Clippings

Welcome to the Clippings Weblog!

This Weblog is sponsored by the Biomimicry Institute and is intended for pointers and commentary on articles relating to Biomimicry.  You are encouraged to comment on any entry through the Comments field in the trailer of each post.  TypePad asks for an e-mail address which will be publicly visible to visitors of the Weblog.  Many people set up e-mail accounts on Yahoo or Hotmail specifically for this purpose, in case the e-mail gets SPAMed. 

Contributions to this Weblog are greatly appreciated!  You can post a comment to the Guest Contributions entry - I will periodically review the comments and create Clippings posts, giving credit to the original contributor.

Thanks, Norbert Hoeller

2008/10/07 In the interests of reducing duplication and with the approval of the Biomimicry News owner, I have added links to the 10 most recent posts in the right sidebar.

2006/09/17 I recently discovered the Biomimetica Weblog by Luis Gustavo Lira, containing a wealth of information with a focus on Biomimetics Nanotechnology, Biophotonics and Biomaterials.  With his approval, I am including links to his 10 most recent posts in the right sidebar, just below Recent Comments. 

Swarm Intelligence: Are digital ants the answer to malware? | IT Security | TechRepublic.com

Swarm Intelligence: Are digital ants the answer to malware? | IT Security | TechRepublic.com.

Dr. Glenn Fink, Senior Research Scientist at PNNL believes Nature provides examples of how we can protect computers by using collective intelligence. To help defend his position, Dr. Fink enlisted Dr. Errin Fulp, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Wake Forest University, specifically because of Dr. Fulp’s ground-breaking work with parallel processing. Together, the two researchers developed software capable of running multiple security scans contiguously, with each scan targeting a different threat. A technique it seems, Dr. Fink acquired from studying behavior exhibited by ant colonies.

Security consultant Michael Kassner describes the Digital Ant project based on a Wake Forest University article “Ants vs. Worms” and an interview with Dr. Fulp.  Foraging ants lay down pheromone trails.  Simple rules followed by other ants results in the ant colony collectively finding the shortest path to food sources.  Similarly, a large number of different kinds of software agents search for signs of malware.  Their collective action allows human operators to more quickly identify new threats. 

The Digital Ant system appears to rely on a hierarchical structure of Sentinels, Sergeants and human supervisors.  This is different from real ants or the REGEN power controllers (see December 2007 Newsletter) where the agents themselves can collectively take action.

For additional information on ant swarm behaviour, see Effectiveness of Emerged Communication in an Ant Foraging Model and A Pheromone -Based Utility Model for Collaborative Foraging for additional information.

Spiraling Flight of Maple Tree Seeds Inspires New Aerial Surveillance Technology

Spiraling Flight of Maple Tree Seeds Inspires New Aerial Surveillance Technology (University of Maryland).

"Maple tree seeds (or samara fruit) and the spiraling pattern in which they glide to the ground have delighted children for ages and perplexed engineers for decades. Now aerospace engineering graduate students at the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering have learned how to apply the seeds' unique design to devices that can hover and perform surveillance in defense and emergency situations."

Students at the University of Maryland's Clark School Aerospace Engineering have solved the instability issues that have prevented successful development of unmanned aerial vehicles inspired by the flight of maple seeds.  The hand-sized monocopter can "take off from the ground and hover, as well as perform controlled flight after its initial fall to the ground after being deployed from an aircraft. The device can also begin to hover during its initial descent, or after being launched by hand."

While the maple seed trades off altitude for rotation, the monocopter needs to ascent and hover.  The key insight was separating stability and propulsion.  The former is provided by a samara-like wing while propulsion is provided by a new curved component of the monocopter that maintains rotation.

The site includes a video clip of the monocopter in action.

Thanks to Micro-vehicle Imitates the Winged Maple Seed (Technology Review) for the pointer.

Technology Review: Mimicking the Building Prowess of Nature

Technology Review: Mimicking the Building Prowess of Nature.

"Joanna Aizenberg, a materials scientist at Harvard University [and a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering], has scoured the natural world for clues to biological building codes. She aims to decipher some of Mother Nature’s unique designs, including dirt-resistant sea urchins and sea sponges made of super-strong light-conducting glass, to develop novel materials that, like these organisms, can self-assemble and sense and respond to their environment."

Aizenberg's team searches for "biological systems that have unusual and sophisticated properties" and applies the principles to existing materials science to "make extremely sophisticated, efficient, and highly potent devices and materials".

The article includes a set of stunning images of:

• 'nanodreadlocks' (inspired by sea urchins) that adapt to environmental changes, grab particles and change their optical properties
• a polymer hydrogel that can switch between hydrophilic and hydrophobic
• growing finely detailed and complex inorganic structures on templates made from organic molecules
• research on energy-efficient building materials inspired by the Venus' Flower Basket sea sponge

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature - PARC (Palo Alto Research Center)

Event - Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature - PARC (Palo Alto Research Center).

"Biomimicry is an emerging discipline based on the logic that we can look to nature for ideas on how to design better products and processes. Nature's laboratory of evolution boasts 3.8 billion years of experience, during which the best ideas have persisted and mistakes have been eliminated. Furthermore, nature's strategies for solving life's most fundamental challenges are mostly constrained to conditions of ambient temperatures, pressures and chemistries. It would serve us well to pay closer attention to the diverse and wondrous solutions the earth's many creatures have devised. This talk will present some principles of biomimicry, suggest methods for advancing the field, and share a wide variety of actual case studies."

David Hammond, one of the early biomimicry advocates and founder of GO2 Water, gave an hour-long presentation on biomimicry as part of the Parc Forum program.

Thanks to Walter Derzko for the pointer!

Lunar Self-Cleaning Material

Technology Review: Blogs: Delta-V: Lunar Self-Cleaning Material.

"Preventing dirt from covering equipment, which could cause damage or bacteria growth, is essential even on the moon. .... Now NASA researchers are developing a new plant-inspired material that could prevent the dust from sticking.

The material is based on the lotus plant, which is known for shedding water, and is already commercially used on windows, camera lenses, and eyeglasses."

A wide range of coatings being developed by NASA in conjunction with Northrop Grumman Electronics Systems and nGimat Corporation will be needed depending on the specific application, such as on flexible spacesuits, rovers and solar panels.  The material is based on silica and oxides of zinc and other materials.  Due to the Lotus Effect, contaminants do not stick to the surface and are picked up by water that beads and rolls off.  

