This Is What I Have Studied

Last night, I watched the video announcement for Noble Prize in Economics. Not only were Claudia Golding’s contributions in revealing the root causes of gender inequality in careers remarkable, but the presentation introducing her achievements by Swedish scholar Randi Hjalmarsson was also impressive. Check it out here from 4:40: https://youtu.be/8ZJ_lQMltTs.

What Did I Read?

Baraniuk, Chris. “A Simple Solution for Keeping Microplastics out of the Water Supply.” Atlantic Monthly (Boston, Mass.: 1993), Oct. 2023, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/10/microplastic-pollution-biodegradable-sponges/675572/.

Sponges. Is there anything they can’t do? For millennia, humans have used dried natural sponges to clean up, to paint, and as vessels for drinking; we’ve even used them as contraceptive devices. Whether synthetic or natural, sponges are great at ensnaring tiny particles in their many pores. And as scientists around the world are beginning to show, sponges’ cavity-filled forms could provide a solution to one of our era’s biggest scourges: microplastic pollution.

• Contraceptive: (of a method or device) serving to prevent pregnancy

  • the contraceptive pill.

• Ensnare: catch in or as in a trap

  • they were ensnared in city centre traffic.

• Pore: a minute opening in a surface, especially the skin or integument of an organism, through which gases, liquids, or microscopic particles may pass

  • it helps get rid of stubborn acne and can also prevent breakouts and clogged pores.

• Scourge: a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering

  • the scourge of mass unemployment.

In August, researchers in China published a study describing their development of a synthetic sponge that makes short work of microscopic plastic debris.

• Make short work of ...: to deal with someone or something quickly and effectively
  • we made short work of the food that was put in front of us. The team made short work of their biggest rival last night.

They tried it with liquids as varied as tap water, seawater, and—why not—soup from a local takeout spot.

• Takeout spot

The plastic-gobbling sponges are biodegradable and made mostly from starch and gelatin. Looking a bit like large white marshmallows, they are so light that balancing one atop a flower leaves the plant’s petals upright and unyielding, which the researchers suggest ought to make them cheap and easy to transport. Inside, the sponges’ structure appears less like lots of tiny bubble-like cavities and more like a jagged surface.

• Gobble: eat (something) hurriedly and noisily
  • he gobbled up the rest of his sandwich.
• Marshmallow: a soft, chewy item of confectionery made with sugar and gelatin
  • toasting marshmallows over a campfire
• Upright: (of a person) sitting or standing with the back straight
  • an upright posture.
• Unyielding: (of a mass or structure) not giving way to pressure; hard or solid
  • the Atlantic hurled its waves at the unyielding rocks.

There are hiccups to the sponge’s potential adoption, though.

• Hiccup: a temporary or minor problem or setback
  • just a little hiccup in our usual wonderful service.