Biomimicry
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Learning Anti-microbial Nanoscale Physics From Cicada

Learning Anti-microbial Nanoscale Physics From Cicada | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"The spread of antimicrobial resistance with the emergence of 'super-bugs' that resist even 'last-resort' antibiotics has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to formally tackle the problem of an unwanted post-antibiotic era. [...] A notable solution is provided by an unlikely source - the cicada.The wings of this small fly display bactericidal nanoscale pillar structures. Each of these pillars is a pike of several tens of nanometers in diameter and is separated from other pikes at regular nanometer intervals. Densely packed on the wing surfaces, these pillars arrange into nanopatterns which pierce the membranes of bacterial cells on contact, tearing bacteria apart. Inspired by this example, a research team from NPL and the School of Oral and Dental Sciences at the University of Bristol engineered biocompatible surfaces exhibiting nanowire arrays."

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Sharklet: A Biotech Startup Fights Germs With Sharks

Sharklet: A Biotech Startup Fights Germs With Sharks | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"Forget chemicals or pills in the fight against nasty bacterial infections. Entrepreneur Mark Spiecker is betting that the secrte lies with sharks. Those fast and carnivorous fish just happen to have microscopic textures on their skin that make them highly resistant to barnacles, algae and, surprisingly, most human bacteria."

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Antibacterial Power of Black Silicon

Antibacterial Power of Black Silicon | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"Earlier this year, we reported about a finding which revealed that physical structure of Psaltoda claripenniscicada wings can shred certain types of rod-shaped bacteria. After analyzing the surface, researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology used biomimicry to create a surface with similar properties. This nanosurface could lead to development of a new generation of nanostructured antibacterial materials. 

“Based on this discovery, we investigated other insects that may possess similar surface architectures that might kill more bacteria, in particular the deadly strains of the Staphylococcus aureus or golden staph bacterium”, said Elena Ivanova, microbiology professor at the Swinburne University of Technology. Their search led them to the wings of the Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher dragonfly), whose spike-like nanostructure destroys both rod-shaped and spherical bacteria."


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Cicada Wing Surface Biomimicry Could Lead to Anti-bacterial Surfaces

Cicada Wing Surface Biomimicry Could Lead to Anti-bacterial Surfaces | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"An international research group of researchers Australia's Swinburne University of Technology and Spain’s Universitat Rovira i Virgili investigated cicada insect and came up with a discovery that may lead to a surface able to destroy bacteria solely through its physical structure."

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