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.
Understanding consciousness through the science of near-death experiences
Near-death experience (NDE) used to be a topic for new age conversations. But that’s rapidly changing. In the past years, several books by mainstream doctors have taken NDE to the realm of science. The Intelligent Optimist has covered the issue at length for years. Now The Atlantic in a long and Read More...
Al Gore, the optimist, shows promising energy statistics
When he presented An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, Al Gore became a prophet doom. With his dire vision for the effects of climate change and the future of the planet he left audiences desperate and feeling helpless. But a new Al Gore is emerging. Over the past year, he has become more of a prophet of Read More...
Solar energy capacity California exceeds demand up to five times
To confirm Al Gore’s new optimism: If California only uses existing infrastructure to add solar power generating capacity, the amount of energy produced would exceed the state’s demand by up to five times. That’s the outcome of a new study. "Integrating solar facilities into the urban and Read More...
Robots are cleaning up Fukushima power plant
Four years after a tsunami caused hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the area is still not considered safe for humans. Thankfully, robots don’t mind a little radiation exposure. That’s why the clean-up of toxic waste and contaminated debris is now being carried out by specially designed Read More...
European Union shows surprising progress on renewable energy
Governments are not known to be successful in meeting their targets. But here’s a surprising fact: The 28 states of the European Union are well under way to realize their target to generate 20% of the EU’s energy in 2020 from renewables. According to new data from the EU’s statistical agency, Read More...
The electric car makes driving cheap
A massive switch to electric cars is not just good news for the environment. It’s good news for your wallet as well. The average driver may save up to $1,700 a year. A study by Cambridge Economics has calculated that electric cars would result in a 40% reduction of oil imports for a country like Read More...
The best time to be alive and how technology will make it even better
“This is the best time ever to be alive,” says Peter Diamandis, co-founder and Chairman of Singularity University—a university in California that aims to change the world through technology. Today there is a longer life expectancy, better quality of life, and less poverty than the world has Read More...
6 unusual places to find solar power
2014 was the best-ever year for solar energy in the US. The photovoltaic capacity grew with 30% according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. Despite this boom solar produces still less than 1% of total US electricity. Room for growth. Marketwatch put together a Read More...
Futuristic self-driving Mercedes spotted on San Francisco streets
It starts becoming a regular feature in the streets of San Francisco: driverless cars. Google is known to test their autonomous electric cars in the city. But the Google cars are regular cars, like Toyota Priuses, with a kind of radar on their roof. But here’s something very different: a Read More...
Solar plane takes off for flight around the world
The introduction of new technologies is often speeded up through adventurers who with their daring attempts spark the imagination that fuels development. Charles Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Now two Swiss pilots hope to encourage the replacement of “old Read More...