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From Indian Villages To West Elm Shelves: Handmade Crafts Go High-End

Each time a different natural dye is added to the fabric for a Good Earth pillow or quilt, it's rinsed, then laid to dry in the sun. Courtesy of Good Earth hide caption

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Courtesy of Good Earth

Goats and Soda

From Indian Villages To West Elm Shelves: Handmade Crafts Go High-End

December 24, 2015 • That $2,300 rug with a faded floral pattern at West Elm? The $50 picture frame made of bone at Bloomingdale's? Both handcrafted by artisans in India.

Weavers Turn Silk Into Diabetes Test Strips

Using a simple wooden handloom, weavers create silk strips that diabetics can use as glucose sensors. This loom is at Achira Labs in Bangalore, India. Courtesy of Tripurari Choudhary hide caption

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Courtesy of Tripurari Choudhary

Goats and Soda

Weavers Turn Silk Into Diabetes Test Strips

January 8, 2015 • In India, where silk is plentiful, the luxe fabric turns out to be more efficient — and cheaper — than paper or plastic for testing a diabetic's glucose levels.

Why Silk May Be Added To Vaccines Someday

Soft to the touch, silk may also help preserve vaccines and drugs someday. Fiorenzo Omenetto/Tufts University hide caption

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Fiorenzo Omenetto/Tufts University

Shots - Health News

Why Silk May Be Added To Vaccines Someday

July 9, 2012 • A protein in silk could help stabilize vaccines and medicines. Researchers at Tufts University have found a little bit of the protein can help preserve heat-sensitive medicines that usually require refrigeration.