Dr Sheridon has invented an apparatus that can produce several litres of plastic beads a day.

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Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass, and don some plastic beads.

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The nose's sensors consist of microscopic plastic beads coated in fluorescent dye and perched on the ends of optical fibres.

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Inside the plastic case is a non-toxic aluminum powder, mixed in with some plastic beads to keep the powder flow smooth and consistent.

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Why would someone want to cover their wine with a bunch of plastic beads unless the label was ugly or the wine was cheap?

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Another dumped a bucket of small plastic beads on the floor.

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In an ordinary-looking workshop off Avenida Corrientes in Buenos Aires, she produces a collection based on her patented technique for applying plastic beads to fabric.

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However, intrepid travellers are pushing beyond the plastic beads and bad hangovers of Bourbon Street, the epicentre of most tourist debauchery, keen to discover a different side of the city.

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These will be much more effective at filtering contaminated water because the beads will have greater surface area for the arsenic to bind to than the plastic chips.

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