PhDs have been searching for a solution to the global plastic waste problem, but the solution may have come through a pair of 16-year-olds.

The teen winner in last year's Canadian Science Fair presented research on microorganisms that can rapidly biodegrade plastic.

Daniel Burd knew that plastic, one of the most indestructible of manufactured materials, does in fact eventually decompose. It takes 1,000 years but decompose it does, which means there must be microorganisms out there to do the decomposing.

(From Mother Nature Network)

Photo credit: Samuel Mann/Flickr

Scientists in Stuttgart have found a way of obtaining drinking water from air humidity. The system is based on solar collectors, making it an entirely energy independent source of water -- productive even in the desert.

Demonstration models are being constructed of various sizes to serve both the individual family and large community. (Read more in Science Daily)

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A retired carpenter with 35 years experience in construction has demonstrated that he can lift a Stonehenge-sized pillar weighing 22,000 lbs using nothing but sticks and rocks.

Wally Wallington believes he has solved part of the mystery of how Stonehenge was raised, thanks to his "Forgotten Technology" which relies on gravity and human ingenuity.

For more information, visit his website, Forgotten Technology.  

A British company has created an irrigation system that can grow crops using almost any water, whether pure, brackish, salted or polluted. The system can even take most industrial waste-water and use it without the need for a purification process.

The pipes are made from a plastic that retains virtually all contaminants while letting clean water through to the plants' roots.

(Continue Reading in Wired)

Congratulations to Mark Tonkin of Design Technology and Irrigation, based in Brighton!