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.
Swedish scientists may have found the answer to solar energy storage
Scientists have developed a specialized fluid that can help the solar industry overcome the issue of energy storage. The fluid, which has been called a solar thermal fuel, can store energy from the sun for well over a decade by trapping the solar heat between its chemical bonds. When the energy is Read More...
Tesla is getting closer to delivering a truly self-driving car
Tesla owners have been presented with a new upgrade designed to augment their diving experience. By accepting the software update drivers will equip their cars with the ability to “Navigate on Autopilot”. This new feature allows the car to give driving suggestions, such as changing lanes, Read More...
China has record electric car sales month
After a few months threatening to break the all-time record (102,635 units, set last December), the Chinese plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market finally hit a new high, with some 104,900 plug-in vehicles being registered in September, up 66 percent and in line with previous months’ growth Read More...
Research on the nutrition of your favorite foods is not what it seems
Our beliefs about how nutritious products are being increasingly shaped by scientific research dreamed up and paid for by major food companies. Borrowing a dirty tactic from the tobacco industry, the food industry has distorted science by paying for research that makes erroneous claims like that Read More...
Waymo can test fully driverless cars on California roads
Get ready to see mysteriously vacant cars roaming around California streets. The state DMV has granted Waymo a permit to test fully driverless vehicles (not even an observer) on public roads, making it the first company in the state to receive Read More...
A solar cell that does double duty for renewable energy
In the quest for abundant, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists have sought to harvest the sun's energy through "water splitting," an artificial photosynthesis technique that uses sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel from water. But water-splitting devices have yet to live up to their Read More...
Company in Spain turns sewage into zero-carbon fuel
A Spanish company, Ingelia, has managed to develop biochar from organic waste, such as sewage and compost, that could potentially become a sustainable alternative to standard coal used in energy production. Despite having the same potential energy production as standard coal, this newfound fuel has Read More...
A powerful new battery could give us electric planes that don’t pollute
Brightly colored molecular models line two walls of Yet-Ming Chiang’s office at MIT. Chiang, a materials science professor and serial battery entrepreneur, has spent much of his career studying how slightly different arrangements of those sticks and spheres add up to radically different outcomes Read More...
New material could make concentrated solar farms 20 percent more efficient
The concentrated solar power industry may soon welcome a new material it can use to allow greater efficiency and affordability when it comes to harnessing the sun’s energy. The composite falls under a category of materials called “cermets”, known for their capacity to withstand high Read More...
Diesel scandal settlement: Volkswagen builds EV charging network in US
Volkswagen will build a nationwide network of charging points for EVs as a part of their diesel emissions lawsuit settlement. Although punishment rather than goodwill is the company’s reason for doing this, VW will invest $2 billion over the next ten years to develop a web of fast chargers Read More...