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Added on the 24/06/2020 14:44:49 - Copyright : Hewlett-Packard
One laboratory near the Dutch city of Eindhoven is doing the dirty work - literally. Bio-artist Jalila Essaidi has pioneered a new method to transform cow dung into useful material. Jalila shot to fame in 2013 after she spearheaded a genetic experiment which combined human skin with spider silk, which the media called 'bulletproof skin.' Her new project focuses on sustainability. Cow manure is actually one of the leading drivers of the greenhouse gas methane escaping into the atmosphere, so Jalila's project has the potential to ease global warming. Jalilia's company called the material made from cow dung 'Mestic,' and its got many interesting properties. Textiles made from Mestic have been well received by the fashion industry and some big-name brands already looking into ways of producing fashion items made of eco-friendly cow poop. Would you ever wear clothing made out of cow manure?
This creepy crawly insect is called a wax worm and, believe it or not, this little guy may just be the answer to global pollution. Footage provided courtesy of the Spanish National Research Council shows a brilliant new discovery made by researcher Federica Bertocchini. She discovered that wax worms are capable of eating through polyethylene plastic. The researcher demonstrated her discovery at a laboratory in Madrid on Wednesday. Although polyethylene is one of the world's most resistant forms of plastic, the worms can destroy the material by munching their way through it. According to the researcher, 100 worms can biodegrade up to 92 milligrams of polyethylene in just one night. That might not seem like much, but what if we multiply that by a thousand? Or even a million? The discovery is touted as the first all-natural solution to the disposal of the dangerous and wasteful material worldwide. Wax worms are now seen as the best way to biodegrade plastic without causing more harmful effects to nature. Polyethylene plastic, the material used to make plastic bags, is very durable. That's why we use it so often. The problem is that polyethylene is not biodegradable, which means that it stays in the environment for hundreds of years after being thrown away. It can cause all sorts of problems for wild animals and the natural environment in general. That's why this new discovery has the potential to help us clean up our act and restore areas like landfills and other areas polluted with plastic.
41-year-old mother of two, Audrey, has been leading a 'Zero waste' life for the past two years. It may sound difficult but if you follow this very easy and low-cost tip you could do the same.
Scientists report that mealworms can biodegrade Styrofoam and other types of plastic in their gut. The findings could potentially lead to new methods to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution, according to researchers. Ben Gruber reports.
Researchers led by scientists at Stanford University in U.S. and Beihang University in China have found that the mealworm can safely biodegrade various types of plastic, Stanford News reported.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says a delay in passing new US aid for Ukraine was already hurting Kyiv's forces on the battlefield against Russia. "We see the impact already of the fact that the US has not been able to make a decision, but I expect the US to be able to make a decision, that the Congress and the House of Representatives will agree continued support to Ukraine," Stoltenberg tells journalists at a meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels. SOUNDBITE