In 1989, Phillip McCrory watched a CNN story on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Seeing the difficulty volunteers were having cleaning oil from the fur of otters, McCrory wondered if perhaps human hair could be used to soak up oil. His curiosity could revolutionize how we attack oil spills.
Geophysical Institute, Aug 12th, 1998
https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/hairy-solution-crude-oil-spills