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Biomimicry. Science and Technology. Fungi Discovered In The Amazon Will Eat Your Plastic. The Amazon is home to more species than almost anywhere else on earth.

Fungi Discovered In The Amazon Will Eat Your Plastic

One of them, carried home recently by a group from Yale University, appears to be quite happy eating plastic in airless landfills. The group of students, part of Yale’s annual Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory with molecular biochemistry professor Scott Strobel, ventured to the jungles of Ecuador. The mission was to allow "students to experience the scientific inquiry process in a comprehensive and creative way.

" The group searched for plants, and then cultured the microorganisms within the plant tissue. As it turns out, they brought back a fungus new to science with a voracious appetite for a global waste problem: polyurethane. Can Mushrooms Be The New Plastic? Today, plastics are among the most toxic and polluting substances we use on a daily basis.

Can Mushrooms Be The New Plastic?

Simply focusing on styrofoam alone, it is a $20+ billion industry who’s products are found in anything from TV protective packaging to disposable coffee cups. The trouble with all of this styrofoam is that it cannot be recycled or disposed of. Once created, it stays on the planet for thousands and thousands of years. Styrofoam is petroleum based and contains a carcinogenic and neutroxic chemical called Benzene.[1] In 1986, the Environment Protection Agency National Human Adipose Tissue Survey identified styrene residues in every single sample of human fat tissue they studied, all of which were complied in 1982 within the US.

This was the first time it was recognized that styrene from food and other packaging could find its way into the human body.[2] Simply put, styrofoam is not only poisoning our environment but also our bodies due to its highly toxic nature. An Alternative Solution Sources: New research: synthetic nitrogen destroys soil carbon, undermines soil health. Super weeds no easy fix for US agriculture-experts. Cross-bred wheat lifts yields. A SALT-RESISTANT wheat variety developed by an Australian team through old-fashioned cross-breeding rather than genetic modification is increasing crop yields by up to 25 per cent in salinity-prone areas, and could help counter food security concerns.

Cross-bred wheat lifts yields

Researchers from Adelaide University's Waite Institute, the CSIRO and the NSW government first isolated the gene in an ancient relative of durum wheat -- used to make couscous and pasta flour -- 15 years ago. The breakthrough was published in the international journal Nature Biotechnology overnight. Senior author Matthew Gilliham said researchers had spent more than a decade using traditional cross-breeding techniques to blend the 10,000-year-old durum with its modern cousin to increase its salt resistance without genetic modification. "Through domestication, there's a lot of genetic diversity that has been lost," Dr Gilliham said. The salt-tolerant gene prevented sodium build-up in leaves, allowing it to increase growth and yields. Rodin coil plays music under water. Rodin coil version 1 construction video 0001. 120 Point Rodin Coil (360 -123 Coil) Tesla Tech Pics and John Searl. RODIN COIL "LEVITATION EFFECT"

Amazing New Laser Technology based on Marko Rodin Mathmatics. Redesigning the Toilet to Produce Water, Fertilizer, and Energy. About 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to a sanitary toilet.

Redesigning the Toilet to Produce Water, Fertilizer, and Energy

To fix this, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded eight grants last year to scientists and engineers to invent a toilet that could function without piped water, a sewer system or outside electricity—and would cost less than 5 cents a day to operate. With the funding, scientists are working on using processes such as evaporation, combustion, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion to break down waste in toilets into three essential resources: water, fertilizer and fuel.

Just as separating paper from plastic makes recycling more efficient, separating urine from feces makes the production of energy sources, fertilizer and sterile water more efficient. In Europe, people already use toilets that divide urine from feces. Now scientists have designed a separating toilet for areas without running water that includes a hand pump to operate pneumatic tubes that whisk the waste away.

The Shower Of The Future Cuts Water Waste To Almost Nothing. Showering is fun, but it does rack up the water bill.

The Shower Of The Future Cuts Water Waste To Almost Nothing

The average family goes through 40 gallons of water a day in the shower. We've come across a few ways to monitor and manage showers recently, including this simple warning device. But Mehrdad Mahdjoubi's solution is more comprehensive. The WaterWheel — Wello Water. In September 2011, the Wello team arrived in India with the goal of answering one big question: “How might we improve the experience of collecting, storing, and using water?”

the WaterWheel — Wello Water

Over the course of the past 15 months, we’ve interviewed over 1500 community members, practitioners and experts, spent countless hours designing and prototyping in the field, and carried hundreds of liters of water. We developed a wide range of concepts and designs in collaboration with the WaterWheel’s intended users, identified the features that were most important to them, and developed a prototype. We’re thrilled to introduce you to the WaterWheel 2.0! It’s…CONVENIENT. It’s…HYGIENIC The WaterWheel’s cap-in-cap design prevents recontamination at the point of use.