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Mimicking Electric Eel Cells

Posted by kdawson on from the positively-shocking dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A team of US researchers has asked the following question in the new field of systems biology: 'Do we understand how a cell produces electricity well enough to design one, and to optimize that design?' They believe it should be possible to build artificial cells replicating the electrical behavior of electric eel cells. In fact, such artificial cells could deliver better performance — as much as 40% more energy than real eel cells, a computer model suggests. They could be used to power medical implants and other small devices."

7 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. The Real Eel by Nefarious+Wheel · · Score: 4, Funny

    We need to add biocapacitor cells as well. Eel + biocapacitors == Dragonball Z FTW!

    --
    Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
  2. Useful? by CarAnalogy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can they be used to power hovercrafts?

  3. Alternate approach. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can't we just implant a real eel? You know like the Jaffa have on Stargate.
    I can't really think of any downside, oh wait...

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    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  4. practical applications? by apodyopsis · · Score: 3, Funny

    I immediately thought that you could use it to run an onboard storage device to keep you own personal medical records - then I realized that apart from being a privacy nightmare an inductively powered system made more sense like they shove into pets necks.

    Then I thought "pace maker" - but realized that a long life battery (well its only got to outlast the patient that its in) it probably more reliable and less likely to trigger a lawsuit.

    So then maybe I thought self-defence mechanism - but I realized that the amount of power that would need would be impractical.

    Perhaps some dancing light that light you up on the dance floor the more you dance, the brighter you get?

    I'm short of ideas on any practical application here, anybody got any nifty ideas?

    1. Re:practical applications? by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 4, Funny

      I vote for the dancing lights. Can you imagine how spectacular a high-energy person like Usain Bolt or Shelly-Ann Fraser would be, running at night? Or what this could do during sex? Just think about challenging your partner to make you go bright blue, and having a partner who likes challenges.

  5. Recharge. by supernova_hq · · Score: 4, Funny

    Patient: Doctor, my pace maker needs a recharge.
    Doctor: Ok, hold onto this for a moment would you? (hands patient a live eel)

  6. Yes.. but... by denzacar · · Score: 3, Funny

    For some unexplainable reason - only in Hungary.

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    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens