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.
Seville becomes first city to name and classify heatwaves
When a tropical storm or hurricane gets bestowed a name, people know to take weather warnings seriously and to prepare their households accordingly. Now, the southern Spanish city of Seville is taking the same approach to heatwaves, becoming the first in the world to name and classify these Read More...
Artificial photosynthesis helps plants grow with no sunlight required
Plants use a special natural process called photosynthesis to grow, mature, flower, and produce fruit. Photosynthesis is the way in which plants absorb energy from sunlight and use it to make their own food out of carbon dioxide and water. For years, scientists have been investigating this Read More...
Shapeshifting bacteria are the key to understanding UTIs
Most women have had the unpleasant experience of a urinary tract infection (UTI), with nearly one in three women requiring antibiotics before the age of 24 to treat the condition. 80 percent of these infections are caused by uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), a bacteria with increasing resistance to Read More...
Don’t toss that dead mosquito! Mail it to this scientist instead
It may sound like a strange request, but Canadian scientist Dan Peach is asking people to send him dead mosquitos via post. Each squished bugger, argues Peach, can provide useful insights as he explores exactly how far mosquitos are traveling as a result of global warming. Climate change and Read More...
Babies may be the key for the next generation of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is extremely valuable for basically all parts of society, allowing more efficient, accurate, and speedy decisions. For example, this AI algorithm that assesses and prioritizes patients to either the ICU or a general hospital bed, or this AI-powered robot that can sort Read More...
Mummified mammoth accidentally discovered in northern Canada
Paleontology and archaeology can sometimes get a helping hand in unexpected places. A gold miner in Northern Canada was digging through the permafrost and stumbled across a mummified baby wooly mammoth. Grant Zazula, paleontologist for the Canadian territory of the Yukon said the Read More...
4 eco-conscious innovations that make biking more accessible
We at The Optimist Daily have written about the many positive aspects of biking as a form of recreation and transport. If more communities chose to develop infrastructure that favors bicycles over cars, our world would be a safer, greener, and healthier place. Biking has grown in popularity Read More...
Passive cooling techniques reduce AC strain by up to 80 percent
In the summer months, many of us are of two minds: we’re dying to keep it cool, but we’re also dying not to spend too much on electricity. Not only that, many of us don’t want to overload our town’s power grid during the summer, so we’re turned to AC alternatives. As it turns out, Read More...
Crab Trapper Whiskey: capturing invasive species and putting them in whiskey
An occasionally neglected fact of conservation is the encroachment of invasive species. Some non-native animals can wind up consuming all available resources for endangered species, and sometimes the endangered species themselves. This was the case with the lionfish, which Florida fishers addressed Read More...
We can now easily produce electrically conductive substances
Electrically conductive polymers - such as polyaniline - are vital for numerous advanced technologies, from lighting to, circuit boards, to ink-jet printing. Despite their importance, producing these polymers is difficult due to the complex and pricey synthesis process, particularly when it comes Read More...