Amateur astronomers discover new type of northern light
The dark winter months means the arrival of beautiful northern lights in the more extreme areas of our world. This year, amateur astronomers helped discover a new type of northern light scientists are calling “dunes” due to their rolling, wave-like appearance. Northern lights are kind of Read More...
Here’s why you should consider swapping your morning coffee for a long walk
Most of us need coffee to just get out of bed in the morning. The World Health Organization classifies caffeine as one of the “most widely used psychoactive substances” in the world. Caffeine does have some health benefits, but research has found that exercise can give you the same alert Read More...
Virtual reality systems help firefighters train safer and smarter
Climate change fueled wildfires in Australia and California has shined a light on the importance of firefighters and firefighting technology. To adapt to increased demands for firefighting innovation, Australia-based FLAIM Systems has created a virtual reality (VR) training system for Read More...
Optimist View - Movie Review: Honeyland
How an Oscar-nominated documentary illustrates the power of resilience BY AMELIA BUCKLEY Wild honey smells of freedom. The dust - of sunlight. The mouth of a young girl, like a violet. But gold - smells of nothing. -Anna Akhmatova Our first introduction to Hatidze Muratova is watching her Read More...
Research shows psilocybin can be effective for long term depression treatment
Yesterday we ran a story on using mushrooms to potentially build homes of the future. Today, they are potentially saving lives as a long term treatment option for depression. Five years after researchers initially began exploring the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms as antidepressants, the treatment Read More...
These students are building guitars to learn engineering skills
Activities and skills that kids practice in school can have a lifelong impact on their careers, interests, and educational aspirations. Professor of mechanical engineering, Mark French, is hoping to instill a love for engineering in young minds by teaching them how to build guitars. As part of Read More...
How planting trees saved an entire district of West Bengal
Twenty years ago, the Purulia district of West Bengal was facing a crisis. Water shortages, heat waves, erosion, lack of firewood, and biodiversity loss plagued the area until the 30,000 residents decided to invest in a permanent solution: the Green Mountain. The district transformed a barren Read More...
Effective urban planning doesn’t just boost efficiency. It also saves lives
Good public transportation and infrastructure design can help cities run more smoothly and reduce emissions and traffic. Now, research has shown that effective urban planning can actually reduce transit injuries as well. Researchers compared maps of almost 1,700 cities across the world with Read More...
How New Jersey is taking extra steps to consider the climate in building plans
This week, New Jersey announced it will become the first state to require potential building projects to pass a climate change impact evaluation before being approved. As a part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s commitment to achieve 50 percent clean energy by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050, building projects Read More...
How Forrest Gump is helping scientists understand human emotion
This week we are celebrating the Power of Positivity. No movie emphasizes the importance of positivity quite like Forrest Gump, so much so that scientists are even using his character to map out our brain emotions. Researchers produced a map of affective emotions called “emotionotopy” after Read More...