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.
This week, 200 years ago, Karl von Drais rode his Laufsmaschine for the first time. The German baron rode his two-wheeled invention, a bicycle without pedals, five miles from the center of Mannheim and back in less than an hour—much faster than a horse. And that was the point. At the time the Read More...
More than 100 years ago scientists and business leaders feuded over the incipient U.S. electrical grid: Should it rely on alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC)? Both are used to transmit electricity—DC flows steadily in one direction, whereas AC varies direction periodically. Thomas Read More...
The harsh climate of the grasslands in China have long made it difficult for villagers to plant or herd anything. Now, thanks to new solar farms and greenhouses, residents are able to harvest light and grow crops. The abundance of sunlight produces an abundance of energy, allowing the residents to Read More...
Britain's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover said its mobility services business, InMotion Ventures, would invest $25 million in U.S. ride services company Lyft Inc to help develop and test technology for self-driving cars. The auto industry and technology companies are racing to develop Read More...
Protecting coal jobs today makes as much sense as protecting typing pool jobs around the time personal computers caught on in the 1980s. Solar technology will destroy coal and oil as energy sources even if President Donald Trump stamps his feet, holds his breath and refuses to play with the rest of Read More...
We are proud to announce that the home town of The Optimist Daily team has joined the clean energy revolution: Santa Barbara, California, has become the 30th city in the U.S. to commit to transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy by Read More...
This week the National Grid in the United Kingdom reported that renewable sources of energy were generating more electricity than coal and gas for the first time. Power from wind, solar, hydro and wood pellet burning supplied 50.7 percent of British energy. A tenth of the U.K.'s power was coming Read More...
Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co on Thursday spelled out for the first time its plans to develop autonomous cars which can drive on city streets by 2025, building on its strategy to take on rivals in the auto market of the future. Unveiling its mid-term Vision 2030 strategy plan, Honda said it Read More...
Thanks to plummeting costs, renewable energy capacity around the world increased by a record 10 percent. New solar power provided the biggest boost – half of all new capacity – followed by wind power at a third and hydropower at 15 percent. It is the first year that the new solar capacity added Read More...
The number of electric vehicles on roads worldwide rose to a record high of 2 million last year, but has a long way to go to reach levels needed to help limit an increase in global temperatures, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday. In 2015, the number of electric cars, including Read More...