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.
How solar energy can be transformed into fuel
The sun is a clean and inexhaustible source of energy, with the potential to provide a sustainable answer to all future energy supply demands. There's just one outstanding problem: the sun doesn't always shine and its energy is hard to store. For the first time, researchers at Read More...
This ‘other’ form of solar energy can run at night, and it just got a big backer
Converting sunlight directly into electricity, the photovoltaic (PV) solar panel industry has dominated the solar generation market recently because of its astounding price drops. Prices have fallen 99 percent in the past quarter century and over 80 percent since 2008 alone. This has also helped to Read More...
Jordan sets green example with new shopping mall
In a sign that the renewable energy revolution is catching on in every corner of the world, Jordan presents a new shopping mall where the typical high-end boutiques, cinemas, and gourmet coffee shops are tucked into an intricate ecosystem of natural heating and cooling, water recycling and hundreds Read More...
Shaky plastic may give solar power a boost
Solar panels can produce “free” energy for a very long time. However, there’s one problem: The panels collect dust, and that reduces their efficiency. Scientists have now developed a “shaky plastic” that oscillates when exposed to sunlight. This plastic film can be used as a coating on Read More...
Hydrogen economy: Turning water into fuel has become a lot easier
Hydrogen will be a key part of the sustainable economy as it can provide storage for solar and wind energies that are not always available. Solar and wind electricity can be used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be used to power a fuel cell to generate electricity when Read More...
Google's self-driving cars can recognize cyclist hand signals
Last month, Google focused on teaching its self-driving cars to honk appropriately. Now, it’s taking safety into its own hands and learning how to deal with all those cyclists on the road. According to Google’s latest self-driving car report, the autonomous cars can now detect a Read More...
UK’s largest community-owned urban solar farm starts generating power in Edinburgh
The UK’s largest community-owned urban solar farm has started to generate electricity from its location at a special school in Edinburgh. The Oaklands school is the second building in the city to get solar panels as part of the UK’s largest community-owned urban solar farm – Read More...
Portable self-cleaning smartflower POP produces 40% more solar energy
Combining smart technology and clean energy generators is easily the next biggest trend in the renewable energy industry, and the developers of smartflower POP are ahead of the curve. Since its emergence in 2010, the clever solar power system has honed in on what private homeowners want from a Read More...
Food wastes as source of renewable energy
In California, one county is converting food waste into useful energy. When food scraps break down in a traditional landfill, they release methane, a potent heat-trapping gas. So Sacramento County now requires food manufacturers, cafeterias, and other large producers to separate food waste from the Read More...
Unless investors see light on solar, women will still give birth in the dark
High in the Usambara Mountains of northern Tanzania, a woman prepares to give birth in the pitch black. Her family clusters around her. With no electricity at the birthing clinic, someone shines a mobile phone above the midwife’s head. The baby is the last to be born in near darkness at the Read More...