In Boston, researchers at Tufts have created a 3D printed leather alternative using silk and various wastes. The process mixes silk fibers with a plasticizer and vegetable gum thickener. Chitosan—a seafood industry waste—is added for hardness. The resulting material is recyclable and biodegradable. “Our work is centered on the use of naturally-derived materials that minimize […]
In Israel, an experiment headed to the International Space Station in 2022 will evaluate the feasibility of growing chickpeas in microgravity. The goal is to further work by Stanford University and a number of Israeli institutions that applies synthetic biology to stabilize chickpea growth in small ecosystems—with the hopes of eventually sustaining growth on lunar […]
In Canada, a company extracting food preservatives from mushrooms has increased production to meet growing consumer demand for natural food additives. Chinova Bioworks has added a 20,000-square-foot Bioscience Manufacturing Incubator facility as well as 6,000 square feet to house R&D and administrative functions. The company’s Chiber product is extracted from the stems of white button […]
In Brazil, bullet-proof vests that protect both the wearer and the environment will soon be available. Royal DSM, producer of Dyneema UD ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMwPE) material used in body armor, says its Indian manufacturing partner MKU will soon be supplying the same textile but with biobased content to the Sao Paulo police force. […]
In New Jersey, Modern Meadow, a startup developing biofabricated materials with properties similar to leather, has raised $130 million in a series C funding. Led by Key Partners Capital with participation from Astanor Ventures, Horizons Ventures and Cape Capital, the Series C “cements Modern Meadow as a leader in biofabrication,” according to a press release. […]
In Colorado, state legislature is poised to legalize human composting after a lawmaker began pondering her own mortality. State Representative Brianna Titone told the Baltimore Sun she sponsored the bill because neither end-of-life option—burial and cremation—appealed to her. Governor Jared Polis has indicated he will sign the bill into law, which will officially make Colorado […]
In France, lifestyle sneaker brand Umòja Shoes has unveiled a 100% biobased and biodegradable sneaker. Dubbed MMEA—Swahili for plant—the shoe uses many materials and methods already employed by artisans in Africa. The upper part of the shoe is made from organic cotton woven by Burkina Faso artisans, while the outer sole is made from […]
In Germany, two design students have made see-through shopping totes that can be dissolved in water or used as fertilizer once the consumer is done with it. Dubbed Sonnet155, the bag is the brainchild of Lobke Beckfeld and Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten, both of whom are studying for master’s degrees at the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. […]
In Singapore, design firm Forest & Whale has created single-use takeout packaging made from wheat husk and polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bioplastic made by bacteria. Dubbed Reuse, company cofounders Gustavo Maggio and Wendy Chua say the packaging can be composted or even eaten. “While single-use plastic containers are convenient and quick to get rid of, they […]
In New York and the Netherlands, researchers have successfully 3-D printed living algae to create a self-sustaining material that could have wide-ranging applications in everything from fashion to Mars colonization. The breakthrough was the result of a collaboration between the University of Rochester and Delft University of Technology and involved treating living microalgae like ink […]
