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.
This smart skin is more sensitive than your fingertip
Nature has done an excellent job at creating the human's largest sensory organ, the skin, which allows us to feel heat, pressure, and humidity. However, a research lab at the Institute of Solid State Physics in TU Graz has invented a smart skin that can do all this and more, going above and beyond Read More...
New immunotherapy drug combo slows liver cancer growth in mice
There is something of an art to the science of medicine. We’ve all heard that everyone’s different, and so is their biology. Sometimes, developing the right treatment for a patient’s condition takes dedicated and creative trial and error with their doctor, and finding the right combination of Read More...
How a century-old cargo schooner is bringing back emissions-free shipping
The shipping industry is responsible for 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions — putting about 940 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Before 1960, however, when containerization started to take off, cargo schooners were transporting goods around the world Read More...
Engineering students create Tastee Tape—edible tape to keep burritos secure
Do you love burritos but don’t have the restaurant-grade wrapping skills to, you know, keep it together? A group of Maryland college students has come up with a deliciously ingenious solution: edible burrito tape. Student Erin Walsh, a member of the all-woman team of Johns Hopkins University Read More...
This contact lens releases glaucoma medication
While it is treatable, glaucoma remains a serious eye disease that can damage the optic nerve and lead to blindness if left untreated. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the disease, and research indicates that it affects 10 percent of those over 75. Researchers from China have Read More...
In a first, gene editing has been carried out in cockroaches
Since its invention, CRISPR-Cas9 has been hailed as the answer to many of our genetic worries. The gene-editing tool has made strides in many areas of research and treatment of diseases, including sickle cell anemia, high cholesterol levels, and the rare eye disease Leber congenital Read More...
The pursuit of nocturnal solar technology is growing
Last month, we wrote a story on solar cells developed by Stanford University that could draw a small amount of power at night, when most would think solar panels would be useless. The endeavor to create solar panels that can draw additional power at night is growing. Now, a collaboration of Read More...
The TILT Time Machine: for those who need help most
Recovery from trauma or addiction can be a painstaking and rigorous process that doesn’t just involve physical recovery. It involves tough psychological work that people can go through with the help of a therapist, but largely progress is made on one’s own. That doesn’t mean they can’t Read More...
This invention extends strawberry shelf life
About a third of our food goes to waste — that’s problematic not only because those bites could instead go toward feeding people in need but also because food waste is responsible for about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. A lot of that food ends up as waste because we fail to Read More...
This swimming robot shows how bacteria move
We all know it takes some practice learning to swim in the ocean with waves and riptides pulling at us. With some practice and experience, though, it becomes a fun, even fulfilling pastime. Now, imagine how hard it would be if the ocean were tar instead of water. This is essentially what it is Read More...