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When gyms closed, this olympic bobsled team got creative with their training
The Jamaican bobsleigh team is used to training without snow, but COVID-19 has added another complication to their training schedule: no gyms. Team members and winter 2022 Olympic hopefuls Shanwayne Stephens and Nimroy Turgott were inspired by the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics men’s bobsleigh team Read More...
What you can do to support racial justice in the US
We at The Optimist Daily are committed to sharing solutions, even when the problems we address are complex and deep-rooted. Many of the issues we cover are hotly debated and almost all do not have singular solutions, but rather require a constant dialogue to move towards a better future. The issues Read More...
MIT just elected its first-ever black woman as student body president
As is the case with many of the issues that The Optimist Daily covers, solving issues like racial or gender inequality is not something that happens overnight. Progress comes in the form of small steps from around the world, which form a big impact altogether. One hugely positive development Read More...
The Optimist View: An interview with community peace advocate Aqeela Sherrills
By Kristy Jansen Aqeela Sherrills grew up in Watts, California in the Jordan Downs Housing Projects. In his own words, he is a spirit-centered activist, organizer, advocate. In 1992, he was instrumental in organizing the peace treaty between the Crips and Bloods which launched his career in Read More...
Irish beekeeper constructs colorful LEGO hive in his backyard
From cleaning out the basement to taking up bread making, people around the world have taken up new hobbies to fill their quarantined time. One creative bee-lover in Ireland decided to use the time to create an elaborate home for bees out of LEGO blocks. Ruari O Leocháin, a school teacher and Read More...
Rare heath butterfly reintroduced back into the wild after 150 years
Here at the Optimist Daily, we love inspiring conservation stories involving species that return back to the places they once belonged to. Today, we have the heath butterfly as the protagonist of the latest of such comeback stories. The heath butterfly — known as the “Manchester argus” — Read More...
MIT scientists develop algorithm to better locate missing people at sea
The ocean is a wild and turbulent space, where winds and weather kick up waves in all directions. These ever-changing conditions of both the waters and the weather make locating lost people and objects an incredibly difficult undertaking for first responders. But this may soon change, thanks to Read More...
The enormous biofuel potential of Mexican prickly pear cacti
Nopal, also known as prickly pear cacti, are so common on the Mexican landscape that they are even featured on the country’s flag. The plants are used in salads, shakes, and even some tortilla recipes. Now, one innovative company is finding yet another purpose for the plant as a source of Read More...
Marine biologists capture rare audio of narwhal buzzes, clicks, and whistles
Narwhals, the so-called unicorns of the sea, may be among the most recognizable marine animals, but they are also notoriously difficult to study due to their skittish nature and uncongenial habits. These characteristics, plus the fact that they live in one of the noisiest environments in the ocean, Read More...
Indigenous people in Brazil win historic lawsuit after 24 years in court
During the 1980s, the Ashaninka tribe of Brazil had seen large swaths of its land being devastated by deforestation at the hands of lumber companies seeking to exploit the indigenous reserve for resources such as mahogany and cedar wood. Seeking justice, the tribe managed in 1996 to take the Read More...