Bird Navigation Breaks Entanglement Record

Technology Review: Blogs: arXiv blog: Bird Navigation Breaks Entanglement Record.

"The best theory of bird navigation implies that nature has found a way to preserve entanglement in messy biological systems at body temperature."

Quantum entanglement' occurs when the quantum state of two particles are linked, irrespective of the distance between the particles.  It is a key concept in 'quantum information theory' which has application in computing, cryptography and communications.  Although progress has been made in developing applications, quantum information is fragile, persisting for only short periods of time in specialized materials and at very cold temperatures.

Researchers led by Vladko Vedral at the University of Oxford believe that quantum entanglement is involved in the mechanism that allows birds to 'see' magnetic fields.  Their work implies that the entanglement can last for up to 100 microseconds in a 'wet and warm' environment, whereas the best laboratory results are in the order of 80 microseconds.

There is no evidence that birds actually exploit quantum entanglement to navigate.  As in First Evidence of Entanglement in Photosynthesis, it is possible that quantum entanglement is a by-product of other processes.  Nevertheless, if confirmed, this research may allow us to apply tools from quantum physics to better understand animal navigation and photosynthesis.  Research into how biological systems can maintain stable quantum entanglement at room temperatures has the potential for advancing the applications of quantum information theory.  Lastly, the hunt is on for biological mechanisms that actively use quantum entanglement.

References:

• Quantum coherence and entanglement in the avian compass
  (highly technical analysis of the Radical Pair Model of chemical magnetoreception)
• Quantum entanglement in photosynthetic light harvesting complexes (evidence for entanglement in noisy, non-equilibrium biological systems, specifically photosynthesis by green anoxygenic bacteria)

Janine Benyus Named a '2009 Champions of the Earth'

April 2009 - UNEP Announces the 2009 Champions of the Earth.

"Paris, 22 April 2009 - Six tireless innovators of positive environmental change and an inspirational anti-poverty organization from Africa were today named as the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2009 Champions of the Earth. ...

Janine Benyus, the winner in the Science and Innovation category, is a pioneer and champion of the biomimicry movement who is at the helm of the eco-design revolution. Her 1997 book 'Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature' inverts the way we all think about design, industrial processes and areas from pharmaceuticals to energy developments.

Ms Benyus's central theme is that, by unraveling and learning how plants, animals and life-forms like bacteria have evolved over millennia, many of the innovations and solutions to the world's pressing problems can be found setting the stage for new, biologically-based businesses and jobs. Ms Benyus's work is a powerful argument for conservation of biodiversity, not just for its own sake, but as a key survival strategy for humanity and a central natural resource.

Janine Benyus said: "A sustainable world already exists, in the prairies, forests, tundras, and coral reefs of our planet. The search for solutions to problems like climate change should start here, emulating life-enhancing technologies that have been field tested for 3.8 billion years. This award is a great honor for all those who are shaping the emerging field of biomimicry, innovation inspired by nature."

The UNEP site includes a 3 minute interview with Janine Benyus on the premise of biomimicry, the transition from academic research to practical applications and the Innovation for Conservation program.

Thanks to the Biomimicry Institute for the pointer!

Technology Review: Cheap, Durable Nonsilicon Solar Cells

Technology Review: Cheap, Durable Nonsilicon Solar Cells.

As mentioned in the February 2009 issue of the BioInspired! Newsletter, dye-senstized solar cells often involve compounds involving rare metals such as ruthenium as well as electrolytes containing volatile organic solvents.  Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences led by professor Peng Wang have developed a metal-free organic dye that has achieved 9.8 percent efficiency of converting light to electricity, close to the 10 percent value required to be competitive with conventional cells. 

Wang's team has also developed a new 'ionic liquid' electrolyte that is more stable and can also be used with plastics, enabling flexible solar cells.  Efficiency dropped to 8.1 percent, a value which is expected to improve.

References (subscription required):

• High efficiency and stable dye-sensitized solar cells with an organic chromophore featuring a binary-conjugated spacer (Chemical Communications)
• New Organic Sensitizer for Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Solvent-Free Ionic Liquid Electrolytes (Journal of Physical Chemistry)
• Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Solvent-Free Ionic Liquid Electrolytes (Journal of Physical Chemistry)

Nature Inspires Innovation in Students - Principles of Biomimicry

Imperial Valley News - Nature Inspires Innovation in Students - Principles of Biomimicry.

Looking to nature for new ways to solve human problems is the foundation of an emerging discipline known as biomimicry. In the fall 2008 semester, InnovationSpace embarked on a major initiative to introduce the principles of biomimicry into the program’s curriculum.

As partners in this endeavor, the program enlisted biologists and engineers from the Montana-based Biomimicry Institute as well as biology graduate students from ASU’s School of Life Sciences.

“We recognize that consumer products are a major factor in environmental degradation,” says InnovationSpace project leader Prasad Boradkar. ...  Nature provides students with a limitless – and largely untapped – reservoir of potential innovation. At the same time, it can inspire more benign ways of producing the products and services we need.”

The InnovationSpace program at Arizona State University is a joint venture between the faculties of Design, Engineering and Business.  "The goal of our transdisciplinary education and research lab is to teach students how to develop products that create market value while serving real societal needs and minimizing impacts on the environment." 

The research in butterfly coloration by one of the students who served as an InnovationSpace teaching assistant has led to new ways of manipulating light and may provide "cheaper and more environmentally friendly ways to produce a brilliant chromatic palette."

Novel Photoanode Structure Templated from Butterfly Wing Scales

Novel Photoanode Structure Templated from Butterfly Wing Scales - Chemistry of Materials (ACS Publications).

"We studied a novel photoanode structure inspired by butterfly wing scales with potential application on dye-sensitized solar cell in this paper. Quasi-honeycomb like structure (QHS), shallow concavities structure (SCS), and cross-ribbing structure (CRS) were synthesized onto a fluorine-doped tin-oxide-coated glass substrate using butterfly wings as biotemplates separately. ...  Analysis of absorption spectra measurements under visible light wavelength indicates that the light-harvesting efficiencies of the QHS photoanode were higher than the normal titania photoanode without biotemplates ...."

The paper by researchers from the Shanghi Jiao Tong University reviews various ways of improving the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells.  It describes different approaches to increasing the light harvesting efficiency of the titania photoelectrodes and presents research on microstructures inspired by butterfly wings which reduces surface reflections and increases the optical path length. 

