Farewell to laundry day? Introducing the fabric that cleans itself when exposed to light

Future clothes could clean themselves, thanks to a group of Australian scientists. All you'll have to do is hang them outside under the sun and presto, clean laundry.

Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne have developed what they call "self-cleaning textiles," which contain metallic nanostructures capable of degrading organic matter when exposed to light. Experiments showed that deliberately placed stains vanished within minutes.

There's still more work to do before we can say goodbye to laundry day, though. The researchers still have to test the textiles with organic compounds to determine how quickly they can handle common stains like ketchup or baby poo, and they also have to find a way to make the new fabrics affordable enough to end up in your closet.

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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.

Eric Ogden and his 'Half-Remembered Season'

Michigan-born Eric Ogden produces images that look as if they were stills captured from films. What I really like about his work is his ability to execute striking photos with great use of light. Eric's portfolio includes portraits of A-list celebs, breathtaking landscapes, and other commercial stuff. His photos have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Time, and Rolling Stone, among others. My personal favorite is his photo series called A Half-Remembered Season , in which the subjects look like they were frozen in time. They're both intriguing and seductive. Whether it is a child on a swing in midair, a young waitress standing inside a soda shop, or a beautiful brunette floating in a swimming pool, someone is trying to tell a story. You can explore more of Eric's work on his website .

Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten 's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work. Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display. "I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women ...

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