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.
This multifunctional cookstove helps save lives, energy and money
It is little known to those of us living in the Western world that cooking is the fourth biggest killer in the world. A third of the world cooks indoors using solid fuels on makeshift stoves that create toxic smoke that’s both detrimental to health and to the environment. Sickened by the Read More...
Laser breakthrough could speed the rise of self-driving cars
LIDAR is a portmanteau of “light” and “radar.” In essence, these sensors monitor their surroundings by shining a light on an object and measuring the time needed for it to bounce back. They work well enough, but they aren’t without their drawbacks. Today’s Read More...
3 steps to maximize the value of batteries
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former chief of staff and now CEO of energy storage company Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Susan Kennedy, recently proclaimed that batteries are primed to disrupt the energy industry in the same way that cell phones disrupted the communications industry. More Read More...
India’s installed solar power capacity tops 4 gigawatt
India has reached an installed solar power capacity of 4.1 GW, adding 358 MW solar power capacity between April and July, the first four months of India’s financial year 2015-16. Overall, India added a total of 866 MW renewable energy capacity during April-July period, with wind energy Read More...
4 reasons why low oil prices mean it's time to shift to renewable energy
With oil prices at six-year lows, now is a tempting time for consumers to buy a bigger car, fill it up with cheaper gas and hit the road. The smarter move is to use this moment to accelerate the shift to renewable energy. While increased U.S. oil production has delivered short-term economic Read More...
Bhutan aims to make electric cars main mode of transportation
Ahead of the U.N climate meeting set in Paris later this year, negotiators are looking at Bhutan, one of the world's poorest countries, for inspiration. The tiny Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas is implementing plans to make electric cars the main mode of transportation in order to protect the Read More...
By 2018, Dutch rail will be fully powered by wind
The Netherlands, a nation that’s been keen on harnessing the power of the wind since pretty much forever, has announced that in an effort to slash transport-related carbon emissions, its entire electric train network — all 1,800 miles of it — will run on energy produced at European wind Read More...
Dutch emissions down 5%, partly due to climate change
CBS, a Dutch government agency that gathers statistical information, reported this Tuesday that greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands were almost 5% lower in 2014 than they were in 2013. Meanwhile, the Dutch economy was growing at a rate of 0.9%, according to the same agency. That’s the Read More...
Study reveals 100% renewable energy in Chile can save 1500 lives a year
A new study has been launched by the Chilean Citizens' Committee on Climate Change showing that by switching to 100% renewable energy by 2050 the country could: avoid spending $5.3 billion a year on fossil fuels, save 1,500 lives a year due to reduced air-pollution in Santiago alone, and create Read More...
Indian cell tower companies eye renewable energy to cut costs
Cell tower operators in India are increasingly looking to switch to renewable energy sources to reduce their costs and increase the reliability of their power supply. One of the largest cell tower operators in India, Viom Networks, is reportedly working on reducing their consumption of diesel in an Read More...