WATERSTRUC: Structured Water and its Implications for Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Living tissue and biofilm have liquid crystal properties, as can be visualized by polarized light microscopy. Such properties are often attributed to particles and substances such as proteins. The liquid crystalline structure increases biofilm adhesion and tolerance to desiccation and antibiotics. There are strong indications that water itself can form macroscopic (long range) structures, similar to ice but in a liquid state. This means that water may have a fundamental role in building strong biofilm and healthy tissue, as well as in areas such as geology, climate and more, in ways that have not been properly acknowledged and studied. In this multidisciplinary project, aqueous liquid crystals and their response to electromagnetic fields and other stimuli will be studied using state of the art techniques.