More than 150 chemicals are now regularly used to enhance the characteristics of the clothes we wear each day. Some of these chemicals are demonstrated carcinogens, or capable of reproduction, nervous, and endocrine system dysregulation. Others are allergenic or irritating. And … [Read more...] about A silkworm-based coating could soon replace the toxic chemicals in our clothes
Archives for April 2019
How community solar is pushing New York towards 100% renewables
Even if many New Yorkers would like to power their homes with solar energy, they wouldn’t be able to—unless they own a building and put solar panels on the roof themselves. But as the city pushes for 100 renewables, providing the opportunity for everyday New Yorkers to get … [Read more...] about How community solar is pushing New York towards 100% renewables
Startups are helping the city of Flint turn the tide after the water crisis
Whenever the city of Flint, Michigan, finds itself in the headlines, it’s rarely for anything good. The city has long suffered from divestment and exodus, and the water crisis five years ago didn’t help fix the national image of Flint being a site of intractable poverty. But all … [Read more...] about Startups are helping the city of Flint turn the tide after the water crisis
Tiny teeth-cleaning robots could soon calm your fears of the dentist
A visit to the dentist typically involves time-consuming and sometimes unsettling scraping with mechanical tools to remove plaque from teeth. Plaque deposits are usually the product of biofilms – little communities of micro-organisms, bacterial and otherwise, that gather together … [Read more...] about Tiny teeth-cleaning robots could soon calm your fears of the dentist
A South Korea school is enrolling illiterate grandmas to save it from closing
South Korea’s birthrate has been plummeting in recent decades, falling to less than one child per woman last year, one of the lowest in the world. The hardest hit areas are rural counties, where babies have become an increasingly rare sight as young couples migrate en masse to … [Read more...] about A South Korea school is enrolling illiterate grandmas to save it from closing