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.
First Solar prevents e-waste by creating new solar panels from old ones
Though the global surge in solar power is good news for our green energy transition, it also means that in the coming years we will face an enormous amount of e-waste. In fact, it’s estimated that the first wave of solar panels will generate as much as 8 million metric tons of e-waste by 2030. Read More...
Shark barrier protects swimmers from attacks in an animal-friendly way
Shark nets are often used to protect swimmers and surfers from shark attacks, but often they not only fail to do their job but also pose a deadly threat to marine life. In a bid to come up with a safer and more effective alternative, a team of scientists in South Africa has developed an Read More...
LGBTQ community adopts #proudboys to drown out hateful rhetoric
The Proud Boys, a far-right group designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, was trending on social media after being mentioned at the presidential debate, but Twitter users quickly took matters into their own hands to stop the spread of hateful rhetoric. Men in the LGBTQ Read More...
Study: Electric vehicles really are cheaper to own than gas-powered cars
A new study from Consumer Reports (CR) indicates that the most popular electric vehicles are less expensive to own over their lifespans when compared to the best gas cars in their respective classes. But while you might think the price difference comes down to fuel savings, there is another huge Read More...
This plastic is made from waste and biodegrades within a year
Traditional plastic is made from petroleum and pollutes our environment for centuries when it’s thrown away, so scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology set out to create a plastic alternative that addresses these two primary problems. They have Read More...
Waymo is now offering the Phoenix public rides in its driverless cars
The Google self-driving project Waymo started testing its driverless technology in the city of Phoenix back in 2017. Now, three years later, Waymo has announced plans to open its fully autonomous cars to the city’s wider population. In a similar style to Uber or Lyft, people can now book a trip Read More...
For the first time, two women jointly win Nobel Prize for chemistry
We’ve shared stories about how CRISPR is revolutionizing treatment for diseases like sickle cell and other genetic diseases. The gene-editing technology has the potential to change the course of modern medicine and this week, its inventors were recognized with the 2020 Nobel Prize in Read More...
Graphene circuits are the newest supplier of limitless clean energy
Earlier this week we discussed the rise of wave energy in the renewable energy sector. Now, scientists have discovered yet another potential source of green power drawn from the thermal motion of graphene at room temperature. The new technique captures the nanometre-sized rippling and random Read More...
Lighting systems that mimic natural light can help the elderly sleep better
Elderly residents of nursing homes have a tendency to fall asleep at any hour of the day. The problem with this is that they can get a bit too much sleep during the day, meaning they have periods of wakefulness during the night. This can lead to a vicious cycle of fragmented sleep, which can put Read More...
Get lost in these incredible x-ray images of the universe
You would only need to be subscribed to the Optimist Daily for a little while to know we are geeks for outer space. That’s why we were over the moon when NASA released a gallery of jaw-dropping imagery of the universe captured by telescopes from around the world. The gallery is a “treasure Read More...