Anatomy of leaf-a click of class by my student

Paper chromatography experiment by Satyans

Biological Innovations

Biological innovation relates to using living systems to improve and sustain life and life quality. It can be seen in agriculture - ranging from plant breeding to agronomy to natural resource management. It can be seen in public health - through improved knowledge, and tools for management of nutrition, environment and medical practices.Biological innovation is not just about biotechnology, not even mostly about biotechnology, nor is it just about low cost pharmaceuticals. It's about every human manipulation of living systems.

Novel materials shake ship scum

Just as horses shake off pesky flies by twitching their skin, ships may soon be able to shed the unwanted accumulation of bacteria and other marine growth with the flick of a switch.

Duke University engineers have developed a material that can be applied like paint to the hull of a ship and will literally be able to dislodge bacteria, keeping it from accumulating on the ship's surface. This buildup on ships increases drag and reduces the energy efficiency of the vessel, as well as blocking or clogging undersea sensors. The material works by physically moving at the microscopic level, knocking the bacteria away. This avoids the use of bacteria-killing paints, which can contain heavy metals or other toxic chemicals that might accumulate in the environment and unintentionally harm fish or other marine organisms. The Duke researchers also say that similar types of materials could be used in other settings where the buildup of bacteria – known as biofilms—presents problems, such as on the surfaces of artificial joint implants or water purification membranes.

A material that most liquids won't wet-A nanoscale coating that's at least 95 percent air repels the broadest range of liquids of any material in its class, causing them to bounce off the treated surface, according to the University of Michigan engineering researchers who developed it.
In addition to super stain-resistant clothes, the coating could lead to breathable garments to protect soldiers and scientists from chemicals, and advanced waterproof paints that dramatically reduce drag on ships. Droplets of solutions that would normally damage either your shirt or your skin recoil when they touch the new "superomniphobic surface." "Virtually any liquid you throw on it bounces right off without wetting it. For many of the other similar coatings, very low surface tension liquids such as oils, alcohols, organic acids, organic bases and solvents stick to them and they could start to diffuse through and that's not what you want," said Anish Tuteja, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, chemical engineering and macromolecular science and engineering.

Researchers discover a new type of toxic protein, reveal its 3-D structure-Researchers at Kiel University have discovered a toxic protein of pathogenic acanthamoebae and have been able to elucidate its three-dimensional structure. They found that this protein molecule looks different from all the structures formerly discovered. The acanthamoeba secretes a cell toxin (Acanthaporin); when roused from its inactive state this toxin infiltrates human nerve cells or bacteria and embeds itself in the plasma membrane, forming a kind of circular channel (pore).  In the medical field, acanthamoeba is better known as an actuator for painful inflammation of the cornea, known as amoebic keratitis. People who wear contact lenses mainly suffer from this disease that can lead to complete blindness. Furthermore, the parasite often carries other bacterial pathogens within its cellular body like the one causing Legionnaire's disease. For this reason, acanthamoebae are dubbed "Trojan horses".
Gene discovery turns soldier beetle defence into biotech opportunity-New antibiotic and anti-cancer chemicals may one day be synthesised using biotechnology, following CSIRO's discovery of the three genes that combine to provide soldier beetles with their potent predator defence system.

Soldier beetles exude a white viscous fluid from their glands to repel potential attacks from predators, as well as in a wax form to protect against infection. Researchers found thatthis fluid contains an exotic fatty acid called dihydromatricaria acid, or DHMA, which is one of a group called polyynes that have known anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. While DHMA and similar polyyne fatty acids are found in a wide variety of plants, fungi, liverworts, mosses, marine sponges and algae, these compounds have proved very difficult to manufacture using conventional chemical processes.
Biorefining: The new green wave-Biorefineries and "green chemistry" seem to have a credible future built on a wide range of applications such as cosmetics, plastics and detergents.
The rise of the price of oil and increasingly restrictive health legislation covering dangerous products are giving a boost to green refining. Some "green chemistry" factories, a few of which exist in France, break down organic molecules found in wood, grain, and oil seeds, instead of using molecules derived from refined oil.
Hydrogen fuel cell for phone charging set for 2013-

A three-way collaboration between Japan-based Rohm, Aquafairy, and Kyoto University has resulted in the development of a smartphone-charging fuel cell—a compact, high output, portable hydrogen powered fuel cell that can generate electricity by producing hydrogen. This is achieved through a chemical reaction between calcium hydride sheets and water. The fuel cell can generate five watt hours of electricity, to charge an average smartphone within two hours. The fuel cell will be promoted for a variety of uses, from charging a smartphone to serving as a 200-watt portable generator delivering backup power.

Luminescent ink from eggs

Luminescent carbon nanoparticles based on carbon exhibit advantageous optical properties. They are also biocompatible, and therefore better suited for imaging procedures in the biosciences than metal-based semiconductor quantum dots. A variety of processes have thus been developed to make these miniature objects known as carbon dots or C-dots. Chinese researchers have now introduced a new method in the journal Angewandte Chemie, by which C-dots can be produced particularly quickly and inexpensively. In addition, they have demonstrated the use of these luminescent dots as printer ink.

Giving transplanted cells a nanotech checkup

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have devised a way to detect whether cells previously transplanted into a living animal are alive or dead, an innovation they say is likely to speed the development of cell replacement therapies for conditions such as liver failure and type 1 diabetes. As reported in the March issue of Nature Materials, the study used nanoscale pH sensors and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines to tell if liver cells injected into mice survived over time.