In a experiment, I don't know yet.

Why is Blight so far?

Like, it sounds so simple.

They had no idea.

But now the data's people.

I find this not only refreshing, but at some level astounding.

Nature.

Hello and welcome to this week's nature podcast. This week we're taking a look at electric eel-inspired batteries and virus-inspired shells.

Plus an explosive ingredient that can transform volcanic eruptions.

This is the nature podcast for December the 14th, 2017.

I'm Benjamin Thompson.

And I'm Charmany Bandelle.

First up this week, we've got a report from Ewan Callaway,

who's been finding out what viruses can teach us about design.

Viruses are studies in symmetry. Their shells are made of repeating proteins that naturally

form elegant geometric shapes, such as icosahedrons and helices. These shells encased genetic instructions for a virus that lets it infect host cells and make copies of itself.

Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have been working on designing their own

virus-like protein shells that could be used in gene therapy as an alternative to the real

viruses currently used. They've now gone one step further and made virus shells that contain the genetic instructions

needed to make the shell proteins, and that can be made to adapt to new environments through

a form of evolution.

I asked Gabe Butterfield why he and his team of protein designers are inspired by viruses.

...