In Boston, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have grown plant tissue, including wood and fibers, in a lab, paving the way for a new method of growing food and materials with less land and inputs. “If you want a table, then you should just grow a table,” Luis Fernando Velásquez-García, a principal scientist […]
In New York, start-up Aanika Biosciences is developing biological tags that can help authorities pinpoint the source of deadline E. coli outbreaks. The company’s technology tweaks the genome of inactivated microbe, essentially creating a unique identifier that is then added to each head of lettuce to enable tracking. The Centers for Disease Control often struggles […]
In Connecticut, researchers have invented a reusable and biodegradable face mask made from polylactic acid. Thinh Le, mechanical engineering PhD student at University of Connecticut, tells Daily Campus the masks are made of poly-L lactic acid, “an FDA-approved material [used] in medical applications, which is completely safe and biodegradable.” Most masks are made from polypropylene […]
In India, the National Institute of Ocean Technology has converted seaweed into biodegradable plastic film. Using red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii cultivated from the Gulf of Mannar and plasticizer polyethylene glycol (PEG)-3000, the team was able to create films with high tensile strength. The films also have good oxygen and moisture permeability properties for use as […]
In California, synthetic biology company Amyris has acquired cannabinoids-based beauty brand Terasana for an undisclosed sum. John Melo, president and CEO of Amyris said in a press statement that the company is “very optimistic” about the future of clean cannabinoids and the efficacy they bring to the skincare market. The company recently commercialized cannabigerol, a […]
In Canada, researchers at McMaster University have produced cultivated meat they claim has flavor and texture more like conventional, animal-based products. The process creates sheets of living cells that can be stacked, similar to methods used to grow tissue for human transplants, say Ravi Selvaganapathy and Alireza Shahin-Shamsabadi. The way they are stacked can enable […]
In Spain, BioTech Foods has been awarded a €5.2 million (US $6.3 million) government grant to evaluate if cultured meat has any of the negative health effects of animal meat such as cholesterol and cancer risks. BioTech Foods, itself a cultured meat company, is developing its Ethicameat brand covering multiple species. Early prototypes include meatballs […]
In London, a computer company has launched a biodegradable computer featuring a casing made from vegetable waste. Dubbed Abacus, Pentaform’s computer is comprised of a portable keyboard that can be used with any display. After its useful life has ended, the user can recycle the technical elements and leave the biodegradable polymer casing to biodegrade […]
In Indianapolis, SYNLawn Indiana reports that its soy-based turf will be used by the Indianapolis Colts for 2021 pre-game matches as well as education programs. The United Soybean Alliance says the deal will help further awareness of soy-based products and their benefits. The education programs, which will commence once COVID-19 policies end, include “Touchdown Town,” […]
In the Netherlands, DSM and TU Delft have partnered to build an artificial intelligence laboratory dedicated to bioscience innovation. Dubbed the Artificial Intelligence Lab for Biosciences (AI4B.io), the facility will be the first in Europe to apply AI to full-scale biomanufacturing, from microbial strain development to process optimization and scheduling. The AI4B.io Lab will be […]
