Plastics are often seen as the bane of our existence in the 21st century, or a question-raising issue at the least. Plastics are literally everywhere these days and you’ll find them on things as small as your cellphones and earphones, to your computer screens, cars, and practically almost everything else you can think of. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where there is more plastic on earth at the moment than human beings!

We’re becoming totally outnumbered and overwhelmed by the stuff and it’s starting to take its toll on not only the environment’s health but our health directly. So where do we start when it comes to reducing the amount of plastic waste we create? A scientist in Colorado might have the solution.

The concept of ‘self-healing’ is something that we only tend to associate with organic materials. Cells in our body, for instance, have been programmed over millions of years to organize themselves in accordance with the biological needs of our bodies. In other words, when you’re wounded, after a while, your body will heal itself granted that you’re healthy enough to do so.

But when we treat our wound medically, it tends to heal quicker. In essence, Mostafa Yourdkhani believes that by applying the same principle to inorganic materials like plastic – we can not only preserve the plastic goods that we have but ultimately help to reduce the amount of plastic that we throw away.

The plastic polymer works off a scientific principle known as ‘van der Waal’s force’ which in essence relates to the interaction between molecules and atoms and when applied to the correct atomic chain, can enable cracks and scratches in the material to heal – much like a cut would heal on our skin. The material looks a lot like Plexiglass and should be available to retailers in the near future. Yourdkhani hopes that he will be able to tweak more existing materials to share these properties rather than trying to create new materials from scratch.

For some actresses, the designer wedding dresses they wore in movies have come to define their whole careers. Take a look at our collection of the most breathtaking wedding dresses, from past and present.

Tex Saverio faced a difficult task, coming up with what wedding dresses will look like in the future for The Hunger Games. However, only time will tell if Jennifer Lawrence’s gorgeous dress is an accurate representation of what brides will wear years from now…

The breathtakingly beautiful Julia Roberts played Maggie in 1999’s Runaway Bride, a romantic comedy about a lovely young woman who has cultivated a reputation for leaving a string of fiancés at the altar waiting for her on her wedding day. In many ways, this movie tried to cash in on the successful Pretty Woman formula, as Roberts was playing alongside Richard Gere once again, but it is notable for the amazing dresses. For Maggie, the fifth dress was the charm, designed by Amsale Aberra.

Jukebox musical Moulin Rouge was a smash-success for director Baz Luhrman, earning no less than eight Oscar nominations and winning two, but the wedding dress worn by Nicole Kidman in the movie might not be the first things you recall about the film. That being said, the Catherine Martin designed dress certainly stands on its own, as she was working with Angus Strathie, the genius costume designer behind all the costumes worn on set in this remarkable film. In fact, one of the two Oscars won went to him.

Sarah Jessica Parker plays Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, the seminal HBO show that ran from 1998 to 2004. Following this, a feature film with the same title graced the silver screen in 2008 and displayed Parker in this Vivienne Westwood-designed dress. Besides the dress (which sold within hours after the movie’s release date), Parker was fitted with some chic accessories: a flowing silk veil, feather headpiece, and Christian Dior Extreme Dior Gladiator Heels with Swarovski crystals.

Kate Hudson played alongside Anne Hathaway, who also appears on this list, in Bride Wars. The two played friends-turned-enemies who butted heads out of jealousy. You get the storyline — but remember those dresses worn by the blonde and the brunette, respectively? Liv Lerner, Hudson’s character, walked down the aisle clad in this scrumptious Vera Wang tulle dress with a strapless sweetheart neckline, whereas Hathaway’s character opted for a fabulous modern dress featuring a mermaid cut.

For a time, Audrey Hepburn’s grace was synonymous with Givenchy, and nowhere is that more clear than in Funny Face. Even though she’s better known for other movies, this black and white classic is still one of Hepburn’s greatest claims to fame, thanks to the tea-length dress worn in the movie. It’s become one of the most famous in movie history! Often copied but never reproduced, this proves why she is still remembered so fondly, despite all the years that have passed.

Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses plays a young woman whose incredible wedding-planning savvy has earned her a spot as a bridesmaid by many friends, yet unfortunately just cannot seem to find the right guy to plan her own perfect wedding. As you can guess, it takes her 26 bridesmaid dresses before she finally dons her own wedding dress, which was a tasteful Amsale sleeveless dress. It’s a shame Heigl hasn’t made movies like this recently because we miss seeing her onscreen wearing such garments!

Angus Strathie appears on this list for Moulin Rouge, even if he didn’t personally design the gorgeous wedding gown worn by Nicole Kidman, yet he is no stranger to wedding dresses. Look no further than The Age of Adaline to see his beautiful design on the gorgeous Blake Lively, who gets married in this 1920s period drama. It’s mind-boggling when you realize how a given decade’s fashion fluctuates from in style to out of style as if on a whim, but Strathie makes it look fresh, regardless of the year.

Jennifer Garner in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past got to wear this dress, which was selected by the expert costume designer Denise Wingate. The dress was a collaboration between her and Manuel Mota, a fashion designer all the way from Spain. Not everyone has the ability to create something elegantly stylish while remaining simple, yet this collaboration passes the test with flying colors. Not all of us can look like her on a day-to-day basis, but with the Mota dress as inspiration, any lady can look like Garner on her big day.

Anne Hathaway appears on this list already alongside Kate Hudson, but understand that it’s simply impossible to leave out this wedding dress from The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Disney didn’t disappoint when they made the sequel to The Princess Diaries, and the dress worn by Mia, the character played by Hathaway, is one of the highlights. She appears in this lace gown by Gary Jones, who truly did a phenomenal job with the costumes in the movie.

Jany Temime created the dress worn by Fleur Delacour for her wedding to Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He found the perfect way to frame the gorgeous Clémence Poésy’s silhouette — by boldly breaking with tradition and adding black! The sable lace is shaped to liken two peacocks greeting one another, from the crest almost reaching the neckline to the feathers spread to her sides, around the height of her knee.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 has Bella, played by down-to-earth beauty Kristen Stewart, clad in an elegant silk dress. Even though it’s all about vampires in the movie, her dress is all about that mermaid cut neckline. The lace climbing up the fabric like a vine is the cherry on top, completing the look of perfection so many try to emulate, but few succeed. Carolina Herrera, the clothing designer for several first ladies, designed this dress, so it’s no surprise she looks so pristine.

In the film adaptation of Karen Blixen’s memoir Out of Africa (written in English under the pen name Isak Dinesen), costume designer Milena Canonero accurately fitted Meryl Streep (who played Blixen) in a white suit to her wedding, as she mentioned in letters from this time. “I’m sure she had a very simple suit, but I wanted to make a little more of it,” Canonero later said. The result was an elegant, chic wedding suit that looked divine on Streep.

Sandra Bullock in The Proposal wears one of the most awesome dresses on this list, even though it’s supposed to be an antique. As the wedding between Margaret Tate and Andrew Paxton (played by Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, respectively) took place at the last moment, the mother of the groom (played by Betty White) offered her own wedding dress. “It had to be believable that Betty White was pregnant in that dress,” costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas said.

As far as iconic actresses go, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Elizabeth Taylor. The original Father of the Bride film from 1950, showcases Taylor in an exquisite, Helen Rose-designed dress. Rose designed Taylor’s real-life wedding dress when she got hitched to Conrad Hilton Jr, not to mention other celebrities such as Gracy Kelly when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco. Interestingly, the dress she wore for her actual wedding, a gift from MGM, was inspired by what she wore in the movie.

As far as the live-action remakes of Disney movies are concerned, Cinderella is one of the best so far, thanks in no small part to the breathtaking sets and costumes. Costume designer Sandy Powell picked out one of the most gorgeous dresses in living memory, pretty much. Lily James looked like she was born to wear it, which is just a testament to how the master designer is able to tailor any dress to fit like a glove. Partially translucent around the sleeve, flowers adorn the bottom of the dress.

