As humans, we
have never come to like sharks because of their aggressive behavior. But we
also haven’t been patient enough to examine these creatures up close. Dr.
Anthony Brennan, a materials science and engineering professor at the
University of Florida was visiting the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor when he
noticed a couple of sharks swimming by slowly. He stopped and was surprised
that the sharks had no algae or bacteria growing on them. Inspired, he took a
sample of the skin and analyzed it. At that point, he noticed the unique
diamond structure of the shark’s skin and used those observations to create
Sharklet.
When
Brennan was observing the skin, he was really observing the dermal denticles of
the shark. Dermal denticles are tough
scales that cover the skin of sharks.
Even though denticles are similar to scales, they are really modified teeth and
are covered with hard enamel. When he
observed the denticles he noticed that they were arranged in a distinct
diamond pattern with tiny ribs. This diamond pattern of denticles was the
reason that the bacteria could not create colonies and thrive on the shark’s
skin. Sharklet is an artificial material that is comprised of millions of tiny
diamonds arranged in a distinct pattern that mimics the microbe-resistant
properties of shark skin.
This Sharklet material can be put on basically anything
to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Since 2009, a bacterium called MRSA has
slowly been spreading across the US. The
antibiotics used to attack MRSA have become useless because the bacteria are
just becoming more resistant. Sharklet has been proven to inhibit the growth of
harmful diseases like MRSA. If Sharklet were to be used to cover everything
that a human touches in their daily lives, then there is no chance for harmful
diseases like MRSA to spread. We might really abhor sharks, but because of
their skin, we might also owe our lives to them.
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