on IYM's MIND: Styrofoam

In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene. Led by Ray McIntire, they had "rediscovered" a method first discovered by Swedish inventor Carl Georg Munters.

Polystyrene (IUPAC Poly(1-phenylethane-1,2-diyl)), abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the aromatic monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbonpetroleum by the chemical industry. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used kinds of plastic.