Applications

Every application field, across all materials.

• 3D printing
  7 entries · 3D bioprinting, Lasers (optical tweezers, laser cooling, ultrafast pulses, LASIK, 3D printing), Silk fibroin, Starch & PLA bioplastics
• acoustics
  1 entry · Mycelium
• agriculture
  12 entries · Apollo lunar samples, Biochar, Diatomite, Enhanced rock weathering, Growing life in Mars and Moon conditions, Regenerative agriculture, Restoring land on Earth (biocrusts, Loess Plateau), Resurrection plants
• astrobiology
  7 entries · Asteroid Bennu samples, Asteroid Ryugu samples, Comet Wild 2 dust (Stardust), Martian meteorite ALH84001, Murchison and other carbon-rich meteorites
• biology
  306 entries · Ancient bacterial spores (disputed revivals), Animal cloning (Dolly the sheep), Animal migration, Axolotl limb regeneration, Bacterial chemotaxis, Bacterial nanowires (Geobacter), Bacterial quorum sensing, Beaks, jaws and the fastest strikes, Bioluminescence (luciferase), Bioluminescence in the ocean and on land, Bird magnetic sense (cryptochrome), Bone trabeculae and topology optimization, Cell membranes and ion channels, Cephalopod camouflage & reflectin, Chameleon feet and ballistic tongue, Circadian rhythms and the body clock, Classic mathematical models of life (Lotka–Volterra, SIR, Hodgkin–Huxley), Climate change and the timing of nature, Clingfish and remora suction discs, Closed ecosystems and life support (Biosphere 2, MELiSSA), Coral reefs and bleaching, Cryptobiosis: animals and plants that revive, De novo designed proteins, Deer antler regeneration, Deinococcus radiodurans, Earth's changing magnetic field and space weather, Echolocation in bats, dolphins and toothed whales, Electric eel, Electric rays, electric catfish and electrolocation, Electron microscopy and cryo-EM, Extreme survivors (tardigrades and rotifers), Fibonacci spirals and the golden angle (phyllotaxis), Fractals in biology and allometric scaling laws, Fungal electrical spiking, Gecko adhesion, Genetically modified & gene-edited crops, Glowing bacteria partners and counterillumination, Gravity, microgravity and the body, Green fluorescent protein (GFP), Growing life in Mars and Moon conditions, Hibernation and torpor, Honeycomb hexagons, How many species are there?, Hydra (no aging), Hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide (signaling gases), Hydrothermal vent life and chemosynthesis, Hyperthermophiles: life above boiling, Infrared (heat sensing, photobiomodulation), Infrasound in animals, L-systems and Voronoi patterns, Lasers (optical tweezers, laser cooling, ultrafast pulses, LASIK, 3D printing), Lenski long-term E. coli evolution experiment, Liver and digit-tip regeneration in mammals, Lizard tail regeneration, Magnetite, Magnetotactic bacteria, Mass extinctions and recovery, Melanized fungi (Chernobyl "radiation-eating" fungi), Methane (biogas), Microbial fuel cells, Mitochondria, chloroplasts and endosymbiosis, Molecular motors and the cytoskeleton, Moon, tides and living rhythms, Mutation breeding & directed evolution, Mycorrhizal networks between trees, Nacre & calcium carbonate, Naked mole-rat, Natural gas and methane hydrates, Natural mutation and evolution in the wild, Navigating by Earth's magnetic field, Newt lens regeneration, Nitric oxide (signaling gas), Ocean iron fertilization experiments, Octopus arm autonomy, Octopus suckers and octopus-inspired adhesives, Optogenetics (light-controlled proteins), Parasites that change host behaviour, Phages and endogenous retroviruses, Planarian memory and bioelectric patterning, Plant electrical signalling, Plant memory (Mimosa pudica), Pompeii worm, Prochlorococcus and ocean plankton, Quantum biology (photosynthesis, enzyme tunneling), Radio waves and living things, Resurrection plants, Ribosome structure, Scaly-foot snail (iron-plated armor), Sea cucumber gut regrowth, Sea cucumber stiffness-changing tissue, Sea star arm regeneration, Shark electroreception (ampullae of Lorenzini), Single-cell learning and decisions (ciliates), Slime mold problem solving (Physarum), Spider web robustness, Spiny