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The world’s quietest room is located at Microsoft’s headquarters in Washington. It measures -20.35 dBA, which is so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat and even your blood flow.

Culture

The Rarest ‘Blue’

This blue paint shade was once so rare that it often cost more than gold. Artists would wait months for shipments of the pigment, made by grinding lapis lazuli, a gemstone found mainly in Afghanistan. Due to its rarity, it was used sparingly, typically reserved for important details like the Virgin Mary's cloak in religious art. In the late 1820s, synthetic ultramarine began to be produced in France and Germany, ending the costly process of mining and grinding lapis lazuli.

Today, creating a beautiful color scheme with this shade is far easier.

US News

Middle Schooler Leads $11.5 Million Project

A young student from Connecticut is making an impact with her design of affordable air filters for classrooms.

While in fifth grade, Shokunbi led a project at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, CT, where she developed an air filter using a box fan, four furnace filters, duct tape, and cardboard. With assistance from scientists at the University of Connecticut, she and her classmates tested the air filter's effectiveness and later presented their findings during a field trip to the EPA. “This stuff is more effective than a lot of the commercial products on the market; it’s a lot cheaper and a lot more effective,” said State Senator Matt Lesser. Shokunbi was present when the Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $11.5 million for the assembly and installation of these air filter systems in schools across the state.
The now sixth-grader expressed her ambition to see these filters installed in every classroom in America, stating, “I want them to go to school knowing that they’re safe, that they’re healthy, that they can learn.” She added, “I really love explaining to people and seeing their faces, seeing them realize that this could change so many lives.”

Environment

Powder Removes CO2

The scientific consensus on climate change suggests that humans cannot prevent severe consequences from 2°C of warming without removing excess carbon from the atmosphere.

To tackle this issue, student inventors at UC Berkeley have developed a yellow powder capable of absorbing as much CO2 as a mature oak tree, using just half a pound. The newly developed yellow powder, COF-999, could potentially outperform existing solutions if specific applications are developed. Made from non-exotic materials, COF-999 is highly porous and designed to function like an air filter and sponge. Created by Omar Yaghi and Zihui Zhou, COF-999 contains strong chemical bonds and microscopic channels filled with amines that capture CO2 as air passes through. Just half a pound can absorb 88 pounds of CO2—similar to a large tree at maturity—and it captures carbon about ten times faster than synthetic materials used for direct air capture.

The absorbed CO2 can be released by heating the powder to 140°F, and this process can be repeated hundreds of times. Yaghi believes the material has the potential for thousands of cycles. The main challenge now is to find effective ways to position the powder outdoors to prevent it from blowing away while capturing carbon. According to Yaghi, this powder could be ready for commercial use within two years. He and Zhou have patented their invention and started a company to bring it to market.

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Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

All about, but cannot be seen, Can be captured, cannot be held No throat, but can be heard. What is it?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

The correct answer is:

Explanation: The sketch is built stage by stage and in each step an additional line is added. This guideline eliminates answer choices 1, 2, and 4. Notice how the new line never touches the last line added, which eliminates answer choice 5. Therefore, the correct answer has to be choice 3. Gerry Moore—you are on the roll!! ☀️ 

The first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured