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.
China to halt coal development in 15 regions
While most of the world was diverting from coal last year, 155 planned coal plants in China were approved by the government in 2015 alone. Now it seems China is having some doubts about those plans. In response to growing fears that the country’s coal power sector is suffering from worsening Read More...
China pushes for mandatory integration of renewable power
Power transmission companies in China have been ordered by the government to provide grid connectivity for all renewable power generation sources to end a bottleneck that has left a large amount of clean power idle. China has become the world’s biggest wind and solar power user, but a large Read More...
India is planning to be a 100 percent electric car nation by 2030
Clean energy initiatives mostly come from rich countries. Developing nations—for understandable reasons—are first focused on bringing energy, any kind of energy, to their rapidly increasing populations. From that perspective, it is especially promising for the international efforts to fight Read More...
Silicon valley looks to artificial intelligence for the next big thing
SAN FRANCISCO — As the oracles of Silicon Valley debate whether the latest tech boom is sliding toward bust, there is already talk about what will drive the industry’s next growth spurt. The way we use computing is changing, toward a boom (and, if history is any guide, a bubble) in collecting Read More...
While you’re charging your EV, BMW is preparing for a hydrogen future
Don’t let $2 gas fool you, the alternative fuel revolution is well under way. A vast majority of car makers offer at least one hybrid model, and the number of electric cars on the market grows annually. However, hydrogen technology is still lagging behind because it’s plagued by an Read More...
Israeli company aims to replace batteries with highly efficient solar cells that don’t need sunlight
The ultimate renewable energy dream is a solar cell that directly powers phones and computers eliminating the need for batteries. An Israeli company has now developed solar energy technology so efficient that it may indeed make batteries obsolete. The product, developed by the firm 3G Solar Read More...
UN: 2015 record year for global renewables investment
Global investment in renewable energy hit a record US$285.9 billion in 2015, beating the previous high of $278.5 billion set in 2011, according to the UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The 10th Global Trends in Renewable Energy Read More...
A new efficient solar technology material could one day roll onto windows
We are edging closer and closer to a world where buildings capture energy with rooftop solar panels as well as through thin, flexible solar panels that line the windows of buildings. Making these flexible panels wouldn’t be possible with today’s silicon-based solar cells, but a rather new Read More...
Toyota boosts battery range in new plug-in Prius Prime
Toyota has unveiled a new version of its plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius, the Prius Prime. The new Prius, which goes on sale late this fall, will go 22 miles on battery power alone, twice as long as the previous version, the Japanese company said. The Prius Prime will have an estimated 120 miles or Read More...
A hydrogen car has just done something amazing on the M25
The world record for the longest continuous journey in a hydrogen car has been broken. The London Hydrogen Network Expansion project (LHNE), a government-backed group, drove a hydrogen car around the M25 for six days. Impressively, the Hyundai ix35 fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), covered Read More...