mouse skin regeneration, Sponge spicules & spongin, Structural color and photonic crystals in nature, Swarm decision-making (bees and ants), Synthetic cells (JCVI-syn), Synthetic gene circuits, Tardigrade proteins, Termite mound ventilation, Thermus aquaticus and Taq polymerase, Transgenic animals (salmon, GloFish), Tree frog toe pads and insect adhesive pads, Turing reaction-diffusion patterns, Turritopsis "immortal" jellyfish, Ultrasound (imaging, focused ultrasound, sonogenetics), Venus flytrap mechanics, Virus capsids and self-assembly, Whale song, Wind power, Wolbachia and dengue control, X-rays (crystallography, imaging), Xenobots (reconfigurable organisms), Zebrafish fin and heart regeneration, Boron, Bromine, Cadmium, Carbon, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Lanthanum, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Selenium, Silicon, Sulfur, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zinc
• biomedical
  155 entries · AAV gene delivery, Acoustic cell patterning (standing waves), AI-discovered antibiotics (halicin, abaucin), Alginate (seaweed), Animal cloning (Dolly the sheep), Artificial blood & blood substitutes, Biodegradable metals (zinc and iron), Bone grafts & bone substitutes, Brain-computer interfaces, Cartilage repair, Classic mathematical models of life (Lotka–Volterra, SIR, Hodgkin–Huxley), Cold gas plasma (plasma medicine), Collagen & gelatin, Copper (antimicrobial surfaces), Coral (coralline bone substitutes), CRISPR gene editing in human patients, Decellularized organ scaffolds, Diatomite, DNA nanorobots and walkers, Flexible & bio-integrated electronics, Fractals in biology and allometric scaling laws, Gamma rays (sterilization, radiotherapy, Gamma Knife, PET), Gold nanoparticles, Gravity, microgravity and the body, Human echolocation, Human microbiome and the gut-brain axis, Hydrogels, Hydrogen gas, Hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide (signaling gases), Hydroxyapatite, Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Industrial enzymes, Infrared (heat sensing, photobiomodulation), Keratin, Lab-grown & artificial skin, Lasers (optical tweezers, laser cooling, ultrafast pulses, LASIK, 3D printing), Lignin, Liposomes and lipid nanoparticles, Magnesium (biodegradable implants), Magnetite, Medicines from animal venoms, Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Nanoparticle drug delivery, Nitinol (shape-memory alloy), Oxygen (hyperbaric and oxygen-releasing materials), Parasites that change host behaviour, Phage therapy, Photodynamic therapy, Piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting, Platinum (cancer drugs and catalysis), Prions, Proton and particle beam therapy, Silica, Silver (antimicrobial), Starch & PLA bioplastics, Titanium and titanium alloys, Ultrasound (imaging, focused ultrasound, sonogenetics), Ultraviolet (UV-C, far-UVC 222 nm, vitamin D), Visible light (photosynthesis, LEDs, phototherapy), Wolbachia and dengue control, X-rays (crystallography, imaging), Xenon and helium (noble gases in medicine), Aluminum, Arsenic, Bismuth, Boron, Erbium, Fluorine, Iodine, Lanthanum, Lithium, Magnesium, Ruthenium, Strontium, Tantalum, Thulium, Xenon, Zirconium
• biomedical research
  29 entries · Artificial blood & blood substitutes, Bacterial cellulose, Bone grafts & bone substitutes, Cartilage repair, Chitin & chitosan, Coral (coralline bone substitutes), Decellularized organ scaffolds, Embryonic stem cells, Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Organoids, Silk fibroin, Antimony, Argon, Calcium, Europium, Gallium, Osmium, Rhodium
• biophysics
  1 entry · Bacterial chemotaxis
• bioplastics
  1 entry · Chitin & chitosan
• biotechnology
  11 entries · Acoustic levitation and acoustic tweezers, Biofuels (algae, cellulosic, engineered microbes), Oil (petroleum), Spider silk proteins, Palladium, Silicon
• carbon removal
  4 entries · Basalt, Carbon dioxide (capture and supercritical CO2)
• catalysis
  3 entries · Gold nanoparticles, Microwaves in chemistry, Zeolites
• climate
