Science & Nature

According to National Geographic, the venom of the box jellyfish (also called sea wasp, fire jelly or marine stinger) is considered to be among the most deadly in the world. A model of the fire...

The concept of carrying a knife in sheath, suspended around the neck, goes back to antiquity. The neck knife is still around because it is so practical. The neck knife is more secure than a...

Vacuum molding, also called vacuum-forming or vacuforming, is a fast, simple way to make parts from plastic. It is used at all skill levels, from hobbyists to large manufacturing companies. Parts...

Old or damaged soft plastic fishing lures can be melted down and poured into worm molds to create brand new lures. You can melt the worms in a microwave until they have reached a liquid state and...

Plastic fishing worms are a useful addition to your tackle box. These worms vary in appearance from realistic-looking night crawlers to fluorescent colored worms with sparkly glitter. Regardless...

This article will provide you with information on how to make repairs to camping gear which occurs after your already on the camping trail. Even though these are minor repairs they can make a...

One advantage of using plastic worms is you can reuse the same bait many times without having to visit your local bait shop or hunt for nightcrawlers. These wiggly fishing lures can be created at...

Did you know more than 95 percent of the water on our planet is undrinkable because of its high saline content? In other words, it's so salty, we'd die if we drank it. Not only is it possible to...

Plastic parts can be coated with a thin layer of metal for aesthetic, conduction, and static reduction purposes. Coating plastic parts with metal is difficult, because traditional metal coating...

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is a long-chain polymer or plastic. Polyethylene is the most common form of plastic in the world and can be processed in a number of ways to make it thin,...

Thermoplastics are the most malleable type of plastics available for use. Most highly flexible plastics, such as plastic wrap, are types thermoplastic. Other types of thermoplastics are very hard...

A plastic extrusion system converts a granulated plastic resin into a final product with a constant cross section. A plastic extruder consists of four parts: a gravity-fed hopper, a drive screw,...

Extrusion is the process of pushing molten plastic under pressure through a shaped die to produce a product with a specific cross-section. Extrusion is used for the production of a wide range of...

When you insulate the windows of your home or business, you can reduce your winter energy bills by up to 30 percent. This is a positive thing for both the environment and your pocketbook. And this...

Fingering a strand of worry beads may help with prayer or stress relief. Amber, fossilized resin from ancient trees, is a popular choice for prayer beads because of its warm brown and red tones,...

Recycling saves energy primarily because it reduces the need to extract and refine natural resources. For many materials, the energy to recycle is less than the energy needed to make it from...

Magnetic levitation is an amazing effect that can play tricks on the eyes and improve nearly any project. Levitation occurs when similar poles of magnets repel each other in a confined area. Some...

BPA exposure has caused a stir amongst consumers and researchers alike. The release of BPA from plastic drinking bottles is suspect in the development of cancer, attention deficit disorder (ADD)...

Shrink-wrapping of compact discs serves several different purposes. In addition to presenting a professional look for data and music CDs, shrink-wrapping helps to protect the disc from dust,...

According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), using plastic bags instead of paper bags provides an excellent opportunity to be a little more green. Not only does the production of plastic...

Answering whether plastic can be recycled is not straightforward. Plastic containers and packaging, unlike glass and aluminum, are made from a variety of compounds and not a single source....

Maggots are not exactly the most popular household pet. However, they can be very useful to budding scientists and biologists who need them to study areas such as decomposition or life cycle...

Not all plastic is created equal when it comes to recycling. To help consumers understand what they can recycle, The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) created a numerical coding system in...

A microscope is an instrument used for looking at objects that are too small to see with the naked eye. A microscope has a magnifier built in to see things close up and personal. This tool is used...

Recycling is the act of processing objects and turning them into new products. Plastic is a common recyclable, as is newspaper and aluminum. Items, such as plastic bottles, plastic wraps and...

Styrofoam, also known by generic name polystyrene, is a type of plastic that is made of expanded polystyrene beads. Urban legends abound on the potential side-effects and health risks associated...

We all want to do our part to help the environment, right? But let's face it. Who can afford to go out and buy a new car. Who can afford to replace all of the light bulbs in our homes with the...

There may come a time in your life when you have a pile of salt and pepper mixed together and you feel compelled to separate it. Don't ask me why you'd want to do this; you're the one reading this...

Blow molding is a process commonly used to create plastic objects. In general, the process consists of generating a tubular form, referred to as a parison. The parison is placed into a mold and...

Ocean water contains about 3.5 percent salt, which renders it undrinkable. Commercial desalinators purify ocean water on a large scale by boiling it and collecting the steam, which doesn't contain...

A siphon is a device that moves a liquid from a reservoir to a receptacle at a lower level. The primary difference between a siphon and a drain is that the siphon has an intermediate section...

Birds nests can be preserved for used in home decorating, as Christmas tree ornaments, or in scientific or historic displays. However, just because the nest isn't currently inhabited doesn't mean...

There are eight major types of plastic molding processes: 1. Injection molding 2. Rotational molding 3. Thermoforming 4. Structural foam molding 5. Gas assist molding 6. Blow...

This article will tell you how to rid your campsite of pesky raccoons.

Have you ever wanted to make plastic? There are good reasons for making your own, safely. This plastic-making instruction can be used for making crafts, a molded part, or children’s science...

Strong, but not heavy, and with a relatively high melting point for a plastic, polypropylene sees use in many commercial and specialized products. Polypropylene also has the benefits of being...

The graduated cylinder is a tall, thin container used to measure the volume of liquids. It is a very common piece of laboratory equipment. Chemists use graduated cylinders just as you would use...

Many resources go into the production and distribution of plastic bags, which then are used only briefly. This in contrast to their longevity afterwards, during which they risk being eaten by...

In America, the trend towards an eco-friendly society continues to grow. Recycling leads this trend. In 2007, approximately 1/3 of the garbage created was recycled. The Society of the Plastics...

Plastic can be found everywhere in our society, from the bottles that store our water and sodas to the bags that hold our groceries. Recycling for plastics is widely available. Over 2.3 billion...

Americans alone use millions of plastic bags a day. Most of the time they end up in landfills, in the oceans or in the stomachs of marine life. In addition, plastic bag manufacturing keeps us...

Paper or plastic? is a choice shoppers have made--or least debated about--for years. Their primary concern centered around where the bags went after they had been used. Paper bags were created...

With curbside recycling becoming widespread and recycling centers popping up, more and more people are turning to recycling when it comes time to dispose of their trash. While almost all paper and...

Plastic bags are made from a ubiquitous polymer substance known as polyethylene. This begins as ethylene, commonly extracted from natural gases, then treated to become the polymer, forming long...

An estimated 200,000 barrels of oil a day go toward making plastic packaging in the United States. Because we use so much plastic and petroleum is a non-renewable resource, it is important to try...

Plastic grocery bags are cheap and convenient for both grocery stores and the consumer. As a result, shoppers use these bags for 80 percent of their shopping trips. According to the Department of...

The use of plastic bottles is on the rise. They are used as soft drink containers and to meet the demand for bottled water. The type of plastic used to contain these liquid products is...

All plastic containers and items are marked with a triangle made from three arrows. In the center of the triangle is a number. This symbol doesn't mean that the item is made from recycled plastic,...

Plastic bottles can possibly have harmful effects to those who use them. For example, repeated washing in a hot dishwasher releases the estrogen Bisphenol A (BPA). If the bottle becomes litter...

The proliferation of plastic products and ever-decreasing landfill space combine for a good reason to recycle plastic. Not all plastics are created equal, however, so it is important to understand...