In recent years, environmentally friendly materials to replace plastics have become a focus for chemists, and the discovery of a new polymer by Colorado State University could be just what they've been looking for. The material has the same characteristics of plastics that we enjoy -- for example, light weight, heat resistance and durability -- but it can be converted back to a small-molecule state for complete chemical recyclability.

Researchers have developed a surgical camera inspired by the eye of the morpho butterfly. Connected to surgical goggles, it lets surgeons see infrared signals given off by tumor-binding dyes so the surgeon can remove all of the cancerous tissue.