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.
Germany boosts renewables with clever virtual power stations
Vested power barons argue that we continue needing their fossil fuel- and nuclear-powered plants to guarantee the supply of electricity. Their arguments: The sun doesn’t always shine, the wind doesn’t always blow, and renewable energy projects are small scale and unreliable at times of high Read More...
Israeli innovation: Cheap, clean hydrogen power based on radio waves
Storing renewable energy is difficult and expensive. Batteries are not so clean. They are heavy, and can only hold only a limited amount of energy. Hydrogen provides a great sustainable storage solution, but the way to produce it in a renewable way through electrolysis of water is energy-intensive. Read More...
Generating renewable energy from evaporation
Scientists are working on a clever way to utilize the evaporation powers in nature for energy generation. Have you ever seen the mysteriously pretty sight of a lake in winter covered by a layer of thick fog? When the cold winter air lies over a warm body of water like a lake, the water Read More...
Charging electric cars with street lights
The lack of a reliable charging infrastructure for electric cars is one of the biggest obstacles to their acceptance. Nobody likes the idea of getting stuck with an empty battery somewhere nowhere late at night. But what if existing infrastructure can be used? Mini is demonstrating a new technology Read More...
Global moonshot plan aims to make renewable energy cheaper than coal
UK scientists, economists and businessmen including Sir David King, currently the UK’s climate change envoy, Lord Nicholas Stern and ex-BP chief Lord John Browne launched a moonshot plan yesterday. The goal is to make the cost of clean electricity lower than that from coal-fired power stations Read More...
Affordable alternative to rooftop solar arrays arrives in US market
The SolarMill, a 1.2-kW combination wind and solar energy system, will be sold for about $3,000. WindStream Technologies meant for the technology to be deployed primarily in disadvantaged regions of the world with poor energy access. But the company was prompted by U.S. residents’ interest in the Read More...
California deploys free solar panels in disadvantaged neighborhoods
For all its efforts with rooftop solar deployment, California has yet to show that decentralized renewable energy is not just a luxury that only the middle-class and high-income residents can afford. A new program run by nonprofit Grid Alternatives aims to install solar systems in disadvantaged Read More...
Robots’ duality in question: Technology saves lives despite potential for evil
The potential for robots to cause evil is a stark reality. At the same time, researchers and companies around the world are already demonstrating the power of robotics and AI technologies to save lives, including in the operating room and in areas hit by natural disasters. There, in a nutshell, are Read More...
Quadriplegic man drinks his first beer thanks to mind-controlled technology
Mind over matter—such is the path followed by scientists seeking to allow people with missing or paralyzed limbs to enjoy some autonomy of movement. Since it was first demonstrated in 2006, the technology that relies on brain implants keeps being refined. Here is the story of a man who was able Read More...
Pakistan turns desert into a sea of solar panels
More than a third of Pakistan’s population does not have access to electricity, and power shortages hinder economic growth. That situation may be about to improve as a 100-megawatt solar farm built by a Chinese company in the Punjab province just came online. Its capacity is expected to exceed Read More...