Louisiana Mardi Gras Beads Unlike Anything You’ve Seen

It might be hard to fathom, but researchers at Louisiana State University have created Mardi Gras beads that, once placed under the soil, can grow flowers, according to KPLC.

It will take time to bring an affordable version of this creation to the market, but LSU researchers have created this amazing Mardi Gras bead. These beads can hold seeds for things like plants and flowers.

While plastic beads may take ions to disintegrate, these new beads that have been created will biodegrade in about three months under the solid, and flowers will grow from them as they are filled with seeds.

How Are These Beads Made?

Alexis Strain is a graduate student on the research team making these amazing beads. She says they use a bacteria that flourishes in the soil once it is planted. They put little seeds inside the beads.

Strain adds that they have to 3D print them at this stage in their development, and further development must be completed for them to make it to market.

Currently, it takes them about an hour and a half to make the beads.

These Beads Are Made From Bacteria?

She says,

The thing to know about this, is that it is essentially produced by bacteria, and since it’s produced by bacteria, it can also be broken down by bacteria.

The graduate student points out that right now most of the beads that are thrown from Mardi Gras floats are made of plastic with all the shiny stuff we see on the outside being made by heave metals. Once they do further research, they will be able to make biodegradable beads from this bacteria.

Apparently, the sweat pea seeds inside of their biodegradable beads have worked the best so far.