See, your eyelids actually spread a film of oil over your eyeball which protects a thin layer of tears that allow you to keep your eye open without it drying out.

ENGADGET: Alt-week 7.28.12: social mathematics, Pluto's moons and humans-on-a-chip

The researchers' work began two years ago when Dr Misra, a heavy coffee drinker, left a cup unfinished and noticed the next day that the coffee was covered by a film of oil.

ECONOMIST: Monitor

From film to oil drilling to medicine, HP's workstations have their hands in a lot of pies -- and today, that expands more directly to yet another major industry: video games.

ENGADGET

Zach McCue of Clean Ocean Action, a coalition of more than 130 environmental organizations in New Jersey and New York, said the manufacture of thin-film plastic bags consumes millions of trees and barrels of oil, takes up space in landfills for a long time and is harmful to marine life, especially birds and sea turtles that ingest the bags, or pieces of bags, or get entangled in them.

MSN: Reusable shopping bag measure advances