Nanotube-Excreting Bacteria Allow Mass Production

Posted by Zonk on Friday December 7, 2007 @10:23PM from the building-tech-from-the-ground-up dept.

Invisible Pink Unicorn writes "Engineers at the University of California, Riverside have found semiconducting nanotubes produced by living bacteria — a discovery that could help in the creation of a new generation of nanoelectronic devices. This is the first time nanotubes have been shown to be produced by biological rather than chemical means. In a process that is not yet fully understood, the bacterium secretes polysacarides that seem to produce the template for the arsenic-sulfide nanotubes. These nanotubes behave as metals with electrical and photoconductive properties useful in nanoelectronics. The article abstract is available from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

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whos on first? by slyn · 2007-12-07 21:23 · Score: 1, Redundant

Head scientist: What is all this shit?

Scientist: Yes.

HS: What?

S: It's all shit.

HS: What the hell are you babbling about?

S: You asked me what all this was.

HS: And what is it?

S: Shit.

HS: ???

S: OHHH.... shit.... I thought you asked: "What is all this, shit?" My mistake.