If you take a sip of milk tea like this, you are also inhaling this chemical substance that will not degrade for hundreds of years | Expo Daily

If you take a sip of milk tea like this, you also inhale

This chemical does not degrade for hundreds of years.

In the past two years, many milk tea shops have responded to the call for environmental protection and switched to paper straws. But disappointingly, in addition to the frustratingly fast softening of paper straws when sucking drinks, according to a new study, paper straws also contain trace amounts of permanent chemicals.

To make paper and bamboo straws waterproof, many manufacturers add chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of 15,000 synthetic chemicals, some of which can be toxic to animals and humans in high enough concentrations.

From an environmental perspective, these paper straws are not strictly speaking "biodegradable," considering that PFAS may take centuries to decompose.

Even after the straws are used, the contaminants may linger. If the straws are recycled, they could end up in new products. If the straws are landfilled or incinerated, they could quietly spread in the wind or in the soil.

At present, it seems that the better solution is to make the cup straw-free or for consumers to bring their own stainless steel straws.

Image source: pixabay

Compose music using data from volcanic eruptions!

Earth's Symphony 200 Million Years Ago

In the study of earth science, a mineral called kimberlite is a hot topic of research because diamond deposits are often found in places where this mineral is contained.

People have discovered that Kimberlite is an igneous rock, which means that only volcanic eruptions can produce this kind of rock, but not all volcanic eruptions will produce Kimberlite. So, what are the rules for volcanic eruptions that can produce Kimberlite?

People have collected data on all the kimberlite volcano eruptions on Earth over the past 200 million years, but have been struggling to find any clues. So, TM Gernon from the University of Southampton in the UK and his collaborators came up with a romantic and poetic idea: to compose music from this data!

Convert the latitude of the volcanic eruption into pitch, convert the duration of the eruption into length, convert the plate movement during the eruption into loudness, and compress 200 million years of geological time into 1 and a half minutes. In this way, the "Kimberlite Volcanic Eruption Concerto" composed by the Earth is completed.

Researchers hope that through this musical approach, the public will have a more intuitive and profound understanding of the natural history of the Earth, and enjoy the unique beauty of science.

Like us, plants are more active on weekends?

New research shows that plants in Europe perform more photosynthesis on weekends because there is less pollution (mainly aerosols) in the air during the weekends.

Aerosols are a type of pollution that includes dust and smoke from wildfires and human activities. Aerosols block sunlight from reaching the Earth's surface, which affects the ability of plants to photosynthesize. When there is less aerosol pollution in the atmosphere, more sunlight can reach the leaves of plants. When aerosol levels are low, photosynthesis rates increase.

The researchers found that in 64% of Europe, photosynthesis rates were higher on weekends. There is a strong 'weekly cycle' as there is less traffic and industrial activity on weekends and the air is cleaner than on weekdays.

Research shows that reducing aerosol levels, especially those produced during transport or industrial processes, allows plants to capture and store more carbon. So improving air quality is not only good for people’s health, it’s also very beneficial for ecosystem productivity.

Is a zebra white with black stripes? Or black with white stripes?

Zebras get their name from the black and white stripes they wear all over their bodies. They even have stripes on their faces, necks and tails.

Have you ever wondered whether a zebra is a white horse with black stripes, or a black horse with white stripes?

People tend to use the color that occupies a larger area as the background color, but the black and white stripes on a zebra are almost the same size, so how can we tell the difference?

The belly of a zebra is white, so many people think that zebras have black stripes on a white background. However, with the development of technology, humans have confirmed through B-ultrasound and other methods that the early embryos of zebras are black. In the late stage of embryonic development, the production of black pigment is suppressed, and white stripes appear.

So the zebra's stripes are actually white stripes on a black background, or it can be said to be a black horse with white stripes.

Image source: veer gallery

The content is compiled from China Science Expo Weibo, Global Science, Science Academy, and China Science Daily

This article was first published in China Science Expo (kepubolan)

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