Sandcastle Worm Glue -- Coming To A Bone Fracture Near (or IN) You!

Biomimicry has been a popular topic on Greenwala, from a turbo adhesive that mimics the strength of natural green mussel "goo" to sustainable architecture that emulates termite structures.

Mother Nature often figures out how to create the most ideal scenarios that can't even begin to match what modern science can hatch up in a lab, so instead of fighting it, researchers end up mimicking the source with remarkable results that always end up helping mankind.

Bioengineers Russell Stewart and his cohorts at the University of Utah have decided to pay tribute to the remarkable supergluing powers of the sandcastle worm -- known more formally as Phragmatopoma californica -- because the amazing creature is able to generate a water proof adhesive that blows away most, if not all other synthetically created versions.

By creating a biocompatible synthetic glue that boasts all of the qualities indigenous to the sandcastle worm glue, it could be a boon to the medical field with regard to gluing fractured bones back together rather than using the pins and screws that are currently so commonplace.

This glue is especially appealing because it will still enable the regeneration of natural bone tissue, plus it won't dissolve in body fluids or blood.

While some of us may recoil at the thought of relying on worms to help us with medical applications, lest ye forget that maggot and leech therapy is back in vogue? 

This is just a little worm glue we're talking about -- don't worry...it won't bite you!