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This plastic alternative breaks down into sugar
While banning plastics is an important measure for curbing pollution, replacing plastics as a practical consumer material is important. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne have developed a plant-based alternative for plastics that decompose into Read More...
New implant cools nerves and cuts pain, reducing opioid need
In response to the ongoing opioid epidemic, medical researchers are developing viable alternatives to pain management. While opioids have proven effective at managing pain, they come with a dangerous risk of addiction. Doctors and researchers are seeking medical alternatives to reducing pain, Read More...
Switzerland built a huge water battery to store surplus energy
Switzerland is famous for hosting a number of scientific and engineering marvels, such as the Large Hadron Collider. Now, engineers in Switzerland have achieved an incredible feat — building the world’s largest water battery. Located in the Swiss Alps, in a subterranean cavern in the Canton of Read More...
Humpback whales share songs from different regions
Humans aren’t the only species that trade music and songs. Other intelligent animals can communicate complicated messages, like ravens and ants relaying to each other that there’s food or danger and where to find it. As it turns out, though, some species can also communicate, and share like Read More...
These microbes could help honey bees thrive
As we like to remind our readers a lot at The Optimist Daily, honeybees are essential for our planet's ecosystem. Humans rely on these little pollinators for food security as they basically pollinate everything! Not to mention the countless other species that rely on plants to feed and for Read More...
How to keep your garden snake-free
We decided to dust off this older story which offers some great solutions. In many parts of the world, the summer is also snake season, and now is the time to be wary. There are plenty of different kinds of snakes. Some are harmless and actually help out their hosts by providing free pest Read More...
3 amazing environmentally friendly leather alternatives
The global demand for leather takes a lot of cattle which are cruelly treated and contribute a great deal of greenhouse gasses. Not only that but the processes of tanning and crusting leather actually produce carcinogenic chemical runoff of dangerous heavy metals like chromium. These get into the Read More...
This program seeks to end homelessness and incarceration
We decided to dust off this important solution from not long ago. Several factors can lead to homelessness: a lack of affordable housing, high costs of living, and even, sadly, mental illness. Another factor that contributes to homelessness, which is often overlooked, is Read More...
4 things that keep Canadian traffic fatalities lower than the US
While traffic-related fatalities increased in the United States by 19 percent between 2010 and 2020, Canadian rates declined by about the same amount in that time. Many consider Canada culturally very similar to the US, but when it comes to traffic safety, they have more European attitudes. Here Read More...
Diagnosing hearing loss with a simple speech test
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.5 billion people live with some degree of hearing loss. Currently, to test the severity of an individual's hearing defect, lengthy examinations are carried out or sometimes not at all. Research conducted by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Read More...