Tag: BioTech

Naturally-occurring colour pigments in purple maize have anti-inflammatory properties. Clothes, meanwhile, are rarely manufactured using natural colours. But all that could be about to change thanks to the work of two textile engineers and their New York-based startup. The team is using biotechnology to create colourful yarn without using dye. First, in a fermentation process, special bacteria produce natural...

Internal wounds could be closed by a robot with an integrated 3D-printer. Sometimes, however, a blood transfusion is required. Here, blood type and Rh factor must be identical for donor and patient, although type 0 can generally be used for types A, B and AB. Need is unpredictable, and donated blood can only be stored for 42 days. Now,...

Innovative pacemakers imitate our respiratory patterns. But most device batteries still need replacing. Enter a research team from China which has hit upon an apparently inexhaustible supply of electricity. Using biocompatible materials, the team created a cathode from highly porous gold and an alloy comprising sodium, gallium and tin for the anode. Both react with the oxygen present in...

Some loudspeakers purify the air while playing back tunes. But it seems that analogue sound can also make for a cleaner planet. Using mainly sugarcane (and starch as a binding agent), a British startup has succeeded in creating a bioplastic for LPs. It can be pressed like traditional, petroleum-based PVC, yet lower production temperatures reduce energy usage by 15%....

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...

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...

Fish remains are a good source of bioplastics. Jellyfish, meanwhile, could soon be an unlikely ally for police officers up and down the country. All thanks to Chinese-British researchers who have discovered that a fluorescent protein contained in the slimy sea-dwellers could be a big help at crime scenes. The protein binds with negatively-charged molecules in the grease and...

Pullovers from oyster shells are no sailor’s yarn. Mussels can also be a useful medical aid as a South Korean research team has proved with its biodegradable adhesive patch. To make it, they combined sticky proteins from the shellfish with two polymers: polyacryl and sodium salt. When dry, the patch is not adhesive. Instead, its adhesive effect comes into...