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.
Scientists envision replacing batteries with a molten silicon 'sun in a box'
One of the biggest practical problems keeping renewable energy from overtaking fossil fuels is the question of how to store it. When the sun is shining, or when the wind blowing extra hard, the energy system siphons off some energy into a battery to use during cloudy days without a breeze and how Read More...
Why aren't school buses electric? These Coloradans are sick of diesel
Before her two kids returned to school at the end of last summer, Lorena Osorio stood before the Westminster, Colorado, school board and gave heartfelt testimony about raising her asthmatic son, now a student at the local high school. "My son was only three years old when he first suffered from Read More...
US utility pledges to provide 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2050
One of the biggest energy providers in the US has pledged to go entirely carbon-neutral by 2050. Serving electricity to 3.6 million customers across eight states, Xcel Energy is following up on the growing trend of renewables among politicians, cities, corporations, and ordinary Read More...
California gives final OK to require solar panels on new houses
Solar panels will be a required feature on new houses in California after the state's Building Standards Commission gave final approval to a housing rule that's the first of its kind in the United States. Set to take effect in 2020, the new standard includes an exemption for houses that are often Read More...
Water hyacinths: Turning a curse into a cure
A Kenyan teacher Richard Awra uses water hyacinths in a new biofuel to combat both problems of energy poverty and plant overgrowth. The Kenya Marine institute estimates has covered about 10,360 hectares of Lake Read More...
Researchers want scientific publications to be free
Scientific literature may soon become available for free as scholars have signed a petition to back an initiative to end journal subscriptions. More than 1,400 researchers have signed their names to support the plan and claim that by 2020, papers resulting from their funding should be immediately Read More...
Building new renewable energy cheaper than running existing coal power plants
Coal-powered plants could soon retreat from the energy game as technological breakthroughs allow renewables to show the industry what they’ve got. A new report concluded that 42 percent of global coal capacity is currently unprofitable, and the US could save $78 billion by closing coal-fired Read More...
Chinese company says it will soon cross $100 battery threshold
Envision Energy will produce batteries for $100 per kilowatt hour by 2020, the Shanghai company’s founder and CEO said at Stanford University, predicting the price will drop to $50 only five years later and end the reign of the internal-combustion engine. Envision’s analysts realized they Read More...
Volvo's self-driving trucks are ready to start work at a mine in Norway
Volvo has taken a significant step forward with its self-driving truck technology after inking its first-ever commercial deal that puts its autonomous vehicle — or six of them, to be precise — into action. The Swedish automaker has signed an agreement with Norwegian mining firm Brønnøy Kalk Read More...
MIT: the transition to electric vehicles faces better prospects than expected
The electric vehicle revolution could play a great deal in helping slow down global warming and potentially achieve a carbon-free future. The transition could actually happen sooner than expected as researchers at MIT have found that nearly 90 percent of America’s current personal vehicles could Read More...