Synthetic Sponges Might Save Humanity

According to GoodNet, synthetic sponges may be the solution to a problem that has become a threat to humanity over the past few decades.

Tiny plastics called microplastics have been a growing problem over the past decade. As global plastic waste continues to increase, more and more microplastics get into the environment. They get everywhere, the air, the ocean, our food and water, and they even get into our blood. These microplastics can potentially even cause enhanced toxicity to many different organisms including human beings. Luckily, there is hope to get rid of this dangerous issue. A new study by researchers in China has found that ultralight synthetic sponges could get rid of these particles.

The research team created the marshmallow-like sponge mostly out of starch and gelatin and they are made to be synthetic and biodegradable. The sponge can collect these microplastics with a large amount of success. When testing the sponges, the researchers pushed a plastic-filled solution through one of the sponges. Researchers found that when they did this the sponges removed both microplastics and nanoplastics by trapping the plastic in the sponge's pores.

These sponges were also tested in various real samples. These samples include tap water, seawater, and even normal takeout soup that you would eat. In good conditions, the sponges removed up to 90 percent of the plastics from these samples.

There are several benefits to these sponges that the researchers pointed out. One is that they're incredibly light, they can sit on a flower without dragging any of its petals down. This means that they will be super cheap and easy to transport. The sponges can even be adjusted with temperature tweaks to change how porous they are to suit variously-sized microplastics.

When it comes to practical use, the sponges could be used in wastewater plants to filter out microplastics or in food production facilities. They could also be used on household items like washing machines, which are the main source of microplastics in the ocean today due to washing synthetic textiles.

Everyone knows of the obvious places where you have to worry about experiencing an earthquake. But sometimes, there are less obvious spots, too. So, what is our currently, calculated risk of an earthquake in North Carolina and South Carolina?

A new study looks at the locations with the highest potential of earthquakes. A lot of them are in major cities. A few include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Memphis. That's according to government research done by FEMA.

In case you were wondering, earthquakes are costly. That's not to shame the states that have the most earthquakes, of course. Hurricanes are costly, too. So, whether you live in California, where earthquakes are likely, or in other areas across America where hurricanes happen, chances are, your area is taking up funding to cover these disasters. As it turns out, southern California coastal counties and the Bay Area are the most costly when it comes to earthquake damage. "Los Angeles County with $2.68 billion in annualized losses is more than three times greater than the second highest county (Santa Clara, California)," the FEMA report states. "The counties containing the Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake, and Memphis metropolitan areas also have relatively high AELs."

North Carolina ranks No. 22 and No. 28, respectively, out of the states for the report's "Ranking of States by Annualized Earthquake Loss and Annualized Earthquake Loss Ratios (AELR)." South Carolina ranks No. 8 and 12, respectively.

Find the interactive map via CNN below and see where your area lands. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a fairly high risk for activity. The map was "derived in part from a US Geological Survey study that created earthquake models to help inform municipalities and insurance companies about such hazards," according to CNN.

While you might think of a handful of cities who are in danger of earthquakes, and those are on the West Coast, there is earthquake activity all around. "Although most economic loss is concentrated along the West Coast, the distribution of relative earthquake risk, as measured by the AELR, is much broader and reinforces the fact that earthquakes are a national problem," FEMA says. "Relatively high earthquake loss ratios are throughout the western and central United States (states within the NMSZ) and in the Charleston, South Carolina, area."

You've heard of the Big Four, right? In metal music. Anyway, the Big 55 are the cities that experience the most earthquake activity. "Fifty-five metropolitan areas, led by the Los Angeles (including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Anaheim) and San Francisco (including San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley) Bay areas, account for 85% of the total AEL," FEMA says.

The FEMA report states, "Within the central and eastern United States, the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) and the Charleston, South Carolina, area pose substantial earthquake threat." As for safer areas, "The NMSZ covers parts of eight states: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Together, they amount to approximately 15% of the total national exposure."

This is an interactive map of the United States showing each area's risk for earthquakes. You might be surprised by some of the areas that actually have a pretty high risk for activity. Click the link below to go to the interactive map via CNN.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/23/us/us-earthquake-risk-map-dg/index.html