Probably the most powerful gelling agent in the world - just one kilogram would be 
enough to turn an Olympic swimming pool into jelly in minutes - this amazing new substance, unveiled this week, is the first synthetic polymer molecule that can mimic the inherent rigidity of biological polymers such as collagen.
The material, a polyisocyanide, assembles into huge networks that trap water extremely efficiently. Alan Rowan, a materials chemist at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands and one of the scientists behind the discovery which has been published this week in Nature, is investigating medical uses for the resulting gel, such as a covering for wounds that can be removed simply by cooling it down.
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Can 'Devs' and macroscopic superposition become reality?
So how big a nuclear bomb would it take to cover the UK with a tsunami anyway
Can I utilise a telescope to enable me to see in the dark?
How are global warming and world population expansion linked?
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