Buzz
Your home is filled with objects you typically use for one or two purposes. Have you ever looked at a tampon and thought, 'What else could I use this for?' Well, perhaps you haven't, but scientists have a knack for seeing things differently.
One of the core tasks of a scientist is to challenge the norm, explore new perspectives, and discover alternative uses for everyday items. This approach has led to some truly inventive applications of household products.
10. Gelatin
You probably recognize gelatin from your JELL-O, certain frosted cereals, and occasionally yogurt. What you won't find it in is your wardrobe.
At least, not yet.
Although gelatin might seem like a gooey, wobbly substance, it’s actually a powder derived from crushed skin, cartilage, bone marrow, and other animal by-products. This makes it an ideal candidate for creating more sustainable, less wasteful clothing materials.
Scientists have managed to spin yarn from gelatin, which is then treated with a mist of formaldehyde gas and lanolin, resulting in a durable, warm yarn that could even be fashioned into gummy-bear mittens (though without the candy flavor).
Using gelatin for clothing is not as strange as it sounds. The textile industry explored using plant-based and food waste materials for textiles over a century ago, before petroleum-based fabrics became the norm.
As we seek more eco-friendly and less biologically harmful lifestyles, scientists and designers are turning to more natural materials for our clothing. It may sound odd now, but in the future, wearing JELL-O socks, bamboo dresses, or sour milk shirts might not seem so strange.
9. Sunlight
What’s one thing in your home so plentiful that you likely don’t even notice it? Sunlight! It's a shame you can’t just bottle it up.
Scientists thought the same thing. So, they found a way to bottle sunlight.
The use of solar energy is expanding, with nearly half a million solar power systems now installed in the US. This number is expected to grow as the cost of installation continues to decrease. While solar arrays are effective in capturing and storing sunlight, they are still limited by the country’s reliance on liquid fuels.
To address this, researchers at Harvard University set out to convert sunlight into liquid fuel—and they succeeded. The result is an artificial leaf system that harnesses sunlight to split water into its basic components, then uses bacteria to transform the resulting hydrogen and oxygen into isopropanol, a type of liquid fuel.
In essence, scientists have found a way to replicate the process of photosynthesis. The next challenge is to exceed the 1 percent efficiency that plants achieve. One day, we might be filling our cars with liquid fuel powered by the Sun.
8. Tampons
Cities and towns typically have two types of sewage systems. One handles waste from homes and sends it to treatment plants, while the other gathers rainwater and channels it into rivers or streams. Unfortunately, rainwater drainage can sometimes get contaminated by sewage, which in turn pollutes fresh water sources.
So, how do you determine if contamination has occurred? One method is to thread fiber optic cables through the sewage system to pinpoint the source of the contamination, a process that can cost up to $13 per meter ($43 per foot). Another method involves using spectrophotometers, which are both costly and challenging to operate.
This is where tampons come into play. Tampons are made from absorbent, untreated cotton. When this material contacts chemicals found in toilet paper, laundry detergents, shampoos, and other substances common in sewage, it absorbs those chemicals. Even minimal exposure causes the tampon to glow under UV light for up to 30 days.
This makes tampons an ideal tool for detecting water contamination. Researchers begin at the polluted site—the contaminated waterway—and trace their way back using the tampons until they locate the source of the contamination.
Compared to other methods for finding contamination, tampons are inexpensive, easy to find almost anywhere, and typically don’t require specialized training to use.
7. Potato
Ever made a battery using a potato? Scientists have, and it actually works quite well. A potato-powered battery with LEDs can illuminate a room for more than a month.
Potatoes have evolved from simple decorations for flower buttonholes to becoming the fifth most important crop globally. They may also hold the key to a natural energy source that’s affordable, requires little specialized equipment, and has long-lasting power.
Researchers discovered that by boiling a potato for just eight minutes and then cutting it into pieces, the potato becomes an efficient “salt bridge,” allowing electron currents to pass through. A DIY potato battery kit includes items you may remember from high school science: two alligator clips and two electrodes. The parts are small, easily replaceable, and inexpensive—all that’s needed is the boiled potato.
The potato battery could offer a solution in countries with limited access to electricity. However, there’s a significant challenge: these regions often face food scarcity and rely on potatoes for nourishment. Researchers are aware of the dilemma of repurposing a food source as an energy solution. It seems like this idea will need further exploration.
6. Pen Ink
While you're busy scribbling with a pen, scientists have discovered ways to use the ink in those very pens to store energy.
Pen ink, typically made from oil-based dyes, is designed for smooth flow, quick drying, and resistance to smudging. Interestingly, this same ink can also help boost the power of supercapacitors.
A capacitor stores energy as a static charge. Think about rubbing your feet on the carpet and then touching something. You’re storing energy and releasing it through your finger. Supercapacitors are designed for devices that require large amounts of energy storage, such as wind turbines and hybrid electric cars.
When a research team from China sought ways to improve the efficiency of supercapacitors, they found a solution right at home. Regular pen ink turned out to be an excellent material for coating supercapacitors.
The researchers discovered that a supercapacitor coated with pen ink created a very thin, flexible outer layer that could hold up to 10 times more charge than traditional capacitors. This malleability could lead to energy-storing fabrics, possibly giving rise to wearable electronics. Imagine, your next iPhone could come with an iShirt.
5. Kitty Litter
In February 2014, alarms blared at a nuclear waste facility in New Mexico. A 55-gallon container of radioactive waste had exploded, releasing harmful radioactivity into the air. After months of investigation, it was revealed that the cause of the accident was an unfortunate mix-up: someone had purchased the wrong type of kitty litter.
