Latest news with #UniversityofQueensland
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers create game-changing solution for common problem on grocery store shelves — here are the details
Researchers create game-changing solution for common problem on grocery store shelves — here are the details A new biodegradable bioplastic has been manufactured to counter plastic waste in the produce aisle. The ideal application is to use it for fruit punnets, baskets commonly used for berries and smaller produce. Researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have designed a biodegradable packaging material made from bacteria-derived polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) mixed with the wood fibers of Radiata pine sawdust. The resulting material is biodegradable in multiple natural environments, including fresh water, salt water, industrial composting centers, and soil. This project was created with support from the Centre for Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing and was created over three years by UQ's School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. This project was funded to specifically tackle the negative environmental impact of single-use plastic punnets in produce, which are made of petroleum. The design incorporated input from the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association in order to match the needs of the growers and distributors, as well as from manufacturer SDI Plastics and Queensland biotech company Uluu. An original trial tested 200 strawberry punnets of the new material to provide proof of concept and has shown that it can withstand real-world usage and degrade as intended. Australia, with a population of just over 27 million, uses 580 million plastic punnets every year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. With the population approaching 350 million in the U.S. alone, the amount of single-use plastic manufactured for produce is astounding. Production companies favor plastic for its low costs and ease of access. However, plastic is made from fossil fuels, which takes hundreds of years to degrade and ends up as micro- and nanoplastics in our waterways instead. Around the world, 430 million tons of plastic are manufactured every year for everything from produce to toys. When engineers and companies choose sustainability over ease, it makes a big impact on all consumers. If this biodegradable punnet received funding to replace plastic punnets just in Australia, it could save 1 billion plastic containers from entering landfills in less than two years. If you're interested in shopping more sustainably, consider brands that have upgraded to plastic-free packaging, like Kouvolan Lakritsi candy company, or to other eco-friendly materials, like Sea to Summit did with their camping gear. What should America do to fight plastic pollution? Stricter regulations on companies Better recycling More bans on single-use items All of the above Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Tastemakers: From mezza to mozza, Artichoke restaurant flips the script
SINGAPORE – In Singapore's brutal food scene, where restaurants go belly up in the blink of an eye, staying open for 15 years is a feat. Chefs and owners who get to that milestone should bask in the glow of achievement, of having had the wits to keep all those balls in the air for so many years. Artichoke's Bjorn Shen is not basking. He is converting his New School Middle Eastern restaurant, which turns 15 on Aug 10, into a pizza parlour. The 90-seat restaurant at New Bahru will serve its last Middle Eastern meal on Aug 10 and, on Aug 15, Artichoke becomes a New School Pizza Parlor. Why? 'I've been playing the same video game for 15 years, using the same character and the same weapon. And, like, been slaying all the bosses,' he says. 'After 15 years of playing the same game, I'm getting bored. Can I change the character? Can I change the weapon? 'We're still playing the same Singapore F&B game. But we're changing the weapon now.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Cambodia calls for ceasefire with Thailand after deadly clashes Asia Behind deadly Thai-Cambodian clashes, a bitter spat between two dynastic leaders Multimedia Lights dimmed at South-east Asia's scam hub but 'pig butchering' continues Business Banking and finance jobs will change but won't disappear as AI becomes the new normal: Accenture Sport Mikkel Lee gets back up to speed as Singapore swimmers eye 2028 Olympics spots Business How parents can prevent disputes over their properties Asia Hottest 'ticket' in Jakarta? Young Indonesians compete for a slot at this novel club Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Middle of the barrel He got into Middle Eastern food while working part time at a Greek restaurant in Brisbane, Australia. He had gone there to study hospitality and tourism at the University of Queensland. Cooking with and for his Middle Eastern colleagues spurred him to open Artichoke after he graduated and returned to Singapore. Despite a rocky start when he opened the restaurant in 2010 – diners here did not understand his take on Middle Eastern food – he stuck to his guns. He let his inner dude and irreverence out. The restaurant started attracting attention from the media and diners. He parlayed his image as a self-described 'gun-slinging maverick who didn't care about the rules' into a successful business. Now, he is rocking that boat. The 43-year-old says: 'I'm coming up to 45 soon. I'm not planning to cook in restaurants past the age of 60. It took me 15 years to get here. Can I see myself doing this for the next 15 years and getting to retirement on this one cuisine? I cannot. I don't want to.' He talks about how difficult it is to keep reinventing Middle Eastern food. 