Using a special technical approach, the team is working on plastic films derived from konjac flour and starch, cellulose or proteins that are fully edible and harmless if accidentally eaten by people or animals—unlike health issues associated with microplastics and other plastic waste that make their way into the food chain.
The researchers have found that plant carbohydrate and protein macromolecules bond together into a special network structure during the film-forming process. The network structure provides the film with a required mechanical strength and transparent appearance for the film to be used as packaging materials.
The idea is to reduce incidence of plastic in the environment.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday November 27 2018, @10:15PM (4 children)
It 's funny... until you look at it and realise it had good chances to happen as you described.
this should say a lot about my confidence of humans manifesting common sense
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday November 28 2018, @02:24PM (2 children)
This is why we should not be colonizing other planets. And certainly not out to the stars. If we can't even stop ourselves from making this one uninhabitable, why should we get another one?
People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 28 2018, @03:15PM (1 child)
The reasoning is the same as buying a new USB thumbstick because it is a lot easier than going through and managing the old USB thumbstick that is filled with a lot of unnecessary cruft. It's that whole needing to add energy to reduce entropy thing.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday November 28 2018, @09:23PM
There's no total reduction of entropy.
To live, an organism needs to increase the entropy of the environment more than the reduction of entropy necessary to maintain the life.
Extinguishing other life forms unnecessarily (e.g. by poisoning the env with plastics) runs contrary to the purpose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Wednesday November 28 2018, @03:59PM
Now that's comedy!
This sig for rent.