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.
NaviLens helps the visually impaired navigate public transportation
If you’ve ever navigated an unfamiliar public transportation system, you likely relied heavily on signage to find your way around, but for the visually impaired, public transportation systems are often far less accessible. A new navigation app, NaviLens, hopes to change this by providing auditory Read More...
Real-time experiment shows efficacy of renewable grids during blackouts
Last summer, we wrote about the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. The facility is a collection of green energy experiments, including wind power, solar panels, and hydrogen energy storage. The goal of NREL is to demonstrate how the US could create truly scaled and Read More...
Goodbye dentures! Soon we may be able to regrow teeth naturally
Dentures may soon be a thing of the past as scientists in Kyoto University and the University of Fukui are working on developing a monoclonal antibody treatment that triggers the body to grow new teeth. Researchers have not run tests on humans just yet, but have experienced success with mice. Read More...
These algae solar panels generate green energy while cleaning the air
The solar panels of the future could be a lot greener (literally) than the ones currently adorning our rooftops and fields. At least that’s the vision of 23-year-old Mexican biotechnologist Adán Ramirez Sánchez, whose solar energy invention puts algae under the spotlight. Green energy from Read More...
Project-based learning equips students to face real-world problems
The pandemic has further upended traditional teaching methods and encouraged both parents and teachers to reevaluate how students learn best. Project-based learning is an up and coming teaching approach that emphasizes solving real-world challenges through exploration and asking open-ended Read More...
Electric cars on Scottish island can now be powered entirely by the sea
After more than five years of powering local homes and businesses, tidal energy turbines in the Shetland Islands of Scotland are now charging electric vehicles. Car owners living on the island of Yell can now charge their vehicles using sea-generated energy harvested by Nova Innovation’s tidal Read More...
US announces measures to expand offshore wind energy production
We recently shared how the US is making progress towards its first utility-scale offshore wind farm in Massachusetts. Now, the country is ramping up wind power even further with the announcement of a New Wind Energy Area between Long Island and the New Jersey coast. The new project is part Read More...
High school student develops infection-detecting suture thread
In low and middle-income countries, 11 percent of surgical wounds develop an infection. The problem is particularly severe among women in some African nations where 20 percent of those who deliver via cesarean section experience infection at surgical sites. Realizing the scope of this problem, Read More...
New hydrogen fuel method also cleans up pharmaceutical waste
We recently wrote about how hydrogen power could be used to clean up commercial ammonia production. Now, another group of researchers is also exploring the symbiotic cleaning powers of this green energy source. A team of engineers has come up with a catalyst that could remove pharmaceutical toxins Read More...
Brain cancer vaccine complete successful phase 1 trials
Diffuse gliomas are a type of brain cancer that is especially difficult to treat, but 70 percent of low-grade gliomas have a single gene mutation that affects an isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) enzyme. This is what allowed German Cancer Research Center scientist Michael Platten to create a Read More...