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.
One quarter of the world will run on clean energy by the end of the decade
The Paris-based International Energy Agency is perhaps the world’s most august energy advisory body. It was formed in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis to advise world governments on how to respond to supply shocks and to serve as a reliable source of nonpartisan information on global energy Read More...
Delhi Secretariat to run on solar energy
The Delhi Secretariat will be the first in the country to run completely on renewable and solar energy, the Delhi government announced on Monday. "The Delhi government in association with ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) will set up a three MW solar power plant at the Indraprastha Power Read More...
China speeds up national network to charge electric cars
China has shown a resounding desire to battle climate change in the last couple years, signing deals with the U.S to reduce carbon emissions and setting an ambitious goal of 5 million green vehicles on its roads by 2020. Now China is working urgently to speed up the construction of a national Read More...
Zimbabwe: Tapping into solar energy the way to go
Many people in urban areas are shifting to alternative energy sources such as solar and generators as the power cuts intensify. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) has rolled out a punishing load-shedding schedule to mitigate against low power generation at Kariba Power Station owing Read More...
Meet the electric bus that could push every other polluting bus off the road
Electric cars might be sexier. But Ryan Popple, who was an early employee at Tesla, is now convinced that electric buses are more interesting. Proterra, the startup Popple runs, designed a sleek new electric bus that drove 258 miles on a single charge in a recent test. That's farther than most tiny Read More...
Sergey Brin had a great response for why even people who love cars should embrace self-driving vehicles
Google cofounder Sergey Brin loves driving — and even reportedly bought one of Tesla's fancy, brand-new SUVs — but he still can't wait for a future full of autonomous vehicles. At a panel the company held earlier this week about its self-driving cars, one Australian journalist grilled Read More...
New technology makes it possible to convert radio signals into energy
Radio frequency signals are all around us. They make it possible to have cell phone service, Wi-Fi, and digital broadcast television programming. For years and years, smart minds have been thinking about catching these radio frequency waves around us to recycle them for something else. Now, they Read More...
Optical rectenna could double solar cell efficiency
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a first of its kind: an optical rectenna, which combines the qualities of an antenna with a rectifier diode. If further refined, the researchers believe the device could lead to a new generation of highly efficient solar cells. While Read More...
Shell CEO: Solar energy to be backbone of world’s energy system
Solar energy will comprise the backbone of the world’s energy system in years to come, according to the CEO of Shell (yes, that Shell), Ben van Beurden. The exact words used by Van Beurden were that he has “no hesitation to predict that in years to come solar will be the dominant Read More...
Costa Rica makes unconditional offer to decarbonize its economy and build resilience
Costa Rica plan commits the country to an absolute 25% reduction of net emissions by 2030 compared to 2012. This means a target of staying a 1.73 tonnes CO2e per capita in 2030. The plan offers improvements in governance, transparency, adaptation and urban mobility. This shift the focus from carbon Read More...