In a world-first Brazil rules that Paris Agreement is a Human Rights treaty
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change adopted by 196 Parties at COP21. The overarching goal is to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius, and ideally keep it only to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In a world-first, the supreme court of Brazil has declared that the Read More...
Pocket gophers: the only other mammal that farms
Farming has been an integral part of the long story of the development of human society. Some mark the beginning of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent in 8500 BC as the start of human civilization. It’s with this in mind that we think of farming as an entirely human job, but that’s not true. Read More...
Eating less meat could help oceans and waterways by reducing nitrogen
It’s difficult for us to consider the long-term, downriver consequences of the simplest of our actions. It isn’t because we’re indifferent; it’s because there are several complicated results to everything we do. Take eating too much meat. When our bodies have more protein than they need, Read More...
Transform your health with these 9 powerful habits
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM You are your best investment — and your habits are the key to how well you thrive in life. For a balanced lifestyle that works with your body’s natural biorhythms, consider implementing these nine powerful habits into your life. Eat an earlier, lighter Read More...
Fish oil could treat post-surgery delirium
One common complication from general surgery, particularly in older patients, is post-surgery delirium. This can cause confusion, disorientation, or a sudden change in the mental abilities of patients. With how commonly this happens, it’s good news that researchers have discovered a pretty simple Read More...
Revel at the most detailed image of our universe yet
Here at The Optimist Daily, we have been sharing every exciting step of the James Webb Telescope’s journey, from its long-awaited launch, to when it reached its final destination. Now the machine has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe yet! Known as Read More...
How aspirin and crop resilience go hand in hand
Did you know that plants have been making aspirin for millions of years? And humans have been using it as far back as Neanderthal times for self-medication? The pain medication can be found in trees and sunflowers alike in an unprocessed form called salicylic acid, created in response to when a Read More...
4 Tips for raising a bilingual child
Bilingual children have many advantages over their single-language-speaking counterparts. According to Ellen Bialystok, a psychology professor at York University in Canada, children who listen to and use more than one language can better focus on pertinent information and tune out what’s Read More...
A Death Doula reveals the most common regrets so we might learn from them
Death—our inevitable destiny—is unavoidable, no matter how hard we try to evade it. However, ensuring that we reach the end with minimal regrets (or better yet, none at all) is something that we can do something about. Maryanne O’Hara, an end-of-life doula and the author of Little Matches: Read More...
Researchers identify three factors to help prevent mosquito-spread disease
With the variabled future of weather in an ever-changing climate, the prevalence of mosquitoes is expected to increase or at least become more unpredictable. This is expected to exacerbate the spread of certain diseases, like malaria and dengue fever. In places like Sri Lanka, this represents a top Read More...