Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microbes That Produce Miniature Electrical Wires

Posted by samzenpus on from the nano-doozers dept.

anukit writes "Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have discovered a tiny biological structure that is highly electrically conductive. This breakthrough helps describe how microorganisms can clean up groundwater and produce electricity from renewable resources. It may also have applications in the emerging field of nanotechnology, which develops advanced materials and devices in extremely small dimensions."

12 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Wow. by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 4, Funny

    I never really considered the idea that germs could eat food and use it to shit wires.

    1. Re:Wow. by Guy+Harris · · Score: 4, Funny
      I make cable all of the time.

      So, given the production method being discussed, would that be SCAT-5 cable?

  2. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by ATLgerm · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does this mean we'll be able to get wikipedia on an implant? Wait, would just anyone be able to edit it? ^o^

  3. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by failure-man · · Score: 2, Funny

    Personally, I wouldn't ever jack my brain into a public network. I'd rather not be "0wn3d" and have to pay a script-kiddie $250,000 to have him return my vision to normal rather than having it be static goatse in both eyes. (Or worse.)

  4. Re:Can't resist... by dancpsu · · Score: 2, Funny

    First they offered to clean up our waste water.

    Then they started making wires.

    Then they started selling the wires to us.

    Now we need to pay to take a crap.

    --
    "Scientists don't change their minds, they just die." -- Max Planck
  5. Re:Can't resist... by Bad+D.N.A. · · Score: 2, Funny

    Until they start calling us "ugly bags of water"

    --
    "Truth is much too complicated to allow anything but approximations"
  6. Soylent Brown by unitron · · Score: 1, Funny
    "Geobacter was discovered by Lovley in 1987 at the muddy bottom of the Potomac River in Washington D.C...."

    So that's where they dump the body everytime they find (and have to quickly remove) an honest politician!

    --

    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  7. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by Wolfier · · Score: 2, Funny

    How about making the brain itself? Imagine a Beo^H^H^H culture of these buggers, it may eventually THINK for itself :P

  8. Re:Like super-algae by Mad_Rain · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is another amazing step in our God-granted dominion and stewardship of His Creation.

    Meanwhile, on Magrethea:
    "Pfft. Those earth creatures finally figured out how to get microbes to do some serious work for them. Amazing for a bunch of hairdressers and phone-cleaners. Oh well. Enough slashdot, back to designing fjords."

    --
    "What do you think?" "I think 'What, do you think?!'"
  9. Re:Nice, so can we live forever? by PakProtector · · Score: 1, Funny

    Personally, I'd rather just keep popping my brain into clones of Utada Hikaru every few decades.

    Of course, I'd spend all my time looking in the mirror.

    --

    Edward@Tomato - /home/Edward/ man woman
    man: no entry for woman in the manual.
    "Qua!?"

  10. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by Guppy06 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "it may eventually THINK for itself"

    Oh, I'm sure it will be posting on Slashdot long before that.

  11. Great! Now I can finally... by Luxury+P.+Yacht · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... wire my daughter's doll house for Ethernet.

    --
    Bush should have died, not Reagan -- Morrissey
    Morrissey rides a cockhorse -- The Warlock Pinchers