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.
Graduate students design little robot that cleans up oil spills
A decade after a BP drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sending an estimated 168 million gallons of oil gushing into the water over the course of months, local wildlife is still struggling to recover. Many of the people who worked to clean up the spill are still experiencing health Read More...
Oakland-based startup is 3D-printing homes in 24 hours
We have previously written about a nonprofit called New Story that was building the world’s first 3D-printed neighborhood for impoverished people in Mexico. Now, we present to you a startup that is taking 3D-printing to another level when it comes to homebuilding. The startup, Mighty Buildings, Read More...
Why Apple’s low-carbon aluminum is a climate game changer
In July, Apple made a pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Its a lofty target for the tech giant, but it has a novel material that it believes will help the company accomplish its goal. The new material is a “low-carbon” aluminum that it can use to make its sleek laptops. The lightweight Read More...
Terminally ill patients given green light to use psilocybin in Canada
After waiting more than 100 days for a response, four terminally ill cancer patients have now been approved to use psilocybin to treat end-of-life distress. These patients will be the first to legally use the psychedelic in Canada for almost half a century following the country’s health minister Read More...
A Japanese company is building a dam using automated robots
Japan has a labor shortage, partially because the workforce is aging. Last year they passed new legislation to attract foreign workers — a controversial bill, given the nation's historically strict immigration policies. But the construction contractor Obayashi is taking the matter into their Read More...
There are more Emperor penguins than we previously thought
For all you penguin lovers, we have good news: recent satellite images have identified a raft of new Emperor penguin breeding sites. The discovery lifts the estimated global Emperor population by 5-10 percent, to perhaps as many as 278,500 breeding pairs. It's a welcome development given that Read More...
How the world’s biggest science society aims to be more inclusive
On June 10th, Black scientists in America organized a strike to protest discrimination within academia and the sciences. The world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society, The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), took part in the strike, but it’s not stopping there Read More...
Discarded face masks could be turned into biofuel to produce energy
While the pandemic has benefitted the environment in some ways, it has also brought about an unprecedented problem: the overwhelming number of single-use, non-recyclable personal protective equipment (PPE) leaking into the environment. Concerned about how these single-use masks and gloves can be Read More...
AI system knows when to make a medical diagnosis or defer to a human
While artificial intelligence can be used to detect many types of cancer, figuring out when to rely on experts versus the algorithms of AI is still tricky. It’s not simply a matter of who is “better” at making a diagnosis or prediction. Factors like how much time medical professionals have Read More...
Platform allows users get cheaper solar power by skipping the energy grid
One of the benefits of a decentralized energy system - where energy is provided by multiple, local suppliers - is that it can offer more competitive prices compared to the traditional, centralized grid. And in the case of solar power, people with solar panels on their rooftops can sell their excess Read More...