Polar bear fur-inspired sweater is thinner than a down jacket – and just as warm | Hacker News Reader

Polar bear fur-inspired sweater is thinner than a down jacket – and just as warm

nature.com

32 pointsBrajeshwar15 comments

The article mentions earlier work from the group involving silkworms. I wonder how that panned out.

I’m in the middle of slowly replacing as much of the microplastics shedding stuff in my wardrobe with natural fibers as I can. Wool, in particular (measured in the study) is a big win due to longevity and comfort across a wide temperature range. I’ve found that wool lasts 5-10 years, cotton is half that, and polyester is even worse.

Also, I wonder why they didn’t compare to thinsulate or some other (more recent) synthetic.

If you’re going to be investing in wool, you might also consider investing in cedar as well. Wool only lasts that long if you keep it protected.

cedar hangers for wool suits, and naptha for long term storage will keep the moths away. Naptha is dangerous to humans in high concentrations though, so dont put it in your bedroom draws, or if you do, only a very little.

Interestingly, naptha is one of the few chemicals we know of that sublimates, i.e goes directly from solid to gas, with no liquid phase.

Never having heard of the hanger trick before (Though I have seen them used, just never gave it any thought), is there a reason for cedar specifically, or is that just one of those economics+keep-it-simple = it works, don't fix it norms that have stood the test of time?

Cedar is a very popular insect repellent due to the make up of its oils. Insects just don't like it for whatever sciencey reason. It's not just for protecting clothes. Cedar as mulch is used to keep insects out of your garden. Cedar pellets can be spread in your yard like fertilizer to help reduce insects. I use it to reduce fleas in my yard for pets in a non-toxic manner.

modern wool products are less durable, as the way the more cost efficient methods wool is spun now leads to less alignment of the threads (especially so with modern cashmere). Luckily you can still pick up good products secondhand. look for brands like Pringle, from the 70s and to a lesser extent the 80s

I can recommend Aran Sweater Market. I like their modern (softer feel) wool, but their Donegal wool products are made from yarn from of the last remaining traditional wool producers in Ireland. The "soft" wool thing I previously purchased only lasted about 10 years. The Donegal one is a tank in comparison. Ask me again in a decade:

- https://www.aran.com/search.php?search_query=Donegal&Search=...

- https://donegalyarns.com/our-history/

and Darn Tough. I've been abusing the crap out of their socks (walking outside on mud, burrs, etc) and they're still like new. They offer an unconditional lifetime guarantee that they apparently actually honor:

- https://darntough.com/pages/our-unconditional-lifetime-guara...

I have darn tough hiking socks that are 10y old and look pretty close to new.

Good to see people are working on getting rid of down slowly. Hopefully they can work out how to scale this up.

I actually have a cheap Columbia synthetic down jacket and it's lighter, packs better and warmer than the really expensive proper duck down one I had before.

> Next, the researchers knitted a sweater out of the aerogel fibre...

I want one--that's some fine knitting done by the researchers. I'm neither a good knitter nor researcher.

As it's not 1750, I'm going to bet they had access to a knitting machine. So cheer up, they're only better researchers than you (or me.)

As do I, but:

> The approach for creating the fibre is currently too slow and energy-intensive to be scaled up for mass production.

I wonder how much heavier it is than down?

This is the real question. Mountaineers use scales, not calipers, when packing.

Likely way lighter. Aerogel is very light

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