Bird-watching: These 3 tools let you track migratory birds near you
Running out of entertainment options as the pandemic continues to trudge onward? Now is the perfect time to take up bird-watching! Yes, this is the time of year where many birds migrate long distances to make a temporary home in a different climate, which means there’s a good chance that some Read More...
Viral dance challenge is lifting spirits across the world amid pandemic
A simple dance routine to a song from South Africa, which has gone viral over the last couple of months, is lifting global spirits during the pandemic as emotional clips featuring people dancing to the track have taken over the internet. The South African 2019 hit Jerusalema by Master KG and Read More...
Helsinki airport deploys man’s best friend to screen travelers for COVID-19
Two months ago, scientists in Germany proved that, with little training, sniffer dogs can become incredibly good at detecting the novel coronavirus. Now the Helsinki Airport, Finland, is working together with such trained dogs, to detect COVID-19 among passengers, in a bid to provide a cheap, fast Read More...
Silver linings: The pandemic has led to a bike boom in American cities
Part of being an Optimist is finding the silver lining in any situation, no matter how dire it may be. In the case of Covid-19, one of the positive trends to emerge from the pandemic is a surge of cycling within American cities. According to new data from Strava, the fitness tracking app used by Read More...
Rare pink dolphin are back in Hong Kong as lockdown halts ferry traffic
From multiple successful turtle hatchings around the world to decreasing rates of rhino poaching in South Africa, coronavirus lockdowns have been a blessing to many species of wildlife. More recently, scientists have discovered that diminished human activity has also benefited the elusive pink Read More...
Canada reports no new deaths from Covid-19 over one-day span
Six months after most of North America went into lockdown, Canada has reported no new deaths from Covid-19 in a 24 hour period. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, over 6 million people have been tested for the virus in Canada, with 2.1 percent of tests coming back positive. And Read More...
New York goes 30 days with a virus positivity rate below 1%
At one point in April, New York State was reporting between 9,000 and 10,000 new cases of Covid-19 a day. In a clear-cut signal that progress is being made against the virus, the share of virus tests coming back positive has stayed below 1 percent for 30 straight days in New York. Even as parts of Read More...
New law allows chefs to run little restaurants out of their homes
Wouldn’t it be amazing if people with a knack for cooking could run a small restaurant out of their home? Well, in the city of Riverside, California, that’s now possible. Riverside recently passed law AB-626 that opens unprecedented doors of opportunity by allowing residents to operate small Read More...
How to be a wise news consumer during the Covid-19 pandemic
Even if a news item about Covid-19 is entirely accurate, it still has the power to mislead readers about the virus. That’s because journalists often use “real people” to “humanize” their stories. For instance, a story might feature a family member of a person who died from the virus Read More...
For severe Covid patients, cheap steroids can be a lifesaver
While researchers scramble to find a cure for Covid-19, it’s also important we have ways to treat patients that are already severely ill from the virus. Recently, new studies have found that cheap steroids can actually be life-saving for Covid patients in intensive care. The new Read More...