What has science done with it?
A curated, cited encyclopedia of research uses of natural and inert materials, from mycelium to minerals. 161 material(s), 577 cited entries so far.
Materials
- 3D bioprinting4 entries · biological
- AAV gene delivery4 entries · biological
- Aerogels (including cellulose aerogels)3 entries · organic
- AI materials discovery and self-driving labs (GNoME, A-Lab, robot chemist)3 entries · ai-emerging
- AI protein structure prediction (AlphaFold, RoseTTAFold)3 entries · ai-emerging
- AI-discovered antibiotics (halicin, abaucin)2 entries · ai-emerging
- Algae6 entries · organic
- Alginate (seaweed)6 entries · organic
- Ancient bacterial spores (disputed revivals)3 entries · experiment
- Animal cloning (Dolly the sheep)5 entries · biological
- Apollo lunar samples3 entries · extraterrestrial
- Artificial blood & blood substitutes4 entries · biological
- Artificial leaf (artificial photosynthesis)4 entries · mineral
- Artificial molecular machines2 entries · ai-emerging
- Asteroid Bennu samples2 entries · extraterrestrial
- Asteroid Ryugu samples2 entries · extraterrestrial
- Axolotl limb regeneration2 entries · experiment
- Bacterial cellulose9 entries · organic
- Bacterial chemotaxis1 entries · experiment
- Bacterial nanowires (Geobacter)4 entries · biological
- Bacterial quorum sensing1 entries · experiment
- Bamboo5 entries · organic
- Basalt9 entries · mineral
- Base editing and prime editing3 entries · ai-emerging
- Biochar5 entries · organic
- Biodegradable metals (zinc and iron)2 entries · metal
- Bioluminescence (luciferase)4 entries · biological
- Bird magnetic sense (cryptochrome)2 entries · experiment
- Bone grafts & bone substitutes3 entries · biological
- Boron nitride nanotubes3 entries · mineral
- Brain-computer interfaces6 entries · inert
- Carbon dioxide (capture and supercritical CO2)3 entries · gas
- Cartilage repair2 entries · biological
- Casein (milk protein)5 entries · organic
- Cellulose nanocrystals6 entries · organic
- Cephalopod camouflage & reflectin4 entries · biological
- Chang'e-5 lunar samples5 entries · extraterrestrial
- Chitin & chitosan9 entries · organic
- Clay9 entries · mineral
- Coconut coir & shell4 entries · organic
- Cold gas plasma (plasma medicine)3 entries · gas
- Collagen & gelatin6 entries · organic
- Comet Wild 2 dust (Stardust)1 entries · extraterrestrial
- Copper (antimicrobial surfaces)2 entries · metal
- Coral (coralline bone substitutes)3 entries · mineral
- Cork4 entries · organic
- CRISPR and gene drives5 entries · biological
- Cryptobiosis: animals and plants that revive6 entries · experiment
- Cultivated (lab-grown) meat3 entries · biological
- De novo designed proteins4 entries · biological
- Decellularized organ scaffolds4 entries · biological
- Deer antler regeneration1 entries · experiment
- Deinococcus radiodurans3 entries · experiment
- Diatomite4 entries · mineral
- DNA nanorobots and walkers2 entries · ai-emerging
- DNA nanotechnology and DNA data storage6 entries · biological
- Electric eel2 entries · experiment
- Electronic skin (e-skin)4 entries · inert
- Embryonic stem cells3 entries · biological
- Extreme survivors (tardigrades and rotifers)2 entries · experiment
- Flax4 entries · organic
- Flexible & bio-integrated electronics3 entries · inert
- Fungal electrical spiking1 entries · experiment
- Gecko adhesion3 entries · biological
- Genetically modified & gene-edited crops7 entries · biological
- Geopolymers & volcanic ash4 entries · mineral
- Gold nanoparticles5 entries · metal
- Graphene & carbon from biomass5 entries · organic
- Graphene and carbon nanotubes4 entries · mineral
- Green fluorescent protein (GFP)4 entries · biological
- Hemp5 entries · organic
- Hydra (no aging)2 entries · experiment
- Hydrogels4 entries · organic
- Hydrogen gas4 entries · gas
- Hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide (signaling gases)6 entries · gas
- Hydrothermal vent life and chemosynthesis3 entries · experiment
- Hydroxyapatite6 entries · mineral
- Hyperthermophiles: life above boiling3 entries · experiment
- Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)4 entries · biological
- Industrial enzymes3 entries · biological
- Jute3 entries · organic
- Keratin6 entries · organic
- Lab-grown & artificial skin2 entries · biological
- Lenski long-term E. coli evolution experiment3 entries · experiment
- Lignin5 entries · organic
- Liposomes and lipid nanoparticles5 entries · biological
- Liquid metals (gallium alloys, EGaIn)2 entries · metal
- Lithium (batteries)5 entries · metal
- Liver and digit-tip regeneration in mammals2 entries · experiment
