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.
Avis shares jump on Alphabet self-driving car partnership
Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google-owner Alphabet, has reached an agreement with Avis Budget Group under which the rental car company will manage Waymo's fleet of autonomous vehicles. Avis will provide storage and maintenance services for the Waymo fleet of self-driving vehicles in Phoenix, Read More...
Most Australians want renewables to be primary energy source, survey finds
The vast majority of Australians want to see the country dramatically increase the use of renewable energy, a new survey has found, despite attempts by the federal government to characterise renewables as unreliable and expensive. The Climate Institute’s national Climate of the Nation survey, Read More...
Vehicle to vehicle communication makes self-driving cars safer
Self-driving cars use GPS, satellite communication, for their navigation. But, as anyone with a satellite radio system in his car knows, there are sometimes brief moments of interruption in the communication. That can be very dangerous for self-driving cars. That's why researchers are testing an Read More...
Introducing: An all-electric aircraft with a range up to 600 miles
So far, clean, electric air transport has been limited by the energy density of batteries, but pioneering companies are beginning to meet the challenge. At the 52nd International Paris Air Show, the first prototype of a new all-electric aircraft concept with a range of up to 600 miles (965 km) Read More...
Indian solar to create 125,000 army of rooftop installers in five years
India’s 175GW by 2022 renewable energy target could create up to 330,000 jobs in the next five years, predominantly in the rooftop PV sector, according to a report from India’s Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Nearly Read More...
Autonomous air taxis will soon take the skies of Dubai
Forget cars, Dubai is looking up to the sky for new transport solutions. The city already has ambitious plans for a supersonic Hyperloop network, and now they will be testing an autonomous air taxi. Dubbed the Volocopter, this all-electric aircraft looks like a mini-helicopter with 18 rotors that Read More...
It’s so windy, and sunny, in Texas that there’s no market for natural gas
One of the fundamental flaws of wind-power is that wind gusts occur precisely when there’s the least demand for electricity; in the dead of night. That’s the case all across America, with exception of South Texas. In the bottom half of the Lone Star State, wind blows fiercely in the middle of Read More...
The end of car ownership
Cars are going to undergo a lot of changes in the coming years. One of the biggest: You probably won’t own one. Thanks to ride sharing and the looming introduction of self-driving vehicles, the entire model of car ownership is being upended—and very soon may not look anything like it has for Read More...
South Korea’s newly-elected president is on a mission to abolish nuclear energy
The new president of South Korea wants to lead the country towards a “nuclear free era”. Speaking at an event to mark the closure of the country’s oldest nuclear plant, Moon Jae-In announced he will scrap all construction plans for new nuclear reactors and shorten the lifespans of currently Read More...
Google bets AI and human oversight will curb online extremism
Google has outlined a four-step approach to combatting pro-terrorism content online. To start, the tech giant is pouring more energy into machine learning research that could improve its ability to automatically remove terrorist videos while keeping innocently-posted clips online. Google will Read More...