more. by choice in this card because given their way toward transmitting from the forms. when it was national much and i. did have a. more . hello and welcome to tomorrow today the science show on t.w. coming up on this edition. learning from nature's example how bonds plants and insects can produce agriculture. the science behind medicinal plants researches unlocking leonsis. first spiders and their potential role in medicine there's so could save lives.

mother nature is a master of invention science can learn a lot from the incredible materials around us like bamboo it's light flexible and still extremely sturdy because of the knots along the stem. cassopolis silk is another it warms up in the cold and cools down in the heat nature spins out all kinds of fascinates materials some could even be used to heal us. every year nearly three hundred thousand people have a heart attack in germany alone many of those who survived face dealing with a weakened heart for the rest of their life. that's because the heart muscle tissue damaged in an attack can't regenerate scar tissue forms which affects the heart's ability to pump. but this might be about to change thanks to spiders

they could help millions of people regain a strong and healthy heart. are simply amazing when it comes to producing materials there are masters at manufacturing remarkable fibers. it's the spider silk that has scientists excited it's made up mainly of proteins and it's a biological model a strand maybe two thousands of a millimeter wide yet it's tougher and stronger than any other known fiber. it's possible to milk spiders to yield up that. the material is being used more and more in the field of medicine for example as a wound dressing. used inside our bodies. the balance down to the most exciting aspect of these fibers is that they are invisible to the body so they can be used as a bio shield in stealth mode anything you wrap and silk is no longer regarded as

a foreign substance by the body this is a great achievement we can avoid triggering any reaction on the part of the body to the surface of so. as a scaffolding material for growing hot tissue. at the university and allen and. natural spiders to grow heart muscle cells. under the microscope you can see individual cells contracting rhythmically like. there is a downside natural. insufficient quantity. the problem was we couldn't produce cells of the same quality or in sufficient quantities so we have banned in the project because we thought we could never implemented in humans. but in the meantime thomas scheiber over in by

a god was working on a possible solution to the problem artificial spider silk. and was we have one advantage before us twenty years of research had failed so we knew what not to do. after many years of work scheibel foreshock a way to engineer spider silk protein. to the health tyria. to achieve this he for. first had to decipher the d.n.a. of the spider then he identified the blueprint of a certain silk protein and translated it into the language of the bacteria and then planted these genes into the genome of the bacteria which could then produce the valuable silk protein. that was the plan and it worked. that now large amounts of the spider so protein can be produced in so called for

mentors. after several rounds of purification and processing the protein is reduced to a white powder this powder can then be processed as needed in huge quantities. we produce tons of silk protein in one hundred twenty thousand leader bioreactors it is in fiction anymore it's already reality and. the protein is being tested as a coating on breast implants to improve bio compatibility and decrease the chance of an adverse response. it's probably also well suited as a coating for artificial heart valves. sprayed on as a fin film the silk protein would make the foreign parts almost invisible to the body. and the synthetic protein looks like a fantastic resource for felix engle in his quest to grow new heart muscle cells as

a gel it can be used in three d. printing. three d. technology is available we all know we can print non-living matter but now we're seeing it's possible to print a living matter as well. perhaps one day we might be able to print heart muscle blood vessel and connective tissue cells in just the right combination . for now the initial experiments show that heart muscle cells produced in this way can form a structure and beat synchronously for several weeks. in the future it might be possible to apply such engineer tissue to damaged areas of the heart and give it new strength. but the prospect of replacing i'm renewing heart muscle in humans is still quite distant the individual components of the printed heart tissue would have to grow together and form

a single well formed unit implanted to she would have to be able to beat in sync with the recipient's heart nevertheless there is growing confidence that this goal will eventually be achieved with the help of hi tech spider silk. it seems there's no end to nature's curative powers have you ever thought of nettles as medicine. how about ginger as a natural antibiotic. all sage to treat a sore throat. nature is a medicinal treasure trove and there's still so much left to discover. it's knowledge dating back thousands of years the healing effect of plants and her . knowledge that was of great importance in the middle ages and then to some extent

forgotten. but many scientists are now developing a curiosity for these plants and medical practitioners are rediscovering their healing power. plants the noble remedies are often underestimated they supplement conventional medicine sometimes they're the first choice. we're in town or snare frankfurt with is from put karma she's looking for hopes for medicinal teas today she mostly wants young nettles and birch and black berry leaves. some of the planet's. nettles and birch leaves because they flush out the urinary system. blackberry leaves have an anti inflammatory effect in the mouth. i'll use all three to make an herbal blend. it's like a home remedy. hose up with you can sort of. as a her box but at frankfurt's paghman gotten botanical gardens she knows the potential of plants to protect themselves against pests and pathogens they often