  5 entries · Basalt, Hydropower, tidal and wave energy, Natural gas and methane hydrates, Nuclear fission and fusion, Zeolites
• composites
  1 entry · Basalt
• computing
  11 entries · AI materials discovery and self-driving labs (GNoME, A-Lab, robot chemist), AI protein structure prediction (AlphaFold, RoseTTAFold), Organoid intelligence and DishBrain, Protein language models (ESM), Swarm decision-making (bees and ants)
• construction
  32 entries · Bacterial self-healing concrete, Bamboo, Basalt, Biochar, Bone trabeculae and topology optimization, Clay, Coconut coir & shell, Cork, Engineered living building materials, Flax, Form-finding architecture (Frei Otto, Gaudí catenaries), Geopolymers & volcanic ash, Hemp, Lunar regolith (moon soil construction), Mycelium, Wood
• design & architecture
  1 entry · Mycelium
• earth science
  6 entries · Muon tomography (pyramids), Oil (petroleum), Silica, Silica aerogel (Stardust comet catcher), Carbon
• ecology
  2 entries · Climate change and the timing of nature
• electronics
  35 entries · Bacterial cellulose, Bacterial nanowires (Geobacter), Bio-inspired grippers, Biophotovoltaics, Biosonar-inspired sonar and robots, Brain-computer interfaces, Casein (milk protein), Cephalopod camouflage & reflectin, Clingfish and remora suction discs, DNA nanotechnology and DNA data storage, Electronic skin (e-skin), Flexible & bio-integrated electronics, Liquid metals (gallium alloys, EGaIn), Mycelium, Nacre & calcium carbonate, Octopus suckers and octopus-inspired adhesives, Perovskites, Shellac, Silk fibroin, Vibration and resonance energy harvesting, Visible light (photosynthesis, LEDs, phototherapy), Wood
• energy
  40 entries · Algae, Artificial leaf (artificial photosynthesis), Bacterial nanowires (Geobacter), Biofuels (algae, cellulosic, engineered microbes), Biophotovoltaics, Boron nitride nanotubes, Earth's changing magnetic field and space weather, Electric eel, Hydrogen gas, Hydropower, tidal and wave energy, Methane (biogas), Microbial fuel cells, Natural gas and methane hydrates, Osmotic (blue) energy, Perovskites, Platinum (cancer drugs and catalysis), Rare earth elements, Solar photovoltaics (silicon, organic), Steam and thermal power (geothermal, concentrated solar), Thermoelectrics, Virus-templated materials (M13 phage), Visible light (photosynthesis, LEDs, phototherapy), Wastewater treatment with algae and constructed wetlands, Wind power
• energy storage
  19 entries · Compressed air energy storage, Electricity storage (supercapacitors, sodium-ion, solid-state, flow batteries), Graphene & carbon from biomass, Hemp, Lithium (batteries), Virus-templated materials (M13 phage)
• environment
  20 entries · Algae, Bioremediation of oil spills, CarbFix: turning CO2 into stone, Composting and circular economy, Heavy-metal biosorption, Insects that convert waste (black soldier flies, mealworms), Magnetite, Mycoremediation (fungi that break down pollutants), Phytoremediation and hyperaccumulator plants, Trees for contaminated and radioactive sites (poplar, forest irrigation), Wastewater treatment with algae and constructed wetlands, Wood, Chromium, Mercury, Uranium
• fire safety
  1 entry · Clay
• food
  1 entry · Bacterial cellulose
• food preservation
  1 entry · Chitin & chitosan
• food science
  27 entries · Algae, Carbon dioxide (capture and supercritical CO2), Casein (milk protein), Cellulose nanocrystals, Collagen & gelatin, Cork, Cultivated (lab-grown) meat, Gamma rays (sterilization, radiotherapy, Gamma Knife, PET), Genetically modified & gene-edited crops, Mutation breeding & directed evolution, Ozone, Shellac, Soy protein, Transgenic animals (salmon, GloFish)
• gas separation
  1 entry · Zeolites
• genetics
  8 entries · CRISPR and gene drives, Spider silk proteins, Selenium
• genomics
  5 entries · Base editing and prime editing, Nanopore sequencing
• geology
  2 entries · Chang'e-5 lunar samples, Quartz
• geophysics
  5 entries · Earth's changing magnetic field and space weather
• insulation
  2 entries · Mycelium, Silk fibroin
• living materials
  1 entry · Mycelium
• marine
  1 entry · Basalt
• materials science
