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Durable and Easily Recyclable: Biodegradable Plastic Crafted from Bamboo

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Bamboo is a quickly renewable resource

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Bamboo-derived hard plastics exhibit similar strength and durability to conventional plastics found in household appliances and car interiors, all while being recyclable and biodegradable in soil.

While bioplastics are gaining traction, they still represent only about 0.5% of the more than 400 million tonnes of plastic manufactured annually. This limitation is largely because bioplastics often lack the mechanical strength of many petroleum-based varieties and are not easily accommodated in standard production methods.

Recently, Dr. Dawei Zhao from Shenyang University of Chemical Technology in China has pioneered a technique for creating plastics from cellulose extracted from bamboo. This innovative approach can match or even exceed the properties of many commonly used plastics.

“Bamboo grows quickly, making it an exceptionally renewable resource and a viable substitute for traditional wood, yet its current applications are mostly confined to woven products,” Zhao noted.

Zhao’s team initially treated bamboo with zinc chloride and simple acid to dismantle strong chemical bonds, resulting in a mixture of smaller cellulose molecules. These molecules are then reorganized into a robust, hardened plastic.

The resulting material’s toughness is on par with standard engineering plastics (the strong varieties used in automotive, household, and construction applications). Dr. Andrew Dove from the University of Birmingham, UK, commented on the study.

Plastic sheet made from bamboo

Dawei Zhao

However, its strength means potential applications remain underutilized. “This doesn’t compete with primary plastics used in packaging like polyethylene or polypropylene,” Dove remarked. “Nevertheless, while it primarily targets smaller engineering plastics, it could ease some concerns regarding the sourcing of existing materials in that field.”

Although it is not as economical as the most common plastics, Zhao and his group found that the bamboo-based plastic can be fully recycled while retaining 90% of its original strength, offering a more appealing economic proposition. It’s also noteworthy that while it doesn’t quite match the scrutiny that other biodegradable plastics endure, it decomposes within 50 days.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Tips from Sleep Scientists for Falling Asleep More Easily

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A restless mind is a prevalent obstacle to achieving sleep

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It might be due to age and warmer temperatures, but sleep is becoming increasingly elusive in my household. Between my husband’s insomnia, my child’s energy, and my own racing thoughts, our nights are filled with as much activity as our days. My social media feed has begun presenting videos featuring a technique known as “cognitive shuffle” for inducing sleep, prompting me to explore whether it actually works or if there are other mental tricks that could prove beneficial.

One major hindrance to restful sleep is a restless mind, the very challenge that cognitive shuffle aims to alleviate. Luc Beaudoin from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, has devised methods to help you divert your attention from spiraling thoughts and worries before drifting off.

How to Practice Cognitive Shuffling

The concept is straightforward. Pick a random word, such as “plonk,” and think of all the words you can generate from each letter. Examples include Primsol, Puma, Awards…lion, lemon, levitation, and more. As each word surfaces, spend some time visualizing it. This process creates a transitional phase between wakefulness and slumber, mirroring the spontaneous imagery seen in a “hypnotic state.”

Individuals who are good sleepers often report experiencing vivid images just before sleep, while poor sleepers tend to find themselves planning and problem-solving, as noted by Sophie Bostock, a doctor and sleep consultant. “It’s not that we need to empty our minds (which can actually be counterproductive), but rather we should steer our thoughts away from overly logical thinking,” she explains.

Cognitive shuffling seems to foster more fluid thinking. In a small study involving 154 students, those who reported struggling with “pre-sleep wakefulness” benefited from this technique, which shortened their time to sleep.

However, there lacks a gold-standard study on cognitive shuffling. Beaudoin himself conceded that there is no direct comparison between various cognitive techniques utilized at bedtime within the scientific literature.

Consequently, I turned to some of the world’s leading sleep scientists to inquire about their recommendations for anyone hoping to calm their minds at night.

Strategies for Insomnia Relief

Kevin Morgan from the Clinical Sleep Research Unit at Loughborough University in the UK directed me towards Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI). “CBTI is internationally recognized as the first evidence-based treatment for insomnia disorders,” he asserts.

This therapy focuses on training individuals to manage intrusive thoughts, which can otherwise lead to cognitive arousal (mental alertness), elevate hormones like adrenaline, and disrupt the normal sleep process. CBTI also tackles other facets of insomnia by assisting individuals in overcoming anxieties about sleeplessness and teaches meditation techniques.

