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Biomimicry News And Research - March 2010 Archives
 | Scientists today presented a design strategy to produce the long-sought artificial leaf, which could harness Mother Nature's ability to produce energy from sunlight and water in the process called photosynthesis. The new recipe, based on the chemistry and biology of natural leaves, could lead to working prototypes of an artificial leaf that capture solar energy and use it efficiently to change water into hydrogen fuel, they stated. ...> Full Article |
 | Since its development in China thousands of years ago, silk from silkworms, spiders and other insects has been used for high-end, luxury fabrics as well as for parachutes and medical sutures. Now, National Science Foundation-supported researchers are untangling some of its most closely guarded secrets, and explaining why silk is so super strong.
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 | Spiders and silkworms are masters of materials science, but scientists are finally catching up. Silks are among the toughest materials known, stronger and less brittle, pound for pound, than steel. Now scientists at MIT have unraveled some of their deepest secrets in research that could lead the way to the creation of synthetic materials that duplicate, or even exceed, the extraordinary properties of natural silk. ...> Full Article |
 | Scientists have made synthetic 'sea shells' from a mixture of chalk and polystyrene cups -- and produced a tough new material that could make our homes and offices more durable. ...> Full Article |
 | Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces believe they have uncovered the basis how marine mussels use the byssus, a bundle of tough and extensible fibers, to fasten securely to wave-swept rocky coastlines. According to their findings, local accumulation of iron-mediated cross-links creates hard knobs within an extensible matrix containing much fewer of these molecular bridges. Such a design could be an interesting concept for developing novel abrasion-resistant, highly extensible coatings. ...> Full Article |
 | CSIRO scientist Dr. Tara Sutherland and her team have achieved another important milestone in the international quest to artificially produce insect silk. ...> Full Article |
 | Like silkworm moths, butterflies and spiders, caddisfly larvae spin silk, but they do so underwater instead on dry land. Now, University of Utah researchers have discovered why the fly's silk is sticky when wet and how that may make it valuable as an adhesive tape during surgery. ...> Full Article |
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First step toward electronic DNA sequencing: Translocation through graphene nanopores
Now that's what I call a rat
For pandas, there is a mountain high enough, there is a valley low enough
Nanowick at heart of new system to cool 'power electronics'
Super glaciers leave their mark on the Gondwanan supercontinent
Potentially hazardous asteroid might collide with the Earth in 2182
Once bitten, twice shy -- a temperature switch triggers aversive memory
Chemists grow crystals with a twist - and untwist
What plant genes tell us about crop domestication
A warmer future for watersports
Gene discovery may lead to new varieties of soybean plants
Baby swimmers have better balance
A lab rat - created in the lab
Plastic chips monitor body functions
Marked for Life: Tattoo Matching Software to Identify Suspects
Researchers harness viruses to split water
Student uses skin as input for mobile devices
Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos
Fly eye paves the way for manufacturing biomimetic surfaces
Gut movements in caterpillars inspire soft-body robot design
Reinventing the wheel - naturally
Tiny insect brains capable of huge feats
From butterflies' wings to bank notes - how nature's colors could cut bank fraud
When it comes to security, think 'natural'
Shark skin for airplanes, ships and wind energy plants
Artificial butterfly in flight and filmed
Researchers find schooling fish offer new ideas for wind farming
Designed biomaterials mimicking biology
Bionic coating could help ships to economize on fuel
Beetles stand out using 'Avatar' tech
Cat brain: A step toward the electronic equivalent
Blueprint for 'artificial leaf' mimics Mother Nature