Oil

In the not-too-distant future, folks dealing with oil spills may have a robotic helper to call on.

Plunging down to a depth of about 11,000 meters, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, so it’s no surprise that we don’t really know what’s down there. New species and strange sounds have turned up recently, and now researchers have discovered a new group of oil-eating bacteria.

​Lubricating your bike's chain can be a messy and wasteful business, as excess oil drips off the chain and onto the ground. German startup The Outsider Team is out to do something about it, though, with its Flectr Lubri Disc.

Essential oils are most commonly associated with aromatherapy and other alternative “medicines." Now a team at Johns Hopkins has found that some essential oils may have antibiotic properties, particularly against a persisting form of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

It's well reported that oil spills can have a catastrophic biological and environmental impact. But to date, few studies have examined the effect of whole crude oil on senses of a marine vertebrate. A new study is the first to confirm effects on stingrays' sense of smell.

​Removing oil spills from water is a difficult business, with various approaches having met with mixed results. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Forestry believe they may be onto something, however, in the form of a reusable "wooden" sponge that absorbs oil while leaving water behind.

​Sometimes, people want to clean up polluted water, by removing spilled oil from its surface. Other times, they want to purify oil-based fuel, by removing water from it. An inexpensive new "smart" membrane created at Canada's University of British Columbia can switch between doing both.

Using waste products of the petroleum and refining industries, researchers have created an absorbent polymer that can quickly soak up crude oil and diesel from sea water.

Our phones follow us everywhere – which often puts them in the line of fire for spilt drinks or rain. But now a team at the University of Michigan has developed a durable, clear coating that could help phones – or any surface, for that matter – repel almost any liquid.

A new study is rekindling a debate over the safety of essential oils. The research suggests lavender and tea tree oils contain potential hormone disrupting chemicals and could be responsible for a condition called prepubertal gynecomastia where young boys develop abnormal breast tissue.

​Supercars aren't known for being friendly to the environment, but Aston Martin has used the Vantage AMR to debut a more sustainable approach to engine oil. A new management system developed alongside Nexcel allows the hottest road-going Vantage to lubricate itself with re-refined engine oil.

Engineers at MIT have come up with a system that controls how water moves on a surface using light that may one day help clean up oil drilling and enable microfluidic diagnostic devices that can be redesigned at the push of a button.