The biodegradable film scientists say could replace air conditioning
Scientists from China and Australia have developed a new biodegradable metafilm designed to reduce building energy consumption.
The film, made from plant-derived polylactic acid, passively reflects solar radiation and allows internal heat to escape, cooling surfaces without electricity.
Testing showed the metafilm can reduce temperatures by up to 9.2C during peak sunlight hours and keep surfaces 4.9C cooler on average during the day.
This environmentally friendly alternative to air conditioning is durable, maintaining performance even after prolonged exposure to harsh conditions.
Computer simulations indicate the metafilm could cut annual energy consumption in hot cities by over 20 per cent, with potential future applications in various sectors.
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Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
People left disgusted after discovering what 'blue ice' is on planes
Plane passengers are often amused by the quirks of flying - like watching their water bottles crush and crisp packets puff up due to changes in cabin pressure. But there's one in-flight phenomenon that some would find a little more nauseating than most: the mysterious and messy reality of 'blue ice'. Blue ice occurs when frozen blocks of aircraft toilet waste break loose mid-flight and fall to the ground, sometimes causing property damage, injury and costly clean-up. The term 'blue ice' refers to waste leaked from an aircraft lavatory system, mixed with blue disinfectant, which freezes at cruising altitudes where temperatures can plunge below –60 degrees Celsius. Upon descent, the ice can dislodge and fall to the ground, sometimes with dangerous consequences. Though modern aircraft waste systems are designed to be completely sealed and undergo regular inspection, small leaks - caused by hairline cracks or faulty seals - can occasionally occur. These incidents are more common than many realise, with aviation experts at Brookfield Aviation highlighting one of the very real hazards of modern air travel. In recent years, the phenomenon has made headlines around the world for the unique stories of chaos it can cause 35,000 feet below. In December 2015, a 60-year-old woman narrowly escaped death when a chunk of ice mysteriously fell from the sky over a village in India – with scientists at the time saying it may have come from a plane's toilet. The incident left the woman, identified by media as Rajrani Gaud, with a shoulder injury, but those who live in the village of Aamkhoh said her injuries could have been far worse. Witnesses claimed she survived the incident because the ice crashed onto a home's terrace before hitting her. The following year, a teacher in Canada claimed a frozen lump of excrement from a plane passing overhead ripped a hole in the roof of her mother's house. Stephanie Moore was woken by the crashing noise, and looked up to discover a huge hole in the ceiling - along with a puddle of water on the floor in the hallway - less than 15 feet from where she was sleeping. She said that the roofer sent round to inspect and repair the damage described it as the 'strangest thing they had ever seen,' and it was only then that they mentioned that it could be 'blue ice.' Similar, in September 2012, residents of two Long Island homes were woken in the early hours of a Sunday by a calamitous crashing noise as large and heavy debris of material fell through both their roofs. Neighbours Lois Farella and Anne Grace of Valley Stream were left with gaping holes in their roofs, the cause of which was believed to be frozen waste - known as 'blue ice' - that most likely leaked from a passing aircraft. At the time, the FVV investigated the possibility that a plane's faulty sewage tank might have be responsible for the damage done to the shingles, the plywood and even the layer of insulation of the houses. 'It's a very huge hole. It did a lot of damage through heavy wood. I can't imagine if it hit a person,' Ms Grace told CBS of the destruction caused on her home. Her elderly neighbour who was left with a basketball-sized hole in her own roof, recalled: 'We both woke up to a very loud bang. I looked around - no breeze, no rain, nothing.' In September 2014, a furious homeowner claimed low-flying planes on a Heathrow flight path are damaging his £3 million Georgian mansion. Owner Daljit Bhail, 55, alleged large gusts of wind caused by aircraft caused tiles on his roof to be dislodged, and blue ice had smashed a glass lantern just outside the house. He said low flying planes over the past three years have caused 'vortex damage' - where large gusts of wind from planes have smashed into buildings. Mr Bhail claimed blue ice - frozen sewage leaked mid-flight from plane toilets - smashed a glass lantern just outside the house, which he rents on Airbnb. And perhaps, most memorably, was an incident in 1971 that saw a piece of blue ice crash straight through the roof of a London chapel in the middle of a quiet service. While these events may sound rare, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) receives around 25 reports of blue ice falls each year, with comparable figures recorded in North America. Most of the time, falling blue ice lands harmlessly in remote areas or breaks up before reaching the ground. In light of the possibility that blue ice could strike property or people, experts at Brookfield Aviation stress the importance of rigorous aircraft maintenance - even for systems passengers rarely think about.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Scientists warn of surprising amount of microplastics found in glass and plastic bottles
