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.
India may never need to build a new coal plant, report says
As the population and economy of India continues to grow, it wouldn’t seem so far-fetched if the country would need more coal plants to keep up with their energy demands. Thankfully, this is not the case. According to a new report, India, which is the world’s fastest-growing climate polluter, Read More...
How has technology changed the way we trust?
Rachel Botsman has spent over a decade thinking about the "sharing economy." As an author and a visiting academic at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, who researches how technology is transforming trust, she’s an authority on the subject. She's also one of Fast Company's Read More...
Will Massachusetts become first U.S. state to commit to 100 percent renewables?
Clean energy supporters in Massachusetts announced legislation Monday, backed by more than a quarter of the state legislature, committing Massachusetts to get 100 percent of its energy needs from clean and renewable sources by mid-century. The legislation, introduced in the House of Representatives Read More...
These bacteria clean water while generating electricity
At The Optimist Daily, we know that nature is the leading provider of solutions to human problems. Here’s one more. Across the planet, a lot of water is poisoned with heavy metals. The good news is that there are bacteria who love iron, lead, and mercury. And researchers have now modified these Read More...
Latin America leads the way in clean energy
Latin America is poised to take on a leading role on climate change and renewable energy in the global arena in 2017. The enormous potential and rapid spread of renewable energy in the region has fueled hope of a global transition to a low-carbon economy. The added bonus: an economic opportunity Read More...
Jimmy Carter sets example for President Trump with new solar farm
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar panels on the White House to show the world what producing clean energy looks like. Now, more than 35 years later, the former president has developed a new solar farm in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. The solar farm includes 3,852 panels and will Read More...
This battery can power your entire home with renewable energy for a decade
Researchers from Harvard University have developed a renewable battery that has an incredible 10-year lifespan. With such a battery, you could become independent of the grid and power your entire home with renewable energy using the same battery for a decade. Unlike other flow batteries, this Read More...
Researchers found a way to keep buildings cool without air-conditioners
Air-conditioning systems gobble up about 6 percent of the electricity generated in America, raising emissions of greenhouse gasses in the form of carbon dioxide from burning power-station fuel. Not only that, but the refrigerants used in air-conditioning systems are also detrimental to the Earth. Read More...
UK offshore wind 'will lower energy bills' more than nuclear
Offshore windfarms could provide cheaper power than Britain’s new wave of nuclear power stations, a leading figure in the wind industry has claimed. Speaking to the Guardian, Hugh McNeal, the chief executive of trade body RenewableUK, said he expected that offshore windfarms would secure a deal Read More...
Big energy hugely underestimates electric cars, renewable power
Mass adoption of electric cars and renewable energy could significantly decrease global consumption of fossil fuels. But does the established energy industry view these new developments as a threat? In a recent report, ExxonMobil said coal could continue to provide the majority of the world's Read More...