- Lizard tail regeneration1 entries · experiment
- Lotus effect (superhydrophobic surfaces)3 entries · organic
- Lunar regolith (moon soil construction)2 entries · mineral
- Magnesium (biodegradable implants)2 entries · metal
- Magnetite5 entries · mineral
- Martian meteorite ALH840011 entries · extraterrestrial
- Melanized fungi (Chernobyl "radiation-eating" fungi)4 entries · biological
- Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)4 entries · metal
- Methane (biogas)2 entries · gas
- Murchison and other carbon-rich meteorites3 entries · extraterrestrial
- Mussel adhesive proteins (DOPA)4 entries · biological
- Mutation breeding & directed evolution6 entries · biological
- Mycelium11 entries · organic
- Nacre & calcium carbonate6 entries · mineral
- Naked mole-rat3 entries · experiment
- Nanoparticle drug delivery2 entries · ai-emerging
- Nanopore sequencing2 entries · ai-emerging
- Newt lens regeneration1 entries · experiment
- Nitinol (shape-memory alloy)3 entries · metal
- Nitric oxide (signaling gas)3 entries · gas
- Octopus arm autonomy1 entries · experiment
- Oil-eating bacteria6 entries · biological
- Optogenetics (light-controlled proteins)6 entries · biological
- Organoid intelligence and DishBrain2 entries · ai-emerging
- Organoids4 entries · biological
- Oxygen (hyperbaric and oxygen-releasing materials)3 entries · gas
- Ozone2 entries · gas
- Perovskites5 entries · mineral
- Phage therapy4 entries · biological
- Planarian memory and bioelectric patterning2 entries · experiment
- Plant electrical signalling2 entries · experiment
- Plant memory (Mimosa pudica)1 entries · experiment
- Plastic-eating bacteria & enzymes5 entries · biological
- Platinum (cancer drugs and catalysis)4 entries · metal
- Pompeii worm2 entries · experiment
- Protein language models (ESM)2 entries · ai-emerging
- Quartz4 entries · mineral
- Rare earth elements3 entries · metal
- Resurrection plants3 entries · biological
- Scaly-foot snail (iron-plated armor)2 entries · experiment
- Sea cucumber gut regrowth1 entries · experiment
- Sea cucumber stiffness-changing tissue1 entries · biological
- Sea star arm regeneration2 entries · experiment
- Self-healing materials3 entries · inert
- Shark skin2 entries · biological
- Shellac4 entries · organic
- Silica5 entries · mineral
- Silica aerogel (Stardust comet catcher)3 entries · mineral
- Silk fibroin8 entries · organic
- Silver (antimicrobial)2 entries · metal
- Single-cell learning and decisions (ciliates)2 entries · experiment
- Slime mold problem solving (Physarum)3 entries · experiment
- Soy protein4 entries · organic
- Space radiation shielding3 entries · inert
- Spider silk proteins5 entries · organic
- Spiny mouse skin regeneration1 entries · experiment
- Sponge spicules & spongin4 entries · organic
- Starch & PLA bioplastics6 entries · organic
- Swarm decision-making (bees and ants)3 entries · experiment
- Synthetic cells (JCVI-syn)3 entries · biological
- Tardigrade proteins3 entries · biological
- Thermus aquaticus and Taq polymerase4 entries · experiment
- Titanium and titanium alloys2 entries · metal
- Transgenic animals (salmon, GloFish)3 entries · biological
- Turritopsis "immortal" jellyfish2 entries · experiment
- Venus flytrap mechanics2 entries · biological
- Virus-templated materials (M13 phage)4 entries · biological
- Wood6 entries · organic
- Xenobots (reconfigurable organisms)2 entries · experiment
- Xenon and helium (noble gases in medicine)3 entries · gas
- Zebrafish fin and heart regeneration2 entries · experiment
- Zeolites5 entries · mineral
Browse by application
- 3D printing6 entries
- acoustics1 entries
- agriculture5 entries
- astrobiology7 entries
- biology132 entries
- biomedical86 entries
- biomedical research21 entries
- bioplastics1 entries
- biotechnology2 entries
- carbon removal4 entries
- catalysis2 entries
- climate2 entries
- composites1 entries
- computing11 entries
- construction26 entries
- design & architecture1 entries
- earth science2 entries
- electronics25 entries
- energy19 entries
- energy storage11 entries
- environment3 entries
- fire safety1 entries
- food1 entries
- food preservation1 entries
- food science26 entries
- gas separation1 entries
- genetics6 entries
- genomics5 entries
- geology2 entries
- insulation2 entries
- living materials1 entries
- marine1 entries
- materials science70 entries
- nanotechnology17 entries
- optics2 entries
- packaging15 entries
- physics4 entries
- planetary science8 entries
- recycling2 entries
- sensors2 entries
- textiles4 entries
- waste valorization10 entries
- water treatment27 entries
- wood products1 entries