These beautiful wooden shutters move with the sun to keep homes cool
There was a time where the shutters on American homes were actually used to keep houses cool. These days, however, shutters tend to be decorations without a function. But as we look for ways to keep homes cool without blasting the air conditioning, it seems home designers are returning to more Read More...
20 everyday inventions that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for space travel
For those who might think space travel is an unnecessary expense, you might want to reconsider. The fact of the matter is that many of the tools and appliances we use on a daily basis are the result of new technologies developed for the purpose of space travel. Take camera phones, for example. In Read More...
Scientists have managed to efficiently separate salt from water using sunlight
As competition for freshwater resources intensifies across the world, the prospect of using technology to tackle the problem is a tempting solution. Still, water desalination is one potential solution to the need for alternative sources of freshwater, current procedures are tremendously expensive Read More...
Scientists use mango tree leaves to prevent ships from rusting
Because seawater contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts and is thus very corrosive to steel, the shipping industry faces a considerable amount of damaging costs due to corrosion. Globally, the corrosion of ships and its prevention costs the industry an estimated $2.5 trillion. Read More...
The EU steps up its efforts to protect and restore the world’s forests
Deforestation is responsible for 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, half of which are the result of internationally traded agriculture products. On its own, the EU accounts for as much as 36 percent of all global imports of crop and livestock products associated with Read More...
How food-spattered plastic waste could soon heat homes in the UK
When plastic waste is spattered with scraps of food, recycling it becomes impossible. But that could soon change after a group of scientists in the UK have discovered a way to use dirty plastic waste to produce hydrogen, which can heat homes and fuel cars without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Read More...
Researchers say they have found a way to make parts of Mars habitable once more
If you’re like most of us here at the Optimist Daily, then you probably think it’s wiser to spend money creating solutions down here on Earth rather than dedicating billions towards attempting to inhabit Mars. But before we can even think about settling on the big red planet, the question is: Read More...
Meet the indispensable female mathematicians that sent us to the moon
On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11, it’s too simple to just celebrate the men who got the chance to step on the moon. The fact of the matter is that without the work of female mathematicians, space travel would have never been possible. Long before NASA was created, groups of female Read More...
Want to go to space? Here’s what you need to know
Most of us would have never imagined traveling to outer space in our lives, but these days, it’s looking ever more possible for the average Joe to go into orbit—or at least, an average Joe with bags of money. This month, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic announced it is going public and is Read More...
An electric Ford truck just showed it can tow over a million pounds
If we want to spur a transition to electric vehicles en masse, then the rabid pickup truck lovers of the world will need to be convinced about the power of EVs. Ford is on a mission to do just that. In an impressive demonstration of torque, Ford recently had an electric F-150 prototype tow 10 Read More...