Homophones for zein, zine

zein / zine [zi:n]

zein – n. – Biochemistry, a group of alcohol soluble proteins from protein bodies in the endoplasmic reticulum of corn (maize) endosperm

zine – n. – a small distribution magazine produced independently for a narrow niche readership

In the News...

Zein and zine regularly hit the news.

Zein

This is not just an interesting biological term but is showing up more and more in various industries as people want to move away from petrol chemical products to ones that are more planet and people friendly.

As  nanoparticles it is being used to give better drug delivery. And they don't stop there. What about adhesives and several other medical applications.

But medicine isn't the only place to see an increase in this interesting protein, the food industry is intrigued and thinking of applications to use this for ingredients that have fallen out of favor. Now, just what is the problem with glycerine?

Or perhaps, you would like to explore 3D printer inks ... yes, zein can be found on the cutting edge of biomaterials.

Then you might just want to dive deep into the biochemistry and see what's being discovered with this fascinating plant protein.

Zine

When I was growing up, we didn't have online zines. Specialized magazine that you could hold in your hand, yes. The challenge was the cost of production and publication. This meant that those interested in non-popular areas could rarely get published. Now, that's changed dramatically.

Well, that's the common perception.

The actual history is far different. Benjamin Franklin published zines in the 1700s. Folks like William Blake, who had his own printing press, published his own poetry, in the 1800s.. The 1900s saw an explosion of science fiction, the Beat poets and fan publications. And the list continues. 

while many have predicted the death of the hard copy, it has not given way to electronic media as easily as some have assumed. Many reasons exist for this, not least of which is the tactile sensation. But also the range that independent publishing covers. Zines are no longer just for the fringes. They have become topics of discussion for main  stream academics as well.

Look carefully. You may be surprised at how many zines you find in your own community.

Or you can go to a place like Amazon and browse their selection.