From laundry detergent to dishwasher tablets, cleaning products are an indispensable part of life. Yet the chemicals that make these products so effective can be difficult to break down or could even trigger ecosystem-altering algal blooms. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Langmuir have addressed those challenges with an environmentally compatible detergent made of tiny wood fibers and corn protein that removes stains on clothes and dishes just as well as commercial products.

People generally try to make other people feel good about themselves, but not when they dislike them. That’s the finding of a new study by psychologists at the Annenberg Public Policy Center investigating the extent to which people promote “positive self-views” for total strangers.