Two kinds of butterfly wings were used as templates to form micropatterned titania photoanodes.  Optical and field-emission scanning electron microscope showed that the replicas retained the surface and internal structure of the butterfly scales.

The replica photoanodes showed significantly better absorption across a wide range of wavelengths, specifically for films based on butterfly scales with a quasi-honeycomb structure.  However, the titania replica films were thicker and less dense than standard photoanodes, reducing the current density.  An optimal balance between reduced current and improved absorption over a larger surface area will need to be determined. 

Although a form of bio-utilization, research into the relationship between structure and optical properties may lead to improvements the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells, assuming that the microstructure can be created using other manufacturing methods.

Thanks to Structuur van vlindervleugels als voorbeeld voor zonnecellen for the pointer!

Sun-tracking device wins student prize - MIT News Office

Sun-tracking device wins student prize - MIT News Office.

"A team of three students who designed a system that could allow solar power panels to track the sun without motors or control systems won top honors Thursday -- and a check for $10,000 -- in the finals of a competition aimed at developing innovative energy technologies."

The winning team (Heliotrope) was inspired by the way plants track the sun to develop a system that orients photovoltaic cells based on temperature differences between shaded and sunny areas.  The final design, an arch made of aluminum and steel, requires no external power source (other than the sun) or control mechanism.

Thanks to Walter Derzko (Smart biomimetic, heliotropic solar panels track the sun without motors or control systems) for the pointer!

Technology Review: Gecko Tape That Lets Go

Technology Review: Gecko Tape That Lets Go.

"Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a new way to make such an adhesive grip and release as required, using angled microstructures."

By angling the mushroom-shaped tips of polymer fibers by 28 degrees, Professor Metin Sitt's team at Carnegie Mellon were able to support a one kilogram weight in line with the direction of the fibers, while a 300 gram weight pulling in the other direction released the grip.  The 28 degree angle is similar to that found between the flattened ends and the hairs found in the pads on gecko feet.

The challenge is to increase the length of time that the adhesive will hold by making it self-clearing.  For additional information, see Gecko-Inspired Directional and Controllable Adhesion.

As described in Sticky Tape Inspired by Insect Feet, part of this durability issue was solved in 2007 by a team led by Professor Stanislav Gorb at the Max Plank Institute.  By structuring the hairs in a hierarchical pattern, dust would be trapped in gaps between the hairs.  The flexible fibers allowed hundreds of adhesion and release cycles before adhesion was affected.  Washing in soapy water restored the adhesive properties.

Biomimetics: Following Nature's Blue Print

Biomimetics: Following Nature's Blue Print.

A 2008/12/17 KUOW interview with Janine Benyus (co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild) and Dr. Mehmet Sarikaya (director of the Genetically Engineered Materials Science and Engineering Center at the University of Washington).

Available in RealTime and MP3 streaming.  MP3 file also downloadable. 

Japanese Researchers Pave Way for Artificial Photosynthesis

Japanese Researchers Pave Way for Artificial Photosynthesis -- Tech-On!.

Researchers led by Osamu Ishitani at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a ruthenium-rhenium photocatalyst that in the presence of sunlight can reduce carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide.  Carbon monoxide can then be synthesized into other materials including fuels. 

The Ru-Re complex is able to capture sunlight with a quantum efficiency of 0.21 (21% of photons are converted to electron-hole pairs which then trigger the catalytic process), with the potential for achieving 0.34.  Ru-Re is very selective, reducing carbon dioxide but not water, a problem with other artificial photosynthetic compounds. 

Although photosynthesis does not rely on ruthenium or rhenium, the Japanese process mimics the ability of photosynthesis to convert sunlight into substances that can be easily stored and turned into other useful products.  Additional work is underway to stabilize the compound.

Thanks to EcoGeek for the pointer!

Technology Review: Spinning Silk into Sensors

Technology Review: Spinning Silk into Sensors.

A simple process turns cocoons into optical devices with biological applications.

Researchers led by Fiorenzo Omenetto of Tufts University are using silkworm proteins to develop novel deivces that have optical as well as sensory properties.  Although a form of bio-utilization (the raw material is extract from silkworms), the processes to build the devices occur at ambient temperatures, allowing proteins to be incorporated. 

After being purified and treated, the silk fibroin protein is formed in a nano-structured mold so that the device has the appropriate optical characteristics.  By adding hemoglobin, oxygen can be detected by slight changes in the wavelength of light passing through the device.  By adding specific enzymes and antibodies, other substances can be detected, such as glucose or tumor markers.  Silk optical fibers could be used to both detect and transmit the resulting sensor signal.  Since silk is biocompatible, the fibers can be incorporated during surgery - over time, they will dissolve.   

Omenetto believes more sensitive sensors are possible by incorporating structural color inspired by the morpho butterfly, using appropriate nano-structured molds.

Technology Review: Ceramics That Won't Shatter

Technology Review: Ceramics That Won't Shatter.

Now researchers [at Berkeley] have developed a method for manufacturing nacre-like materials in the lab. These new materials have mechanical properties similar to metal alloys and are the toughest ceramics ever made.

The process involves aluminum oxide suspended in water which is chilled in a controlled fashion to create long, column-like structures.  Driving out the water through heating results in a brick-like structure.  When repeated, large pieces can be made where the aluminum oxide 'bricks' are joined by columns, similar to nacre.  By filling spaces in the ceramic with polymer that allows the layers to slide when stressed, the resulting ceramic combines high toughness and strength.

Work is underway to reduce the size of the micro-structure and also increase the aluminum oxide to polymer ratio.  By replacing the polymer with metal fillers, ceramics that could handle higher temperatures are also possible. 

Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design on TH Radio : TreeHugger

Biomimicry Resources: Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design on TH Radio (Part One) : TreeHugger.

Biomimicry Resources: Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design on TH Radio (Part Two) : TreeHugger.

A two-part interview with Janine Benyus by TreeHugger Radio, available in iTunes, download MP3 and text format. 

Technology Review: Sticky Space Spider

Technology Review: Blogs: TR Editors' blog: Sticky Space Spider.

This post includes a video of Abigaille-I, an insect-inspired robot that can walk on the ceiling.  The robot was developed by the MENRVA Research Group at Simon Fraser University (lead by Professor Carlo Menon) to evaluate dry adhesion as well as the mechanics of climbing robots for applications in space exploration.

Taking Corporate Eco-Strategy to the Next Level

The EcoInnovator » Taking Corporate Eco-Strategy to the Next Level.

