New Form of Synthetic Melanin: “Fungal Ghosts” Protect Skin, Fabric From Toxins, RadiationInspired b
New Form of Synthetic Melanin: “Fungal Ghosts” Protect Skin, Fabric From Toxins, RadiationInspired by fungus, new form of synthetic melanin acts as natural detoxifier.The idea of creating selectively porous materials has captured the attention of chemists for decades. Now, new research from Northwestern University shows that fungi may have been doing exactly this for millions of years.When Nathan Gianneschi’s lab set out to synthesize melanin that would mimic that which was formed by certain fungi known to inhabit unusual, hostile environments including spaceships, dishwashers, and even Chernobyl, they did not initially expect the materials would prove highly porous — a property that enables the material to store and capture molecules.Melanin has been found across living organisms, on our skin and the backs of our eyes, and as pigments for many animals and plants. It also plays a role in protecting species from environmental stressors. Turtle-headed sea snakes’ stripes darken, for example, in the presence of polluted water; moths living in industrial areas turn black as their cells absorb toxins in soot. The researchers wondered whether this type of biomaterial could be made more sponge-like, to optimize these properties. And, in turn, whether sponge-like melanins existed already in nature.Read more. -- source link
#materials science#science#melanin#fungus#biomaterials#porosity#northwestern university