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 tools are designed to help deliver surplus food to those in need
It’s mind-boggling that while 40 percent of the food supply in the US ends up in the bin, millions of Americans are still food insecure. One of the main reasons behind this problem — which has been exacerbated by the pandemic — is poor logistics. “We probably have two to four times as much Read More...
New York to divest massive pension fund from fossil fuels
Environmental activists won an incredible victory this week after the state of New York announced it will divest its $226 billion pension fund from fossil fuels. New York state has the third-largest pension fund in the US, with more than $12 billion having been invested in fossil fuels. In fact, Read More...
NASA announces 18 astronauts training for Artemis moon landing
NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions will send American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1969. The men and women that will take part in these historic missions were announced last week at a meeting at the Kennedy Space Center. The team includes nine men and nine women, two of Read More...
Yale study: E-waste in the US on the decline in recent years
In an age when most of us can’t imagine life without technological devices, it comes as a pleasant surprise that a recent Yale study has found that the amount of e-waste generated by Americans has been declining in recent years. Conducted by researchers at the Yale School of the Environment, the Read More...
15-year-old inventor named Time’s ‘Kid of the Year’
For 92 years, Time Magazine has finished the year off by presenting a “Person of the Year” on its front cover. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg graced the magazine’s front cover last year, becoming the youngest ever to do so at the age of 16. This year, Time wanted to recognize “the Read More...
The wheelchair has finally received a smart update
The wheelchair has been pivotal in bringing mobility back to people who suffer from paralysis. That said, wheelchair technology hasn’t really evolved since the 1980s, so an update is long overdue. Recently, a Scottish design firm Phoenix Instinct revealed a lightweight wheelchair made of Read More...
Tiny drone uses a live moth antenna to sniff out chemicals in the air
Augmenting drones so they could detect chemicals in the air, locating disaster survivors, explosives, gas leaks and other objects of interest has long been on the R&D agenda of mechanical engineers. One of the biggest hurdles, however, is that most human-made sensors are not sensitive or fast Read More...
Foggy windshields? Here’s how to defog them in no time
For all the cozy things we associate with wintertime, there are some particularly frustrating aspects as well. Foggy car windshields in the morning are one of them! The fog that forms on a windshield is actually condensation. It’s created when water vapor in the air near the glass falls below Read More...
The world’s biggest wind turbines are coming to the New England coast
America’s known for having an appreciation for all things big, so it may not be surprising that the first ‘commercial scale' offshore wind farm in the US will be home to the biggest and most powerful wind turbines the world has ever seen. The wind farm will be located 15 miles off the Read More...
This company is using beer and chips to slash emissions
In a bid to drastically cut down on emissions, British snack food manufacturer Walkers is summoning the power of potato chips and beer. Yes, you read that right. What the company is doing is utilizing new technology to capture carbon dioxide from beer fermentation in a brewery, which is then Read More...