The agave plant has long been used to make tequila, the drink often blamed for a big night, but it could now help produce a cost-effective biofuel for Australian farmers.
The plants are being grown at Central Queensland University in Rockhampton for a science project.
Scientists say the plants are hardy so they are well suited for drought conditions.
Associate Professor Nanjappa Ashwath says the stem of the plant is used to make alcohol but the discarded leaves could be used to make biofuel.
People have been using the stem for a long time, for decades, and nobody has used the leaves to produce bioethanol,
he said.
It can take five to seven years for the plants to be ready for harvesting tequila, but researchers in Rockhampton hope the leaves will be harvested all year round to make bio ethanol — via redwolf.newsvine.com
A seven-year-old girl who wrote to the CSIRO asking for a dragon has had her dream come true.
The CSIRO has created a blue 3D titanium dragon and sent it to Sophie’s home in Brisbane.
Seven-year-old Sophie wrote to the CSIRO after her father told her about the work of the scientists there.
Would it be possible if you can make me a dragon?
Sophie wrote.
I would call it Toothless if it was a girl and if it is a boy I would call it Stuart.
The CSIRO posted the letter online, telling Sophie they were looking into it
.
But the letter went viral, appearing on international news sites and prompting a flood of interest, including from financial institutions who wanted to bankroll the dragon.
Even Hollywood animation studio DreamWorks got in on the act.
They said they knew how to train dragons and they wanted to speak with Sophie.
Our work has never ventured into dragons of the mythical, fire-breathing variety,
the CSIRO said.
And for this, Australia, we are sorry.
The result was the birth of the CSIRO’s first dragon at the additive manufacturing facility Lab 22 in Melbourne — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Refurbished Silo Entrance to Red Bull, originally uploaded by Red Wolf
A Plush tentacle… As cute as a tentacle can be! For snuggling and/or bonking someone upside the head with or maybe to make it look like your couch or bed has come alive (via Etsy
Crap at Furniture, originally uploaded by Red Wolf
There are many names for them, but here at SciShow we lovingly refer to them as Gingers
. In this episode, Hank explains what gene is responsible for the creation of redheads — via Youtube
Lavender Tentacle Dread Bead with Mustard Yellow Suckers — via Etsy
— via Fashionably Geek
Over the past few years, electronics have evolved way past the silicon wafer. Researchers have developed functional circuits that can meld with human tissue and dissolve when sprayed with water, and stretchable batteries that could soon power wearable gadgets.
Now, a group of Swiss scientists has revealed the latest in innovative electronics: a flexible, transparent circuit that is tiny and thin enough to fit on the surface of a contact lens.
The researchers put their new device on a contact lens as a proof-of-concept in a paper published today in Nature Communications—an electronically-enabled lens, they suggest, could be useful in monitoring the intraocular pressure of people with glaucoma, for instance—but they envision the circuitry someday being implanted in all sorts of biological contexts — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Centre is glazed in a bright aqua blue with a crystal crackle effect. Underneath is glazed white and the tentacle sculpture is left unglazed as the soft white exposed clay. The tentacle is hand sculpted so each platter will be unique — via Etsy
You can choose whether you want her displayed before or after the decapitation. Her head holds in place with two invisible magnets if you rather see her before this unfortunate ending. She’s made of soft alpaca wool and a high quality acrylic yarn and stuffed with a synthetic non allergenic filling. It’s approximately 14 cm tall — via Etsy
This image is a balloon race
. The higher a bubble, the greater the evidence for its effectiveness. But the supplements are only effective for the conditions listed inside the bubble. You might also see multiple bubbles for certain supplements. These is because some supplements affect a range of conditions, but the evidence quality varies from condition to condition. For example, there’s strong evidence that Green Tea is good for cholesterol levels. But evidence for its anti-cancer effects is conflicting. In these cases, we give a supplement another bubble — via Information Is Beautiful
The perfect crime is far easier to pull off when nobody is watching.
So on a night nearly 43 years ago, while Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier bludgeoned each other over 15 rounds in a televised title bout viewed by millions around the world, burglars took a lock pick and a crowbar and broke into a Federal Bureau of Investigation office in a suburb of Philadelphia, making off with nearly every document inside.
They were never caught, and the stolen documents that they mailed anonymously to newspaper reporters were the first trickle of what would become a flood of revelations about extensive spying and dirty-tricks operations by the FBI against dissident groups.
The burglary in Media, Pennsylvania, on 8 March 1971, is a historical echo today, as disclosures by the former National Security Agency contractor Edward J Snowden have cast another unflattering light on government spying and opened a national debate about the proper limits of government surveillance. The burglars had, until now, maintained a vow of silence about their roles in the operation. They were content in knowing that their actions had dealt the first significant blow to an institution that had amassed enormous power and prestige during J Edgar Hoover’s lengthy tenure as director.
When you talked to people outside the movement about what the FBI was doing, nobody wanted to believe it,
said one of the burglars, Keith Forsyth, who is finally going public about his involvement. There was only one way to convince people that it was true, and that was to get it in their handwriting
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
A wet felted chunky merino cuff constructed using shibori wet felting techniques to create a surface texture reminiscent of octopus tentacles — via Etsy
Police in Australia have rescued a naked man who got stuck inside a washing machine while playing a game of hide-and-seek.
The man reportedly hid inside the top-loading machine so he could surprise his partner.
But he became stuck and it took 20 minutes for rescuers to dislodge him using olive oil as a lubricant.
Firefighters, paramedics and a search-and-rescue squad were also called to help with the situation.
The incident took place on Saturday in Mooroopna town, north of Melbourne, in Victoria state — via redwolf.newsvine.com
I spilt some water on my desk and didn’t wipe it up straight away… Now look what’s happened — via Etsy
— via deviantART
While the clay way drying, a slimy, gross, tentacled monster slithered up from the deep and attempted kidnap! Using the magical freezing fire power of my kiln, I was able to save this poor, innocent bowl from the ravages of the sea monster. But not before a few of the vicious, viscous tentacles were fused by fire to the bowl’s sides. The End — via Etsy
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