Navigation Links
Nature provides inspiration for important new adhesive

Researchers from the College of Forestry at Oregon State University have developed a new group of adhesives that may revolutionize a large portion of the wood products industry, and have important environmental and economic benefits.

The discovery has already resulted in three pending patents and should lead to a wide range of new products. But it was originally based on the aroused curiosity of Kaichang Li, an OSU assistant professor, who was harvesting mussels one day from their rocky home at the ocean's edge.

Li observed mussels being pounded by ocean waves, and wondered how they could cling so tenaciously to rocks by their thread-like tentacles.

"I was amazed at the ability of these small mollusks to attach themselves so strongly to rocks," said Li, who is an expert in wood chemistry and adhesives in the OSU Department of Wood Science and Engineering. "Thinking about it, I didn't know of any other type of adhesive that could work this well in water and withstand so much force."

Li decided to look much more closely at the chemistry of the mussels' byssus, which are small threads that attach them to rocks and other surfaces. The byssus thread is a protein with a very unusual composition - an abundant level of a phenolic hydroxyl group and an amino group - that results in the ability of mussels to stick tightly to surfaces despite being inundated in water.

"Clearly the mussels have evolved with the ability to make this protein so they can cling to rocks despite wave forces," Li said. "It's quite remarkable, just an incredibly unique natural feature."

The mussel protein is a superior adhesive, but not readily available. In trying to identify a protein that could be adapted for this purpose, Li had another inspiration at lunch - while eating tofu.

"Soy beans, from which tofu are made, are a crop that's abundantly produced in the U.S. and has a very high content of protein," Li said. Soy protein is inexpensive and
'"/>

Source:Oregon State University


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. First production of human monoclonal antibodies in chicken eggs published in Nature Biotechnology
2. Rewind, please: Nature paper shows that cell division is reversible
3. Origen publishes in Nature a robust and versatile method for creating transgenic chickens
4. Natures process for nitrogen fixation caught in action
5. MetaChip provides quick, efficient toxicity screening of potential drugs
6. NYU and MSKCC research provides model for understanding chemically induced cancer initiation
7. New plant DNA libraries provides massive boost to worlds plant researchers
8. NASA satellite data provides rapid analysis of Amazon deforestation
9. Study provides insight into cellular defenses against genetic mutation
10. Customized gene chip provides rapid detection of genetic changes in childrens cancer
11. Vaccine provides 100 percent protection against avian flu virus in animal study
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Nature provides inspiration for important new adhesive

(Date:5/21/2013)... researchers have developed a new method for delivering ... in the cell surface. The technique could find ... biological fields. , Bulk electroporation a technique ... nanopores in the cell membrane that are caused ... an increasingly popular method of cell transfection. (Cell ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... keeping in shape is an uphill battle? Try staying ... prolonged weightlessness withers muscle and bone. , That,s the ... address with a new three-year, $1.2 million grant from ... exercise during multiyear exploratory missions. , "You could give ... you can,t get them to stick to it, it ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... 2013 Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: ... portable ultrasound with Philips, industry leading Live 3D TEE, ... xMATRIX with available Live 3D TEE and ICE will ... the EuroPCR, official meeting for the European Association of ... its launch in 2012, Philips CX50 xMATRIX has been ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Single-cell transfection tool enables added control for biological studies 2Fueling fitness on the final frontier 2Philips CX50 xMATRIX now offers world-class interventional and diagnostic features on single portable system 2
... 16, 2010 (Toronto) New research from the Centre ... Sick Children (SickKids), both in Toronto, Canada provides further clues ... more males than females. The scientists discovered that males who ... carry are at high risk of developing ASD. The research ...
... , , , , , ... , AUDIO: When men outnumber women, ... Click here for more information. , , , ... , , , , , , ...
... led by Boston University biomedical engineering researchers has won ... of Health to refine its nanoscale, low-cost, ultra-fast DNA ... for less than $1,000. Developed in the ... grant and led by Boston University Biomedical Engineering Professor ...
Cached Biology News:Link to autism in boys found in missing DNA 2Women: Hope to marry young? Head to Alaska, steer clear of Alabama 2Women: Hope to marry young? Head to Alaska, steer clear of Alabama 3Women: Hope to marry young? Head to Alaska, steer clear of Alabama 4BU team wins $4.1M genome grant 2
(Date:5/22/2013)... 22, 2013 Genedata, a leading ... drug discovery, and life science research, today announced ... as its bioinformatics platform for strain genome ... will provide AB Enzymes, one of the world’s ... solution of Genedata Selector accompanied by bioinformatics consulting ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... New York, NY (PRWEB) May 22, 2013 ... My Cleaning Products said that there is a way to ... victims, it included on its latest post the details of ... spending too much money. , Mold could be prevented, My ... preventive measures, the company stated that a mold remediation must ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... West Chester, PA (PRWEB) May 22, 2013 ... the company as Fermentation Manager. Mr. McErlean has ... a variety of leadership positions throughout his career. ... stated, “We are very pleased to have Mike join ... our newly installed large scale fermentation and ...
(Date:5/22/2013)...  Moderna Therapeutics, the pioneering company developing messenger RNA ... in vivo production of therapeutic proteins, announced ... join Moderna in early July as its first Chief ... leader in the design and implementation of information systems ... translation, clinical operations and commercial preparedness. John has also ...
Breaking Biology Technology:AB Enzymes Chooses Genedata Selector for Production Strain Development and Optimization 2AB Enzymes Chooses Genedata Selector for Production Strain Development and Optimization 3AB Enzymes Chooses Genedata Selector for Production Strain Development and Optimization 4How to Kill Mold While Saving Thousands of Dollars on Mold Remediation Projects Explained by My Cleaning Products 2Envera Appoints Michael McErlean Fermentation Manager 2Industry Leader John Reynders Joins Moderna Therapeutics as Chief Information Officer 2Industry Leader John Reynders Joins Moderna Therapeutics as Chief Information Officer 3
... A delegation led by Governor Doyle and organized by ... the biotechnology industrys leading conference with goals to establish ... and university community and to let others know that ... of the group, the delegation met its objectives in ...
... companies who dont panic, that will continue to grow and ... working on a project for the Council for Continuous Improvement ... was arranging and conducting seminars for executives in the auto ... make or break situation with many quality control issues. During ...
... GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric Company, ... U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin marketing its ... The Signa EXCITE 3.0T combines the increased speed and ... breadth of imaging capabilities found on premium 1.5 Tesla ...
Cached Biology Technology:On site at BIO 2003 2On site at BIO 2003 3On site at BIO 2003 4On site at BIO 2003 5A Race without a Finish Line! 2GE Medical Systems Receives FDA Clearance for New MRI System 2
BKBeta2 potassium channel Antigen: Fusion protein amino acids 1-41 (N-terminus) and 218-235 (C-terminus) of mouse BKBeta2 Accession Number: Q9CZM9...
POU domain, class 2, transcription factor 2,...
... HEK 293T cell line contains the b-lactamase ... response element (CRE). To obtain the cell ... HEK 293T cells by lentivirus. Subsequent flow ... to forskolin stimulation (Figure 1). The CellSensor ...
activating transcription factor 4 (tax-responsive enhancer element B67),...
Biology Products: