Broken bone? Soon, you’ll be able to have the break superglued back together, all thanks to sandcastle worms and biomimicry. Researchers at the University of Utah have been inspired by the sea worms, who secrete their own natural glue that they use to build underwater houses; the researchers have been able to copy and synthesize the glue, and hope it can someday replace pins, screws and such in mending broken bones.
The team of bioengineers is looking in to the possibility of using the glue to repair injuries like knees and other joints, shattered facial bones, with a specific focus on (literally) gluing small pieces back together again — if only Humpty Dumpty had been so lucky.
Source:
C.Dunn
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