Drinks sold in glass bottles, like soda, wine, or beer, may contain more microplastic particles than those in plastic ones, a surprising new study published by France's food safety agency suggests. Microplastics, several times smaller than the width of a single human hair strand, form as plastic waste breaks down into smaller pieces over time, finding their way into the environment and into the bodies of humans and other species. They have been detected almost everywhere, polluting the clouds, the deepest parts of the ocean and on the sides of the world's tallest mountains. A growing body of studies warns that exposure to these particles via the air we breathe and the food we eat could be linked to serious health conditions like strokes, hormone disruptions and several kinds of cancer. Scientists hope to better understand the prevalence of these potentially toxic particles and the ways in which humans get exposed to them. Previous research has found direct evidence linking a key ingredient of plastic bottles to an increased risk of diabetes. Now, a new study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis has found that microplastics are prevalent even in beverages sold in glass bottles. Researchers, including those from the French food safety agency ANSES, found an average of around 100 microplastic particles per litre in glass bottles of soft drinks, lemonade, tea, and beer. This could be five to 50 times greater than the rate found in plastic bottles or metal cans, scientists say. 'Counterintuitively, drinks sold in glass bottles were more contaminated by microplastics,' they wrote in the study. "We expected the opposite result," Iseline Chaib, one of the authors of the new study, told AFP. The study could not directly establish whether there was any health risk from the consumption of such beverages sold in glass bottles or not, due to the lack of toxicological data. Scientists found that the microplastic particles in the glass bottles corresponded to the colour and polymer composition of the paint on their caps, indicating that this was likely the main source of contamination. They recommend that glass bottle manufacturers clean new capsules before capping the bottles to reduce microplastic contamination. 'Pre-cleaning of new capsules, by blowing them out and rinsing them with water/ethanol/water, has significantly reduced the number of MPs (microplastics) per encapsulated bottle, lowering it by approximately three, compared to untreated capsules,' scientists said. Researchers suspect the capsules used for capping glass bottles likely undergo abrasion and surface friction as they collide during storage and transport, causing their particles to flake into bottles. 'Cleaning seems to be essential and could significantly minimise contamination of the liquid in the bottle by paint particles present in the capsule,' they added.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Gilead signs up to $750 million cancer drug deal with Kymera Therapeutics
June 25 (Reuters) - Gilead Sciences (GILD.O), opens new tab has entered into an option and license deal with Kymera Therapeutics (KYMR.O), opens new tab to support the development and sales of a class of cancer drugs, the companies said on Wednesday. As part of the deal, Gilead would pay as much as $750 million, including up to $85 million upfront, in exchange for an option to gain global rights to develop, manufacture and sell Kymera's drug candidates that belong to a class called molecular glue degraders. Kymera is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on net sales of the drugs under the deal. Compared to traditional cancer drugs that inhibit the action of an associated protein, Kymera's drugs are designed to selectively eliminate proteins called CDK2, or cyclin-dependent kinase 2. "This mechanism aligns within our oncology scientific framework where we evaluate therapeutic agents that selectively target and kill cancer cells with minimal impact on healthy tissue," said Flavius Martin, executive vice president of research at Gilead. Kymera said it would lead all research activities for the drugs currently tested in preclinical studies and advance it as a potential treatment for breast cancer and other solid tumors. The deal with Kymera is expected to reduce Gilead's 2025 profit per share by about two to three cents, the companies said.
