What has science done with it?

A curated, cited encyclopedia of research uses of natural and inert materials, from mycelium to minerals. 79 material(s), 366 cited entries so far.

Materials

• 3D bioprinting
  4 entries · biological
• Aerogels (including cellulose aerogels)
  3 entries · organic
• Algae
  6 entries · organic
• Alginate (seaweed)
  6 entries · organic
• Animal cloning (Dolly the sheep)
  5 entries · biological
• Bacterial cellulose
  9 entries · organic
• Bamboo
  5 entries · organic
• Basalt
  9 entries · mineral
• Biochar
  5 entries · organic
• Biodegradable metals (zinc and iron)
  2 entries · metal
• Bioluminescence (luciferase)
  4 entries · biological
• Carbon dioxide (capture and supercritical CO2)
  3 entries · gas
• Casein (milk protein)
  5 entries · organic
• Cellulose nanocrystals
  6 entries · organic
• Chitin & chitosan
  9 entries · organic
• Clay
  9 entries · mineral
• Coconut coir & shell
  4 entries · organic
• Cold gas plasma (plasma medicine)
  3 entries · gas
• Collagen & gelatin
  6 entries · organic
• Copper (antimicrobial surfaces)
  2 entries · metal
• Cork
  4 entries · organic
• CRISPR and gene drives
  5 entries · biological
• De novo designed proteins
  4 entries · biological
• Diatomite
  4 entries · mineral
• DNA nanotechnology and DNA data storage
  6 entries · biological
• Flax
  4 entries · organic
• Genetically modified & gene-edited crops
  7 entries · biological
• Geopolymers & volcanic ash
  4 entries · mineral
• Gold nanoparticles
  5 entries · metal
• Graphene & carbon from biomass
  5 entries · organic
• Graphene and carbon nanotubes
  4 entries · mineral
• Green fluorescent protein (GFP)
  4 entries · biological
• Hemp
  5 entries · organic
• Hydrogels
  4 entries · organic
• Hydrogen gas
  4 entries · gas
• Hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide (signaling gases)
  6 entries · gas
• Hydroxyapatite
  6 entries · mineral
• Industrial enzymes
  3 entries · biological
• Jute
  3 entries · organic
• Keratin
  6 entries · organic
• Lignin
  5 entries · organic
• Liposomes and lipid nanoparticles
  5 entries · biological
• Liquid metals (gallium alloys, EGaIn)
  2 entries · metal
• Lithium (batteries)
  5 entries · metal
• Magnesium (biodegradable implants)
  2 entries · metal
• Magnetite
  5 entries · mineral
• Melanized fungi (Chernobyl "radiation-eating" fungi)
  4 entries · biological
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)
  4 entries · metal
• Methane (biogas)
  2 entries · gas
• Mutation breeding & directed evolution
  6 entries · biological
• Mycelium
  11 entries · organic
• Nacre & calcium carbonate
  6 entries · mineral
• Nitinol (shape-memory alloy)
  3 entries · metal
• Nitric oxide (signaling gas)
  3 entries · gas
• Oil-eating bacteria
  6 entries · biological
• Optogenetics (light-controlled proteins)
  6 entries · biological
• Organoids
  4 entries · biological
• Oxygen (hyperbaric and oxygen-releasing materials)
  3 entries · gas
• Ozone
  2 entries · gas
• Perovskites
  5 entries · mineral
• Plastic-eating bacteria & enzymes
  5 entries · biological
• Platinum (cancer drugs and catalysis)
  4 entries · metal
• Quartz
  4 entries · mineral
• Rare earth elements
  3 entries · metal
• Shellac
  4 entries · organic
• Silica
  5 entries · mineral
• Silk fibroin
  8 entries · organic
• Silver (antimicrobial)
  2 entries · metal
• Soy protein
  4 entries · organic
• Spider silk proteins
  5 entries · organic
• Sponge spicules & spongin
  4 entries · organic
• Starch & PLA bioplastics
  6 entries · organic
• Synthetic cells (JCVI-syn)
  3 entries · biological
• Tardigrade proteins
  3 entries · biological
• Titanium and titanium alloys
  2 entries · metal
• Transgenic animals (salmon, GloFish)
  3 entries · biological
• Wood
  6 entries · organic
• Xenon and helium (noble gases in medicine)
  3 entries · gas
• Zeolites
  5 entries · mineral

Browse by application

• 3D printing
  6 entries
• acoustics
  1 entries
• agriculture
  3 entries
• biology
  50 entries
• biomedical
  56 entries
• biomedical research
  7 entries
• bioplastics
  1 entries
• biotechnology
  2 entries
• carbon removal
  4 entries
• catalysis
  2 entries
• climate
  2 entries
• composites
  1 entries
• construction
  24 entries
• design & architecture
  1 entries
• earth science
  1 entries
• electronics
  16 entries
• energy
  11 entries
• energy storage
  9 entries
• environment
  3 entries
• fire safety
  1 entries
• food
  1 entries
• food preservation
  1 entries
• food science
  23 entries
• gas separation
  1 entries
• genetics
  6 entries
• geology
  1 entries
• insulation
  2 entries
• living materials
  1 entries
• marine
  1 entries
• materials science
  53 entries
• nanotechnology
  11 entries
• optics
  2 entries
• packaging
  15 entries
• physics
  1 entries
• recycling
  2 entries
• sensors
  2 entries
• textiles
  4 entries
• waste valorization
  10 entries
• water treatment
  27 entries
• wood products
  1 entries