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New study says playing sports boosts your brain’s ability to process information
The beauty of playing a sport is that it can remove you from the more regular emotions you usually feel throughout the day and bring you into a state of focus and adrenaline-fueled excitement—especially when a sporting event reaches a crucial moment. According to a new study from Northwestern Read More...
This startup wants to turn your garage or backyard into a tiny housing unit
To solve LA’s massive shortage of housing, a new startup is helping people take advantage of the county’s 250,000 underused two-car garages (and its hundreds of thousands of backyards). The startup, United Dwelling, helps homeowners to build a new apartment or living space on their property for Read More...
Hawaii’s state bird no longer endangered thanks to rigorous conservation efforts
The population of the majestic Hawaiian Goose numbered 25,000 on the islands in 1778 when Captain Cook arrived, but soon those numbers were decimated by human-introduced animals like the mongoose until there were just 30 left in 1952. Known locally as the nēnē, the goose was listed as an Read More...
Your office windows could soon harvest solar energy
Wouldn’t it be awesome if all those windows on high-rise buildings could be used to harvest the sun’s energy for electricity? Of course, it would, and now, thanks to engineers in South Korea, this image could very soon become reality. The researchers have managed to develop a new method of Read More...
Instead of ignoring sea level rise, this Brooklyn development embraces it
If you walk down Metropolitan Avenue, a street that stretches across North Brooklyn, you’ll eventually reach a dead end: a chain-link fence blocks off access to the waterfront on the East River. But vacant land behind the fence could soon be transformed into a new park that brings green space to Read More...
Revolutionary yet simple invention to change the way we recycle plastic bottles
The staggering amount of disposable plastic that the world consumes is one of today’s most pressing environmental threats. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, there could be more plastic than fish (by weight) in the ocean by 2050, if current plastic disposal trends continue. In fact, out Read More...
How to maintain friendships when you’re awfully busy
When work or life, in general, have you bogged down, it can feel really difficult to find time to hang out with your friends. But that doesn’t mean you should let your friendships fall to the wayside. Even if you’re busy, there are ways to preserve your friendships so that you can enjoy them Read More...
Tackling the gender wage gap in the gig economy
The global economy is changing. Last week we ran a story about making the most of your job in the gig economy, but how does the rapidly growing gig economy pan out for women? Unfortunately, while the national wage gap hovers around $10,000 per year, a recent analysis found the average female Read More...
NASA has created a map that shows where ‘water ice’ is located on Mars
When there are so many problems that need to be taken care of on planet Earth, it can seem like a waste of resources to be searching for life beyond our planet. Regardless, the search continues, and we at the Optimist Daily feel a bit obliged to give the positive updates that come from this Read More...
This rare Brazilian bird has returned to the Amazon after 3 decade absence
For an environmentalist, few things are as satisfying as when carefully planned conservation works out as intended. In Brazil, a special bird called the Alagoas curassow is now back in the jungle after three decades of being preserved in a scientific-breeding facility in the state of Rio de Read More...