Read the full story in Fast Company.
Oil spills are catastrophic for marine environments, especially if they’re not cleaned up quickly. That can be difficult when a spill occurs in the middle of the ocean and crews can’t reach the area until hours after the oil has started to spread and sink deeper into the water. Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory have engineered a new material called the Oleo Sponge that uses foam and oil-absorbing molecules to soak up oil both on and below the water’s surface—and after the sponge is wrung out, both the sponge and the recovered oil can be reused.