Today’s Solutions: November 01, 2024

Evergreen

Young garlic and red onions in a vegetable box.

How healthy are garlic and onions?

Onion and garlic are the savory staples of many dishes. For pasta, curries, or stews, these delicious veggies add depth and flavor to our food. Do we ever stop to wonder, though, what nutritional benefit these are bringing to our meals? What are the nutritional benefits of onions and Read More...

Psilocybin

Psilocybin therapy can positively change our thinking patterns

Mushrooms are "magic" in more ways than one. They improve long term brain health, they can break down plastic waste, and they afford incredible neural communication between forest plant systems. Another benefit of mushrooms, with a growing body of research, is how certain types can help fight Read More...

Desert animal shelter

This MIT team designed a desert shelter for humans and animals

We have often written about animal agencies at The Optimist Daily and sharing our space on the planet with our furry or winged neighbors. It’s important to recognize the rights of nature and cohabitate with animals as peacefully as possible, but a design team from MIT just took it to the next Read More...

bird's eye view of large solar park in Greece

Greece is home to Europe’s largest double-sided solar farm

In April 2022, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis inaugurated an enormous two-sided 204-megawatt solar park—the biggest system in all of Europe. The installation of this bifacial solar farm is part of Greece’s aim to double its installed capacity from renewables to approximately 19 Read More...

Scottish Forests

Scottish forests are the biggest they’ve been in 900 years

Scotland is a proud and iconic country, with a unique culture and landscape. Travelers from all over the world come to visit Scotland’s highlands, lowlands, and lochs. Another invaluable part of the Scottish wilderness, largely and unfortunately overlooked by visitors, is its Read More...

Old apartment building in Germany retrofitted with Ecoworks

These prefab facades could make old buildings carbon negative

Retrofitting buildings so that they consume less energy is key to meeting current climate targets. A company in Germany is working to accelerate that process by building tailored facades with built-in insulation that can fit like a glove onto old buildings to reduce their energy use. Prefab Read More...

People with banners protest as part of a climate change march.

Globally, demonstrators gathered for the biggest scientist-led protest ever

Occasionally, drastic measures are essential to mobilize a population toward necessary progress. Civil disobedience is a proven method of affecting change, and when those disobeying are all experts in a field, we can bet that what they're saying is worth listening to. On Wednesday, April 6th, Read More...

Plastic recycling

This chemical treatment makes plastic waste absorb CO2

A huge focus of research in scientific fields is to make things more efficient. This can mean simplifying designs, and reducing energy consumption, or it can mean doing two things at once. In the case of researchers from Rice University, they are doing two things at once in what they’re calling a Read More...

Landscape on Mars. Scenic desert scene on the red planet in a 3D space illustration.

The strange sounds of Mars have been recorded for the first time

If you’ve ever wondered what Mars sounds like, then NASA’s Perseverance rover has answers for you! The robot landed on the Red Planet in early 2021 where it has been conducting experiments and collecting samples for scientists here on Earth to analyze. We’ve previously reported on its Read More...

top view of man's torso holding plate of veggies and hummus

How healthy is hummus? Here's what the experts have to say

Hummus, a standard part of many Middle Eastern diets, is gaining popularity in the US and other countries. This is likely because many of us want to maintain a healthier diet, and hummus is seen as a healthier alternative for dips, spreads, or salad dressings.  However, before we make Read More...