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Nanotechnology: The new frontier for plastics
Don Rosato EngineeringNot since the discovery of the silicon chip has there been this much excitement in the field of physics and material sciences. Innumerable universities have established nanocenters, with many receiving industrial funding and sponsorship, and a large number of these spawning nanomaterial-related entrepreneurial businesses spun out as the fruits of academic research. Private industry and governments around the world are investing billions of dollars, rushing to exploit the small world that has been defined as materials under 100 nanometers in size.
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Dying man awarded $289 million as Monsanto faces more lawsuits
Michelle R. Matisons Science & TechnologyOver the years, more and more people have come to know the name "Monsanto" as synonymous with new industrial agriculture and genetically modified food. As a company, it is responsible for many products perceived as dangerous, including Roundup, the notorious weedkiller. Lawsuits have always grown around Monsanto like untreated weeds, but the courtroom tide is turning in favor of the public. Recently, a 46-year-old California school pest control manager with non-Hodgkin lymphoma won a $289 million settlement against the company.
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It’s time for the energy industry to think like Apple
Shawn Smajstrla Science & TechnologyWhen the iPhone debuted in 2007, its impact was immediate. Since then, the iPhone and other smart devices like it, have changed the way we work, play, shop, communicate — the way we live. What made the iPhone so revolutionary, though, wasn’t its touchscreen, camera or user interface. What truly made the iPhone a breakthrough was how it utilized a convergence of digital technologies. Meanwhile, the energy grid that powers our connected lives continues to function largely as it has for more than a century.
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The politics of bringing bullet trains to the US
Lucy Wallwork Transportation Technology & AutomotiveThe Shinkansen "bullet trains" in Japan and France’s extensive TGV network are testament to the commitment of some countries to high-speed rail. The U.K. has recently realized it is falling behind and is trying to catch up, but is causing a furor in the process. Even Uzbekistan is in on the game. The U.S., meanwhile, is still making baby steps. Now, investors who have built on experience on other international projects are now rushing into the U.S. to try their changes. But who is willing to pay for these pricey projects?
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Big Sur back in action as Highway 1 reopens
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureCalifornia’s most famous road trip is back on. For the first time in 14 months, Highway 1 — aka the Pacific Coast Highway — is open without interruption, after a quarter-mile chunk of it in Big Sur was wiped away in a massive landslide last year. Over the years, landslides have taken out portions of the iconic highway, but none were as big as the so-called Mud Creek slide in May 2017, when more than 6 million cubic yards of earth collapsed into the sea following torrential rains.
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‘World first’ boiler scrappage scheme unveiled by London mayor
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingWhatever else you may have heard; the U.K. isn’t exclusively focused on the machinations of its proposed exit from Europe now. Beyond the constant debate about Brexit options, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has busy making his own headlines. Although it is on a decidedly smaller scale in policy terms than uncoupling from the EU, Mayor Khan’s unveiling of an upgrade scheme for boilers in the commercial sector and for small businesses does deserve attention.
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Wolves, transport infrastructure and ‘trophic cascades’
Lucy Wallwork Transportation Technology & AutomotiveWhat have wolves got to do with railway lines? A video that has gone viral on YouTube tells the story of so-called "trophic cascades" through the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park — a small-scale change that set off a chain reaction of responses in the park’s complex ecosystem. Yellowstone Park may seem a far cry from the transport infrastructure of our biggest cities. However, the same processes set in action by the wolves can help to better understand how we should approach planning our highways, railways and streets.
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The great carbon dioxide crisis in the UK
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingThe majority of my recent dispatches have concerned the problems of supply and demand with certain high-GWP HFCs caused by the onward march of the F-Gas regulations. With everyone continuing to worry about the price of the likes of R404A and R410A, it came us quite a shock for the industry to find itself suddenly in the grip of a full-blown carbon dioxide crisis. In the space of a few days, excitable headlines about a "national CO2 shortage" appeared to have created a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the U.K. quickly found itself in short supply of many forms of the gas.
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Could a fiber backbone for IoT lead to safer, smarter cities?
Diane Bloemker Science & TechnologyCities are growing. By 2050, more than 67 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, according to the United Nations. That’s an increase of more than 50 percent over today’s numbers. And while cities can expect a host of benefits from this population increase — more talented professionals, more businesses, more tax revenue — they’ll also see a major strain on their infrastructure and resources.
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Plastics innovations spur changes in medical device markets
Bill Becken EngineeringPlastics are playing their part in the disruptive medical device market, which is now subject to several eye-popping trends, including miniaturization, point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, multipurpose packaging and globalization. The medical plastics industry has so far adapted well to the changing device landscape, with new products arising from novel groupings of manufacturing professionals such as design engineers, mold makers, material suppliers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
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