It’s hard to patch up a bleeding wound. If it’s not on a limb, a tourniquet won’t help, gauze doesn’t absorb enough blood, and many blood clotting agents can leave residue behind, resulting in potentially dangerous side effects. A new material that’s bendable, easy to apply and remove, and incredibly absorbent may help fix that.

A US Army study found that 80 to 90 per cent of “potentially survivable deaths” of US soldiers who died on the battlefield before they could …