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.
Nocturnal solar panels: not an oxymoron
While trying to do the impossible might seem like magical thinking, in many cases, it is simply science that hasn’t broken through yet. In the case of solar panels, it might seem counterintuitive to try to use them at night. This too, though, has been proven possible. An engineering team Read More...
Study: Spiders use their webs to hear
The Optimist Daily recently reported on how spiders use electricity to fly by hopping on electric fields for a ride. If you ask us, that’s pretty cool. Now we wanted to share a new study, from Binghamton University, that has revealed more intriguing secrets about these eight-legged Read More...
Non-surgical implant uses lasers to suppress hunger and treat obesity
While there is a common misconception that those who struggle with obesity are simply careless with their diets or aren’t working out enough, the truth is that there are a number of complex factors that contribute to weight issues. Sometimes, certain operations or devices can help people lose Read More...
Paleontologists find dinosaur fossil from the day of the asteroid
Thanks to carbon dating and a number of other scientific detecting techniques, we can sometimes see moments in time and deduce exactly what happened. It’s a little like solving a crime from 66 million years ago, and, in this case, the crime was the asteroid that killed the Read More...
Germany accelerates schedule to become carbon neutral
People are more animated than ever before for green energy and calling on their governments to aim bigger. And it seems like they're listening. With increasing gas prices from the war in Ukraine and scientists' warnings about climate change, governments realize the need for a speedier change to Read More...
Virtual reality therapy helps those with agoraphobia
We’ve all spent a little too long inside before, especially with the pandemic restrictions of the last couple of years, and maybe we were a little nervous to rejoin public spaces. For those with agoraphobia — an anxiety disorder where someone can feel particularly fearful in public spaces — Read More...
What? Fish can calculate?
Fish keep surprising us with their unexpected skills. We previously wrote a story on how goldfish can be trained to operate a vehicle and another about how some work together as superorganisms and basically use radar technology. On top of all this, would you have ever guessed that they can perform Read More...
This chemical treatment makes plastic waste absorb CO2
A huge focus of research in scientific fields is to make things more efficient. This can mean simplifying designs, and reducing energy consumption, or it can mean doing two things at once. In the case of researchers from Rice University, they are doing two things at once in what they’re calling a Read More...
Locked-in individuals type quicker with this new system
For those living with locked-in syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other conditions that cause motor impairment, technology and software that enable communication have come a long way. Empowering those who can’t talk to communicate with computer interfaces has changed lives for the better, but some of Read More...
New research opens our eyes to the healing power of blueberries
Scientists at the University of Maine uncovered a new and surprising use for blueberries that goes way beyond smoothies and healthy breakfasts — healing chronic wounds, particularly ulcers from diabetes-related skin pressure. When we hurt ourselves, our wounds heal through a process that Read More...