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.
China’s first solar highway may soon be able to charge electric cars
In China, a solar highway is being built that involves transparent concrete being laid over a layer of solar panels. The highway isn’t the first solar road that China has worked on. Earlier this year, a 160 meter long solar road was constructed in the city of Jinan that is capable of heating up Read More...
The only way is up for electric cars in 2018
2017 was a groundbreaking year for electric cars. Models like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the redesigned Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model 3 showed that electric cars can be both reliable and affordable. Electric cars only made up 1.5% of all U.S auto sales, but as prices continue to drop and the range of Read More...
Scientists are using this ancient Egyptian art technique to make fuel cells cheaper
To make their masks and jewelry more extravagant, ancient Egyptian artists used to cover them with a thin layer of gleaming precious metals such as gold. The technique is called gilding, and it’s inspired scientists to use the same technique to make fuel cells for electric cars that are cheaper Read More...
BMW wants to sell half a million electric cars by 2019
German carmaker BMW aims to more than double the number of electric and hybrid vehicles it has sold to 500,000 by the end of 2019, Chief Executive Harald Krüger told German weekly Read More...
Global coal consumption forecast to slow
Every major country in the world except India reduced its consumption of coal last year, with demand for the dirty fuel forecast to stagnate for the next half decade, according to official forecasts. The International Energy Authority Read More...
Toyota has plans to sell at least 1 million “zero-emissions” vehicles by 2030
The car industry is on a path to electrification, and Toyota is determined to lead the way there. The world’s largest producer of automobiles announced this week that it would introduce at least 10 new electric vehicles by the early 2020s—first in China and then globally. The automaker says it Read More...
Bitcoin consumes an insane amount of energy. What can we do to fix this?
While Bitcoin’s value continues to surge, so does its consumption of electricity. One widely cited estimate says “mining’ the cryptocurrency consumes more power than the whole of Ireland. Another predicts that it could use as much electricity as the whole of the US by the summer of 2019, Read More...
This solar-powered floating rig produces hydrogen from seawater
Engineers have developed a “solar fuels rig” that floats on the ocean, captures energy through a solar cell and uses it to harvest hydrogen from the water beneath. Current methods of producing the clean fuel source aren’t so clean, but with this floating rig, no CO2 is created. To produce Read More...
Invest in solar for a brighter future for Africa
How would you like to earn a return of up to 6 percent on your cash while at the same time providing families in countries such as Kenya with “life-changing” access to clean, affordable solar energy? Energise Africa is a new ethical investment scheme Read More...
This graph makes it easy to keep track of the clean energy race
Nearly every country in the world is racing to make the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. It’s not an easy race to follow, especially with each country using different means to generate energy. On top of that, the terminology can be a bit hard to visualize. Do you know how much a Read More...