Almost 30% of Microplastics Come From a Hugely Overlooked Source

Wow. Tires are the biggest single contributor to microplastics in our environment. 

Now the question is: what are we going to do about it?

https://www.sciencealert.com/almost-30-of-microplastics-come-from-a-hugely-overlooked-source

I don't think the simpsons had the right idea either …. But sarcasm is always appreciated. 

Message in a bottle

I love that during renovations, workers discovered a message from 132 years ago hidden in a wall. 

And that they plan to leave another message for future generations is a lot of fun. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/read-the-132-year-old-message-in-a-bottle-found-hidden-inside-the-walls-of-a-scottish-lighthouse-180985528/

Artemis moon mission delayed until 2027

The heat shield damage was concerning and everything is once again pushed back. 

No human moon landings in the near future…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nasa-s-artemis-moon-mission-delayed-yet-again/vi-AA1vmcY7

Falcon 9 success

I may not like some (most?) or what Elon Musk is doing. But, he has moved the US very far ahead in space travel. 

As this article notes, his SpaceX company is profitable, and he can launch a payload 30x higher than the space shuttle at 1/100th of the cost. 

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/spacex-has-set-all-kinds-of-records-with-its-falcon-9-rocket-this-year/

Best aurora photos

Photographer Tom Rae was honored recently, as having taken one of the most amazing aurora photos ever. 

Simply remarkable. 

https://petapixel.com/2024/12/02/northern-lights-photographer-of-the-year-showcases-one-of-the-best-aurora-years-ever/

Sustainable packaging

According to a few published articles (which are so poorly written that I won't bother linking them here), and a video that interviews some higher ups in the company (which is a snooze fest) this company has come up with a plastic film that can be wrapped around a palette of packages - which itself is made of compostable materials and can degrade in a matter of months, rather than many years. 

It's a nice step forward, and should get a little more attention. 

https://packaging-systems.com/sustainability/

If you're having trouble falling asleep, have a look at the video on this link: 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/12/02/wisconsin-plastic-wrap-biodegradable/76713866007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p

Watch "Biomedical Scientist Answers Pseudoscience Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED" on YouTube

This is worth 20 minutes of your day.

My take: think rationally about things, and pay attention to the reality that some "famous person on the internet" is telling you something for their own reasons, usually money or fame.  And that is not science or anything meaningful.  

Be a skeptic!

https://youtu.be/vj71yGp-8WM?si=NzrVhnoVVpSkbJAm