Technology
There has been no era like ours for the rapid development of technology. Stay updated on the hottest trends and advancements from all over the world.
Ultrathin "honeycomb" solar panels achieve record efficiency
One day, cities and hopefully everything else will be powered by renewable resources like wind and solar. To do that, though, we will need to continue to improve on our renewable tech, like creating solar panels that can absorb solar energy in many different levels of sunlight. A new development Read More...
New temperature-controlling material inspired by squid skin
Squids are intelligent, somewhat mystifying creatures whose brains have a complexity level similar to dogs and the astounding adaptation of camouflage. Their bodies are covered in special pigment-filled cells called chromatophores that expand and contract in light, enabling them to change color and Read More...
Sponge Cities: the future of flood resilience
The world’s cities and population centers are overwhelmingly located near water. This makes good sense since water is essential for living, and throughout history, people have built their settlements where water is accessible and in abundant supply. However, in recent decades the vital good that Read More...
This algorithm makes predicting the future more accessible
Some professions require the prophetic task of using existing data to predict future outcomes as accurately as possible. This can come in the form of trying to predict the upcoming week's weather, estimating a person's risk of developing a disease, or anticipating the best time to sell Read More...
Buying a used EV? Not a bad idea
Recently, The Optimist Daily published a story about a few things to keep in mind when buying an electric vehicle. Along with gas prices, the popularity of electric cars is rising, but EVs have been on the rise since before the crisis. Now, thanks to that demand, if you’re in the market for a new Read More...
How a group of islanders is using AI to save coral reefs
Coral reefs are some of the planet’s most biodiverse ecosystems, providing not only a key habitat for many species of marine life but also a crucial source of income for many coastal communities worldwide. These lush and vibrant ecosystems, however, are also greatly threatened by a number of Read More...
Infrared light can discern the safety of "twisted" drugs
Did you know that molecules twist? Certain drugs and supplements indicate which way the molecules in the product twist, with an L or a D before the names, indicating either a twist clockwise or counterclockwise. There is usually a specific kind of twist the human body wants depending on the Read More...
Alcoholism drug may help restore eyesight
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in adults, and scientists are hard at work finding a cure for it. There are positive strides made every day, and there are all sorts of promising new developments, such as the use of stem cells to recover degenerated eye Read More...
Want to buy an EV? Make a plan first
As you can probably tell by now, The Optimist Daily is a big fan of electric vehicles. EV’s offer a practical way to lower our personal carbon emissions and hold promise for additional benefits in the near future, such as powering our homes in an emergency. It also feels like EV's have finally Read More...
How do solar panels break? And how do we fix them?
At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, teams of scientists and researchers spend large parts of their day jumping on, twisting, smashing, and generally coming up with various ways of breaking solar panels. It’s not malice, it’s not incompetence. It's not Read More...