Today’s Solutions: May 04, 2026

Let’s face it—it’s getting pretty hot out here, and we’re going to have to adapt to these warming temperatures. Luckily, engineers Ma Yaoguang and Tao Guangming, from Zhejiang University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology respectively, have invented a textile that cools wearers down by up to 42 degrees Fahrenheit (or 5 degrees Celsius).

While there are plenty of options for clothing that keeps you warm, this invention now offers us relief from the sweltering heatwave days that we face today (and will most certainly have to deal with in the future).

Science Magazine reports that the textile cools the objects and their surroundings through radiative cooling. This signifies that even when it may appear like a regular shirt, in reality, the shirt is also a device that works like a mirror.

Radiative cooling is a technique that has been previously used in roofs, plastic films, wood, and special paints, but has not been used in the textiles industry. The fabric, which is made of polylactic acid and synthetic fiber blend with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, also reflects UV light as well as visible and Near-Infrared Light (NIR), which helps the cooling process along.

A 2017 study conducted at Stanford University trialed a fabric that managed to cool the wearer by three degrees Celsius, however, to work the fabric had to be very thin which raised questions about its durability as a wearable material.

Now, the new textile will be tested to determine how effective the new fabric is at cooling the wearer while they are standing or walking, and not directly facing the sky, like in previous trials.

Evelyn Wang, a mechanical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told TWL News that “this kind of approach has advantages because it can enable a user of a broader range of materials and feels much more like cotton, which is important for the user.”

Yaoguang and Guangming are now in discussions with textile manufacturers and clothing brands that are interested in their invention.

The duo estimates that the new material will increase production costs by only ten percent, which means that prices will still be reasonable for mass consumption. Yaoguang tells Science Magazine that the affordable costs mean that “everybody can get a T-shirt… and the cost is basically the same as their old stuff… it can benefit everybody.”

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Brighton is building Europe’s first stadium designed entirely for women’s foo...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For most of its history, women’s football has played in spaces that weren’t built for it: men’s training ...

Read More

What doctors want you to know about GLP-1s and bone loss

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A study presented at the 2026 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting found that among nearly 147,000 ...

Read More

New radioactive implant attacks cancer tumors with remarkable success

Engineers at Duke University created a promising novel cancer treatment delivery system and demonstrated its efficacy against one of the disease's most complex forms. ...

Read More

Embrace the learning curve: how to get through the ‘I suck at this and ...

Amid the bustle of New Year's resolutions, as you embark on a new workout program or dive into a novel activity, remember this: "New ...

Read More