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Not another green-wash, this could be the real deal. A new material dubbed vegan spider silk, has been created by scientists at the University of Cambridge. It may finally be the replacement we’ve been waiting for to deal with single use plastic.
Dr Thomas Knowles’ expertise in protein folding is used in studying the impact of misshapen proteins on human health. But it also reveals what it is about spider silk that gives it such strength. The team of academics were able to apply this knowledge to a soy protein.
Soy is a widely available crop but its proteins are very different to those of spider silk. Dr Knowles and his team managed to strip the soy protein down and reform it to match the shape of spider silk. Because all proteins are made of polypeptide chains, (I know this because of our own cashmere protein) they can, under the right conditions reassemble the plant proteins to match spider silk.
“In a way we’ve come up with a vegan spider silk, creating the same material without the spider”. Said study co-author Dr Garcia. This plastic substitute can be left on a domestic compost heap without any special treatment to recycle it.
Read - Fed up with being Greenwashed?
The Maldives is a long way to go to pick up a recipe, but wherever we are I'm always keen to discover what the locals are doing. The patisserie chef was kind enough to share this recipe that was part of the delicious breakfast offering.
Many people would say life is priceless, especially their own, yet don’t always adopt the basic principles that enhance wellbeing and longevity....
When an industry gangs up on its customers to suit itself, it never ends well. Eventually the mis-selling and other scandals come to light, then the providers close ranks, obfuscate, and gaslight the customers into thinking they are in the wrong or they themselves are the problem.