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.
3 radical ideas to totally disrupt air travel
If a flight attendant told me that I couldn’t bring my roller bag onto the plane, I might throw a fit. But when the same idea comes from Teague—the preeminent air travel design studio that’s designed the interiors of Boeing planes since 1946—I’ll hear them out. Recently at the Airline Read More...
England’s Gloucester cathedral gets solar pv system
Southwestern England’s Gloucester Cathedral is now home to a 38 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system, one expected to reduce the facility’s energy costs by around 25%. The new solar energy installation at the >1,300-year-old cathedral — host to the tomb of King Edward II Read More...
New technology improves efficiency of solar cells by nearly 70%
Researchers in Israel have created a new technology that could improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells by almost 70%. Using a special material, the researchers were able to achieve a perfect level of radiation, resulting in a higher conversion efficiency. With the world’s energy demands Read More...
47 of the world's poorest countries are aiming to hit 100% renewable energy
During the final day of the U.N Climate Change Conference in Morocco last week, an ambitious goal was set by 47 of the worlds poorest nations to skip fossil fuels altogether and jump straight to using 100% renewable energy. Developing countries have traditionally grown economically through Read More...
Finland set to become first country to ban coal use for energy
Finland could become the first country to ditch coal for good. As part of a new energy and climate strategy due to be announced tomorrow, the government is considering banning the burning of coal for energy by 2030. “Basically, coal would disappear from the Finnish market,” says Read More...
UK government announces funding for autonomous vehicles, electric cars
LONDON Chancellor Philip Hammond on Wednesday announced 390 million pounds of funding to boost the development of low emission vehicles and autonomous vehicles. Delivering his first budget statement to parliament, Hammond also announced support for electric vehicle infrastructure. "Reliable Read More...
Clean energy in the U.S could get a big investment boost with this rule change
Something big is starting to develop in the U.S. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed to give distributed energy resources (DERs)—batteries, solar panels, smart energy-management software—access to markets where they can compete directly with big power plants. This means that Read More...
Experts say fuel consumption will start to decline soon
Demand for fuel skyrocketed in the last 25 years, but now forecasts claim that electric vehicles are about to force a worldwide decline. According to the International Energy Agency, the global consumption for gas powered vehicles will decrease in the next five years and that the world’s thirst Read More...
Electric car revolution will accelerate soon, predicts Morgan Stanley report
Morgan Stanley has released a new report estimating that electric car sales will increase become 10 to 15% of the global new car market by 2025. That is three time the rate the investment banking house has projected in the past. Why the sudden shift in its thinking? While the US is conveniently Read More...
Economics will keep wind and solar energy thriving under Trump
On the plains of West Texas, new wind farms can be built for just $22 a megawatt-hour. In the Arizona and Nevada deserts, solar projects are less than $40 a megawatt-hour. Compare those figures with the U.S. average lifetime cost of $52 for natural gas plants and about $65 for coal. Read More...