WEBVTT - Will the Paper of the Future Be Made from Poop?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren folk bomb here it's become an evergreen piece of

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<v Speaker 1>advice for aspiring writers. Put your button the chair and

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<v Speaker 1>write a first draft, no matter how crappy. Now, thanks

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<v Speaker 1>to a breakthrough in chemical technology, that first draft can

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<v Speaker 1>be literal crap, or at least printed on it. Researchers

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<v Speaker 1>announced at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in

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<v Speaker 1>March that it's possible to turn manure from cows, elephants, goats,

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<v Speaker 1>and other grass munchers into yes paper. As you may

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<v Speaker 1>already know, paper is made from cellulos that usually comes

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<v Speaker 1>from trees. Not every place has a lot of trees,

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<v Speaker 1>but as we all know, everybody poops, and some of

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<v Speaker 1>those poopers leave patties around for stepping in or collecting

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<v Speaker 1>if you're of a mind to collect poop like these

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<v Speaker 1>a c S scientists are One of the researchers who

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<v Speaker 1>presented this idea at the a c S meeting. In question,

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<v Speaker 1>Alexander Bismarck, PhD. Was driving around crete and watched goats

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<v Speaker 1>eat grass and poop it out. He thought that maybe

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<v Speaker 1>the goats were doing to the grass what paper manufacturers

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<v Speaker 1>due two trees turn it into cellulose that could be

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<v Speaker 1>made into paper, because of course that's what you think

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<v Speaker 1>of while you're driving around an idyllic island. Cretion excretions.

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<v Speaker 1>Some animals, it turns out, do a pretty good job

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<v Speaker 1>pooping out paper ready cellulose, depending on which animal is

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<v Speaker 1>doing the manure manufacturing, Bismarck said in a press statement.

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<v Speaker 1>Up to that manure is cellulose, which is then easily

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<v Speaker 1>accessible to make paper from trees, the trees have to

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<v Speaker 1>be ground way down by a machine into a pulp

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<v Speaker 1>before being made into proper paper. Goats do that work

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<v Speaker 1>for free every day of their grass muncheon poop leaven lives.

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<v Speaker 1>The only thing they require is more grass, which makes

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<v Speaker 1>more poop, which makes more paper, and they need some

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<v Speaker 1>water to drink and maybe scritches on their little chins.

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<v Speaker 1>But either way, it's a more environmentally friendly process than

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<v Speaker 1>traditional papermaking. And it's not just goats. The researchers moved

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<v Speaker 1>onto piles of patties from horses, cows, and elephants. To

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<v Speaker 1>elephants in wildlife parks in Africa are number one at

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<v Speaker 1>going number two at the San Francisco Zoo alone, an

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<v Speaker 1>adult male African elephant can produce three hundred pounds. That's

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<v Speaker 1>six kilos of pooh. That's a lot of potential paper.

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<v Speaker 1>The first uses for this pooh paper would probably be industrial.

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<v Speaker 1>According to the researchers, it could filter wastewater before it's

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<v Speaker 1>released into the environment, which seems fitting. But poop pyrus,

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<v Speaker 1>or nanopaper, as the researchers rather boringly call it, could

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<v Speaker 1>also be used to write on. So don't give up,

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<v Speaker 1>fellow writers, Our first drafts could soon be really truly crappy.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Kristen hall Geisler and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other topics with big potential, visit our home planet, how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff Works dot com. M