Lucille Ball was already famous for I Love Lucy when The Long, Long Trailer came out,  but audiences got to see their favorite couple in Technicolor when this movie came out. The comedy film was a box office success, even though American audiences could get their fill of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) in their homes. The movie shows the pair, who were married in real life at the time, going on a disastrous road trip honeymoon after Lucy got married in this luxurious lacey dress.

Brigitte Bardot wears many iconic wedding dresses when you take her whole filmography into account, but the one in the 1956 film And God Created Women has to one of the most famous. The short dress was designed by Pierre Balmain, who decided on a collared shirtdress coupled with a thick belt. As gorgeous as what she had on was, it was how her lingerie underneath complemented what was over that won audiences over, both then and now.

Jennifer Lopez wore this incredible Saeyoung Vu Couture wedding dress in Monster-In-Law. The movie was panned, as was J. Lo’s performance, but that dress was undeniably one of the high points. Jane Fonda, on the other hand, was lauded for her performance as J. Lo’s “monster” mother-in-law. Audiences loved it, even if the critics didn’t, and the movie made a lot of money in the box office. This was doubtlessly due in no small part to J. Lo’s fabulous wedding outfit.

How can anyone forget Barbara Streisand in the William Wyler-directed, biographical musical Funny Girl, based on the real-life story of Fanny Brice? “Hello, gorgeous” are the first words Streisand says, but it’s notable for more than just this famous line. The wedding dress is for a song sequence, not a wedding, yet it remains iconic nonetheless. Streisand shoves a pillow in the beautiful dress by Oscar-winning costume designer Irene Sharaff, for the performance of “His Love Makes Me Beautiful.”

Marilyn Monroe was a natural brunette, yet that didn’t stop her from being cast as Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. At the end of the movie, she gets married alongside Jane Russell’s character, Dorothy Shaw, in matching A-line lace Travilla dresses. The tea-length gowns coupled with bell sleeves and veiled hats framed each of these beautiful women perfectly. Interestingly, Marilyn was paid only $500 while Russell pulled in $200,000 because she was better known at the time. Who do you think wore it better, Jane or Marilyn?

50 Shades Darker won no Oscars, but Dakota Johnson was certainly memorable in this Monique Lhuillier mermaid cut dress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, it’s evident that she inherited both the good looks and the charm from both her parents. As for the dress, lace adorns nearly all of it, which is fitting because of the sensuous movie theme. All of Johnson’s sensuality and physical beauty were laid bare before audiences while she wore this enchanting dress.

No list is complete without the breathtaking Natalie Portman, who played Padmé/Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels. Many people criticized the trilogy, with even Portman’s performance coming under fire, but it’s impossible to find fault with the Trisha Biggar-designed gown. You can tell the embroidery is so fine, and it’s truly a masterpiece for the costume designer. As complicated and ornate as the dress is, the lace was actually repurposed from an old bedsheet — how about that?

Onscreen, Ann Margret lived out the dream of so many young women who fantasized about marrying Elvis Presley. Jealous girls in 1964 wished it was them, not Ann Margret, wearing that short-sleeved summer wedding dress. Playing alongside “the King” in 1964’s Viva Las Vegas, her stellar performance supporting the iconic Presley was foreshadowed a year earlier with her own astronomical rise to fame with the Bye Bye Birdie film adaptation. This musical was inspired by Elvis Presley, already a cultural phenomenon, getting drafted in 1957.

While Sophia Loren wears another iconic dress in Houseboat, in which she teamed up with Cary Grant — whom she allegedly had an affair with — it’s her dress in 1958’s Black Orchid that’s going on this list. The Houseboat dress is stylistically similar to Marilyn Monroe’s in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and the Black Orchid dress truly stands out. Edith Head’s design has full sleeves and a skirt spread out in a way that makes her look like some ethereal entity, gracing our vulgar planet with her angelic presence.