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.
A giant AI network will soon track global emissions in real time
Despite the monumental consequences they hold for the future of our planet, greenhouse gas emissions are still not well tracked in most countries. In a bid to monitor and curb emissions, a new alliance of climate research groups called the Climate TRACE (Tracking Real-Time Atmospheric Carbon Read More...
Germany is offering generous subsidies to lure people to switch to EVs
If you’re looking to buy an electric vehicle in Germany, you’re in luck! Government subsidies aimed at boosting an electric kickstart to the auto industry means leasing the best-selling five-door Renault Zoe EV is now essentially free. Individuals and families who put off buying a new Read More...
Incredible: Scientists 3D print a heart pump that beats on its own
The possibilities of 3D printing seem to have no bound after scientists at the University of Minnesota managed to 3D print a human heart pump capable of beating on its own. The pump is just 1.5 centimeters long, but the researchers believe the tiny organoid could have a huge impact on efforts Read More...
This 100% energy self-sufficient boat transforms seawater into hydrogen fuel
Somewhere in the vast ocean, a little boat covered in solar panels is doing something extraordinary: making its own hydrogen fuel from the seawater underneath it. Built as a proof of concept, the boat hopes to make a case for hydrogen as a clean-energy alternative to fossil fuels. Though it has Read More...
Portugal abandons coal power two years ahead of schedule
One after another, European countries are abandoning coal energy this year. Back in April, both Austria and Sweden shut down their last coal-fired plant, with Sweden doing so two years ahead of schedule. Now another country is saying goodbye to coal two years early: Portugal! This week, Read More...
These are the closest images ever taken of the Sun
This week, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) released the closest images ever taken of the Sun. Close, however is a relative term. The new photos were taken by the Solar Orbiter at 48 million miles from the Sun. The Orbiter was launched in February, and the photos captured were taken in Read More...
New device makes city living a whole lot quieter
If you live in an urban area, car horns, sirens, and jackhammers are just some of the daily noises that float into your home, but a new window-mounted device could create peacefully quiet city apartments. This solution was shared with us by an Optimist Daily reader and could finally bring some Read More...
Scientists create tiny camera backpack to show how beetles see the world
Have you ever wondered how bugs view the world? Well, now that’s possible after researchers from the University of Washington created the “GoPro for beetles,” a robotic backpack equipped with a tiny camera that can be put onto beetles to capture their bug’s-eye view. On top of the Read More...
NASA’s most complicated telescope ever is almost ready for takeoff
NASA’s most technically complex space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, was slated for launch in 2007. Now, after years of delay-plagued development, the telescope may finally get its place in the night sky. NASA recently announced that it’s completed its final litany of critical Read More...
Scientists sequence entire human X chromosome for the first time
You’ve likely heard of the Human Genome Project. That’s because it is one of the most ambitious scientific projects of all time. The program ended in 2003 with over 92 percent of the human genome mapped, but this week, scientists have added to the project with the complete mapping of an entire Read More...