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Beetle Naturally Builds Photonic Crystals
esocid writes "Impeding the dream of ultrafast optical computers, we've been unable to build an ideal 'photonic crystal' to manipulate visible light, until now. University of Utah chemists have discovered that nature already has designed photonic crystals with the ideal, diamond-like structure: They are found in the shimmering, iridescent green scales of a beetle from Brazil. The beetle is an inch-long weevil named Lamprocyphus augustus. Bartl and Galusha now are trying to design a synthetic version of the beetle's photonic crystals, using scale material as a mold to make the crystals from a transparent semiconductor. The scales can't be used in technological devices because they are made of fingernail-like chitin, which is not stable enough for long-term use, is not semiconducting and doesn't bend light adequately. Ideal photonic crystals could be used to amplify light and thus make solar cells more efficient, to capture light that would catalyze chemical reactions, and to generate tiny laser beams that would serve as light sources on optical chips."
Bartl and Galusha now are trying to design a synthetic version of the beetle's photonic crystals, using scale material as a mold to make the crystals from a transparent semiconductor.
Man, I remember when I studied this in school. The crystals weren't lining up right no matter what I tried. Eventually I solved it by continuously rotating them during the growing stage, while simultaneously directing acoustic vibrations into their center. I called this the "Twist and Shout" method.
-- Jon Titor
Decades of computer debugging efforts wiped out by naturalist...
Well it's probably for the best that we can't simply use the scales else the poor little devils would likely be on the fast track of the endangered species list.
Two Parts Swash, One Part Buckle
I know it is sickeningly overused, but where will they get the tiny sharks for these tiny lasers?
We all know the answer...
Seamonkeys!!!!
I vollue and globber floopily to you.
PS. Soylent green is people too.
How many petaflops could you process with a Beetle Cluster?
Every mans' island needs an ocean; choose your ocean carefully.
For Aiur!
When the big dino-killer hit the planet, it most probably threw tons of biological samples off of the planet. Some of these would have struck the moon. Nature wins again!
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
In furtherance to this point, there's also the fact that the ability to grow photonic crystals on one's back benefits this species of weevil through its ability to enter into a mutualistic relationship with homo sapiens. Thus, through the interest garnered by the crystals, human beings will attempt to keep the species alive at least as long as it takes to see if they're useful.
Once those beetles can fart at escape velocity it's all over.
It's bound to happen. Nature has already made the best pillows ever: Boobs.
Sorry ... are you trying to say that we might be the leaser of two weevils?
Eclectic beats from Leeds, UK
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