Biomaterials

Cellular networks in bones perform similar to brain networks more

International top researchers come to Potsdam in 2021 more

Form shapes function: Special feature discovered in the enameloid of shark teeth more

A team that is researching new concepts for biomaterials at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam won second prize of the Die Junge Akademie’s 2020 ideas competition in the category "Visions" more

Plants suck water from the soil by means of negative pressure. So far, it has been an unsolved mystery why the pressure value does not fall below about -100 bar. An interdisciplinary and international research group has now shown, using atomistic simulations and model calculations, that this is apparently due to the so-called lipid aggregates that are contained in the plant sap. The modeling shows that their presence leads to the formation of growing cavities in the water column if the negative pressure is too strong. The limited suction power affects how plants can get water from drying soil. more