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.
This new cheap method of generating hydrogen could make fuel cell cars feasible
If you want to buy an electric car in the U.S., there are more than a dozen options. If you want to buy a fuel cell car, there are three: the Honda Clarity, the Toyota Mirai, and the Hyundai ix35. But more are coming–and a new discovery in the lab might help the market expand faster. Fuel Read More...
In France, one of Europe's most powerful solar farms marries innovation, scale
Over several decades, France has come to rely heavily on nuclear power. According to the World Nuclear Association, around 75 percent of the country's electricity comes from nuclear. The country is undergoing something of an energy transition, however. In 2015, France introduced an "energy Read More...
Australia set to use hydrogen to export its solar power around the world
The future of hydrogen is bright. Since it doesn’t emit carbon dioxide when its burned, hydrogen is potentially the ultimate source of clean energy. And thanks to recent innovations, we now have the ability to produce hydrogen more efficiently, use it to store other clean energy, and even Read More...
Free-falling solar prices cause India to cancel plans for huge coal plants
As a testament to plummeting prices of solar energy in India, the government has canceled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations. That’s equivalent to the total amount of coal plants in the UK! The move shows that India is not only committed to transitioning to solar Read More...
China is the most lucrative market for electric cars
Germany's Volkswagen and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC Motor) have received approval from Chinese regulators to form a joint venture to make electric vehicles, the two automakers said on Monday. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top state planner, gave a green Read More...
Research explores 'artificial leaf' system for solar fuel production
If human beings could mimic the way plants make their own fuel, it's not a stretch to say that Earth's energy needs could be solved. The way leafs convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into life-sustaining chemical energy is a resourceful process, and scientists are attempting to do the same thing Read More...
Some coal executives have made the switch to clean energy
Coal sector executives have been quietly switching sides to chase the lucrative profits up for grabs in green energy and – welcome or not – the experience they bring could prove vital to the increasingly desperate race to avert cataclysmic climate change. From a fifth-generation coalminer Read More...
Home energy system produces electricity, heating, cooling, hot water, and more
This is not an easily understandable new technology, but it has game-changing potential as it shows how stand-alone systems can revolutionize the centralized energy world as we know it today. Imagine a fridge-sized box in your home that not only generates and stores electricity on-site but heats Read More...
India plans to leapfrog western car ownership and goes straight to car-sharing
Developing countries have the opportunity to bypass stages of development that don’t make sense anymore given the current status of technology. And that can make a big difference for the health of their societies and the planet. Why would all people in India buy their own cars when car-sharing Read More...
Ford names Jim Hackett as new CEO in push to build self-driving cars
Ford has named the head of its driverless cars division as its chief executive in a sudden regime change, as the company that pioneered the assembly line looks to the next stage of the industry’s evolution. The Detroit-based carmaker said Mark Fields, who has run the company since July 2014, Read More...