Student Discovers Biodegrable Styrofoam on Accident!!

The blog that I have read written by, Megan Treacy, was about the accidental discovery of biodegradable styrofoam made up of milk and clay.  This new material was discovered by a student who freeze-dried clay and ended up with an unusual result in which scientist had to work with.  Eventually they came across a peculiar combination that produced a "fluffy, foam-like material." This combination was made up by milk protein casein and clay.  The final recipe consisted of "clay, water, casein powder and a tiny bit of a glycerol-based material." This recipe differed from styrofoam's original one by having a third of it break down within 45 days. 

In my opinion, this was an huge help to our environment.  Not only did it help our environment but it has led to a new company called, Aeroclay, Inc. I Also think this was a very useful discovery because now the new company will have their first step down in trying to figure out a way that oil based products can become biodegradable aswell. 

This relates to class because a little while ago we had discussions about the long-term/short-term pro's and con's on making a ban on styrofoam.  We don't need to worry about banning the growing problem now that the solution was simply to make it biodegradable. 

 http://www.ecogeek.org/alternative-materials/3334-biodegradable-styrofoam-made-from-milk-and-clay?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EcoGeek+%28EcoGeek%29&utm_content=Twitter

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/images/2007-12/polypeanuts.jpg

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/green-wave-tw-poo-001-6-biodegradable-plate-125-pk/green-wave-tw-poo-001-6-biodegradable-plate-125-pk.jpg

Has the Honeybee Killer Case been Solved?!

The blog that I have read written by, Dan Nosowitz, talks about how honeybee colonies in the U.S. have dropped tremendously within the past four years.  Twenty to Forty percent of them have collapsed without anybody knowing why.  Until now that is.  Apparently, A team of entomologists & military scientists from the Department of Homeland Security have suspected that a virus and fungus are the reason for why this is happening.  The virus and fungus acting together is what's causing the bees to die, because if they were working seperately, they wouldn't have that affect. It wasn't easy analyzing the illness that caused the honeybee to die because of the fact that it's kind of a strange ordeal.  Not to mention that when a bee is about to die it flies away from the hive in any direction. (This made it difficult to collect information from a large amount of bees.)  It's good that the reason for why the honeybee's are dying have been discovered, but that's only the first step in trying help them.  Entomologists now need to discover a way in order to stop the virus and fungus from killing the bees.  According to the blog that I have read, the entomologists will focus on trying to find a way to get rid of the fungus which is easier  to destroy than the virus.  Getting rid of the fugus alone should deffinately help the honeybee colonies have the number of bees they once had.

In my opinion, the blog is very right to the point and discusses a very important issue that every person should be aware of.  If the cycle of the honeybees were to end, it would have a drastic affect on the flower cycle.  Finding a logical solution to save the honeybees would not only help them but the environment aswell.

This relates to what we were talking about in class because it has to do with statistics and having one fact lead to another. 

In conclusion, the blog informed me about the unbelievable drop in the honeybee population.  With teaching me this, I have realized the importance of honeybees and the huge role that they have always played in keeping our environment stable. 

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/case-mass-honeybee-killer-has-been-solved

http://thehoneybee.files.wordpress.com/

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/