Japan figures out how to make water solid - more impressive than it sounds.
http://inhabitat.com/2010/04/30/japa...-out-of-water/
Kinda cool, and folks are already saying "no more petrol plastics," but I kinda of have to wonder how useful a plastic that [presumably] dissolves in the rain will *actually* turn out to be.
The material shown in the picture above is just ice, right? Look again. Elastic water, a new substance invented by researchers at Tokyo University, is a jelly-like substance made up of 95% water along with two grams of clay and a small amount of organic materials. As is, the all-natural substance is perfect for medical procedures, because it’s made of water, poses no harm to people and is perfect for mending tissue. And, if the research team can increase the density of this exciting new substance, it could be used in place of our current oil based plastics for a host of other things.
According to the researchers, the substance can be used to stick tissues together (human tissues, not Kleenex) and to produce clean plastic materials. It also has a high mechanical strength and self mends when damaged.
Imagine if everything now made out of plastic from oil was instead made out of plastic from water. Though water shortage issues could become a problem if we went hog wild, we could surely reduce a lot of toxins in our environment. Bravo to the “elastic water” team – though it may be just a gel right now it could be a superb and wide reaching solution in the future.
+ Japan Science and Technology Agency
Via Akihabara News
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