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Innovation

HIRO Diapers

Plastic-eating fungi have officially moved from the lab to real life—now taking aim at one of the planet’s biggest pollution problems: disposable diapers. HIRO Technologies has launched the world’s first commercially available diaper designed to be broken down by fungi. With over 18 billion diapers clogging U.S. landfills each year—many taking centuries to decompose and leaching microplastics along the way—this innovation could mark a turning point in waste management.

The HIRO MycoDigestible Diaper includes a packet of shelf-stable fungal spores that activate once exposed to moisture in a landfill. The fungi then release enzymes that break down plastic at the molecular level, transforming the diaper into nutrient-rich soil and mycelium—the root-like network fungi naturally produce. “People are tired of bandaid solutions. This one’s simple and actually works,” said co-founder Tero Isokauppila, a longtime figure in the mushroom industry.

While the idea of fungi digesting plastic isn’t new, HIRO is the first to make the concept scalable and shelf-stable. The company’s $35-a-week subscription service includes a supply of diapers, wipes, and spore packets. And this is just the beginning: “If we can do this with diapers, we can do it with other single-use plastics,” Isokauppila said. It’s not a cure-all, but in a waste-heavy industry built on disposability, HIRO’s fungi-powered solution is a meaningful step forward.

Environment

Brewing Coffee & Cash

Coffee has long been a morning ritual, but its power runs deeper than a caffeine boost. In Ethiopia—the birthplace of wild Coffea arabica—coffee isn't just fueling people; it's helping restore forests, support communities, and drive climate resilience. Unlike monocrops that strip the land, coffee can flourish under the canopy of native trees. Now, thanks to the efforts of smallholder farmers, forest cooperatives, and climate-smart practices, coffee is becoming a quiet force for regeneration.

In the western Ilu Ababor Zone, where ancient forests still shelter native biodiversity, Farm Africa led an ambitious initiative from 2021 to 2024. The project united 19 forest management cooperatives and nearly 4,000 participants around a single idea: grow coffee in harmony with nature. And the results have been transformative. “Instead of cutting native trees for firewood,” the report notes, farmers began planting fast-growing fuel trees in managed plots. Six local nurseries produced over 300,000 seedlings, reforesting more than 5,000 acres with an 85% survival rate over five years. Bamboo, once imported for drying beans, is now grown locally. Two-thirds of households adopted efficient stoves, and climate-smart farming rose from 49% to 76%.

The economic results matched the environmental success. One co-op saw its income multiply 20 times between 2018 and 2023. Export-grade coffee now makes up 73% of local production, with 44% meeting specialty standards. “Prior to the project, our limited knowledge meant we had to sell our coffee to local traders at lower prices,” said Abde Musa of the Abdi Bori cooperative. “Now we’ve taken control and are the ones negotiating and determining the coffee prices.” Armed with training in quality, business, and certification, co-ops are seeing record sales—one hitting $58,500. Today, nearly the entire community has access to financial services, average incomes have doubled, and deforestation has dropped to near zero. Stories of women-led forest workshops and farms that grow coffee, honey, and firewood show that when local knowledge meets long-term investment, the result isn’t just a better brew—it’s a blueprint for the future.

Culture

Aztec Obsidian Trade Unveiled

There’s an old saying that when goods cross borders, armies don’t—and according to new research, that may have applied even to the famously militant Mexica, or Aztecs, of central Mexico. A joint study by Tulane University and the Proyecto Templo Mayor in Mexico is reshaping how scholars understand the Mexica Empire’s power. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study suggests that while the Mexica were formidable conquerors, they also relied heavily on trade, ritual, and economic networks to sustain their empire.

The research centers on obsidian, a volcanic glass used for tools and ceremonial items. Researchers analyzed 788 obsidian artifacts from Templo Mayor, the main temple in Tenochtitlan—the Mexica capital, now Mexico City. Though 90% of the sample came from the prized green obsidian of Sierra de Pachuca, the material originated from at least seven different regions, including areas outside Mexica control like Ucareo in the Purépecha region. “Although the Mexicas preferred green obsidian, the high diversity of obsidian types, mainly in the form of non-ritual artifacts, suggests that obsidian tools from multiple sources reached the capital of the Empire through market instead of direct acquisition in the outcrop,” said lead author Diego Matadamas-Gomora. “By studying where this material came from, we can explore the movement of goods across Mesoamerica.”

The study used portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) to geochemically trace each artifact’s origin. It found that while ceremonial objects—like mini weapons and jewelry buried in temple offerings—were almost exclusively made from Sierra de Pachuca obsidian, everyday tools and construction debris reflected broader sourcing, likely via local markets. Over time, from Tenochtitlan’s founding around 1375 CE through its fall in 1520 CE, obsidian use shifted. Early phases showed more diversity, but after consolidating power around 1430 CE, the Mexica standardized ritual materials—suggesting increased religious control. “This kind of compositional analysis allows us to trace how imperial expansion, political alliances and trade networks evolved over time,” said Matadamas-Gomora. As co-author Jason Nesbitt added, “This work not only highlights the Mexica Empire’s reach and complexity but also demonstrates how the archaeological sciences can be leveraged to study ancient objects and what they can tell us about past cultural practices.”

Mind Stretchers

❓️ 

Slim and sharp, I whisper art through fabric’s weave,
I drop the beat on vinyl decks and make tattoos come alive,
I calm your aches when pressed just right—yet still I’m tiny and precise.
What am I?

Yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:

— hatchback! Gerry Moore got this correct first ☀️ 

Be 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]

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