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Leyu Li is a speculative food designer and strategist based in London. In her work she explores the intersections of design, sociology, and gastronomy. She uses food as a medium to prompt discussions about broader issues, challenge perceptions, and stimulate public dialogue on the future of food. Leyu Li graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London BA Design in 2022 with a First Class Honours Degree.

During Dutch Design Week 2023, Leyu exhibited her project Broccopork, Mushchicken and Peaf at our headquarters, the Next Nature Evoluon in Eindhoven. In an effort to explore the public opinion towards cultured meat, she turned to TikTok. With her fictional influencer “Meaty Auntie”, she sparked online debate through short clips showcasing futuristic meat plants. Her videos already gained more than 3 million views so far.

Scientists examine how friction forces propel development in a marine organism. As the potter works the spinning wheel, the friction between their hands and the soft clay helps them shape it into all kinds of forms and creations. In a fascinating parallel, sea squirt oocytes (immature egg cells) harness friction within various compartments in their interior to undergo developmental changes after conception. A study from the Heisenberg group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), published in Nature Physics, now describes how this works.