While effective, acquiring CBTI techniques typically takes about 6–8 weeks, leading to a high dropout rate.

Nonetheless, various elements of CBTI may be beneficial on their own. A 2021 randomized controlled trial indicated that meditation apps may alleviate depression and anxiety in individuals with sleep disorders, potentially contributing to better pre-sleep relaxation.

Morgan mentions that the component of CBTI that appears to yield the greatest benefits is sleep restriction therapy. This counterintuitive method “has proven to be extremely effective” by reinforcing the idea of spending limited time in bed without sleeping.

This echoes the advice I received from Colin S.P., a professor of sleep medicine at Oxford University. He emphasized that “you cannot force sleep. It doesn’t exist in a tangible sense,” he notes. “You can only encourage sleep. It’s an involuntary process that occurs naturally, not something you can will into being. So rather than trying to sleep when you feel ‘slept and tired,’ focus on creating a conducive environment.”

Designing a Sleep Sanctuary

Another straightforward suggestion from several experts is to cultivate a sleep sanctuary in your bedroom. “Sleep-friendly environments are crucial,” advises Joseph Zielzevsky, Senior Vice President of Research and Science Affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. Others concur. “The top recommendation is to create a bedroom that promotes sleep—dark, cool, quiet, and uncluttered,” states Emerson Wickwire, Head of Sleep Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Many experts also highlighted the importance of avoiding screens before bedtime. The blue light emitted can inhibit melatonin production, disrupt circadian rhythms, complicate the process of falling asleep, and prompt unnecessary thoughts. However, Dzierzewski points out that many people engage with emotionally stimulating content, such as news and social media, right before bed. “Regrettably, over half of Americans admit to using screens within an hour of bedtime,” she mentions.

What I might implement with my children is a gratitude practice, as suggested by Bostock, backed by research indicating its efficacy in alleviating pre-sleep anxiety. “It’s remarkably difficult to feel grateful and stressed simultaneously,” she notes.

Perhaps the most significant advice I received wasn’t a trick or hint to quiet our racing thoughts at night but rather a prompt to genuinely prioritize sleep. Numerous specialists, including Aparajitha Verma, a sleep medicine neurologist in Houston, Texas, emphasized the necessity of treating sleep as a priority. Morgan reiterates that anyone dealing with insomnia should “seek expert help and engage in recommended treatment strategies as soon as possible.”

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to increased risks of dementia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even cancer. This reality alone is enough to keep anyone awake at night. Additionally, thoughts of “organizing” my child’s room linger in my mind. Yet, I am resolved to place it at the top of my to-do list as an immediate concern—hopefully, that will serve as a positive first step towards achieving a restful night for all.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Study Reveals Many AI Chatbots Are Easily Misled and Provide Risky Responses

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Compromised AI-driven chatbots pose risks by gaining access to harmful knowledge through illegal information encountered during their training, according to researchers.

This alert comes as an alarming trend emerges where chatbots have been “jailbroken” to bypass their inherent safety measures. These safeguards are meant to stop the systems from delivering harmful, biased, or inappropriate responses to user queries.

Powerful chatbots, including large language models (LLMs) like ChatGpt, Gemini, and Claude, consume vast amounts of content from the Internet.

Even with attempts to filter out harmful content from their training datasets, LLMs can still learn about illegal activities—including hacking, money laundering, insider trading, and bomb-making. Security protocols are intended to prevent the use of such information in their answers.

In a Report on the risks, researchers found that it is surprisingly easy to deceive many AI-powered chatbots into producing harmful and illegal content, emphasizing that the threat is “immediate, concrete, and alarming.”


The author cautions that “what was once limited to state actors and organized crime may now be accessible to anyone with a laptop or smartphone.”

The study, conducted by Professor Rior Lokach and Dr. Michael Fier from Ben Gurion University in Negev, Israel, highlights an escalating threat from “dark LLMs” developed without safety measures or altered through jailbreaks. Some entities openly promote a “no ethical guardrails” approach, facilitating illegal activities like cybercrime and fraud.

