Reconfigurable materials A visual breakdown of how humidity triggers a total structural overhaul in new peptide materials, moving from a stiff honeycomb (left) to soft layers (right) without losing material integrity. (Courtesy: Vignesh Athiyarath)"> Reconfigurable materials A visual breakdown of how humidity triggers a total structural overhaul in new peptide materials, moving from a stiff honeycomb (left) to soft layers (right) without losing material integrity. (Courtesy: Vignesh Athiyarath)

Protein molecules are highly dynamic, continually changing shape in response to changes in external conditions. Scientists have long sought to mimic this behaviour in artificial materials, and now a team at the City University of New York (CUNY) in the US has done just that, constructing a crystalline solid that switches between several distinct architectures as the ambient humidity changes.…