Bio Inspired



17 March 2014

Bionic plants created with carbon nanotubes


Researchers from MIT report boosting plants' ability to capture light energy by 30 percent by embedding carbon nanotubes in the chloroplast, the part of the plant where photosynthesis takes place. The new field of "plant nanobionics" could, according to the research team, create plants with enhanced energy production that are a hybrid of electronic circuits, sensors, and biological systems...

18 February 2014

Artificial leaf clears developmental barrier


Putting together the chemical reactions that make photosynthesis happen has proven harder than scientists initially thought, but in a new paper, researchers describe the breakthroughs they have made toward perfecting a functional artificial leaf...

21 January 2014

Sperm-like biological robot displays "remarkable" self-organization


Powered by cultured heart cells, tiny, self-organizing bio-hybrid machines that swim like sperm have been created by scientists at the University of Illinois...

17 November 2013

Penguin propulsion could drive marine vessels


Scientists have created a highly efficient and extremely maneuverable propulsion system by mimicking the shoulder of an Emperor penguin. The mechanism, which features an innovative spherical joint with three actuated degrees of freedom, could lead to new types of propellers that have directional thrusting capability...

9 September 2013

Bacteria modified with squid protein could be a camouflage game-changer for military


What can the military learn from a plate of calamari? A lot about how to hide from enemies, say scientists working on developing active camouflage technologies...

16 August 2013

Novel geometry creates ultralight super-strong components from tiny interlocking 3D printed parts


In what could herald an entirely new approach to manufacturing, MIT researchers have created tiny lightweight building blocks that can be snapped together much like Lego bricks to create structures that are exceptionally strong and light...

16 May 2013

"Flowers" self-assemble from basic chemistry


By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, researchers at Harvard have found they can control the growth behavior of crystals to create beautiful, precisely tailored nanostructures...

14 April 2013

Successful transplant of bioengineered rat kidney


Bioengineered rat kidneys have successfully produced urine both in a laboratory apparatus and after being transplanted into living animals. The scientists behind the breakthrough believe that with further work, bioengineered kidneys could someday replace donor kidneys...

10 September 2012

Fungi make modern violin sound like a Stradivarius


A Swiss researcher has succeeded in using fungi to modify the wood in a violin to make it sound indistinguishable from a Stradivarius...

9 August 2012

Hamburger-shaped raindrops creating twin rainbows


Computer simulations have allowed scientists to identify the curiously named "burgeroid" raindrop as being responsible for a rare optical phenomenon known as the twinned rainbow...

23 July 2012

Artificial jellyfish shows new route to synthetic organisms


Using only silicon and cultured rat heart muscle tissue, bioengineers have created a jellyfish-like creature that, despite its relative simplicity, shows complex swimming and feeding behaviors...

20 April 2012

Heredity and evolution seen in synthetic DNA


DNA and RNA possess two features believed essential for life: they display heredity and they can adapt over time. Now, scientists have shown that heredity and evolution can be performed by molecules other than DNA and RNA...

9 January 2012

Insect cyborgs get onboard power source


Attaching tiny sensors, recording devices and control mechanisms to insects is now a more realistic prospect after the discovery that electricity can be generated using the insect's digestive system...

21 September 2011

Proton-based transistor could control biological processes


Transistors that control electron flow are the foundation of electronic gadgets, but a new type of transistor that controls proton flow could allow the creation of devices that can communicate directly with living things...

22 July 2011

Mushy memory brings biocompatible electronics a step closer


A new generation of biocompatible electronic devices may be in the offing with the development of a memory device that is soft and functions well in wet environments...

21 July 2011

Artificial neural network created from DNA


Caltech researchers have made an artificial neural network out of DNA, creating a circuit of interacting molecules that can recall memories based on incomplete patterns, just as the human brain can...

23 September 2010

Human-powered ornithopter flaps into record books


"Snowbird", a human-powered aircraft with flapping wings, has become the first of its kind to be capable of sustained flight, say its creators at the University of Toronto. The ornithopter maintained both altitude and airspeed for 19 seconds, and covered a distance of 145 meters at an average speed of 26 kilometers per hour...

15 September 2010

Artificial ovary nurtures human eggs to maturity


Using a 3D Petri dish, researchers have built an artificial human ovary that can grow precursor cells into mature human eggs in the laboratory...

4 June 2009

Biologically inspired, ultra-broadband chip could enable "cognitive" radio


A radio chip modeled on the human inner ear can efficiently process a broad spectrum of signals including cell phone, wireless Internet, radio and television; an achievement that could usher in what the developers call "cognitive" radio...

