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.
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...
Designing the next car battery with a 600-mile range
The average electric car can drive 100 miles on a charge. That’s the main stumbling block preventing the wide scale acceptance of these clean cars. Better, longer-lasting batteries are a critical component of the clean energy economy. Now, German engineers are working on improving battery design. Read More...
Solar success creates a new challenge: U.S. prepares for eclipse in August
In the ancient world a solar eclipse meant one thing: a disruption of the established order. And so it is today, again. The U.S. is using so much solar power that it will have to prepare for the solar eclipse that will hit the country in August. As the shadow of the moon passes over North America, Read More...