Science & technology | Every last drop

How to get all the toothpaste out of the tube

With a super-slippery surface

A GNARLED TOOTHPASTE tube, squeezed and twisted out of shape in a vain attempt to extract its remaining contents, haunts many a bathroom. But not, perhaps, for much longer. Colgate-Palmolive, an American consumer-goods giant, has taken up an invention by a pair of experts in super-slippery surfaces to produce toothpaste tubes that promise to deliver every last scrap of their contents.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Every last drop”

Race in America

From the May 22nd 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Science & technology

Parasitic wasp - laying egg in hoverfly larvae.

Wasps stole genes from viruses

That probably assisted their evolutionary diversification

The World Health Organisation crest on the wall.

America’s departure from the WHO would harm everyone

Whether it is a negotiating ploy remains to be seen



High-tech antidotes for snake bites

Genetic engineering and AI are powering the search for antivenins

Can you breathe stress away?

Scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind

The Economist’s science and technology internship

We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship