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.
Kick off the new year with these dancing robots
We’ve trained robots to clean our homes, build cars, and even cook, but in honor of the New Year, the Boston Dynamics team decided to take a more celebratory approach to robot programming. The team’s latest video features a crew of robots busting out their best dance moves in a choreographed Read More...
Court grants ‘priority status’ to historic youth-driven climate case
Back in September, we wrote about a groundbreaking court case filed by young activists from Portugal that demanded 33 countries to make more ambitious emissions cuts to protect their future physical and mental wellbeing. Those countries include all the EU states, as well as the UK, Norway, Russia, Read More...
These solar-powered barges can scoop up 50 tons of plastic from rivers each day
While removing the plastic waste that currently contaminates the ocean today will be crucial for protecting marine ecosystems, it is arguably more important that we stop any more plastic trash from entering the ocean. Fortunately for humanity, The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit taking on plastic waste Read More...
US are removing old dams so fish can return to early spawning grounds
Over the past decade, nonprofits and state organizations have started recognizing that removing dams from rivers can actually help the environment by allowing fish to return to their original spawning grounds. According to Laura Craig, director of river restoration at American Rivers, removing Read More...
Video: Watch the world’s largest electric plane fly for the first time
On the 28th of May, we published a story announcing that the world’s largest all-electric aircraft got the green light to take to the skies for the first time. Today we’re here to tell you that the plane, a retrofitted Cessna Grand Caravan 208, succeeded in its first flight, exploring the Read More...
Study: More coal power plants are being closed than opened
2020 has not been a nice year for coal power. According to a new study, the size of the global coal power fleet fell for the first time on record over the first six months of the year, with more generation capacity shutting than starting operation. Global Energy Monitor, a US research and Read More...
US green energy consumption overtakes coal for 1st time since late 1800s
In a major win for the green energy transition, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that the country consumed more energy from renewable sources last year than from coal, the first time that’s happened since the late 1800s when wood stopped powering steamships and Read More...
Discovery of superconducting material could spur energy revolution
At this point in time, electrical grids lose more than 5 percent of their energy through the process of transmission. This occurs due to electrical resistance, with the energy being lost as heat. The good news is that scientists may have found a solution thanks to the discovery of a material that Read More...
Novel technology cools air far more efficiently than air conditioners
With rising temperatures as a result of climate change, the demand for air conditioners is expected to rise at unprecedented rates, which, in turn, will only further contribute to climate change due to the large amount of energy they require. That, however, is not their only problem. In a time of Read More...
11 positive energy developments that show the bright side of 2020
Yes, 2020 was a year saturated with negative news. But we wouldn’t do it justice if we only remembered it for the doom and gloom. Throughout the year's unprecedented times, there have also been plenty of moments that brought a sense of optimism over our planet’s future. Our global energy Read More...