9. Sea cucumbers that stiffen on demand
Sea cucumbers may, at first glance, seem rather uninspiring. They do, however, exhibit a unique and fascinating characteristic: When under threat, their nervous system triggers the stiffening of their external dermis (outer skin) by up to a hundredfold, a property associated with an abundance of collagen proteins.
The dermis of sea cucumbers also contains other protein molecules that can bind to collagen and make it much stiffer. When sea cucumbers relax, their bodies soften again under the action of a second set of molecules.
Professor Tatsuo Motokawa’s research group at the Tokyo Institute of Technology has recently sequenced some of the molecules associated with both the stiffening and softening abilities of sea cucumber dermis. If replicated, this property of mutability, or adaptability, could prove useful for developing artificial connective tissues or collagen-based materials for reconstructive surgery.
#Biomimetics #China #Japan #Korea #Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology #Materials Science #Nanyang Technological University #National Institute of Technology and Evaluation #National Tsing Hua University #National University of Singapore #Nature #Pohang University of Science and Technology #Shanghai Jiao Tong University #Singapore #Tokyo Institute of Technology #Video
