SEAM Chief Investigator Professor Elena Ivanova (RMIT University node) was interviewed for an article published on BBCs Future Health segment.
Research is continuously looking at ways surfaces can be resilient to microbes and aid in our health and stop infections and the spread of disease.
Read full article here: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200529-the-surfaces-that-kill-bacteria-and-viruses
“Cicada insect wings are famous for their self-cleaning effect,” says Elena Ivanova, a molecular biochemist at RMIT University in Australia. Their wings are superhydrophobic, meaning that water droplets bounce off them, just as they do off lotus leaves, allowing contaminants to roll off with the water. More importantly, she says, they’re studded with tiny spikes on the surface that prevent bacterial cells from being able to settle and grow on the surface.
Email vstefanovski@swinburne.edu.au for any queries and questions.
