Silicon biotechnology: New opportunities for carbohydrate science

Sweet silanes or silylated sugars? Hybrid materials prepared from silicon and carbohydrates are arguably both! Silicon biotechnology aims to combine silicon chemistry with the life sciences, including the synthesis of hybrid polymers, nanocomposites, and new tools for synthesis. Nature, as is often the case. leads the way, as illustrated here by the delicate biosilica skeleton of a marine sponge.