Turkey Skin Inspires Toxin-Warning System

Jan-25-14 The ability of a turkey’s skin to change color has inspired an early-warning system for toxins that could be used with a smartphone.

The skin of a turkey’s head is filled with a network of blood vessels that will contract or swell based on the bird’s mood, which changes the way the light waves are scattered on the skin and thus alters its colors. Inspired by the process, a team from UC Berkeley replicated the process using M13 bacteriophages—viruses that are shaped like collagen fibers and will swell and contract in response to airborne chemical vapors.

The team convinced the viruses to self-assemble into patterns that could be tuned to produce different colors when exposed to different chemicals, and also created a smartphone app that uses the phone’s camera to analyse the biosensor’s color bands.

Turkey Images: Valerie Burtchett

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[UC BERKELEY]

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