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.
New gadget enables on-demand solar energy, without installing panels
If you want to use solar power, but can't install solar panels, the new SunPort gadget aims to make going solar easy and affordable. Although residential solar is getting cheaper and cheaper all the time, it's not for everyone, yet choosing renewable energy doesn't always have to require a huge Read More...
Engineers invent way for cars to harvest energy from bumps in the road
The 255 million cars on the road in the United States account for 40 percent of the country's fuel consumption. Most of that fuel is wasted. Lei Zuo, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, may have a partial solution: harvesting energy from the Read More...
National Highway Traffic Safety Admin Endorses Self-Driving Cars
Mark Rosekind, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, wants you to know the government approves of self-driving cars. The government is backing the technology needed for the emerging technology, not hoping to block it from developing, according to recent statements Read More...
Toyota Claims Its Negative Attitude to Battery Electric Cars is Due to Experience
Self-confessed geek and mother of two, Nikki has been talking and writing about cars ever since she passed her driving test. Back then, her Internet contributions were all classic car-focused. Now, she’s all about greener, cleaner, safer and smarter cars. Back in the late 1990s, Toyota was Read More...
Wind kites show potential as cheap and efficient way to generate energy from the skies
Wind turbines are great, but it's also expensive to put the machines where they generate most energy: offshore, where they can make use of the strong, consistent winds that are found over the oceans and seas. This is why several teams around the world are currently looking at replacing the turbine Read More...
Sri Lanka is thinking about trying Google's balloons to get country-wide internet coverage
Google has been working on bringing Wi-Fi to hard-to-reach areas by sending giant floating balloons into the air. And the latest news is that Sri Lanka is investigating using Google's balloons to cover the country with internet access. Currently, 1 in 5 residents in Sri Lanka have internet access Read More...
Where is the smog? Google will help cities find out by strapping smog-sensors to street view cars
For the past year-and-a-half, Google has been secretly testing a new way to measure the air quality in city streets. They worked together with a startup company called Aclima, to attach special sensors to its street view cars. With this sensor, they measured different chemicals that are Read More...
Put wind turbines between the legs of a viaduct, researchers propose
Some people think wind turbines are ugly. And to be honest, they're not always the nicest looking structures in a landscape. It's often hard to find the best spot for them, also keeping in mind that they need to catch enough wind. British and Spanish researchers have come up with a clever new Read More...
This biodegradable computer chip from wood makes recycling electronics easier
We love our computer chips, but we also love throwing them away. Once our phones get old, we toss them, and the same goes for many other electronic devices. Computer chips are expensive waste, and many chips contain toxic materials and can cause pollution for the environment. Researchers at the Read More...
No diesel engines anymore, this Alaskan island is now powered by 100% renewable energy
The diesel engines on Kodiak island are sitting idle nowadays. They used to generate the electricity for most of the island’s 15,000 residents, but wind power has been taking over. Because of that, the Alaskan island is now powered almost 100% with renewable energy, a success story for the Read More...