During the 3.8 billion years of biological evolution, a multitude of functional principles has
been developed in all kingdoms of life enabling the sealing and healing of diverse types of …

Plant stems are one of nature's most impressive mechanical constructs. Their sophisticated
hierarchical structure and multifunctionality allow trees to grow more than 100 m tall. This …

Parenchyma is an important tissue in secondary xylem of seed plants, with functions ranging
from storage to defence and with effects on the physical and mechanical properties of wood …

Smart electronic devices are becoming ubiquitous due to many appealing attributes
including portability, long operational time, rechargeability and compatibility with the user …

Self‐sealing is one of the fascinating functions in nature that enables living material systems
to respond immediately to damage. A prime plant model is Delosperma cooperi, which can …

Topologically interlocked material (TIM) systems are load-carrying assemblies of unit
elements interacting by contact and friction. TIM assemblies have emerged as a class of …

Within the framework of a circular economy, we aim to efficiently use raw materials and
reduce waste generation. In this context, the longevity of biomimetic material systems can …

The volume gain due to swelling can close reasonable large holes. This concept has been
used in technical applications, such as bulletproof fuel tanks of world war II aircrafts [18] and …

The evolution of angiosperms was accompanied by the segregation and specialisation of
their xylem tissues. This study aimed to determine whether the fraction and arrangement of …

A striking feature of early angiosperm lineages is the variety of life forms and growth forms,
which ranges from herbs, aquatic herbs, climbers, and epiphytes to woody shrubs and trees …