Collagen breakthrough made

RESEARCHER Oded Shoseyov of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has figured out how to get tobacco plants to produce a human-like collagen.

Collagen is the main protein in skin, tendons, cartilage, bone and connective tissue. It typically declines during the normal aging process, allowing cheeks to sag and wrinkles to set it.

These findings, published in the journal Biomacromolecules, will surprise those obsessed with beauty, as smoking is known to age your skin.