Videos

Video: ‘Invisible’ solar roof tiles bring sustainable technology to historical sites

By Lisa McDonald / January 4, 2023

Implementing new sustainable materials and technologies into designated historical sites is complicated by the need to preserve the area’s historical nature. In Italy, managers of a project to improve the safety of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii worked with the owners of a small family-run business to install solar panels that blend into the ancient city’s traditional buildings.

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Video: Ceramic-based nesting boxes offer cool haven for African penguins

By Lisa McDonald / December 14, 2022

Over the past two centuries, the number of African penguins has plummeted more than 99%. The African Penguin Nest Project is an international team creating double-layered ceramic nesting boxes to protect African penguins from predators and the sun, which will hopefully lead to growth in the penguin population.

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Video: Translating bioceramic research from the lab to the clinic—a discussion with William Bonfield

By Lisa McDonald / November 30, 2022

To fulfill the growing demand for bioceramics and bioactive glasses, scientists will need to not only innovate new materials but translate them to market. In an interview, William Bonfield, recipient of the 2021 Larry L. Hench Lifetime Achievement Award, shares advice for others looking to translate their innovations into clinical settings.

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Video: Sing a Song of Pie Birds—the history of how ceramic figurines helped vent pies in the early 20th century

By Lisa McDonald / November 23, 2022

While people today often vent pies by cutting slits in the top crust, in the early 20th century, people used hollow ceramic figurines often shaped liked birds to vent the steam. Learn more about the history of pie birds in today’s CTT.

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Video: Reimagining of ‘Ballet des Porcelaines’ probes the complex cultural work behind the making of porcelain

By Lisa McDonald / November 16, 2022

When art historian Meredith Martin was introduced to an 18th-century ballet that allegorically depicts Europe’s pursuit of porcelain, she knew pursuing a historically accurate reconstruction of the ballet would risk reinforcing harmful racial stereotypes and exoticization of Asian cultures. Instead, she and choreographer Phil Chan conceived of a restaging that would center Asian American experience within this history.

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Video: Observatory tidings—as research pivots to education in Puerto Rico, Iranian telescope records first light

By Lisa McDonald / November 9, 2022

While missions that take place in space often capture media headlines, ground-based operations are equally important in our search to understand the cosmos. Today’s CTT covers two recent announcements concerning observatories in Puerto Rico and Iran.

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Video: From waste to watercolors—Colorado artist turns food scraps into paint

By Lisa McDonald / November 2, 2022

With a little bit of science knowledge, artists can learn to make paints and glazes at home quite easily and for far less cost. A Colorado artist is working to educate others on how she creates environmentally friendly watercolor paints from foraged plants and food waste.

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Video: Sweeten your knowledge of materials science this Halloween by making your own candy glass

By Lisa McDonald / October 26, 2022

Looking to weave some science learning into your Halloween activities? Making candy glasses like cotton candy and lollipops can provide insights into common glass processing methods and material properties. Learn how to make your own candy glass through the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation’s new Glass Science Kit!

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Video: Shallow-water mining is not the answer to deep-sea mining

By Lisa McDonald / October 19, 2022

Because of the environmental and economic concerns associated with mining mineral deposits on the deep seabed, some companies and countries are considering shallow-water mining instead. A recent open-access paper raises concerns about viewing shallow-water mining as an eco-alternative to deep-sea mining.

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Video: Glass bead geoengineering to protect sea ice may actually accelerate its loss

By Lisa McDonald / October 12, 2022

In 2018, geoengineers proposed that spreading hollow glass microspheres over sea ice would protect it from melting. However, a new study argues the glass beads would likely accelerate loss of sea ice instead.

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