"Today, in fact, many companies have a more progressive attitude about executing eco-strategies than environmental groups do. Companies are not as afraid of change as environmental groups sometimes can be. There have been great improvements in awareness and implementation.

However, despite this progress, we are still basically tinkering around the edges. We have not seen the revolutionary shift that we need to curtail environmental and human harm.

We can neither entirely produce nor shop our way to true sustainability."

Holly Kaufman, president of Environment & Enterprise Strategies, argues that businesses need to embed the "Precautionary Principle" into their strategies and processes.  Businesses must take responsibility for the human consequences of their products, rather than forcing the consumer to be "constantly vigilant".  The same approach can be applied to the consequences of our actions on the environmental systems that support all life on earth. 

Kaufman points out that the business case for sustainability depends on structural changes at levels above that of the individual company, such as taking account of "externalities" and valuing ecosystem services.  However, much can still be done at the corporate level.  We need to break the mindset that "eliminating waste and conserving energy is old-fashioned, unsophisticated."  We need to adapt life cycle analysis, instead of our current largely piecemeal approach.  Biomimicry can be a powerful tool in providing not only a set of principles but also specific 'time-tested' solutions.

Thanks to Corporations Should Take Eco-Strategies To The Next Level for the pointer!

Mimicking Body Biosensors

Technology Review: Mimicking Body Biosensors.

"Antibodies aren't [only] a critical part of the body's defense against disease: they're also the gold standard for biosensing. These natural proteins are widely used in diagnostic tests for cancer and other diseases because they recognize and bind so efficiently to disease markers, which include bacterial and viral proteins and protein fragments. However, protein antibodies are expensive to synthesize in the lab and only last a few months. Now biochemists have developed a method to make artificial antibodies that may be just as effective as the real thing."

Molecular imprinting is a technique where polymerization occurs in the presence of the target molecule.  The polymer takes on the shape of the target, which is subsequently removed.  In much the same way as the 'lock and key' binding of antibodies with antigens, the polymer will subsequently bind to the target molecule that fits the nano-structured shape molded into the polymer. 

Researchers Takashi Kodama and Yoshio Okahata (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama), Yu Hoshino and Kenneth J. Shea (University of California, Irvine) have developed a novel way to improve the efficiency of the imprinted polymer and the range of target molecules that can be bound by using combinations of various monomers in the molecular imprinting process and then screening the final polymer nanoparticles for effectiveness and selectivity. 

The polymerization and selection process occurs at ambient temperatures and uses water as a solvent.  The result is inert and stable.  The work was done using the target molecule melittin - additional research is underway to extend the range of target molecules and explore specific applications. 

The paper Peptide Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles: A Plastic Antibody was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society  (subscription required). 

Financial crisis could pave way for greener economy inspired by nature

Financial crisis could pave way for greener economy inspired by nature.

"Biomimicry — the use of nature to inspire design — could serve as a model for a greener economy that rises out of the ashes of the financial crisis, said experts meeting at a sustainability conference in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Speaking at the three-day Bioneers conference in San Rafael, Janine Benyus, a leading voice in the emerging field of biomimicry, said that nature offers lessons that can be applied to build better and more sustainable products and services as well as economic models."

At Bioneers and the follow-on Climate-Change Solutions workshop, Janine Benyus spoke about her recent attendance at the Barcelona IUCN conference as well as the implications of the recent economic upheavals.  Although biodiversity is under attack on multiple fronts, the challenges facing us as a species are awakening a desire to find a more sustainable and inclusive path.

The post also discusses the Natures 100 Best initiative that ended up with over 2100 ideas which were organized by function such as "49 new ways to generate energy, 23 new ways to absorb water and 44 ways to store it, 58 new ways to manage extreme temperatures, 42 news ways to cooperate, and more than 180 ways to communicate" along with a number of commercial applications.  Other initiatives include Innovation for Conservation and the AskNature portal.

Thanks to Megan Schuknecht for the pointer!

Additional information about Bioneers and related events:

• Bioneers 2008: Janine Benyus, Nature's Best 100 Solutions, and 16 Businesses Using Biomimicry (talk summary and 7 minute video)
• Biomimicry: the Next Generation of Technology. [Janine Benyus, Bioneers] (another summary with extensive links)
• Bioneers 2008: David Orr, Greg Watson and Paul Stamets (David Orr on Presidential Climate Action Project, Greg Watson on Renewable Energy Revolution, Paul Stamets on the Miracle of Fungi, extensive links to other resources)
• Looking toward the future - Colorado Bioneers Conference discusses green opportunities (talks by Ray Anderson, Alexandra Cousteau and Rebecca Moore; workshops including Biomimicry: Nature-Inspired Design by Lauren Cooper)

Technology Review: Water-Repelling Metals

Link: Technology Review: Water-Repelling Metals

Numerous materials have been given superhydrophobic or water-repelling properties based on the research of Wilhelm Barthlott and Christoph Neinhuis on the Lotus Effect.  Researchers at GE Global Research Center previously applied the concept to Lexan, a plastic that is naturally hydrophilic (attracts water).  They have now demonstrated the Lotus Effect on metals. 

GE has not published their work but has described two processes.  The article implies that some sort of water-repellent chemical coating is required, applied to the metal either before or after the surface is textured. 

This research opens up applications of the Lotus Effect in harsh environments, such as reducing the need to de-ice airplane components and inhibiting moisture and other contaminant buildup on the blades of gas and steam turbines. 

Nissan looks to the Bumblebees for tips on crash avoidance

Link: Nissan looks to the Bumblebees for tips on crash avoidance

Nissan is working with the University of Tokyo on a proactive collision avoidance system based on how bees detect and avoid obstacles while in flight.  Although many details are still not clear, the bee creates an oval-shaped "personal space" using information from compound eyes that have a 300-degree field of vision.  Information from the eyes is directly acted upon by the wings without requiring time-consuming central processing.

The Biomimetic Car Robot Drive (BR23C) is a test platform for exploring technology such as the Laser Range Finder that has a 2 metre range and a 180-degree radius.  It triggers 'instinctive' collision avoidance.  Additional technologies will be integrated around the BR23C.

Thanks to Nissan’s New Car Designer: Bees for the pointer!

Technology Review: Sticky Nanotape

Link: Technology Review: Sticky Nanotape

A team led by Liming Dai (University of Dayton) and Zhong Wang (GeorgiaTech) have developed a carbon nanotube dry adhesive patterned on gecko feet.  The branching structure combining vertical nanotubes  topped with smaller nanotubes increases adhesive strength, provides directional adhesion (allowing adhesive to be peeled off easily) and adheres to a wide range of structures (from glass to sandpaper). 

