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Gustave Eiffel 'Would Have a Heart Attack' if He Saw Tower Today

Experts suggest $60M paint job is 'mostly useless' for rust-riddled structure

(Newser) - The 1,083-foot-tall Eiffel Tower is undergoing its "most expensive" and "most inefficient" paint job ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, according to Marianne , which reports the $60 million project will do nothing to treat a significant problem hiding under the Iron Lady's coats: lots...

Protesters Greet Russian Ambassador With Lots of Paint

Sergey Andreev was trying to pay respects to Red Army soldiers at Warsaw cemetery

(Newser) - Russia's ambassador to Poland was splattered with red paint thrown at him by protesters opposed to the war in Ukraine, preventing him from paying respects on Monday at a Warsaw cemetery to Red Army soldiers who died during World War II. Ambassador Sergey Andreev arrived at the Soviet soldiers'...

Scientists Create Coolest Paint Ever
Whitest Paint Ever Could
Slash Need for Air Conditioning
in case you missed it

Whitest Paint Ever Could Slash Need for Air Conditioning

Ultrawhite paint reflects both light and heat

(Newser) - Scientists in Indiana have created a paint so incredibly white that it could theoretically help save the planet. The Purdue University researchers say the ultra-white paint reflects more than 98% of the sunlight that hits it, compared to between 80% and 90% for standard white paints. The paint reflects both...

You Can Finally Buy the World's Newest Blue

Pigment YInMn Blue, discovered in 2009, makes it to the commercial market

(Newser) - The world's first new blue pigment in 200 years is at last on the market, more than a decade after it was accidently discovered in a lab. Just don't expect to slather YlnMn Blue on your house. As the Smithsonian reports, it's available only at a select...

Alaskan Road-Painting Crew Had One Job...

'Something was clearly wrong with the equipment'

(Newser) - New yellow painted highway lines in the Alaska Panhandle city of Ketchikan are crooked, and the paint that's been used by state transportation officials has stained cars, officials say. Among those affected was Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor David Landis, whose car ended up with yellow paint on it. "...

Artists' Feud Over 'Blackest Black' Escalates

The guy hoarding it somehow got his hands on 'pinkest pink'

(Newser) - Ever since British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor was granted exclusive rights to the color "Vantablack," the world's blackest black that was developed by tech firm Nanosystems and can absorb more than 99% of light, other artists have been up in arms. One paint fight actually broke out between...

Two Artists Are in a Serious Paint Fight Right Now

One hoarded the world's blackest black, so the other created the pinkest pink

(Newser) - Paint fight! We got a paint fight, everybody! It started earlier this year when artist Anish Kapoor bought the rights to the world's blackest black, the Creators Project reports. That means Kapoor is the only artist in the world allowed to paint with a black that was created with...

2.8M Bottles of Craft Paint Recalled for Possible Bacteria

Sargent Art warns people with weak immune systems could be at risk

(Newser) - No injuries or illnesses have yet been reported, but Sargent Art isn't taking any chances after finding that 13 different types of its craft paint may be contaminated with a harmful bacteria, Consumerist reports. Per a notice on the art supplier's site and one from the Consumer Product...

Cops: Intruder Painted Woman's Puppy Purple

'Cruel low-life animal abuser' accused of crime spree

(Newser) - Massachusetts man Felix Reagan is accused of crimes including auto theft, breaking and entering, and assaulting a police officer—but he probably wouldn't be in the news if he hadn't also allegedly painted a puppy purple. Police in Oak Bluffs say they arrested Reagan Saturday afternoon after a...

This Is What Happens if You Text While Driving a Paint Truck

Things get messy

(Newser) - Interstate 68 in western Maryland is a little more colorful these days as crews work to clean up 6,500 gallons of spilled paint. State police say the driver of a tractor-trailer was texting when he lost control of the vehicle Wednesday evening, causing plastic barrels of white and yellow...

Jackson Pollock: Master of Physics?

Artist's paintings exploited paint as non-Newtonian fluid

(Newser) - Jackson Pollock's remarkable works have long mesmerized art lovers and scientists alike. Scientists were particularly impressed to learn back in 2011 that Pollock's work took advantage of fluid dynamics even before physicists studied the principle. Now, using an experimental technique, researchers in Mexico City have been able to...

Black Worker: I Was Fired Over 'Racist' Paint Names

Ex-Benjamin Moore employee is suing the company

(Newser) - A former worker at Benjamin Moore paints says he got fired after complaining about "racially insulting" paint-color names like "Clinton Brown" and "Tucker Chocolate"—and he's suing the company for it, the Daily Caller reports. Clinton Tucker, a black 34-year-old who identifies in the suit...

In Finland, Reindeer Glow in the Dark

Reflective spray being tested as way to cut down on car accidents

(Newser) - Rudolph's glowing nose just became rather unnecessary—at least in Finland, where herders are painting reindeer to essentially glow in the dark. It's not Santa's sleigh they're worried about, but oncoming cars. Roughly 4,000 reindeer die in traffic accidents in the country each year, the...

Silver Out as World's Top Car Color

'Futuristic' white tops the charts

(Newser) - Are people going out and buying cars that match their Apple gadgets? That's one explanation the world's leading supplier of automotive paints offers for white becoming the world's top "color" for cars after silver reigned for more than a decade, the AP finds. Around a quarter...

Amid Drought, Homeowners 'Fix' Lawns With ... Paint

Using green dye on brown grass is catching on, says AP

(Newser) - Is your lawn wilting into a brown wasteland because of the drought? Consider a paint job. That's the solution many are relying on to give their dead yards the look of blooming green life as the worst drought in decades parches a huge expanse of the US. One New...

Scientists Invent Paint-On Batteries

Spray-painted power source is half a millimeter thick

(Newser) - If you tend to associate spray paint with nefarious behavior involving graffiti, prepare to have your mind blown. Scientists have invented batteries that can be spray painted onto any surface. Researchers at Rice University demoed the new technology by coating steel, glass, and a beer mug with painted-on batteries. "...

20 Resolutions You Can Actually Achieve
 20 Resolutions You 
 Can Actually Achieve 
new year's do-over

20 Resolutions You Can Actually Achieve

Breaking down large goals makes them more realistic

(Newser) - New Year’s resolutions to lose 20 pounds, clean out all your closets, and cut your grocery budget in half not quite working out? That’s likely because your goals are too large. Here are 20 tasks you can accomplish, all of which are “no more challenging than reaching...

Thai Elephants Pose as Pandas
 Thai Elephants Pose as Pandas 

Thai Elephants Pose as Pandas

Zoo staff reminds countrymen that elephants, too, need love

(Newser) - A $20 million house for a newborn female panda and family at a Thailand zoo has rankled the staff of Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal, who are sick of the nation's panda obsession, reports the Bangkok Post. Concerned that the panda craze has diverted resources from Thailand’s national symbol, they've painted...

Energy Chief: Paint World White to Stop Warming

Chu calls for 'new revolution' to combat climate change

(Newser) - A colossal coat of paint could do as much to slow global warming as removing all cars from the Earth for 11 years, Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a climate change conference yesterday. Chu said painting roofs white and making roads a lighter color—which would reflect heat and reduce...

Mattel Recalls 18M More Toys Made in China

9M sold in US; toys contain hazardous magnets, lead-tainted paint

(Newser) - Mattel today announced a second, much bigger recall of Chinese-made toys that may be hazardous: 18 million of them worldwide, and 9 million in the US. The recalled items  include play sets containing magnets that can be dangerous when swallowed and die-cast cars that contain lead paint. The play sets...

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