As earth ’s plant life and animals die out in what has been send for thesixth mass extermination , many people are raising concern about what those specie take with them . What if the pollen of an nonextant flower held the cure to Crab ? We ’ll never eff . But scientist are hard at work to get to know the specie that remain . Now , scientist at the University of Queensland ( UQ ) in Australia have team up up with local Aboriginal people to develop high-pitched - tech material using a aboriginal plant life .
The Indjalandji - Dhidhanu multitude have live in the Camooweal area for tens of thousands of years . They maintain their traditional police force and customs to this sidereal day , and have become custodians of Camooweal Caves National Park , managing the land and ensuring the protection of the plant , animals , and stones within . Many of these species havevaluable and utilitarian prop . The Indjalandji - Dhidhanu use a rock and roll called chert to make spearhead and arrows . The wood of snappy chewing gum tree ( Eucalyptus racemosa ) makes good didgeridoos and boomerangs . And the steamy , stretchable resin of the spinifex grassTriodia pungensis used both as medical specialty and as a super - strong mucilage to tie spearheads to shafts .
Tiny fiber calledmicrofibrilsgive the grass its stretch and forcefulness , but with the right technology and knowhow , they can also be mixed into other thing . UQ scientists develop a way to extract the fibers from the grass and mix them with latex . The result is a textile so inflexible and flexible that it can be used to make condoms as thin as a human whisker .
UQ ’s Nasim Amiralian stretches latex with a spinifex nanocellulose additive . Image credit rating : Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology , University of Queensland
" The great thing about our nanocellulose [ treated fibre ] is that it ’s a flexible nano - linear , so we can make a stronger and thinner membrane that is svelte and flexible , which is the Holy Grail for rude rubber , " UQ technologist Darren Martin said in apress statement .
That thinness is going to make spinifex latex very popular , Martin continue . " Rather than looking at increasing the strength , companies would be looking to commercialise the thin , most satisfying prophylactic potential , " he say . " as well , it would also be potential to grow rubber-base paint gloves that are just as strong , but sparse , giving a more raw feeling and less hand tiredness to users such as surgeon . Because you would also utilise less latex , your material cost in production would potentially drop as well , making it even more attractive to manufacturers . ”
In anunprecedented partnership , UQ signalise an agreement with Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation that will recognize the intellectual property contributions of the Indjalandji - Dhidhanu multitude and ensure both their means in any major conclusion and their share of future profits made on the newfangled materials .
Colin Saltmere , managing director of the Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation , which lay out Dugalunji interest , is really happy with the arrangement . " There are strong hopes of cultivating and process spinifex grass on a commercial scale , bringing economic opportunity to the outside areas across Australia where it thrives , " he said in the press waiver .
The researcher intend to publish their safe solvent later this year .
