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13/10/2026

When your lab bench is the top of a filing cabinet 😁

Art paper = Whatman paper
Yoghurt tubs = beakers
Paper cups = test tubes
Plastic spoons = stir bars

I have enjoyed my short stint as a professional science communicator. It makes me hungry to get stuck into much deeper work too. But I will always love low tech options and the good old ‘quick and dirty’ to explore concepts before moving to high tech validation. The two attitudes side by side move quicker than either alone IMHO.

28/06/2026

Who has been burning the leaves?

I love how the oversized plane tree leaves show the ‘magic’ of biodegradation so clearly (once you understand what you’re seeing).

The leaves quickly take on a charred appearance. Similar to the effect of fire but in this case it is biologically mediated oxidation. You can see the culprit on the other side of the leaf.

Fire (or burning or pyrolysis or other thermal conversion) seems like a super efficient way to transform materials but it’s worth paying attention to the energy inputs, as well as the infrastructure or effort that is needed to control those methods.

Biology’s superpower involves subverting thermodynamics to get results from lower energy budgets. Yes, it’s slower, taking minutes rather than seconds but that also opens up opportunities to collect glorious intermediates.

25/06/2026

Some people fit in a gym session before work. I prefer to fit in some composting.

Since Capital Scraps closed down I no longer service clients (except for two on a volunteer basis). But in the past week we had a street party where I served pumpkin soup in compostable coffee cups. Due diligence included making sure the cups were certified compostable (industrially) according to the Australasian Bioplastics Assoc standard, and then actually composting them with a rigorous process.

I was more than happy to do this, the polylactic acid (PLA) polymer that lines the cup and serves a liquid barrier function also serves a function in the compost process. It’s a favoured fuel for the microbes and helps them carry out their powerful biochemistry.

We’re living in the future. I remember reading the science papers 20 odd years ago when they were developing PLA and other bioplastics. The reason that I can compost more effectively than other commercial outfits is also rooted in the science. Translational science is the key to moving so many issues forward.

Curious to hear more? Email me at [email protected]

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Canberra Central, ACT

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http://www.capitalscraps.com/

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