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Bacteria Used to Create Nanowires

Posted by timothy on from the high-tech-beekeeping dept.

FnH writes "Derek Lovley and his colleagues of the University of Massachusetts discovered that the Geobacter bacteria is capable of producing nanowires. The bacteria is normally used to clean up toxic waste. Geobacter does not use oxygen, but metal as its source for power. This probably explains the 3nm to 5nm nanowires it excretes while working. What metal the nanowires are made of is not yet known, but the genetic code responsible for their creation is. This opens up the possibility of modifying the bacteria to create nanowires on chips."

27 of 188 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing to say... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    ...I have

  2. I guess... by WindozeSux · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    oxigen

    The editor's didn't have their coffee this morning.

    --
    Fallout 3 will suck.
    1. Re:I guess... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
      editor's

      And neither have you, it seems. :)

    2. Re:I guess... by mariox19 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Nevermind the caffeine -- maybe his brain needs more oxygen.

      --

      quiquid id est, timeo puellas et oscula dantes.

    3. Re:I guess... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Additionally, the "it's" should be "its".

    4. Re:I guess... by jridley · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Not to mention:
      metal as it's source for power.

      it's is a contraction of "it is", therefore:
      [uses] metal as [it is] source for power.

      Of course, that leads to:
      The editor's didn't have their coffee this morning.

      The editor's WHAT didn't have coffee?

      That probably should be source OF power, as long as we're picking nits.

      Knowing the english language isn't really a requirement for the job of Slashdot editor. That's been apparent for quite a long time now.

      Actually, I don't think the "editors" are editors at all. They sift through the submissions pile, and accept stories, seemingly at random. They don't really seem to actually even read slashdot themselves; just look at the number of duplicate articles. They certainly don't spell- or grammar-check the articles.

      But I'm about done with slashdot anyway. It's getting to be rare that I see an article that I haven't already seen elsewhere. Heck, a couple of times lately NPR has scooped slashdot on technology news. If you read the register and another couple of tech sites, it's almost guaranteed that you will not see anything new on slashdot.

  3. It doesn't use Oxigen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    But does it use Oxygen?

  4. Hello Intel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Hello Intel, that looks like a nice nano chip design...

    for me to poop on.

    1. Re:Hello Intel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      damn! Nice one!

      I spent 5 minutes trying to think of a good poop joke too!

  5. Nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Is everybody happy ?

  6. Re:oxigen? by EvilMonkeySlayer · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Hey I have a valid excuse, I posted in the rush.. *cough*

    Hey look! A flying monkey!

  7. Re:Huh? by baylanger · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    What in the name of fuck is "oxigen"?

    Timothy, once this thread is over, make sure to copy/paste it in wikipedia under "oxigen".

  8. Re:oxigen? by SimilarityEngine · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    It's okay, it's logically sound: geobacter does not use "oxigen", nor indeed does anything else. Also, fire-breathing vampires don't have eyes.

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  9. Re:oxigen? by strider44 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I love your use of commas Master Grammatist.

  10. Re:Clean up toxic... waste. by baylanger · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    The word 'bacteria' is plural. The singular form of 'bacteria' is 'bacterium.'

    You think it really makes more sense when English is your 3rd language? Don't get me wrong, we learn new things everyday and I'll sure remember that one... but I knew oxygen doesn't spell oxigen ;-)

  11. Re:oxigen? by Oscar_Wilde · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    That is a correct use of a possessive apostrophe, it is not a contraction of "it is".
     
    Can you provide a reference for that?
     
    From the Oxford American Dictionaries:
    it's
    contraction of
    • it is : it's my fault.
    • it has : it's been a hot day.
    and
    its
    possessive adjective belonging to or associated with a thing previously mentioned or easily identified : turn the camera on its side | he chose the area for its atmosphere.
    • belonging to or associated with a child or animal of unspecified sex : a baby in its mother's womb.
    USAGE Its is the possessive form of: it.
    I can't find a reference for it's not being a contraction.
  12. Re:Dupe by john-gal · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Darn you SlashEdsDoYourJob. The moment I read the article title, I knew this was a dupe but wanted to confirm my hunch. Did a quick search using Google and rushed back here to post the link. And here I find the first comment (at least the first comment visible to me) pointing to the original post. I hope you are happy. By the way, do you realize that if the Slashdot editors did their jobs, you would not have that nick?
    Mods, I hope this post get a good mod as I did not post a duplicate dupe comment even after I took the pains to do a Google search to confirm that this post is indeed a dupe.
    PS: The word that I got to type in to confirm that I am not a script was 'grieve'. How apt.
    --
    I have no sig..*sigh*

  13. Re:Huh? by famebait · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    What in the name of fuck is "oxigen"?

    It's a type of bait used to identify and tag the kind of people who implausably fail to anticipate that before their post is finished about 500 other readers will already have pointed out the same bleedingly obvious typo which everyone saw in the first place.

    --
    sudo ergo sum
  14. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by springbox · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I blame the editors for not being positive role models

  15. Re:HELP HELP: Need experts advice!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    and get a bottle of oxigen from Yntel or AMD.

  16. Re:oxigen? by johnnydiabetic · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Enough. People make mistakes. You people are too damned critical.

  17. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Hey, if the editors can dupe, why not you?


    Me am funny.

  18. Re:The bacteria "link up" with each other by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.

    We just got off the phone. He said your past won't affect me, so I'm in the clear there.

  19. Re:The bacteria "link up" with each other by ZorbaTHut · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I don't know the details, but I can guarantee it will involve a hard-nosed ex-cop, a beautiful reporter, a spunky sidekick of some kind, and a last-minute saving of the world thanks to some contrived quality of humanity, like, for example, love.

    We'd better throw a dog in there too. Everyone likes dogs.

    --
    Breaking Into the Industry - A development log about starting a game studio.
  20. These things are making... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    shit on a chip?

  21. Re:Possible cyberjack material? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    dont spend all your new karma in one place

  22. Re:oxigen? by reklusband · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I'm a fire breathing vampire with 3 eyes. Way to talk out of your ass!