We would Say Goodbye To Plastic Very Soon

Weave Goodbye To Plastic

Spider alchemy turns protein into threads stronger than Kevlar. Spidery production occurs at such a tiny scale that the spider's secret has stayed invisible until now. Today the mysteries are falling as science pulls apart both the molecular structure and the means of spider silk production. In labs around the world there is a race to copy each spidery step species use to bind proteins together.

When the copy is perfected, man-made spider silk could replace toxic and energy-intensive processes now used to make strong materials like steel and Kevlar.

If making a material stronger than steel out of protein at room temperature wasn’t enough to make spider silk worth copying, another idea might be - spiders can eat their webs and recycle them.

WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE THIS:

In your body. The first applications might be flexible transplant parts, such as ligaments.

Source: http://chirp.wildcenter.org

Perfectly organized

Perfectly organized

Ants broadcast their news with chemicals. Every ant that needs to get a message receives it like rain falling from the sky. Nothing is lost in translation.

Because the message arrives with no missing pieces the ants can act immediately on what they learn. They don’t need to hit reply all, or call back to hear more. And they never get left out of an important meeting.

People are studying how ants send and absorb information so we can apply their system to everything from announcing school closings to organizing groups that can talk less and do more.

Cactus Cool Buildings

Cacti are a good source of ideas for desert living.

They manage to stay cool in a broiling climate. Look at the building on the left and you can see some of the ideas that make these plants a cool model for building design.

See the sort of fuzzy objects sticking out from the building? Those mimic spikes on a cactus and form a thicket of shade down the side of the structure. The swollen shape, with a smaller top and wider middle, leaves the lower part in shade during the hottest part of the day when the sun is directly overhead.

Cacti also seal up during the day, and do their breathing at night, when the desert cools. These ideas — from the shape to the spikes to air systems that refresh at night — are being used in scorching climates to help buildings keep cool.
Source: www.chirp.wildcentre.org 

Dog Knows Cancer Smells

Dog Knows Cancer Smells

Cancer cells release distinct gases. When a gas enters a dog's nose it gets sorted the way your eyes can sort the texture on the dog's nose on this screen. Dog's noses are so refined they can recognize the twist of different chemicals wafting up from a ten-year-old drop of blood.

You've probably seen a dog insistently sniff. Some dog owners had pets that kept snuffling specific patches of the owners' skin. Some of these people acted on their dog's advice and had the spots checked out. When they were diagnosed with skin cancer they told doctors about the sniffing behavior, and that opened the door to a look at whether the dogs were actually recognizing cancer. It turned out they were.

This new understanding that different cancers have different smells, coupled with a deeper understanding of how dog's detect and sort smells, may deliver cancer and other disease detection devices.

 Source Material: http://chirp.wildcenter.org

Mu Mu Handcrafts Sustainable...

mu mu, a design and manufacturing workshop based in Cambridgeshire, UK, has made a business out of creating sustainable accessories for iDevices. Run by a three-man team, mu mu works with creatives that design, craft, hand finish, package and ship each one of their products. They use local suppliers where possible, and when not, they keep sourcing within the UK to not only keep their carbon footprint down, but to keep money in the local economy.

With new tech coming out before you can even blink an eye, waste abounds, but starting October 29th, mu mu will be launching a case upgrade program where customers can trade in their old mu mu cases for a discount on the latest version for their handset. The returned cases will be re-sanded and oiled and either offered as refurbished cases or as desk clocks (it’s a brewing idea).

mu mu also has a great upcoming program, dubbed ‘Packaging Return’ where customers can send back their packaging in return for a 10% discount code. The packaging won’t end up in a landfill and mu mu can re-use the foam inserts and outer packaging.

Skeletons and Saints Emerge from Single Pieces of Paper in Peter Callesen's Artworks

Through meticulous and carefully calculated cuts, Callesen removes just enough of the paper to create his three dimensional forms. Reminiscent to spatial problems on SAT tests, the artist must predetermine and visualize the area and shape needed to fold the cuts into his desired form – all before placing the blade to the page. With a slim margin of error, the cuts must be precise, if not perfect, so that no excess paper is cut from the static page.

Callesen almost miraculously has the gift of transforming plain paper into sculpture forms that resemble carved wood or even marble in some cases. His arched skeleton hand and broken marble columns look as if made from a solid mass, instead of a lone sheet of paper. Birds in flight emerge from the page with three dimensional bodies that do not give away their fragile single sheet mass.

What is even more impressive is the subsequent designs Callesen makes with the cutaway negative space. Each is as perfect as the sculptures themselves, creating a shadow of the impressive shapes that emerge from the A4 page. Callesen has mastered the art form of paper cutting, transforming the page into a work of art.

Buchtisch Table Book by Voigt Dietrich

Avid readers who cling to the book as an endearing physical object will find in this novel book table a functional companion to the cozy hours of the day. Buchtisch is a multi-functional piece of furniture, carefully tending to both the practical and emotional needs of its users and it is brought to us from German design duo Studio Voigt Dietrich. Hailing from Potsdam, Sebastian Voigt and Franz Dietrich, class of 1984, hold a BA in Product Design from FH Potsdam and have started their studio in 2011. Made in MDF and beech, the small table is simple yet sophisticated, with clear lines and an elegant contrast between the black surface and the light texture of the wood. This minimalist quality is coupled with an aura of comfort and relax, which add to the value of the design.