An outstanding problem is keeping the adhesive clean over multiple uses.  Dai believes that the nanotubes can be covered with temperature-sensitive polymer that would release dirt when heated.  Another advantage is the greater heat-resistance of carbon nanotubes, supporting adhesion and heat conduction in electronic circuits. 

Artificial Cells: Models Of Eel Cells Suggest Electrifying Possibilities

Link: Artificial Cells: Models Of Eel Cells Suggest Electrifying Possibilities.

Applying modern engineering design tools to one of the basic units of life, [researchers at Yale University and NIST] argue that artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells but in fact improve on them. Artificial versions of the eel’s electricity generating cells could be developed as a power source for medical implants and other tiny devices, they say.

Researchers David LaVan of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Jian Xu of Yale studied eel cells called electrocytes that allow selective channels to be opened in the cell membrane.  Although the mechanism is similar to nerve cells, electrocytes can generate potentials of up to 600 volts for longer periods of time. 

Using systems biology, Xu and LaVan analyzed seven different types of channels, developed models and compared them to published data.  They identified a number of potential improvements which suggests that an artificial cell 4 mm on each side could develop 300 microwatts for small implant devices.  "Like the natural counterpart, the cell’s energy source would be adenosine triphosphate (ATP), synthesized from the body’s sugars and fats using tailored bacteria or mitochondria."

The post includes a pointer to the paper published in Nature Nanotechnology.

Thanks to Elgie Shepard for the pointer!

Water Companies Taking Cue From Nature

Link: Greentech Media | Water Companies Taking Cue From Nature.

This article describes the Vortex Generator by Sweden's Watreco that uses vortex motion to purify water.  Watreco has commercialized a device that removes air and impurities from water used in artificial ice rinks, reducing energy consumption and improving ice quality. 

A similar filtration technique that currently removes impurities of 5 microns or larger is being developed by Palo Alto Research Center.  The technology has the potential to capture particles as small as 1 micron.  If volume and reliability targets can be met, the approach would be more energy efficient and smaller than existing membrane/filter-based systems. 

Other companies such as Novozymes, Aquaporin and Danfoss are developing filtration systems based on synthetic versions of the protein aquaporin.  Aquaporins are proteins found in cell membrane pores that allow passage of water molecules while blocking ions and other solutes.  It is hoped that membranes based on these proteins will require 1/5 the pressure currently required by reverse osmisis and increase flow five-fold. 

Sustainable Design From Biomimicry – Nature Offers Industrial Green Designs

Link: Sustainable Design From Biomimicry – Nature Offers Industrial Green Designs - Popular Mechanics.

Led by biologists from the Montana-based Biomimicry Guild, a consulting firm that also works with companies such as Nike, Interface and General Electric, the engineers [from Boeing] are spending a week learning how to, if not exactly find the answer, at least ask the right questions. Thinking outside the standard academic toolbox is not intuitive for most engineers, says Dayna Baumeister, the guild’s co-founder. “Putting them in a rain forest brings them back to that childlike state of wonder and suddenly broadens their perspective to other ways problems might be solved.”

The article describes the experiences of engineers from Boeing and Kohler at one of the Biomimicry Guild's Biomimicry and Design Workshops in Costa Rica.  The Boeing team tackled cabin noise and discovered numerous ways in which organisms create, utilize and attenuate sound.  Two engineers and a designer from Kohler wanted to improve the experience of taking a shower while conserving water and found "a whole new set of inspirations" that encouraged one designer to "gravitate toward sustainable design first; I don’t just reach for the same metal and plastic."

Peter Head: Entering an Ecological Age | Arup

2008/10/04: added pointer to Resources post

Link: Peter Head: Entering an Ecological Age | Arup.

In a landmark lecture for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Arup director Peter Head explored how the world can begin to make the transition towards an ecological age of civilisation.

Drawing experience with projects such as Dongtan Eco-city in China, Peter Head’s Brunel International Lecture Peter Head explained how we can develop and retrofit urban centres to improve resource efficiency while maintaining or improving quality of life. He used ecological footprint analysis to show how we can move towards the goal of environmental sustainability, setting out a vision of life in a sustainable community of the future.

The article includes a pointer to the supporting paper Entering the Ecological Age: The Engineer's role. Chapter 8 has a biomimicry/biomimetics focus.

For additional detail, see the Resources weblog.

Thanks to John Summerscales and the Biomimetics listserver for the pointer!

Tree-Powered Forest Fire Alert Network Gets Its Power From Bioenergy : TreeHugger

Link: Tree-Powered Forest Fire Alert Network Gets Its Power From Bioenergy : TreeHugger.

Though it’s been known for some time that there was a small amount of electrical potential between many plants and the soil (the effect is described in an article at PLoS One) only recently has anyone put that trickle of electricity to use. The company is Voltree Power and their “bioenergy converter” is intended to be used (at least initially, and appropriately enough) as part of an Early Wildfire Alert Network.

As described in Source of Sustained Voltage Difference between the Xylem of a Potted Ficus benjamina Tree and Its Soil, electrodes connected between various parts of plants and the soil can routinely generate potentials from 50 to 200mV, through a mechanism that has only recently been studied in detail.  Voltree Power has developed a device the size of a pack of gum that taps the metabolic energy of trees without harming them. 

By eliminating the need for batteries that require periodic replacement, the "bioenergy converter" makes possible "Voltree's  'Early Wildfire Alert Network' (EWAN) [that] consists of thousands of tiny humidity and temperature sensor nodes distributed over remote forestland. Each node contains a wireless transceiver that enables EWAN to instantly detect the onset of wildfires as well as continuously monitor forest conditions for accurate, ultra-high resolution, day-to-day, fire hazard prediction."

An example of bio-utilization, the EWAN combines a "free energy" source and widely-distributed low-cost agents (sensors) using a self-managing mesh network.  Beyond warning of fires, these sensors could be used for fine-grained, 'ground-level' monitoring of forest ecosystems.

Streaming Portal - Alpbacher Technologiegespräche 2008

Link: Streaming Portal - Alpbacher Technologiegespräche 2008.

