Chemical & Engineering News – Researchers are investigating whether microbes can help break down fluorinated contaminants.
Category: featured
Do we know enough about the safety of quat disinfectants?
Chemical & Engineering News – Quaternary ammonium compounds have been widely used as disinfectants for decades. But some scientists think we need more data on their safety in people
The super-cool materials that send heat to space
Nature – Paints, plastics and even wood can be engineered to stay cool in direct sunlight — but their role in displacing power-hungry air conditioners remains unclear.
How Fossil Fuel Companies Are Killing Plastic Recycling
HuffPost – Plastic trash has overwhelmed America. Fossil fuel companies are about to make it worse.
Math Reveals the Secrets of Cells’ Feedback Circuitry
Quanta – Maintaining perfect stability through negative feedback is a basic element of electrical circuitry, but it’s been a mystery how cells could do it — until now.
The Surprising Reason Your Clothes Are A Huge Source Of Ocean Pollution
HuffPost – Most clothing contains synthetic materials that shed plastic fibers.
Global Initiative Mines Retired Hard Disk Drives for Materials and Magnets
IEEE Spectrum – Every year in the United States, roughly 20 million hard drives are retired from data centers.
Tainted water: the scientists tracing thousands of fluorinated chemicals in our environment
Nature – Researchers are struggling to assess the dangers of nondegradable compounds used in clothes, foams and food wrappings.
The Kilogram is Dead. Long Live the Kilogram!
New York Times – After a vote (and a century of research), the standard measure for mass is redefined, and the long reign of Le Grand K is ended.
A Huge Mystery About Ocean Plastics Remains Unsolved
HuffPost – Scientists say there’s more to the pollution problem than the huge masses of debris that grab public attention.