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.
Home battery-storage systems are solving Germany’s excess energy problems
With more than a million homes in Germany having solar panels on their roofs, Germany can produce more renewable energy than it can use at times. Now Germany is turning to home battery-storage systems that are connected to the grid as a solution to the problem of excess electricity. These systems Read More...
Scientists explored an untouched mountaintop rainforest thanks to Google Earth
You would expect that, by now, humans have found and explored every forest on the planet. But just this year, a team of scientists found an untouched rainforest perched atop a mountain in Mozambique using Google Earth and decided to explore it. What they found on their journey into the untouched Read More...
Road tripping has never been so efficient as with this eco-camper
Towing a camper reduces the efficiency and range of your vehicle. That's why a motorhomes company has created a camper that has its own battery pack, electric motors, and solar panels that allows it to power itself. The idea is that by adding power to the camper, less strain will be put on the car Read More...
Why it’s OK that scientists are failing to replicate social science studies
For the past several years, social scientists have been deeply worried about the replicability of their findings. Incredibly influential, textbook findings in psychology — like the “ego depletion” theory of willpower, or the “marshmallow test” — have been bending or breaking under Read More...
Tesla’s self-driving Semi truck has been driving across the US all by itself
Without much fanfare, it was recently revealed that Tesla's autonomous Semi truck has been traveling across the US entirely by itself. By making use of the existing Supercharger network, the Semi has been able to make long-distance journeys without an escort, only stopping every once and a while to Read More...
Here’s what happens when you do brain exercises every day for a year
Brain games are supposed to help boost your cognitive skills, but have you ever taken the time to do them on a daily basis? For the past year, a science journalist did brain exercise every day for a year and tested her results with MRI machines. This is what she got out of Read More...
Psychedelic drugs: An effective form of treatment for mental illness?
While you never expect to see “magic” mushrooms or ayahuasca scribbled on a doctor’s prescription pad, a number of studies are showing that psychedelic drugs can help treat certain mental health conditions. Take a look at this interview to see why we might be on the brink of a revolution in Read More...
Trump’s pro-coal alternative to the Clean Power Plan has been dropped
When it became known that Obama’s Clean Power Plan was set to be replaced by Trump’s Orwellian “Affordable Clean Energy” plan, it was a dark day for environmentalists. Now they can breathe a little sigh of relief after the Trump administration quietly dropped its pro-coal alternative, which Read More...
Ocean energy is on the horizon following successful test on floating turbine
You may not have heard much about ocean energy before, but the European Commission believes it could supply 10 percent of the EU’s power by 2050. That looks ever more likely after a single floating turbine off the coast of Scotland generated 3-gigawatt hours of renewable electricity from the Read More...
This Greek island will be first in the Mediterranean powered only by renewables
The small Greek island of Tilos has long had a costly power system that gets its energy from a diesel power station 42 miles away. Now Tilos has constructed a new system powered entirely by wind and solar, making it the first island in the Mediterranean to power itself entirely with renewable Read More...