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Why bladder cancer cells that shed their Y chromosome become more aggressive

Nature Podcast

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How Hongbin's Hydrogel Improves Stiffness

Researchers have successfully made hydrogels out of proteins that are tough and can mimic the properties of muscles. But it's been difficult to turn these materials into ones with cartilage-like capabilities. One way to make them stiffer is chemically stick sections of the different protein chains together, known as cross-linking. However, there's a limit to how far you can take this. Add too many cross-links and the chains are no longer able to move with negative effects on the material. You can make it stiff, but they are brittle. It can't dissipate energy effectively.

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