  86 entries · Acoustic metamaterials and phononic crystals, Aerogels (including cellulose aerogels), Alginate (seaweed), Bacterial cellulose, Bamboo, Beaks, jaws and the fastest strikes, Bone trabeculae and topology optimization, Casein (milk protein), Cellulose nanocrystals, Cephalopod camouflage & reflectin, Chitin & chitosan, Clay, Coconut coir & shell, Cork, Enzymatic plastic recycling to monomers, Flax, Gecko adhesion, Graphene and carbon nanotubes, Hemp, Hydrogels, Hydroxyapatite, Industrial enzymes, Jute, Keratin, Lignin, Lotus effect (superhydrophobic surfaces), Melanized fungi (Chernobyl "radiation-eating" fungi), Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Mussel adhesive proteins (DOPA), Mycelium, Nacre & calcium carbonate, Nitinol (shape-memory alloy), Octopus suckers and octopus-inspired adhesives, Quantum tunneling, Sea cucumber stiffness-changing tissue, Self-healing materials, Shark electroreception (ampullae of Lorenzini), Shark skin, Silica, Silica aerogel (Stardust comet catcher), Silk fibroin, Soy protein, Space radiation shielding, Spider silk proteins, Spider web robustness, Starch & PLA bioplastics, Steam and thermal power (geothermal, concentrated solar), Thermoelectrics, Wind power, Wood
• medical imaging
  9 entries · Barium, Dysprosium, Fluorine, Gadolinium, Indium, Rubidium, Scandium, Technetium, Thallium
• nanotechnology
  27 entries · Algae, Artificial molecular machines, Boron nitride nanotubes, DNA nanorobots and walkers, DNA nanotechnology and DNA data storage, Gold nanoparticles, Graphene & carbon from biomass, Graphene and carbon nanotubes, Magnetite, Osmotic (blue) energy, Piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting, Plant nanobionics (sensor plants), Virus capsids and self-assembly, Virus-templated materials (M13 phage), Cadmium, Cerium, Niobium, Yttrium
• neuroscience
  1 entry · Octopus arm autonomy
• optics
  2 entries · Cellulose nanocrystals, Perovskites
• packaging
  15 entries · Alginate (seaweed), Bacterial cellulose, Casein (milk protein), Cellulose nanocrystals, Chitin & chitosan, Collagen & gelatin, Keratin, Lignin, Mycelium, Starch & PLA bioplastics
• physics
  36 entries · Acoustic levitation and acoustic tweezers, Acoustic metamaterials and phononic crystals, Discovering the electron and the atomic nucleus, Fibonacci spirals and the golden angle (phyllotaxis), Honeycomb hexagons, Lasers (optical tweezers, laser cooling, ultrafast pulses, LASIK, 3D printing), Neutron, positron (antimatter) and neutrinos, Nuclear fission and fusion, Photoelectric effect and wave–particle duality, Quantum entanglement and Bell tests, Quantum tunneling, Quarks and the Higgs boson, Quartz, Silica aerogel (Stardust comet catcher), Solar photovoltaics (silicon, organic), Space radiation shielding, Synchrotron light sources, Terahertz waves
• planetary science
  9 entries · Apollo lunar samples, Asteroid Bennu samples, Asteroid Ryugu samples, Chang'e-5 lunar samples, Comet Wild 2 dust (Stardust)
• psychology
  1 entry · Human echolocation
• radiotherapy
  13 entries · Actinium, Astatine, Hafnium, Holmium, Lutetium, Radium, Rhenium, Samarium, Terbium, Thorium, Yttrium
• recycling
  2 entries · Bacterial cellulose, Rare earth elements
• robotics
  2 entries · Bio-inspired grippers
• sensors
  2 entries · Quartz
• space
  4 entries · Mars terraforming feasibility studies, MOXIE: making oxygen on Mars
• structural biology
  1 entry · Synchrotron light sources
• textiles
  4 entries · Bacterial cellulose, Mycelium, Silk fibroin
• toxicology
  7 entries · Beryllium, Gadolinium, Lead, Plutonium, Polonium, Radon, Tellurium
• waste valorization
  10 entries · Hydroxyapatite, Keratin, Nacre & calcium carbonate, Plastic-eating bacteria & enzymes, Silica
• water treatment
  27 entries · Aerogels (including cellulose aerogels), Algae, Alginate (seaweed), Bamboo, Biochar, Chitin & chitosan, Clay, Coconut coir & shell, Diatomite, Hydroxyapatite, Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Oil-eating bacteria, Ozone, Sponge spicules & spongin, Zeolites
• wood products
  1 entry · Lignin