Daily Protein Science

Coconut fungi experiment by Vera Wang wins awards at 2026 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair – Released by SOEST

An East Honolulu high school student discovered a fungi in coconut husks that could clean up plastics and sunscreen from the ocean—and her won multiple awards at the Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair.

Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School, won in multiple categories after conducting experiments in Anthony Amend’s lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. And she qualified for the International Science & Engineering Fair taking place next May in Arizona.

Her science fair success, including the discovery that the fungi may be a previously-uncharacterized species, all began during her sophomore year.

Ms. Wang designed and built an ocean filter that removed sunscreen and microplastics from the surface water which was inspired by traditional Polynesian weaving while incorporating modern environmental science.

It was not only scientifically effective, but was sustainably made entirely from coconut byproduct waste. Soon, Wang realized that removing the pollutants from water is only part of the problem. The next challenge she considered was how to dispose of them responsibly—and again found success.

“I learned that the pore structure of coconut fiber supports the movement of air and water, which can create a favorable environment for microbes,” Wang said. “That led me to wonder whether coconut husk could do more than physically capture pollutants. So this year, my research at the Amend Lab began exploring the fungal communities living in coconut husks and studying their growth and degradation abilities on sunscreen and plastic media.”

They discovered that fungi found naturally on coconut husks can biodegrade (decompose) sunscreen and plastic, and that a tannin compound can be used to identify sunscreen- and plastic-degrading fungi. The tannins present in the fibers might be encouraging growth of these complex degraders.

Additionally, their genetic testing showed that some of the fungal species did not have a match to anything in the world’s largest reference database of known genes and genomes, indicating that these may be previously uncharacterized species.

Kauai in Hawaii by Karsten Winegear

Among her awards, Wang’s project earned 1st place in the Microbiology category and a scholarship award from the McInerny Foundation.

“I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to pursue my project in the Amend Lab,” said Wang, who worked closely with Kaylee Christensen, a graduate student in the Marine Biology Graduate Program.

“My research would have never, ever, been possible without Anthony and Kaylee. This project has been part of a much longer journey, so having it recognized feels both surreal and deeply rewarding.”

“This work was made possible because of Vera’s vision, and it gives me such optimism about the future of science in Hawaiʻi,” said Amend, who is based in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).

Her success is a testament to our public school system which is doing a wonderful job supporting and training our next generation of students. I can’t wait to see what discoveries she makes in college.” Teen Discovers Coconut Fungi Can Filter Plastic and Sunscreen From Sea—And Wins Science Fair

Read More........→September 09, 2026 Categories: Climate,Invention,Media,Young

– SWNS

The next time you hear a blackbird singing in the dead of night, know that you’re listening to the most pleasant song in the world.

What the bird lacks in dressage it makes up for in repertoire, a new survey and study from the University of Tübingen found in which researchers set out to discover the key ingredients that make birdsong pleasant.

The blackbird topped the ‘pleasantness’ table with an average score of 4.52 out of 5, beating the willow warbler to first position (4.45) . The blackcap filled out the top 3.

“You don’t have to be a ‘bird person’ to find bird sounds beautiful,” said study author Dr. Nadine Kalb from Tübingen U. “Being able to recognize birds by their appearance or song did not affect how people rated calls.”

By asking people to listen to birdsongs and rate them for pleasantness, then cross-referencing the results with information about the calls’ acoustic characteristics, Kalb and co-authors identified key aspects that make some birdsongs seem more pleasant than others.

Participants rated the perceived pleasantness of 123 different bird songs on a scale from 1 (not very pleasant) to 5 (very pleasant). Calls which are varied, higher-pitched, and not too loud are considered most pleasant.

The research team suspected that some acoustic characteristics, such as a high amplitude—perceived as a loud noise—would be associated with a lower pleasantness rating.

But they also suspected some personal characteristics, such as individuals’ knowledge about birds, would influence pleasantness ratings, and so participants were also asked questions which measured their birding skills and their perception of birds.

“I’m very interested in human-bird relationships,” said senior study author Dr. Christoph Randler, also from the University of Tübingen.

“Bird sounds are often considered one of the most enjoyable aspects of spending time in nature, and previous research has shown that they can contribute to psychological restoration and well-being. However, not all bird sounds are perceived equally positively.”

For example, the barn owl finished rock bottom with an average pleasantness score of just 1.32.

A narrower bandwidth, which captures the range of frequencies a song used, and greater complexity, the number and variety of elements in the song, were perceived as more pleasant, as were birdsongs at a higher frequency or with a relatively low amplitude. The songs that scored highest also avoided a key frequency range where human hearing is highly sensitive.

“We might be wired to prefer more variable sounds with moderate amplitudes and frequencies because they signal a safe, healthy, and restorative environment where we can relax,” said Dr. Kalb.

To follow up the research, they want to carry out larger studies with broader samples including more men, different cultures, and more experienced birdwatchers.

“I would love to investigate how bird sounds influence people in real-world environments,” Dr. Randler said. “That would help us better understand the role that healthy ecosystems play in supporting both biodiversity and human well-being.”

Top 20 Most Pleasant (Old World) Bird Songs