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.
So you want to revive rural America. Try wind turbines, not coal mines
For half a century, Tim Hemphill grew corn and soybeans on his 720-acre farm in northern Iowa. Then five years ago, as he readied his son to take over the business so he could retire, catastrophe struck: Local corn prices plummeted. “It was about the worst thing that ever happened to Read More...
Most energy experts say 100 percent renewables is feasible, realistic
Most energy experts surveyed for a study on the future of the world’s energy supply consider a global transition to 100 per cent renewable energy to be both feasible and realistic. “There is an overwhelming consensus among the experts we interviewed that Read More...
Mercedes joins forces with Bosch to develop self-driving taxis
Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and supplier Robert Bosch are teaming up to develop self-driving cars in an alliance primarily aimed at accelerating the production of "robo-taxis". The pact between the world's largest maker of premium cars and the world's largest automotive supplier forms a powerful Read More...
U.S. coal companies ask Trump to stick with Paris climate deal
Some big American coal companies have advised President Donald Trump's administration to break his promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement – arguing that the accord could provide their best forum for protecting their global interests. Remaining in the global deal Read More...
Simple ways to fool corporations that track and sell your web data
The U.S. Congress threw Internet privacy under the bus last week after it voted to overturn rules that prevented Internet service providers from selling customers’ data without permission. Luckily, there are some simple ways you can obscure your online activity in order to throw off surveillance Read More...
This news site introduces you to what other people think and encourages empathy
Our use of social media often means we are only ever exposed to others who have similar views. We get our news from sources that agree with us, creating an echo chamber that narrows our horizons and separates us from people with opposing viewpoints. To counter this, a new video platform called The Read More...
Self-driving and electric cars are going to have many strange effects on society
Electric cars will be good for the planet and autonomous vehicles will reduce the number of road accidents. That much we know. But what other impacts will the coming automobile revolution provide? Recommended for You Uber Is Engaged in Psychological Warfare with Its Drivers Is This the Anti-Aging Read More...
Renewables cut Europe's carbon emissions by 10 percent in 2015
A surge in the use of wind and solar energy helped Europe to cut its fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by about 10% in 2015, an authoritative new report has found. Energy use from renewables rose to 16.7% of Europe’s total, up from 15% in 2013, and accounted for 77% of the Read More...
Meditation and psychedelic drug ayahuasca change the brain in similar ways
At the end of a dark earthen trail in the Peruvian Amazon stands a round structure with a thatched roof that appears to glow from within. In the Temple of the Way of Light, as it is known, indigenous healers called Onanya teach visitors about the therapeutic uses of ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic Read More...
This turbine can harvest green energy in water currents as slow as 2 mph
A Canadian company has designed a water turbine which can harvest energy in slow moving water. "Waterotor" can work in currents as slow as 2 mph which means it could be used in almost any river, canal, or ocean current. The company believes that "Waterotor" could be the solution for many of Read More...