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.
Wider use of clean energy would reduce power outages during storms
In those moments when we were all experiencing “the calm before the storm,” we could not yet know the impact Hurricane Florence would have on our state, but we were certain it would be significant. In its aftermath, Florence indeed left a devastating mark on some of North Carolina’s Read More...
You can hail a public bus like an Uber in this city
When it comes to transportation, cities are facing a moment of reckoning. Private ride-hailing apps like Uber are threatening to cannibalize mass Read More...
A new hydrophobic surface could turn the ocean's waves into electricity
There's waterproof and then there's the surface developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego. They've developed a surface so hydrophobic that it can actually be used to generate electrical voltage, turning seawater into 50 Read More...
Nature built the first nuclear reactor 1.7 billion years ago
Today's nuclear energy doesn't provide a sustainable solution. Nuclear power plants produce dangerous waste for which we have no good solution. But nature shows that energy produced by nuclear fission can work. In fact, the first nuclear reactor was built 1.7 billion years ago, long before the Read More...
This electric zero-emissions plane powered by hydrogen will fly in 2025
While the clean electric car revolution is rapidly gathering speed, we still face a big technology test to clean up the aircraft industry. Clean planes pose a major challenge especially when they get to the jumbo sizes we have been getting used to traveling the world. But it is happening: this Read More...
California amends rules to push vehicles toward hydrogen, electricity, biofuel
California's Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced that it would tighten restrictions on transportation fuels in the state in the hopes of spurring adoption of electric, hydrogen, and biofuel-based cars, trucks, buses, and even planes. Since 2011, CARB has had a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) Read More...
Ikea rolls out self-driving car concepts that don’t look like cars
Ikea just became the latest company to announce it's tinkering with self-driving cars. But don't call Ikea the next Waymo or Read More...
Uber, Lyft and the urgency of saving money on ambulances
An ambulance ride of just a few miles can cost thousands of dollars, and a lot of it may not be covered by insurance. With ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft far cheaper and now available within minutes in many areas, would using one instead be a good idea? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer in Read More...
First California public floating solar power system delivered
Kelseyville County Waterworks District #3 will now host California's first floating solar power system. The innovative new design, announced by its producer, Ciel & Terre USA, will consist of a new 252 kW floating photovoltaic power system which will produce up to 1,650 kWh a year. The 720 Read More...
Elon Musk asks Tesla employees to test full self-driving version of Autopilot
The version of Autopilot that Elon Musk has long promised would make Tesla cars capable of driving themselves is reportedly being handed over to a small group of employees for testing, according to an internal email obtained by Bloomberg. In the email, Musk promised there were about 100 spots Read More...