Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
In this food desert, kids learn to farm veggies—out of the back of a truck
“Has anybody heard of rainbow chard?” Larry Moore asked a group of elementary school children. No one answered. “What about this?” Moore asked again, pointing to green leaves emerging from the dirt, their orange base peeking through the brown soil. “That’s a carrot!” several young Read More...
4 ways to end hunger in Africa
For the first time in human history, the end of hunger is well within our reach. While courageous and passionate individuals have been working to end this scourge for decades, a recent confluence of political will, public-private partnerships and funding has made this ambition possible. We have, of Read More...
A controversial plan to solve the threat of the most dangerous animal in the world
Mosquitoes are the most dangerous animals in the world. They kill half a million people a year, mostly through spreading malaria but don’t forget dengue, yellow fever and now zika. Mosquitoes live off humans. We are their only source of food. At the same time, they don’t contribute much. Yes, Read More...
How agriculture can be intensified in Africa without causing harm
Sustainable agriculture is a popular concept. It's warmly embraced as a guiding light for the future of food production. But there is still a great deal of disagreement about what the concept actually means and entails. There is broad agreement about what sustainable agriculture's main aim should Read More...
Italy's plan to destigmatize doggy bags and end food waste
Even in the fanciest pizza restaurant, you never feel weird if you ask for a box to take your leftovers home. In Italy, that will soon apply everywhere, with a new law that encourages restaurants to give people doggy bags, although in Italy it's called a "family bag." The new law is designed to Read More...
Yoga, acupuncture can help relieve some pain, studies find
Some "natural" techniques can help ease pain, including acupuncture, yoga, tai chi and massage, government researchers said Thursday. A review of high-quality studies shows these approaches rarely cause any harm and can help people with lower back pain, headaches and arthritic knees, the team at Read More...
The veggie burger has become a destination dish
The veggie burger has been a staple for vegetarians for years. For health and environmental reasons, not for good taste. But that is changing as leading chefs are turning their attention to perfecting this dish. They are using grains, fresh vegetables, quinoa and lentils to replace the texture of Read More...
Experimental drug slows memory loss and halts Alzheimer’s decline
Good news about the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease is hard to find. However, new breakthrough research is hailed as the "best news" in dementia research for 25 years and a potential "game changer" for people with the disease. In a preliminary trial a bioengineered medication called aducanumab Read More...
Three grand challenges for brain science that can be solved in 10 years
Neuroscientists have formulated a list of the great outstanding problems in brain science that can be solved in the near future. by Emerging Technology from the arXiv August 31, 2016 One of the great scientific challenges is to understand the human brain. Research teams around the world are Read More...
Fitbit's charge and flex fitness trackers just got a lot better
Last Thursday, former volleyball star Gabby Reece worked out with a bunch of tech journalists on a rooftop in downtown San Francisco. I only made it through half of the 20-minute workout, which says something about my personal fitness level or the workout's difficulty, perhaps both. The event was Read More...