A way to attach a coating of 'live' enzymes onto plastic and other materials could lead to clothes that digest stains as soon as they occur, or kitchen surfaces able to kill bacteria.

US researchers have shown they can make plastic films containing active enzymes like those in biological clothes detergents. The process used is based on one typically used to produce thin, flat plastic products such as CDs, DVDs and flat-screen displays.

There’s a lot of energy in the College of Engineering at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., these days, and it doesn’t have anything to do with 20-year-olds cramming for finals.

Undertaking a home building project? Sustainable, eco-friendly materials are the only way to go — they’re better for you, as well as the planet. According to GreenBuilding.com, “the US EPA ranks indoor pollution among top five environmental risks, and unhealthy air is found in up to 30% of new and renovated buildings.”

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The head of an Israeli-backed electric car project estimated on Sunday that its partner, the Renault-Nissan alliance, would likely invest $500 million to $1 billion in the swappable-battery electric cars.

"This is the cost for a three-year car program," Shai Agassi, the founder and chief executive of California-based Project Better Place, said on the sidelines of a news conference to introduce the electric car prototype.

The tech blogosphere has been aflutter this week with the next, biggest thing to change our lives. Well, perhaps the lives of millions of pre-teens across the world. The Hello Kitty Solar Charger.

Fresh after last year’s release of the Hello Kitty space heater, this nearly 6”x 6”x 3” contraption can recharge your iPod, Blackberry, or any other portable electronic device with a USB plug. The charger also has a DC battery for those unfortunate moments when sunlight just isn’t cutting it (a typical solar charge takes 6 hours while a DC charge takes 1).

Investigations continue into the cause of a mysterious illness that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of bats since March 2008. At more than 25 caves and mines in the northeastern U.S, bats exhibiting a condition now referred to as “white-nosed syndrome” have been dying.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently issued a Wildlife Health Bulletin, advising wildlife and conservation officials throughout the U.S. to be on the lookout for the condition known as “white-nose syndrome” and to report suspected cases of the disease.

Add university research to the long list of human activities contributing to global warming.

Hervé Philippe, a Université de Montréal professor of biochemistry, is a committed environmentalist who found that his own research produces 44 tonnes of CO2 per year. The average American citizen produces 20 tonnes.

Turn greenhouse gases to stone? Transform them into a treacle-like liquid deep under the seabed?

The ideas may sound like far-fetched schemes from an alchemist's notebook but scientists are pursuing them as many countries prepare to bury captured greenhouse gases in coming years as part of the fight against global warming.

I’m not a cyclist by any means but it appears to moi that Great Britain based Strida has completely conquered the concept of the folding bike. The triangular frame is constructed of lightweight aluminum and power is transferred to the rear wheels via a silent, clean Kevlar belt. Handlebars are mounted horizontally so the rider can sit comfortably upright with an excellent view potential road hazards. In about five seconds the triangular frame folds-up into a compact form that can be wheeled into an office closet, loaded into your car or taken on the train.

It’s called the GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, and with 2,292 individual color LEDs, comparable to a 24,000 sq. ft. monitor screen, it’s said to be the largest color LED display in the world. The wall is solar-powered too — photovoltaics are integrated into the wall’s glass curtain, and it harvests power during the day, to illuminate the display at night.

Designed by, Simone Giostra & Partners Architects, the GreenPix wall is part of the Xicui Entertainment Complex in Beijing, near the site of the 2008 Olympics.