Turkey Inspired Technology: A Thanksgiving Startup Tale

We love a good meal and enjoy sharing our gratitude even more. Turns out, there’s more to be thankful for when it comes to turkeys than Thanksgiving dinner. Newer members of our team were astounded to find out that turkeys bio-inspired the invention of Calyx’s unique technology!

How did a turkey lead us to bioengineering phage to sense complex gases? The secret is in the skin. When they experience an emotion, their collagen bundle-based nanostructure creates patterns that exhibit blue color on the surface of their skin! Turkeys essentially blush when they’re excited. Our sensing mechanism is inspired by this color change. Our sensors mimic the structure of turkey skins. This bundle-based structure will swell or shrink upon exposure of chemicals, resulting in color changes similar to those seen on turkeys when they blush. This phenomenon as it relates to Phage was initially discovered by Dr. Lee, our Co-founder’s former PI. Looking to dive deeper into the science? Check out Dr. Lee’s article in Nature Communications. This discovery and his guidance was a powerful catalyst for Calyx.