Flea power
scientists have copied nature to produce a near-perfect rubber from resilin, the elastic protein which gives fleas their remarkable jumping ability and helps insects fly.
Resilin has a near-perfect capacity to recover, or 'bounce back', after stress is applied and extraordinary durability, which may have applications in industry and medicine.
It could be used as a high-efficiency rubber in industry, spinal disc implants, heart and blood valve substitutes, and perhaps even to add some extra spring to the heels of running shoes.
“Resilin has evolved over hundreds of millions of years in insects into the most efficient elastic protein known,” said project leader, CSIRO Livestock Industries principal scientist, Dr. Chris Elvin.
“Everyone knows fleas jump like crazy and now, for the first time, we have replicated the material that enables them to do that.”
If humans could jump like fleas, we would be able to leap 100-story buildings. The durability and elasticity of resilin helps insects fly, enabling bees to flap their wings in almost frictionless motion 500 million times in a lifecycle.
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