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.
How algae could save plants from themselves
Algae may hold the key to feeding the world's burgeoning population. Don't worry; no one is going to make you eat them. But because they are more efficient than most plants at taking in carbon dioxide from the air, algae could transform agriculture. If their efficiency could be transferred to Read More...
At this free food festival, all the ingredients are food waste
At the Feeding the 5000 food festival in New York City, the first thing people walking by may notice is that all the food is free. It isn't obvious, though, that all the offerings are made from food waste. A torte is made with trimmings and peelings from a food distributor; a "quick pickle salad" Read More...
Food justice requires more than free markets
One in six Americans—residents of the most affluent country on the planet—don't have enough to eat. And many Black and Latino neighborhoods are often left practically devoid of fresh produce but flooded with fast food restaurants that contribute to high rates of obesity, diabetes and thyroid Read More...
How climate-smart agriculture is crucial to India's food security at a time of farm distress
Just as we hit Karnal, 130 km north of New Delhi, in Haryana on National Highway 1, a noxious odour and a mild haze are all but obvious. As we turn left off the highway, their source comes into view: large stretches of agricultural fields coated in various shades of black, with the embers still Read More...
Why do some of us, like David Attenborough, live to 90? It’s not luck
David Attenborough is wrong (a sentence I thought was impossible to write). But when he told the Guardian earlier this week that the reason he had reached the age of 90 was down to luck, he was very wide of the mark. Of course, being Attenborough, he could not be completely mistaken, and he did put Read More...
Feeling stuck? Neuroscience says go for a run
Sure, running is a good way to stay fit and healthy, but many fans of the activity claim to be hooked not just because of its physical effects, but also because of it's mental ones. Some say it builds resilience, others that it clears the mind, and yet others insist that getting out for a run spurs Read More...
Benefits of cycling and walking 'outweigh air pollution risk' in cities
The health benefits of cycling and walking outweigh the harm from inhaling air loaded with traffic fumes in all but the world’s most polluted cities, according to a study. An international team of researchers who have modelled the effects say only 1% of cities in the world have such high Read More...
Science suggests acupuncture works, but no one is sure why
When the writer and artist Margarita Gokun Silver had her first migraine after she turned 40, the pain was so bad she vomited before lying in bed, completely incapacitated for the rest of the day. Over-the-counter painkillers didn’t work. Her doctor, who assured her there was no underlying Read More...
These tech startups are turning a profit on food waste
Food waste is bad for our wallets. It’s also bad for the environment — the equivalent of throwing away the water, energy and other resources that go into growing it in the first place. But as interest in reducing food waste grows, so does innovation to make it happen. Take a look at what some Read More...
Mouthwatering edible pizza box is waste-free because you eat it
Food born out of a bit of boredom right before a Thursday lunch rush, the delectable pizza receptacle is made out of two square Sicilian-style pies that are large enough to completely envelop a regular-sized round pizza. Berthiaume explained to PIX11 that he came up with the idea after seeing how Read More...