The recent Alpbacher conference included three talks on bionics moderated by Bernhard Pelzl (Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH):

• Werner Nachtigall (Universität des Saarlandes): "Von der Natur für die Technik lernen"
• Stanislav Gorb (Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung): "Haften und Klammern im Tierreich"
• Oskar C. Aszmann (Universitätsklinik für Plastische und Rekonstruktive Chirurgie): "Nerventransfers zur Steuerung von Armprothesen"

All talks are in German - if I can get summaries translated, I will post them to the Resources weblog. 

Note: I was not able to view the video using Firefox (unable to install the required plug-in) but had no problems with Internet Explorer.

Thanks to Albert Nössing for the pointer!

HOK and Biomimicry Guild Form Alliance to Integrate Nature's Innovations in the Design of Buildings, Communities and Cities Worldwide

Link: HOK and Biomimicry Guild Form Alliance to Integrate Nature's Innovations in the Design of Buildings, Communities and Cities Worldwide - MarketWatch.

HOK and the Biomimicry Guild have forged a first-of-its-kind alliance linking the natural and built environment.

This exclusive relationship between one of the world's largest architectural design firms and the only bio-inspired innovation company will integrate nature's innovations in the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities worldwide.

"Given the size, breadth and diversity of HOK's design practice, our firm can significantly influence the future generation of architecture, planning and interior design projects around the world," says HOK President Bill Hellmuth.

We believe biomimicry will not only help us significantly reduce the environmental impact of our projects, but also has the potential to help define a whole new sustainable standard for our profession," says HOK Sustainable Design Director Mary Ann Lazarus. "Because biomimicry addresses critical environmental issues at the habitat scale, it gives us lessons on how to achieve significant results -- even restorative outcomes -- at all scales."

HOK, a leader in sustainability in the built environment, has been working with the Biomimicry Guild since 2004 on projects such as the 2008 "City of the Future" competition.  Current projects include the Lavasa hill station community (Pune, India) and other collaborations in Saudia Arabia and Norm America. 

Nothing stops an expert in the art of living

Link: Nothing stops an expert in the art of living.

South Africans use a natural flypaper, the leaves of Roridula gorgonias.  Although flies become stuck to the adhesive droplets on leaf hairs, the plants host mirid bugs which are able to move freely on the leaves to consume trapped insects. 

Dagmar Voigt and Stanislav Gorb (Max-Planck Institute for Metals Research) determined that the mirid bugs are coated with a greasy layer that is 30 times thicker than that of a blowfly.  Initial research suggests that the layer is able to disrupt the natural glue of the leaves.  The exact mechanism is stll under investigation but early results suggest the layer is thin and fragmentary on other insects, allowing the glue to stick to unprotected cuticle.

For more details, see: An insect trap as habitat: cohesion-failure mechanism prevents adhesion of Pameridea roridulae bugs to the sticky surface of the plant Roridula gorgonias

What Your Boss Can Learn From Birds and Bees

Link: What Your Boss Can Learn From Birds and Bees.

This post touches on three concepts from Ken Thompson's Bioteams: High Performance Teams Based on Nature's Most Successful Designs, which suggests that principles learned from social animals can help make human teams more effective:

• ants and bees: whole-team broadcasts
• geese: rotating leadership
• worms: highly connected, "hub" individuals

Interview with Julian Vincent

Link: :: Material Beliefs :: Interview with Julian Vincent.

Julian's current interests are related to how problems in processing are solved in biology in comparison with technology, "at present there is only a 10% overlap between biology and technology in terms of the mechanisms used". In technology 70% involve manipulation of energy and in biology most important is the use and manipulation of information, from DNA to pheromones.

The 11.5 minute interview by Susana Soares covers Prof. Vincent's research into how biological and technical systems 'solve' problems along with practical applications of biological methods and systems to engineering.  Additional detail can be found in the Resources weblog post.

A Synthetic Tree Grows at Cornell | Wired Science from Wired.com

Link: A Synthetic Tree Grows at Cornell | Wired Science from Wired.com.

2008/09/16 see comment for an additional pointer (thanks to Gauthier Chapelle) that provides more information and relates this research may help explain how trees can grow above 34 feet in height.

"Scientists have made the world's first synthetic tree: a palm-sized duplication of the elegant process by which trees drink."

Tobias Wheeler and Abraham Stroock of Cornell University have emulated the abilty of xylem to tranport water using "hydrogel-embedded capillaries" which allow water to evaporate and create presure differentials.  The concept could be applied to creating a transport mechanism for heat within a building.

The paper The transpiration of water at negative pressures in a synthetic tree [Nature] points out that "the differences in pressure generated in plants to drive flow can be more than a hundredfold larger than those generated in synthetic wicks."  The microfluidic system captures many of the key characteristics of plan transpiration, including:

• "transduction of subsaturation in the vapour phase of water into negative pressures in the liquid phase"
• "stabilization and flow of liquid water at large negative pressures (-1.0 MPa or lower)"
• "continuous heat transfer with the evaporation of liquid water at negative pressure"
• "continuous extraction of liquid water from subsaturated sources"

A New MRSA Defense

Link: Technology Review: A New MRSA Defense.

Researchers led by Giovanni Appendino (Piemonte Orientale University) and Simon Gibbons (School of Pharmacy at the University of London) have discovered that certain cannabinoids show significant antibacterial effects, even against methicillin-reistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).  Two of the most promising compounds are not psychoactive and can be obtained from hemp. 

Even semi-purified versions of the compounds appear affective against skin-borne bacteria, sugesting that topical treatments can be developed quickly.  In addition to treating chronic skin infections and reducing the likelihold that MRSA will invade the body.  The compounds also show promise as preservatives to replace conventional preservatives which have health and environmental impacts.  More research is required to determine if the cannabinoids are effective as a systemic antibacterial. 

The mechanism by which these compounds kill bacteria is still not understood.  Earlier work by Gibbons suggests that resistance to plant antibacterial agents is rare.

The full paper is available for download: Antibacterial Cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa: A Structure−Activity Study

Diatom nanostructures bend light

Link: BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Diatom nanostructures bend light.

Simple marine algae called diatoms have evolved intricate structures that allow them to manipulate light. Visible light is strongly diffracted when it passes through tiny holes in their silica-based cell walls, scientists say. Understanding the physical principles that allow diatoms to trap solar energy more efficiently may also help develop new synthetic replicas.

A team led by Professor Peter Vukusic (University of Exeter) discovered that the diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii has a complex structure of large and small holes which strongly diffract light.  It is believed that this may spread light more evenly throughout the diatom, improving on efficiency of photosynthesis.

