Flame retardant levels rise

Newer flame retardants have become widespread in the air near the Great Lakes in the US, according to a new report. Research has suggested that the compounds can build up in fish and damage their DNA. 2-Ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) and bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) were found in the vast majority of samples from Chicago and Cleveland, where levels of the compounds doubled approximately every 13 months. 

First MoS₂ chip tested

The first computer chip made from molybdenite (MoS₂) has been tested by a Switzerland - based team. The substance has been touted as an alternative to silicon that could make chips smaller and more flexible, requiring less energy. Mimicking Nobel laureate Andre Geim's work with graphene, the team used sticky plastic to peel off layers of the mineral that were only a few atoms thick. 

A bridge made from bottles?

The town of York, in Maine, US, will soon have its new bridge, but what's so special about that is not where the bridge goes but what it is made of: plastic bottles. Axion International Construction has prefabricated the bridge from discarded bottles treated to make a building material that can supplant steel and concrete. In the US, only 27.5% of its hard plastic bottle waste is recycled and so this could be a way of using the rest. 

Say What?

'We have world class scientists and they need world class places to do their work - you would not keep a Da Vinci in a garden shed.' 

Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society in response to George Osborne's autumn statement, including the announcement of an additional £200 million of capital spending on science infrastructure.