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.
Could crocodiles help defeat hearing loss?
Around 1.5 billion people worldwide live with impaired hearing, this can create significant problems for these individuals and often reduce the perceived quality of life. The most common cause of these impairments is damage to non-regenerative receptors called hair cells. Many innovations are being Read More...
Hummingbirds have the widest color range of all birds
Among the different species of birds, hummingbirds are among the most iconic and distinct in the skies. These unique creatures hover unlike most birds, they feed on sugary nectar, and they have incredible metabolisms. They also have the most wide-ranging colors in their plumage of all other Read More...
Scientists clone first mice from freeze-dried skin cells
Even before Jurassic Park, many have fantasized about cloning endangered animals. Science fiction made this seem too simple, easily copying a complex creature from recovered DNA. Now, that fantastical process is not so far off. Researchers have cloned the world’s first mice from freeze-dried Read More...
Shapeshifting robots could automate teeth brushing and flossing
Teeth cleaning is something we all should do daily and thoroughly, however, is something most of us do not do properly. The design of the toothbrush has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years, so to revolutionize how we look after our mouths, a team from the University of Pennsylvania Read More...
The results from the longest study on avocados are in
While always being front and center in Mexican, Ethiopian, and Brazilian cuisine, an avocado obsession has swept across the rest of the world over the past 10 years. It’s pretty much a given that every hip cafe will include an ‘avocado smash’ on their menu, and you’ll be able to spot this Read More...
Singapore’s Seletar airport considers plans for electric flying taxis
Seletar Airport is the city-state of Singapore’s lesser known second airport. It’s a small airfield normally frequented only by private jets, but soon it could be known for the future of sky travel. Singapore has recently signed agreements that would make Seletar into a vertiport, where Read More...
"Sand batteries" could solve the energy storage challenge
We’ve previously written about how water batteries could help address the energy storage challenge facing the green energy transition. In Finland, however, some scientists are working on a much dryer power storage facility — a ‘sand battery’. Solving the energy storage Read More...
Newly discovered molecule bodes well for alopecia treatment
Alopecia can be extremely disheartening and drastically alter someone’s confidence and self-image. The condition affects men and women, and scientists are looking into different treatments and possible cures for the different forms of alopecia. Researchers have identified a molecule that Read More...
Bacteria-based biofuel offers higher energy density than jet fuel
At a time when the need to replace fossil fuels is urgent, it is amazing to see the results of human innovation and creativity to meet the challenge. Researchers at Berkeley Lab are working on a new producer of biofuel that produces a material that boasts an energy density far higher than jet Read More...
Scientists find out how Alzheimer's affects blood vessels, a breakthrough discovery
Alzheimer’s is one of the diseases that we haven’t quite figured out yet. So far, there aren’t any reliable treatment methods for people who develop it, but scientists are working on preventative measures we can take to stop the condition from taking hold in the first place. What is Read More...