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.
Citrus solutions: Using orange peels to recycle precious metals
We recently wrote about bacteria being used to extract precious metals from e-waste. Now, organic compounds are once again coming to the rescue to recycle valuable materials. Researchers at the Nanyang Technological University are using orange peels to extract precious metals from spent Read More...
The Dow Jones just dropped its oldest member: Exxon Mobil
In another sign that times “are a-changing’, the Dow Jones has dropped Exxon Mobil from its influential index. Why does this matter? Well, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is the classic blue-chip stock index. Exxon Mobil is an iconic blue-chip stock and the longest-tenured member of the Read More...
More efficient clear solar panels could mean solar windows for all
Solar panels placed on buildings do a great job of generating green energy for the structure, but imagine if every window in the building could absorb solar energy? This is the vision of researchers at the University of Michigan who are working to increase the efficiency of clear solar Read More...
How black paint can drastically reduce bird deaths at wind farms
Politicians who lobby against the renewable energy industry often use the death toll of birds at wind farms as a way to argue against wind energy. But apparently, there’s a simple solution to reduce the number of deaths that happen at the blades of wind turbines: black paint. According to a Read More...
Could “antivitamins” be the cure to antibiotic resistance?
The first naturally-occurring bacteria killer, penicillin, was discovered nearly a century ago and with it came the advent of a new class of medicines: antibiotics. Bacterial infections were the leading cause of death at the time, and the new drugs gave doctors a way to combat these infections. Read More...
This tiny robot could help surgeons with precise procedures
Drawing inspiration from Origami, researchers have created a surgical robot that is around the size of a tennis ball and weighs about the same as a penny. The tiny robot was built by engineers from Harvard’s Wyss Institute and Sony and was created to assist surgeons with procedures that require Read More...
Parachutist completes world’s first jump from solar-powered plane
Parachuting from an airplane in itself is a momentous feat, but doing the first jump from a solar-powered plane? That’s legendary. A solar-powered plane flew to a height of 1,520 meters (nearly 5,000 ft) over western Switzerland before parachutist Raphael Domjan made his jump this Read More...
How the world’s biggest battery could help solve blackouts in California
California aims to run its grid entirely on fossil-fuel-free energy by 2045 and has been closing down dirty power plants and ramping up renewables at a steady clip. But while fuels can supply a steady stream of energy, the sun and wind are intermittent. That’s where the Gateway Energy storage Read More...
Major hedge fund dumps oil companies for lobbying against climate action
That oil, gas, and mining companies extract resources while damaging the environment is already bad enough, but what is absolutely unacceptable is that some of these companies lobby against climate action. That’s why a Nordic hedge fund worth more than $90bn (£68.6bn) has dumped its stocks in Read More...
This tiny space rock holds clues about the planet’s evolution
Back in 2012, a team of Japanese and Belgian researchers in Antarctica found a golf ball-sized space rock resting in the snow. Now, NASA astronauts have had a chance to study a piece of that meteorite, Asuka 12236, and they say it may hold new clues about the development of life. Inside the Read More...