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The art of prioritizing positivity
What happens if you would try to feel happiness… right now, at this very moment? It might work, but chances are high that it won’t. Studies have shown that deliberately trying to maximize your happiness in the moment may backfire. But we won’t leave you here with this conclusion. Because a Read More...
House passes law to protect people from exposure to toxic chemicals
There are about 64,000 chemicals that are part of many daily household-, cosmetic- and food items and that have never been studied for their health effects. At the same time, society is dealing with a continuing rise of degenerative diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s. Could there be a Read More...
Smart phones become key instrument to enforce respect for human rights
Billions of people around the world carry a device in their pocket that can play a significant role in protecting human rights. It’s the smartphone, and it’s becoming a key instrument in monitoring and capturing human rights violations worldwide. According to a new report by the U.N. Special Read More...
Plants show the way to solar cells that generate and store energy
A solar can turn sunlight into electricity, but it cannot store the energy. That’s why we need batteries that come with all kinds of additional pollution challenges and inefficiencies. A new study by chemists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) published in Science describes how a Read More...
Better roads and more fridges are the answer to food waste and hunger
In less developed nations where one in ten people still go to bed hungry, food waste doesn’t happen so much in the kitchen. Instead, in Africa, more than three-quarters of the waste occurs in inefficient agriculture and infrastructure or inadequate storage. Finding solutions to these Read More...
The best natural remedies to treat insomnia
“A well-spent day brings happy sleep,” Leonardo da Vinci said. But what to do when your sleep doesn’t come and is not so happy? Sleeping pills are on the market, but they come with side-effects, and the number of emergency hospital visits as a result of accidental overmedication with these Read More...
Court orders Netherlands to cut greenhouse gas emissions
A Dutch court has ordered the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020, in a case environmentalists hope will set a precedent for other countries. Campaigners brought the case on behalf of almost 900 Dutch citizens. They argued the government had a duty to protect its Read More...
Obamacare works: Many more Americans have health insurance
The share of poor Americans with health insurance rose substantially in 2014, according to the first full year of federal data since the Affordable Care Act extended coverage to millions of Americans last year. The percentage of insured Americans increased from 61 to 68 percent. The increase is Read More...
Germany boosts renewables with clever virtual power stations
Vested power barons argue that we continue needing their fossil fuel- and nuclear-powered plants to guarantee the supply of electricity. Their arguments: The sun doesn’t always shine, the wind doesn’t always blow, and renewable energy projects are small scale and unreliable at times of high Read More...
Taking better care of yourself reduces carbon emissions and supports the planet
Our high-carbon lifestyles are unhealthy—and not just for our planet. If we would cut red meat and dairy consumption, a UCL Institute for Human health and performance director says, we would make big savings in methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It would also boost our health. Similarly, choosing Read More...