6 October 2008

Researchers get amped over artificial electric eel cells


Researchers say that by applying modern engineering design tools to one of the basic units of life, artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells but in fact improve on them...

22 August 2008

Growing A Home With "Plantware"


A bus-stop that grows its own foliage as shade? A house built from living tree roots that provides natural protection against earthquakes? These concepts may be science fiction today, but Israeli scientists say that fully functional "plantware" may be only a decade away...

18 August 2008

Bio-Engineered Yeast Cranks Out Drugs


Chemical engineers at Caltech have used various plant genes to genetically modify common baker's yeast to produce large quantities of drugs, including antibiotics, nicotine, and even morphine...

24 July 2008

The Visual Cortex Goes Digital


A cognitive scientist is developing pictorial representations of digital circuits which he says can turn our eyes and visual cortex into a powerful, programmable digital computer...

20 May 2008

The Photonic Bug


Creating an ideal "photonic crystal" to manipulate visible light in optical computers may now be possible; thanks to a beetle from Brazil whose shimmering, iridescent green scales provide the ideal, diamond-like crystalline structure...

15 April 2008

Laser Used To Get Thundercloud Sparking


Using a powerful ground-based laser, European scientists were able to induce electrical activity in thunderclouds, a precursor to producing lightning strikes on demand...

7 April 2008

Computer Recognizes Attractiveness In Women


Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but what if the beholder is a software program?

30 January 2008

Pimped Bacterium Churns Out Hydrogen


Deleting six genes in E. coli's DNA has transformed the bacterium into an extremely efficient hydrogen-producing factory that's powered by sugar...

18 January 2008

Flexible Electronics Melded With Contact Lens Creates Bionic Eye


Scientists have combined a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights...

12 November 2007

Evolutionary Algorithms Used To Design A Better Leaf


A computer model of a plant has been created that produces more leaves and fruit without needing extra fertilizer...

27 July 2007

Biologists Create Gene "Dimmer Switch"


A tunable genetic switch based on RNAi and repressor proteins can be used to turn on, shut off, or partially activate a gene's function...

30 May 2007

Cooking Up Memories


Experimental work from Israel has shown that it's possible to store multiple rudimentary memories in an artificial culture of live neurons...

4 May 2007

IBM Demos Self-Assembling Chip Turbocharger


Using self-assembling nanotechnology to create insulating vacuums, researchers have boosted signal throughput in computer chips by 35 percent...

1 May 2007

Synthetic Snot Enhances Artificial Nose


UK researchers have used artificial nasal mucus to significantly enhance the performance of an electronic "nose"...

20 February 2006

When Efficient Flight's A Drag


If human engineers had designed the dragonfly's method for flight they'd likely be inordinately proud. And one scientist thinks that dragonflies could point the way for the aircraft of the future...

15 December 2005

GM Tomatoes May Pave Way For Other Drought Resistant Crops


Consumers may still have lingering concerns about GM foods, but scientists are pushing ahead with new genetically modified plants that they say could revolutionize agriculture...

24 November 2005

GM Bacteria Creates Living Photographs


Using genetically engineered E. coli, students have successfully created the first-ever bacterial photographic paper...

31 October 2005

New Research Center Aims To Plagiarize Nature


Some of man's most elegant technological developments have been inspired by Mother Nature, so it's not surprising that a new research center has been established specifically to develop new technologies based on the natural world...

28 July 2005

Crop Diagnosis With Polarized Light


Indicators of plant health, usually invisible to the naked eye, can be made visible using polarized light. Real-time control of fertilizer application using this technology could save the agricultural industry billions and prevent algal blooms...

18 July 2005

Shark Skin Sloop


Covering ship hulls with artificial shark skin could help ships sail more smoothly by stopping pesky barnacles from attaching to the hull...

30 June 2006

Designed By Mother Nature


Developing a new technology from scratch is a complex and time consuming business, so wouldn't it be handy if scientists had a pre-existing blueprint at their disposal? As it happens, they do, and fortuitously it exists all around us: nature. And using nature as your template provides the added bonus of not having to worry about pesky patents. The science of copying nature, known as biomimetics, is not altogether new - think radar, Velcro and da Vinci's flying machines - but it is garnering increasing attention, with anything from the biomechanics of frog legs, to the sensing ability of rat's whiskers, being used as a basis for new inventions...

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Energy Alternatives
Chemistry
Electronics
Nanotechnology
Robotics And AI