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03 Feb 2012 15:12

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Tech: Fun guy chillin’ in South American rainforest finds plastic-eating fungi

  • Seriously, though this is kind of a big deal. Know that big problem we have? You know, the one involving a crapload of used plastic hanging around in landfills with nowhere to biodegrade for a couple million years? Well, Jonathan Russell might’ve solved that problem. See, Russell and his fellow Yale students went to Ecuador, where they found a new kind of fungus they’re calling Pestalotiopsis microspora. Big deal, you’re thinking. Anyone can find fungus anywhere! Well, something his fellow students found out after the fact is that this fungus can live on a diet of polyurethane alone — and even crazier, it doesn’t even need air to do so! In other words, we could potentially put it at the bottom of a landfill and cover it with plastic, and it would do the rest of the work. This might be game-changing if it works as advertised. (photo via Flickr user dbutt; EDIT: Updated with link to research abstract) source

09 Dec 2011 13:32

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U.S.: Congress plans investigations into military burial practices

  • The Tomb of the Unknown is one of our nation’s most hallowed places, guarded around the clock — regardless of weather — every day of the year. We owe this spirit of reverence not only to the unknown service members entombed at Arlington, but to all those who wear the uniform to protect and defend our freedom.
  • A joint statement from Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) • Discussing a Washington Post scoop from the other day, in which reporters found that the remains of hundreds of soldiers taken from the Dover Air Force Base got put in a landfill, because, that, clearly, is the most respectful way to deal with the remains of soldiers who died in the line of duty. The count at this point is 274 soldiers. Cummings and Issa, the top members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, have promised a deeper investigation — they plan to look at all military burial practices over the past decade, beyond just Dover.  source