Category: Plastic
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Turning Plastic Waste into a Soil Additive – COOL HUNTING®
[ad_1] Scientists at University of California, Riverside (UCR) have devised a way to convert plastic waste into a highly porous form of charcoal that, when added to farmland soil, can improve water retention, contribute to aeration and even capture carbon. The technique entails mixing one or two common forms of plastic with the leftover stalks, […]
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Link About It: This Week’s Picks
[ad_1] An “upcycled” skyscraper, a magnet for microplastics, a swimming dinosaur discovery and more Paleontologists Discover a Swimming Dinosaur In Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, scientists discovered the bones of a previously unknown dinosaur species, Natovenator polydontus, the first and only dinosaur found that had specific adaptions suited for swimming. Hailing from prehistoric Mongolia about 71 million years […]
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Link About It: This Week’s Picks
[ad_1] Fossilized worm brains, cranberry packaging, the wet history of Mars and more inspiration from nature World’s Oldest Fossilized Brain Discovered A 525-million-year-old fossil of an extinct worm-like animal known as the Cardiodictyon catenulum was first discovered in China in 1984, but only recently have scientists found that the barely half-an-inch animal has a brain. […]
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This Week’s Picks – COOL HUNTING®
[ad_1] Oakland to Return Park Land to Indigenous People Oakland, California is slated to become one of the first US cities to return land to Indigenous people—and the first to do so for a federally unrecognized tribe. The city council is planning to rematriate Sequoia Point—a five-acre park owned by the city—to the Sogorea Te’ […]
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Sustainable Materials Form The “Second Sun” Speculative Sailboat – COOL HUNTING®
[ad_1] From São Paulo, Brazil-based Furf Design Studio and designer Cesar Pieri, the “Second Sun” sailboat concept minimizes environmental impact twofold: technically and aesthetically. First, the boat is crafted with sustainable materials, including a hull developed from an algae-based biopolymer and sails from ocean-bound plastic. Second, the transparent design of the ship allows a deeper […]
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Wax Worms Could Revolutionize Recycling Plastic – COOL HUNTING®
[ad_1] Scientists have found that wax worms (which are the caterpillar larvae of wax moths) have saliva with two enzymes that break down durable polyethylene—a widely produced plastic. The discovery was made when “one scientist, an amateur beekeeper, cleaned out an infested hive and found the larvae started eating holes in a plastic refuse bag.” […]
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Link About It: This Week’s Picks
[ad_1] Dreaming spiders, an AI that fixes roads, a remote-controlled robot surgeon and more this week This Free AI Tool Fixes Old Photos GFP-GAN is an open-source photo-restoration tool that uses AI to transform old photos that may have faded over time or become damaged. The algorithm makes an educated guess about missing or damaged […]
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New Environmentally-Friendly, Heat-Resistant Plastic is Developed – COOL HUNTING®
[ad_1] In developing a new technique to create polymers (large molecules that are composed of smaller, structured molecules), Japanese scientists have opened the door for the creation of environmentally-friendly plastic. These scientific researchers were able to gain control over molecular weight (crucial to the formation of plastic) using two pre-existing techniques called “living cationic polymerization” […]
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Plaxtil Turns Used Face Masks Into School Supplies – COOL HUNTING®
[ad_1] Once a plastic parts supplier for the automotive and aeronautical industries, French company Plaxtil now uses their technology to transform used face masks into school supplies. The idea took shape after a charity asked the company for help in dealing with a mountain of clothing that couldn’t be resold. Realizing that garments today are […]
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Farewell to the Plastic Bags of NYC – COOL HUNTING
[ad_1] While the single-use plastic bag ban in New York (instated 1 March) is undeniably necessary, the bags’ kitsch designs have become synonymous with the city. Graphic designer Sho Shibuya collected more than 200 different types of bags over several years and photographed some of his favorite designs, sharing them with The New York Times. […]
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Hawaii Moves to Ban Single-Use Takeout Containers
[ad_1] Part of a comprehensive plan to drastically reduce single-use plastic reliance within the state, Hawaii passed a ban on plastic takeout containers—plates, bowls, cups, utensils, straws, foam containers, and more. The plan (formally named Bill 40) will roll out over two years, allowing restaurants and other purveyors the opportunity to convert to more sustainable […]