Science & Discovery 11 stories
Coffee’s memory boosting effect might have nothing to do with caffeine, study suggests
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a small experiment, researchers found that only participants who drank decaffeinated coffee showed significant improvements on memory tests. Those who drank caffeinated coffee did…
Nearly 200-year-old Tortoise Becomes First to Contribute Extraordinary Epigenome to Aging Research
A giant tortoise called Jonathan reinforces what we know from humans about healthy aging, say scientists, only the difference is that Jon is almost 200. Researchers have been conducting genetic tests on Jonathan who, at…
Good News in History, October 8
81 years ago toady, the microwave oven was patented by Percy Spencer. The self-taught engineer from Howland, Maine, employed by Raytheon at the time, noticed that microwaves from an active radar set he was working on sta…
How to choose running shoes: what a physical therapists wants you to know
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The running boom shows no sign of slowing, and the shoe market has followed with thicker foams, carbon-fiber plates, and marketing claims that more technology means less injury and fa…
Nokia and NASA Team Up to Bring 4G to the Moon and Our Astronauts
Children of astronauts may soon be able to video call their parents in space, as NASA wants to bring terrestrial 4G to the Lunar surface. Ostensibly to prepare for a semi-permanent human presence there, an outer spatial…
Social physiology: the hidden health cost of eating alone, according to science
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A study published in Science Advances found that eating the same meal with a close companion produces measurably better blood sugar control than eating it alone. In experiments with 1…
Electric vehicles outsell fossil-fuel cars in Europe for first time, Angola bans single-use plastic, rat rangers
In today's edition: EVs outsell petrol and diesel cars in Europe for the first time, with electric car sales rising to 29% of purchases in August; Angola bans single-use plastics thinner than 0.05 millimeters as it tackl…
DeafCity Hub and the fight to build a space where sign language can live and thrive
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Sign language interpreters at rap concerts go viral for a reason. There’s something genuinely arresting about watching BSL in full flight: the expressiveness, the grammar operating in…
‘The forest is life’: how Indigenous communities in Peru are preventing wildfires
Ancient knowledge and new technology are combining to help Indigenous communities in Peru tackle forest fires The post ‘The forest is life’: how Indigenous communities in Peru are preventing wildfires appeared first on P…
Kosovo nears landmine-free status, non-biting mosquitoes released in Lisbon, reviving ancient water systems
In today's edition: Kosovo's decades-long landmine-clearance mission reaches its end, 30,000 non-biting mosquitoes are released in Lisbon to combat disease-carrying pests, and a new airport is cooled by natural ventilati…
Nairobi Is Transforming Neglected Libraries Into Vibrant Civic Hubs
As Sunil Totti prepared for a job interview with an international tech firm recently, he was hit by a sudden anxiety: What if the electricity failed midway through? At home in Eastleigh, Nairobi, the power was notoriousl…