Biomimicry News And Research

Nanotechnology may increase longevity of dental fillings

Friday, July 03, 2009 00:00 MST

Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. A Medical College of Georgia researcher hopes a new nanotechnology technique will extend the fillings' longevity.

Stirred, not shaken: Bio-inspired cilia mix medical reagents at small scales

Wednesday, July 01, 2009 00:00 MST

Engineers used a novel underwater manufacturing technique to successfully build biomimetic cilia. The hairlike appendages mix tiny volumes of liquid to speed up biomedical reactions.

Crustacean shell with polyester creates mixed-fiber material for nerve repair

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 00:00 MST

Weaving chitosan, found in the shells of crabs and shrimp, with an industrial polyester creates a promising new material for biomedical applications, including the tiny tubes that support repair of a severed nerve.

Beetle shell inspires brilliant white paper

Thursday, June 11, 2009 00:00 MST

An obscure species of beetle has shown how brilliant white paper could be produced in a completely new way. A team from Imerys Minerals Ltd. and the University of Exeter has taken inspiration from the shell of the Cyphochilus beetle to understand how to produce a new kind of white coating for paper.

New radio chip mimics human ear

Friday, June 05, 2009 00:00 MST

Could enable wireless devices capable of receiving cell phone, Internet, radio and television signals

Navy grant to fund probe of squid and octopus camouflage

Thursday, May 21, 2009 00:00 MST

Octopuses and squid are big brained species that use much of their mental powers to adjust their own appearances. This remarkable ability to camouflage on the fly has inspired the US Office of Naval Research to award $7.5 million to Duke University and two collaborating institutions to learn more about how the animals do it.

Getting a grip: 'Velcro'-like structure helps bees stick to flowers

Friday, May 15, 2009 00:00 MST

When bees collect nectar, how do they hold onto the flower? Cambridge University scientists have shown that it is down to small cone-shaped cells on the petals that act like Velcro on the bees' feet.

'Gecko vision': Key to the multifocal contact lens of the future?

Friday, May 08, 2009 00:00 MST

Nocturnal geckos are among the very few living creatures able to see colors at night, and scientists' discovery of series of distinct concentric zones may lead to insight into better cameras and contact lenses.

Research gives clues for self-cleaning materials, water-striding robots

Tuesday, May 05, 2009 00:00 MST

Humans have marveled for millennia at how water beads up and rolls off flowers, caterpillars and some insects, and how insects like water striders are able to walk effortlessly on water. University of Nebraska and RIKEN research into super hydrophobic properties provide hints to researchers to develop these abilities in things like micro-robots, self-cleaning fabrics and other surfaces.

Unifying the animate and the inanimate designs of nature

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 00:00 MST

Living beings and inanimate phenomena may have more in common than previously thought.

Bird feathers produce color through structure similar to beer foam

Saturday, April 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Some of the brightest colors in nature are created by tiny nanostructures with a structure similar to beer foam or a sponge, according to Yale University researchers.

Researchers develop flow sensors based on hair structures of blind cavefish

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 00:00 MST

The fish species Astyanax fasciatus cannot see, but their unique technique for sensing their environment and the movement of water around them with gel-covered hairs that extend from their bodies may inspire a new generation of sensors that perform better than current active sonar.

First high-resolution images of bone, tooth and shell formation

Friday, March 13, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology have for the first time made high-resolution images of the earliest stages of bone formation. They used the world's most advanced electron microscope to make three-dimensional images of the nano-particles at the heart of the process. The results provide improved understanding of bone, tooth and shell formation. For industrial applications, they promise better materials and processes based on nature itself. The findings form the cover story of Science magazine of Friday, March 13.

Lovely 'snowfakes' mimic nature, advance science

Saturday, February 28, 2009 00:00 MST

Exquisitely detailed and beautifully symmetrical, the snowflakes that David Griffeath makes are icy jewels of art.

Crab claws pack strengthening bromide-rich biomaterial

Thursday, February 26, 2009 00:00 MST

University of Oregon-led study is part of effort to tap nature's secrets for building tiny tools