{"id":140830,"date":"2020-12-24T11:51:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-24T08:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/fruity-energy-spidery-lenses-nature-inspired-solutions-in-2020\/"},"modified":"2020-12-24T11:51:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T08:51:50","slug":"fruity-energy-spidery-lenses-nature-inspired-solutions-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/fruity-energy-spidery-lenses-nature-inspired-solutions-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"#Fruity energy, spidery lenses: Nature-inspired solutions in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Fruity energy, spidery lenses: Nature-inspired solutions in 2020<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"Humans
\n Humans are reliant on the natural world for everything, but nature is also a source of inspiration for cutting-edge design and technology<\/a>
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Climate change and biodiversity loss are laying bare our dependence on the natural world for everything from the food we eat to the air we breathe.<\/p>\n


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But nature also holds the solution to other problems, inspiring scientific discovery in a host of unexpected ways.<\/p>\n

Nature is “a source of inspiration for science<\/a>, because it has figured out the way Earth supports life,” said Lex Amore from the Biomimicry Institute. <\/p>\n

“It is imperative we look to the biological blueprints that have been successful over millennia to launch groundbreaking ideas faster.” <\/p>\n

From smelly durian fruit that could charge electric cars to sea sponges that might help build better spaceships, here is a selection of this year’s scientific work inspired by nature. <\/p>\n

Parasitic wasps<\/b><\/p>\n

Removing tumours and blood clots through minimal invasive surgery may soon become easier thanks to a flexible, ultra-thin and steerable needle inspired by parasitic wasps. <\/p>\n

These formidable insects inject their eggs into living hosts such as caterpillars through a hollow needle called the ovipositor. <\/p>\n

Scientists from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands studied the ovipositor’s delivery mechanism, with blades that slide up and down alternately, using friction to push the eggs through.<\/p>\n

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\"Scientists
\n Scientists can use spider silk to make optical lenses
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Researchers designed a needle made up of sliding rods that imitate the ovipositor, according to a recent study in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. <\/p>\n

They say the new needle is capable of reaching deeply buried parts of the body to inject medicine or remove harmful formations, while minimising trauma and patient recovery time. <\/p>\n

This is a starkly different outcome than for the targets of parasitic wasps, whose larva often devour their caterpillar host from the inside. <\/p>\n

Spider silk<\/b><\/p>\n

Spiders make silk to entangle unsuspecting bugs, but now humans can use it to make optical lenses capable of picturing viruses that are invisible to the naked eye. <\/p>\n

In a June study published in the Journal of App<\/a>lied Physics<\/i>, scientists said they used daddy-long-legs’ dragline silk\u2014which makes a web’s frame\u2014as a support for the lens. <\/p>\n

In experiments, they covered a strand of spider silk in wax then dripped resin onto it. As it condensed, the silk naturally formed a dome, which researchers baked in an ultraviolet oven. <\/p>\n

The resulting optical lens is about the size of a red blood cell and could be used to picture nano-scale objects like viruses or the insides of biological tissue. <\/p>\n

As the lens is made from natural, non-toxic material, it can safely be used inside the body. <\/p>\n

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\"Could
\n Could the world’s smelliest fruit one day charge your mobile phone?
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Sea sponge<\/b><\/p>\n

An intricately latticed marine sponge called the Venus’ flower basket found in the depths of the Pacific Ocean could inspire stronger skyscrapers, longer bridges and lighter spacecraft, according to a September study published in Nature Materials<\/i>. <\/p>\n

Scientists discovered that the structure of the sponge’s tubular skeleton gives it a higher strength-to-weight ratio than traditional designs that have been used for centuries for buildings and bridges. <\/p>\n

“We’ve been studying structure-function relationships in sponge skeletal systems for more than 20 years, and these species continue to surprise us,” said co-author James Weaver, a Harvard University scientist.<\/p>\n

Stinky fruit<\/b><\/p>\n

To some they are succulent and delicious, to others they are so overpoweringly stinky that they are routinely banned from hotel rooms across Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

But the durian fruit may be about to add a new unexpected reason for its fame\u2014helping to charge mobile phones and electric cars.<\/p>\n

In a February study published in the Journal of Energy Storage, scientists described how they made extremely light and porous materials called aerogels from the fruit.<\/p>\n

Aerogels are “great super-capacitors”, which resemble energy reservoirs that dole out energy smoothly, said co-author and Sydney University associate professor Vincent Gomes.<\/p>\n

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\"If
\n If bamboo is microwaved, it becomes twice as strong
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“(Super-capacitors) can quickly store large amounts of energy within a small battery-sized device,” he said.<\/p>\n

They can then supply energy to charge electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops within a few seconds, he added.<\/p>\n

Bamboo buildings<\/b><\/p>\n

Cars, aeroplanes and buildings are mostly made of steel, concrete or brick. <\/p>\n

Bamboo has attracted interest as a versatile construction material. But how to make it strong enough? In a May study published in the ACS Nano<\/i>, researchers said they had found an answer.<\/p>\n

By partially removing the lignin\u2014an organic substance which forms woody tissue\u2014and microwaving the bamboo, researchers said its strength nearly doubled.<\/p>\n

Bamboo is already used to build houses and bridges, but this new discovery may further increase its popularity as a light, fast-growing and sustainable alternative to polluting materials. <\/p>\n

From forests to the depths of the oceans, Amore from the Biomimicry Institute said there was “so much intelligence” to tap into in the natural world.<\/p>\n

“We can use biomimicry, this practice of studying nature and replicating its strategies in design, to not only learn from nature’s wisdom, but also heal ourselves\u2014and this planet\u2014in the process.”<\/p>\n\n

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World’s smelliest fruit could charge your mobile phone<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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\n \u00a9 2020 AFP<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Fruity energy, spidery lenses: Nature-inspired solutions in 2020 (2020, December 24)
\n retrieved 24 December 2020
\n from https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2020-12-fruity-energy-spidery-lenses-nature-inspired.html<\/p>\n

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