Kaapi with Kuriosity November 2025 by Namrata Gundiah

Title - Flexible Solutions: Lessons from Nature’s Rubber Proteins

Register for the talk: bit.ly/kwk_Nov2025

Abstract:

Survival in the natural world places many demands on animals – they have to grow, hunt, reproduce, and escape predators or harsh environments. These constant pressures have profoundly shaped the mechanical properties and material composition of their tissues. Across habitats, from the ocean depths to arid and terrestrial landscapes, animals have evolved extraordinary structural and functional adaptations to meet these challenges. One fascinating solution to this challenge is the evolution of rubber-like proteins that enable tissues to stretch. Such proteins confer elasticity through molecular uncoiling and unfolding under external loads. My talk focusses on three such rubber proteins - elastin, resilin and abductin. By studying how these systems work, we uncover insights into fundamental design principles in nature that are shaped by evolution. A meeting of biology with engineering can also provide inspiration for creating new materials and mechanical systems.

About the Speaker:

Namrata Gundiah is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests are broadly in nonlinear tissue mechanics and cell mechanobiology. She is also fascinated by the biomechanical principles underlying how insects cut and bore through substrates.

Webpage - https://www.icts.res.in/outreach/kaapi-with-kuriosity/nov2025

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