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.
Battery innovation: your coffee waste can power your phone
The lithium-ion batteries that power your phone, your laptop as well as electric vehicles, use natural and artificial graphite. Graphite—a kind of carbon—is not cheap. That’s why researchers in Taiwan were searching for a replacement substance. They started experimenting with another source Read More...
The story of the battery that can change everything for renewable energy
Bill Joy is a legendary computer scientist—a co-founder of Sun, a co-inventor of Java, and a visionary who was working on the Internet of Things two decades ago. Today, he’s the driving force behind a new battery technology that could revolutionize the renewable energy economy. The new battery Read More...
The Hoover Dam 2.0: a $3 billion plan to turn the dam into a giant battery
In the 1930s, the Hoover Dam transformed the American West through powering millions of homes and businesses. Now, the dam may get a second life as a giant battery to store excess solar and wind energy. The plan is to equip the dam with a $3 billion pipeline and a pump station powered by solar and Read More...
Three brain science–backed techniques that help you learn faster
Through research, we are understanding better and better how we learn. Some of these discoveries help to make learning more efficient and more fun. Here are three very helpful tips to master the art of Read More...
Tesla only: an analysis of the emerging supercharger network
The challenge to set up ordinary charging stations for electric cars is already big. Tesla offers superchargers to enable electric car owners to quickly recharge their cars while they continue their journeys. Building a network of superchargers is an even bigger (financial) challenge. So far, Read More...
This island nation plans to stop buying diesel and go 100 percent solar next year
Most pristine paradise islands rely on dirty diesel fuel to supply almost all of their power. The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau has now started a fast transition to clean energy while providing an example that other islands can follow. The energy transformation in Palau is driven by Read More...
… and Las Vegas plans one-billion-dollar solar investment to power the strip
A new 1-billion-dollar solar project near Las Vegas aims to help light up the Strip and other parts of Nevada, California, and Arizona as early as 2020. The proposed project on almost 44,000 acres would be one of the largest in the United Read More...
The Netherlands plans an offshore wind farm that can power a city of 20 million
The potential for offshore wind farms is massive. Here’s the latest example: The national electric company of the Netherlands is now planning a wind farm that will produce 30 gigawatts, enough to power a city of 20 million people. The size of the Dutch project is almost 50 times bigger than the Read More...
UK and Germany keep setting new clean-energy records
The British grid has not burned any coal for 1,000 hours so far, this year. In Germany this year, coal generated 35 percent of the country’s electricity but, for the first time, renewable resources generated more energy in the same period: 36.5 Read More...
Why you should leave a sugar solution in your garden today
Bees play a vital role in our ecosystems, but unfortunately bee populations are dwindling. There is, however, a simple yet odd way we can help save bees, according to Sir David Attenborough. In the summer months, bees can become extremely tired from all their work, so much so that they don’t have Read More...