The
Eclectic
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Happy Thursday, everyone!
Today’s topics include worm rain and eco-friendly building techniques. Lots of intrigue!
That said, let’s dive into the odd and obscure.
It’s Raining… Worms? 🪱
Are you one of the people who wonders why the US government would spend $15 million every year to drop worms on Central America?
I know I was. I mean, really? Worm rain?
And the answer is…
To save the planet, of course.
But let’s dive deeper.
This project started in 1957 (yeah, that long ago), but it didn’t start with air-dropped worms into Central America.
It’s all because of the type of worm involved, the New World Screwworm.
Now, this is a particularly nasty critter. It’s a fly larva that burrows into a host, tearing it apart, often painfully killing the host, both livestock and humans.
The hard part is that using pesticides or toxins to eliminate these worms destroys the ecosystem.
So, the US government, in cooperation with Central American agencies, developed a method to breed sterile mates for the Screwworm.
Approximately 20 million sterile worms are airdropped over Panama every week to reduce the spread of this invasive and destructive species.
And it’s working!
What’s Stronger Than Steel? 🌽🪵
Corn residue and wood flour, apparently.
Who knew waste products could be used in eco-friendly building techniques?
When combined, a biodegradable thermoplastic-polyester bioplastic called PLA is created.
Using this blend in a large-scale 3D printer, researchers have created a flooring panel from a single material that replaces an assembly of more than 30 parts made from three materials.
And it’s eco-friendly!
The best part? It’s as strong as a traditional steel floor fabrication.
Which means it can be used to build more sustainable structures.
The SM2ART Nfloor cassette is fully recyclable. Being 3D printed also means significant labor savings because it already has the cutouts for electrical, plumbing, and ductwork lines.
A genuinely circular use of waste products to create something useful that gets recycled again when its useful life has been expended.
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