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Engineers have designed a strong, biocompatible glue that can seal injured tissues and stop bleeding, inspired by the sticky substance that barnacles use to cling to rocks. Credit: Stock Photo ______________________________________________________________________________ Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a rapid-sealing paste that can stop bleeding organs independent of clotting. The details are published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The inspiration for this paste? Barnacles. Barnacles are those sea animals that adhere to rocks, the bottom of ships and large fish with the aim of staying in place despite wet conditions and variable surfaces. They’re successful...

When Chinese giant salamanders are injured, they discharge white mucus from glands on their skin. As new research shows, this sticky salamander goo makes for an excellent medical glue, sealing wounds and encouraging them to heal. (snip) Tests on pigs and rats showed that the compound worked well and was nicely flexibility. That said, it was slightly less durable than other medical glues. Overall, however, it performed better than commonly used medical adhesives. Using the glue, the scientists were able to close bleeding skin incisions in less than 30 seconds. The compound also contributed to wound healing, resulting in practically...