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Pre-dyed silk/ Anne Chin

Scientists have developed silkworms that glow in all the colors of the rainbow without the need to dye the fabric, thanks to a glowing garden

Silkworm pupae. From Wikipedia
Silkworm pupae. From Wikipedia

Silk in a new light: "silkworms" in Singapore spin cocoons in brilliant colors. A team of researchers at Singapore's Materials and Engineering Research Institute, which belongs to the government's Central Agency for Science and Technology, hopes to get rid of the laborious process of dyeing silk that requires a lot of water.

The method is to feed larvae of domesticated silkworms (Bombyx mori) with a glowing fluorescent substance mixed in their usual food, strawberry leaf powder. The silk glands of the larvae absorb the dye molecules and assimilate them into the silk fibers they produce, explains the leader of the research team, Natalia Chtensil. The shining silk, which was recently described in the online issue of the journal for advanced materials, may also be used in the field of tissue engineering, because it provides a clear, and enlightening, way to monitor supporting implants that help build tissue or bone. More research is needed to implement this, but Tensil hopes to have textile products on the market in a few years.

 

7 תגובות

  1. This is not a bamba - this is what cocoons of silkworms look like. You can't see in the picture the size of each tuber - about twice as big as Bamba

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