Swifties | Blood Buddy | Plastic Suds

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s…detailed in the first story below!

-Steve

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Swifties in the Sky

Watch the sky tonight if you’ve ever wished for more wishes. The Perseids meteor shower is putting on a grand show for anyone with clear skies.

• Named after Perseus, the constellation it appears to come from

• It’s actually dust from Comet 109/P Swift-Tuttle

• 50k miles above us, particles burn up at 13k mph

Earth passes through this dust trail annually, but tonight’s dim moon sets up prime time viewing. The best show falls between midnight and sunrise. Have a LOT of wishes ready.

Ooo a shooting star!

Blood Buddy

Turns out siphoning blood from the young can slow aging. Researchers surgically joined circulatory systems in pairs of mice to study the impact of a youthful boost.

• Pairs: 4 mo. and 2 yrs. old (18 and 50 in human yrs.)

• Joined for 12 weeks, separated, and studied for 2 mo.

• Older mice lived 6-9% longer than control groups

Young mice showed no negative effects as their bodies quickly cleared out any damage caused by aged blood. Further studies aim to identify key anti-aging molecules and bring molecular therapies to humans. Sans finding a blood buddy.

Vampires may have been on to something

Plastic Suds

You’re probably not washing your hands with used water bottles, yet. Researchers at Virginia Tech are trying to change that by turning plastic waste into soap.

• Polyethylene is molecularly similar to soap’s precursor

• Special “oven” heats plastic to break polymer chains

• Then cools to prevent it from turning into gas

Short-chain polyethylene residue cleaned from the oven becomes a wax base for soap. Another significant piece of the puzzle in combating plastic pollution. Even cooler if it’s shaped like this ♻️.

Also works for polypropylene!

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “Would you rather swim with...”

Before you dive in with team whale, keep in mind a great point from Jackie, one of our readers, last week: Pinocchio.

st3v on site

Wishful Thinking

st3v scripted all his wishes for Perseids. We’re going to have a looot of donuts.

Forward to a friend!

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