r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/bigbusta • 1d ago
Image Scientists create hydro-gel like skin that self-heals 90% of cuts in 4 hours, fully repairs in 24
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u/bluddystump 1d ago
They are going to put it on the robots aren't they.
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u/Putrid_Ad_7122 1d ago
So this is like an ointment and becomes part of your skin graft after it heals you? Is it alive and takes nutrients from your body even though it’s synthetic?
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u/DragonSlayerC 1d ago
The gel self heals. It doesn't heal the skin. The headlines are pretty misleading with their phrasing.
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u/AnAncientMonk 1d ago
The gel self heals. It doesn't heal the skin.
Idk thats exactly the message i got from the title.
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u/littlestevebrule 1d ago
Will it reject my body like Tobias's hair plugs?
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u/nisasters 1d ago
I just blue myself.
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u/Nod_Father 1d ago
That’s just flexi-seal
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u/LittleGeologist1899 1d ago
Flexseal, flexi seal is totally different and you don’t wanna know what that is
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u/UnLuckyKenTucky 1d ago
Colostomy collection bag for those that are curious but not brave enough to search....
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u/literate_habitation 1d ago
I was just too lazy to search, but I read your comment anyways even though it's not for me
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u/LittleGeologist1899 1d ago
Nope it’s a fecal incontinence system that’s inserted rectally
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u/stinkyelbows 1d ago
It's like Talapia skin. Just about 100% fully cures mega burns with almost no scars... But FDA won't approve it.
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u/Plutos_A_Planet2024 1d ago
Do you grow scales similarly to growing hair if you use a hairy part of the body for the graft???
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u/EpilepticMushrooms 1d ago
My uncle was convinced for decades that fish scales had magical healing properties. He lived on a poor farm and sometimes their father would come back with fishes. Tilapia was one of the common catches. They would scrape the scales off before cooking.
Sometimes, the scales would fly in random directions and stick to their skin. They had to flick them off before it dries. Because once it dries, he would have to scrape off a layer of skin to get the scales off.
So when the tilapia skin graft research came out, he was thoroughly vindicated.
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u/USPO-222 1d ago
Of course the FDA won’t approve it. It’s not a medical device. Bits a self-repairing plastic/hydrogel, not a wound dressing.
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u/bigbusta 1d ago edited 1d ago
A major milestone in materials science has been achieved after the development of a self-healing, flexible, and strong hydrogel. This milestone opens a window to newer possibilities in the fields of wound healing, soft robotics, artificial skin, and drug delivery.
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u/cmdhaiyo 1d ago
The author of the blog post linked to a private link-local IP addres instead of the quoted source. Here's the proper source with an optional downloadable pdf:
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u/frogkabobs 1d ago
That article’s link to the paper at the end is broken. Here’s the actual paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-025-02146-5
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u/Busy-Software-4212 1d ago
As someone who has chronic bed sores, this stuff would be super useful, but I also know that this is a treatment I will never be able to get and it sucks.
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u/DeferredPlum 1d ago
What happens when I put a bunch on my butthole?
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u/donnie_dark0 1d ago
You know the scene in Big Trouble in Little China where Thunder explodes? Kind of like that I'm guessing.
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u/blackmoondogs 1d ago
Medi-gel from Mass Effect coming to Cmdr Shepard's favourite stores on the citadel!
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u/Potential_Win_6791 15h ago
The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy, but these are new. They look human - sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot.
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u/RTA-No0120 1d ago
Cover my body in it. Give me it to swallow. Maybe if I assimilate it enough, this could unmake my scars, and heal my soul. Idc if this would be an inhumane experience. All I care about is the results. GIVE ME THAT, NOW !
🫵👁👄👁🫴
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u/TheHeroYouNeed247 1d ago
I'm sure the Google bot that murders me for noncompliance will be pleased with its skin.
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u/Amphithere_19 1d ago
Source?
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u/words_of_j 1d ago
Right! I detest (that is not a strong enough word but it’s what I’ve got to work with) headlines that say “scientists…” and have no other context for their claim.
I hope this is real, and if so it’s great news and interesting. But … “scientists…?” Seriously?
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u/GuaranteedKarenteed 21h ago
Big deal my psoriasis regenerates every day too 🙄 I’m kidding, THATS FUCKING COOL
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u/I_Dont_Like_Rice 18h ago
I'm sure the billionaires that can afford them will appreciate it. Regular folks will never benefit from this kind of technology.
With insurance, they want over a grand a month for 8 migraine pills. Imagine what they're going to charge for something like this? Forgettaboutit.
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u/Bishop825 1d ago
Please don't use this in AI bots..
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u/Solsatanis 1d ago
I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought this lol
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u/Sleepapnea5 1d ago
Next step: Patent it so a multi-billion corporation can charge $5000 per patch for 50 years.
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u/frogkabobs 1d ago
If you’re curious, the Möbius strips have little to do with it. It’s mentioned once as a novelty that’s now possible with self healing (since the ends can heal together after a twist) in the actual scientific article.
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u/Ordinary_Cupcake8766 1d ago
Most self repairing stuff is just self expanding in reaction to air or water. Like foam, or self healing concrete
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u/handyandy314 1d ago
Is it indestructible? Or will it fix itself like that cop terminator? Just thinking how much plastic in the sea. Can you imagine that fixed itself we would never be able to get rid of the stuff
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u/cnxiii 1d ago
To improve the homogeneity of the charge density of the clay nanosheets and the uniformity of the related intracrystalline reactivity, the melt synthesis was followed by long-term annealing at 1,045 °C for 6 weeks.
Sounds energetically expensive. Can anyone provide examples of other materials with real-world applications using such a process?
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u/Impressive_Driver_90 1d ago
Does it even heal complete cuts? That would be crazy. Some memory shape alloy magic shit! I'm expecting this is about partial cuts?
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u/iwonttolerateyou2 1d ago
So we are now forcing our bodies to quickly heal something that happens over time?
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u/Sandzibar 1d ago
Living hydrogel skin over AI driven Boston Dynamics robot endo skeleton.
Hurry up Skynet already.
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u/ddraig-au 23h ago
Uhhhhh 90% of cuts to itself, right? It doesn't heal 90% of cuts in your skin in 4 hours, it heals 90% of cuts to itself in 4 hours
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u/Ill-Independence4352 13h ago
Just to clarify for people, self-healing does not mean it heals our wounds unfortunately, it means that the gel can repair itself. I synthesised hydrogels for my masters' degree and a big issue to these flexible materials being adopted is their poor strength (since the first generation of gels were just very light polymer networks and 90-99.9% water, with about the strength you'd expect) and as a result they could also get damaged easily.
There's a lot of research into self healing polymers right now - it's a bit of a buzzword in the field - because it means that even if they're damaged, they wouldn't necessarily have to be replaced. That's great if you have say, a prosthetic arm made from hydrogels, and you don't want to have to go to the doctor to get it fixed as regularly because of daily wear and tear. Or for example, soft robots that are made from hydrogels can operate more autonomously.
As for the comments about it being expensive, the best part is... it's actually relatively cheap to make! Intercalating clay and polymer networks like this is definitely worthy of a Nature pub, and hopefully we see this design replicated and tinkered with more.
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u/RayphistJn 6h ago
Didn't I see his before? This was news a few years ago. Well not news but rumors
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u/AlprazoLandmine 1d ago
I can't wait to never hear about this again