A research team has developed a way to offer cells a 3-D scaffold that varies over a broad range of degrees of stiffness to determine where they develop best. Their technique is a way to rapidly ...

A new research study on the penetration mechanics of the beetle penis – its bending stiffness gradient compounded by its soft tip – could actually hold some promise in the medical-device realm of ...

Cells in the developing embryo can sense the stiffness of other cells around them, which is key to them moving together to form the face and skull, finds a new study of frog embryos. Cells in the ...

Computer simulations have revealed a mechanism by which nanostructures of the material graphene can be driven in one direction by controlling the stiffness of the underlying substrate. To find a ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Human skin is composed of various layers. The stiff outer layer (epidermis) contains no blood vessels and protects the lower, vascular layers (dermis), which nourish it. Stiff and ...