Source: News12.com
Students at Metuchen’s St. Joseph’s High School staged a drunken driving crash and held a mock trial as a way to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence.
There were simulations of what happens when an intoxicated driver gets behind the wheel. Students also watched as the “drunken driver” stood trial in the school’s gymnasium, complete with a judge and witnesses.
The event was called The Final Ride.
“There are so many opportunities behind the wheel where one of our students can make the wrong choice, and we just want to let them know that there are ways to bulletproof the situation,” said organizer Reece Lenaz. “You need to have protection. You need to be smart. Driving drunk, drinking is not responsible and we wanted to show how horrible it can go.”
Some of the students wore black T-shirts and had painted faces to symbolize that someone is killed by a drunken driver every 11 minutes.
Source: Science News.org
Pathogen detectors built into plastic patches could someday spare you food poisoning.
Chemical engineers at McMaster University in Canada have developed a new kind of flexible film that’s coated in molecules that glow when they touch E. coli cells. This type of sensor also glows in the presence of molecules secreted by E. coli, so the material doesn’t have to be in direct contact with bacterial cells to flag food contamination.
Sensors about the size of postage stamps fluoresced brightly when tested on tainted meat and apple juice, but not when the sensors touched unspoiled samples, the researchers reported.
Next, the scientists plan to make films that glow in the presence of other bacteria, such as salmonella. Food packaging equipped with such microbe monitors could help curb the spread of foodborne illness, which kills about 420,000 people worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization.
The glow of the sensors must be viewed under an ultraviolet lamp or with a fluorescence scanner. But other scientists have developed matchbox-sized smartphone attachments that detect fluorescence, which people could use to check packaged food at home before opening it.