgrounds to step forward and come up with solutions. And architects and designers are not falling behind in this honorable Read More...
“Hospitality for Hope” connects medical workers with free hotel lodging
Medical staff working to treat COVID-19 patients often have to make the difficult decision of whether or not to sleep at home with their families given their high risk of exposure to the virus. Fortunately, the “Hospitality for Hope” gives these doctors and nurses a comfortable and safe Read More...
Autonomous shuttles help medical workers stay safe by moving COVID-19 tests
The US, like much of the world, is moving to keep contact between its residents to a minimum as it grapples with the spread of coronavirus, and a new project taking place at the Mayo Clinic is exploring what this could mean for medical testing. In what is billed as a first for the country, Read More...
Ireland’s Prime Minister is joining the medical staff to fight COVID-19
Before joining politics, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had been working as a junior doctor in Dublin. Now, as Ireland is battling with the ongoing pandemic, Varadkar has rejoined the country’s medical register and will work one shift a week to help out the overwhelmed health services. After Read More...
Scientists finally have a method for calculating the age of whale sharks
The whale shark is the biggest known fish in the ocean, but until recently, scientists weren’t quite sure how long these spotted giants lived for. A new study used carbon-14 from atomic bomb tests during the 1950s and 60s to finally determine the age of these ocean dwellers. Carbon-14 is a Read More...
These 5 startups are poised to disrupt the fashion industry for the better
While some clothing companies have made great strides to clean up the polluting fashion industry, what we really need are innovators that can disrupt the industry and put us on a path towards truly sustainable fashion. With that in mind, here are five exciting startups that are set to make waves in Read More...
April 7, 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...