Tag: #112

Recycling rare earths, which are vital for electronic components, is critical. Carbon dioxide is reusable, too, and can generate sustainable electricity - just like in hydroelectric plants. In their test facility, a research team in Texas exchanged water for supercritical CO2. Above a temperature of 31℃ and pressure of 74 bar, sCO2 resembles a gas, but acts more like...

Biodegradable pantyliners are not just good for nature. Bacteria and microbes present in menstrual blood provide information about women’s gynaecological health. Which is why a female founder’s startup in London has developed a new service which makes vaginal infections easier to detect while also enabling personalised treatment plans. Customers buy a special screening kit and input their medical data...

Haute couture made from hair is a distinct possibility. Wool, meanwhile, isn’t just suitable for winter jumpers. The proof? Look no further than this England-based startup, which is using sheep’s wool to produce chairs. The team realised that fewer and fewer carpets were being made from the wool of two common UK breeds. Too good to be the waste...

Skin cancer can be treated with a special soap. Peanut allergies are a serious business, too, and a New York-based researcher has been investigating how the body’s tolerance of the snack can be improved. The key, it seems, resides in toothpaste with peanut protein as it can be delivered in controlled doses through the mucous membrane. In a recent...

Waste from apple juice production improves chickens’ health. When they die, chicken feathers are generally burned. This fact gave an international research team from Zurich and Singapore pause. In particular, as the 40 tons of feather waste discarded annually produce CO2 while containing 90% keratin. The team extracted the protein, turned it into extremely fine fibres and used the...

Curcumin is just as effective as chemical agents against stomach acid and heartburn. That plant-based substances have anti-inflammatory properties is well known. According to a Japanese research team, however, there’s a lot more besides. Over a period of 12 weeks, a group of adults with psychological disorders and memory problems received tablets containing 0.8mg 6-MSITC - a bioactive compound...