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.
Lobster-inspired hydrogel could help build artificial tendons
Earlier this year, we shared a story about how lobsters are inspiring scientists to develop stronger 3D-printed concrete. In a similar manner, scientists are now turning to the intricate architecture of the crustacean’s underbelly to develop a strong and stretchy hydrogel-based material. The MIT Read More...
Spora trains doctors to deliver better care to patients of color
Systemic inequalities put Black Americans at higher risk for many diseases than white Americans, but even within medical institutions equipped to treat these diseases, Black patients are often denied the highest caliber of care. New startup Spora aims to improve medical equity by providing a Read More...
The Bison Bridge - World's longest human-made wildlife crossing
Chad Pregracke is an impassioned conservationist who spends his time on barges, cleaning up refuse from the Mississippi River. While on the river, he watches cars drive across a 55-year-old concrete bridge that is meant to be demolished and replaced—but when he sees the aging bridge, he imagines Read More...
Colombia declared home of the most butterfly species in the world
A new study released by the Natural History Museum in London has just dubbed Colombia the world’s official butterfly paradise. The country of Colombia is home to some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, including approximately 20 percent of the world’s butterfly species. An Read More...
Innovative exoskeleton technology allows paralyzed race car driver to walk once again
Paralyzed race car driver Sam Schmidt took his first steps in over two decades last month, thanks to an exoskeleton designed by Arrow Electronics. Schmidt, who has been paralyzed from his shoulders down since a racing accident in 2000, grew emotional as he walked around and gave full-body Read More...
Multi technology energy center provides green energy directly to local community
Wind and solar power have long been the most popular suggested methods to reduce fossil fuel emissions. While in many places their efficacy was still being debated, some entrepreneurs in Wales took it upon themselves to make community-wide renewable energy a reality. The Rassau industrial Read More...
3 Smart solutions to space junk
Planet Earth's trash is more than enough for us to deal with, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the mess we've left behind in space. Space junk presents a potential threat to functioning spacecraft because not only is there plenty of it (tens of thousands of pieces of space trash Read More...
AI helps restore Rembrandt masterpiece that was disfigured 300 years ago
In 1715, three-quarters of a century after Rembrandt painted it, The Night Watch was greatly disfigured when it was moved from its original location at the Arquebusiers Guild Hall to Amsterdam’s City Hall. The disfigurement involved significant trimmings from all sides so that the masterpiece Read More...
Elephant-friendly alternative to ivory can be 3D-printed to restore art
Although there has been a ban on international ivory trading since 1989, tens of thousands of elephants are still poached for their tusks every year, a trend that’s slowly pushing some endangered species to the brink of extinction. A team of scientists has recently developed a high-quality ivory Read More...
This map app helps pedestrians in Barcelona stay cool on the shadiest routes
A new app launched in Barcelona is helping the city’s residents deal with scorching temperatures this summer by finding the shadiest and coolest routes for pedestrians. The pedestrian routing app, called Cool Walks, was first developed at a data visualization contest. Its purpose is to show Read More...