Jailbreaking involves using specially crafted prompts to manipulate chatbots into providing prohibited responses. This is achieved by taking advantage of the chatbot’s primary goal of following user requests against its secondary aim of avoiding harmful, biased, unethical, or illegal outputs. Prompts typically create scenarios where the program prioritizes usefulness over safety precautions.

To illustrate the issue, researchers created a universal jailbreak that breached several prominent chatbots, enabling them to answer questions that should normally be denied. Once compromised, LLMs consistently produced responses to nearly all inquiries, according to the report.

“It was astonishing to see the extent of knowledge this system holds,” Fier noted, citing examples that included hacking computer networks and providing step-by-step guides for drug manufacturing and other criminal activities.

“What makes this threat distinct from previous technical challenges is an unparalleled combination of accessibility, scalability, and adaptability,” Rokach added.

The researchers reached out to leading LLM providers to inform them of the universal jailbreak, but reported that the response was “overwhelmingly inadequate.” Some companies did not reply, while others claimed that the jailbreak threat lay outside the parameters of their bounty programs, which encourage ethical hackers to report software vulnerabilities.

The report suggests that chatbots need to “forget” any illegal information they learn, emphasizing that technology companies must screen training data rigorously, implement strong firewalls to block dangerous queries and responses, and develop techniques for “learning machines.” Dark LLMs should be regarded as a “serious security threat,” comparable to unlicensed weapons and explosives, warranting accountability from providers.

Dr. Isen Aloani, an AI security expert at Queen’s University Belfast, highlighted that jailbreak attacks on LLMs could lead to significant risks, ranging from detailed weapon-building instructions to sophisticated disinformation campaigns, social engineering, and automated fraud.

“A crucial part of the solution is for companies to not only rely on front-end safeguards but to also invest meaningfully in red teaming and enhancing model-level robustness. Clear standards and independent oversight are essential to adapt to the evolving threat landscape,” he stated.

Professor Peter Garraghan, an AI security authority at Lancaster University, emphasized, “Organizations need to treat LLMs as they would any other vital software component.”

“While jailbreaking is a concern, understanding the entire AI stack is vital for genuine accountability. The real security requirements involve responsible design and deployment, not merely responsible disclosure,” he added.

OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGpt, stated that the latest O1 model can better infer its safety policies and improve its resistance to jailbreak attempts. The company affirmed its ongoing research to bolster the robustness of its solutions.

Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic were contacted for their feedback. Microsoft replied with a link to a blog detailing their work to mitigate jailbreaks.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hyundai Motors facing legal action over easily stolen cars

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Hyundai, a motor maker, is currently facing legal action due to allegations that one of its most popular electric vehicle models can be easily stolen in seconds. Digital security expert Elliot Ingram was shocked to see CCTV footage of a hooded burglar stealing his Hyundai Ioniq 5 in under 20 seconds from his home.

It is believed that the thief used devices available online to replicate the car’s electronic key. This incident is just one of many thefts involving this vehicle, with many owners now resorting to steering locks for added security. Ingram’s car was eventually recovered by the police, but he has decided to terminate the lease and is seeking compensation from the car company. He argues that the Korean automotive giant should have informed customers about the security vulnerabilities.

“The security system is completely compromised, making it susceptible to attacks by anyone,” he stated. “It’s no longer effective.”

Hyundai has been promoting the convenience of digital and smart keys, allowing drivers to lock/unlock the door and start the engine with just the key fob or digital key. While the new technology includes various security measures, criminal groups have found ways to bypass them.

Ingram discovered a key emulator device being sold online for 15,000 euros. This device resembles Nintendo’s Game Boy Game Console and can operate in English or Russian. It has the capability to record signals from the car and replicate them within seconds, allowing for easy unauthorized access. Last year, the automotive industry admitted to ignoring warnings over a decade ago regarding the risks associated with keyless technology and vehicle theft.

Hyundai has responded by stating that there is an industry-wide issue with organized criminal groups using electronic devices to bypass smart key lock systems. They are collaborating with law enforcement to better understand these devices and track stolen vehicles. The company is working on an update to reduce the risk of keyless theft for vehicles sold since February 2024 and is planning to provide retroactive action for earlier models.

Vehicle theft has been on the rise in the UK and Wales, with a significant increase in the use of remote devices by criminals. Legislation is being introduced to ban electronic devices used for keyless vehicle theft, with severe penalties for those found in possession of, manufacturing, importing, or distributing such devices.

