Researchers at Tufts University have developed a method to make silk-based materials that refuse to stick to water, or almost anything else containing water for that matter. In fact, the modified silk, which can be molded ...
Biochemistry
Sep 23, 2022
0
54
Spider silk has enormous potential in regenerative medicine thanks to being a natural fiber that is tough, stable, and biodegradable. Researchers have now produced double-sided spider silk fibers, which could provide damaged ...
Biochemistry
Feb 4, 2022
0
124
Think spider silk is strong? Recent work has shown that bagworm silk is superior to spider silk in both strength and flexibility. Building on these findings, a research team at the University of Tsukuba, led by Professor ...
Polymers
Oct 22, 2021
0
5
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear masks in public. Because N95 and surgical masks are scarce and should be reserved for health care workers, ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 24, 2020
35
11757
Nature has evolved protein-based substances with mechanical properties that rival even the best synthetic materials. For example, pound for pound, spider silk is stronger and tougher than steel. But unlike steel, the natural ...
Materials Science
Apr 2, 2019
0
150
When it comes to concocting the complex mix of molecules that makes up fibers of natural silk, nature beats human engineering hands down. Despite efforts to synthesize the material, artificial varieties still cannot match ...
Materials Science
Nov 9, 2017
1
88
Microscopic versions of the cocoons spun by silkworms have been manufactured by a team of researchers. The tiny capsules, which are invisible to the naked eye, can protect sensitive molecular materials, and could prove a ...
Materials Science
Jul 19, 2017
0
71
Researchers at Tufts University's School of Engineering have developed a new bioinspired technique that transforms silk protein into complex materials that are easily programmable at the nano-, micro- and macro-scales as ...
Nanophysics
Feb 27, 2017
0
18
Why have we never been able to manufacture fibers as strong and tough as the silks spun by silkworms and spiders?
Materials Science
Aug 21, 2015
0
52
In the harsh desert steppe of far northwestern China five prehistoric-looking Przewalski's horses, once classed as extinct in the wild, emerge from the endless plains.
Plants & Animals
Jun 14, 2013
0
0
