Spider silk is extraordinarily strong, mollusk shells and bone are tough, and porcupine quills and feathers resist buckling. How are these notable properties achieved? The building blocks of the materials listed above are primarily minerals and biopolymers, mostly in combination; the first weak in tension and the second weak in compression. The intricate and ingenious hierarchical structures are responsible for the outstanding performance of each material. Toughness is conferred by the presence of controlled interfacial features (friction, hydrogen bonds, chain straightening and stretching); buckling resistance can be achieved by filling a slender column with a lightweight foam. Here, we present and interpret selected examples of these and other biological materials. Structural bio-inspired materials design makes use of the biological structures by inserting synthetic materials and processes that augment the structures' capability while retaining their essential features. In this Review, we explain this idea through some unusual concepts.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1220854 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The Use of Omics in Untangling the Effect of Lifestyle Factors in Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes: A Systematic Review.
Diabetes Metab Res Rev
January 2025
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
Aim: To synthesise the evidence from clinical trials and observational studies using omics techniques to investigate the impact of diet and lifestyle factors on metabolite profile in pregnancy, and in the prevention and management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Materials And Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Ovid, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases in October 2023 and updated in September 2024. Inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials (RCT) or non-RCTs in pregnant women with or without GDM, that measured diet and lifestyle factors, and which applied post-transcriptional omics approaches.
Synthetic biology meets Aspergillus: engineering strategies for next-generation organic acid production.
World J Microbiol Biotechnol
January 2025
School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, No. 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China.
Organic acids constitute a vital category of chemical raw materials. They have extensive applications in industries such as polymers, food, and pharmaceuticals. Currently, industrial production predominantly relies on microbial fermentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFunctional resting state connectivity is differentially associated with IL-6 and TNF-α in depression and in healthy controls.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
Inflammatory processes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. In human studies, inflammation has been shown to act as a critical disease modifier, promoting susceptibility to depression and modulating specific endophenotypes of depression. However, there is scant documentation of how inflammatory processes are associated with neural activity in patients with depression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and Cytokine Dynamics Profile as Early Signatures of Long COVID Condition in Hospitalized Individuals.
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
January 2025
Virology and Pathogenesis, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, Spain.
Background: The global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in millions of people experiencing long COVID condition, a range of persistent symptoms following the acute phase, with an estimated prevalence of 27%-64%.
Materials And Methods: To understand its pathophysiology, we conducted a longitudinal study on viral load and cytokine dynamics in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR to quantify viral RNA from nasopharyngeal swabs and employed multiplex technology to measure plasma cytokine levels in a cohort of people with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Gibberellin-3 induced dormancy and suppression of flower bud formation in pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus).
BMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
Background: Flowering is a complex, finely regulated process involving multiple phytohormones and transcription factors. However, flowering regulation in pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) remains largely unexamined. This study addresses this gap by investigating gibberellin-3 (GA3) effects on flower bud (FB) development in pitaya.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!