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.
Will you need a licence to operate a self-driving car?
If you're stopped by police in your self-driving vehicle, would you need to show a driver's licence? This is not a riddle, it's a legitimate question to be debated by lawmakers when they begin to address the reality of a world where not all cars and trucks have humans at the wheel. Yes, the Read More...
Obama administration: Roads will be safer with cars driven by machines, not people
For most of us, it’s still hard to imagine the world where cars are driven by computers. And that that would be a safer world. However, we are definitely going to a self-driving car reality. Here’s another big step in that direction. The Obama administration now says: “We envision in the Read More...
China embarked on wind power frenzy, says IEA
China has been building two wind turbines every hour, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has told BBC News. This is the world's biggest programme of turbine installation, double that of its nearest rival, the US. The nation’s entire annual increase in energy demand has been fulfilled from Read More...
Researchers discover more efficient way to split water, produce hydrogen
Hydrogen is often considered a fuel for the future, in the form of fuel cells to power electric motors or burned in internal combustion engines. But finding a practical, inexpensive and nontoxic way to produce large amounts of hydrogen gas – especially by splitting water into its component Read More...
Experts weigh In: Cost of wind energy to keep going down, down, down
Here’s more bad news for fossil fuels: The U.S. Department of Energy just released the results of a global survey of 163 wind energy experts. The verdict: The cost of wind energy will drop between 24 and 30 percent by 2030, from a 2014 baseline. In addition, a total reduction of 35 to 41 Read More...
World’s Largest Repurposed EV Battery Facility Under Construction In Germany
Germany expects 40 to 45% of the electrical power consumed in Germany to be generated from renewable resources by 2025. That number is anticipated to grow to 55 to 60% by 2035. That’s good news for greening the electrical grid, but renewables still require some form of storage medium, such as Read More...
The latest car from Peugeot runs on… air
More on car innovation: Compressed air doesn’t sound a likely fuel for cars. However, French automaker Peugeot is building a hybrid gasoline car that can store energy as compressed air. The air-hybrid car can achieve 81 miles per gallon while emitting just a fraction of the carbon dioxide per Read More...
Please cross safely when this self-driving car smiles
It must be terribly fun and inspiring to work as an engineer in the fast-developing field of self-driving cars: Working on challenging technology breakthroughs while integrating gadgets and features to please the consumer. Here’s a great example: This car smiles to let pedestrians know that it Read More...
Sell last gasoline car by 2035 to meet climate goals, study says
The last gasoline-powered car will have to be sold by about 2035 to put the world on track to limit global warming to the most stringent goal set by world leaders last year, a study said on Thursday. The report, by a Climate Action Tracker (CAT) backed by three European research groups, said a Read More...
Global investment in energy falls but renewables remain strong
Global investment in energy fell by 8% last year to $1.8tn (£1.4), reflecting low oil and gas prices and cost falls in the sector, new data shows. Nearly half of the decline was accounted for by the US, where plunging oil prices and a recent boom in shale gas, along with cost deflation in the Read More...