Category: Chemicals & Materials

Berkeley Bandit: Sportscar that never was returns with a biobased twist

Berkeley Bandit: Sportscar that never was returns with a biobased twist

November 9, 2020 |

In the United Kingdom, a short-lived sportscar whose cost of design was the death knell for its maker more than 60 years ago is being resurrected as an electric vehicle with renewable components. According to the Robb Report, minor automaker Berkeley Cars had expected the Bandit to turn it into a household sportscar name, but […]

Read More

Trail report: Reviews roll in for algae-based skis

Trail report: Reviews roll in for algae-based skis

November 9, 2020 |

In California, newly launched skis with an algae-based core are getting rave performance reviews among avid shredders. The 4FRONT line of skis, made by WNDR Alpine using Algal-Tech material manufactured by Checkerspot, include backcountry ski Intention 100 and Vital 100 for traditional resort skiing. The Algal-Tech core is designed to be lightweight while improving stiffness […]

Read More

Startup claims “beyond sustainable” model in increasingly crowded eco-friendly sneaker category

Startup claims “beyond sustainable” model in increasingly crowded eco-friendly sneaker category

November 9, 2020 |

In New York, startup Thousand Fell has stepped into the eco-friendly sneaker fray with a 100% recyclable shoe that boasts numerous renewable components, including aloe vera, coconut husks, sugarcane and palm leaf fibers. A biobased resin for corn waste is used as coating, and the foam cushion is made from castor bean oil. Other materials […]

Read More

Designer eyes bacteria as the future of food

Designer eyes bacteria as the future of food

November 9, 2020 |

In the Netherlands, designer Marek Głogowski is advocating for humans to eat more sustainably by adding more bacteria-based foods to their diets. Głogowski, a recent graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, has opened a “metabolized restaurant” concept in which all food was produced using bacteria either via fermentation or culture. According to Fast Company, the menu […]

Read More

SuperMeat invites diners to pay for its cultured chicken with feedback

SuperMeat invites diners to pay for its cultured chicken with feedback

November 9, 2020 |

In Israel, lab-grown chicken startup SuperMeat has launched a restaurant adjacent to its pilot plant where “customers” can pay for their meal with reviews of their “chicken.” Dubbed The Chicken, the restaurant’s ambience includes views of SuperMeat’s lab through a glass window, while the menu features the Chicken Burger, complete with a brioche bun and […]

Read More

Future of protein includes mushrooms, cultured seafood

Future of protein includes mushrooms, cultured seafood

November 9, 2020 |

In San Diego, a protein innovation contest has crowned MycoTechnology Inc., earning the mushroom-based protein production company a $1 million investment. The Radicle Protein Challenge, sponsored by Syngenta, aims to promote future protein technologies to improve food security, including new sources or conversion technologies. Based in Denver, MycoTechnology converts mushrooms into functional ingredients. Examples include […]

Read More

3D-printed cultured meat startup raises $7 million for fat acquisition

3D-printed cultured meat startup raises $7 million for fat acquisition

November 9, 2020 |

In Israel, 3D-printed cultured meat startup Meat-Tech 3D Ltd. has announced a $7-million funding round as it works to commercialize its meat bioprinter and grow through M&A. Led by Psagot Provident Funds and Pension Funds, both institutional investors, the money will help the company fund its recent €1 million (USD$1.2 million) investment in Antwerp-based Peace […]

Read More

Glowing wood could be the future of home lighting

Glowing wood could be the future of home lighting

November 9, 2020 |

In New Zealand and Switzerland, a team of researchers has used biobased films to create wood with luminescent properties that could sustainably replace conventional, energy-intensive forms of lighting. Previous attempts to develop wood films for optical applications suffered from “poor mechanical properties, uneven lighting, a lack of water resistance, or the need for a petroleum-based […]

Read More

Lab-grown meat startup launches with faux chicken nuggets and pork liver pâté

Lab-grown meat startup launches with faux chicken nuggets and pork liver pâté

November 2, 2020 |

In New York, startup Lab Farm Foods has launched in the rapidly growing cell-based meat market with a tasting showcase of its first three products: two varieties of chicken nuggets and pork liver pâté. One nugget variety was a 50-50 combo of cultured cells and plant-based proteins, while the second was a combo of conventional […]

Read More

Twist Bioscience converts art into DNA for launch into space

Twist Bioscience converts art into DNA for launch into space

November 2, 2020 |

In California, Twist Bioscience has collaborated with Beyond Earth, an artist collective, on the To Space, From Earth project to send art into space in the form of DNA. The synthetic biology powerhouse will encode artwork into silicon-based synthetic DNA to send into the final frontier by 2022. Beyond Earth artists that will contribute work […]

Read More

}