Synthetic Sebum Makes Slippery Sailboats 128
sonnejw0 writes "Sea-faring vessels are a major contributor of greenhouse gas production due to a deficit in international laws and inherent inefficiencies at sea, such as barnacle build-up on hulls. Many marine animals avoid the build-up of drag-inducing barnacles through secreting oily residues from their pores or through the nano-molecular arrangement of their skin. Sailors regularly defoul their hulls, removing the barnacles at dry-dock, which requires them to reduce the amount of time they have at sea. Some synthetic chemicals in paints have been used to prevent barnacle build-up but have been found to be toxic to marine animals and thus outlawed by several nations. Now, engineers are trying to replicate the skin of marine animals to produce a slippery hull to which marine bacteria cannot attach, saving fuel costs and improving speeds."
Oh dear lord (Score:4, Funny)
The image of a smegma producing sail yacht is now stuck in my head!
Where's the brain bleach when you need it!
Next Up.. (Score:3, Funny)
Genetically engineered whales with a built in cargo hold. You just have to train them well, and take advantage of their natural migration patterns..
Re:Oh dear lord (Score:3, Funny)
I was thinking of ships with zits. Of course, as the ship gets older, it will probably grow out of it. It will be bad for the ships that ship chocolate and potato chips!
Won't the sailors slip all the time? (Score:3, Funny)
... stopped reading after the headline...
Damn, beat me to it (Score:2, Funny)
...and no, you don't grow out of it.
Any further discussion would be TMI.
Re:Next Up.. (Score:3, Funny)
We have a special this month. (Score:3, Funny)
Errant preachers travel for free! *
* select destinations only.
Re:It's a start (Score:1, Funny)
Well, my farts probably produce 100 times as much SOx emissions as the vehicles I drive. It's not terribly meaningful to compare two different fuel sources.
Or, the easy way... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Damn, beat me to it (Score:1, Funny)