Sea Creatures to Provide Basis for New Electronics?

hakaii writes to tell us that the shells of tiny sea creatures may help to lay the foundation for new electronic devices including an improved pollution detector. "Using a chemical process that converts the shells' original silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) into the semiconductor material silicon, researchers have created a new class of gas sensors based on the unique and intricate three-dimensional (3-D) shells produced by microscopic creatures known as diatoms. The converted shells, which retain the 3-D shape and nanoscale detail of the originals, could also be useful as battery electrodes, chemical purifiers - and in other applications requiring complex shapes that nature can produce better than humans."

Comments

so, who will patent this

[jacquesm]

One more item on the list of the patent ghouls, no doubt.

We are mostly discoverers, much less inventors. Every now and then we come up (in large numbers)
with stuff that nature has not yet thought of, but for the most part our 'inventions' are already
part of nature.

I watched a movie called the corporation not so long ago, (it's free to download), and it really
opened my eyes to how far we've drifted off from being 'good stewards' of the planet.

I'm happy that we are scanning nature for clues on how we can do our material science better
but I fear that a few years down the line we'll see that dow chemicals now owns it...

Re:so, who will patent this

[thrawn_aj]

We are mostly discoverers, much less inventors. Every now and then we come up (in large numbers) with stuff that nature has not yet thought of, but for the most part our 'inventions' are already part of nature. The article itself is an excellent counter-example to your claim. Or are you suggesting that sea-shells were designed to be electronic circuits? :P Engineering genius consists of tailoring Nature to suit our needs. To a clam, a shell is simply a shell, a means of protection, a dead hulk that surrounds it. To the engineer who thought up this application, it was much more than that. It was a ready template to design micro circuitry. It is incomprehensible to me how this translates to "simply appropriating what already exists in nature". There are levels of understanding and levels of control. Sure, we can't engineer devices from scratch (i.e. from the level of subatomic particles :P), but that is hardly an issue is it? One might as well say that a factory produces paint and canvas, so the artist does nothing. While this may be true for some so-called artists *roll*, surely that's fallacious in general?

Re:so, who will patent this

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

I watched a movie called the corporation not so long ago,

Torrent (via mininova) available here. Everyone watch this - it's great.

Free The Scallops!

[Wandering Wombat]

For far too long, the oceans crustaceans have been forced to live in servitude, with the knowledge of impending death looming over their tiny spineless brains. Aquatic mollusks existing purely to create better speakers, gas sensors, and the mighty Kraken slain and now used to broadcast XM Radio to Illinois. You've gone too far!

Seriously, though, this is sort of cool. When can we see shell bikinis with embedded iPods?

Re:Free The Scallops!

[fireboy1919]

Personally, I'm a lot more concerned for the scallop's smaller cousin. Sure, everybody's all about freeing the scallops, but what about the mallocs?

They get totally ignored and end up leaking toxic stuff all over the place.

So everyone, free the mallocs to stop the leaks!

Re:wow...

[Sneakernets]

Imagine a Beowulf school of these!

Obligatory Futurama

[Loadmaster]

Zoidberg: Hooray, I'm useful! I'm having a wonderful time.

Swi

New electronics?

[bugnuts]

The driving force of consumer CPU advancements has always been the gamers.

I don't think the uber gamers who demand the fastest processors will want CPUs made out of snails.

Re:New electronics?

[Harmonious Botch]

You must be new here. Gamers will shell out whatever it takes to get the fastest processor.

Re:New electronics?

[geekoid]

Whether is a fin, or 2000 clams, only the best to show off are muscles!

Is there anything they can't do?

[L. VeGas]

Appetizers. Cartoon characters. And now, electronics!

diatoms

[mastershake_phd]

Diatoms, is there anything they cant do? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

Oh please oh please oh please

[mgabrys_sf]

Please use sea monkeys. The marketing potential is enormous!

lasers

[owlnation]

laser beams, gimme fricking laser beams on them...

used to filter beer

[daniel23]

I stumbled over some industrial use of diatom earth quite some time ago, things like adding the stuff to color mixtures to give it the right viscosity. But the best is: it's used to filter the yeast out of beer. All those surreal 3d structures of the diatom skeleton (and TFA pictured an extremly boring one, they have thorns and what not) help to catch the yeast cells when thrown into a tank of mature beer, the diatom earth ("sand") slowly sinks to the bottom and takes most of the yeast cells with it.
The beer is pumped off and put into bottles afterwards and the remaining goo goes to the waste or recycling. Which has to happen soon, if they wait to long (or in summer), the yeast sort of explodes running over the container it was put in and is hard to remove...

Wrong joke

[LordEd]

You see, its very apparent to slashdot taggers that certain sea creatures are very useful in the mounting or operation of lasers.

Re:so, who will patent this-cynicism

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

Thankfully patents only last ten years. Feel better?

Uh, where do you live where patents only last ten years?

I don't feel better no.

OMG!

[telchine]

OMG! If I'd known my SeaMonkeys had a use, I'd never have put them in the microwave!

Re:so, who will patent this-Utility Model

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

From the article you linked to:

It is very similar to the patent, but usually has a shorter term (often 6 or 10 years) and less stringent patentability requirements.

We're talking about patents, not trademarks, utility models, copyright, trade secrets or kittens.

Squid

[Profane MuthaFucka]

It's a proxy server. This is not news.