Swedish scientists create transparent 'wood'

Researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology have just made wood transparent. The new material isn't as crystal clear as glass, but it could be used to build solar panels or houses that let in more natural light.

These badasses developed the transparent 'wood' by removing lignin, the organic compound that makes the wood brown. When combined with acrylic, the lignin-free wood is about 85 percent transparent. It's also stronger and cheaper than glass, and is suitable for mass production.

Lars Berglund, who led the research, says they are hoping to "enhance the transparency of the material", and are looking to "scaling up the manufacturing process".

[h/t: Gizmodo]

Comments

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.

James DeRosso's ceramic monsters

I really like these whimsical ceramic creatures by James DeRosso. Yes, they have bulging eyes and toothy grins, but they're not scary at all. The Portland-based artist started making cute monsters while he was a student to jokingly create gargoyle-like guardians for the kiln. After other students kept taking his quirky little figures, he realized there was a market for them. "I'm enjoying the whole monster making niche," James says. "It's amazingly gratifying to be doing ceramics full time and especially to be a teacher introducing kids to the joy of clay." Be sure to visit his website and like his Facebook page for the latest monster news.

This art installation aims to raise awareness on domestic violence

What you see here is an art installation featuring 440 pairs of high heels. The shoes were recently hanged by Turkish artist and graphic designer Vahit Tuna on a facade of a building in downtown Istanbul to highlight domestic abuse. Each pair represents one of the 440 women killed in Turkey last year by their partner or husband. How sad that is.

finding cain

Search This Blog