Tag: #120

Self-dissolving medical aids can heal external wounds or restore defective heart valves. Now, using the body’s natural mechanisms, a Canadian-based research team has developed a similar concept to treat corneal abrasions. A certain amount of the enzyme MMP-9 is found naturally in the eye. Released in quantities that are proportional to the wound’s size, it helps the cornea to...

Modern tests for mosquito sprays use an artificial hydrogel skin. The effectiveness of new medication, meanwhile, can be analysed without harming animals. But animal testing hasn’t gone away. Enter a US-based Non-Profit-Organisation which has acquired an entire testing facility in Oklahoma, sparing 200 cats and dogs from further experimentation. The labs on the 120,000 square metre property were formerly...

Outgrown sustainable children’s shoes dissolve when cooked. A short hairstyle can be transformed with environmentally-friendly extensions. But making bespoke clothing more sustainable presents a challenge. Enter an interdisciplinary US-based research team and its revolutionary new knit-dress. A three-dimensional template is created using high-tech yarns and computerised knitting. Next, a programmable robotic arm with a hairdryer-like extension shapes the dress...

Future high-efficiency computer chips could be made using honey; while supercapacitors could lower CO2 levels. To reduce electronic waste, an Austrian science team has researched materials for printed circuit boards and found… mushrooms. The dried skin of ganoderma fungus, for example, is not only thin and flexible but also acts as a good insulator and can withstand temperatures of...