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.
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...
China shows why renewable energy is the future, not coal
The problem with change is it takes so damned long to get here. China built its incredible industrial might by using thousands of cheap laborers to build cheap fuel coal-powered generating plants. Then it reaped the whirlwind of air that was unsafe to breathe. Now it is focused on renewable energy. Read More...
This machine keeps organs alive, and other inventions set to change the world
Each year the European Patent Office (EPO) highlights some of the best inventions with the potential to change the world. Some of the inventions on this year’s list include a plastic bottle made entirely out of plants, a sponge that absorbs oil from water, and a machine that keeps organs alive Read More...
California electric vehicle sales jump 91 percent in first quarter
Electric vehicles are leaving car dealerships faster than ever before. EV sales in California during the first quarter of 2017 were up 91 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago, with nearly 14,000 electric cars being sold in the state. Best of all, EV sales are expected to keep rising as Read More...
The Swiss choose clean energy future and ban new nuclear power plants
Switzerland has its eyes set on a clean energy future. On Sunday, Swiss voters backed the government’s plan to provide billions of dollars in subsidies for renewable energy, ban new nuclear plants and help bail out struggling utilities. The Swiss initiative mirrors efforts elsewhere in Europe to Read More...
Charging ahead: Welsh battery scheme may aid growth of green energy
Nestling alongside rows of conifers and wind turbines in a Welsh valley, a pioneering project will materialise this summer that could prove a blueprint for unlocking Britain’s renewable energy potential. The Upper Afan Valley near Swansea is already home to the biggest windfarm in England and Read More...
Solar rise: It’s smarter to invest in renewable energy in India than the US
India has passed the U.S. to take the second spot on a list of the world’s most attractive renewable energy markets. China is number one on the list. The U.S. fell to the third position from number one last year mostly due to a shift in domestic energy policy under President Donald Trump. India Read More...