Nature’s first known solid ‘nanofoam’ helps pollen to ride the wind

Tasked with the survival of their species, many pollen grains must drift with the wind and endure harsh conditions. Advanced imaging techniques reveal that they do so thanks to exterior shells made of a tough material riddled with nanometre-sized pores — the first known example of a solid biological ‘nanofoam’¹.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00437-4

Subjects

• Biomaterials