This document discusses new features introduced in Java 8, including default methods in interfaces, static methods in interfaces, the Optional class for dealing with null values, and lambda expressions. Default methods allow interfaces to provide implementation code while maintaining backwards compatibility. Static methods in interfaces allow grouping of utility methods without utility classes. The Optional class avoids null pointer exceptions by allowing values to be absent. Lambda expressions allow treating functionality as a method argument or code as data, bringing benefits of functional programming to Java.