Flea protein may repair arteries (This is pretty wild!)

[MADem]

A protein responsible for fleas' astonishing jumping power could be harnessed to repair damaged arteries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4334908.stm

Scientists have taken the gene that produces resilin and used it to create a super-strong rubbery polymer with potential use in surgery.
They actually extracted the gene from fruit flies and cultured resilin in large quantities in E.coli bacteria.

The work, by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, features in Nature.

The outstanding mechanical properties of resilin were discovered four decades ago during studies of the flight systems of desert locusts and dragonflies. Not only does it enable fleas to leap prodigious distances, it allows flies to beat their wings at incredible speed - up to 200 times a second.

It out-performs even the highest-grade rubber in its ability to withstand stress and bounces back into shape. ...

[trotsky]

1. That is very cool.

Hooray for evil materialistic science!

[MADem]

2. Hooray for FLEAS, I guess!!!

About time we made those bastards give us and our pets some payback for their millenia of misery!

[BlueJazz]

3. O-BOY!....I'm going to be Rich!...My Dog has enough to supply..

..the entire country!

[atommom]

4. How cool! Score yet another point for science.

[Ready4Change]

5. Plus heart patients will be able to jump tall buildings!

Woohoooo!
:woohoo: