Whey Protein Could Help Stop E-Waste (Cool Weird Awesome 1197)

Could the secret weapon against electronic waste may be cheese? Research finds a process involving the byproduct of cheesemaking known as whey protein could help recover gold and other precious metals from old computer motherboards.

By |2024-03-06T09:01:33-05:00March 6, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

The US Rationed Shoes During World War II, So People Made Footwear Out Of Old Firehoses (Cool Weird Awesome 1182)

Today in 1943, the US announced it would start rationing shoes to save rubber and leather for the troops in World War II. People on the home front found ways to make shoes out of alternative materials.

By |2024-02-07T09:31:06-05:00February 7, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , , , |

This Solar Powered System Can Help Address Both Plastic Waste And Greenhouse Gases (Cool Weird Awesome 935)

Too much waste plastic? Too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? Researchers in the UK may have a partial solution for both problems: a process that uses solar energy to convert plastic and greenhouse gases into useful products.

By |2024-01-25T12:09:35-05:00January 25, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

High-Tech Clothes Could Also Be A Battery That We Can Power (Cool Weird Awesome 839)

We've known for years that there are ways to turn our movements into energy. A new project out of Singapore wants to turn clothes into high-tech batteries powered by our movement.

By |2022-08-31T09:32:46-04:00August 31, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Bats Can Remember Our Ringtones (Cool Weird Awesome 799)

A study from Ohio State University finds bats can remember a ringtone if they associate the sound with food - for years, in some cases.

By |2022-06-29T08:47:52-04:00June 29, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

In The 60s, There Was A Plan To Make Houses Out Of Heineken Bottles (Cool Weird Awesome 750)

It's National Beer Day, so it's a good time to talk about a plan from the 1960s, when beer magnate Alfred Heineken tried to rework his company's green bottles so they could be upcycled into bricks for low-income houses.

By |2022-04-07T10:35:56-04:00April 7, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

This Vole Protects Itself From Predators By Cutting The Grass (Cool Weird Awesome 735)

The Brandt’s vole has an interesting way to protect itself from predators overhead: a research project found that the little rodent cuts the grass so it can keep a lookout.

By |2024-03-18T08:03:24-04:00March 18, 2022|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Babies Babble, And So Do Baby Bats (Cool Weird Awesome 610)

If you’ve ever been around a baby you probably heard some cooing, gurgling and babbling, as the babies try to make the sounds adults make. Some new research finds if you spend time with baby bats, you might hear them doing essentially the same thing. Plus: the YouTube channel Steadycraftin finds a pretty cool way to reuse some of those old orange plastic prescription bottles. 

By |2021-09-10T06:11:35-04:00September 10, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How To Make Protein Powder Out Of Waste Plastic (Cool Weird Awesome 593)

It's not a direct route, but two researchers have figured out a way to take waste plastic, feed it to special bacteria, and then end up with nutritious protein powder. We'll explain. Plus: a guy has been growing plants inside a big glass bottle for decades - and because the bottle is sealed, they basically water themselves over and over!

By |2024-03-06T09:03:40-05:00August 18, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

The Plastic Bags Of Today Could Be The Fashionable Fabric Of Tomorrow (Cool Weird Awesome 572)

A multi-country research team has found ways to turn polyethylene, a key ingredient in single-use plastic bags, into lightweight fabric. So those bags that we don't want to throw out but can't always easily recycle? We might end up wearing them. Plus: many of us spend a lot of our waking hours typing, but James Cook turns his typing into art.

By |2021-07-13T08:27:44-04:00July 13, 2021|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |
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