Kitty litter is known for its ability to absorb your cat's urine, but it turns out it can also absorb radioactive waste. Until the 1950s, cat litter was made from sand, dirt, or ashes. Nowadays, superabsorbent clay is used in kitty litter, which prevents leaving trails through the house unlike its predecessors.
The clay and absorbent nature of kitty litter make it an excellent stabilizer. When mixed with nuclear waste, it helps prevent the waste from reacting with its surroundings. In an effort to be more eco-friendly, a nuclear waste facility switched to using organic kitty litter.
Unlike conventional kitty litter, organic brands use plant and vegetable fibers, which are also excellent fuel. Unfortunately, 500 gallons of nuclear waste were contaminated by this organic litter, turning them into dangerous time bombs. Fortunately, many of the affected batches were stored underground, and others were reinforced with double containers.
Why doesn't the label on kitty litter say: 'Strong enough for your cat, strong enough for nuclear waste'?
4. Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are infamous for their environmental harm. They are created from petroleum, a resource that is rapidly depleting. The manufacturing process is not only challenging but also hazardous, and these bags can take anywhere from 10 to 20 years to break down. Once they escape into the environment, animals can easily choke or suffocate on them. In certain areas of the world's oceans, plastic bags outnumber plankton by a shocking sixfold.
In an effort to ease the environmental burden of plastic bags, some states and countries have introduced a fee for using them at stores.
What can we do with the mountain of plastic bags crowding our landfills? Some researchers have discovered that these bags can be transformed into some surprisingly useful products.
For instance, plastic bags can be repurposed to create diesel fuel. They can also be converted into natural gas, gasoline, a solvent known as naphtha, as well as engine and hydraulic oils. Since plastic bags are derived from fuel in the first place, it’s possible to recover nearly 80 percent of that fuel from the bags.
This is fantastic news for both the environment and landfills, as it provides plastic bags with a potential new use, ensuring that the world’s natural resources aren’t entirely squandered.
3. Glitter
Glitter has developed quite a reputation for being a nuisance in recent years. It’s so difficult to clean up that some spiteful companies have even started offering ‘glitter bombs’ to send to your foes. However, in December 2014, glitter found a surprising home where it was welcomed: NASA.
NASA is currently working on the construction of a massive telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, which is intended to take over from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2018. This new telescope is monumental in every aspect, with a price tag of $8 billion and a weight of about seven tons (including the spacecraft designed to carry it).
According to NASA, this telescope is simply too large and expensive.
The space agency has been exploring alternative options for future telescopes. One of their goals is to shrink the size of the 400-kilogram (800 lb) mirror that is essential for such a powerful telescope.
Instead of relying on a traditional solid mirror, NASA engineers have proposed the Orbiting Rainbow, which disperses a cloud of reflective, glitter-like particles. With a price and weight that are mere fractions of a conventional mirror, these particles could serve as a floating-cloud mirror, helping NASA observe distant stars and exoplanets.
2. Baby Powder
Originally, baby powder was used to prevent diaper rash. However, doctors no longer recommend it, as the powder can be easily inhaled and may harm a baby’s delicate lungs. Some women still use baby powder between their thighs to avoid chafing, but studies suggest this practice could raise the risk of ovarian cancer.
So, what purpose does baby powder serve today? Well, unless you’re the scientist who uses it to trigger volcanic eruptions.
Benjamin Andrews specializes in studying the catastrophic force of volcanoes. He’s been close enough to eruptions to feel as though he was being roasted alive. With nearly 900 people dying each year due to volcanic activity, Andrews is deeply committed to better understanding these eruptions to help reduce fatalities.
The challenge in studying volcanic eruptions is the danger of getting too close. The real threat isn’t the slow-moving lava, but the ash, dirt, and debris that are expelled into the air during an eruption.
To research volcanic explosions, Andrews has created a volcanology simulator, which is just a fancy way of saying that he makes small volcanoes erupt in his lab. He uses large tubs of talc powder, the main component in baby powder, to observe the patterns of debris under various conditions.
The powder is light, fine, and visible under laser light, making it ideal for studying volcanic eruptions—even though the outcome can look more like a psychedelic laser light show with the fog machine on full blast.
1. Catnip
If you own a cat, chances are you have a bunch of dried-out, browning catnip somewhere in your house. Catnip belongs to the mint family, but it’s more famous for sending cats into harmless but intense acid trips. A single sniff of the plant, and the cats spiral into an ecstatic frenzy—rubbing against everything, rolling around on the floor, and generally acting as if they were completely high.
Of course, this only applies if your cat is one of the lucky few that reacts to the plant. About half of cats don't seem to care, likely due to some genetic factor that remains a mystery. Whatever the reason, for the cats that do react, catnip turns them into the happiest kitty on earth for about 10 minutes, while the others just sniff it and give a nonchalant 'meh.'
Cats aren’t the only ones who go wild for catnip’s minty aroma. Insects, too, are highly sensitive to the oils in the plant—but rather than enjoying it, bugs absolutely despise it. A 2001 study found that catnip is 10 times more effective than DEET at keeping mosquitoes at bay, and research from 2010 showed it repels bloodthirsty flies that target livestock as well.
Entomologist Chris Peterson notes that no one fully understands why catnip is such a potent insect repellent. It could be that bugs can't stand the scent, or perhaps catnip acts as an irritant to them.
Unfortunately, we may be a long way from seeing ads for insect repellent that draws in bugs the way Axe cologne allegedly attracts women. Follow-up studies revealed that the oil in catnip isn’t as effective as DEET when applied directly to skin. However, many people still prefer catnip oil as a natural, non-toxic insect repellent, opting out of chemical sprays for their skin.
