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.
The “Victory for the Sioux” could define the energy future of America
Something happened near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Dakota as Obama administration has shut down the pipeline, for now. The battle is not over, activists say. But in this modern-day Indian war, so far, the Indians are winning. A historic growing movement for Indigenous rights is a key to Read More...
Sales of plug-in electric cars are beating the season
So far, when winter arrives in North America, electric cars sales have slowed down. However, the November 2016 figures show continuing strong sales confirming that the electric car revolution is very much underway. Analysts expect another record year for sales in the Read More...
San Francisco passes legislation prohibiting fossil fuel extraction on city-owned land
The City of San Francisco has taken a bold stand against profiting from climate disruption, passing legislation that prohibits the leasing of city-owned land for fossil fuel extraction. The unanimous decision by the Board of Supervisors is a win-win-win for the environment, for clean energy jobs, Read More...
"Swarm electrification" is keeping the lights on in one part of Bangladesh
Bangladesh has a very unreliable energy grid. The country has power outages on a daily basis, and the rather unpredictable weather doesn’t help either. But in one working class neighborhood, a pilot project is helping residents keep the power through something called “swarm electrification”. Read More...
The world's largest solar farm just went online in India
Last year, India announced ambitious plans to make the switch to renewable energy. With the opening of the world’s largest solar power plant, it seems those plans are coming into fruition. After just 8 months of construction, the Katmuthi Solar Power Project went online yesterday. The solar plant Read More...
This Australian startup is turning tires into cleaner fuel
The world has more scrap tires than anyone could possibly know what to do with. In fact, Australia alone has nearly 48 million end-of-life tires sitting in landfills and illegal stockpiles. Many have tried to recycle old tires into different items, but now an Australian startup has figured out how Read More...
Shell is looking to buy into green energy
It seems even the big oil companies are realizing that the green energy future is imminent. In a conversation with Reuters, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell announced that the company is studying acquisitions in the green energy sector in order to prepare for a future without oil. The company also Read More...
What it's like when your car drives itself
The first time your car drives itself, it’s terrifying. The second time, it’s thrilling. By the third time, it’s a little boring. Self-driving cars are on their way to our roads. And they’re probably not going to arrive with a bang, but with a quiet little beeping. In one Read More...
U.S. tech startup Comma.ai giving away self-driving car software
Comma.ai, the tech startup that recently pulled the plug on its device to give cars limited self-driving capabilities after being reprimanded by U.S. regulators, has opened up its software secrets to the masses. On Wednesday, Comma.ai announced on its website that it had open sourced the software Read More...
EU unveils power market reform to boost renewables
EU regulators set a path on Wednesday for renewables to power half of Europe by 2030, with plans to cut energy use, phase out subsidies for coal and enforce greater cross-border trade. The European Commission's the 1,000-page draft law seeks to meet goals on cutting emissions and adapt Europe's Read More...