New plastics

Here's an interesting bit of research being done in Japan. Researchers are taking cellulose and salt and creating various forms of plastic that are useful in many applications - and the best part is that they are actually biodegradable under very specific conditions (that are easy to replicate).

https://3dvf.com/en/by-impregnating-wood-with-salt-japanese-researchers-have-developed-a-biodegradable-plastic-with-unprecedented-properties/

A Japanese Team Built a Sensor So Precise, It Might Have Found a Way to Track Dark Matter

Dark matter is estimated to make up around 95% of our universe, yet we have no way to accurately test for it. 

Enter a team at the university of Tokyo who are using a quantum method to detect it, and so far they are having some success 

https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/01/precise-sensor-found-way-track-dark-matter/

Tiny Fiddler crabs are hoovering up and breaking down microplastics, study finds | Euronews

Here's an interesting story about how fiddler crabs can ingest and break down plastic patties - more efficiently than sun and water can. 

Nature somehow finds a way, doesn't it?

https://www.euronews.com/green/2026/01/02/tiny-fiddler-crabs-are-hoovering-up-and-breaking-down-microplastics-study-finds

Watch "Disney World cast member blocks runaway 'Indiana Jones' boulder from hitting audience" on YouTube

Over the holidays, this happened at Walt Disney World. The 400 pound boulder in the Indiana Jones's Epic Stunt Spectacular bumped off the track and headed towards the audience. 

A cast member stepped in and blocked it… kudos to him! And it's a reminder that the Disney bubble exists in the real world, and sometimes bad things can happen. 

https://youtu.be/Ykv4yrleuBM?si=tIrZW-4Ov5DfA83t

German Spies Detonated 2 Million Pounds of Explosives in New York Harbor in 1916: The Statue of Liberty's Torch Has Been Closed Ever Since | Military.com

This is an interesting story about the explosion that happened in New Jersey during World War One. 

As a nation, really didn't think about how to guard against infiltrators trying to prevent the sale of munitions, have a means to stop it (considering that may of the actors involved had served in the US military), or prosecute those responsible. 

 

https://www.military.com/daily-news/investigations-and-features/2025/12/29/german-spies-detonated-2-million-pounds-of-explosives-new-york-harbor-1916-statue-of-libertys-torch.html

Incredible Photo Captures Rare Sprite And ELVE Lighting Up The Sky In One Frame | IFLScience

I'm not sure if this will win photo of the year. But it should. 

https://www.iflscience.com/spectacular-photo-captures-two-rare-atmospheric-phenomena-at-the-same-time-81897

That sounds about right.

The dolphins owe him a  truckload of money, and that's their problem for signing him to a lucrative contract when he never really showed much on the field