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.
Why winter sunsets are best, according to a meteorologist
With the days becoming shorter and shorter, the people over at Vox started noticing that the sunsets at their office in Washington DC were becoming more beautiful. This made them beg the question: Is it possible that late fall and winter sunsets are just ... better? As it turns out, sunsets are, Read More...
This device can kill weeds without chemicals by using electromagnetic waves
Spraying weed killer near your prized plants can be tricky, but picture this: a weed, sucking up valuable sun and nutrients — but suddenly, a shadow passes above, and deep within the plant pest, tiny, violent vibrations begin. The molecules shake, the water inside warms and expands, until its Read More...
A startup has come up with a stronger EV battery without the precious metals
Creating long-range electric vehicles that are still comparable in affordability to gasoline cars has long been the challenge of the electric vehicle industry. While improvements in technology have made batteries cheaper and more efficient, the average addition of a battery to a vehicle still costs Read More...
The sci-fi idea of suspended animation is now buying ER surgeons more time
Nowadays, it seems things that you would only see in science fiction films are becoming a reality all the time. The latest example of sci-fi-turned-reality comes from the University of Maryland Medical Center where doctors have successfully placed humans in suspended animation for the first time. Read More...
New Jersey just doubled its offshore wind power promise
How do you go about generating renewable energy when your state has 130 miles of windy coastline? Massive wind farms, of course. This week, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared the state will install 7.5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, almost double its initial target of 3.5 gigawatts. Read More...
The humble ski-lift could lead us to clean energy that’s available on demand
What do you see when you imagine a zero-carbon future? Electric buses zipping by? Rolling hills covered with solar panels? Offshore wind farms towering over the sea? If batteries are part of your vision, good thinking. But there’s a promising if whimsical, piece of the renewable energy puzzle Read More...
These electric cars make a humming noise to help pedestrians - and the surrounding flora
Within the next two years, the US and Europe will require all new electric and hybrid vehicles to emit noise in order for pedestrians to hear them coming. But automakers and regulators are still not settled on what that noise should sound like. In a search for the best one, Ayax — an independent Read More...
How a tech industry trick could save the humble banana
The humble banana is a key staple in most fruit bowls and everyone’s go-to cure for cramps, but the Cavendish banana variety we find in most stores today was not always the world’s top variety. In the 1950s, Gros Michell was the banana variety of choice for production across the entire Read More...
This major airline declares it will be first to operate net-zero carbon flights
The budget airline EasyJet came out with a pretty bold statement this week, declaring that it will become the first major carrier to operate net-zero carbon flights. While that won’t be from zero-carbon technologies just yet, the airline announced it will offset all carbon emissions from the fuel Read More...
Mirror-based solar panels could finally decarbonize steel production
A typical large steel mill might burn through 1.5 million metric tons of coal in its furnaces in a year. It hasn’t been possible to run that type of industrial process on renewable energy, because of the extremely hot temperatures required, making nearly a quarter of global emissions hard to Read More...