Biomaterials

One of the nanotechnology industry's goals is to create stronger, lighter-weight fibers based on ideas from nature such as spider silk. Is there anyone out there doing this kind of work?

I found this link on the Web:

http://www.voyle.net/Future%20Technology/Future%202004-0078.htm

There is a group at Hebrew University working on that topic

Thanks! It looks like an interesting site.

I think Nexia is the company that produces spider silk from goat's milk. I was wondering what happened to that technology. Thanks for the tip on that.

I recently gave a talk on some work I published back in Nature, 1999 on a model for modular adhesives I came up with in a team-oriented group. I was searching the net trying to find a picture that I donated to a website when I ran across a patent that this group filed based on my paper. My name is not on the patent. I'm a little peeved about that, because I'm still want to work in this area. Maybe they have a very specific design idea. Is there anything I can do about this? Can I still work on my ideas?

Thanks for the heads up. Nanotech, being a hot field can be very competitive and your description could describe a lot of scientists, unfortunately.

I was very fortunate at UCSB to work with a very inter-disciplinary/team-oriented group. I got pretty spoiled, I think, because it helped me realize the importance of working in teams... you really can get a whole lot more accomplished... if only more scientists would see that and put their arrogance behind them, it could be very productive.

Unfortunately, I'm no longer in that lab. Funding ran out and my spouse moved... since then, I have been struggling and currently work in OTC pharmaceuticals... oh well.. at least I'm a gypsy scientist...

I think the moral, though, is to create that kind of atmosphere in whatever lab you eventually set up, if you can