Sponges could fuel nuclear power plants hdh.sd/Alamy Stock Photo

A specialised sponge could harvest uranium from seawater for use as fuel in nuclear power plants, and could also be used to help clean waste from those plants.

The easiest way to get uranium is to mine it from ores in Earth’s crust. There are about 7.6 million tonnes of uranium that should be relatively simple to mine, which is projected to be enough to cover global needs for about a century. Seawater holds more than 4.5 billion tonnes of uranium, making it potentially an excellent backup source.

Natural sponges …