contain oils bitter substances and acids that kill germs. like willows along with many other active ingredients that contains salicylic acid compounds at the end of the nineteenth century chemists developed these substances in two thousand of the most popular fever and pain relief medications. aspirin. there are more than seven hundred plants in germany known to have medicinal effect a new ones are discovered around the world all the time. research under this hensel is trying to unlock more secrets from the plant world he's investigating marshmallow root and caps whiskas which contain substances that could help relieve coughs and urine every tract infections. the research is job is to develop new drugs and improve the ones that are already available. to future the problem is the sheer multitude of substances in these medicinal plants often we know the

plant has an effect but many times we don't know which of the countless substances is responsible that's what our research is about cracking this code so we can develop more effective medications we're. going to come and we're going to put. red sage is also an intriguing plant it's not going to have a wound healing effect but there are over fifty to ten show active ingredients so which one is responsible for healing wounds researches are trying to find out using human skin cell cultures they treat them each with just one isolated substance from the sage plant. the question is. just the substance promotes cell growth. because for a wind to heal new skin cells have to grow in that area. the samples are tested a few days later it's a painstaking test but the results could be huge. for which we have

a design it would be such a great breakthrough to identify which substances have the most positive effect on feeling especially for bedridden patients with rooms that are hard to treat hopefully our research will help us to develop new drugs. scientists haven't tested all the substances yet but they hope to find the active ingredient within a year or two and to develop a drug from it. the research is further along for other medicinal plants. is from the estimates of clinic in western germany he treats patients every day with highly effective purple drugs the clinic is one of six acute care clinics across the country that focus on complementary and alternative medicine half of all patients at the clinic receive it usually alongside conventional medicine. for a severe cough for example but also to fight urinary tract infections and chronic

gastrointestinal diseases or to lower cholesterol levels. the clinic uses more than fifty plant based medicines in the internal medicine department alone and has done so for fifteen years. supplementing conventional medicine with herbal remedies can often take results. like for nonspecific back pain and i all meant many people suffer from. its initial unspecific back pain can be greatly helped by using herbal medicine because it's the biggest advantage of these herbal drugs is that they often cause fewer side effects. significantly fewer herbal medicine also plays a major role in treating respiratory diseases that can alleviate the symptoms which means less coughing less pain in the limbs and faster healing and there is no conventional alternative to this herbal remedy that's on a par in terms of side effects. about someone just in the fancy.

of course it's always important to speak to a doctor about the cause of an illness and the treatment plan. self medicating with herbal remedies alone can be life threatening. it's a danger that it will spawn put karma is aware of. even though the hope she collects it considers completely safe she's very careful and she knows when to seek medical attention. in this market doesn't she. if i notice a slight infection in my bladder or kidneys i use these plans. dunwoody is a flaw but i monitor myself carefully. if after two or three days there's no improvement i would definitely go to a doctor and have it checked out. clearly. it is spurious some of the black prelate

she's collected straight away so that the active ingredients can infuse best. she tries the rest to make plans for later medicine cabinet scavenged from nature. even pesky we needs can help to heal us. we lost on facebook if there are any natural remedies few swear by. but a nokia as upon tang is a fan of nettles because they can defend themselves and defend us. caprice you could work every year carnegie thinks i know veera is probably the best skin remedy he knows it has a powerful effect on the skin especially when it's combined with lemon juice and other natural products. and still manage to spell it right is

says ginger is the first thing he takes when he's ill under it's even better with a bit of honey and lemon. than for your comments. to see it becomes a seedling it grows its first leaves. and then flowers and eventually the fruit with seeds of its own and so the cycle begins again but plants change constantly depending on the time of day. joshua quaid from ghana sent in this photo with a question for us. why do flowers close at night and how do they do what. flowers don't only move when the wind blows. or when you give them to your sweetheart. it all happens so slowly that the movement is best captured with time lapse photography. a rose bursts into bloom.

flowering plants open and close their blossoms every day not all at night but at different times depending on their needs why is that they only pollinators to carry their pollen to other flowers around fertilize them. by the flowers all over and at the same time the competition for the bees or bats are birds would be very great. crocuses do close their flowers at night the theory is that they do so to protect their pollen from the damp and the cold but. how do they do it. at the sporty it's easy to see how it works that young people use their muscles and joints to make their dance moves. but flowers all they have to do is stand there to attract pollinators with their

beautiful colors nectar and fragrance. but they do also have joints of a sword where the petals grow out of the stone. when the water pressure inside increases the bloom opens. when the pressure subsides the flower closes and takes arrest. the problem is red white are great but. do you have a science question that you've always wanted oncet we're happy to help out send it to us as a video text ovoid smell if we answer it on the show we'll send you a little surprise as a thank you. come on just ask. you'll find us at d.w. dot com slash science on twitter d w underscore site tech and on facebook d.w.

