June 30, 2021
We're all about trees today! We've got a new tool which shows where cities need to improve urban tree cover, as well as a rainforest sound bank gone public and how green spaces make us happy. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
June 30, 2021
We're all about trees today! We've got a new tool which shows where cities need to improve urban tree cover, as well as a rainforest sound bank gone public and how green spaces make us happy. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
Another luxury brand pledges to stop using fur in its products
High-end coat company Canada Goose has pledged to phase out the use of fur in its products. Mainly known for its luxury-priced fur-lined winter jackets, the North American brand has now vowed to stop buying fur by the end of this year and cease manufacturing it by 2022. Animal rights group Human Read More...
Researchers identify surprising way to boost female education
Educating women and girls is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving economic prosperity and sustainability, especially in middle- and low-income countries, but theories vary on how to best implement universal education. A new study from The World Bank Economic Review offers some Read More...
Lobster-inspired hydrogel could help build artificial tendons
Earlier this year, we shared a story about how lobsters are inspiring scientists to develop stronger 3D-printed concrete. In a similar manner, scientists are now turning to the intricate architecture of the crustacean’s underbelly to develop a strong and stretchy hydrogel-based material. The MIT Read More...
Tree Equity Score tool maps out critical areas for urban forestry
Trees and urban green spaces are essential for city dwellers. Vegetation improves air quality, and tree cover provides shade from the heat of the sun—something that is increasingly sought after as human-induced climate change takes temperatures to extremes. Unfortunately, low-income Read More...
Spora trains doctors to deliver better care to patients of color
Systemic inequalities put Black Americans at higher risk for many diseases than white Americans, but even within medical institutions equipped to treat these diseases, Black patients are often denied the highest caliber of care. New startup Spora aims to improve medical equity by providing a Read More...
Years of exclusive rainforest recordings are now available worldwide
The recordings of Cornell University’s Elephant Listening Project, which was established in 1999, are finally going public—and here’s why that matters. The gigantic acoustic monitoring effort covers about 480 square miles in the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, an area Read More...
Giant panda gives birth to tiny twin cubs at Tokyo zoo
Good news for the conservation of one of the most beloved creatures on earth! A giant panda has given birth to two cubs at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in Japan. Last Wednesday, 15-year-old Shin Shin gave birth to tiny twin cubs. The event marks the first time that twins have been born at the zoo. "Baby Read More...
The Bison Bridge - World's longest human-made wildlife crossing
Chad Pregracke is an impassioned conservationist who spends his time on barges, cleaning up refuse from the Mississippi River. While on the river, he watches cars drive across a 55-year-old concrete bridge that is meant to be demolished and replaced—but when he sees the aging bridge, he imagines Read More...