'We have to make our way through 10 old ideas before finding one new idea,' he says. 'Now, we're scraping the middle of the barrel. Not the bottom, but the middle. It's getting harder and harder to find cool, new ideas after putting a creative spin on this cuisine for 15 years. So, I'm thinking, 'How many more versions of hummus can I do? How many more versions of falafel can I do?'' Asked if diners who love his food and have become regulars might feel hard done by, he says: 'I'm hoping we've given people good times in the last 15 years.' And to those who have yet to discover Artichoke, he adds: 'We've been here for 15 years. If you haven't come in 15 years, why am I banking on you to come in the next six months?' 'Artichoking' pizza Singapore has had something of a pizza boom in the last few years, with artisanal pies coming at diners in every style imaginable: classic Neapolitan, contemporary Neapolitan, neo-Neapolitan, New York-Neapolitan, San Francisco sourdough, New Haven-New York and Japolitan, among others. Brands such as L'antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Vincenzo Capuano, Fortuna, Roberta's and Pizza Studio Tamaki jostle alongside home-grown ones like La Bottega Enoteca, Blue Label, Wild Child Pizzette and Goldenroy Sourdough Pizza for a slice of, well, the pizza pie. Just as he had 'artichoked' Middle Eastern food – he uses the noun as a verb to describe how he puts his spin on food – he has now 'artichoked' pizza. A big consideration was the Singaporean experience with pizza. 'Our concept of pizza is Pizza Hut, Milano's, Shakey's and Rocky's,' he says. 'It's a crispy-base pizza with a crunch, and lots of toppings that go closer to the edge.' His pizza will come in two formats – Slabs and Rounds. The Slab is a hybrid of the Roman al taglio style, with a foccacia-like dough and usually sold in rectangular slices; and the Detroit style, also rectangular, cooked in a pan, with a thick, crisp and chewy crust and cheese spread out to the edges of the pie. Artichoke's Slab has something a little extra – a half-and-half mix of pecorino and mozzarella cheeses sprinkled on the pan before the dough is placed on top. The pecorino gives the crust flavour, and the mozzarella melts and fries the dough in the oven for a crunchy bottom. The rectangular pies arrive at the table on metal racks so they stay crisp. Variations will include Margherita, topped with mozzarella and pecorino cheeses, red sauce and basil; and Dirty Duck, topped with Balinese spiced duck and snake beans. Prices are expected to range from $22 to $32. Each pie is cut into six squares. Artichoke's Green Supreme is stuffed with mushrooms, peas, garlic and spinach, and topped with zucchini, burrata cheese and mint. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN Slabs will also be made into Stacks, split in half horizontally and piled with fillings and toppings. There are two variations – Green Supreme, stuffed with mushrooms, peas, garlic and spinach, and topped with zucchini, burrata cheese and mint; and Meat Supreme, beef Sloppy Joes, corned beef, bacon and tomato cream. Prices will range from $28 to $32 . Rounds are deep-fried pizza, similar to Pizza Montanara from Naples. At Artichoke, the pizza bases are first deep-fried so they puff up. Then, depending on what goes on them, baked and topped, or topped and baked. The BAP or Bacon Apple Pie comes with pancetta, apple butter, brie cream, hazelnuts and rosemary. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN Variations include BAP or Bacon Apple Pie, with pancetta, apple butter, brie cream, hazelnuts and rosemary; and Black Bolognese, with spicy octopus masak hitam, squid ink and potato cream. Prices will range from $30 to $34. Rounding off the menu will be a selection of snacks, including Beef Lasagne Nuggets, and burrata cheese with strawberry tomato kimchi and perilla; plates including fried chicken and Japanese Oyster & Mushroom pasta; and sweets such as cherry pie. A meal for two might include one snack, two pizzas or plates and a dessert. The average cheque is expected to be $35 to $40 a person – lower than Middle Eastern Artichoke's $69 a person Feed Me menu. Flipping the script on Artichoke will allow it to open all day and to offer delivery and pickup – both not viable in its current iteration. The restaurant in the River Valley area is surrounded by condominiums. Rabbit hole Chef Shen's pizza awakening happened in Osaka in 2017. After days of eating nothing but Japanese food on a trip there, he decided to walk into a 16-seat place called I Love Pizza. It was the first time he ate Neapolitan pizza. 'I was blown away,' he says. 