SUFB 716: Squid Teeth Could Replace Microplastics
How To Protect The Ocean · Speak Up For Blue
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Show Notes
Imagine a world where your products are not made of microplastics, but some alternative compound derived from squid teeth. Crazy, right? Well, the idea may not be so far fetched.
Melik Demirel, director of Penn State's Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies, has discovered a way to use the proteins from squid ring teeth (the serrated rings along squid tentacles) as a way to create an alternative to microplastics.
The proteins can be grown in a lab via E. coli; therefore, there is no need to harvest already dwindling species of squid to make the products at a larger scale.
The proteins are tough and have regenerative properties that can make clothing more durable and sustainable.
A life without microplastics may be closer than we think. Share your thoughts in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: https://www.speakupforblue.com/group.
Want to get started on living for a better Ocean? Sign up for the Grove Collaborative and get a free gift: http://www.speakupforblue.com/goocean.