Sponge (tool)

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Sponge (tool)

A sponge is a tool

Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
, implement

Implement

Implement may refer to:* Implementation — the process for putting a design, plan or policy into effect.* A class of tools — such as Farm equipment or writing implements....
, utensil

Utensil

Utensil may refer to;* The tools of cooking and baking -- cookware and bakeware* The Dragon Throne, also called the "divine utensil" -- the rhetorical seat of power in the Empire of China ...
or cleaning aid consisting of porous material. Sponges are used for cleaning impervious surfaces. They are especially good absorbers of water and water-based solutions.

Sponges are commonly made from cellulose

Cellulose

File:Cellulose Sessel.svgCellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand ? linked D-glucose units....
wood fibres, or foamed plastic polymers. Some natural sponges

Sea sponge

The sponges or poriferans are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of an outer thin layer of cells, the pinacoderm and an inner mass of cells and skeletal elements, the choanoderm....
are still sold for the same purpose, although most natural sponges are now used either as body/facial sponges or as decorating tools used for sponge painting.

There are three other categories of available synthetic sponges, low-density polyether (known as the rainbow packs of non-absorbent sponges), PVA (very dense, highly absorbent material with no visible pores) and polyester.

Polyester sponges are also sub-divided into a variety of types, some being reticulated (artificially broken-in) for ease of use.

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Encyclopedia

A sponge is a tool

Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
, implement

Implement

Implement may refer to:* Implementation — the process for putting a design, plan or policy into effect.* A class of tools — such as Farm equipment or writing implements....
, utensil

Utensil

Cellulose

Sea sponge

Harboring bacteria

Kitchen sponges can serve as a medium for the growth of harmful bacteria or fungi, especially when the sponge is allowed to remain wet between uses. Some manufacturers treat sponges with anti-microbials to prevent this. To kill the bacteria on a sponge, one can fully soak it in clean water, then microwave it on high for two minutes. Care must be taken to ensure the sponge is wet, or otherwise the sponge will catch fire during microwaving.

Bug Sponge

The 'bug sponge' was the brainchild of Ian Harold Brown of the 3M

3M Company , formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company until 2002, is an United States multinational corporation Conglomerate corporation with a worldwide presence....
labs in St Paul, Minnesota. This sponge featured rigid polyether reinforced with an abrasive and hard-wearing polyethylene

Polyethylene

Polyethylene or polythene is a thermoplastic commodity heavily used in consumer products . Over 60 million tons of the material are produced worldwide every year....
compound to effectively remove dried-on insect residue from vehicle windshields. Since its introduction in 1974, the bug sponge has been one of 3M's least known success stories.

Tool use by bottlenose dolphins

The use of natural sea sponges as a tool

Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
has been observed in Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins....
s in Shark Bay

Shark Bay

Shark Bay may refer to the following locations in Western Australia:* Shire of Shark Bay* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham, Western Australia...
. A dolphin will keep a marine sponge on its rostrum

Rostrum (anatomy)

A rostrum is an anatomy structure resembling a beak, such as the snout of a crocodile or dolphin or the foremost extension of a crustacean carapace....
, presumably to protect it when searching for food in the sandy seabed

Seabed

The seabed is the bottom of the ocean. At the bottom of the continental slope is the continental rise, which is caused by sediment cascading down the continental slope....
. The behaviour, known as sponging, has only been observed in this bay, and is almost exclusively shown by females. This is the only known case of tool use in marine mammal

Marine mammal

Marine mammals are a diverse group of roughly 120 species of mammal that are primarily ocean-dwelling or depend on the ocean for food. They include the cetaceans , the sirenians , the pinnipeds , and several otters ....
s besides Sea Otter

Sea Otter

The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 Kilogram , making them the heaviest members of the Mustelidae, but among the smallest marine mammals....
s. A study in 2005 showed that mother

Mother

A mother is a biological and/or Maternal bond female parent of an offspring. Because of the complexity and differences of the social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother in a universally accepted definition....
dolphins probably teach the behaviour to their daughters.

Sponge (tool)

Harboring bacteria

Bug Sponge

Tool use by bottlenose dolphins

See also