Biomimicry
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Limpet's Shell Could Inspire Next-gen Transparent Displays

Limpet's Shell Could Inspire Next-gen Transparent Displays | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

"..an MIT/Harvard study suggests that a specific type of limpet's shell may hold the key to transparent displays that require no internal light source. The mollusk in question is the blue-rayed limpet which, as its name implies, has bright blue stripes on its translucent shell. It is believed that these are used to make potential predators mistake it for a poisonous snail, which also has blue markings. The iridescent lines appear blue due to the fact that the shell material in those areas reflects the blue spectrum of incoming light, while absorbing other colors so that they don't drown out the blue."

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New Nature Inspired Chemistry Curricula Released :: Biomimicry 3.8

New Nature Inspired Chemistry Curricula Released :: Biomimicry 3.8 | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

... “Concrete without Quarries,” [is] a lab geared to help middle-school students learn valuable chemistry lessons based on life-friendly practices. The lab highlights alternatives to the energy-intensive and often-hazardous processes used in traditional school chemistry labs—the same processes used by industrial chemistry labs

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Can Mimicking Marine Biology Cure Osteoporosis?

Can Mimicking Marine Biology Cure Osteoporosis? | Biomimicry | Scoop.it
Taking its cue from the way coral make minerals, Norian bone cement is a great medical success story.
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Researchers are Getting Closer to Making Artificial Nacre

Researchers are Getting Closer to Making Artificial Nacre | Biomimicry | Scoop.it

The remarkable properties of some natural materials have motivated many researchers to synthesize biomimetic nanocomposites that attempt to reproduce Nature’s achievements and to understand the toughening and deformation mechanisms of natural nanocomposite materials. One of the best examples is nacre, the pearly internal layer of many mollusc shells. It has evolved through millions of years to a level of optimization currently achieved in very few engineered composites. Preparation of artificial analogs of nacre has been approached by using several different methods and the resulting materials capture some of the characteristics of the natural composite

 

Nacre has a layered structure composed of approximately 95% calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and nearly 5% organics. As depicted in the figure below, single-crystalline calcium carbonate nanotablets (CCNs) are interfaced by entrapped organics. Such a periodic 'bricks and mortar' arrangement is crucial to mechanical and other outstanding properties that nacre possesses.

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