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.
This science-backed playlist is full of songs that will give you chills
We all have those special songs we go back to every now and then if we want to get a good dosage of “chills”—that powerful emotional response reflected by a pleasurable sensation of tingles, and even goosebumps. But what exactly is it that makes our bodies respond that way to a piece of Read More...
Air 4 All hopes to make dignified air travel accessible for everyone
While many of us are craving new surroundings and landscapes, most would probably like to skip over the part where we are confined to the cramped space of an airline seat for hours and hours. That said, having a seat on an airplane that can adequately accommodate us is a privilege that not everyone Read More...
Implanted electrodes could offer improved vision for 148 million blind people
Berna Gómez is a former teacher who has been blind for 16 years. She recently regained enough vision to see letters and objects thanks to the successful implantation of a microelectrode array into her visual cortex. Implanting electrodes into the visual cortex has long been a dream of Read More...
Study: Lemurs are the only nonhuman mammal with a sense of rhythm
Birds are known for their beautiful melodious calls, but among mammals, no species besides humans have been known to use rhythm or songーuntil now. Researchers in Madagascar have documented lemurs using rhythm and even singing together in groups. The 12-year study followed specifically the Read More...
Study: Start of season metrics provide strong insights into future famine risks
Researchers from UC Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Center have released a new study that identifies how the start of season indicators could predict potential famines. Two key metrics are used to determine famine risk: availability and accessibility. Availability refers to yields, while Read More...
This wooden steak knife is three times stronger than steel
Scientists from the University of Maryland may have discovered a more eco-friendly alternative to ceramics and stainless steel for our knives and nails by figuring out how to chemically alter wood so that it can be fashioned into strong nails or knives that are three times sharper than a standard Read More...
Vienna Tourist Board thwarts social media with unusual platform
The events of the past year or so have made us wonder: how much power should social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have over what we see, and what we are presented with? Due to the pandemic, many of us are perceiving the world through our screens, and it’s only been too easy to Read More...
These seaweed-inspired sensors use underwater currents to power themselves
Ocean protection increasingly relies on the internet of things (IoT) to gather essential data with the help of a variety of marine distributed sensors underwater. Most of these devices, however, have always been highly dependent on batteries, which need to be regularly changed or recharged. Read More...
Newest NASA mission will provide insights into the conception of our Solar System
On October 16, NASA’s Lucy mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft is on its way to visit a previously-unexplored region of our outer Solar System: the Trojans. The Trojans are a set of asteroids orbiting the Sun near Jupiter. Lucy will spend the next 12 years Read More...
This sustainable pigment is made from sewage sludge
While it may be comforting to think that everything we send down the drain somehow magically disappears without leaving an ecological footprint behind, that is far from what actually happens. In reality, the process involves cleaning the waste at a treatment plant, where water is cleaned and Read More...