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.
Here’s why your next car might be a subscription
You may not be buying or leasing a new car the next time you start thinking about getting a new ride. Instead, you may be getting a subscription that allows you to get whatever car you want, whenever you need it. In a bid to keep potential customers from defecting to ride-hailing services and Read More...
This new satellite will help track extreme weather from space
Climate models project that rising CO2 levels will stoke more violent tempests, fires, and floods around the world. In response, scientists have developed an arsenal of tools for observing, understanding, and anticipating severe weather. One of those tools is an incredible satellite that’s been Read More...
This beautifully designed 'dumb phone' can only make calls and send texts
The Brooklyn-based startup Light has set an impossible goal of getting people to put down their smartphones. Light launched in 2014 and a year later debuted its first product, the Light Phone. It could only make calls and tell the time, and the company described it as "quite a smart 'dumb' Read More...
Americans keep using less electricity
Economic growth picked up a little in the U.S. in 2017. But electricity use fell, according to data released Tuesday by the Energy Information Administration. It's now been basically flat for more than a Read More...
Daffodils could be holding the key to killing cancerous tumorous
Researchers have found a compound extracted from daffodils that can serve as a potential cancer killer. As it turns out, the compound can help shut down the “nanomachines” that tumors exploit to grow out of control. Not only was this compound shown to slow cancer’s growth, but it also Read More...
California to start allowing self-driving cars to drive without humans
The California DMV has received approval for a plan to put self-driving cars on the road with no safety driver. That means starting April 2, Google, Ford, Nvidia, and other companies can own and operate driving around the Golden State without anybody inside. The permit to put cars on the road Read More...
How green is your electric car?
The biggest selling point of the electric car has long been the fact that it’s emissions-free. Turns out that’s not exactly true. Trading in your gasoline-guzzling car for an electric vehicle is a lot like shifting the emissions from an exhaust pipe to a power plant. EVs run off electricity, Read More...
More than 100 cities around the world run mostly on renewable energy
A new report shows that over 100 cities around the world are running on predominantly clean energy. That figure is up from 40 in 2015, and it shows that more and more cities—from Seattle, Washington to Inje, South Korea—are ditching fossil fuels and turning to renewables than ever before. Take Read More...
America's biggest solar buyer is a firm you've never heard of
The biggest buyer of solar farms in America is a company you’ve probably never heard of. Meet Capital Dynamics, an asset manager that handles $15 billion. The firm’s been snapping up clean-power plants for years, but it wasn’t until this month -- when the company agreed to spend almost $1 Read More...
Ultra-thin coating makes "dumb" glass smart
There are already energy-saving "smart glass" windows that can be electronically tinted to block the sun's hot rays, thus reducing the need to run air-conditioning systems. Such systems still require electricity to operate, however. Now, scientists from Australia's RMIT University have developed a Read More...