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.
Smart street radar system could soon help save lives on the road
While many cars today are equipped with radars that can detect pedestrians on the road, surrounding buildings or other cars in the area can block these systems and make them ineffective. In an effort to help overcome this challenge, a team of engineers is working on a radar that can be mounted on Read More...
This online platform is destigmatizing mental health in the Air Force
Yesterday’s Optimist View discussed the importance of mental health resources for first responders. Today we bring you a story with a similar theme from the US Air Force which is using an online mental health platform to make these services more widely available. The Air Force already offers Read More...
Kelp could replace corn and soy as a biofuel base
We’ve written about kelp as a tool for capturing carbon emissions, but it turns out these giant underwater forests could provide a solution for many of our environmental crises. Researchers from the University of Southern California have found that kelp could serve as a fast-growing and efficient Read More...
Harvard scientists thrilled with new personalized cancer vaccine
Although the pandemic has put many things on hold, it has also spurred advancement in a variety of fields. For instance, there’s been a lot of interest and investment in vaccine technology for coronavirus, but the Covid-19 virus is not the only illness we can fend off with the surge of new Read More...
Scientists engineer first synthetic cell that undergoes division and growth
What if we could engineer synthetic cells to develop into useful chemicals? Or “program” cells so that they perform specialized tasks on demand? After more than a decade of research, scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology Read More...
This portable wind turbine can power your electric camping equipment
Yesterday, we shared a story about a bladeless turbine that could revolutionize wind power. On a similar note, today we would like to introduce to you the Wind Catcher, a portable power-generating wind turbine designed to change the camping experience. Developed by Copenhagen-based startup KiteX, Read More...
These organizations are empowering communities with bike education
Many cities have embraced expanded bike infrastructure as a green transportation solution which also allows people to safely get outside during the pandemic. Bike popularity has skyrocketed over the last year and for many communities, bicycles are also a vehicle for empowerment and Read More...
These bladeless wind turbines could revolutionize the renewable sector
Bladeless wind turbines may sound counterintuitive, but a new startup aims to prove that these devices could reinvent the way we harness wind power to generate clean electricity. Called Vortex Bladeless, the technology is the brainchild of inventor David Yáñez. Together with his six-person team, Read More...
How to stop a lake from exploding? Turn it into a power source
In most lakes, convection helps mix cool water from the depths with warm water at the surface, but in Lake Kivu, this is not the case. The lake, which lies on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is being slowly pulled apart by tectonic forces. This volcanic activity feeds Read More...
These students want to turn old chewing gum into skateboard wheels
While ubiquitous on city streets, discarded chewing gum is a form of plastic pollution that’s rarely a topic of discussion. To help spotlight this issue, two design students have come up with the idea of turning this street waste into skateboard wheels. The brainchild of Hugo Maupetit and Vivian Read More...