Hasta La Gadget!

At least, part of it could. Researchers in Brazil have developed a new type of plastic that’s stronger and lighter than petroleum-based plastics. And it’s made from fruit.

The new technique takes plants like bananas, pineapples, and coconuts and turns them into what’s called nanocellulose fibers, which can then be used to create the new plastics. The plastic is 30 percent lighter than traditional petroleum-based ones, and around three to four times stronger.

Right now the plan is to eventually replace automotive plastics with the new plant-based material, which would improve fuel economy by making vehicles lighter. But eventually the nanocellulose fibers could be used in more than just plastics.

“We may be able to replace steel and aluminum automotive parts using these plant-based nanocellulose materials,” researcher Alcides Leão told Wired.

A new study shows that holding planes at their gates for just a few extra minutes will cause a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the study, which tested various ways of speeding up airplanes in Boston’s Logan International Airport, simply holding a plane at the gate for an average of around four minutes speeds the process up, which in turn reduces the use of fuel. In fact, the study showed that fuel use was decreased by an average of 75 liters per plane.

“There is going to be a significant decrease in greenhouse gases from this,” MIT researcher Hamsa Balakrishnan told New Scientist. Balakrishnan also explained that, when combined with optimized arrival paths for planes, this technique could reduce carbon emissions by millions of tons on an annual basis.

Nightingale Island, home to the iconic Northern Rockhopper Penguins, is largely untouched by the human world. That was, until a ship crashed onto the small South Atlantic island, spilling fuel and cargo.

The event happened on March 16, when the MV Oliva (Valetta) crashed on shore and spilled its cargo of soybeans and around 800 tons of fuel. It was witnessed by Andrew Evans, a photographer for National Geographic who was on the island on-assignment, taking pictures of the local wildlife.

The ecological disaster changed that assignment, and Evans began snapping shots of oil-soaked penguins instead of the pristine wilderness. More than 750 penguins were moved to a nearby island for cleaning and thousands are expected to eventually die due to the effect of the spill.

“The oil spill occurred at the tail end of the rockhoppers’ molting season, worsening the natural struggle of the skinny penguins to return to the sea and find enough fish to survive,” wrote Evans. “In order to prevent the penguins from returning to the sea, large pens have been set up on Nightingale Island.”

The announcement of Qatar as the site of the 2022 World Cup has raised some temperature concerns for the summer tournament. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has suggested the possibility of moving the event to the winter, to cool things off a bit. But local scientists think they’ve developed a work around: fake clouds. 

Soon your phone could be powered by nothing more than a thin transparent film covering its screen.

A company called Wysips has developed the super thin film, which doubles as a solar panel, complete with strips of photovoltaic cells. The power can then be used to charge up your gadget’s battery. The film is able to charge a traditional phone battery in around six hours of direct sunlight. It also works with indoor light, though naturally the process is much slower.

While this may not seem practical for folks who don’t spend a lot of time outdoors, when used in conjunction with a traditional phone charger it could serve as a great way to keep your phone continually full of juice so that you can use the wall plug less.

Via Fast Company