If you combine this week's stories you'd get a giant renewable snail with superhuman strength. Whether that's good or bad depends on which secondary traits the beast inherits from each topic. Good luck!

-Steve

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Slime Invasion

Giant snails are slowly wreaking havoc in Florida. These GALS devour plants and some carry a dangerous parasite that affects humans.

• GALS = giant African land snails

• Grow up to 8” long

• Transmit rat lungworm parasites

These parasites invade our central nervous system and can cause multiple health problems. They’re avoidable by properly cleaning/cooking exposed food. Officials have quarantined the snails to contain and eradicate the invasive species.

Low-budget horror pitch: Snail Mail

Green Sand 

Sand can be a beach, or it can be a battery. Finland’s Polar Night Energy launched its first sandy thermal energy storage system.

• Sand is stored in a silo-like container

• Insulated steel tank: ~13’ wide x 23’ tall

• Sand is heated by renewable electricity to 930-1,100 °F

Once heated, the sand stays hot, effectively storing 8 megawatt-hours of energy. Heat is then sent back out when needed. Think of it as bottling up the summer sun for use in the Scandinavian winter.

Head in the sand

Synthetic Strength

Building muscle requires putting in countless hours at the…lab? UCLA researchers developed a material that simulates muscle fibers called PHDE.

• PHDE: Performance Dielectric Elastomer

• Material is layered and woven similar to muscle fibers

• Stronger and more flexible than its natural inspiration

PHDE can be used in small robots providing flexible force to move objects or jump. It could also be used in wearable technology, such as exoskeletons. Hmm, is this the stuff they make Westworld hosts from?

Do you even lift weave acrylic fibers?

Clickables 

• Really cool pics of nature 

• There’s crappy beer, then there's beer made from recycled sewer water

• Buying this dino would give you the coolest Zoom background 

• Nature’s helipad, a massive waterlily

• Watch this YouTuber literally reinvent the wheel

st3v on site

Snail Phobia

st3v still hasn't realized he can just roll away

Thank you for reading!

Missed last week’s Convo?

Catch-up here: Octo Brains | Night Garden | Deer in Lights - The Convo Kit #55

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