60 CENTIMETERS (THELENGTH OF A SHIRT) I

The 28-year-old Germanbiologist and fashiondesigner Anke Domaskecreates clothes using amaterial made fiom sourmilk, from which sheextracts protein fibersthat are spun into yarn.The result is a flexiblefabric called QMilch thatfeels similar to silk.Domaske was !nspired tocreate a material forpeople with textileallergies after seeing herstepdad, who sufferedfrom a blood cancer,react badly to variousfabrics. qMilch takesabout an hour to make,and its productiondoesn't require anypesticides or chemicals.A dress or shirt can bemade from roughly 6 L ofmilk. The line rangesfrom S2OO to $27O,making for green fashionthat's gentle on theenvironment-andshoppers'wallets too,

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THE 50 BEST INVENTIONS OF THE YEAR

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T'}{E FIRE-EXTINGUISF{ER

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70 CENTIMETERS I Enflamaextinguloso.l Though it's been describedas a magic wand, the integral part ofthis device is an electrode designed toweaken and even eliminate flames. "ltdoes not do magic. says LudovicoCademaftiri of Harvard's WhitesidesResearch Group, its developer. lt does,however, create an electric field, whichproduces a flow of charged particlesthat can subdue a flame. lt could limitthe damage caused not only by a fire butalso by the water used to extinguish it. :

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Photograph by Yannick Tylle