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.
Possibility: Windmills under the sea
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Fall/Winter 2016 There’s enough wave energy in the oceans to power the world, and scientists and businesses are finally close to harnessing it. For decades wave energy has lagged behind wind energy and solar because harnessing it is more complex. But for Jim Read More...
These new wind-energy technologies look incredible
Many consider modern windmills eyesores in the landscape despite their obvious clean energy benefits. A new generation of wind technologies are on their way, and they not only promise to make wind energy safer and more affordable, their sleek designs are also stunning. See this series of new Read More...
Self-repairing roads could also charge your electric car
Potholes are bad enough for the jarring rides, car damage and safety hazards they create, but it's also problematic to fix them. You're looking at lane and road closures that can last for days, assuming the city can even spare the resources. However, Dutch researchers might have a solution that not Read More...
Germany breaks record: 85 percent of electricity produced by renewables
On April 30, Germany established a new national record for renewable energy use. On that day and throughout the long May 1 weekend, 85% of all the electricity consumed in Germany was produced from renewables such as wind, solar, biomass, and hydroelectric power. Patrick Graichen of Agora Read More...
Cities across U.S. continue to commit to 100 percent renewable electricity
Hello Solar put together an interactive map documenting all of the cities in the US that have committed to moving to 100% renewable energy*. The map includes the timing on which the cities have committed to complete the transition and the population of each for context. (Note: since the site and Read More...
India's green car plan prioritizes electric vehicles over hybrids
India's most influential government think-tank has recommended lowering taxes and interest rates for loans on electric vehicles, while capping sales of conventional cars, signaling a dramatic shift in policy in one of the world's fastest growing auto markets. A draft of the 90-page blueprint, seen Read More...
Canada produces 66 percent of its electricity with renewable energy
New data showed that Canada produced 66 percent of its electricity from renewables in 2015. 60 percent of the county’s electricity was generated with hydro power—Canada produces 10 percent of the world's hydro-electricity. The remainder came from wind, solar and biomass. Besides Canada there Read More...
Atlanta pledges 100 percent renewable power by 2035
Atlanta has arguably been the capital of the American South for decades, from its moniker as “The City Too Busy To Hate” during the civil rights era to its hosting of the Olympic Games a generation ago. Now, according to the Sierra Club, Atlanta is now the largest southern city to commit to a Read More...
7 companies steering the self-driving car craze
In 2009, the first photos started to trickle out of a Toyota Prius outfitted with a bizarre-looking metal contraption on the roof cruising the highways around Silicon Valley. The concept seemed far-fetched at the time, but Google’s early self-driving car went on to blaze a trail for the current Read More...
Ode to Abeer Seikaly, Amman, Jordan
From The Optimist Magazine Fall 2015 A new kind of mobile home People move. It’s what they have always done and what they will keep doing. Architect, artist and cultural producer Abeer Seikaly, from Amman, Jordan, designed an elegant and practical home for people who are forced to move on to a Read More...