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.
Trend towards consumers’ energy self-sufficiency is about to disrupt the utility model
Technology advances and declining costs for both rooftop solar and energy storage are the conditions for the perfect storm that will soon make utilities obsolete, according to the new report by the Rocky Mountain Institute, an influential energy policy think tank. “New customers will find Read More...
Growing a heart is becoming a possibility after medical research breakthrough
Salamanders and zebrafish have something humans can only wish for: the ability of their heart muscle cells to regenerate on demand. While those animals can regrow their injured body parts, sufferers of heart attack are left to make do with a damaged organ. Scientists in Israel and Australia Read More...
AT&T New York calls on developers to create apps for people with disabilities
This July 26, on the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, people living with disabilities in New York City will most likely have something tangible to celebrate: innovative applications created by developers at the urging of AT&T in a partnership with NYU's Assistive Read More...
Germany’s Solar Village produces four times the energy it consumes
Global investment in solar energy has been soaring while the cost of solar has been tumbling, yet we barely have scratched the surface of what’s possible. A German development of 52 homes and some commercial buildings that was built over the past decade near Freiburg, currently generated four Read More...
Attention innovators: the era of graphene is here
Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material known to man. The pure carbon substance is 200 times stronger than steel, harder than diamond and thin enough that an ounce could cover twenty-eight football fields. It's also transparent, more conductive than silicon, flexible like rubber and cheap Read More...
Global investment in renewable energy grew 17% last year
Developing countries led the trend with a 36% surge at $131.3 billion, followed by China with $83.3 billion, according to a new study by the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance. Solar and wind still dominate the field, although geothermal enjoyed Read More...
Electricity-generating speed bumps can power traffic lights on India's streets
Turning heavy traffic in Indian cities into a renewable source of energy to power traffic lights and street lights: that's what eight engineering students in the state of Ahmedabad have done. They came up with small speed bumps that can generate electricity through electro-spinning wheels. They Read More...
Competitive rates lead Texas city to commit to 100% renewables
Georgetown, a community of about 50,000 people some 25 miles north of Austin, Texas, has created quite a shockwave with the announcement that it will soon be powered by 100% renewable energy. The city utility company, which acts as a local monopoly, finalized a deal with giant solar energy company Read More...
In San Diego, electric cars tested as power storage units to improve renewable energy's reliability
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) launched a 10-month program to test the integration of electrical vehicles (EV) in its power grid in order to improve efficiencies. With 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles forecast on the roads of California by 2025, according to the state’s Zero-Emission Read More...
California uses more solar than all other states combined
California now sources close to 30% of its power from renewables. Last year, solar alone jumped for 1.9% to 5% of the Golden State’s total generation. With just 23 megawatts short of cracking the 10 gigawatts barrier, California has more installed solar capacity than all other states Read More...