Researchers in growing numbers are starting to enlist do-it-yourself 3-D printers, cheap electronics, sensors and more to advance their work. Over at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, nanobiochemist Ronald Zuckermann prints flexible 3-D plastic models of peptide-like polymers to study how they fold into stable structures. The shape and dynamics of the polymer chain dictate its properties for medical use. “The understanding I have gained from the model has been invaluable in helping me design new polymers,” Zuckermann says.
