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.
Google's self-driving cars in Austin have removed humans entirely
Our first glimpse of Google’s driverless cars came in 2012. Since then, Google has confined most of its test-drives of these vehicles to the roads outside its headquarters in Mountain View, California, and recently expanded tests to Austin, Texas (reports of other self-driving car tests by Read More...
Green homes in New Orleans: a model for other communities
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, a slew of nonprofits committed millions of dollars to support the construction of green homes in the city. Now, 10 years late, green building experts say the work rebuilding there can serve as a model for other communities. Energy costs are much lower and Read More...
Wireless charging for electric BMWs by 2017?
Are BMW’s electric vehicle (EV) offerings going to be set up for wireless charging in only the next few years? An interesting question — it certainly does seem that the technology is developing at a fairly rapid rate, so maybe widespread use is something that we can expect soon. What Read More...
Tesla's newest car is so good it broke Consumer Reports' rating system
The jury is out. And here's what Consumer Report, a leading source for product reviews in the US, wrote about the Tesla model S P85D: "The Tesla initially scored 103 in the Consumer Reports' Ratings system, which by definition doesn’t go past 100. The car set a new benchmark, so we had to make Read More...
The Solar Sunflower can harness the power of 5,000 suns
Sunflowers have been reborn for the future, and these ones you can’t give your loved one in a bouquet. Engineers in Switzerland has developed a massive solar sunflower, combining both photovoltaic solar power and concentrated solar thermal power in one package with a total efficiency of around 80 Read More...
Autonomous cars keep getting smarter all the time
We're all wired differently. We are erratic, impulsive and unpredictable, especially while driving. For that reason, engineers in Berkeley, California, are preparing autonomous cars to predict our driving behavior. They had volunteers drive in a simulator so they could collect data to better Read More...
New catalyst may hasten commercialization of fuel cell vehicles
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new fuel cell catalyst using earthly abundant materials with performance that is comparable to platinum in laboratory tests. If commercially viable, the new catalyst could replace platinum in electric cars Read More...
Fuel cells: From the Toyota Mirai to Apple and an iPhone 6
iPhone 6 battery (L) and Intelligent Energy UPP fuel cell-based recharger. A fuel-cell fits inside the iPhone. (Credit: iFixit, Intelligent Energy) Intelligent Energy, primarily an intellectual property firm (based in the U.K.), has developed a prototype of an iPhone 6 that runs for a week on one Read More...
Device that makes hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water
A new prototype that turns the sun’s energy into hydrogen fuel could point the way to commercially viable artificial photosynthesis. Fuels produced using the sun’s power offers many advantages over conventional solar power. Fuel made inexpensively through artificial photosynthesis could Read More...
The solar wind energy tower generates power in the desert
This tower of power could generate clean electricity in desert-type environments its creators says – a lot of it. SWET consists of a very tall hollow cylinder with a water injection system near the top and wind tunnels containing turbines near the bottom. Pumps deliver water to the Read More...