Aside efforts to utilize crustacean shells by extracting chitin and turning it into pharmaceuticals with fungi, researchers in Asia successfully managed to extract polymer chitosan from shrimp shells in order to make filters, foils and wound dressings. 750,000 tones of crustacean shells are annually disposed in EU, however, crustaceans in Europe contain more lime and… »

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering, have been investigating the harlequin mantis shrimp– a marine crustacean notorious for its club-like arm which is capable to create great forces for its size. Instead focusing on the great speed and power of the club, the group focused their research on its unique… »

Most viral infections are treated with antiviral drugs which are often derived from N-Acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) – a material which costs around fifty times more than gold despite the fact it can be synthesized or obtained from natural sources. Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology found a new way to produce NANA from chitin… »