In conclusion, Hyundai is focused on enhancing vehicle security to combat theft, but they do not plan to recall the vehicle. Despite the updates and measures being implemented, the company acknowledges the challenge posed by determined criminals who will stop at nothing to steal vehicles for various purposes.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Labradors with a mutation that causes starvation tend to easily gain weight

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About a quarter of Labradors have a mutation in the POMC gene that induces starvation.

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Labradors and flat-coated retrievers, two dog breeds, may be more susceptible to being overweight because they carry mutations that cause them to feel hungry between meals and slow their metabolic rates. “It's a double whammy,” he says. Eleanor Laffan at Cambridge University.

mutations that affect genes called POMCwhich affects about a quarter of Labradors and two-thirds of flat-coated retrievers, but does not affect other breeds.

Discovered in 2016, it was found to alter pathways in the brain associated with weight regulation, but it was unclear exactly how it affected eating habits.

To find out, Laffan's team conducted a “boxed sausage” test on 87 pet Labradors. In this test, dogs were able to see and smell sausages in an impenetrable container. The Labrador dog, in which he had one copy of the mutation, continued to try to open the box much longer than the dog without it.

However, in another test in which dogs were given a can of food every 20 minutes until they ran out of food, all dogs ate the same amount of food, regardless of whether they had the genetic mutation or not. This shows that the mutation affects appetite in a specific way, by increasing hunger levels between meals, Laffan says.

The researchers also measured the resting metabolic rates of flat-coated retrievers while they slept and found that dogs with two copies of the mutation had metabolic rates that were about a quarter lower than other dogs.

Laffan said the effect would be expected to be the same in both breeds, but in a second experiment flat-coated retrievers were more likely to carry both of the mutations than Labradors. He wanted to find out.

Laffan said many other genes probably influence dog weight, just as they do in humans.

Dan O'Neill Researchers from the Royal College of Veterinary Medicine say owners of overweight dogs should avoid giving treats as a way to show affection and instead give their dogs other forms of attention. “You can also replace that snack with a walk,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

How to easily make your pancakes even more delicious

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Shrove Tuesday, the traditional holiday celebrated the day before the Christian Lent, is now almost exclusively associated with pancakes by many people around the world.

Pancakes come in many shapes and sizes and are eaten in cultures around the world. From French crepes to American griddle cakes to Indian dosas, these versatile rings of fried dough provide endless sweet and savory indulgences.

But no matter how you enjoy it, a little science can go a long way in making this Pancake Day a huge success (as long as you don't get carried away and end up flipping pancakes on the floor).We collaborated with materials chemists and food scientists. Professor Matt Hartings and professor of fluid mechanics. Ian Eames Add scientific rigor to your favorite pancake recipes.

1. Swap regular milk for buttermilk

Most pancake recipes use some type of milk. But if you want the perfect layer of American fluffy pancakes, pancakes with a little bit of butter slowly melting on the surface, you should replace regular milk with fermented buttermilk.

You can substitute the same amount of buttermilk for milk in most recipes. “For me, the best pancakes have to be made with buttermilk,” Hartings explains. “This ingredient provides an irreplaceable punch of flavor and I never make pancakes without it.

“Key molecules found in buttermilk include diacetyl, which has a buttery aroma; many aldehydes and ketones, some floral and fruity; amino acids, which have a umami flavor; acids – Especially lactic acid and citric acid.

“These acids are doubly important in that they not only add flavor but are part of the one-two punch that makes pancakes rise. These acids react with the baking soda in the batter to produce carbon dioxide. This will cause the pancakes to become fluffy while cooking.

Don't have buttermilk at home today? Squeezing lemon juice into the batter (we recommend 1 tablespoon per 250 ml of milk) has the same effect as the acid in buttermilk, giving the pancakes the perfect frothy texture.

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2. Add melted butter to the dough.

If you want to give your stack of American pancakes that classic golden-brown color, this step is non-negotiable. why? Mr Hartings said: “A buttered batter will ensure that your pancakes are perfectly golden brown from edge to edge.

“However, this brown color is not entirely due to butter. That beautiful brown color and accompanying flavor are the product of the Maillard reaction.”

