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Chernobyl continues to be an unexpected wildlife sanctuary
A couple of years ago, The Optimist Daily wrote about a surprisingly positive outcome of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine— the rewilding of the territory. As an update, we are happy to report that endangered animals are still thriving there, including the Przewalski’s Read More...
EU court upholds pesticide ban to protect European bees
Back in 2020, we shared how the European Union’s top court upheld a French pesticide ban to protect bees. Now the court is back with another pro-pollinator ruling, upholding an EU partial ban on three insecticides linked to harming bees. The lawsuit, filed by Bayer, attempted to overturn the Read More...
Cosimo Scottuci plans to turn Times Square into a monument for diversity
New York’s iconic Times Square will soon transform into an art installation by the Italian artist and architect Cosimo Scotucci named “Spectrum, a monument for diversity.” The intricate urban-land-art installation is inspired by the concept behind Isaac Newton’s discovery of the color Read More...
Bipartisan bill would combat sexual assault in the US military
After eight years of effort, legislation to reshape and improve how the US military handles allegations of sexual misconduct appears to finally have enough bipartisan votes to gain passage. The bill called the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act would move sexual Read More...
Philadelphia doctor raises $500,000 to send oxygen tanks to India
As the Covid-19 crisis intensifies in India, many organizations and individuals are stepping up to offer whatever help they can to alleviate some of the sufferings. One such individual is Philadelphia doctor Ruchika Talwar. Talwar, a 28-year old resident at the University of Pennsylvania, has Read More...
Solar Mountain installation could power Burning Man with clean energy
Burning Man is an annual music and arts event that attracts a lot of creative, expressive, and entrepreneurial individuals. However, because of its expansive desert setting, visitors tend to use a lot of motorized fossil-fuel vehicles to navigate their way around, while several displays require the Read More...
2020 Coal consumption was lowest in US since 1965
2020 marked an important milestone in our transition away from coal as a means of producing electricity. In the US, coal power plants experienced the country’s lowest annual coal consumption since 1965, and the fossil fuel is expected to reach levels last seen in the 19th century in coming years, Read More...
Study: Only 1 in 4 patients experience side effects from Covid-19 vaccine
With the creation of reliable, effective Covid-19 vaccines, the next hurdle in the US is building public confidence to increase the proportion of vaccinated adults. One concern for those with vaccine hesitancy is the potential side effects. Fortunately, a new study has found that aside from arm Read More...
Medical drone delivery project to service remote communities in Uganda
Advancements in modern medicine allow for multitudes of medical problems to be managed by the individuals who live with them, but what good are these advancements to those living in remote areas if they aren’t accessible? Ensuring that remote communities have equitable access to modern Read More...
Plantlife launches No Mow May campaign to support pollinators in the UK
Conservation charity Plantlife is urging gardeners in the UK to “do nothing for nature” this month as part of their No Mow May campaign. This campaign is designed to let wildflowers grow unrestrained in people’s yards, to provide more food for pollinators. Plantlife has even approached Read More...