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.
GM wants the era of self-driving cars to be led by women
GM wants more women to help build the cars of the future and it’s making big moves to ensure that it happens. The automaker announced Wednesday that it is partnering with four new non-profits to create programs aimed at increasing the number of women and other minorities in STEM Read More...
Here are the tax credits you get when you buy an electric car
Electric cars could be an incredibly important weapon in the fight to reduce carbon emissions around the world and save the world from a climate change cataclysm. But if the last few decades have been any indication, people won’t jump onboard to help save the world without some kind Read More...
This motor-powered wheel lets you turn any bike into an e-bike
Introducing to you The Copenhagen Wheel, a motor-equipped rear bicycle wheel that can turn an existing human-powered bicycle into an e-bike. As you pedal, the motor kicks in and adds a proportional amount of electrical assistance, with a top speed of 20 mph possible to attain. One charge of the Read More...
EU ministers agree on energy savings targets to meet Paris climate goals
The first obstacle toward implementing the Paris Agreement on lowering carbon emissions has been overcome after EU ministers reached a compromise on energy saving targets after 2021. The European Commission agreed to an overall 30 percent energy efficiency target and an annual savings target of 1.5 Read More...
An entire region of China just ran on 100 percent renewable energy for 7 days
From Pittsburgh to Frankfurt, cities around the world are pledging to stop burning fossil fuels for electricity by 2050 or sooner. But the Chinese province of Qinghai has already reached that goal, according to news outlet Xinhua. For seven days — from June 17 to 23 — the Read More...
Hyperlane: A special lane for self-driving vehicles
A US company is proposing special lanes on roads purely for self-driving vehicles. The Hyperlanes would be controlled by a central computer allowing self-driving cars to travel along at speeds over 100mph (160kph). BBC Click spoke to Baiyu Chen, a co-founder of Hyperlane to find out more about how Read More...
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...