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.
At just $5, this solar lamp is the most affordable in the world
When is the last time that a $5 gadget literally changed your life? OK, other than the banana slicer, that is... Most, if not all, of us have ready access to lighting anytime we need it, for as long as we need it, wherever we need it, thanks to a reliable electricity grid and lighting Read More...
Meet the Chinese electric car startup that wants to take on Ford
In the woods on the outskirts of Beijing, Wang Chao, the ambitious founder of Chinese startup Kaiyun Motors, is behind the wheel of a tiny electric-powered truck he helped design, zipping up and down bumpy terrain with a big smile on his face. The vehicle, he says, "will be as, if not more, Read More...
Elon Musk goes beyond electric cars to cheaper solar roofs
Elon Musk likes to think big. If he’s not trying to fly to Mars, he’s focused on making your next—electric—car the centerpiece of the power distribution to your home. From that approach, it makes sense that Musk—through the Tesla/Solar City combination—wants you to use your roof to Read More...
Corporate America embraces solar energy to bolster the bottom line
The decision to install solar panels can be driven by factors like a desire to use clean energy or an interest in becoming more self-sufficient when it comes to electricity. But when large companies choose to go solar, they're doing so based on the dollars and cents of the investment. You may not Read More...
All Dutch electric trains to run on renewable energy
Exactly a year after the COP21 climate conference in Paris, Netherlands Railways (NS) has announced that all electric trains on the Dutch network will operate exclusively using power from renewable sources with effect from January 1 2017, a year earlier than originally envisaged. The move affects Read More...
Electric cars could save $13 billion in health costs by 2030 in 10 U.S. states
It’s hard to get a handle on the ugly, smoggy implications of this nation’s dependence on fossil fuel-burning cars. Deaths from pollution and climate change tend to pile up slowly, in asthma attacks, flood fatalities, and respiratory illnesses. But you, me, the kids, the Read More...
Uber won't build flying cars but they sure as hell want someone else to
Uber’s eyes are on a new prize: flying cars. Outlined in a white paper published this week, the company’s chief product officer, Jeff Holden, describes a network of small, electric aircraft that can take-off and land vertically (VTOL, or vertical take-off and landing, aircraft) to Read More...
Hydrogen economy hits high gear with new water splitting initiative
When it comes to the sparkling green hydrogen economy of the future, the U.S. isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet. The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory now plans to lead a collaborative effort to accelerate the development of renewable hydrogen. A Read More...
Danish energy giant plans to sell its oil assets to invest more in clean power
In a telling sign of the times, four decades after it was set up to manage Denmark’s North Sea oilfields, Dong Energy Group is considering selling its oil and gas business. The Danish company, which is the largest operator of wind farms in the U.K, says it would use the money they earn from Read More...
Audi quits Le Mans to focus on electric car racing
BERLIN Audi will end its involvement in the prestigious Le Mans sports car race next year after almost two decades to focus on racing electric cars, symbolizing a shift in strategy as parent company Volkswagen battles to recover from an emissions scandal. Audi, which is seeking to boost the share Read More...