Today’s Solutions: January 10, 2025

Science

From mathematics and AI to medicine and psychology, The Optimist Daily features the latest news on discoveries, technological advances, and breakthroughs in the world of science. Our Science section is here to engage and enlighten you.

Istanbul

This Turkish charity directly connects donors to those in need

Many people couldn’t get by without the invaluable work done by the non-profit sector. Philanthropic organizations the world over, such as the Red Cross or the Halo Trust, provide essential services, effect societal change, and even repair damage from conflicts. In cases of providing funds to Read More...

Silhouette of person smelling whisky.

This e-nose can detect fraudulent whisky

Unless you are a whisky enthusiast, it’s pretty hard to pick out a great whisky purely from the smell. Most people rely on the drink’s label to tell the good from the bad or the ugly. The alcoholic beverage is one of the most popular worldwide, and with some labels charging hundreds (sometimes Read More...

Close up photograph of an oval-squid in front of a blue background.

For the first time, scientists have recorded squids' camouflage abilities

Octopus and cuttlefish are known for their impressive ability to camouflage into their surroundings, changing the color of their skin to escape their predators and catch unsuspecting prey. Squids are cephalopods like octopus and cuttlefish, so one could assume they can camouflage too. However, 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...

Happy Earth Day

Love and Action: Happy Earth Day!

“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” — Marshall McLuhan, philosopher   As far as we know, Earth is the best place in the Universe.  The search for life beyond our planet and even our solar system is ongoing, and one day we could very well make the 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...

Shipping container lifted by crane at port

This startup proves that electric cargo ships actually make sense

Designing solutions targeting the shipping industry’s humongous carbon footprint is key to ensuring a sustainable future for sea transport. While we’ve seen such solutions in ships that replaced fossil fuels with hydrogen, most experts argue that it’s not feasible to design electric cargo 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...

Manatees

Florida volunteers feed manatees with lettuce

In Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, a bold initiative began where volunteers gather to pour pallets of leafy greens into the water to feed the manatees gathered there. Initially, after some hesitation, a bold and curious pair of cows approached and started eating lettuce.  More would soon join, Read More...

split gill mushrooms

Research suggests that mushrooms use language to talk to each other

Just when we thought mushrooms couldn’t get any cooler, a scientist from the University of West England recently published some more fabulous news about fungi and how they might communicate. According to his findings, Professor Andrew Adamatzky believes that the electrical impulses mushrooms Read More...