New Atlas

Environment Audio available

Heat and carbon turn plastic waste into jet fuel

Ben Coxworth June 3, 2019

Commonly used to make a wide variety of items, low-density polyethylene can be recycled into new plastic, but there's much more waste than recycling facilities can currently handle. With that in mind, scientists have now devised a method of converting the material into something else – jet fuel.

Science Audio available

Food-tasting "electronic tongue" seeks out the spice

Ben Coxworth May 14, 2019

If you worked as a taste-tester of spicy foods, you'd only be able to try a few samples at a time – after that, your taste buds would become desensitized and need a rest. A newly-developed "electronic tongue," however, can accurately measure the spiciness of multiple foods for hours at a time.

The prototype spiciness-measuring electronic tongue

Environment Audio available

Eco-friendly foam outperforms the "real thing"

Ben Coxworth May 13, 2019

Styrofoam isn't eco-friendly stuff. It's made from petroleum, it can't be efficiently recycled, it's non-biodegradable, and it creates pollution when burned. A new plant-based foam reportedly has none of those drawbacks, however, plus it's claimed to actually insulate better than regular Styrofoam.

A sample of the foam, which is made of wood pulp-derived cellulose

Robotics

Assistive robot made to seek out seniors in their home

Ben Coxworth January 14, 2019

We've already seen assistive robots for seniors, which sit in one place in the user's home. A team at Washington State University, however, has developed one that figures out where its user is, then goes to them and offers its assistance when needed.

The robot assists master's student Nisha Raghunath in a medication-taking task

Medical Audio available

New 3D-printed electrodes may boost "jab-less" blood glucose monitoring

Ben Coxworth December 7, 2018

Daily finger-prick blood glucose tests are an unpleasant part of life for diabetics, which is why various groups have developed non-invasive glucose-monitoring sensors. Such devices may be becoming more effective and affordable, thanks to a project presently underway at Washington State University.

The research is being led by Asst. Prof. Arda Gozen (pictured) and Prof. Yuehe Lin

Science Audio available

Scientists trace the evolution of cocoa to breed better chocolate

Michael Irving October 24, 2018

A team of researchers has traced back the origins of the cocoa tree to a single domestication event thousands of years ago, and uncovered other clues hiding in its genome that could help make future chocolate even better.

Researchers have traced back the evolutionary history of the cocoa tree to a single domestication event ...

Biology

Fiery, high-flying Icarus moth finally confirmed as new species

James Holloway October 10, 2018

In Greek myth, Icarus was the high-flying son of Daedalus who, due to his own arrogance, flew too close to the sun. Now his name has been given to a newly-discovered moth, Admetovis icarus, thanks to its fiery markings and partiality to high altitudes.

Admetovis icarus belongs to the owlet moth family

Space

Did the Moon once have life?

David Szondy July 23, 2018

Today, the Moon is as dead as you can get, but scientists contend that this might not have been the case billions of years ago. There were two periods shortly after the Moon formed when it could have been possible for life to have existed on the lunar surface.

The Moon as seen by the Galileo deep-space probe in 1992

Science

Diagnostic device uses smartphone to check almost 100 samples at once

Ben Coxworth April 24, 2018

Smartphone-based diagnostic devices allow doctors in resource-poor regions to perform tests that would otherwise involve sending samples away. Most such devices, however, can only analyze individual samples. By contrast, a new one can check 96 samples for diseases, all at one time.

The researchers have filed a patent on the mReader

Biology

To detect frog fungus, just ask eDNA

Ben Coxworth March 13, 2018

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a deadly skin fungus that threatens populations of frogs and salamanders around the world. There may be new hope for catching it early enough to limit amphibian fatalities, however, thanks to the analysis of what's known as environmental DNA.