It is not obvious when examining a wrapped lettuce or a microwavable bowl of Chinese soup. But plastic food packaging is made of multiple layers designed to act as a barrier for oxygen or bacteria. "Each ...

Chemistry - Other

Apr 09, 2013 5 / 5 (2) 1

(Phys.org)—Mussels can be a mouthwatering meal, but the chemistry that lets mussels stick to underwater surfaces may also provide a highly adhesive wound closure and more effective healing from surgery.

Chemistry - Materials Science

Jan 09, 2013 5 / 5 (3) 0 |

The first detailed analysis of a WA native carnivorous plant by a group of German scientists has confirmed the presence of a unique mechanism for trapping prey.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Nov 22, 2012 5 / 5 (4) 0 |

(Phys.org)—While the common house spider may be creepy, it also has been inspiring researchers to find new and better ways to develop adhesives for human applications such as wound healing and industrial-strength ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Oct 02, 2012 3 / 5 (2) 2 |

(Phys.org) -- Mussels are true masters of adhesion. They bond solidly under water to nearly any type of surface. Researchers from Mainz have been inspired by mussel adhesive proteins to add another exciting ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Apr 13, 2012 4.3 / 5 (4) 0 |

Engineers at the University of California, Davis, have invented a superthin "nanoglue" that could be used in new-generation microchip fabrication.

Nanotechnology - Nanomaterials

Mar 05, 2012 4.4 / 5 (8) 1 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- A bio-inspired superglue has been developed by Oxford University researchers that can’t be matched for sticking molecules together and not letting go.

Chemistry - Biochemistry

Feb 22, 2012 4.8 / 5 (11) 3 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- The study of spider webs has led to a discovery that will generate new kinds of medical sutures embedded with medication. The University of Akron scientists have developed a novel synthetic ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Feb 17, 2012 4.2 / 5 (5) 2 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- Fritz Vollrath and colleagues from Oxford University have been analyzing the gooey material produced by tiny amphipods known as Crassicorophium bonellii, a small shrimp-like creature that p ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Nov 23, 2011 4.7 / 5 (3) 2 |

Boron-based chemical compounds rarely form simple structures. Boron is an electron-deficient element; and, as electrons are the glue that hold compounds together, this leads to some unusual bonding behavior. ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Oct 28, 2011 5 / 5 (3) 0

Gripping tightly to a tree trunk, at first sight a colugo might be mistaken for a lemur. However, when this animal leaps it launches into a graceful glide, spreading wide the enormous membrane that spans its legs and tail ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Jul 28, 2011 not rated yet 0 |

(PhysOrg.com) -- Water affects orb spider web glue differently than cobweb glue. Orb web glue reacts to humidity, but cobweb glue resists it. These findings by a University of Akron research team inspire the ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Jul 22, 2011 5 / 5 (3) 0 |

The debate over the mechanism that causes superconductivity in a class of materials called the pnictides has been settled by a research team from Japan and China. Superconductivity was discovered in the pnictides ...

Physics - Superconductivity

Jun 17, 2011 4.8 / 5 (17) 42 |

A University of Manchester scientist has revealed the mechanism that binds skin cells tightly together, which he believes will lead to new treatments for painful and debilitating skin diseases and also lethal heart defects.

Chemistry - Biochemistry

Jan 21, 2011 5 / 5 (4) 0 |

Ali Dhinojwala and Vasav Sahni consider themselves materials scientists, not biologists. They study surfaces, friction and adhesion. Nevertheless, they have discovered that understanding how nature makes things ...

Chemistry - Materials Science

Dec 03, 2010 3.3 / 5 (15) 0 |