Researcher Akshayakumar Kompa mixes nickel powder with chitin derived from shrimp shells as he demonstrates the production process of a new plastic-like biomaterial at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Barcelona on April 24, 2026. This innovative material, developed from shrimp shells and reinforced with nickel, mimics the functional properties of plastic while offering high resistance to water. Researchers at the center suggest this breakthrough marks the beginning of a new era of biological materials capable of replacing single-use plastics with natural, sustainable alternatives. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)

Researcher Akshayakumar Kompa holds a new plastic-like biomaterial derived from shrimp shells created at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Barcelona on April 24, 2026. This innovative material, developed from shrimp shells and reinforced with nickel, mimics the functional properties of plastic while offering high resistance to water. Researchers at the center suggest this breakthrough marks the beginning of a new era of biological materials capable of replacing single-use plastics with natural, sustainable alternatives. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)

A researcher holds a new plastic-like biomaterial derived from shrimp shells created at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Barcelona on April 24, 2026. This innovative material, developed from shrimp shells and reinforced with nickel, mimics the functional properties of plastic while offering high resistance to water. Researchers at the center suggest this breakthrough marks the beginning of a new era of biological materials capable of replacing single-use plastics with natural, sustainable alternatives. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)

Researcher Akshayakumar Kompa mixes nickel powder with chitin derived from shrimp shells as he demonstrates the production process of a new plastic-like biomaterial at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) in Barcelona on April 24, 2026. This innovative material, developed from shrimp shells and reinforced with nickel, mimics the functional properties of plastic while offering high resistance to water. Researchers at the center suggest this breakthrough marks the beginning of a new era of biological materials capable of replacing single-use plastics with natural, sustainable alternatives. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP via Getty Images)

Head of gene therapy analytical sciences of UCB Gael Debauve poses during the inauguration of the new gene therapy site at the Braine l'Alleud campus of biopharmaceutical company UCB, in Braine-L'alleud, on the outskirts of Brussels, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by EMILE WINDAL / Belga / AFP via Getty Images) / Belgium OUT

Demonstrators carry a coffin as they stage a protest to denounce the early retirement of 300 million computers, made obsolete by the forced upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, called by several consumer associations in front of Microsoft France headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, on the outskirts of Paris, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP via Getty Images)

Demonstrators carry a coffin as they stage a protest to denounce the early retirement of 300 million computers, made obsolete by the forced upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, called by several consumer associations in front of Microsoft France headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, on the outskirts of Paris, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph shows the logo of Microsoft displayed on the facade of the company France headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, on the outskirts of Paris, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Martin LELIEVRE / AFP via Getty Images)