How Plastic Made With Algae Can Clean Waterways | World Wide Waste
A tech startup can turn harmful algae into plastic foam, which could help clean up waterways and reduce demand for plastic. Mixing algae into plastic also traps carbon inside the products, which could be an important tool for fighting climate change. We went to Mississippi and Dongguan, China, to see how it’s done.
Inside the Japanese Hotel Staffed by Robots
If there’s one place on Earth you can already get a glimpse of our robot-assisted future, it’s Japan. Routinely at the forefront of robotics research, the country has brought us some of the weirdest automatons, most lifelike androids, and cutest helper-bots.
Why Matsutake Mushrooms Are So Expensive | So Expensive
Matsutake mushrooms harvested in Japan can cost over $500 per kilogram. Mushroom foragers like Gihei Fujiwara search for matsutake once a year around early fall. But it’s hard to predict the quality of a harvest. Over the past 70 years, Japan’s harvest has declined by over 95%. Now the mushroom’s future is unclear. So what […]
Why Coconut Oil Is So Expensive | So Expensive
Coconuts produce some of the most expensive cooking oil, selling for up to 12 times the price of canola oil in the United States. But the health benefits coconut oil devotees swear by are hotly contested, and the American Heart Association even recommended that consumption be avoided. Nevertheless, the industry is expected to grow by […]
How NFTs Have Become a Gateway Into the Metaverse
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) burst on the scene with a $69 million sale of Beeple’s digital art. Now players behind the so-called metaverse are betting «digital scarcity» will create a whole new ecosystem of play and commerce.
Why the Metaverse Is Fashion’s Next Goldmine | The Business of Fashion Show
Founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion Imran Amed steps into the virtual realm with the pioneering entrepreneurs behind Ledger, The Dematerialised and RFTKT Studios to discover why the metaverse is being seen as the next fashion goldmine.
Plants May One Day Provide Nickel for Your EV Battery
Agro-mining is the process of growing plants that absorb metals from the ground. The science is solid, but will this innovation ever be scalable enough to reduce traditional, destructive mining practices? Presented by Sabic.
Exploring the Arctic’s Global Seed Vault
Located in the arctic circle, The Global Seed Vault isn’t simply just a large storage facility for seeds from around the world. The vault is protecting the world’s agricultural genetic diversity and protecting our future food supply in case of catastrophe.
The Cyborg Beetles Designed to Save Human Lives
In the future, we may have remote-controlled insects to reach places humans cannot. At least that’s what Dr. Hirotaka Sato, an aerospace engineer from Singapore, is hoping.
How Millions Of Pounds Of Coffee Are Processed At Hawaiian Coffee Farms | Big Business
Although Hawaii accounts for less than 1% of the global coffee production, coffee is a $50 million industry for the state, and the number of coffee farms in the islands has been steadily increasing. But the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the supply chain into disarray, and as tourism to the islands plummeted, demand for coffee […]
Do You Have What It Takes to Live on Mars?
Think you have what it takes to live on the Moon or Mars? Maybe stop at HI-SEAS first. Researchers from around the world call this habitat home as they simulate what it would be like to be an astronaut on another planet.
Why Macadamia Nuts Are So Expensive | So Expensive
At $25 per pound, macadamia nuts are the world’s most expensive nuts.The nuts keep breaking price records every year. Macadamia trees take 7 to 10 years to begin producing nuts, and the nuts can only be harvested a few times a year. Although the demand for the nuts has largely outpaced the supply, exporters worry […]
Why Pine Nuts Are So Expensive | So Expensive
Pine nuts have long been desired for their unique flavor, use in traditional recipes, and health benefits. They’re also one of the most expensive nuts in the world, selling for upwards of $117 per kilogram. So what makes them so special? And why are they so expensive?
How Vegan Leather Is Made From Mangoes | World Wide Waste
One Dutch company is making vegan leather from mangoes that would otherwise be thrown away. The cofounders hope it will reduce food waste while making the leather industry more environmentally friendly.