Old Clothes and Carpet Turning into Concrete: A New Way to Reduce Textile Waste
Textile waste is a large problem, and when items have come to the end of their lives, it can be hard to recycle them, as individual fabrics require different processes to be correctly recycled. A recent project at RMIT University in Melbourne is turning textile waste into concrete sustainability. Engineers have been experimenting with incorporating fibres from old clothes and carpets into the concrete mixes, offering a solution to textile waste.
Cool Water Saving a Wonder of the World?
Great Barrier Reef, AUS — Daddy bear’s porridge was far too hot. Mummy bear’s porridge was far too cold. Baby bear’s porridge, however, as just right. This familiar tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a parallel to the current problem of Great Barrier reef coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is a significant problem for the great barrier reef; however, researchers have recently discovered cold patches of water that keep some coral reefs not as badly bleached, due to upwelling.
Genetically Engineered Fruits
Genetic Engineering has sparked debates and interests. It has the power to modify the building blocks of life, while also increasing income, agricultural efficiency and potentially even reducing food waste. Technologies for genetically modifying foods offer dramatic responses for meeting some of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
CSIRO is Shaping Energy’s Future with New Innovations
Australia’s national science organisation, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), is researching and creating new innovations that are unlocking new possibilities for solar energy. Led by Noel Duffy, head of Solar technology, they are using concentrated solar thermal technologies and tandem solar cells, to convert sunlight into electricity, and solar cells that work at night. All in all, CSIRO is dedefining how Australia generates and uses power (CSIRO).
Tropical Cyclones Collide!
In April 2021, tropical cyclones Seroja and Odette merged with one another in the Indian Ocean, just north-west of Australia. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) described this merger as rare. Two scientists from the University of Oldenburg, Germany have studied this phenomenon in detail to understand how these newer, more unpredictable weather patterns, driven by climate changes, are impacting us.
Orcas Set Sights on a Larger Prey – the Whale Sharks!
The orca, or killer whale, is one of the ocean’s most feared creatures. They are highly intelligent and capable of unusual hunting techniques. Their normal diet consists of smaller fish, marine mammals, seals, turtles and even sea birds. However, a pod of Mexican orcas has added young whale sharks to their menu.
Greenland’s Ice Sheet is Melting Faster Than Ever!
Scientists working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the European Space Agency (ESA), conducted a series of aerial surveys over Greenland using two drones, the CryoSat-2 and the ICEsat-2. Greenland is the world’s largest island and 80% of its surface is covered by a single ice sheet or glacier with an average thickness of 1.67 kilometers. The aim of the survey was to monitor the thickness of this ice sheet over time. The results were worse than expected and show that the ice sheet is melting faster than ever.
Concrete Mixed with Old Fabric Creates a Better, Stronger Alternative
In Australia, over 200,000 tons of clothing make their way to landfill every year! This number is astonishing, so the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) decided to explore ways to repurpose some of this discarded clothing. Their research team has created a new type of concrete, more durable and hardier, using an unexpected component – old fabric. They mixed regular concrete with discarded fabric fibers and the result was a sturdier, stronger, and crack-resistant cement.
“Forever Chemicals” are Slowly Killing Freshwater Turtles
The Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organisation (CSIRO) has partnered with the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation (DETSI) to study the impact of ‘forever chemicals’ on freshwater turtles. This is still an ongoing study; however, some of the early results are heartbreaking. It is not only the adult turtles that are vulnerable, but their hatchlings are being affected too.
Now it’s Truly a Fruit – Scientists Create Genetically Modified Sweeter Tomatoes!
Have you ever bitten into a big, red, juicy tomato and found that it was sour or watery on the inside? Scientists are trying to solve this problem by creating tomatoes that are higher in their sugar content without losing size. The tomato, which literally means pulpy berry, has been cultivated for the last 7,000 years. Researchers have discovered that, through the years, farmers have preferred tomatoes that ripen together and are visually appealing, over taste. To support the production boom that took place after World War II, seed companies changed their tomatoes to increase their yield and to make them more pest resistant.