Scientists use squid skin as a model for new packaging materials. (archive image)
OKRA DRESSING TO CATCH BLEEDING: Okra, a tropical plant widely used in African recipes, can work wonders medicinally. Malcolm Xing of the University of Manitoba in Canada examined the green, sticky vegetable and found that the dried juice of okra can be pulverized and turned into a bioadhesive gel. Used during surgery, this gel can stop bleeding when applied like a natural bandage.
The okra gel has already been tested on the heart and liver of dogs and rabbits and stopped bleeding within a minute without the need for stitches. Human trials are planned for the next few years.
FIREFLY ROBOTS: Fireflies have inspired researchers at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop mini-drones that glow when they fly. To do this, they equipped winged robots with artificial muscles, so-called actuators, with luminous particles. If these light-up drones are fitted with sensors, they could be used in rescue operations in collapsed houses where larger robots cannot fit.
EARLY CANCER DETECTION WITH ANTS: Early cancer detection using conventional methods such as MRI or mammography is often invasive and expensive. That is why scientists are increasingly turning to animals: dogs are used here, but so are ants. In a study by Sorbonne University Paris Nord, which has not yet been independently verified, ants were given sugar water as a reward to train them to distinguish the urine of mice with and without cancer.
A hundred ants have managed to correctly identify ovarian cancer and two different forms of breast cancer with a 95 percent rate. While dogs take at least six months to be trained to recognize cancer, the ants can learn it in under an hour.
COW MUSCLE TO PROTECT AGAINST STD DISEASES: When you think of cow saliva, you might be disgusted at first. But a study published in September shows that this slime can be used effectively against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or herpes. The mucus contains a protein called mucin that may have an anti-viral effect. Researchers have extracted this protein from cows’ salivary glands and turned it into a gel that could encapsulate and thus eliminate small viruses.
Laboratory tests have shown that this lubricant could reduce the risk of transmission of HIV by 70 percent and even 80 percent for herpes. However, this work is still in the early stages and – in contrast to effective protective measures such as condoms – must be tested further.
SQUID SKIN AS MODEL FOR PACKAGING: Squids have chromatophores on the skin surface that can change size and color abruptly. In a study published in the journal “Nature Sustainability”, researchers have developed “small metallic structures” based on their model, which can be pulled apart and contracted to form packaging that can regulate heat. This could be used in the future to keep cappuccino or pizza warm to take away.
(SDA)