The Maillard reaction is a complex process that occurs when sugars and proteins are exposed to heat, producing compounds known as melanoidins. These compounds are what give food its brown color and distinctive flavor when cooked.

Grilled steak, bread, toasted marshmallows, and pancakes all have these reactions when cooked.

“Butter may play a role in producing the chemical components that are part of Maillard, but butter is most important here, ensuring consistent thermal contact between the pancake batter and the hot skillet. ” says Hartings.

Try melting about a quarter of the flour by weight and adding melted butter to the mixture at the same time as milk.

Pro tip: Maillard reactions favor non-acidic environments. That said, if you're using buttermilk, adding a little more baking soda than called for in the recipe will help you achieve the desired browning.

3. Use the golden ratio

Unlike fluffy American pancakes, British pancakes are much thinner and wider. According to Eames, wrote an entire scientific paper All about making perfect pancakes, the secret to delicious pancakes lies in knowing how to get the perfect balance of ingredients.

“The characteristics of a pancake are determined by the baker's ratio,” he says. This is approximately equal to the amount of milk (in milliliters) in the dough divided by the mass of flour (in grams).

“This ratio indicates how much liquid is in the pancake mix and how thin the pancakes are. Compared to other countries, British pancakes tend to be very thin and wide, resulting in The mix contains a lot of dairy ingredients.”

Eames' research concluded that the correct Baker ratio is approximately:

  • 1 American style pancakes
  • 2 British pancakes
  • 3 for French crepes

Sounds like too much math? If you're trying to make English pancakes, Eames recommends using 200 ml of milk, 100 g of flour, and 1 or 2 eggs.

4. Please rest!

We know what pancake day is like. All you want to do is dash home and lose weight with fried batter in as little time as possible. You may want to rush things. But please don't let that happen.

why? If you want to make thin pancakes, an important step is to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

The reason for this is the protein “glutenin” contained in wheat flour. This protein is initially inactive, but when mixed with water it stretches and bonds with other gluten molecules. This forms a network that traps the air bubbles. This is great if you want thick, fluffy pancakes, but less ideal for traditional thin pancakes.

Letting the mix rest for a while allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter, and giving the gluten time to relax, making the pancakes less prone to pesky bubbles.

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About our experts

matt hartings He is an associate professor of chemistry at American University in Washington. His research aims to develop new materials for 3D printing and environmental monitoring, and to explore how biology creates materials. Hartings is also an expert in food and cooking chemistry and has written a book on the subject. kitchen chemistry.

Ian Eames Professor of Fluid Mechanics at University College London. His research interests include fundamental fluid mechanics and extreme environment engineering. His entertaining scientific paper on how to make the perfect pancake formed part of a more serious study of biological membranes in the eye.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

British Safety Council’s findings reveal that AI safety devices are easily susceptible to breaches

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The UK’s new Artificial Intelligence Safety Authority has discovered that the technology can mislead human users, produce biased results, and lacks safeguards against the dissemination of harmful information.

Announced by the AI Safety Research Institute, initial findings of research into advanced AI systems, also known as large language models (LLMs), revealed various concerns. These AI systems power tools like chatbots and image generators.

The institute found that basic prompts can bypass LLM safeguards and be used to power chatbots such as ChatGPT for “dual-use” tasks, which refers to using a model for both military and civilian purposes.

According to AISI, “Using basic prompting techniques, users were able to instantly defeat the LLM’s safeguards and gain assistance with dual-use tasks.” The institute also mentioned that more advanced “jailbreak” techniques could be used by relatively unskilled attackers within a few hours.

The research showed that LLM models can be useful for beginners planning cyberattacks and are capable of creating social media personas for spreading disinformation.

When comparing AI models to web searches, the institute stated that they provide roughly the same level of information, but AI models tend to produce “hallucinations” or inaccurate advice.

The image generator was found to produce racially biased results. Additionally, the institute discovered that AI agents can deceive human users in certain scenarios.

AISI is currently testing advanced AI systems and evaluating their safety, while also sharing information with third parties. The institute focuses on the misuse of AI models, their impact on humans, and their ability to perform harmful tasks.

AISI clarified that it does not have the capacity to test all released models and is not responsible for declaring these systems “secure.”

The institute emphasized that it is not a regulator but conducts secondary checks on AI systems.

Source: www.theguardian.com