Offbeat

An incredibly slippery 3D-printed toilet doesn't get dirty and requires less water to flush than a typical one, scientists say. Could cleaning toilets become a chore of the past?

Right now, the concept is just a prototype, but researchers are working on ways to eventually bring this clever chemistry to market. So far, the researchers have printed only a tiny model of the toilet that stands about one-fifth the height of a typical porcelain throne, and they tested its slickness by exposing its surface to yogurt, honey, starchy gel and fake poop, not the real stuff.