More trees may save gray foxes from coyotes
The Optimist Daily has recently written a great deal on the need to coexist with animals, respecting animal agency and the potential to reach a new symbiosis with our furry neighbors on the planet. This brings into our consideration how to adapt our own human environments to better suit the habits Read More...
Supporting beavers and our ecosystems
At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written a great deal about the benefits beavers bring to their environment and the importance of restoring their populations in certain areas. Beavers are often vilified in certain communities for the same reason they’re such iconic North American creatures: they Read More...
Congress approves $350 million for wildlife crossings
Funding was finally secured in January for the construction of a wildlife crossing over the 101-freeway in Southern California, which cuts through the Santa Monica Mountains and the habitats of many native animals. The Optimist Daily has been closely following stories of wildlife crossings like Read More...
Tapping the creative force, art changes minds in a changing climate
“The arts matter because we matter, and our stories matter. We are moving miracles, walking creators engaging in a cosmic dance. The art we express is timeless.” –Mohammed Sheriff, Division Coordinator at the National Endowment for the Arts (USA) By Oliver Kammeyer At The Optimist Read More...
Shark scales: a day spa for fearless fish
Sharks are the apex predators of the ocean. They consume between 0.5 to 3.0 percent of their body weight each meal, which takes two to three days to digest. Depending on which species out of nearly 400 we are talking about, their diet consists of fish, crustaceans, stingrays, turtles, squid, Read More...
Climate justice: Legal experts draft historic definition of “ecocide”
In a historic moment for climate justice, a panel of 12 lawyers from different countries has unveiled a new legal definition of “ecocide,” intended to be adopted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute world leaders and corporate chiefs for the worst acts of environmental Read More...
Scientists collect animal DNA from the air in a world’s first
For the first time ever, scientists have demonstrated that animal DNA can be collected from the air — a breakthrough that could revolutionize forensics, conservation, and even epidemiology. Collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) is nothing new in itself. Ecologists have previously collected eDNA Read More...
Ecologists discover two new species of fluffy marsupials in Australia
It’s a rare occasion when not one, but two new mammals are discovered by scientists in a single day, yet that’s exactly what happened in Australia this past week. In a new study published in Nature's public access Scientific Reports journal, scientists confirmed that there are actually three Read More...
A wild tapir gave birth in Brazil for the first time in more than a century
The Atlantic Forest, which once covered more than a million square kilometers along the eastern coast of Brazil and Argentina, has been steadily sliced and diced by loggers, plantation owners, and economic development. Trees now cover just 7% to 15% of the forest’s former area, mostly in Read More...
The critically endangered kākāpō is making an incredible comeback
Meet the kākāpō, the nocturnal, flightless parrot known for its charismatic nature and owl-like face. It’s also known for being the world’s fattest parrot. A few hundred years ago the chubby parrot was one of New Zealand’s most common birds, but now there are only 147 adult kākāpō left Read More...