Recruiting kombucha in the fight for sustainable drinking water
We’ve previously reported about the use of kombucha for a number of innovative reasons. Like stylish compostable shoes, sustainable wood alternatives, and as the key ingredient to boosting your brain and gut health. This time kombucha is helping us humans out in a different walk of life, water Read More...
The robot that can independently perform keyhole surgery
Believe it or not, robots can now perform surgery with no human assistance! The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), was designed by a team from Johns Hopkins University. The laparoscopic procedure was carried out on the intestine of a pig, as reported this week in Science Robotics. "Our Read More...
More lifelike avatars are on their way...
Like it or not, humans are spending more and more time interacting with each other using digital technology. This can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication and other feelings of isolation as our daily lives are more enmeshed in keyboards, screens and simple audio. This is one reason Read More...
How magnesium improves immune cell capabilities
Magnesium is an essential mineral vital to many bodily functions including muscle contraction, nerve transmission, blood pressure, and immunity. Therefore, it makes sense that magnesium deficiencies are linked to a wide range of diseases. Scientists have previously shown that mice on a Read More...
Scientists help frogs regrow amputated limbs
A recent study, published in Science Advances, has brought us one step closer to regenerative medicine. In a collaborative effort from Tufts University and Harvard, the teams were able to regenerate an adult African clawed frog’s (Xenopus laevis) limb, something they are naturally unable to Read More...
DNA mutations are not so random after all
A first of its kind study has added some evidence to challenge the widely accepted theory about genetic mutations: that they are completely random. The findings, published in Nature, could reshape evolutionary theories and our understanding of DNA forever. "We always thought of mutation as Read More...
Meet Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise
At The Optimist Daily we love telling you about incredible happenings from around the world, both human and animal focussed. At the start of 2022, we reported on one of these remarkable events, when the world’s oldest person turned 119. This time, the story is similar but in another organism, Read More...
AI helps scientists model the big bang
The number of factors you have to consider when calculating how the big bang went down is tremendous. The key part of the story you have to model is quark-gluon plasma. This is a state where there were many tiny quantum entangled particles, which eventually reached a point of extremely high energy. Read More...
This could be the start of the end for drug-resistant bacteria
The increasing occurrence of drug-resistant bacteria is a huge obstacle humans have to overcome to save lives across the globe. Researchers have done all they can to be prepared against this challenge, such as creating a model which calculates the chance of resistance against different drug Read More...
Can you guess the number of black holes in our universe?
The all encompassing death of a giant star collapsing in on itself, sucking in everything in its path including light and time, is a mind boggling thing to get your head around. That’s why black holes have captured human’s fascination ever since we discovered them in 1971. It is important for Read More...