Mastodawn

5-Mar-2026
#Polymers that crawl like worms: How #materials can develop direction without being told where to go
New findings can help to better understand #DNA dynamics in living #cells

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1118843

#science #nanoworld

Polymers that crawl like worms: How materials can develop direction without being told where to go

Researchers at the University of Vienna have uncovered a surprising phenomenon: polymer chains with segments that simply fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely packed – even though nothing in the system points them in any particular direction. This "entropic tug of war," driven by fundamental physical constraints, could help explain how DNA organizes and moves inside living cells, and may lead to new materials. The study was currently published in Physical Review X.

EurekAlert!

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Mx. Chara Aznable (they/them) of the Pnictogen Wing Mar 6

that's amazing work and very life-like. I know what you mean about the materials and it's a pity, because I feel like that's unnecessary. There's a tremendous body of work on substitutes for polymers that are currently made from petrochemical feedstocks, but it all remains very small-scale and mostly academic because the petrochemical industry does NOT want to interrupt the pipeline they've constructed: straight out of the Earth and flowing into every conceivable consumer product.

#plastics #polymers #petroleum

Mx. Chara Aznable (they/them) of Pnictogen Mar 3

we would love to be able to make our own plastics at the Pnictogen Wing homestead, from biomass. so that prompts the question: what living creature would be (a) easy to grow or culture in the relatively limited space available in a single-family home with a yard, and (b) the most fruitful as a feedstock for production of a useful polymer?

I already know a little. furfural (furan-2-carboxaldehyde) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural are two attractive candidates for a biomass-derived chemical that could be used to make plastics. Furfural can be obtained from the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of pentosans, biopolymers of five-carbon sugars found in such substances as corncobs and oat hulls. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural can be obtained in a like method from the breakdown of cellulose, starch, etc.

#chemistry #polymers

The Perpetually Curious!Mar 1

🌿 A tree produces a quiet milky fluid that becomes grip, cushion, and seal in our daily world. What hidden architecture allows rubber to stretch, strain, and still return to form?

✍️ Explore the full journey from living latex to resilient network: https://TPC8.short.gy/HufLJJ1O

🌍 A single droplet begins a long story of transformation.

#rubber #polymers #materialscience #science #TPC8

Rubber Production Explained: From Tree Latex to Durable Elasticity 🌿

Rubber’s journey from tree latex to durable elasticity, exploring coagulation, vulcanization, and the science behind everyday grip, seals, and resilie

Getzler Lab at KenyonCollege Feb 16

“Marvel has remarked that more money has been wasted in polymer research by the use of impure monomers than in any other manner.” pp. 12 of Polymer Chemistry 2e by Hiemenz & Lodge. #polymers #synthesis #chemistry #research #purity

Getzler Lab at KenyonCollege Jan 20

Fantastic paper from Brooks Able at Berkeley using an organic catalyst to achieve high molecular weight for poly(THF) via cationic ring-opening polymerization. The low ceiling temperatures of these polymers make them attractive targets for reversible polymerizations, but it has previously been really hard to get to the molecular weights required for good mechanical properties. #chemistry #polymers #JACS https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c18359

gary Jan 4

Proper Curing: Not an additive, but THE most critical factor. Concrete doesn't "dry"; it cures through a chemical reaction (hydration) that requires moisture. For maximum strength, keep the concrete surface continuously moist for at least 7 days (using plastic sheeting, damp burlap, or a curing spray). Un-cured concrete can lose 50% of its potential strength. #fly ash #polymers #concrete #materials science

Kyiv Independent Daily Headlines Dec 26

Friday, December 26, 2025

Moscow blast kills 2 Russian police officers tied to Ukrainian POW abuse -- Russia attacks Kherson market, Chernihiv apartment building on Christmas Day -- Zelensky reveals full 20-point peace plan draft backed by Ukraine, US -- Medieval raids: fear and uncertainty in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast border region ... and more

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/friday-december-26-2025/

TKSST • seethis.tv 🌈🪐✨Dec 3

♻️🌍 #Rutgers scientists have developed #plastics engineered to break down on demand at controlled rates – think days, months, or years – using a chemical strategy inspired by how natural #polymers like #DNA degrade.

The #discovery offers a practical solution to plastic #pollution by allowing everyday materials to decompose safely without harsh #chemicals or special conditions.

👉 https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-develop-new-plastics-that-break-down-safely-instead-of-polluting/

#chemistry #sustainability #environment #innovation #nature #NewJersey #science #technology #tech

Scientists Develop New Plastics That Break Down Safely Instead of Polluting

Rutgers scientists have developed plastics that can be programmed to break down at specific rates by drawing on a natural principle. Their approach could provide a meaningful new way to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution. Yuwei Gu was on a hike in Bear Mountain State Park in New York

SciTechDaily

Stephan Hacker Dec 3

Amazing talk by Sander Woutersen at #NWOCHAINS. He gave an entertaining talk on his Ig Nobel Prize winning research on using (drunk) worms as a model for active polymers to better understand their exciting properties.
https://iop.uva.nl/content/news/2024/09/ig-nobel-prize-for-drunk-worms.html
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj7918
#Chemistry #Polymers

Ig Nobel prize for drunk worms - IoP

Daniel Bonn, Antoine Deblais, Tess Heeremans and Sander Woutersen have won an Ig Nobel prize for their research in which they investigate the behaviour of drunk worms as a particular form of active matter.

Institute of Physics - University of Amsterdam