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.
New fabulous fly species named after "Drag Race" host RuPaul
Australian scientist Bryan Lessard, otherwise known as “Bry the Fly Guy,” has discovered a new flashy rainbow fly species and named it after RuPaul, the famous “Drag Race” host, with the hope that it would serve as a positive signal for young LGBTQ individuals who are drawn to Read More...
Climate-resistant coffee of the future may come from this Finnish lab
From meat to milk to chocolate, lab-grown products have increased in popularity in recent years, as people look for alternatives with a minimal impact on the environment as well as the welfare of workers and animals. Now, coffee is about to join in on the lab-grown movement thanks to Finnish Read More...
Plants may literally light the way to sustainable energy sources
Scientists at MIT are in the process of developing a new source of passive lighting that could one day light up our streets. The surprising source? Glow-in-the-dark plants. The relatively new field of “plant nanobionics” involves embedding nanoparticles into plants to enhance the natural Read More...
NYC to build one of the country's biggest EV charging networks
Electric vehicles aren’t a common sight on the streets of New York City. In fact, this fast-paced city seems to have finally slept on EV adoption. It lags behind Los Angeles, a city that boasts four times as many registered EVs and around eight times more chargers—but NYC plans to turn this Read More...
Study unveils effective way to address marine dead zones
Marine dead zones refer to areas of the ocean which are too low in oxygen to support life. In the Gulf of Mexico, runoff from agricultural operations, mostly nitrogen and phosphorus, travels down the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, contributing to an overgrowth of algae and a widening dead zone Read More...
100 solar EVs will soon feed the Dutch energy grid with renewable power
The Dutch city of Utrecht has just become the first region in the world with a bidirectional charging ecosystem, where energy harnessed by electric vehicles is fed back into a home or into the grid. As part of the initiative, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands will use vehicle-to-grid Read More...
How to best see the Harvest Moon tonight
The most notorious full moon of the year, the "Harvest Moon," is here! It is traditionally known as the Harvest Moon because it’s the full moon closest to the autumn equinox and illuminates the sky enough for farmers to continue harvesting their crops well into the night. The Harvest Moon Read More...
Low-energy freezing technology could improve frozen food quality
While conventional freezers are incredibly useful at prolonging the life of our food, they tend to consume a lot of energy. An alternative technology, however, promises to solve that issue, while also improving overall food quality. The process is called isochoric freezing, and its original Read More...
Perseverance rover successfully collects rock samples on Mars
Seven months after NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars, the space agency has announced that their rock-scooping robot has officially managed to collect some samples from the red planet. Although the bulk of the study of these samples will be done when the rover returns to earth, this Read More...
Fusion energy could soon be commercially available thanks to MIT scientists
As shown by the most recent IPCC report, moving away from fossil fuels as fast as possible is key to preventing catastrophic consequences from climate change. According to scientists, fusion power has a huge potential to transition the world towards a cleaner and safer energy future, but so far it Read More...