cotton
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Researchers Breed Naturally Flame-Resistant Cotton
Chemical flame retardants can make us safer by preventing or slowing fires, but they’re linked to a range of unsettling health effects. To get around that concern, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have bred a new population of cotton that can self-extinguish after encountering a flame.
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Researchers Put Cloth Face Masks Under a Microscope. The Images Are Out of This World
Cloth face masks have become part of the daily routine for many of us. The first thing I did at the beginning of the pandemic last year was buy some cloth face masks for my mum, who is 68 years old and has delicate health. Nearly a year after that purchase, my mum is vaccinated,…
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Government-Subsidised Cotton Farms Are Sucking The Colorado River Dry
Not too many drought stories have focused on cotton. As one of the thirstiest crops, it was long abandoned by many farmers in the regions hardest hit by unprecedented water scarcity. Except for one part of Arizona, where cotton blooms defiantly, even today. Because here, the more cotton fails, the more the US pays farmers…
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Cotton Transistors Could Lead To Intelligent Undies
A team of international researchers led by Cornell fibre scientist Juan Hinestroza have successfully created transistors from cotton fibres that remain flexible enough to be woven into fabrics, leading the way for garments that could one day be more capable than your phone.