Teaching & Learning
Education propels change. Stay up to date on the latest educational developments near you and around the world from preschool to post-grad. Here, you'll find out why equitable quality education is essential for fostering healthy and resilient societies.
5 ways to reduce school shootings
School shootings are a problem that really shouldn’t be a problem. That said, the grim reality is that they happen far too often, especially in the United States. In the wake of a string of deadly and gruesome mass shootings, psychology professor Paul Boxer revisits his research on how to prevent Read More...
How to throw an eco-friendly wedding
Many couples who had planned their weddings for 2020 and 2021 were forced by Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions to postpone their celebrations til this year. Now, it’s wedding season again and love is in the air. But you know what else is in the air? Planet-warming co2 emissions, smog, and Read More...
Wild tortoises live a long time, and some don’t age at all
The oldest living land animal in the world is named Jonathan, and he is a 190-year-old Seychelles giant tortoise. Jonathan and other cold-blooded species like his are famous for living outstandingly long lives. They age incredibly slowly, and new research suggests that some might not age at Read More...
Tortoise discovered in a home in Pompeii
Almost 2000 years after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its trapping of the city of Pompeii in time, archaeologists are still making discoveries in the ash-frozen city. They have recently found chariots, pieced together ancient frescoes, and even charted the genome of one of the frozen Pompeiians. Read More...
Education and contraceptives most effective in reducing abortion rates
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, a 50-year-old ruling that the Constitution of the United States would protect the rights of a pregnant person's liberty to safe and legal abortion, will undoubtedly have a strong ripple effect that expands outside the nation of the US. In Read More...
Get healthy, go to a green space
We decided to revamp a couple of stories on the benefits of green spaces, for which there is an ever-growing body of evidence. NPR’s Aaron Scott recently spoke with environmental psychologist Ming Kuo on green spaces and why we all seem to feel better walking down a city street lined with Read More...
Some people have improved cognition while on a walk
While the large majority of us work sitting at a desk, we’ve all had those flashes of insight or a string of new ideas while running or on a walk. It’s probably too much to ask that people do their jobs running on a treadmill, but new research shows some have improved cognition while Read More...
More on beavers and rewilding
We decided to dust off and update this innovative solution to restoring habitats with the most industrious aquatic mammal: beavers. At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written a great deal about the benefits beavers bring to their environment and the importance of restoring their populations in Read More...
Exclusive version of Minecraft helps kids with autism learn social skills
The popular video game Minecraft isn’t usually considered a tool that can help people improve social skills and learn how to build relationships—in fact, many people consider playing video games an antisocial activity. However, the opposite is true of Autcraft, an online version of Minecraft Read More...
Study finds pigs and horses recognize positive and negative tones
Along the line, we evolved with certain animals and decided to keep their use but also their ability to connect with us. This is certainly the reason humans have bonded so closely with dogs and cats. As it turns out, this is the case with livestock as well. A recent study from the University Read More...