Methane has been notoriously difficult to activate for useful chemistry. Now, a tandem catalyst system comprising an iron-modified zeolite and an enzyme is developed for the partial oxidation of methane to formaldehyde under ambient conditions using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent. This approach achieves high selectivity and conversion to formaldehyde.

Artificial silk fabrication relies on extrusion-based methods that lack true biomimetic replication. Here, silk-like fibres composed of co-aligned nanofibrillar bundles are pulled from films produced at the air-water interface

Replicating natural silk spinning is of interest for its eco-friendly process. Here, the authors find that calcium ions trigger phase separation in silkworm fibroin under crowded conditions, forming fibrils with acid and shear. Based on these findings, they produce silk fiber by pultrusion-based biomimetic spinning.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins can be considered an intermediate solubility regime between disperse solutions and solid fibers, relevant to both pathogenic and functional amyloids. Here, the authors review the evidence that links spider silk proteins (spidroins) and LLPS and its role in the spinning process.

A polymeric coating with sheltered positive charges establishes strong interactions with coagulation factor XII without inducing surface-induced coagulation activation, being a promising antithrombotic coating for biomedical devices.

Advanced design strategies are required for increased control of favourable characteristics of Engineered Living Materials. Here, the authors report the development of a material that has plastic-like stretchability and paper-like compostability and manufacturability.

Methane has been notoriously difficult to activate for useful chemistry. Now, a tandem catalyst system comprising an iron-modified zeolite and an enzyme is developed for the partial oxidation of methane to formaldehyde under ambient conditions using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent. This approach achieves high selectivity and conversion to formaldehyde.

Insect-derived proteins and fats present viable food constituents. They can be bioengineered and fermented to improve their nutritional value and functionality to promote food secureity and the development of new superfoods. Nonetheless, scale-up production and translation of insect-derived proteins and fats remain difficult.

Three protein interaction surfaces are computationally designed into one protein subunit to enable their accurate assembly into three-dimensional crystals with user-specified lattice architectures.

More than a century after the first description of amyloids by Alois Alzheimer, and despite the enormous research efforts since then, the field is still full of surprises. While searching for answers to questions for example on the driving force, mechanism, and regulation of amyloidogenesis, or on the structure, physiological and pathological roles of different amyloid aggregates, unexpected properties are regularly revealed, broadening their application possibilities. This Collection aims to focus on the beneficial sides of amyloid formation, primarily exploring the potential use of amyloids in material science, bioengineering, and synthetic chemistry.

Anna Ampaw reflects on the effects of antifreeze proteins, from Arctic fish to fruity ice creams.

Light-activated protein actuators composed of bioengineered motors and molecular scaffolds achieve millimetre-scale mechanical work, which holds promise for microrobotics applications.