Why the removal of this dam is a big win for local tribes and wildlife
For decades, Native American tribes as well as environmentalists have pushed to remove a dam in Washington that sits on the Middle Fork Nooksack River. This week, construction crews finally descended upon the dam to carefully detonate explosives that will break open the dam. The animals nearby may Read More...
Japan’s new bullet train will keep running even during a natural disaster
Japan has long been ahead of the game when it comes to trains. The country’s bullet trains not only hit speeds of over 200MPH with ease, but they’re also notoriously punctual. Its latest train model, however, is taking Japanese transportation to new heights. The new train is called the N700S, Read More...
These 15 states will join California in electrifying all buses and trucks
Fifteen states and Washington, DC have announced that they will follow California’s lead in switching all heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses over to running on electricity, in what could be one of the most significant efforts to reduce harmful diesel engine pollution in the United States. It Read More...
These glasses allow people with color blindness to experience more hues
At least 8 percent of men and 0.5 percent of women suffer from red-green color vision deficiency (CVD), totaling 13 million in the US and 350 million worldwide. While those with normal color vision see in excess of one million hues and shades, those with CVD see a vastly diminished range of colors. Read More...
COVID-19: How Orthodox Jews became America’s biggest donors of blood plasma
One Saturday in mid-April, a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders held a conference call with a Minnesota doctor as they grappled with spiking coronavirus cases in their New York area communities. Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic is leading a nationwide study on the use of blood plasma to treat Read More...
Eating capers activates key proteins in the brain and heart
If you enjoy capers, we have good news for you. According to a recent study, a commonly found compound in pickled capers, quercetin, activates proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity. The study, which was published in Communications Biology, found that quercetin can directly Read More...
Every $1 invested in the ocean generates $5 of benefits for the planet
Investing money towards protecting our oceans isn’t just about saving this precious source of biodiversity. According to a new report, every $1 invested in key ocean actions can generate $5 in economic, health, and environmental benefits. The report comes from the World Resources Institute, Read More...
This instant ramen packaging dissolves into spices and sauces
If you’ve ever made yourself instant ramen, you’ll know the process involves putting dry noodles in a bowl, dispersing the flavored contents of a plastic sachet into the bowl, and adding hot water. It’s simple, but the problem is the sachets aren’t recyclable and are one of the biggest Read More...
Twitter engineer leads movement to replace racially-loaded tech terms
What sort of impacts do words have in our everyday jobs? For Regynald Augustin, a programmer at Twitter, the unquestionable drive to change the terminology used in his day-to-day job was an effort that started back in January. The impetus for change started after he received an email with the Read More...
Could AI help prompt doctors to have difficult discussions about death?
At the Optimist Daily, we’re always on the lookout for solutions—whether they may be for lighter issues like gardening, or for much heavier topics, like how we can best discuss how to prepare for death. Today, we’ll be touching upon the latter. The question of how and when to prepare for Read More...