Biopolymer turns deserts fertile
In Mexico, a biopolymer that holds nutrient-filled water for months at a time may help make deserts arable.
Developed by engineer Rafael Ríos Trejo of...
Malaysia taps rural farmers for rice straw packaging
In Malaysia, farmers from the Pertubuhan Peladang Kawasan Pendang Selatan have agreed to supply 57,000 metric tons of rice straw from 12 estates to Free...
Micronesian banana leather maker introduces second product
In Micronesia, Green Banana Paper, a maker of banana fiber-based leather substitute, will be introducing its second product—a slimmer version of its original wallet....
Berkeley researchers get E. coli to produce fluorinated molecules
In California, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have coaxed Escherichia coli to use fluorinated building blocks to make new organofluorine target molecules.
Led...
London locates second “fatberg”
In London, another giant ball of garbage—congealed together by decades worth of discarded fats and oils—has been found clogging the city’s sewer.
The latest “fatberg”...
Trix is for kids—and kids want artificial colors
In Minnesota, cereal maker General Mills is bringing back the “classic” version of the kid’s cereal Trix after a less-vibrant version made with natural...
Canada ticked off over unregulated tick repellent
In Canada, national public health regulator Health Canada is warning citizens to be wary of homemade, untested, and unlabeled tick repellents.
Donald Bourgeois, Health Canada’s...
Plants, like people, pack on pounds with too much sugar
In New York, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that plants, like people, accumulate fat when they retain sugars.
In...
“Smart” cotton yields glow-in-the-dark, magnetic fibers
In Israel, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have created cotton with glow-in-the-dark and magnetic properties that could create a blueprint for the...
Plant-based packaging for your plant-based meat
In North Carolina, No Evil Foods is now using biodegradable Kraftpak carton board with plant-based inks and water-soluble adhesives to package its plant-based meat...