'I'm like, 'Why am I liking the crust so much?' So, I Googled Neapolitan pizza , and then I went down the rabbit hole.' What followed was a deep dive into pizza, although he found it difficult to find proper Neapolitan pizza in Singapore. One place he found was Pizza Fabbrica in Haji Lane. He says it serves pies with leopard spots – the rim of the pizza sports charred spots, the hallmark of authentic Neapolitan pizza. In 2018, he visited 20 pizza restaurants in nine days in Tokyo and, the following year, went on a pizza tour of Bangkok. In 2023, he went to Rome, and then to Caserta, home of I Masanielli, named the top pizzeria in Italy every year since 2019 by the influential 50 Top Pizza guide. In 2020, he started Small's, a four-seat space within Artichoke, then located in Middle Road, serving pizza omakase. Even then, he was 'artichoking' pizza. The meal included Neapolitan-style pies and the highlight was Pizza Alla Banh Mi, pizza dough baked, split and stuffed with a mountain of banh mi fillings – Vietnamese charcuterie, pickles, herbs and tomatoes. He co-owns Baba G's Pizza Place in Seminyak, Bali, with Artichoke head chef Mathew Woon, 41. They serve Neapolitan pizzas there, for a mostly tourist clientele. Bjorn Shen's pizza will come in two formats – Slabs and Rounds. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN So, the switch to pizza does not come out of the blue, he says. Pivoting seems to come naturally to chef Shen. Small's, which went from four seats at Artichoke to a full-fledged restaurant in Lavender Street and back to a seven-seat space in Artichoke, has moved away from pizza omakase. It now serves whatever chef Shen fancies. Currently, it is an All-Fish Korean BBQ menu at $145 a person. The next menu is expected to feature beef and kakigori or Japanese-style shaved ice. Baba G's started out as Babaghanoush in August 2024, serving Middle Eastern barbecue with ingredients from Balinese markets. It became Baba G's Pizza Place in May 2025 . Chef Shen has put in about $200,000, and finds the market there challenging. He is having better returns from Nep!, a 14-seat natural wine bar in Penang he co-owns with two former Artichoke staff – chef Koh Yee Ming, 31, and Goh Chia Ye, 29, a sommelier. It opened in June 2024 and serves small plate food made with ingredients from the markets there. His $80,000 investment has already paid dividends. In 15 years of running Artichoke and doing consultancy work in Singapore and abroad for restaurant groups and hotels, he has come to realise the need to diversify. He says: 'I need to spread my wings out of Singapore. People come to me for consulting gigs here, and I keep telling them I cannot guarantee success. Just because Artichoke's been around for a while, I cannot make your restaurant a success. 'I can't even guarantee that if I open another restaurant in Singapore, it will be a success. There are so many factors stacked against you. One of them is manpower. Without it, we can't do anything, we're just crippled. So, I've been trying to open in places where manpower is a bit more abundant.' The question now is whether the Artichoke pivot to pizza will work. He says his wife Roxanne Toh, 40, who handles the administrative and human resource side of the business, is fine with it. They have two daughters aged eight and six, and a baby boy is due in August. He says: 'She knows I have this thing for pizza. I've got a stupid pizza tattoo, you know? She knows.' For some years, Artichoke used 'Still not dead' as its anniversary tagline. Scrappiness might get a restaurant through its first few years, but then experience must count for something at the 15-year mark. Chef Shen says: 'If I want to build a lasting thing in Singapore, if I want to really entrench ourselves in the hearts and minds of people over time, it needs to be something that is tailored more to the Singapore taste.' So, despite his love for Neapolitan pizza, Artichoke will serve what he thinks will intrigue Singaporeans and also resonate with them. 'Thick, crunchy, full of toppings. Not like Neapolitan, where all your 'liao' is in the middle and then the sides are like, whoa, throw away,' he says, using the Hokkien word for ingredients. None of this is to say he is done flying by the seat of his pants. He is not a gun-slinging maverick for nothing. On the menu of Artichoke, New School Pizza Parlor, he talks about why it is now serving pizza, ending with 'Let's see if we go another 15 years, or if this was a dumb idea'. There is also a new tagline: 'Cheating death since 2010.' Still not dead, all grown up.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Does Brisbane need more street stalls and markets? This researcher thinks so
More street stalls and markets should be encouraged across Brisbane. That's the key finding of a new research paper, exploring the 'social and economic' benefits of shared public spaces. It also says trees and other greenery should be planted by council between footpaths and roads to better separate vehicles and pedestrians in the city. 'These kinds of spaces, they add quite a lot to the vitality,' urban planning associate professor, Dr Dorina Pojani, said. 'Street vendors make the city more attractive … people like them. 'The council should approve more, and if there are existing spaces that accommodate street vending they should be considered treasures and safeguarded rather than being allowed to fail.' The University of Queensland's School of Architecture, Design and Planning study compared street events in Brisbane – including the 'suitcase rummage' on Boundary Street and a footpath market in West End – to markets in the Indian city of Nagpur.
