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.
Microbe-based protein could make livestock feed much more sustainable
As an extremely resource-intensive process, producing livestock feed has a huge environmental impact — putting a strain on our water reserves, using a massive amount of land, and, of course, releasing pollutants into the environment. A new study, however, shows that farming protein from microbes Read More...
Sex-specific sports medicine is changing the training game for female athletes
Many aspects of the professional sports world are still quite male-centric, especially when it comes to training and nutrition regimens. As the world of female athletics continues to grow and expand, many athletes and researchers are realizing that the standard methods for male athletes are not Read More...
Study: Giraffes are far more socially complex than previously thought
Until ten years ago, researchers didn’t think that giraffes had much of a social structure at all, but more contemporary research indicates that these long-necked mammals are more social than we give them credit for. Adding to this, a new study from the University of Bristol indicates that Read More...
Watergen filters clean water out of the air
Two billion people on earth are without clean drinking water, and this problem will only be exacerbated by the climate crisis. Fortunately, independent businesses are working on a myriad of differing solutions. One Israeli company, Watergen, has taken advantage of the fact that the Earth's Read More...
This radio station plays ethereal ambient music made by trees
Silent tree activity, like photosynthesis and the absorption and evaporation of water, produces a small voltage in the leaves. In a bid to encourage people to think more carefully about their local tree canopy, sound designer and musician Skooby Laposky has found a way to convert that tree activity Read More...
Food transport to become much greener thanks to solar-powered reefers
Transporting food to your local supermarket typically requires refrigerated trailers (also known as reefers). These are usually cooled by diesel fuel, with an idling diesel tractor burning about a gallon of fuel per hour and releasing about 22.4 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a Read More...
Single antibody shot could provide Lyme disease immunity
Wilderness hikes are a summertime favorite, but in regions where Lyme disease is present, one tick bite can have lifelong health impacts. Even with preventative measures such as wearing full-coverage clothing and scanning skin for ticks regularly, around 475,000 people contract the disease each Read More...
This eco-friendly energy storage device is made from tropical fruit waste
While your local grocery store most likely doesn’t have any tamarinds in its fresh produce aisle, the tropical fruit is consumed in great quantities in Asia, where the fruit’s bulky shells usually end up in landfills after they’ve been discarded. In a bid to find a better use for this Read More...
How NASA technology is helping firefighters tackle wildfires on the ground
From the United States to the Mediterranean coastlines, wildfires have been breaking records this summer, with places in Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, and Italy seeing some of the worst fires in decades. As climate change-induced drought and severe heatwaves complicate the painstaking efforts of Read More...
This new metric assesses road safety before any accidents ever happen
The way urban planners currently assess the safety of a road involves counting the number of accidents on that particular road. Essentially, this means that there’s a "literal human cost" to measuring how safe a street is, says Megan Ryerson, a transportation engineer and urban planner at the Read More...