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.
These colorful windows capture energy from indoor and outdoor light
What if we could build solar panels that aren’t an addition on top of buildings, but an actual part of the structural construction of homes and offices? This is the idea behind luminescent solar concentrators developed by researchers from Rice University. The technology transforms Read More...
Seeking to avoid human error? This new AI system predicts it
It took about 50 years to develop an AI system capable of playing chess to the level of a grandmaster. Now, programmers have developed a new AI player, not one with the goal of winning chess games, but rather learning how to lose them. Researchers from Cornell University developed the AI chess Read More...
Luxury car brand Jaguar to go all-electric by 2025
As an increasing number of car manufacturers are starting to pivot away from internal combustion engines, UK automaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has recently jumped on the bandwagon by announcing its Jaguar luxury brand will be all-electric by 2025. Meanwhile, the brand’s Land Rover stablemate will Read More...
AI-powered tool can predict tsunami flooding in real time
Japan’s unfavorable geographic position along the Pacific Ring of Fire means that the country is subject to experience a lot of earthquakes, making tsunamis a real and ever-present threat to its people. A new, AI-powered tool developed by the world’s fastest supercomputer may soon offer Read More...
What!? Scientists discover life 3,000 ft below Antarctic ice shelf
Scientists have been forced to rethink the limits of life on Earth after accidentally stumbling upon marine organisms living on a boulder 900 meters (3,000 ft) below an Antarctic ice shelf. The scientists were attempting to sink a borehole through nearly a kilometer of the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf Read More...
What we can learn from pigs playing video games
Pigs are highly intelligent animals with an arsenal of skills that include sniffing out truffles, swimming, and demonstrating empathy. Now scientists have discovered another surprising talent that pigs can develop: gaming! This past Thursday, Frontiers in Psychology published an extensive study Read More...
Seismologists use whale calls to map out the seafloor
Whales are famous for their deep, loud calls that travel for miles in the ocean. In fact, the bellows of fin whales can be heard from 600 miles away. Researchers are now looking to those whale calls to help them map out elusive sections of the deep seafloor. Seafloor imaging is used to study Read More...
This robot could help our efforts of planting 1 trillion trees
From helping us sort waste to monitoring endangered species, robots have been increasingly supporting our efforts to safeguard a better future for our environment. Now, some of them are looking to help us combat climate change by accelerating our reforestation efforts. An Estonian company, called Read More...
Fully foldable cells could be a game-changer for the future of solar tech
When you think of solar panels, one of the first things that likely come to mind are solid, flat square slabs destined to find their place under the sun on a rooftop or at a solar farm. But the technology is steadily evolving to become more flexible, and a team of scientists at Pusan National Read More...
Lufa is using tech skills to scale up urban farming
Rooftop farms are gaining momentum as a solution for providing local and sustainable food to high-density communities. Located on top of a former Sears warehouse in Montreal, Lufa Farms is another innovative urban farming initiative, but with a tech-savvy twist. Rather than selling their Read More...