The Age
5 days ago
- General
- The Age
Does Brisbane need more street stalls and markets? This researcher thinks so
More street stalls and markets should be encouraged across Brisbane. That's the key finding of a new research paper, exploring the 'social and economic' benefits of shared public spaces. It also says trees and other greenery should be planted by council between footpaths and roads to better separate vehicles and pedestrians in the city. 'These kinds of spaces, they add quite a lot to the vitality,' urban planning associate professor, Dr Dorina Pojani, said. 'Street vendors make the city more attractive … people like them. 'The council should approve more, and if there are existing spaces that accommodate street vending they should be considered treasures and safeguarded rather than being allowed to fail.' The University of Queensland's School of Architecture, Design and Planning study compared street events in Brisbane – including the 'suitcase rummage' on Boundary Street and a footpath market in West End – to markets in the Indian city of Nagpur.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Queensland mining data informs better understanding of underground stresses
New research into the world's tectonic plate stress patterns has led to a better understanding of how the mining and construction industry affects what goes on beneath the Earth's surface. The latest World Stress Map, released this week, revealed new earthquake trigger data and information about how stress builds in the Earth's crust as a result of underground mining activity mapped in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Mojtaba Rajabi, from University of Queensland's (UQ) School of Environment, said the latest update to the map could help make underground mining and construction activities safer by providing better insights into the Earth's stress conditions. "Digging, drilling or injecting fluids in the wrong spot can tip the underground balance and induce a seismic event. "Understanding stress helps us prevent these man-made shakes." Through UQ's collaboration with Germany's GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, the Earth's underground stress patterns have been mapped in more detail than ever before. Dr Rajabi said the latest update included more than 100,000 stress data records. "This is almost double the data from the previous release we published in 2016," he said. The new data from central Queensland's mining heartland, the Bowen Basin, has found a dramatic rotation in underground stress of more than 50 degrees within 100 kilometres. Dr Rajabi said the mining data, which was analysed remotely, would lead to pinpointing vulnerable areas that could potentially trigger earthquakes. "The direction of the tectonic force coming from the plates east of Australia change dramatically, and when these forces interact with local geological conditions they redirect stress in different ways," he said. "As a result, the safest directions for drilling and excavation can vary significantly between locations in the same region. "This gives us a really great guide on ways we can dig safer in terms of mining or reservoir analysis studies, such as in our gas exploration." The Queensland Mining and Energy Union said the new data would be a vital tool for researchers and industries working to ensure the safe use of the Earth's sub-surface. Mining health and safety representative Jason Hill said it had the potential to help coal mines with strata control — a method used to maintain the stability of the ground. "Strata control is a principal hazard and it has killed a lot of people over the years, so any data or research into the management of strata is very much welcome," he said. Mr Hill said he hoped mining operators would adopt the findings. "The most important thing now is the companies actually take a look at [the report] and use it to ensure that they are achieving an acceptable level of risk," he said. The World Stress Map has been updated every decade for more than 40 years, drawing on data from seismology centres, the energy and resources sector and civil engineering projects across the globe. Dr Rajabi said Australia's underground stress patterns were unlike any other continent. "Highly variable, full of twists and turns, and not aligned with the direction the continent is moving," he said. "With this [new] level of detail, we can now better understand how tectonic forces behave not just across regions but at the local scale too."
