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.
India demands coal power plants to subsidize solar energy
India has found a way to help the distribution of more solar power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered some of India's oldest coal-fired power plants to help make solar farms more competitive. This way, the dirty coal industry is forced to subsidize the clean energy sector. You could see it Read More...
Astronauts report an “overview effect” from the awe of space travel—and you can replicate it here on Earth
The view of earth from space is so spectacular that it can apparently transform astronauts’ perspectives on life—and even draw these scientists toward religion and spiritualism. “Something happens to you out there,” Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell has said. “You develop an instant Read More...
This multifunctional cookstove helps save lives, energy and money
It is little known to those of us living in the Western world that cooking is the fourth biggest killer in the world. A third of the world cooks indoors using solid fuels on makeshift stoves that create toxic smoke that’s both detrimental to health and to the environment. Sickened by the Read More...
Laser breakthrough could speed the rise of self-driving cars
LIDAR is a portmanteau of “light” and “radar.” In essence, these sensors monitor their surroundings by shining a light on an object and measuring the time needed for it to bounce back. They work well enough, but they aren’t without their drawbacks. Today’s Read More...
3 steps to maximize the value of batteries
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former chief of staff and now CEO of energy storage company Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Susan Kennedy, recently proclaimed that batteries are primed to disrupt the energy industry in the same way that cell phones disrupted the communications industry. More Read More...
India’s installed solar power capacity tops 4 gigawatt
India has reached an installed solar power capacity of 4.1 GW, adding 358 MW solar power capacity between April and July, the first four months of India’s financial year 2015-16. Overall, India added a total of 866 MW renewable energy capacity during April-July period, with wind energy Read More...
4 reasons why low oil prices mean it's time to shift to renewable energy
With oil prices at six-year lows, now is a tempting time for consumers to buy a bigger car, fill it up with cheaper gas and hit the road. The smarter move is to use this moment to accelerate the shift to renewable energy. While increased U.S. oil production has delivered short-term economic Read More...
Bhutan aims to make electric cars main mode of transportation
Ahead of the U.N climate meeting set in Paris later this year, negotiators are looking at Bhutan, one of the world's poorest countries, for inspiration. The tiny Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas is implementing plans to make electric cars the main mode of transportation in order to protect the Read More...
By 2018, Dutch rail will be fully powered by wind
The Netherlands, a nation that’s been keen on harnessing the power of the wind since pretty much forever, has announced that in an effort to slash transport-related carbon emissions, its entire electric train network — all 1,800 miles of it — will run on energy produced at European wind Read More...
Dutch emissions down 5%, partly due to climate change
CBS, a Dutch government agency that gathers statistical information, reported this Tuesday that greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands were almost 5% lower in 2014 than they were in 2013. Meanwhile, the Dutch economy was growing at a rate of 0.9%, according to the same agency. That’s the Read More...