Researchers at the University of California San Diego have made something pretty amazing that could help us clean our water.
Imagine a material that’s alive and can eat up nasty stuff in water, like harmful chemicals and dyes. Sounds like science fiction, right?
Well, it’s real!
This special material is called “engineered living material.” What’s it made of? Seaweed and special bacteria mixed together!
Yep, the scientists took a seaweed-based goop and mixed in bacteria that have been given a special skill: they can create an enzyme, or a biological tool, that can turn harmful stuff in the water into safe things.
This is a big deal because it could be a new, earth-friendly way to clean water. For example, you know those blue jeans you love?
The dye that gives them their color can pollute water. This new material can help clean it up. The scientists even tested this by adding the material to water filled with a blue dye used in jeans, and guess what? The water became clear!
Let’s get a bit more technical but still keep it simple. To make this living material, the researchers used something called “alginate,” which is a seaweed-based jelly-like substance.
They mixed it with bacteria that love water and sunlight. Then they used a 3D printer to shape this mix into a grid-like form. They found that this shape helped keep the bacteria healthy and did a better job of cleaning the water.
Now, what about the bacteria? Are they safe? You might wonder if it’s a good idea to have bacteria, especially those that have been tweaked by scientists, hanging around in our environment.
Well, these bacteria are cleverly programmed to destroy themselves when they come into contact with a molecule found in tea and chocolate, called theophylline. So, once they’ve done their cleaning job, you can make them go away.
Even better, the researchers are working on making the bacteria able to destroy themselves without needing to add anything extra. This would make the cleaning process even more natural and safe for the environment.
This project was a big team effort involving experts in engineering, biology, and materials science. They all worked together at the University of California San Diego’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
They’re super excited about what this could mean for the future. It’s a wonderful example of what can happen when people from different science backgrounds come together to solve a problem.
So, the next time you sip on some tea or wear those blue jeans, think about how science is making strides in keeping our water clean and our planet healthier!
The paper was published in Nature Communications.
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Source: UC San Diego.
