Oyster mushrooms could help patients in impoverished countries fight tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in low-income countries, where limited infrastructure, obtaining and storing vitamin supplements can be difficult. With that in mind, German scientists are now suggesting that people in such regions could fight TB by ingesting Read More...
Biomaterials breakthrough: scientists solve genetic riddle of spider glue
While the architectural intricacy of spider webs is with no doubt a remarkable natural phenomenon, spider silk – the gluey fiber that spiders use to make their webs – is what has been captivating scientists for many years. The sticky material has been touted for years as the next big thing Read More...
Cacti could help slash the amount of plastic polluting our environment
With so many headlines everywhere about the devastating effect of plastic pollution on our ecosystems, it feels good to see scientists eagerly working on finding sustainable solutions to this urgent environmental crisis. The most recent instance comes from Mexico, where a researcher has been Read More...
Bathing suits shed microplastics. This brand has a better solution
Every time someone washes something made from polyester or another synthetic fabric, tiny fibers flow down the drain and into waterways. In one study, an acrylic sweater shed 700,000 fibers each time it was washed. For swimsuits, the problem can be more direct, and some microfibers might rub off Read More...
Men are finding mental health support from an unexpected source: Reddit
Keegan Bursaw’s son was born “out of nowhere” at 26 weeks and five days. Then came three and a half months in the neonatal intensive-care unit. Doctors told Bursaw he had to be strong for his wife and son, but the too-new father wasn’t sure how to do that. So he asked Reddit. On Read More...
China has graveyards of unused dockless bikes. This man has a plan for them
When the dockless bike sharing concept started becoming trendy in metropolitan cities, many Chinese startups bet big on the idea, flooding cities all over the world with dockless bikes. Unfortunately for these startups, the bikes weren’t a big success, and they vanished as quickly from cities as Read More...
Suffering from headaches? This yoga pose can take the pain away
Whenever you get a bad headache, your first inclination might be to reach for the medicine cabinet and take an ibuprofen. This is especially the case when you have something you need to get done and you can’t do it with the raging pain affecting your brain. Still, if there was a way to quickly Read More...
Starbucks is testing a reusable cup scheme for airports
Travelers looking to get a quick fix of coffee before a flight use more disposable coffee cups than you can imagine. At Gatwick airport alone, more than 7 million paper cups are used each year, with most ending up in the landfill. Aware of this striking fact, Gatwick airport is testing the UK’s Read More...
Don’t strive for work-life balance. Instead, strive for this
If you think about it, work-life balance is a strange aspiration for a fulfilling life. Balance is about stasis: if our lives were ever in balance — parents happy, kids are taken care of, work working — then our overriding thought would be to shout “Nobody move!” and pray all would stay Read More...
Canada pledges to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021
Plastic forks and takeout containers could soon become a thing of the past for Canadians, as the country’s government has announced on Monday that it will ban single-use plastics from as early as 2021, joining a growing global movement in the fight against plastic pollution. Citing the example Read More...