Hairy Spill | Spinal Red | Pest Oil

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Hairy Spill

Human hair makes wonderful sponges. MatterOfTrust, a non-profit, cleans oil spills using hair mats.

• ~1 lb. hair = 2’ x 2’ x 2.5” hair mat

• Each mat soaks up 1.5 gallons of oil

• Sourced from hair salons

Hair mats aided spill clean up in the Galápagos Islands and are ready to soak up future disasters. ~50% of all mats are donated to cleanup volunteers, the rest are sold to government orgs. Suddenly “mop of hair” is a compliment.

Hair today, mop tomorrow 

Spinal Red

Red lights may be good for your back. Researchers stimulated nerve cell growth in damaged spinal cords with photobiomodulation (PBM).

• PBM = uses red and near-infrared light to promote healing

• Rat nerve cells increased 45% after 5 days of PBM (in vitro)

• Axon length increased 21-26% within 3 days (in vivo)

In vivo experiments showed similar results from invasive and non-invasive treatments. Supporting the potential for human clinical trials and relief for spinal cord injuries. Until then, we can enjoy our time at traffic lights.

Be right… back

Pest Oil

Vegetable oil, great for cooking AND protecting your vegetables. A new pesticide spray was inspired by sundew plant’s bug-trapping sticky leaves.

• Veggie-based triglyceride oils form sticky beads when sprayed

• Rain-resistant and lasts 3 months

• Immobilizes and kills small pests

Bees and other beneficial insects are large enough to avoid getting stuck, ensuring they continue helping plants thrive. The spray is safe for human ingestion, but more testing is needed before commercial use. No word on its anti-mosquito properties.

What’s cookin’?

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “Which coffee is better?”

Some of us are seasonal in our coffee-temp preferences. For example, my cold coffee season starts May 1^st and ends on the 30^th of April 😜 

st3v on site

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While shaded parts of the moon drop below -200 °F, technically there is no “dark side” since the sun hits the whole surface as it orbits Earth 🤓 

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