Turning Plastic Into Jet Fuel, In About An Hour (Cool Weird Awesome 538)

Researchers at Washington State University have found a way to convert plastic waste into jet fuel that takes only an hour. And it's also less energy-intensive, which could make recycling plastic more cost-effective and more common. Plus: today in 2017, a high school in Virginia made sure to include a beloved service dog in its yearbook photos! 

By |2021-05-18T08:12:11-04:00May 18, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

There’s A New Way To Recycle The Materials We Need For High-Tech Batteries (Cool Weird Awesome 521)

As automakers move toward all-electric vehicles, we're going to need a lot more batteries, only there are difficulties in getting some of the key elements. A startup called Nth cycle may have a way to help. Plus: meet a young reader who really knows how to multitask.

By |2023-11-17T10:00:40-05:00April 16, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

There’s A Way To Turn Old Chewing Gum Into Wheels For Skateboards (Cool Weird Awesome 516)

Two design students have come up with an idea to turn the stretchy, plasticky parts of chewing gum into new wheels for skateboards, so the gum isn't wasted. It's the kind of idea that just might stick. Plus: today in 1965, the Houston Astrodome opened. They had a plan to grow grass indoors, but they also had a Plan B.

By |2021-04-09T09:29:16-04:00April 9, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

This Device Turns Your House Into A Mini Recycling Center (Cool Weird Awesome 483)

Lasso is a prototype for an in-home recycling system. Instead of dropping your recyclables on the curb, you'd put them in the machine, to be scanned, cleaned and broken down into the raw materials that companies buy to make new cans and bottles.

By |2024-02-24T13:37:37-05:00February 24, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The Face Masks Of Today Could Become The Roads Of Tomorrow (Cool Weird Awesome 477)

Millions of people are wearing masks these days to protect themselves and others. And researchers in Australia have found a way to reuse those single-use, disposable masks to make new roads. Plus: it's National Pizza Day, so here's a very geometry-heavy way to slice up a pizza and still make it equal for two eaters.

By |2023-12-28T09:24:48-05:00February 9, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |

Time To Upgrade The International Space Station’s Bathroom (Cool Weird Awesome 321)

Sometimes you go into space to land on the moon, and other times it’s for maintenance purposes. NASA is planning a mission to replace the toilet on the International Space Station. Plus: this is Waste and Recycling Workers Week, are you paying tribute to those who collect all the stuff we toss out?

When In Rome, Recycle Like The Ancient Romans Did (Cool Weird Awesome 292)

The city of Pompeii was buried by Mount Vesuvius almost 2,000 years ago. And yet something there may sound very familiar to us today: the community had a pretty elaborate recycling system.

By |2024-02-06T08:57:18-05:00May 6, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Bouncy Pavement Could Be Safer Pavement (Cool Weird Awesome 278)

Falls on hard pavement can be very, very dangerous for some of us. That's why a research group called SAFERUP is trying to make safer, bouncier pavement. Plus: the Rakuten Monkeys baseball team in Taiwan is planning to have robot mannequins in the stands to cheer them on until fans can return to the ballpark.

By |2020-04-16T07:54:24-04:00April 16, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

The “Mutant Enzyme” That Helps Recycle Plastic (Cool Weird Awesome 275)

A company called Carbios says it’s been using what it calls a “mutant enzyme” to break plastic down into the components to make new plastic in mere hours. But will this mutant eventually try to rule humanity for its own good? Plus: an education student in Kentucky creates see-through plastic masks to help deaf and hard of hearing people during the current difficulties.

By |2020-04-13T09:03:20-04:00April 13, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

We Can Put Old Mattresses To Use In Gardens (Cool Weird Awesome 245)

A project run by researchers at the University of Sheffield, is using foam taken from discarded mattresses to help Syrian refugees start hydroponic gardens in Jordan.

By |2024-02-25T10:03:25-05:00February 25, 2020|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , |
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