PMX-30063 The First And Only Defensin Mimetic Systemic Antibiotic Drug In Human Clinical Trials

Link: PMX-30063 The First And Only Defensin Mimetic Systemic Antibiotic Drug In Human Clinical Trials.

"Completely different from other antibiotic compounds currently on the market, PMX-30063 is a synthetic chemical mimic of host defense proteins, one of the oldest and most effective antimicrobial defense systems found in virtually all living creatures.

Host defense proteins are part of the non-humoral (that is, not involving antibodies) response that keep humans from rapidly succumbing to infections. Biologists have discovered many different classes of natural host-defense peptides. Although these molecules possess a diverse array of structures, their physicochemical properties are similar."

Innate immunity is an ancient but responsive host defence against bacterial infection.  In addition to preventing infections from gaining a foothold, the host defence proteins also appears to prime the immune system in the event that the infection is too severe.

As compared to antibiotics, this new antimicrobial has unique characteristics:

• disrupts bacterial cell membranes in a way that reduces bacterial resistance
• effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
• kills rather than affecting reproduction
• fast acting
• effective against bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics

How Do You Make A Robot Fish? Copy Bluefin Tuna

Link: How Do You Make A Robot Fish? Copy Bluefin Tuna -- Robotics -- InformationWeek.

"The Olin-Boston Engineering project expects to have a working prototype of its "RoboTuna" by the end of the year.

The Olin-Boston Engineering project's robotic tuna is based on the species' biology and behavior with a spine and vertebrae that produce motion via synthetic muscles. Barrett said the robot's fins and tail produce motion and propulsion."

The bluefin tuna is one of the fastest fish, clocked at up to speeds of 50 mph.  It also has a roughly circular shape, making it an ideal shape for prototypes. 

The original prototype, Charlie I, was created by David Barrett in 1995 for his PhD thesis as part of a "project began in 1993 with the overall goal of developing a better propulsion system for autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs".  The website describes the challenges of developing a dynamic model of the tuna.  Although only a "low-order copy", the alternative of developing an analytic model is currently beyond our abilities. 

Results so far suggest that drag on the swimming RoboTuna is reduced by half compared to when it is not moving, a phenomenon sometimes called Gray's Paradox. 

Traveling Sales Ants & Swarming Robots

Link: The Alien Next Door: Traveling Sales Ants & Swarming Robots.

This post summarizes the Scientific American article Swarm Smarts (Eric Bonabeau and Guy Théraulaz) on the power of self-organization and distributed intelligence found in social insects such as ants and bees.  In additional to describing some practical examples, Nina Munteanu provides additional references not listed in the article.

A commercial application of swarm intelligence by Regen Energy  was described in the September 2007 issue of the BioInspired! Newsletter.

Greenshield™: Nanoscale Multitasking

Link: Textile World - Greenshield™: Nanoscale Multitasking.

"G3i’s GreenShield™ multifunctional textile finishes, produced according to principles of green nanotechnology, rely on surface functionalization of nanoparticles to deliver performance"

By incorporating amorphous sicilia nanoparticles into textile finishes, Dr. Josephy Bringley, Dr. Tiechen "Alex" Qiao and Dr. Suresh Sunderrajan were able to reduce the fluorochemicals eight-fold and other chemicals up to thee-fold while retaining the ability of the fabric to repel oil and water. 

The concept was inspired by structured plant surfaces that repel water and are self-cleaning. According to Bringley, "We have designed the products up front to be as green as possible, using less chemistry and producing less waste - specifically, less harmful waste. We are using a water-based process that produces an essentially 100-percent yield and significantly reduces the use of volatile organic compounds."  Energy usage is reduced because the process occurs at room temperature.

Five medical innovations inspired by nature

Link: Five medical innovations inspired by nature - Times Online.

This article summarizes a number of biomedical advances inspired by nature, including:

• more efficient hearing aids based on the parastic fly Ormia ochracea
• butterflies and structural color; butterflies inspiration for Dr. Cyril Clarke to develop anti-D. a treatment for rhesus negative babies suffering from anemia
• controlled stiffness implants inspired by sea cucumbers
• adhesives and bandages inspired by geckos and mussels
• synthetic spider silk for sutures

The article closes by pointing out the difficulty of developing nature-inspired innovations.  The innovation must serve a need, work better and be cheaper than the alternatives, and involve known manufacturing techniques.  Learning how nature manufactures at a nano-scale (such as using DNA, viruses and diatoms as templates) may be critical to new applications. 

Thanks to Jo Lakeland and BIONIS for the pointer!

Virus-Assembled Microbatteries

Link: Technology Review: Virus-Assembled Microbatteries.

"As electronic devices are made ever smaller, there is increasing demand for similarly minuscule power sources. Now MIT researchers have reported an important advance toward building such microscopic batteries. They used a virus to assemble anodes on top of electrolyte layers--two of the three main components of a working battery.

[Prof. Angela Belcher] adds that the cobalt oxide anode has a much higher charge storage capacity than the carbon-based electrodes typically used in lithium-ion batteries, and that it's stable throughout charging and discharging. It also has a higher density of active material than do conventional batteries.

Other advantages of virus assembly include functioning at room temperature and precise control over the size and spacing of nanomaterials, leading to uniform and easily reproducible devices."

The process involves etching micrometer-wide columns into silicon, laying down alternating layers of two polymers, then using the virus M13 to lay down "structured arrays of cobalt oxide nanowires" (previous described in Virus-Built Electronics) .  The next step is to self-assemble cathodes, the remaining element of the battery. 

The batteries could be used in "labs on a chip" or miniature medical devices.

Smart future for swarming robots

Link: BBC NEWS | Technology | Smart future for swarming robots.

"For a long time in robotics there was this focus on a 'smart machine', an android that would make you breakfast and go out and buy your shopping," said Dr Seth Bullock, the University of Southampton researcher chairing the Alife XI conference.

"But that's extremely challenging; it's going to be far easier for us to engineer little simple things and rely on them to organise themselves."

University of Southampton undergraduate students have developed robots the size of matchboxes and costing £24 each.  They demonstrate that "how swarm robots can independently divide up tasks, with no central program controlling them."  The swarm  showed flexibility in being able to handle losing a number of members 

The Sbot robots developed b the Free University of Brussels and the Institute for Cognitive Science and Technology were able to form chains of up to 20 robots and handle unpredicted events. 

Applications include working in space, searching in collapsed buildings or building large renewable energy farms.

 

Root mechanics tip balance of power

Link: Root mechanics tip balance of power.

