MIT team creates high-quality, paper-thin loudspeaker
We live in a time when concepts are turned on their heads. We’re starting to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, instead of emitting it. We’re adapting our cities to wildlife, instead of trying to kick animals out. And we’re making technology more efficient by making it smaller, instead of the Read More...
Why does the cream in an Oreo always stick to one side?
Most of us are familiar with the delicious treat that is an Oreo. The two chocolate wafers between their silky cream filling make the perfect treat to dip in a glass of milk. Although, we can guess most of you will not know that when you twist an Oreo to get to the creamy center, you are carrying Read More...
This MIT team designed a desert shelter for humans and animals
We have often written about animal agencies at The Optimist Daily and sharing our space on the planet with our furry or winged neighbors. It’s important to recognize the rights of nature and cohabitate with animals as peacefully as possible, but a design team from MIT just took it to the next Read More...
This algorithm makes predicting the future more accessible
Some professions require the prophetic task of using existing data to predict future outcomes as accurately as possible. This can come in the form of trying to predict the upcoming week's weather, estimating a person's risk of developing a disease, or anticipating the best time to sell Read More...
Scientists discover decision-making brain cells
Our most complex organ, the brain, is a puzzle that scientists are still trying to piece together. Here at The Optimist Daily we like to keep our readers up to date with the latest discoveries on the neurological front, like pinpointing the singing regions of the brain or how zebrafish brains Read More...
This is how we could clean our solar panels without water
The water footprint of solar power may rarely come to mind. It should because cleaning the dust off of photovoltaic panels requires hundreds of millions of gallons of water per year. In a bid to come up with a solution, MIT scientists have recently invented an alternative cleaning system that Read More...
This fabric can “hear” for you
Hearing loss is something many of us have to accept, with the fine and sensitive tools in our ears inevitably wearing down with age. What if you could remedy this by putting on a shirt that could hear for you? Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and designers from the Rhode Read More...
Automated and eco-friendly! “Green” water taxi launches in Amsterdam
In 2020, The Optimist Daily wrote about a fully automated water cab in development by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions. In October 2021, prototype models of the Roboat were launched and are now navigating Amsterdam’s Read More...
This solar-powered desalination system is a gamechanger
Desalination offers a lot of promise to communities that may face water scarcity in the future. For some, the problem is compounded by the potential scarcity of reliable electricity. As such, it has been the aim of many researchers to develop solar-powered desalination devices, which is a difficult Read More...
Do babies use saliva to figure out relationship dynamics?
A curious research team from MIT recently dived into this intriguing question. If you think about it, we only share saliva with our nearest and dearest. From kissing, to sharing forks, or eating the same ice cream cones, it signifies a close bond. This could be between parents, siblings, extended Read More...