(Newser)
– A 17-year-old high school girl and a finalist in a national science competition came up with an impressive invention that she hopes can save lives, especially in developing countries. Dasia Taylor of Iowa City, Iowa, had read about the “smart” sutures covered with a conductive material that can transmit the changes of a wound to smartphones and computers, reports Smithsonian. The problem, as Dasia saw it, was that those expensive sutures were not likely to be accessible to people in low- and middle-income countries, where surgical infections are usually more common and deadly, depending on Washington Post. When her chemistry teacher talked about a state-level science fair in October 2019, Dasia began working on making her own sutures that would record changes in pH levels without electronics. The key: beets.
Human skin has a pH of about 5, but that increases to 9 with an infection. As Dasia discovered, beet juice is bright red at a pH of 5, but turns dark purple at a pH of 9. This meant that a suture containing the beet juice dye should change color to the appearance of an infection. Tests using a cotton-polyester yarn blend proved Dasia’s theory. In five minutes below pH 9, the sutures turned dark purple. After three days, they disappeared to light gray. Dasia not only “dominated” the competition at the state level, but was named one of the 40 national finalists in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search, according to Post. More research is needed to translate the idea into practical use. Standard sutures, for example, are non-absorbent to keep bacteria out. But Dasia is not discouraged and intends to patent her invention. (Read more stories about inventions.)