World’s finest woven fabric

A team of scientists at Britain’s Manchester University were awarded a Guinness World Record for using microscopic knots to create the world’s finest woven fabric.

Professor David Leigh and his team of chemists created a method for weaving molecular threads in two-dimensional layers, creating a fabric with a thread count — number of strands per inch — of 40 to 60 million. The previous record was of an Egyptian linen with a thread count of about 1,500.

The research published in the journal Nature, stated the weave was created from synthetic molecules that fused atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur into molecular strands.

“Weaving molecular strands in this way leads to new and improved properties. The fabric is twice as strong as the unwoven strands and when pulled to breaking point, it tears like a sheet rather than clumps of strands detaching. The woven material also acts like a net, allowing small molecules to pass through it while trapping larger molecules in the tiny mesh,” Leigh said.

Attention, candy lovers!

A Canadian company is seeking full-time and part-time “candyologists” to serve as taste testers for the company’s confections.

Candy Funhouse, based in Mississauga, Ontario, said the remote working positions offer $47 an hour to sample and review some of the company’s 3,000 candy and chocolate treats.

“Candidates should have enthusiasm and eagerness to try confectionary products,” the job posting states. “We are looking for honest and objective opinions on the products that will be taste tested.”

Kangaroo born with all-white fur due to rare mutation

A red kangaroo born at a New York zoo is drawing attention for a highly unusual feature: its all-white fur.

The Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville said that when the joey, born recently, was removed from its mother’s pouch for a medical inspection, zookeepers were shocked to see its completely white fur.

The coloration was the result of a rare mutation called leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation. The joey’s eyes have black pigmentation, meaning the animal is leucistic rather than albino.

“We are not aware of any leucistic red kangaroo in the United States, proving just how rare this occurrence is,” the zoo said in a Facebook post.

World’s largest protein bar

A sports nutrition company in Britain set a Guinness World Record by creating a protein bar weighing nearly 530 pounds.

Grenade, a brand based in Solihull, England, unveiled a giant version of its Carb Killa Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough protein bar weighing 526 pounds, 9 ounces. The giant bar is the equivalent of 3,716 of the regular-sized protein bars. It measures 5 feet, 10.9 inches long and 2 feet wide.

Guinness said the giant snack, created to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Carb Killa product line, set a new record for the world’s largest protein bar.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 30th, 2021