Mr Fowler said one example was whether a plant displayed a good degree of heat resistance during its flowering period.

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However, these modified celluloses require large amounts of petroleum-based additives such as plasticizers, which results in bioplastics with a low plant component ratio and poor durability, including heat resistance and water resistance.

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This maintains a low resistance to the current, meaning that the electrons create much less heat than do nanoscale copper wires, which produce higher resistance on the nanoscale.

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Hard to say and impossible to avoid, the chemical is part of the silicones family (think silicone oil or grease), which has been around for 50 years, and has been noted, generally, for its inertness, lack of toxicity, and resistance to microbiological growth and heat.

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In general, the molecular designs of these plastics improve a product's flame resistance or its structural integrity under heat.

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And the hot plasma can also heat up and expand the upper layers of the atmosphere, causing satellites in low orbits to encounter more air resistance and lose altitude.

ECONOMIST: Hot stuff