The Institution of Engineering and Technology's E&T magazine has just published a piece I wrote on how biomineralists are trying to replicate things such as squid sucker rings and gecko feet to create new products.
Invertebrate zoologist James Weaver was out on a fishing trip collecting specimens when a Humboldt squid latched on to his arm and secured itself with its powerful tentacles.
While the first thought of most of us would have been the pain, Weaver began to wonder how it was that the squid could generate such enormous power through the soft tissue of the suckers which line the tentacles.
His curiosity could lead toward a new generation of stronger and more abrasion-resistant materials. It’s also just one example of how multidisciplinary teams are looking at proteins as potentially very important structural materials. Bio engineers believe they could produce strong, light material cheaply using proteins or mimicking their structures.
The full piece is here.
Just filed copy for the IET's Flipside magazine on anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Those nice folk at Northwood invited me over to Djibouti to get a close view of Operation Atalanta - the EU naval task force protecting - shipping and food convoys - but I just couldn't justify the time or expense. Maybe next time....
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