Bacterial enzymes may be the future of medicine
We may think of machines as nuts, bolts, and maybe a CPU. Microorganisms, though, create many proteins and enzymes which perform a very machine-like function. A famous example of this is CRISPR-Cas9, which was originally an evolutionary adaptation observed in microorganisms. While Read More...
Monkeys' taste for booze helps explain humans' alcohol affinity
Humans have a long societal and evolutionary history with alcohol. Studies have shown that alcohol metabolizing systems appeared in our primate ancestors long before humans ever existed, between seven and 21 million years ago. Researchers from California State University released a new study on Read More...
6 ways to pack more leafy greens into your diet
We’ve all heard that green veggies - like kale, spinach, cabbage, or collard greens - are a must for our diets. These nutritional powerhouses are packed full of vitamin K, vitamin C, iron, calcium, magnesium, protein, fiber lutein, carotene, and more. This stellar health profile gives them the Read More...
Study: Spiders use their webs to hear
The Optimist Daily recently reported on how spiders use electricity to fly by hopping on electric fields for a ride. If you ask us, that’s pretty cool. Now we wanted to share a new study, from Binghamton University, that has revealed more intriguing secrets about these eight-legged Read More...
What? Fish can calculate?
Fish keep surprising us with their unexpected skills. We previously wrote a story on how goldfish can be trained to operate a vehicle and another about how some work together as superorganisms and basically use radar technology. On top of all this, would you have ever guessed that they can perform Read More...
US airport security to become more inclusive of non-binary and trans travelers
In the United States, a 2021 study estimated around 1.2 million adults identified as non-binary or gender X, meaning they do not identify as male or female. Such a large percentage of the population falls into this category but is not recognized in many parts of US legislation. Thankfully, Read More...
Video games are becoming more accessible for players with disabilities
According to the World Health Organization, there are over a billion humans living with a disability, around 15 percent of the global population. With such a high number of people in this group, it is encouraging to see the number of fields that are improving their services to accommodate the Read More...
The strange sounds of Mars have been recorded for the first time
If you’ve ever wondered what Mars sounds like, then NASA’s Perseverance rover has answers for you! The robot landed on the Red Planet in early 2021 where it has been conducting experiments and collecting samples for scientists here on Earth to analyze. We’ve previously reported on its Read More...
This test predicts blood cancer relapses in 10 seconds
It's a good thing that the field of cancer research has so many minds hard at work, inventing ingenious methods of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, such as non-invasive MINIMA therapy using MRI scanners, or mRNA vaccines that can carry out targeted cancer therapy. Researchers from Read More...
3 reasons it’s completely okay to not want children
There is a commonplace portrayal of a happy and loving family on television and in most media. This is the typical nuclear family of a married couple with a few kids. Unfortunately, people who choose not to have children, especially women, can face judgment, the implication that they're selfish, or Read More...