Octopus-inspired adhesive works well in wet conditions

14-Oct-2024 - In research published in Advanced Science, investigators drew inspiration from the octopus to develop an adhesive that achieves strong attachment and controlled release on varied substrates in wet and underwater environments. The feat could have numerous applications in fields ranging from ...

Smart skin made of recyclable materials may transform medicine and robotics

22-Feb-2016 - Smart skin that can respond to external stimuli could have important applications in medicine and robotics. Using only items found in a typical household, researchers have created multi-sensor artificial skin that's capable of sensing pressure, temperature, humidity, proximity, pH, and air ...

How mercury contamination affects reptiles in the Amazon basin

23-Sep-2015 - Mercury contamination in water and on land is of worldwide concern due to its toxic effects on ecosystems and human health. Mercury toxicity is of particular concern to reptiles because they are currently experiencing population declines. Also, reptiles are ideal indicators of mercury ...

Bioengineers Succeed in Producing Plastic Without the use of Fossil Fuels

24-Nov-2009 - A team of pioneering South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals. This groundbreaking research, which may now allow for the production of environmentally conscious ...

New look for antiques

Paintings and gilt surfaces can be effectively and gently restored with water-based microemulsions

02-Nov-2009 - In the past, restoration of paintings and other old artwork often involved application of acrylic resins to consolidate and protect them. One of the most important tasks for modern restorers is thus to remove these layers, because it turns out that acrylic resins not only drastically change the ...

Is trash the solution to tackling climate change?

Waste-based biofuel could cut global emissions by over 80 percent

02-Oct-2009 - Converting the trash that fills the world's landfills into biofuel may be the answer to both the growing energy crisis and to tackling carbon emissions, claim scientists in Singapore and Switzerland. New research published in Global Change Biology: Bioenergy, reveals how replacing gasoline with ...

Pioneering research succeeds in producing industrially vital chemical through engineered bacteria

Metabolic engineering could herald the end of fossil fuels in industrial chemical production

28-Aug-2009 - A team of South Korean scientists have succeeded in engineering the bacterium E. coli to produce the industrial chemical putrescine. The research, published in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, provides a renewable alternative to the production of this important chemical which is ...

Reveal the enemy

Carbon nanotubes and aptamers: New biosensor detects extremely low bacteria concentrations quickly, easily and reliably

23-Jul-2009 - Bacterial diseases are usually detected by first enriching samples, then separating, identifying, and counting the bacteria. This type of procedure usually takes at least two days after arrival of the sample in the laboratory. Tests that work faster, in the field, and without complex sample ...

Biomass as a source of raw materials

New process for obtaining alkanes from bio-oil

19-May-2009 - For the protection of the environment, and because of the limited amount of fossil fuels available, renewable resources, such as specially cultivated plants, wood scraps, and other plant waste, are becoming the focus of considerable attention. Processes such as pyrolysis or liquefaction allow the ...

Progress toward artificial tissue?

Soft and tough like biological tissue: DNA-wrapped carbon nanotubes

19-May-2009 - For modern implants and the growth of artificial tissue and organs, it is important to generate materials with characteristics that closely emulate nature. However, the tissue in our bodies has a combination of traits that are very hard to recreate in synthetic materials: It is both soft and very ...