"An ingenious device – inspired by growing plant root tips – is opening up a new type of hydraulic fluid power.  Hydraulic actuators – which are powered by osmosis and inspired by growing plant root tips – are able to deliver very large forces at low power.

Because they act very slowly, they could never replace conventional hydraulic applications such as earth moving equipment. But potential applications include: an alternative way to break up rocks or concrete – offering potential in the mining or construction industries; and as a way of keeping steel ropes in tension – such as on a suspension bridge."

Osmosis, a driving force behind root tips, involves movement of water molecules through a membrane separating two solutions of differing concentrations.  Barbara Mazzolai (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa) has developed a way to make the process reversible using an electric charge and anion exchange members.   Pressures of 0.3 to 0.5Mpa (3 to 5 bar) have been created, although osmotic pressures 10 times more powerful are seen in nature. 

A prototype that can force its way through soil and steer itself has been built.  Although slow, the system appears to be very efficient and is also inexpensive.

Thanks to Jo Lakeland and BIONIS for the pointer!

Inspired by nature | Popular Science

Link: Inspired by nature | Popular Science.

Popular Science has six articles in this series:

• Yeast, What is it Good For? (Absolutely Something) (similar metabolic mechanism and fast reproduction can help screen drugs or test gene expression)
• For Treating Blindness, Scientists Look to Algae (protein extracted from Chlamydomonas may help in increasing light sensitivity in certain forms of blindness)
• The Science of Swine (swine cells have helped regenerate severed fingers and may provide a cure for diabetes; urea can be used as a raw material for plastics)
• Bacteria to the Rescue (genetically modified bacteria may fight cancer, reduce damage from radiation treatments, produce ethanol or remediate soils)
• Gecko Tech (dry adhesion, Tail 'key' for gecko acrobatics)
• The Hidden Talents of the Lowly Sea Cucumber (Copying Sea Cucumber's Cool Trick to develop plastics with controlled rigidity, controlling malaria parasite, artificial corneas and tendons)

Most of the stories are about bio-utilization, although some involve a deeper understanding of the principles behind how nature solves problems.

Thanks to Manfred Drack for the pointer!
 

'Major Discovery' Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution: Scientists Mimic Essence Of Plants' Energy Storage System

Link: 'Major Discovery' Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution: Scientists Mimic Essence Of Plants' Energy Storage System.

"Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy."

This article and numerous others such as Solar-Power Breakthrough describe the work of Prof. Daniel Nocera of MIT to develop an inexpensive catalyst that generates oxygen from water at room temperature and a neutral pH.  The catalyst is amorphous and relatively unstable, but can constantly repair itself.  When combined with an catalyst such as platinum which produces hydrogen, water can be split into its components which can then be stored and later used in a fuel cell to generate electricity or burned to produce heat or motion. 

A number of the articles emphasize that this discovery was inspired by photosynthesis, without explaining the connection.  At present, plants still have an edge in terms of integrated the capture of solar energy, the transformation into stable compounds and the ability to use that stored energy at will.  Although Nocera's discovery shows great promise, it is only a part of the system.  At present, an external electricity source is required, although research is underway to generate electricity internally so that the reaction can be run using just sunlight.  Hydrogen is also difficult to store and transport, due to its small molecular size. Finally, the technology appears to have little connection with photosynthesis, at least compared to Monash team learns from nature to split water.

Thanks to Ian Abbott-Donnelly and Jean-Francois Barsoum for the pointers!

New 'super-paper' is stronger than cast iron - tech - 06 June 2008 - New Scientist Tech

Link: New 'super-paper' is stronger than cast iron - tech - 06 June 2008 - New Scientist Tech.

"Cellulose nanofibres are the main reinforcement in all plant structures and are characterised by nanoscale dimensions, high strength and toughness," Berglund told New Scientist.

Cellulose is extracted from wood to make paper, is the basis of cellophane, and has also recently been used by materials scientists developing novel plastic materials. But they have used it only as a cheap filler material, ignoring its mechanical properties. ... Berglund and colleagues have developed a gentler process that preserves the fibres' strength.

Regular has a tensile strength of around 1 megapascals, due to the damage done to the cellulose during pulping of the wood.  Berglund's process retains the structure of the fibers and their ability to form networks through hydrogen bonding.  Paper produced by this process has a tensile strength of 214 MPa, exceeding cast iron at 130 MPa and close to that of structural steel at 250 MPa.  The fibers are much finer than those in regular paper, reducing the size of any defects.   Although strongly bonded, the ability of the fibers to slip increases resilience to stress.

Monash team learns from nature to split water

Link: Monash team learns from nature to split water.

An international team of researchers led by Monash University has used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. ...

"We have copied nature, taking the elements and mechanisms found in plant life that have evolved over 3 billion years and recreated one of those processes in the laboratory," Professor Spiccia said."

Professor Leone Spiccia, Mr Robin Brimblecombe and Dr Annette Koo from
Monash University teamed with Dr Gerhard Swiegers at the CSIRO and
Professor Charles Dismukes at Princeton University impregnated a proton conductor (Nafion) with manganese clusters.  The catalyst was able to split water into oxygen and hydrogen when the Nafion membrane was exposed to sunlight along with a 1.2 volt electrical potential. The paper is published in the August 1st edition of Angewandte Chemie International Edition (subscription required)

In plants, manganese clusters are a critical part of photosynthesis, where sunlight converts water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbohydrates.  Although the reaction is driven to some extent by sunlight, plants still have the advantage of requiring no electricity and producing an end-product that can be easily stored for periods when the sun does not shine.  One of the challenges of the 'hydrogen economy' is managing hydrogen, a notoriously hard-to-handle gas.

Bat adopts insect flight trick

Link: BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Bat adopts insect flight trick.

"Bats use the same aerodynamic mechanism as insects to hover in one place, scientists have found.

Writing in Science, they said that as the animal flapped its wings downwards, the motion created a tiny cyclone of air known as a "leading edge vortex".

This provided enough lift force to keep the bat airborne while hovering or flying in slow motion."

A team of Swedish and US researchers led by Anders Hedenstrom (Lund University) have shown that 'leading edge vortices' (LEVs) "provide as much as 40% of the lift force that helped the bats stay aloft" when bats are hovering or flying slowly.  LEVs are common in insect flight but have not been observed in larger animals.

Insects produce similar LEVs by flapping their wings quickly, whereas bats rely on their ability to control the shape of their wings.  The principles could be applied to micro air vehicles (MAVs).