Future Earth

A tough low-cost material for the future

Simon Phillips — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:58:40 +0000

A tough, low-cost, biodegradable material named “Shrilk” inspired by insects’ hard outer shells has been developed by Harvard researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. As strong as an insect’s shell and biodegradable, this material could one day replace plastic!

Photographer Jon Chase

Javier Fernandez & Don Ingber from the Wyss Institute, have developed this thin, clear, and flexible material, as hard as aluminum at half the weight. The material derived from discarded shrimp shells and proteins derived from silk, Shrilk is biodegradable in a landfill as its core components are used as fertilizers, so will therefore enrich the soil. A win/win really.

Possible medical uses are boosted by the fact that the ingredients in shrilk have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Potential uses include sutures that would dissolve over time in hernia repair, protective coverings for burns and wounds, and a scaffold on which cells can grow to regenerate tissue.

Applications such as plastic bags, or short life-span consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then get throw out where they will decompose.

Development on Shrilk is continuing in the lab. Ingber said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they’re exploring ways to use it in moist environments. They’re also developing simpler manufacturing processes, which could be used for products in non-medical applications, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They’re even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.

Truly a clever material for the future….taking a lead from nature.

Nicely done!

Patterns exist everywhere

Simon Phillips — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:32:23 +0000

Film snippet by Jason Silva pointing to the recurring patterns which exist everywhere. Our societies, cities, internet….all just a reflection of the same patterns in nature…all humming to the same tune. From a microscopic level to a cosmological perspective, it is all based on the same principles. Perhaps we can learn from those patterns we are familiar with and share the benefits of them to create a better place for us all.

Life is not a random beating around in the dark with a stick – It has order and structure, and beauty, we need to open our eyes more to break free of the paradigms of traditional ‘science’. ‘religion’ and the ‘rules’ that define them and our relationship we have with each, and open our minds to grow!

It’s beautiful stuff

Regenerating tissue

Simon Phillips — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:20:09 +0000

In Cincinatti, Ohio a guy, Lee Speevack, managed to chop off the end of his finger in a remote controlled aircraft prop.

Though coming into contact with a doctor from the University of Pitsburg, a new approach to this amputation was approached. Nerves, tissues, blood vessels, skin all grew back with the aid of a ‘mystery powder’ grew back in 4 weeks! University of Pitsburg developed this powder from pigs bladders, to create not ‘pixie dust’ but what they call ‘extra-cellular matrix’.

They scrape the cells from the inside of the bladders, dry it out and make either sheets, or a powder. BY putting this powder on the wounds it seems to stimulate the cells to regenerate and grow! Potentially there is room to regrow organs and maybe more, such as bone grown and muscle and tendon growth within 10 years according to existing technological developments in this area.

Room for consideration and growth (pardon the pun) here I’m sure.

Joe Rogan – What Is Reality?

Simon Phillips — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:33:42 +0000

A rather candid look at the question “What is reality?” The questions posed in this clip include some rather colourful language, but by no means beats about the bush! See how these ‘thoughts’ fit into your reality!

Superhydrophobic spray-on coating

Simon Phillips — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:15:19 +0000

That’s right, say it with me….Super-hydro-phobic Amazing coating to waterproof materials. The application for this could well be for clothes, emergency tents and covers, medical supplys (potentially) I’d say the list is endless. If you don’t want it to get wet (or covered in goo) this stuff is the way of the future!

…Im thinking if I spray my car with it, it will remain shiny…forever! ….where can I get a can?

HD Earth from Space – Beautiful Earth

Simon Phillips — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:30:50 +0000

Latest images in HD from Nasa showing our beautiful Earth as never seen before. What a magnificent planet we live on. So little known about it, so much to explore.

Beautiful Earth – “Canary sky”

Simon Phillips — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:44:18 +0000

Canary sky – Tenerife by Daniel López. Part of a series of posts which will showcase the beauty of our living breathing little blue planet.

Giant Stars

Simon Phillips — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:22:42 +0000

This a a look into the stars in our galactic neighbourhood. A show of how minute our little corner of the cosmos really is. Perhaps we should all look after it a little better.

You can see more including an interactive Flash animation at www.giantstars.de

Kinetic Sculpture for BMW

Simon Phillips — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:51:34 +0000

WOW – beautiful Kinetic Sculpture created by Joachim Sauter for the BMW Museum in Munich. The metalic balls were attached to strings from the ceiling – together they created three dimensional shapes including a car. Very nice. I look forward to the no string version soon!

Touch – The sacred geometry series

Simon Phillips — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:15:08 +0000

Amazing looking new series “Touch” featuring Kiefer Sutherland. How rather poignant I feel that something like this is coming out at this time in humanities evolution. I am loving all these wonderful references to sacred geometry in the preview.

Seems however that this solving of the puzzle will take at least one whole season if Kiefers work in 24 is anything to go by!

Silly really, considering this repeating mathimatical equation is right in front of us everyday – the Fibonacci sequence, as seen below in a couple of images. Even the likes the internet is itself is a fractal – as seen in the last image here.