When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
Millions of tons of plastic trash is floating in the oceans. If it’s plastic, it’s probably swimming with the fish — false teeth, bags, bottles, spoons, flip flops… the list goes on.
The sheer size of this body of indestructible material is causing environmentalists, government officials, and the plastics industry itself to become concerned. As Bettina Wassener reports in The New York Times, a number of scientists think that besides climate change, marine plastic pollution is a pressing problem for the world.
Wassener writes:
The problem is not the plastic itself: Even those who lobby against plastic pollution acknowledge that plastic materials help combat climate change, for example by reducing the weight — and thus fuel consumption — of vehicles, or by helping to insulate buildings.The problem is the sheer amount of the stuff out there. Low-cost, lightweight and durable, plastic erupted onto the world stage in the 1950s. Annual production of 1.5 million tons back then has swelled to about 250 million tons now, according to the trade association PlasticsEurope .
In North America and Western Europe, each person uses about 100 kilograms of plastic every year. By 2015, that figure is expected to go up to 140 kilograms. In rapidly developing Asian countries, the current average of about 20 kilograms is estimated to shoot up to 36 kilograms by 2015.
Although most of the plastic trash goes to landfills and some of it gets recycled, a good chunk of it heads into the sea. Plastic trash ends up in rivers or sewage drains, discarded on beaches, or dumped from ships, all leading into the oceans.
The problem is that plastic doesn’t biodegrade like food, wood, or paper. Scientists think most plastics will take takes decades, even centuries, to break down.
Some of the trash sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Some washes back onto land, sometimes reaching remote and untouched shores. But most of the trash gets caught in ocean currents and taken to garbage “soups” in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans that stretch for thousands of kilometers.
The trash isn’t visible via satellite, so scientists have trouble measuring the problem. But it’s definitely there and visible up close. It appears like a gelatinous gloop in spots. Scientists are worried and now action is being taken is confront the problem.
Wassener notes:
That means more efforts by companies to minimize packaging; more efforts by the authorities to step up collection and public awareness; and more efforts by ordinary people — yes, that is you and me — to avoid throwaway plastic products and to recycle those we do use.
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