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.
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...
MIT’s thermal resonator generates power “out of what seems like nothing”
A brand new power-generating system from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers creates energy “out of what seems like nothing,” according to chemical engineering professor Michael Strano. Their system, which they’re calling a thermal resonator, harnesses daily swings in Read More...
Charging electric cars at night can bring huge environmental benefits
If drivers of electric cars plug in their vehicles when they get home from work and add to the evening electric peak, even the modest amounts of new generation will force us to build more energy capacity, which could lead to be more fossil fuel-fired plants. But if people wait until bedtime to Read More...
The Internet of growing things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is turning the ancient practice of farming into precision agriculture. Sensors implanted in the soil can tell you when and where to irrigate. Cameras attached to a drone flying over a field of soy beans can spot a mite on a leaf from 400 feet. IoT devices for cattle can Read More...