Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
This jelly-like material can heal itself just like human skin
Scientists from Australia have developed a jelly-like material that acts like living tissue. The jelly, which is known as hydrogel, is strong, malleable, and able to heal itself. That could be extremely important for healing people with damaged skin, ligaments, or bones. Hydrogels are 3D polymer Read More...
How MIT is deploying artificial intelligence to improve breast cancer screening
When MIT computer scientist Adam Yala witnessed his mentor have a bout with breast cancer in 2014, he got a glimpse into the subjective side of the healthcare system and how much work needed to be done to improve breast cancer screening. For many patients, their ability to receive effective Read More...
Slow blood vessel oscillations could help prevent and even treat Alzheimer’s
While plenty of mystery still surrounds how exactly Alzheimer's takes hold in the human brain, scientists do have some good evidence to suspect a link between the advent of the disease and a toxic plaque called amyloid-beta. Now, new research from Massachusetts General Hospital has found that the Read More...
These foods will give you all the protein you need as a vegetarian
If you’ve ever tried to be vegetarian, you’ve probably been asked the question: “Where will you get your protein?” Well, if you don’t have the answer to that question or just simply want more ideas for sourcing protein from plant-based foods, here are 7 foods that will give you all the Read More...
New birth control pills could be monthly rather than daily
Daily birth control pills are the world’s most common form of medicinal birth control, but when it comes to remembering to take the pill every day, nearly half of women admit to slipping up. Fortunately, a new birth control solution may soon be available. Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Read More...
Meet the scientists exploring the world to save crop diversity
The fruits and vegetables you find in a modern supermarket have been chosen and modified from hundreds of varieties that exist in the wild all around the globe. In a world where the grocery store has one specially cultivated type of banana, a group of scientists is diving into the deepest corners Read More...
Yale researchers say it could soon be possible to regenerate organs
Serious lung disease has a high rate of mortality, and the only curative treatment is a lung transplant. This is a complicated procedure that has other adverse health effects and oftentimes simply doesn't work, so for scientists in this field, organ regeneration—that is, growing an organ from Read More...
FUTURE OF FOOD: Finding a fresh food solution with the help of the world’s saltiest plants
“Daily, our eating turns nature into culture, transforming the body of the world into our bodies and minds.” - Michael Pollan What do you picture when you hear the word halophyte? No, it’s not an obscure virus or the name of Elon Musk’s new futuristic car. Halophyte literally means “salt Read More...
Need to solve a hard problem? New research suggests “sleeping on it” will help
Have you ever had a big decision to make and someone tells you to “sleep on it.” Well, a new study suggests that might just be the best advice a person could give you. At Northwestern University, a team of researchers designed an experiment to test whether cueing music associated with Read More...
These vegan and edible bowls are cutting down plastic waste from food packaging
According to the UN, we produce about 300 million tons of plastic waste every year - nearly the equivalent to the weight of the entire human population - but only 14 percent of that is recycled, while the rest ends up in landfills and polluting our oceans. Food packaging, particularly, is one of Read More...