By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Porcupines are mild mannered large rodents that are the largest and heaviest of all African rodents.
The African crested porcupine is the third-largest living rodent in the world after the capybara and beaver with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation.
The African crested porcupine lives in hilly, rocky habitats in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and Italy.
The quill of a porcupine is a particularly versatile item with a rich history of varied uses. One primary purpose of the quill is for their protection. The quills will immediately stretch out in an occasion that threatens their lives which can hurt the hands. It has a very sharp pointed mouth.
Apart from its primary purpose for the animal , it can also benefit humans, such that can benefit realtors, health practitioners and fashionpreneurs.
Researchers at RMIT University have revealed that their research into the internal structure of porcupine quills could inspire the future of buildings, vehicles and infrastructure.
This is because they discovered that the internal morphology of porcupine quills makes them an ideal material for buckling resistance, meaning they could be used to create materials that can withstand crashes and impacts.
In an article published by Leaf, Dr Phuong (Jonathan) Tran, who leads biomimicry research at RMIT’s School of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, has long been fascinated by the animal.
Tran’s research group learns from natural materials like porcupine quills, exploring their architectures, microstructure and material properties. He said one of the greatest research challenges was in sourcing porcupine quills to study.
Tran and his colleagues, led by student Yun Lu Tee, then cut the quills into small pieces, up to 100 times smaller than a human hair. Under microscopic observation including X-ray tomography, they found the quills are divided by stiffeners into segmentations resembling citrus fruits that extend radially from the shell to the core.
“The keratinous-based material comprises three distinct phases: shell, foam and stiffeners, which can be easily identified by the varied density and thickness,” he said.
“The relatively thick shell withstands high compressive load, while the foam infill helps delay the failure of the biomaterial under mechanical loading.”
What Tran and his colleagues learned motivated them to design bio-inspired structures with multiple segments which they fabricated via stereolithography.
They’re hoping to solve the eternal engineering problem: how can we find stronger material that is also lighter?
The researchers are still investigating their results but thus new innovation will actually help realtors and civil engineers into 3D printing.
Also, each quill is coated with antibiotics that heals the impaled skin. Not only do they heal themselves from these self-inflicted wounds, but an animal or human being that gets affected by the quills will also heal quickly if impaled.
According to PubMed Journal, Porcupine quills possess antibiotic properties. The antibiotic activity is associated with free fatty acids (but not neutral lipids) coating the quills.
Also, Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have been studying the ways the design of North American porcupine quills can impact healthcare! 1 Possible applications include everything from hypodermic needles that result in less harm to tissues, to the design of staples used for wound closure.
By copying the microscopic barbs found on the North American porcupine’s quills, they believe they have found a way to greatly reduce the frequency and probability of infection.
As that is still being investigated, icons in the fashion industry are using the quills to manufacture jewelleries like Bracelets, beads, and other forms of jewelry.
Prior to the invention of beads, the use of porcupine quills as decorations on any item was accomplished by joining them together using other methods. Weapons, furniture, clothing, tools, and other objects were crafted into elaborate artwork.