dot science. flatow is open up to lure in the insect visitors like bees bees live in communities sophisticated systems with a clear division of labor nurse species look after the larvae working bees build the honey comb from where else and they fly out to collect nectar to make honey as a small man these can do things they'd never be able to do on their own and. that's what our web video is all about this week. how do these defy the wind. once a year honeybees head out to form a new colony. to rest during their search they gather under branches to handle together. that scientists wanted to know how honeybees swarm holds together in the wind. so in the lab they build these

movable platforms to simulate wind. when the swarm a shake and the bees are exposed to extreme loads especially those directly on the boat. these responded by spreading out. the flatter cone makes the small more stable. researchers track the movements of individual beanies and found that they crawl in the direction of the high alone and. when all the bees follow that rule the cone becomes flatter. then the colony becomes more stable and can withstand the wind swarm intelligence makes for a stronger colony. butterflies and other insects need large meadows and grasslands to thrive. but industrial

monoculture is harming that biodiversity that's bad for the valley especially the pollinators we're relying on scientists are looking for a solution. researchers at the university of bonn visit these fields regularly to count the insects this is a research facility of the agriculture department across the rhine in henna of their aims to make farms and farming more insect from. the fields here a bordered by had droves and wild flowers all. doing says they attract all kinds of insects. more than fifty species of ground beetle spend the winter in these hedges when spring comes they get to work. around beetles eat parasites there are lots and

lots of these beetles here in the field so they consume lots and lots of pests. with the hedges flowers and grasses the agricultural ecologists have created habitat for beneficial insects that eat the pests reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides. over. here's a ladybird love it feeds on aphids fun. by promoting beneficial bugs we can substantially reduce the pest population reduce not eliminate some always remain as you can see here on these means. but we can succeed in stabilizing the system.

alongside the hedges the flowers around the field don't all bloom at the same time but in sequence so the insects never run out of food. many different species of insect make use of the flowers. this part of the field is known as the head land or turn row where the tractors turn. because of the heavy traffic the soil tends to be rather compacted. so the yield here is. and so great. when it comes to crops the area may not be so attractive in economic terms. but we can use it to house insects. it's not just the edges of the field that look different

the field itself just you. know weed killers are used here so insects find food throughout the fields seeds pollen nectar from poppies and cameo. the downside is that the wild flowers compete with the crops for nutrients in the soil . you have to accept some degree of weed cover gannett farming you can never keep all weeds a day that's not the aim anyway. is skipped over all organic farming yields about twenty percent less than conventional farming. it's on the other hand by deploying beneficial bugs and a range of other measures we can ensure that yields are relatively stable. drilling and his colleagues use mechanical methods to deal with weeds not chemicals

. the equipment can only be used between the rows of crops any weeds right up against the wheat remain the crop rotation is carefully planned six different crops over a six year cycle and then it starts all over again. each crop takes a different mix of nutrients from the soil depletion is slower and more balanced. the insects thrive in the good soil. there's no need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer its job is done by the legumes such as clover and beans that make up part of the rotation cycle their roots bind nitrogen from the air and make it available to the soil. crop rotation is a key part of organic farming with it you can kill two birds with one stone well

not just two but ten the soil here is nothing like what you have with say a maze monoculture the soil structure is much much better. see how nice and crumbly it is. this has to do with lots of beneficial insects. well that's a disease prevention all hope. and better way to control it's all into. well as a rotation has lots of advantages that all come together. biodiversity here is thirty percent greater than in conventionally farm fields and when it comes to pollinators it's fifty percent greater blossoming hedge rows and borders no pesticides less fertilizer plus crop rotation of this winning combination is bearing fruit and b. and here's a while being. well served by so many species. meaning

to me. that's all for now and next time will be lifting off with store some a base appliance the novice may flying skills determine how well the group coordinates its migration patterns and which birds will make the longest journey join us for that she uses the bike.

after the end of the first world war. there are more than two million speechless refugees. normally one document can start a new life. history last hope. the monsoon passport. in seventy five minutes long t.w. . what's the connection between bread but home and the european union so he

knows guilt mountain view correspondent and the baker john stretch this book in line with the rules set by the team. cuts to. smoking recipes for success the strategies that make a difference. baking bread on d w. i'm not laughing at the jam i guess sometimes i am but i said nothing which is that having thinks deep into the german culture of looking at the stereotype clad in here think the future of the country that i now not. needed to take for this drama day out to me it's all about. nothing i might show join me to meet the jetman sunday guppy. post. closely.

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this is news coming to you live from the death toll of the prizes to two hundred ninety eight another pile of hundred people wounded in a string of ordinated attacks targeting churches and luxury hotels on easter sunday officials blame religious extremists and have made several arrests but have the latest from colombia. also coming up time to get serious in ukraine comedian selenski wins a landslide victory in the presidential runoff plain.