Team:Exeter/Applications
From 2012.igem.org
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<p>When extended space flight becomes a reality, consumable lifetime will be a serious issue. Therefore polysaccharide coating could provide a means to supply a space vessel with not only a sufficient amount of long lasting food, but also provisions that are resistant to; water loss, bacterial growth, and mutations from ionising radiation. </p> <br> | <p>When extended space flight becomes a reality, consumable lifetime will be a serious issue. Therefore polysaccharide coating could provide a means to supply a space vessel with not only a sufficient amount of long lasting food, but also provisions that are resistant to; water loss, bacterial growth, and mutations from ionising radiation. </p> <br> | ||
- | <p>It has been shown that polysaccharides can not only stimulate the germination of some seeds but also protect plants from specific pathogens and | + | <p>It has been shown that polysaccharides can not only stimulate the germination of some seeds but also protect plants from specific pathogens and fungi.<p> |
<p>Could further research produce polysaccharides that would improve the rate of growth in more plants? Could crops be grown in weeks rather than months? Could trees be accelerated too? </p><br> | <p>Could further research produce polysaccharides that would improve the rate of growth in more plants? Could crops be grown in weeks rather than months? Could trees be accelerated too? </p><br> | ||
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Revision as of 18:15, 25 September 2012
Polysaccharides have a spectacular range of properties. These properties stem from the relationships between the chemical nature of the sugars within the polysaccharide, their arrangement within the polymer and the arrangement of the polymer itself. Polysaccharides appear in every corner of the natural world and have multiple applications ranging from protection to energy storage. Not surprisingly humanity has taken advantage of their diversity and by doing so created a huge variety of uses within the medicinal, material and consumable sectors. In this section we invite you to take a brief look at what could one day be possible if a system to design and build bespoke polysaccharides existed. Alex Clowsley, 2012. |